From the Ashes - The story of mankind

AdmiralMaximus

Join Date 01/2009

From the Ashes - The story of mankind

In 2175 the human race was in ecstasy. For over a century now, since 2054 to be exact, most human beings were living under some form of population control. the right to have a child was handed out to only select families. Some couples waited up to ten years for various governements to process their requests only to be denied after an eternity of painful and anxious wait. Our planet was only so big and with only so many ressources. We as a species had to develop mature and concrete steps to make sure our civilization, and our very existence would not be put in jeopardy! Though draconian these measures were vital and by 2097, the year the planet unified its most powerful governments into one overarching entity, deliberately breaking the Prime Natal Law resulted in capital punishment within 7 days of being convicted. All non-deliberate pregnancies were immediately aborted and the man subject to capital punishment. Overcrowded cities were not uncommon to have disease outbreaks, and sometimes the governemtn took far too long to respond and aid the civilians affected. Morale throughout our species was at an all-time low. Surely there have been episodes in the history of mankind where a certain people have been oppressed to the brink of losing all faith in life. Wars had ravaged our planet time and time again and yet we never seemed to quite learn our lesson, but at this point in our history things were different. The lethargy and decay in which the masses of our civilization had fallen into thanks to inadequate and ill-conceived gov't actions led to a progressive massive morale slump the likes of which history had never recorded. And while the people suffered, state media (for all media was state-owned) talked of summit meetings in which our great leaders pledged trillions of dollars to support the growing crisis...They were skilfull at throwing sand in our eyes while the real problems festered underneath.

But all of this was about to change. In 2170 a brilliant and enigmatic man by the name of Dr. William Allison descovered how to properly conduct cold fusion. This incredible discovery led to a vast array of public works and iniatives that quickly brought the standard of living up again. Energy was now affordable! Artists began recording music again, Intercontinental travel became available to everyone, the spark our civilization needed had finally come. The highest epitome of our pride and joy that every human had was revealed 5 years later in 2175 when the same Dr. Allison created what would become known as Hyperdrive.

Hyperdrive was a means of interstellar travel. For centuries humans had looked towards the stars and wondered, impotent to do anything else really. Over time we embarked on various projects to get us ever closer to the stars. During the period known as the cold war the Soviets had managed to build their very own space station in orbit of our planet. Mir was later brought down in the Pacific Ocean as a new space station began construction after the cold war ended. The ISS (International Space Station) served its purpose well into the 21st century eventually upgrading to a relay post between Earth and the moon research facility (known as Grey Rock). As humans continued to progress a small colony was established on Mars and by 2175 there were up to 3000 people living on Mars, most from the military.

When Dr. Allison died on december 5th 2212 a planet wide service was organized. Every country under the banner of the United Earth Federation had a day of mourning. People flocked to the streets to witness a funeral on the giant screens lining the large boulevards of the planet's great capital cities. Though humanity had lost it's greatest mind and scientific achiever since Einstein it would lose all that it had gained at far greater cost.

On decemeber 7th 2212 the independent governement of Russia declared that all people, not jsut those bearing the flag of the UEF, should have full access to cold fusion technology. Furthermore the Russian Ambasador to the UEF made a shocking statement when he accused certain elements in the UNA gov't (Union of North America government) of witholding certain aspects of the technology and not alowing other UEF states full control over the patent laws of the tech. UNA answered back saying such propositions were ludicrous and that the current UEF gov't could attest to that. The Russians countered by stating that all major power strutures within the UEF were held by UNA lobbyists and bureaucrats, and that an impartial jury could never be formed to put the matter ot a close. At the same time Russia secretly transported over 25 nuclear warheads and delivery systems to its closest economic allies in central America, namely Venezuala. When UNA spy satelites caugth the Russians red-handed they responded by saying that the nukes would only be withdrawn if the cold fusions patents were made available to a number of companies worldwide instead of the power-hungry UNA conglomerates. An emergency session of the UEF was immediately called but two days later negotiations were at a standstill. The UNA gov't met and decided that a unilateral plan of action was needed. Strike teams were assembled to go into venezuala and Ecuador to take out and nullify the warheads. They failed.

On decemeber 12th 2212 the first bomb went off (some say in Moscow, while others say in Washington) and all that we had worked for over the past 10 000 years as a species was gone. Flash after Flash of Brigth all-encompassing light shook our planet to its very foundations until, when nuclear winter settled in, we were but a shadow of our former selves.

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Alright so this is my first ever AAR.

I hope you guys like it, once i get the backsotry all settled up i'll give you some info about the game.

aars

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Thank you for pointing that out. It is indeed the Lake Ontario. When i started writing the update last night it was quite late and i didn't realize i had subconsciously changed the name of the ship.

Thanks also for the continued support. Its nice to have comments after each update, it helps to give me a sense of purpose in regards to this AAR lol. I also feel like i have a better idea of where the story is going and how the characters will develop. As it was, up until last night i hadn't actually played the game this story is based on since January!

English is my second language. French is my first.

And I've jsut been informed the Habs lost... excuse me as i go wallow in shame for having been swept in the first round.

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IS there a bug or am i blind and nto able to see my posts???

Edit: never mind

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My goodness-your writing is absolutely superb for someone writing not even in their 1st language-normally I can tell but it was only something you said that made me ask-amazing!

And my support is guaranteed whilst you continue to write such an entertaining and gripping story-superb!

I will try and get my new post in tonight or this weekend at least so watch this space mr

(by the way I think there was a glitch last night cos I posted this and couldnt see it-and who are the 'Habs')

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TCS Lake Ontario
High Orbit Over Athena
Drenth System.
Captain Nolan commanding.

The return to Athena had been smooth if not boring. Since his cryo-tank was still not functional, Nolan was left alone with his thoughts for most of the voyage. He had all the time to review the entire ordeal in his head. He thought back to the altercation on the bridge and what the possible repercussions would be. He tried to think of all the possible scenarios, playing out poossiblities in his head. The Guild officer in questioned had been confined to quarters while the ship was on Marshall IV, Nolan didn't want to make a bad first impression on his Drengin guests as they toured his ship by having someone in the brig. As the Lake Ontario made its way home the "prisoner" had asked fro permission to be put in hibernation in his cryo-chamber. Nolan had agreed and allowed him to do. His had completed his report of the trip and would submit it to the guild immediately after landing as per Guild regulations.

The unfinished Lomonosov Starbase glittered in the sunlight of Drenth, as they entered orbit over Athena. Nolan's unease increased. There were a higher number of Guild ships than usual and Helios had detected two full wings of the Federation's latest in weapons developement, its high-tech Helix Fighter. Nolan watched as the fighters streaked in at incredible speeds and flew past the Lake Ontario in salute to her and her fine captain. I wonder what the Navy will think of the report. Nolan didn't doubt for one second that the navy would receive a copy of his report. He had anticipated a couple of possibilities for their reaction. Would they send me to a labour camp? Nolan feared for his Guild permit the most however. He knew that his actions would offend Xavier Corrin, but was Xavier Corrin the real puppetmaster? Endless possibilities and outcomes swirled inside his head and he tried to clear it as he prepared the ship for re-entry.

The ship touched down amidst a crowd of jubilant by-standers and much fanfare. Confetti rained down on them and a symphony orchestra played the Federation Anthem as they stepped outside the ship for the first time in weeks. Xavier Corrin was there to meet them as well as the leaders of the Combine Corporations. This latest development woudl bring these organizations much profit, and Nolan had been the one to carry it out. They shook hands and told him proud and thankful they were. Everone smiled and felt overjoyed, mankind was engaging in inter-species trade and mutual development! This was something to be proud of as humans, and something worth celebrating. Nolan must have been the only one who harboured gloomy feelings as he tried to guess what his future held.

The next morning Nolan was summoned to Guild Headquarters to meet with Corrin. He had hardly slept thinking about what he would say to save his skin and his right to fly a spaceship, something the Guild was more than capable of taking away from him. As he entered the same quare room with the four flat-viewers on each side the pretty secretary announced he could go right in as the Primero was already waiting for him. Nolan entered and saw Corrin with three others who he didn't recognize.

"Mr. Nolan" said Corrin "I hope you were more or less expecting this litle meet to occur considering the information in your report."

Nolan responded with a nod. He could tell by Corrin's voice and the look on the face of his cronies that this was not going to be a pleasant meet. Corrin was sitting behind his large desk, he punched a couple of buttons on his console and Nolan's report appeared in a holo-text hovering above his desk. The air was tense and the fact that no one spoke made it worse. He scrolled down and made as if to read some of the parts to himself as he scrolled. Clearly he was looking for the part where Nolan had put the officer in the brig.

"Ah voila!" exlaimed corrin in a dry humourous and sarcastic way. He proceeded to read the entire exerpt outloud and make obvious pauses whenever he came came across a part he did not like. Nolan began to seeth with rage inside but couldn't let it show to the Primero and his cronies who seemed to be having just as a good a time. It was obvious this meeting was going to end with dire consequences to Nolan's days as a ship's captain. He just wish they could get it over with. As corrin finally ended his little patronizing show he got and said "Well?"

Nolan just stared at him "Well what?

Corrin smiled showing the same satisfaction a Lion would before eating a captured and barely alive prey. "Well I demand an explanation for your actions." he said in a low voice.

Nolan went over a number of possible responses including a very sarcastic and obvious one, but decided to give it to him straight.

"Well sir it's quite simple. We jumped out of warp and were approached by what was actually two Drengin ships. One of my officers informed me they were armed. I thought it a little strange that we should be greeted by warships considering we carried no weapons ourselves and our arrival was already planned. I decided it would be a good idea to fire off a sensor ping just to get a better feel of what kind of weapons they were fielding -" Corrin cut him off.

"Since when is reconnaisance and military tactics part of your mandate? You were in no legal capacity to do such a thing."

"With all due respects Primero the safety of my ship and it crew ARE part of my mandate and being approached by two warships in time of peace is not exactly my definition of being perfectly safe!"

"Guild regulations are strict and crystal clear Nolan, and they are meant to be that way so that there can be no misinterpretations. The officer in question who treathened to relieve you of your command was in fact within his legal rights. I must admit that you were quite cunning to have used the marines to carry out your order as opposed to regular ship security. I've already filed a grievance with the Navy on that issue."

"Sir the chance of being detected were less than 1.5%! Not to mention that they never detected us in the first place!"

"Nevertheless you broke Guild codes and you will submit to Guild punishment. There can be no exceptions."

Nolan began to feel rage again boiling up inside him. He fought to control it.

"I'm afraid your Guild codes will be revoked indefenitely. You are stripped of your command of the Lake Ontario along with the crew you brought onboard."

Nolan tried to put together a response or a protest but he was stunned into silence. That was it, his career in space as a ship capatain was over.

"A shuttle is waiting for you outside. I am not a cruel or discriminating person. It will take you to whichever federation world you choose. Should the Guild need your services in the future you will called upon, until then enjoy your rest Mr. Nolan."

Nolan walked away dejected and beaten. His head slumped as he closed the door to the office behind him.

"Package for you Mr. Nolan."

He looked up to see the cute blonde hlding a small box in her hand.

"It came just as you were with the Primero."

Nolan had a puzzled look on his face as he took the package and thanked the young lady. As he walked out of the building he opened the box and discovered a small earpiece inside with a note saying 'put me on now'. Nolan did so and heard a bunch of static before finally "Is this Captain Nolan of the Lake Ontario? If so please respond in an affirmative manner with your guild codes and birthdate." Nolan did as he was told.

"Confirmation Sebastien Nolan...Please Hold."

After a couple of seconds a voice came through

"Nolan!"

It was Bradshaw

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Lesson in Hockey 101

The 'Habs' or "Les Habitants" in french are a shortened and endearing term used by the faithful of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey club. The term "habitant" was used to determine the first french colonizers and land owners in the New-World. Last night we got swept in the first round by a division and original six rival the Boston Bruins. It's a somewhat fitting end for a season that has been marked with highs and lows the whole way through. Considering this was the centennial season of the team however there were high expectations.

The Habs have won the second most championship titles out of any other team in any other sport behind only the legendary New York Yankees with 24 stanley cups. The team with the second most stanley cups are the no-good wankers in the disgusting city of Toronto with 12.

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Hehehe ah nice one Admiral Vous etes Canadien non?

Excellent post-bravo!

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This is a great story. With the puppet government in place and building military ships. You will need a good excuse besides the drengins to keep building a large military.

You already have it in place the pirates. Up to half of the ships you build should become pirates. Of course you will actually have to get rid of the real pirates.

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There has been an interesting development concerning Pirates, but it's won't be until later in the story.

I've played this game with the AAR in mind always, meaning I didn't just build ships while I could. Instead the money was put towards social and research. The pieces I put in talking about military budget increases more or less reflect the amount I gradually starting putting into it as I played the actual game.

I won't say how but the political situation with the Drengin is about to deteriorate gradually.

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Let loose the dogs of war

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3rd Annual Meeting of the United Planets Council

Terran world of Kryo 2

The leaders of men sat at the large oak table across their Drengin counterparts. Nervously they set up their papers and agendas for the day ahead. The Drengin had already been seated and were prepared in advance. Most from the human delegation avoided eye contact with the Drengin and instead kept their focus on themselves as they settled in the comfortable chairs.

The mood of the Terran delegates was guarded this year as opposed to years past. The first time around they had been brash and quick to come to decisions. Considering the size of the smaller Drengin Empire at the time they were not overly concerned for their "friends" claiming it was always more important to act for the greater good fo the galactic citizens. Of course they never mentioned that humans made up most of the inhabitants at the time. The major debate of that year had focused on a treaty violation by the Drengin. They had been caught using profits from domestic trade to bolster their foreign trade fleets. Such a move was forbidden by the trade conventions in place. The Drengin had been too weak influentially to change the outcome. People simply would not buy drengin goods enough fro them stay viable. Consequentially the Drengin had been force to pay 2% of their net income to the Terran Federationto balance out the illegal investments.

It had caused quite a stir but the Drengin had been men of their word and had paid the fees. The United Planets had been off to a rough start. The second year had been worse. A territorial conflict over a newly discovered Grade-M planet in the Alderan System was claimed by both parties. The Drengin fiercly argued it was theres as it was closest to their existing borders while the humans argues that more Federation ships passed through that system than Drengin and were therefore entitled to it. The debates and arguments had been long and almost violent as certain Drengin delegates had been held back from drawing their Klit'Kos in anger. The votes had been counted and according to the calculating system the Terrans mustered enough to gain control of the planet.

This time however the Terran delegation was less sure of themselves. There was a persistent rumour going about that the Drengin had found a mysterious artifact and had begun mining it successfully. The results had been visible almost immediately. The quality in Drengin products increased tenfold, and their culture and clothing became fashionable throughout Federation space within the following year. It was unsure whether or not they would be able to overtake the Terrans in the number of votes at the end of the day when the calculations were done. It was a intricate method of calculating population with wealth generated. If you had a lot of both you were good and this time the Drengin had not come unprepared.

Both delegation brought conservative and minor propositions to the table. It was obvious they did not want to bring too big of a shock subject to the table. Both parties were cautious and it showed in the negotiations. The day went by pretty smooth as minor changes were made here and there. Tariffs were liftedd on some products and placed on others as the ever expanding game of economic chess played out.

The vote at the end of Council Meeting was won by the Terran Federation by a margin of 0.65%. THere were two recounts but the results were unchanged. The Drengin delegation did not fret or make trouble. In fact they had smiled menacingly and looked the Terrans deep in the eyes and said "See you next year." It was obvious that unless drastic measures were taken, the next UP council would go heavily in favour of the Drengin. Mankind had taken great care in setting up the UP to make sure that it remained a forum where they would dominate policy. The opposite was in the midst of happening.

When the Prime Magistrate received the report he had cursed the Guild and Primero Corrin. The Great Charter of the United Planets Council was very strict in its most base rule. Should any one of the parties choose to withdraw they would forfeit the rights to trade with the other. Foreign trade was currently a very important part of the Federations economy and it had been the Guild who had fought with militancy to make sure the clause had been included.

There had been a plan b coded "Initiation X" in case this happened. It had been a brainchild of Bradshaw in his final days before leaving office. "Without it the Guild will have us by the balls for years to come". It called for a change in the overall tactics of Human colonization. The limits of Drengin expansion were already known and mapped out making it easier to implement the plan. Much like the "policy of containment" of old USA in the times of the Cold War. Federation planets would form a ring around the core of the Empire and thus contain them into their own space allowing the planets and ressources furhter out to remain in the Federation's hands. After reading the report he had sent a holo-message to Commodore Bradshaw informing him that the Federation Legislature would make it its primary goal in the next week to authorize an influx of funds to the Navy.

Aboard Pearson Navy Station

The Hub

Nolan had been grateful to hear Bradshaw's voice come out of the earpiece. He hadn't had the time to fully think about how big a part Bradshaw had played in getting him here. Bradshaw had told him that he had hope to stick in the Guild's side an ever-present thorn with the marines. He had never thought that it would have worked out so perfectly. He had then proceeded to inform Nolan that since his codes had been revoked, there was no way to fly a merchant or civilian ship again. Nolan had failed to see the point of stating the obvious.

"Well boy what do think!" he sarcastically "That only leaves you one option, Do I have to spell it out for you?"

Nolan had never dreamed of being in any military establishment of any kind. This new and growing Galactic Navy however was indeed the only choice left if he wanted to command ships.

"Look Nolan I'll give to you straight. That intel you secured was more valuable than anything we've been able to get on the composition of Drengin ships so far. Thank's to you we know what offensive technology they're arming their ships with and we can now counter them effectively. Already a new prototype is in testing. Furthermore that sample you crash landed on Phobos way back has allowed my scientists to generate more explosive power in our warheads. You've been crucial to the security of the Federation so far and you don't even know it. I'm giving you a chance to command ships and stay useful instead of rotting away on some backwater in the border worlds."

Nolan had no choice but to accept. The thought of not being able to sit in a captain's chair anymore like after the Persephone, made him sick to his stomach. The next couple of months had been filled with training classes and battlefield simulators. He spent hours in the sim practising his flight controls for the new Helix-B. Equipped with the latest in magnetized armour technology it would be able to repel standard space-based mass drivers.

His knowledge and experience with rocket technology also allowed him to give insight and help develop a new type of missile launcher for the Navy's ships. The Harpoon missile had an advanced warhead delivery system allowing for an increase in damage without sacrificing too much space for the fuel. It was far superior to the older Stinger model mounted on the original Helix.

Nolan was eventually given command of his own squadron. His first crew-mate aboard his flag fighter had been none other than his trusted crewmate Dee. She, along with the rest of his faithful crew, had also had their Guild codes revoked.

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A truly hooking AAR! I absolutely like the way you're following the individual life of each character...

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Thank you! That's what I was going for.

I did, however, find it very difficult to write in the concept of influence. It's hard to empirically gauge something like that as opposed to a gaming device that says you have x more than the other guy.

Relations continue to sour in the next post.

cheers

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your doing a good job. Influence would be followers.

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Right but what's a follower??

In this context i chose to try and describe a "follower" as someone who would take more interest in Drengin culture in general by spending money to do so. For instance buying Drengin clothing or music. The amount of money spent would be a good way to gauge how many people are influenced.

I dunno... something to work on for sure it was just tough to write into the story properly i find. Alright anough making up excuses lol.

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You've done it absolutely right Admiral-Influence is a combo of 'followers' (people who adhere to your culture) and your cultural reach to other nations (hence Tourism etc)

Brialliant as always-I always love it when our man Nolan re-enters the fray

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Weber V

Weber System

Capital city of Barak'Nok

Dimitry Ulanov ran down the alley way where it was dark. He had to lose the patrol as quickly as possible or he wouldn't make it in time to meet his contact. His heart raced as he heard Drengin voices not far away. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying since he had lost his UT on his mad dash from the industrial complex on the outskirts of town. He heard the voices getting closer and he decided to make another run for it.

THe city of Barak'Nok was a dark and dreary place. Factories polluted the air and sludge water ran freely down some of the streets. Though the planet had just recently been colonized by the Drengin some of the esthetics of building a city had eluded them. The clear light from the planet's star hardly broke through the thick black oily clouds that hung low in the sky. Ulanov hated this place.

When he had first been recruited on Mars by FISA (Federation Information and Security Agency) he had ideas of serving on an exotic foreign planet, not this dirty hellhole. He silently cursed the Federation for their lacklustre efforst in making this system fully Terran.

The Weber System contained four habitable planets, a rarity and an opportunity to make it one of the most important sectors of Federation space. Before they could effectively colonize all the planets however, the Drengin had beat them to half of them leaving the system divided in two. The result was an intense and sometimes deadly game of spying and information gathering as each side always try to stay one step ahead of the other.

Ulanov was good, one of the best he liked to tell himself. He had succesfully sabotaged the Drengin's ability to produce and research weapons on more than one occassion without even being detected. He had brought back any information to Weber I himself sometimes decoding it before the desk jockeys had a chance to have a go at it.

The operation he had planned this evening had a taken a sour turn however. He had gotten caught in the maintenance shaft of factory A-57 by a Drengin technician who had managed to raise the alarm through his comm device. He had not survived a split second more as Ulanov had shot him clear through the head by aiming at his large feline eyes. Alarm claxons had wailed only seconds later. Ulanov had decided to set the explosives on a short timer fuse and had gotten the hell out.

The explosion was massive, and he could not help but stand and watch in awe as the giant fireball rose in the sky. The moment was short-lived. As he tried to maintain his calm and leave the site as quickly as possible a Drengin aircraft had managed to find him and report his positions to the ground security looking for him.

Dimitry had managed to make it back to the inner city but ground security crews were hot on his tail and he couldnt shake them. Now as he ran behind a building he came to a dead end. Frantically he racked his brain for a solution. Federation training had been arduous at best and he was conditioned to always think of a new effective and viable strategy should the initial one fail. He knew he could make a last stand here and fight off the Drengin but that would only delay the inevitable. If he broke down a door and entered the building he would only get lost in it without proper schematics. The wall was also too high to climb over. He was trapped.

A Drengin aircraft hovered low above, Ulanov hid behind a garbage disposal unit. The Drengin were using simple ifra-red technology however, and locating Ulanov had been quite simple. The air operator relayed the position of the intruder to the security force on the ground who moved to intercept.

Ulanov came to terms with the situation. No way out and a certainty of capture. He knew Federation rules, capture was not an option. There was no telling the lenghts the Drengin would go through to extract information from his mind. No one knew the devices used by the Drengin to inflict pain on their prisoners because no one lived to tell the tale. The only certain thign was that everyone had a breaking point and he didn't feel like experiencing it.

As Ulanov stared at the other end of the alley he could see shadows moving in. He dropped his gun on the ground and looked at the sky. He would have liked to see the stars like on those clear Martian nights. Slowly he reached into his pocket and took out a small silver container. A damn technician! Some people were lucky, and some were not.

He unlocked the small container and took out the single pill held in it. He tried not to show fear and control his shaking. At the back of his head he always knew this was a possibility. He remembered his training exercises and tried to control his mind into a state of relaxation. He gently put the pill in his mouth and stared ahead. As the Drengin rounded the corner and came into view they shouted something Ulanov didn't understand without his UT. I wish i knew Drengin. He smiled and shouted back "Hey!" he lifted his right arm and made an obscene gesture with his middle finger before bitting down hard.

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Brilliant! I was wondering when someone would get the whole spy angle in-I have to say your writing is on a par with that of Themoclaw's and that is high praise indeed Admiral!!

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Many thanks!

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Onboard SB Amerigo Vespucci

Theta Iota System

Drengin Space

The Prime Magistrate of the Terran Federation sat face to face with the Skikda of the house of Kona, Ruler of the Drengin Empire. The site of the meeting was rather symbolic of the overall purpose of the secretive meeting. Since the United Planets Council meeting two years ago when the Drengin had come so close to gaining the requierd votes the Federation had embarked on an all out information war towards the Drengin.

Instead of negative information being fed to the Terran public about Drengin lifestyles, they glorified Terran civilization to the Drengin via the spread of positive disinformation. Some of the more concrete results of this campaign had been the building of the Starbase Amerigo Vespucci in the Theta Iota system. Though the Federation claimed two planets there so did the Drengin. Their territorial claims outstrached by far the Federation's willingness to challenge them so they had let it be.

Life had always been different on the Terran worlds of Theta Iota Pie and Theta Iota V. Drengin lifestely was slowly but surely creeping into the way the colonists went about thir days. The first ever Drengin school had opened on T.I.V and the planetary governor had not even attempted to represent the small minority who were against this. The Ameriga Vespucci had been built to counter this by bombarding the planets, both Drengin and Terran, with propaganda and the latest in entertainment of all sorts.

The Drengin had not been blind to such an action and had called upon Howard Anderson to have a private summit. Now they sat across one another at the brightly lit table with their closest advisors next to them.

"I'm sure your aware that our information networks captured and killed another two agents from your pathetic service."

it was not a question and the way the large Drengin with deep set eyes of fiery crimson looked acroos at his Earthling counterpart.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I should begin releasing my reports to your media let alone mine. My acceptance at keeping this secret for the sake of peace is starting to wear off...especially since the other side doesn't seem to want peace."

Anderson knew he was beat for the moment, he would have to give a concession. He wasn't here to start a war and should relations deteriorate citizens of teh Federation would start to lose faith in the central government. With memories of the cataclysm so fresh still in some minds no one was willing to risk conflict again. Futhermore the last UP council had gone the Drengin way as expected. A law involving surprise attacks had been instilled. It seemed as though the Drengin were toying with the Federation.

Even if conflict should arrive the Federation was seriously unprepared. It had constructed a few dozen wings of Helix figthers but Drengin firepower was still too powerful. Further more the latest reports from the field indicated that the Drengin did indeed a larger military force than the Federation.

"Furthermore the construction of this hideous piece of space junk as a ptiful attempt to subvert control of my planets in this system is laughable. The Houses on those two planets arefiercely loyal to the Empire. You cannot divide us." That last sentence was said with a very serious and low menacing voice.

"We are prepared to come to diplomatic terms no matter the cost on this issue. Nothing is more sacred to the Federation and its people than peace."

The talks were longand arduous but eventually an agreement was made. The first clause in the treaty stipulated that both parties woudl agree to lower funds for foreign intelligence gathering. Concerning field agents, if one should be caught they were not to be killed but instead held and stood for trial. This would bring up the possibility of future prisoner exchanges should the conditions warrant it.

The second clause was more complicated adn contained a lot of legal and technical babble. It was decided that for the greater good of both the Empire and the Federation certain technologies should be exchanged. The Federation could not sya no to the opportunity the Drengin had presented them with. One of the techs they were willing to give them involved the ability to colonize planets affected by severe radiation. Anderson's head sun with the possibility to annouce to the people that Earth would once again be populated by humans. Mankind would be going home. This would also make the summit look like a complete Terran Vicotry once it was leaked to the press.

The Drengin were also willing to give the Federation specs on their older mass driver technology and information on chemical sprays able to harmonize even the most hostile atmospheres. The willingness to give up weapons technology was not lost on the human delegation. THey conferred long in private debating the issue and it was accepted that the Drengin were perhaps tricking Terrans into developing armour able to withstand that level technology while already surpassing it by far. Nonetheless it was taken to fascilitate any research in the matter being made at Gray Rock.

The Federation had come up with a list of things they were willing to part with in event they would have to do so. The Dregin milked them for all they were worth. They acquired advanced computing logorythms, the same kind that had formed the basis for the Helios AI paltform. The Empire had also gained specs on more powerful fusion power plants and the latest technology in General Lifesupport for ships.

The Drengin delegation had left the Amerigo Vespucci with heads high. As they passed an arcade facility on the concourse while making their way to their ships they had snickered and given disgusting looks of disdain for the commercial culture being promoted. He had another plan up his sleeve for this place. The federation believed the Dregin to be bloodthirsty war veterans, and they had underestimated Kona's ability to excel in the finer points of galactic politics.

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Bloody hell the Drengin good at diplomacy???? The plot thickens!!

Good post Admiral (as always)

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great story keep it up

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*******NOTICE*******

Due to multiple reasons not the least of which will be limited internet access for the summer I will be forced to reduce the frequency fo my updates during the summer months. Next update to go up later on today.

Cheers.

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ok your fired then lol

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ouch.. no love from the "loyal" readers.

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Chapter twenty: Home

Earth

Sol System

Bavarian Alps

Klaus Muckler took a deep breath and filled his lungs deep with the fresh mountain breeze. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun to let the warmth envelope him as he let out his breath. He had stood on many worlds and witnessed different suns rise and set, but nothing compared to THE sun on Earth. He was finally at home after close to twenty years of absence. His Helix stood peacefully on the damaged and overgrown landing pad on the far side of his father's estate; now his.

Across the globe a planet wide clean-up was in effect. For the first weeks ships flew in the atmosphere and released chemical sprays which neutralized the radioactive isotopes. Once the air was clean massive amounts of anti-nuclear catalysts were injected into the soil. Within weeks the entire planet was habitable again. To mark the occasion the Central government had decreed that the capital of the Federation would be moved to Earth, its rightful place.

Some of the communities of survivors were quickly given anti-radiation meds and moved to cleaner more secure areas. Life began again on the cradle of Mankind. The Sol System itself began to take on the look of an imposing sector of space, as a capital should. All the while immense praise had been heaped not only on the government to bring about such a situation, but also on the Drengin to have offered humans the technology to do so. Drengin Influence grew more and more with each passing day and the Federation central government realized they may have been duped.

But this was none of Klaus' concern, at least not now. Not at this instant where he felt at peace. Standing and looking up at the clear blue sky of Earth. Having been the captain of many Genesis class ships he had seen more than his share of planets and habitable worlds. None had the same beautiful blue sky as Earth.

After the initial phase of space expansion during which many planets were colonized by the Federation, Muckler had found himself out of a job. The subsequent first phase of military expenditure and the creation of the Galactic Navy had allowed Muckler to return to active service. He had been quickly made wing commander of a flight of Helixs and was stationed at Pearson NS.

Though Muckler wasn't a diplomat or particularly attuned to political happenings he did know one thing. Mankind would not live in peace with the Drengin for much longer. He didn't make such claims on the fact that currently there were at least two systems fully controlled by humans that were within Drengin space. On his previous stop at Theta Iota V he had witnessed first-hand the impressive cultural reach and appeal of the Empire. Things were already in motion that would spark the long subdued desire to wage war. To test oneself. What mighty opponents the Drengin would make, a species who values honour and glorious battle above all else.

He shook his head free of those thoughts. For the moment there was peace, and it was good.

"Sir!" he turned to see his gunner approaching him.

"Priority red message sir!"

Klaus immediately stiffened as thoughts raced through his mind. "Red?"

"Yes sir" his gunner handed him the holo unit. Muckler scanned and muttered "My god. Those poor bastards."

He paused and looked at his gunner. "Assemble the rest of the wing we make for orbit in one hour". He then moved swiftly passed him and made for his Helix.

The remainder of the pilots all came as quick as they could. The squadrons were recalled. The ships made for space where all squadrons met at the rendez-vous point in low orbit. Muckler looked through the starboard porthole and sighed. Earth was magnificent, "At least I got to breathe her air again."

"Aye sir" came the whispered reply in his commpiece as his gunner acknowledged.

Muckler opened a channel to the rest of the wing. Totaling three squadrons of the latest Helix-Bs, Omicron Wing hung in space in a tight defensive formation. "Alright girls and boys listen up. At oh seven hundred standard hours yesterday morning the mining starbase Springfield was attacked and successfully destroyed. There doesn't appear to be any survivors and search and rescue crews haven't found anything. We are not certain who or what caused the attack. Reports indicate that the starbases' comm systems were hit first to avoid any distress signals. Since Echelon has not yet been installed in that backwater we have only sketchy evaluations of what actually happened. The Drengin vehemently deny any sort of involvement. As of now the Galactic Navy has been placed under full alert. Our orders are to stay here and protect Fortune Starbase."

There were a number of surprised responses, some asking what had actually happened while others asked why Omicron Wing had been ordered to stay where they were instead of attempting to go out and bring the enemy to action. Muckler addressed the second "While we have no objective and concrete evidence that the Drengin are indeed responsible for this we shall not go out looking for a fight. Secondly; we have been given a great honour, one I will be proud to fulfill. Do you not see the importance of holding on to this sector. If indeed an attack comes then we will be the first line of defense for mankind's home planet. Such an opportunity does not come everyday."

His men all chimed in affirmative responses and felt a new found sense of pride. Omicron Wing would have a chance at making history.

But weeks went by and Drengin responsibility had been cleared as a possibility. The attack was attributed to pirates. The Federation used this as an opportunity to arm all of its starbases and brought down the level of readiness of the Navy. The Prime Magistrate passed a law that all Starbases built shall have the ability to defend itself from an external attack. This caused a great stir in the Imperial government. It was no secret that many of the Terran Starbases were in Drengin space. The last UP council meeting had in fact demanded that the Federation pay taxes for all the starbases it operated outside its territorial space. Now Kona's government protested loudly at the Federation's blatant provocation by mounting space-based weapons within Drengin space. Anderson weathered the storm with masterful diplomatic skill, but the Drengin still glowered at their space neighbors.

Not helping the situation was also a report by FISA which stated the Drengin military had been estimated to be larger than the federation's. Bradshaw had not pressed the issue confident that his improved Helix-Bs would be able to resist an initial attack long enough for more and better ships to be constructed. He handed a report to the central government detailing plans for new and larger ships. The plans were approved but construction was not started, and would not start until more funds were approved.

Even though his overall forces were smaller and thinned out over the Federation, Bradshaw still sent out a full Wing of Helixs to investigate the Springfield disaster.

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Excellent Admiral-new characters and new moves on the politico front

KUTGW

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