ARCHIVED: The Future: War, Trade, and Exploration

It is a period of much change for the nations of Planet Eve. While technology has considerably advanced since the present, newer advancements have allowed humans the capability for casual space travel. Many nations have taken to the stars, many for very different reasons. Some nations aspire to conquer and gain land and influence from their extraction of resources and appropriation of wealth.

Other nations aspire to gain scientific data for research purposes, or to simply explore for the thrill of the exploration. However, whatever the case, a new age is beginning for the planet. However, it will not be a peaceful one. While many nations seek peace and knowledge, there are nations who instead turn to the dark side of these new capabilities, as mentioned before. These nations will become great threats.

Now, it is your turn to send your nation spiraling into the stars! Let the adventures begin!

OOC Thread: http://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/7389377/1/

The Nebulan Emperator sighed. It had been hundreds of years since the Great War's end, but Nebula had maintained their presence as an imperial power for much of that time.
And now, it was time to extend his nation's reach into the skies.
Massive Nebulan star cruisers, built in orbit by supplies delivered via Nebula's space elevator, were finally ready to begin their colonization of the planets. Of course, colonization had begun a long time ago, but only now were most nations really able to set up large scale colonies and empires in the stars, and Nebula's booming chemical industry would be useful in establishing trade with the other nations. In addition, it would benefit from the untapped resources of the planets.
Nebula's first target, however, was the massive ocean planet of Eko.
With a strange blooping noise, the first Nebulan colonization fleet activated their primitive warp drives, headed for the ocean planet of Eko.

Midway between Eve and her moon lay Gateway Station, a Peacekeeper-run space station designed to act as a trading and service hub and "Last Stop" before leaving Eve proper. In the command centre the Peacekeeper commander, Grand Admiral Hester Gein, paced slowly in her office, her station had been relatively quiet for the past few months, not even Luna base had sent much in terms of traffic, she sighed as she read through the reports, the Nebulans had already set off for Eko. Gwynne turned to the comms set, activating it and sending a message to the nearest ship, the Trojan "Trojan, Nebulan cruisers are en-route to Eko... keep and eye on them will you?" she sighed.


Aboard the Trojan Captain Jenner sighed, she hated doing Eko patrol, it was fairly dull, perhaps the Nebulan fleet would liven the place up. She thought back to her ancestor, Captain Kerri Russel, remembering how she had once captained the Khan's flagship, serving aboard her since it's first victory in the Battle of Porthgwynne during the Great War. In 200 years the Wolvesh had lept to Sebt II's vow to become the world's peacekeepers, indeed they had named their space forces Peacekeepers to deliberately evoke this vow. She smiled, waiting for the Nebulans to arrive "Comms, prepare to open a channel to the Nebulan flagship as soon as they're in range." she ordered.

The Nebulan fleet deactivated warp drives as they detected the presence of the Wolvesh vessel. The command ship pulled in alongside to prevent radio speed-of-light lag.

Jenner smiled, motioning for the comms to activate videochat , she smoothed down her combats and stared ahead at the screen "Nebulan Flagship, this is Captain Jenner aboard the Peacekeeper frigate Trojan, welcome to Eko, neighbourhoods been pretty quiet out here... glad to finally have some company." she smiled.

Ever since the Most Serene Republic of Syrixia was proclaimed 200 years earlier, it had stood as a beacon of democracy and peace. After "defeating" Nebula in a long cold war, Syrixia had become one of Eve's greatest powers. However, while this power was used justly and wisely, now that was about to change. Prime Minister Zaer Caedus had been gaining more and more power through political manipulation. His people loved him, the Parliament loved him, and no one wanted to let him to go the abyss that were Syrixian term limits. Syrixia only allowed two Prime Ministerial terms, however Caedus was now in his fourth. Not even the great Alfred Nursson was so loved by his people. Today was Caedus' birthday, and the announcement he had been waiting to make for months was finally ready. He had expanded the Syrixian army tenfold. He had helped to spike Syrixian arms production, as well as ship construction. Not only was Syrixia now a power to be respected, but it was also one to be feared. Caedus stepped up to the podium in the Chamber of the Parliament, and began his speech.

"Today, as you all know, is my birthday. And it is on this day that I have chosen to make a great announcement. Citizens of this civilized nation, on this day we mark a transition. For two hundred years, the Most Serene Republic of Syrixia has stood as the crowning achievement of civilized beings. It is today that we take one step further. We are in the midst of a golden age, and now we shall ascend to a newer, greater age, an age of shining diamond. I assure you my resolve has never been stronger. The Great War ended exactly 200 years prior, just a few days ago, and the Cold War was won in our favor as well. Now, 200 years later, we stand on the threshold of a new beginning."

"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Most Serene Republic will be reorganized into the second Syrixian Empire, for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for ONE THOUSAND YEARS! Ours will be an Empire ruled by the MAJORITY, RULED BY A NEW CONSTITUTION! By bringing the entire nation under one law, one language, and the enlightened guidance of one individual, our nation will be more united than ever. Regional governors will eliminate the last remains of political corruption and manipulation, and make this nation perfect. A strong and growing military will ensure the rule of law."

"Under the Empire's New Order, our most cherished beliefs will be safeguarded. We will defend our ideals by force of arms. We will give no ground to our enemies and will stand together against attacks from within or without. Let the enemies of the Empire take heed: those who challenge Imperial resolve will be crushed. Imperial citizens must do their part. Join our grand star fleet. Become the eyes of the Empire by reporting suspected insurrectionists. Travel to the every corner of every star system to spread the principles of the New Order to barbarians. Build monuments and technical wonders that will speak of our glory for generations to come."

"The Syrixian Armed Forces, now proudly wearing the name of Imperial Stormtroopers, have tackled the dangerous work of fighting our enemies on the front lines. Many have died in their devotion to the Empire. Imperial citizens would do well to remember their example. The direction of our course is clear. I will lead the Empire to glories beyond imagining. We have been tested throughout the years and throughout the centuries themselves, but we have emerged stronger. We move forward as one people: the Imperial citizens of the second Syrixian Empire. We will prevail. One thousand years of peace begins today, on my magnificent birthday!"

Thunderous applause dominated the room as Caedus raised his hands in the manner of a sovereign. Eventually, he stepped down. Parliament Hall, much bigger than it was 200 years prior, was reconfigured into an Imperial Palace as Syrixian starship after Syrixian starship headed for two primary locations: the ocean planet of Eko, and the Gateway Station. The now-iconic blue cross flags of the old Republic were taken down nationwide, and replaced with a new flag, a more menacing and stronger flag; one that conveyed power and justice. No more were Syrixian starships known as Syrixian Star Cruisers. Now, they were Imperial Star Destroyers, ready to lay anything in their way to waste.

As Emperor Caedus took his diamond-studded seat in what once was the Chamber of the Parliament and what now was the Imperial Throne Room, he called the SyrNet 17.0 and a monitor appeared out of the wall. The Emperor watched as Imperial Star Destroyers jumped to the newly available warp speed, and headed for Eko to take over the planet and destroy any Nebulan forces there. He then turned his eyes to Gateway Station, now surrounded by Star Destroyers ready to destroy it utterly if the Empire's demands were not met by the Wolvish inhabitants already there: Surrender the station and leave with their lives or die in the explosion caused by the station's destruction.

Above the planet of Eve, a rather small orbiter station sat and monitored space traffic, as well as conducted scientific experiments. Aboard the station, the station's commander, Professor Alex Durand, walked through the ring of the station followed by one of the operation staff. She had long red hair, which was tied in a bun, and was wearing a white armored suit and a lab coat. "Any news to report from the Coalition?", she asked the staff, adjusted her glasses. "Nothing of note, Ms. Durand, but the coalition is usually left in the dark about the Council's actions," he replied. Suddenly, one of the crew members at a control panel signaled to the pair, and pointed at a ship in the distance, leaving Eve's orbit. "It's probably some cargo vessel," said the officer to the crew member. "No, it can't be, look at those escort ships. That is one of our own. Alicia, can you give us some insight?", asked Durand. "Of course, let me see it," said a voice.

A door behind the trio opened and smoke began to pour out of it. They turned, as an android walked out of the opening and put its hands behind its back. This was Alicia Bot, named after one of Alex's ancestors, Alicia Burns. Alicia created the Coalition's first AI, which served the country until Alicia's death. The bot, named Ayuda, loved its owner so much, that the day after Alicia's death, the bot malfunctioned and shut down. The Ministry of Information, saddened at its Minister's death, and the loss of its first bot, constructed Alicia Bot from the programming of her predecessor. The android was built to resemble Alicia, and thus had long red hair and glasses, and was wearing a suit similar to Alex's.

Alicia stepped forward, looking as the ship began to turn toward the station. "That would be the Flowering Fate, flagship of Councilor Grace Hilley, she must be coming to the station with news," she said to Durand. "What could the Councilor want with us?", asked Durand back. "I'm not sure, however, if she's delivering the news, we might want to take it," said the bot in return, adjusting her glasses just like Alex did earlier.

In the bridge of the station, Erik Hall, the station's bridge commander, stood in the center, as the pilots started shouting out reports. "Councilor Hilley's ship is requesting to dock, important message regarding the Coalition of Guslantis," said one of the pilots. "Let them dock on the bottom of the station, I'll contact the professor and...," he began, before someone spoke over the radio device in his ear. He touched the device and said, "Roger that, professor," before looking back at the pilots. "Let the councilor and her escorts dock on the inside of the ring, the professor would like to speak with them," said the Hall.

Gwynne stared out of her window at the Syrixian fleet, clearly they had forgotten their Wolvesh ancestors new nothing of the word Surrender, Lunar base was already launching the first fleet, and 10 Trojan-Class vessels were waiting within the docking bays.



The Ascalon class was the backbone of th peacekeeper fleet, it's size concealed it's heavy firepower. Several were already making their way towards Gateway station. Gwynne, opened a comm channel "So a serpent stirs..." she glared "Your leader is clearly insane... Marwolaeth will greet many to the Ravenbrook today... and I'll make damn sure if we're destroyed we take as many of you as possible..."

The Imperial Star Destroyers began to fire on Gateway Station. Like the Ascalon-class ships of Wolfsea their heavy firepower was concealed, but it was much stronger than that of the Peacekeepers. The Star Destroyers began to advance on the Wolvish ships, opening fire in a quick and deadly manner. The menacing ships were far larger than the Wolvish ships and it quickly became clear that the Wolvish were in a pickle. While the Star Destroyers took hit after hit to their shields, which were progressively going down, they were plowing through the Wolvish ships and blowing up many. The Star Destroyers began to fire on Gateway Station, destroying a few small parts of the station here and there. However, while they knew Gateway Station was doomed, they also knew Wolfsea would not give up that easily.

Meanwhile, at Eko, a large fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers arrived behind the other side of the planet, a strategic choice; as the Nebulans and the Trojan would be caught by surprise from behind. Eventually, the fleet rounded the planet from both sides and reunited on both sides of the enemy fleet, immediately firing on them. The Nebulans and the Trojan were obviously caught by surprise due to the attack from behind, and meanwhile, Syrixian stormtroopers landed on a few islands strewn about Eko and began to take over the planet. A couple stormtroopers went aboard AT-AT mech units to get a better lookout. The islands were medium-sized, but extremely heavily forested. Nevertheless, Eko was now secretly in the hands of the Empire.

The Nebulan admiral made a split-second decision. "Colony ships down to Eko. Warships Piperine, Phosgene, Scandium, and Borate to remain in orbit around Eko. All other warships, fall in. We're going back to help the Wolvesh."
The bulk of the Nebulan fleet wheeled in space, preparing to return to Gateway.

Meanwhile, Nebulan soldiers began their desperate defense of the colony.

By the time the Nebulan fleet had arrived, Gateway Station was ruined. Wolvish ships were strewn across the area along with what was left of the station. Although the Imperial fleet at Gateway had superior weapons capabilities compared to the Nebulans as well as matching numbers, reinforcements were called anyway to make the Imperial victory all the more resounding. The reinforcement fleet came from behind the Nebulan positions at Gateway, and the Imperial armada went into a gigantic formation trapping the Nebulans within a circle of Star Destroyers. Then, an Dreadnought-class Star Destroyer, bigger than all the rest at Gateway, approached the circle and the trapped Nebulans within it from above. Within it was the Emperor's second-in-command and main military leader, Darth Venator, dressed in an all-black uniform and a cape- per Imperial regalia. "This is Darth Venator, Syrixian Empire. You will surrender and leave the Gateway Station area or be destroyed. I leave you to choose." he said on commlink, before pausing to hear the Nebulan response.

Meanwhile at Eko, the reduced numbers of the Nebulan ships still remaining meant easy pickings for the Empire. Instead of offering the enemy ships to surrender and escape with their lives, the Imperial ships instead simply fired, destroying a couple Nebulan vessels. Hopefully this would send a message.

"Evasive action!" screamed the admiral. Nebulan warships maneuvered hastily, then---
BLOOP
In a desperate move, the Nebulan warships activated warp drives in a last-ditch but successful move.

And then they were gone, having moved in a direction left uncovered by the imperial ships: down.

Gateway was holding on, Gwynne glared as she initiated missile volleys, dozens of missiles burst in volleys, decimating the Syrixian fleet as the Masers picked off their gravity generators and assault pods allowed boarding parties to infiltrate the enemy vessels, meanwhile the first fleet arrived, continuing the brutal assault as the damaged ships kamikazed into the syrician ships, further annihilating the enemy fleet. Gwynne turned to the controls for the Cyclone cannon and aimed it at the parliament building "Take this you son of a bitch..." She snarled, preparing to fire thrusters and drop the command section if necessary.

(because I can godmode too)

Nebula:

"Evasive action!" screamed the admiral. Nebulan warships maneuvered hastily, then---
BLOOP
In a desperate move, the Nebulan warships activated warp drives in a last-ditch but successful move.

And then they were gone, having moved in a direction left uncovered by the imperial ships: down.

Click to expand...

"Should we let them go, Lord Venator?" said an admiral to Darth Venator on commlink. "No." the menacing commander replied. "Let them escape with their lives. Gateway is ours. That's enough, for now." "Yes, Lord Venator." said the admiral. As the fleet took up guarding the newly captured space, some Imperial ships left to join the fleet at Eko.

A brilliant flash of light filled the sky, Gwynne detonated the self destruct, gateway was gone. Gwynne had made sure to take as many enemy vessels as she could as the wreckage fell to Eve.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the system, a small battalion of Imperial Scout Troopers had already gone past Eko. The Emperor was interested in the odd binary planets, Ao and Oa, as many a human was for centuries; and how they were able to maintain a binary orbit. The large group of T.I.E. Fighters approached the two planets, and then split up into two smaller groups, one for each planet.

The fourth and third fleets waited, they had heard of Gateway's auto-destruct detonation, they wanted blood. Lying in wait for the Syrixians, their heaviest ships, the Roader class, were in position, these dreadnaughts were ready to wipe Syricxia out.

Immediately, the TIEs picked up the Wolvish positions on their scanners and turned to retreat. In case they didn't make it, which would probably be the case, the Scout Troopers sent pictures of Ao and Oa to the Imperial Logistics Department on Eve. The TIEs prepared to make the jump to warp speed when suddenly Wolvish vessels appeared behind them.

The massacre was unbelievable, the Peacekeepers caught the TIEs in a crossfire, the few pilots who survived wished they hadn't, the Peacekeepers in their rage were cruel, and their bloodlust had yet to be quenched.

Aboard the Coalition's space station, the Guslants were oblivious to the attack taking place. The only Guslant who knew anything about this attack was the woman about to board the ship. Behind the group, a door opened and out walked Councilor Hilley. The councilor was a beautiful woman with blonde hair that was now tied up in a stylish bun. "Alex, we have an issue," she said, approaching Durand. "What is it?", asked Alicia. "The Syrixians...," began the councilor. "Those damn Syrixians, do they ever learn from us?", said a woman, approaching opposite from the Councilor.

The woman had a darker complexion, and was wearing a military uniform. Her family had almost all been in the Guslant Armed Forces. One of her ancestors, Emily Akerman, was the highest ranking general Guslantis ever had, and even won an honor from Grace's ancestor, Hunter Hilley. "Admiral Tucker, good to see you," said the Councilor. "Yeah, yeah. Stupid politicians," joked the Admiral. "Anyway, you guys need to get to Eko. Syrixia is tearing the world apart," explained the councilor.

"Who? Me?", asked Durand. "No, you are too crucial. I will send Erik Hall and...," the councilor began, before looking to Alicia. "Her," she said with emphasis. "Me? I'm not a fighter!", Alicia protested. "It will be fine, you'll be flying aboard a bomb," explained Tucker. "A bomb?!", screamed the scared android. "The Coalition's new prototype, yes," said Tucker, comforting Alicia.

Thirty minutes later, a round bomb warped into the battle at Eko, and began to float around the battlefield, waiting to be hit. When this bomb was hit, the explosion would be enough to destroy a few small ships in the area, but nothing major. However, either the Wolvesh or the Syrixians could hit this bomb and use it to their advantage.

As the bomb entered orbit around Eko, a small TIE fighter group moved into formation. They had received quick orders from the main ship. They flew close to a Nebulan vessel, luring it, and timed it just right so the bomb would hit the vessel chasing them. However, while the bomb did destroy the lured Nebulan vessel and one other one, its power was still harshly underestimated. The TIE group was sent flying into the Ekoan atmosphere. The stormtroopers on the ground now had to flee from raining TIEs.

Zarin stared down at the Syrician pilot at his feet, he was young, trying to be brave but it was obvious that the sights he had just seen were beyond comprehension. Zarin lifts him by his collar "My sister and niece were on gateway..." He whispered, baring his teeth as he pushed the prisoner against the wall, bringing the welding torch closer, setting it on a narrow beam, slowly carving the names of those he had lost into the sobbing prisoners flesh, all the prisoners had been savagely mutilated in a number of ways but they didn't care, they would repay Gateway with oceans of blood.

Aboard the space station bridge, Tucker and the rest of the crew cheered. Alex, on the other hand had just witnessed the death of two of her greatest friends. "What?! How can you cheer? They are dead!", screamed Durand. "Sweetie, no they aren't. They are perfectly safe," explained Tucker. "Safe?! How are they safe when you stuff them in a bomb, place it in the center of a battlefield and let them get blown to smithereens?!", screamed Durand, getting in Tucker's face. "Alex, Tucker means to say that that was not a normal bomb. That was the Coalition's first Bomb-class Shuttle," explained Hilley, cutting in. A screen came down and showed a huge piece of debris floating in the battlefield. "That, professor, is your friends' way to the Wolvesh command ship," said Tucker, pointing to the debris, which now, looking at it, looked very shuttle-like. However, no one would ever look at debris hard enough to actually notice this fact. "Contact the Wolvesh Navy Command, tell them our delegation has arrived," she continued. "Sending coordinates to their commander now, Admiral Tucker," said one of the pilots.

Admiral Garret stared at the screen, activating it, she had a glare that summed up her anger "Yes? What is it?" Throwing a knife offscreen at another prisoner, it seemed as though the entire fleet was blinded by fury.After the situation was explained she had the shuttle brought aboard the Ramada. The mood aboard ship could be felt in the air, screams permeating the air.

"This is going to surprise you, Admiral, but we have back-up...," stated Tucker. The admiral gave a look to show she wasn't really surprised. "Well, that's not the surprising part. The bomb that the Syrixians just blew up...yeah, those were our delegation...and well, in short, they're in some debris in the battlefield, and we need you to retrieve them. I sent a good commander, and a great scientist, and I know they will help you bring down those Syrixians," explained Tucker.

<<Ceretian command center, Ao>> Observing the space battle on sensors, Ceretian command discussed what to do about the Eko and gateway situations. "Sir, Syrixia hasn't taken actions against the Ceretian colony on Eko, but they made a mess out of gateway and gave the Nebulans a bloody nose. What are your orders sir?" With a disgusted look on his face the fleet admiral looks at the displays. "It's may only be a matter of time until they try something, they're too aggressive too soon, but they'd be fools to think they're the only ones armed to the teeth. If they want a fight, they'll have it. Remember, peace unless provoked or ordered otherwise; if you're fired upon, make sure it's hell to pay before you put them in the dirt."

A light tone emanated from the comm station of the flagship "Message from the Fleet Admiral sir, we are to deploy in defense of the colonies, especially Eko colony, and observe the Syrixian fleet." With a surprised look on his face and a slight grin the admiral put down his morning coffee "Someone's going to have a bad day." giving a nod "XO set the fleet in motion to the designated targets, support positions, and axillary way points. Also, make sure they're cloaked, we don't want to let the cat out of the bag." an alert tone simultaneously sounds aboard all the fleet vessels. "Action stations, action stations. Set condition two throughout the ship. This is not a drill. Repeat, action stations, action stations. Set condition two throughout the ship. This is not a drill." The ships slipped from their orbits toward their targets and shimmered for a moment before their cloak activated.

The Admiral nodded, having had the shuttle brought aboard she waited for the occupants to emerge

(sorry, class the edit to my last post as part of this)

Once they were aboard the ship, Erik unlatched the door to the shuttle and exited the piece of debris and made their way onto the ship. "Hello, I'm Erik Hall, bridge commander of the Valeria. I also know about the Coalition's secret fleets, but obviously they're kinda secret," he explained. "I'm Alicia Bot, Minister of Information. I am a strategist and technician, plus, Syrixia uses the SyrNet system, so that could be helpful," said Alicia.

"I am Admiral Kala Garret, Peacekeeper command, right now I run the fleet. Excuse the noise, my men are cleaning up some filth..." she said, her meaning rather ominous "We're already gathering the Roader class ships, believe me these vessels can deliver a lot of punishment..." She quipped, usually she would be proud of these titanic dreadnoughts but now she wanted to take a good bite out of Balamb with one. There was a gunshot from below decks but Garret ignored it.

Meanwhile, the Empire sent a secret message to Ceretis inquiring about a possible alliance.

(Ok, now I'm really going for the night XD)

2201.3.12, Gregor Era
Ao Public Library Database.
Accessing... Text Article, "Modern Kannex". English. Vikipedia.

Loading... Done.

The House of Niemza fell in 2057 c.e., after three hundred years of power. The direct catalyst was the stock market crash that autumn caused by the Wallei crop plight. Revolutionaries in Weiterburg rose up and fought pitched battles with government forces, forcing the last kaiser to flee to Syrixia. A twenty-year civil war ensued, devastating Kannex for decades to come. But the cracks and fissures in imperial politics could be seen earlier. In the late 2000s, Kannex was the most powerful country in the world. Eclipsing Syrixia as the dominant partner in the Helmebaine Alliance, Kannex held its ground against socialist Nebula in the Cold War. Kannex engaged in a space race that advanced space travel technology and participated in several proxy wars in which the Kannexan military played major roles. But the strong interventionist policy of the Kannexan government led to the strengthening of the military-industrial complex. By the early 2020s major corporations held massive sway over the Reichsregierung (imperial government). A notorious example was the Julius Corporation, the empire's largest arms manufacturer. The Julius Corporation exerted great influence on the Imperial Kannexan Army and the Imperial Intelligence Agency, even affecting geopolitical government decision-making. Corruption saturated Kannexan society. But the major reason for the collapse of the monarchy was --

Closed file. Exit Library?

>Yes
No

Closed application.

---

Guten Morgen, meine Damen und Herren. Wir sind auf einem Kurs nach Ao-Neues-Kannex Kolonie gesetzt. Ich hoffe, Sie die Fahrt geniessen. Die Reise ist ...

...

Wir starten in drei... zwei... eins!

Abfliegen!

"Ich hoere, dass die Kolonie sich mit dem kannexischen Bund bald anschliessen wird. It's about time, don't you think?"

"Jawohl. New Kannex took their time filling out the paperwork and everything. It only took Janghoff a year after its founding to join the Federation."

"Oh, isn't it nice? How democratic we are. Our colonies can choose whether or not to join the Federation. Other nations go in by force! We let the colonies decide."

"But they always choose to join the Federation. Kannexan by blood, Kannexan by heart. Even Kannexan diaspora from other nations settle in our colonies."

"It's nice, innit. Kannexans are one big family in the world."

"I heard the Ao colony -- well, part of the reason why they took so long was because they were afraid a quick Federation annexation of the place would anger the Syrixians."

"Ah, best to play it safe, huh?"

"Yeah, but now that the whole system is up in flames, it doesn't seem to matter anymore."

"I must say, the Casimir Negative Mass Drive is one of the best inventions to grace humanity within the last two hundred years..."

Cronaal had dissolved 130 years ago, their stock market and economy had crashed after Prime Minister Nancy Turner had incessantly borrowed from both Helmebaine and the NPTO and became unable to pay back the interest, their situation had led to ejection from both alliances and caused Cronaal to default, leaving it in a mess of paupers and corrupt government. This caused the largest civil war that had erupted in The North Pacific, entire provinces of the nation were destroyed in flames and riots whilst the military planned coup against the government and no surrounding nations wished to support the government, the risks of it were too high so Cronaal began to destroy itself. Millions died in the conflict, over a 10th of the nations' population of 120 million was murdered in the conflict and only 3 of it's cities remained, major and minor, after the bloody battles that had taken place between rebels, military and government supporters. There was no hope of recovery so the surrounding nations had proposed something for the people as the space race had rapidly progressed to unimaginable extents, they proposed that each nation that was interested in supporting Cronaal were to build sections, sections of a city that could sustain itself in space. This, however, only gave them a single change as they refused to give the people the blueprints to repair the ship on a large-scale, there was also another issue. Only 600,000 could board.

The people wished to forget what had happened after then, what they knew as The Genocide. The bloody, consuming chaos that arose from the people who wished to board, it was unimaginable and was to stain the archipelago for centuries beyond the war. The people who actually were able to board decided it was best that Cronaal as no longer a nation, it was stained with blood and brought thoughts of death and conflict after the past 20 years of death so they founded the Cro Arms Corporation. It was founded by a a man named Henry Stoeweather, whom later became the 'leader' of the city-ship, who proposed the idea to the large group of 'prominent' citizens, they needed a leader and a purpose so they agreed and this agreement had resulted in the founding of one of the largest arms company of the known universe with three of the Cro Arms Corporation space-cities besides the main one. 120 years of peace.

The Emperator slammed his fist down onto the table.
"Damn the Syrixians! We're cutting off all trade with them! Hope the mother****ers like trying to conquer the universe without the help of our chemical industry! And tell the fleet--- as much as we can spare--- to prepare for a massive attack on Eko."
"Sir, only a third of the fleet is available."
"Do it! It'll still be enough."

Signals were sent out. Nebulan scout ships raced home. The first colony fleet returned. The massive navy that Nebula had been preparing in orbit around the Moon was ready. 20 warships detached from it and headed for Eko.

While the 54-ship Imperial fleet was stationed at Eko ready to fight the Nebulan reinforcements, stormtroopers on the ground discovered a small colony, populated by humans in different outfits than their own. The flag of Ceretis flew high on a pole in the middle of the colony. The explorers there looked scared of the stormtroopers, but the stormtroopers had other plans besides harm. "Sorry to bother you all." said one stormtrooper. "We are stormtroopers of the Syrixian Empire. Who are you? What is this place?"

The engineers were hesitant seeing the stormtroopers, they'd received word from central command that their colony might be targeted by the empire. Ceretian ground forces were completely concealed in the surrounding wilderness waiting for any sign of trouble, this didn't make much sense, had the Syrixians stopped their assault; why? Their orders still stood, peace unless fired upon. An older man, John, dressed all in white with a straw hat spoke up with a light hearted scottish accent. "Greetings, and welcome to the Ceretian colony of Terak; we weren't expecting visitors. We have colonized the eastern islands here on Eko in the name of the people of Ceretis. We do hope you come in peace..." As he looks down at the blaster rifles. "We're just colonists, scientists, and engineers; nothing too exciting. The biodiversity on this planet was too interesting to not colonize."

"What are your intentions? We noticed the battle overhead, and the debris falling through the atmosphere."

"We come in peace as well." said the stormtrooper commander. "Our intentions are to claim this planet and extract resources from it for scientific, economic and military reasons. Unfortunately, the Nebulans weren't too happy to hear of our venture, and there's a large battle going on above us right now. They're distracting the Nebulans while we explore and chart the planet." He continued, "However your presence is concerning. While we have no intention of harming your colony, as we already have enough Ekoan territory to go around, I don't think the Nebulans would be as generous. If they even send a few squads down here, you may be in danger...or at least you would have been if we weren't here." The commander laughed.

With a momentary perplexed look, he was glad these visitors didn't negotiate with blaster fire. They seemed friendly enough, for now, and he knew the colony would be defended with his hidden troops, "I do agree there is enough Ekoan land and resources to go around." as he somewhat nervously laughed "Well we won't be much of a bother I'm sure, and we're always glad to see new neighbors, especially if they help keep us from danger. I'm sure you and your men are busy investigating the planet, we won't keep you from your duty. Perhaps later we can hammer out the details of the claims and any free lands."

The commander nodded and with a hand gesture signaled his men to depart from the colony, they had a lot of work to do mapping the planet.

John headed back toward the colony command center, he sighed with relief as his expression changed glancing up at the flickers of light in the atmosphere. The colonists could see the worrisome look on his face, and they're glad his diplomatic approach worked. John was just glad he'd be around to see another day, and wondered how to handle this situation. Looking over at his second in command "make sure the troops keep an eye on the situation in space and on the planet, and by all that is good keep them out of sight, we don't want to alarm anyone. Let me know when the fleet is in range, just knowing they're there if we need support will comfort my nerves." In his office he slumped into his leather chair, sipping from a glass of whiskey; waiting and watching his sensor displays.

Land surrounded by darker oceans is unclaimed.

Many a Xentheridan has looked up into the night sky, towards the moon and the stars far, far away. They wondered what was out there, and what would become of it. Other thought about the enormous supply of minerals, and how rich they would become upon mining it. Others still had the fascination of discovering other, liveable planets to colonize, and unknown species to encounter, however small.

It has been hundreds of years since Xentherida launched its first space shuttle, and even longer since the first artificial satellite was launched. Since then, only the nearby moon have had humans stepping on to it, and only probes had explored distant planets, millions of miles away. Everyone had wished to explore-and sometimes, to exploit- these planets, to discover what really was out there.

The Xentheridan Government was to make all of these wishes happen, for its first high speed engine had been created. Known as the Ion Thruster, it collected solar radiation in the form of UV rays (from the billions of stars that bombarded the ship with the UV), and used the energy from the UV to smash protons into uranium atoms. These atoms split, were fired at again, and split again, and this process was repeated so many times that hydrogen was created from the remnants of the uranium, alongside an enormous amount of collected energy. The aforementioned hydrogen would this time bind together to create helium-and yet more energy-, and eventually thrust out the back end to create propulsion, for the helium was shot out just below the speed of light, using the power of the fission and fusion that had happened earlier on. This method of propulsion was extremely efficient, and required no cooling; the absolute zero of space was enough to stop it overheating, although it could not travel too close to stars, in risk of it exploding.

These engines so far had only been tested on unmanned spaceships and probes, causing the first few-which were incredibly small-to explode into thousands of pieces, their frames shattering under the sheer exertion of the speed of the incredibly powerful engine. However, the last few tests had been successful, and it was time to reap its rewards.

Only two of these engines would need to be attached to a tungsten-plated, kilometre-long-wide-and-thick, circular spaceship. This would be the main site for launching smaller, expeditionary vehicles. It is under the Xentheridan flag, and flag of peace, for it has no military aims. Its uses will be ferrying smaller vessels closer to their destinations, as a temporary storage for minerals, and to ship the minerals back to Xentherida to be used and sold.

Here is a photo of an artist's speculation of the vehicle in space:



In the mean time, Xentherida's space goals are to colonize asteroids and parts of planets, partially for science and military means (e.g. a warning for impending attacks), but mainly for mining. There are also nuclear fusion self destruct sequences fitted on to each mining probe, as each probe has a tracker too. Should any large asteroid with a probe on it come too close to Eve, it will be detonated in nuclear hellfire, thus splitting it up into incomprehensibly small pieces and causing it to burn up in Eve's atmosphere.

In terms of mining, there are hopes for asteroids to contain useful minerals, such as tungsten, uranium, titanium and vanadium, among other valuable metals, like platinum, silver, gold and scandium.

However, a new engine is in development. Known as "Operation All-Cue-B-Air, the plan is for dark matter to be summon and then spent contracting space in front and then extending it behind; the extension would provide propulsion to go forwards, meaning after an increasingly faster acceleration, faster-than-light travel would be achievable. While top speed would be impossible to attain, and it would take a long time to get up to light speed, it can use the same method as a braking technique, meaning any potential overshoots would be averted, and energy created by the numerous fusion reactors on board would be saved.

None of these "projects" had been at the increased taxes, for Xentherida had generated an enormous governmental surplus over the last few decades-enough to finance the creation of these ships and engines.

Finally, however, the new Ion Thrusters are to be implemented onto the disc ship-called HMS Disc Triumph, but nicknamed Discus-tomorrow. After then, HMS Disc Triumph will depart the Blackwater City Space Ship Construction Zone, laden with hundreds of thousands of smaller mining probes, by vertical take-off. It is manned by a crew of several dozen-for computers processed most of the data, and even a Mark 7 behaviourally-restricted (for the previous couple AIs were insane, megalomaniac lunatics before they were deleted) AI helped around the ship- and will return to Xentherida every two months for supplies to be unloaded, and food rations to be refilled.

(lol Syrixia's raided Star Wars, Xentherida's raided Star Trek and I've raided a mix of C&C, Red Dwarf and Macross...)