A lone Scientist had been working on a pet project that had been dismissed as an inefficient use of resources when his station blipped at him with a warning message. Closing his working calculations, he slid over to the offending terminal in his wheeled chair on the other end of the room.
Activating the view screen, he accessed the program that was flashing warning and error messages across the limited network of the Torontonian Research Station in outer orbit of the Nubia System.
This had better be good, the TSP has really been sliding downhill with recent cutbacks, if this is another malfunction I swear… I’m going to resign tomorrow! Joggins thought to himself has he confirmed his identity with the palm scanner on the desk.
Confirming it was indeed Dr. Joggins, the system granted him access to highly restricted sensor data that showed in fine detail activity from around the galaxy. Through established listening posts in neutral or nearly neutral space, as well as roving research vessels, the Autocracy had access to one of the most pervasive, near real time map of the galaxy. Consigned to being a minor power in terms of military influence, the growing paranoia of the Perkins regime had led to the establishment of such cloak and dagger facilities disguised as “Research Stations�
The data was currently indicating that something big was happening. Red energy spikes indicated that the mass of dead space that was the former Mindsetti Empire was being filled with some sort of massive activity, also increasing in mass at an exponential rate, it seemed as if the entire system was repopulating itself!
Firing off a message through the appropriate channels, he continued to monitor the situation before slowing drifting back to his work
Several hours later
The TSP Inquiry so aptly named for the task it was about to start on, was redirected from a nearby system to investigate the energy spike. When it got there (After spending several minutes looking up the jump coordinates on an ancient map ) it had appeared that the entire Mindsetti civilization never really left, that it has somehow taken a wild vacation, geography and all which had shaped them quite a bit.
As well, it appeared that the Raysians, a new nation to enter the alliance fold had beat them to the punch. Hailing the Raysians using the Torontonian and ESUS credentials, they informed the warship of their presence in the system, to avoid getting blasted into dust by superior weaponry and then attempted to contact whoever was at the controls of this Mindsetti resurgence on wide band channels, and failing that, ancient Mindsetti channels that had still existed before their disappearance.
-Message to Raysians-
Sender: Marshall Langson, Captain, TSP Inquiry
Receiver: RMF Shiblon
Subject: Friendly Ship in System
Shiblon, this is the Torontonian Science Ship Inquiry we are informing you of our presence and request not to be fired upon, attached is the creditials for the Torontonian Diplomatic Council and ESUS Membership confirmation.
Repeat, do not fire on allied vessel in system
-Message to Mindsetti-
Sender: Marshall Langson, Captain, TSP Inquiry
Receiver: Mindsetti
Subject: Return after so long
This is the Torontonian Science Ship Inquiry investigating the sudden reappearance of the Mindsetti, who disappeared many years ago without warning. The Corporate Autocracy of Torontonias welcomes you back to the Milky Way and requests an audience with an envoy to discuss the reopening of relations through the still established Extra Solar Union of Systems.
Please Respond
Return of an Empire
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Capsule Corporation
- SHINY
- Posts: 176
- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:49 am
- Prefix: The Raysian Incarnation of the
- Name: Capsule Corporation
Re: Return of an Empire
The Shiblon's Executive Officer, Joshua Krack, responded to the Torontonian text message, in a rather warm shrugging greeting.
The tactical officer, acting as 2nd in command with the CO away, looked up from his console after the message had been confirmed sent and received. "Brother Krack... Things seem to be tense.. even in ESUS. I hope all our allies aren't as suspiscious as this..."
The Executive looked over at the officer as he finished his thought. "Relax, Joseph. People have their suspiscions for a reason. They have a hard time trusting anyone... and as we know all too well from experience, people fear the unknown. Thus, with bold fearlessness, peace can be achieved."
"Unfortunately, war can just as easily be established that way."
"I don't believe that... war requires fear. If you fear your enemy, you go to war... out of fear... a desire to control factors you are uncertain about by forcing them into your control... taking that to arms is the definition of war. Currently, we have nothing to fear, and showing that will build our confidence. And that confidence will show forth to our allies, and our enemies."
Seeking to get to the point of this philosophical spiel, the tactical officer questions his superior. "So how does one win battles without having fear?"
"Easily, Joseph. If there are to be uncontrollable factors, -we- create them... the best way to control an uncontrolled factor is not a direct approach... don't try to control it... force the factor to operate outside of its ideal parameters, or even better, cage it... render it ineffective."
Now interested, he asks for further knowledge. "....but, well give me an example here."
"Absolutely. Remember back on earth? The Cold War? In your history classes, you will learn about how the cold war -stayed- cold, from the start. With the threat of destruction from the soviets, america's best tactic was not worrying about how to kill more people than their enemy, but rather to render their massively powerful weapons useless... with a mutually assured destruction policy. Neither side ever went into war with the other... because they had established a mutual fear... a fear that simply eliminated itself in security and comfort... not a single shot had to be fired to accomplish it either."
"So we don't have to ever use guns?"
Joshua chuckled, "Of course we do. But if we do, it will be as a last resort, or more preferably as a tool for accomplishing small controlled tasks."
"What about setting them up outside their operating parameters? How do you do that?"
"Well... if your enemy hides their numbers by scattering them, then gather them. If they work best in one group, divide them. If they rule the skies, make sure the fight stays on the ground." Joshua looked around to his locker behind his chair, and popped open the door, grabbing a datapad, and pressing a contact on the corner for a few seconds, downloading a short book to it. he then tossed it to his tactical officer. "Sun Tsu's the art of war, check it out... not very long."
Code: Select all
From: RMF Shiblon - Executive Officer Joshua Krack
To: TSP Inquiry
Subject: As you wish
Ally, you have nothing to fear from us. Our weapons remain retracted as a show of brotherhood. We have no hostilities nor suspiscions of anyone at this time. You may proceed as you wish.
If you need any assistance from us in your research of this anomaly that we have been caught up inside, by all means, we will help.
Signing out.The Executive looked over at the officer as he finished his thought. "Relax, Joseph. People have their suspiscions for a reason. They have a hard time trusting anyone... and as we know all too well from experience, people fear the unknown. Thus, with bold fearlessness, peace can be achieved."
"Unfortunately, war can just as easily be established that way."
"I don't believe that... war requires fear. If you fear your enemy, you go to war... out of fear... a desire to control factors you are uncertain about by forcing them into your control... taking that to arms is the definition of war. Currently, we have nothing to fear, and showing that will build our confidence. And that confidence will show forth to our allies, and our enemies."
Seeking to get to the point of this philosophical spiel, the tactical officer questions his superior. "So how does one win battles without having fear?"
"Easily, Joseph. If there are to be uncontrollable factors, -we- create them... the best way to control an uncontrolled factor is not a direct approach... don't try to control it... force the factor to operate outside of its ideal parameters, or even better, cage it... render it ineffective."
Now interested, he asks for further knowledge. "....but, well give me an example here."
"Absolutely. Remember back on earth? The Cold War? In your history classes, you will learn about how the cold war -stayed- cold, from the start. With the threat of destruction from the soviets, america's best tactic was not worrying about how to kill more people than their enemy, but rather to render their massively powerful weapons useless... with a mutually assured destruction policy. Neither side ever went into war with the other... because they had established a mutual fear... a fear that simply eliminated itself in security and comfort... not a single shot had to be fired to accomplish it either."
"So we don't have to ever use guns?"
Joshua chuckled, "Of course we do. But if we do, it will be as a last resort, or more preferably as a tool for accomplishing small controlled tasks."
"What about setting them up outside their operating parameters? How do you do that?"
"Well... if your enemy hides their numbers by scattering them, then gather them. If they work best in one group, divide them. If they rule the skies, make sure the fight stays on the ground." Joshua looked around to his locker behind his chair, and popped open the door, grabbing a datapad, and pressing a contact on the corner for a few seconds, downloading a short book to it. he then tossed it to his tactical officer. "Sun Tsu's the art of war, check it out... not very long."
DESTROY US ALL!!! DESTROY US ALL!!! DESTROY US ALL!!!
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The Mindset
- Posts: 3079
- Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 10:35 pm
- Prefix: Den interstellera republik av
- Name: The Mindset
Re: Return of an Empire
Pandora smiled graciously as she allowed her image to be led inside the Raysian vessel. Her slim figure was hugged by a silky white dress, which seemed to unnaturally wave in a non-existent breeze.
“My apologies for the unconventional approach, Commander, but as you’ve no doubt observed there’s a great deal of construction being carried out surface-side. I assure you that once that once we’ve tied up all the dangling superconductors we’ll meet in the flesh. In fact, as I speak, one of my bodies is on her way into orbit, and will join us shortly. There’s also, of course, the matter of security – not to be insulting, but we’ve never encountered your race before, and naturally after our adventures we’ve had our fair share of enemies. It’s never foolish to be overcautious.� She laughed easily, laying one hand against the Raysian representative’s shoulder.
“I hope that I’ve not got us off to a bad start. It’s often difficult to judge alien societal norms, especially when the majority of cultures consider our unique perspective... well, odd. I apologise if I’ve come across as rude. Now, to business! To answer your question, I suspect that your vessel was caught inside a knot of spacetime, a tendril of gravitational energy reaching out across the stars. This is an unfortunate side effect of the technology we used to return to this universe. Unfortunately,� she paused, brushing her hair from her brow, a slightly disappointed frown fixed upon her perfectly proportioned face, “this technology does not work within the physical constraints of this universe. In fact, a great deal of the knowledge we’ve gained in our travels is useless here. The laws of physics, after all, are still the masters of the universe.� The thought dwindled away into the vastness of her expanded consciousness, cooled and dimmed in the vacuum of Midna’s solar wind.
Meanwhile, another body of Pandora had just entered geosynchronous orbit high above the churning surface of Midna. Far below, it was clear that some insanely massive construction program was underway, even from orbit. The green and blue terrain was swiftly disappearing under a wave of blackened metal and silvery cables. A faint voice whispered into the back of her mind. Another ship had appeared, this time identifying it as a “Torontonian� vessel. It too had requested a meeting with Mindsetti representatives.
Simultaneously, the Pandora in orbit and the Pandora inside the Raysian ship voiced their responses.
“Commander, there’s a Torontonian vessel in-system which is requesting an audience. Would you mind if they were to join us?�
“Captain, there’s a Raysian vessel in-system which has requested an audience. Would you care to join us?�
“My apologies for the unconventional approach, Commander, but as you’ve no doubt observed there’s a great deal of construction being carried out surface-side. I assure you that once that once we’ve tied up all the dangling superconductors we’ll meet in the flesh. In fact, as I speak, one of my bodies is on her way into orbit, and will join us shortly. There’s also, of course, the matter of security – not to be insulting, but we’ve never encountered your race before, and naturally after our adventures we’ve had our fair share of enemies. It’s never foolish to be overcautious.� She laughed easily, laying one hand against the Raysian representative’s shoulder.
“I hope that I’ve not got us off to a bad start. It’s often difficult to judge alien societal norms, especially when the majority of cultures consider our unique perspective... well, odd. I apologise if I’ve come across as rude. Now, to business! To answer your question, I suspect that your vessel was caught inside a knot of spacetime, a tendril of gravitational energy reaching out across the stars. This is an unfortunate side effect of the technology we used to return to this universe. Unfortunately,� she paused, brushing her hair from her brow, a slightly disappointed frown fixed upon her perfectly proportioned face, “this technology does not work within the physical constraints of this universe. In fact, a great deal of the knowledge we’ve gained in our travels is useless here. The laws of physics, after all, are still the masters of the universe.� The thought dwindled away into the vastness of her expanded consciousness, cooled and dimmed in the vacuum of Midna’s solar wind.
Meanwhile, another body of Pandora had just entered geosynchronous orbit high above the churning surface of Midna. Far below, it was clear that some insanely massive construction program was underway, even from orbit. The green and blue terrain was swiftly disappearing under a wave of blackened metal and silvery cables. A faint voice whispered into the back of her mind. Another ship had appeared, this time identifying it as a “Torontonian� vessel. It too had requested a meeting with Mindsetti representatives.
Simultaneously, the Pandora in orbit and the Pandora inside the Raysian ship voiced their responses.
“Commander, there’s a Torontonian vessel in-system which is requesting an audience. Would you mind if they were to join us?�
“Captain, there’s a Raysian vessel in-system which has requested an audience. Would you care to join us?�
-
Capsule Corporation
- SHINY
- Posts: 176
- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:49 am
- Prefix: The Raysian Incarnation of the
- Name: Capsule Corporation
Re: Return of an Empire
Blade nodded welcomely, and with a quiet hand gesture at her side, communicated a message to her pilot, signally him to rendezvous with a Torontonian dispatch if they send one. She gazed at the beautiful image before her, taking in the complexity of Pandora's self-projection.
"It sounds reasonable, I suppose. We are still new to the cosmos. This verse is the only one we really know anything about. We actually have kind of a knack for figuring out every sort of loophole that exist in the laws of physics. Really, we discovered rather large holes in several of them. The theories of relativity had complications that simply were not true, and the laws of motion had gaping holes big enough to drive star cruisers through. It's quite fun... just exploring our own little verse.
"So you say you've been exploring and living in a coexisting otherverse? Well what in space brings you back here to the milky way?"
She gazed down through a ventral window at the planet below as they coasted in a faux orbit. "Looks like you're eagerly rebuilding something that looks like a Home. Just here for the summer? Or is there something you miss about us?"
Meanwhile, a voice drifted across the back of her head, so faint that she wouldn't be able to hear it if she didn't pay it her sole attention... but it echoed into a part of her brain where she would remember it as if she had the conversation 5 minutes ago. Commander, we're receiving word that the Ile Sorne states are having escalating problems, and the AZN government has put us on a standby for allied assistance. Just giving you a heads up, in case RMF command calls us out. Carry on with the diplomatic investigation, no worries. Krack out.
A look of uneasiness crossed over her countenance for a brief moment, hopefully unnoticed. The effects of the communication implant made it seem like she was suddenly reflecting on a past bit of information, though in reality it had just been received, implanted directly into her active long term memory.
Though the window looking down towards the planet was small, the visual inside Blade's eye was enormous and detailed. She had camera feeds from the ship, the shuttle, radar, infrared, everything flooding into her minds eye and sensory perception and central nervous systems. On the inside, the commander was a sort of prototype. A guinea pig really, but in any way a test model for a nano-robot sensory enhancement package, injected into her bloodstream. However that information would remain unknown and classified to anyone that hadn't probed her mind or performed a catscan or taken a blood sample.. that sort of uncommon thing.
One thing was certain. The view of Midna, especially the construction, was a rare sight of beauty. And all the information coming in simultaneously was something only a poet would have a chance at catching a hundredth part of. Her look of uneasiness shifted into a stare of awe and wonder... with a dash of a mild headache.
"It sounds reasonable, I suppose. We are still new to the cosmos. This verse is the only one we really know anything about. We actually have kind of a knack for figuring out every sort of loophole that exist in the laws of physics. Really, we discovered rather large holes in several of them. The theories of relativity had complications that simply were not true, and the laws of motion had gaping holes big enough to drive star cruisers through. It's quite fun... just exploring our own little verse.
"So you say you've been exploring and living in a coexisting otherverse? Well what in space brings you back here to the milky way?"
She gazed down through a ventral window at the planet below as they coasted in a faux orbit. "Looks like you're eagerly rebuilding something that looks like a Home. Just here for the summer? Or is there something you miss about us?"
Meanwhile, a voice drifted across the back of her head, so faint that she wouldn't be able to hear it if she didn't pay it her sole attention... but it echoed into a part of her brain where she would remember it as if she had the conversation 5 minutes ago. Commander, we're receiving word that the Ile Sorne states are having escalating problems, and the AZN government has put us on a standby for allied assistance. Just giving you a heads up, in case RMF command calls us out. Carry on with the diplomatic investigation, no worries. Krack out.
A look of uneasiness crossed over her countenance for a brief moment, hopefully unnoticed. The effects of the communication implant made it seem like she was suddenly reflecting on a past bit of information, though in reality it had just been received, implanted directly into her active long term memory.
Though the window looking down towards the planet was small, the visual inside Blade's eye was enormous and detailed. She had camera feeds from the ship, the shuttle, radar, infrared, everything flooding into her minds eye and sensory perception and central nervous systems. On the inside, the commander was a sort of prototype. A guinea pig really, but in any way a test model for a nano-robot sensory enhancement package, injected into her bloodstream. However that information would remain unknown and classified to anyone that hadn't probed her mind or performed a catscan or taken a blood sample.. that sort of uncommon thing.
One thing was certain. The view of Midna, especially the construction, was a rare sight of beauty. And all the information coming in simultaneously was something only a poet would have a chance at catching a hundredth part of. Her look of uneasiness shifted into a stare of awe and wonder... with a dash of a mild headache.
DESTROY US ALL!!! DESTROY US ALL!!! DESTROY US ALL!!!