A series of wormholes opened, ships sliding from their spacial orifices as the new comers arrived. With hulls of solid black, the only outstanding markings overall being crimson markings, white letters reading as ship registries, and the emblem of a crimson sword with a set of black wings.
A carrier that was similar in size to the majority of the anomalous fleet Setsuya found herself on, was the focal of the exiting battle group. It was the shape of a blocky horizontal number 8, the barrel of a main gun in the pros and numerous capital weapon turrets spread across its hull. Along with it were 5 cruisers that looked like arrow heads rife with various weapons. Finally the fleet was escorted by 20 heavy frigates, and an escort of more of the cruisers with different markings. None reacted as if expecting to find a fleet of such size here at all.
There was also one ship in the colors of Yamtai, setting it apart from the rest of the ships of the NDC. It was a small ship, only a couple of hundred meters long, and scans would quickly reveal that it was weaponless. The IFF identified it as the YSS Imperturbable, a tranquility class diplomacy ship.
Setsuya instantly recognised the fleet, "And the NDC has popped in." She said before taking the Mic and repeating the message word for word in Trade.
WITHIN THE NOW REALLY CAUGHT OFF GUARD FLEET.......
Casdan had been ordered to investigate the anomaly with a small fleet, only taking a basic battle group. But, what she found, was far from what any of them had been expecting. A huge ass fleet this close to the Yamatai boarder, and a mere jump from Sanctum. The 40 year old veteran was now rather tense, her instant thought being a Crimson ambush, or was until they were hailed. An eyebrow raised as the foreign tongue reached her Geshrin ears, then the other one as whatever was said was repeated in Trade.
Her silver eyes gave a scowl at the situation that her ships had been landed in, with a very tight rope path of options open to her. "All hands to stations! Full shields, set weapons to defense mode, and launch escort craft from the hangars. Vivian, get the battle net up and connected across all ships, now open the comms to the broadcasting ship. Make it a video call at that." Alice commanded with a voice of absolute authority forged through years of hard fought experience, and the need to take action immediately.
A hail was sent before a window came up on the main view screen that wrapped around the bridge interior. "I am Admiral Casdan of Section 6 Fleet Force, a military entity of the New Dusk Conclave. You are approaching our borders with a large fleet of ships, state your intentions. We will not fire upon you unless given reason to."
“Good to hear, Admiral. I’m Michael Oliver, the Captain of this vessel. Her name is Sojourner. Now I don’t exactly speak for the rest of the fleet here but my intentions are to fuck hot alien babes, raise a little hell, get in a bar fight or two and subsequently engage in a rap battle with someone that gets a little too heated down in Funky Town.” Michael joked before shaking his head. All this stress was going to give a guy a heart attack and he already had some touches of gray in his hair already. “But in all seriousness? I wish I knew what our intentions were. This fleet was on its way to a colonization mission in the Andromeda galaxy when all the sudden our sensors went completely haywire. We have no idea where the hell we are, we’ve just had our supply lines effectively severed and we have absolutely no way home. From what I can tell, we managed to somehow do the scientifically impossible and hop the bridge between two dimensions. Now we’ve got one of your people onboard and two corpses due to a collision with a ship upon our arrival. No worries, we don’t have hostile intentions but we aren’t afraid to defend ourselves. The best I can say? Come aboard and see for yourself if you’d like. The fleet won’t open the more critical ships but I’m not in the military anymore. My ship is a civilian ship. Shocking, I know, given the hellacious arsenal it carries… but she’s my baby after all. Over.” He informed her a bit more seriously as he ran a hand over his head.
“Gravity back on. Half power to it though.” He commanded a nearby officer once it seemed at least like the initial reaction wasn’t blowing each other to bits.
A few minutes after the NDC ships flew in, a single Scyth Cruiser appeared from a wormhole, the DSS-Xuno. After a minute another one opened up, and another, until the the entire Dovanian Zalto Fleet had appeared. A total of 35 Scyth Cruisers, the escort fleet for the NDC fleet that they accompanied. Aboard the DSS-Xuno were the heads of the Dovanian fleet, Violet Forman, Faris Hodžić, and a lone Regiment 001 Soldier, Corporal Azazel Ironhart-Titan, and Kyro-vek Draguun, However he had not made an appearance to anyone, bing within the DSS-Fahen.
Violet looked at the grand fleet that was before them and instantly slammed the “Red Button”. Placing all ships on alert and in battlestations as they had just encountered a massive fleet. Ginormous ships that dwarfed the Cruisers that the Dovanian Fleet had. “Holy Suljo! What in the name of oblivion is that!!!” She shouted with a mix of glittery excitement and shock.
Lieutenant Colonel Faris Hodžić Stood amazed by the size of the fleet. He couldn’t imagine anything like that in his entire life, far larger than the ships that he knew of back home on Xuno. “By the Gods, I never knew this is what our enemy wielded.” He stated as he started to bark orders at all of the Sailors to have all of their shit in gear.
Azazel on the otherhand was rather unfazed and just looked on. He had no comment for what they were looking at and remained silent. As it would be hard to understand him anyway with the muzzle over his mouth, wearing a customized version of Dovanian MP armor. Looking down at the ring on his hand, he cocked his head befor standing back at attention.
Spark Pine had been placed on the S6S Sword to keep her out of trouble. Jack Pine's orders, she'd been told. This battle alert had been an annoyance for her, forcing her to clamber into power armor whilst covered in sweat from her workout. She would need the Revenant undersuit cleaned after this. Still, she loaded her power armor with ordnance, opting for light boarder repellance and high lethality over sheer damage output. And thus, she sat, loaded with flashbang grenades and plasma shells, her trusty knife and pistol on her hip. She fell asleep, there, out of every naval troop's way in the armory, just hoping to go home and see her sisters. Perhaps this one girl she met what seemed a lifetime ago.
Setsuya gave a sigh at the opening to the captain's introduction, finding it to be the nepleslian brand of crassness. She rolled her eyes despite the sarcasm in his tone, before relaying the translation to the admiral. "Miss Casdan, if I may, how is my mother doing? Ichika Itatski? I was on my way to visit her while on leave. She wouldn't happen to be aboard would she?"
The admiral mulled the words over, but stopped to listen as the neko asked her question, "Yes she is actually, she can accompany us if we decide to accept the offer to board peacefully." Alice said this with a nod to the neko, the raven haired cat girl turning and translating all that had been said.
Tensions were beginning to mount within the fleet already at the arrival of the NDC. When Dovania showed up, many of the top brass were
debating on the actions of a preemptive strike. “God damn it all…” Michael swore under his breathe before turning to face the Combat Air Controller (CAC). “Launch fighters!” he barked as he turned his attention back to the tactical displays before him. “Serenity, start probing their electronics and see if you can’t find a back door. Do it quietly and please, try not to bring attention to it, yeah? I’m sure they’re just as on edge as we are but if things work anything like they do back home, this might get ugly without a show of serious force and the will to potentially use it.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“And stop calling me sir already damn it!”
“Yes sir. I will not refer to you as sir anymore.”
“God damn it Serenity…”
“Apologies sir. It’s my programming.”
Michael, if he said something, merely grumbled it unintelligibly as he shifted tactical displays to get a better view of the field, took scans of potential enemies, started to locate which targets were the softest and which ones were the worst to worry about… and much more.
Meanwhile, down in the fighter bays, the ships were being prepared for launch. “MOVE IT YOU DICKS! GET IN YOUR FUCKING CRAFT AND GET MOVING! RIGHT NOW! SCRAMBLE ALL FIGHTERS!” a local deck chief barked as the pressure in the hangar began to drop while the atmosphere vented. A normal combat launch took about ten minutes to launch a squadron of fighters. When scrambled the teams could cut that time almost in half per squadron; for a whopping total of about an hour to fully launch all fighter aircraft.
“Ogre one alpha, ready for deployment.” A pilot radioed to the tower. His plane was pulled along the strip through the interior of the aircraft. What some scanners might have mistaken for cannons were actually launch chutes. When the aircraft was in position a deck hand came and hooked a cable around its landing gear, removed the wheel chocks that kept it from rolling and finally hooked up the mandatory cables that would later lead it through the chute.
“Roger that. Ogre one alpha is cleared for launch. Godspeed.” The tower responded as the pilot spun up their engines, turned fuel into fire and the monsters in the hangar began to roar. Once the ship had its throttle fully open it turned on its afterburners and the cable began to drag it forwards. The gelatin filled cockpit kept the pilot from feeling the impressive nearly two hundred Gs that the craft underwent as it was practically thrown down the shaft rather than pulled. When they came out of the tubes they didn’t simply drift out… they were moving at several hundreds of kilometers per second and they seemed capable of maneuvering just fine with it all. Before they had even completely exited the tubes… more fighters were being launched. And then? That swarm set up a defensive perimeter around the fleet… waiting for trouble. Some of the pilots even dared to make passes just outside of the comfort zone… testing the waters.
"In all fairness, we won't open fire without a good reason but more militarized vessels popping up is probably a bad sign especially given the timing of it all. What'cha say you put down your guns and we'll put down ours for a moment?" Michael suggested as he looked towards the Master Gun and gave a small hand signal. One by one their main cannons began to power down their targetting systems. While it was true they could still fire without them they would be wildly inaccurate although 'powering down' a weapon that had a combustion component in the works was a bit... well, impossible. "I've powered down my own guns as a show of faith. We'll be approaching your fleet bearing three-four-two, heading three-three-one. Our hangar doors will open once we are approximately three kilometers from your vessels. Please send only one shuttle. You may bring guards if you wish but keep in mind that many people in my fleet are on edge." Michael spoke, having Setsuya translate.
He turned to her after she was done and placed a hand on top of hers. "I'd like to avoid a blood bath. Your people nor mine deserve that. I can trust that this isn't a ploy to get aboard? You've been patient with us so far. Just be patient a little longer, eh?" he assured her before clapping her on the shoulder in the friendliest manner possible and standing up straighter. "Get it underway." he commanded the helmsman as he gestured for Setsuya to follow him to the hangar. "Come along. I'll need you to translate back and forth and I'm sure your friends would like to see you alive and in one piece."
As Kyro was finishing up a Diplomatic meeting with the other Royal Representatives, He was given an alert of a situation going on outside. When he finished his work, he stepped out of his chamber and entered into the bridge, donning his Royal garbs. Upon seeing the enormous fleet, and hearing the message over comms. Kyro turned to the ship’s Captain and said, “Open our communications, I wish to respond.” Only after the Captain nodded and they opened up the voice only communications relay, Kyro gave the message in Opšti, “I do believe I shall take you on that offer, assuming you hold your end of this bargain.” Then turning to his Captain, “Fetch me an escourt and a shuttle, I do believe I will depart for a shirt Enclave with this fleet.”
After Kyro had sent out the message, the Dovanian Zalto Fleet had formed an escort for the departing High King, heading over to the DSS-Xuno, “Violet, prepare for departure, have a small escort of Royal Guardsmen with you upon my arrival to fetch you.” Kyro told her as the shuttle and escourt of 10 Sparrows followed after.
With a quick nod, Violet turned around and pointed at two Royal Guardsmen, Faris, and Azazel, “You four are now my escort, please keep me safe!” She have a Wink as she hopped out of her chair and headed down to the rendezvous point to be picked up by Kyro. On the way, her long green and golden trimmed dress flowed behind her.
Without question, the Lt Colonel nodded and followed after her with the others who she designated as her escort. Turning around to the idle Azazel, “Anytime today Corporal, now preferably.” As he had heard only rumors of the man, having been a bioweapon from Crimson. Now turned supposedly into a Dovanian Soldier. While Faris did trust his King’s judgement, he was skeptical of the Black winged man.
Suddenly realliding that he was called on to go, he turned and nodded, following after them as he instructed to. “Apologies Lieutenant Colonel, I was... spacing out.” Not knowing another term to call it.
"Corporal Pine!" Spark's comm buzzed with the voice of some Navy operator, and she mumbled something along the lines of an acknowledgement. "Switch armor, you're on an away team. Nonpower combat armor, carbine, guard load."
"Roger that, operations. Inputting parameters, now." With a few flicks of her fingers behind the glove, she directed the machine supporting her previously sleeping form. Mechanical arms whined and maneuvered, unlocking catches and pulling away layers of armor until she stood yawning in the Revenant undersuit, idly stretching as the lighter, more appropriate armor was placed on her. A helmet was placed on a table near her as she pulled a carbine off the rack, considering taking her pistol and thigh holster, despite the carbines only rule of the guard loadout. She never followed it strictly, anyway, always keeping her knife on her hip.
Still, it wasn't long before she left the armory, weapon slung on her back and a helmet tucked under her arm, ready to load up into the waiting shuttle and get herself a coffee. She disagreed with the idea of not going in with her armor; her main power armor. But orders were orders.
With a thoughtful moment, Casdan nodded to her weapons officers, "Return all weapons to standby, and order all fighters to standby at yellow status. Orders will come as needed, now prepare a shuttle for egress, we have a meeting to arrive on time for."
The trio from the NDC fleet boarded a Bolt rapid deployment shuttle which was escorted by two others, the escort peeling off at the invisible line that divided the two groups. The shuttle wasn't very large, only a bit larger then the shuttle Setsuya had been pulled from. It was armed, but all its weapons remained fixed and not to operational status, the party sitting within the troop compartment of the small vessel. With the finesse of a brick, and the maneuverability of a VTOL style craft, the shuttle drifted into the designated hangar and touched down.
With a slight hiss, the ramp lowered to reveal the amazonian like woman in a highly decorated dress uniform, flanked by her escort in basic armor and light small arms. They were a rather minimal threat compared to that of the away team of the MoD party. In her mind, Alice shook her head that it didn't come off as very tactful. As a veteran of numerous wars, and a woman of years despite her still rather youthful appearance, she had a vast experience to draw from.
The boarding procedures were relatively simple and yet at the same time robust. The hangar opened as the atmosphere had already been vented from it and once the diplomatic ships had set down within it they closed the doors and began to cycle the atmosphere back into the hangar. The area was rather expansive and the moment that they were capable of entering the ship on their own two feet they would’ve noticed that the fighter bays here were… not standard. Rather than park fighters on a deck and leave them they actually lifted the fighters off the ground once the pilots were out of them, hoisted them up into the roof of the hangar and put them into neat, secure storage areas. While a fighter bay this size might have normally held ten or so fighters conventionally they were capable of storing almost forty in the same space.
Nevertheless, despite their clever ideas about engineering they were far from infallible as noticeable by the scorch marks upon the deck where an unlucky ground controller had stepped into the way of the exhaust at some point in the past. Then again… there were safety lines on the ground for a reason; and it wasn’t just to look pretty.
Michael stood before the incoming shuttles without a rifle though he did have a pistol upon his hip and he still wore his armor. There were other Marines nearby; clad in full armor and armed to the teeth. Needless to say when the Dovanians began to march out of their ship with power armor
most of them began to grip their rifles just a little bit tighter. Some uninformed observers might have thought them to be looking for a fight. Anyone
with half a brain and the ability to do research would have easily figured out that these people were likely to fire the first shots if they were startled enough. Though then again that would have defeated the entire point of the meeting now wouldn’t it? Nevertheless, the hangar was definitely a massive killzone if trouble started; since Marines were not only on the ground floor with them but the catwalks and many turrets had been hastily erected in the time that it took to travel to the starship.
Perhaps the most apparent thing would have been the number of different species here. There seemed to be eleven or so ‘main species’ though humans were easily the most numerous. Strangely enough… they actually appeared to have a species very similar to the Nekovalkyra although they did not appear to possess the same level of intellect; aside from their ingenious understanding of machinery.
“Greetings from one country to another. I am Michael Oliver of the United Confederation of Systems. You are standing about the C-V-S Sojourner; my home. I will not ask you to disarm here. That wouldn’t be particularly welcoming of me. However, I will note that many people here are on edge due to the unforeseen circumstances that I will fill you in on later. Most of the civilians here are actually better armed than my Marines. Any aggression would be unwise and would likely lead to a blood bath on all sides. Let’s try to avoid that, yeah?” he started as he crossed the distance between his line of Marines and made his way towards their diplomats.
“I’m just a simple mercenary among my people. Well, bounty hunter is perhaps a lot more accurate although I’m not certain it carries the same meaning here. In short? I hunt down fugitives from justice, capture or kill them depending on the mission, get paid for it and go back to do it again. I’m not a diplomat, an admiral, king or Senator or anything similar… but the short version is that I’m at least willing to extend an offer of peace and hopefully lead by example.” He concluded as he extended his hand towards whoever happened to be closest.
“Ancient warriors from my homeworld used to to this to signify they were unarmed. Now, the handshake has become a measure of trust in the modern era since we rarely travel unarmed.”
The Dovanians held their ground and their weapons; only Violet and Kyro stepped forward to greet this Micheal.
"Violet Forman, Royal Representative of the Monarchy of Dovania and Head of the Honourable Ichiko Household. It's an honour to meet you." She introduced herself by giving traditional Xunok female bow. Meanwhile at the same time, holding in her want to ask a million questions, as these were the first people outside of Dovania or the New Dusk Conclave that she has meet. A completely new faction of people for her to know. Her notible long platinum hair and deep violet eyes reflected her name; Along with her distinct young appearance, only being 17. Another unique feature would be her having 6 fingers on each hand.
It was only after Violet had introduced herself that Kyro took Michael's hand, "High King Kyro-vek Draguun of the Draguun House. It is an interesting predicament to encounter someone with some humility. I will say, from what information I have of the Kikyo Sector, I've never heard of your faction, the United Confederation of Systems. I would be most intreaged to learn more." Kyro towered over the man, being 6'11" and being muscles on muscles. His large auburn beard and short and spikey hair stood out as two dominate figures, along with a very thick Osman (Welsh-English) accent.
The four Sky Tanks that stood behind with Faris and Azazel were wearing Revinant Mark I power armor, with gold plating over it. Each of them weilding a Heavy Assault rifle and HMG. Besides them, the Royal Guardsmen were equipped also with heavy assault rifles and on their hips were Traditional Longswords.
Faris stood silently along side with the rest of the Dovanian escorts, silently adding, "They don't speak Trade or Opšti, they're relying on that cat woman for their translations." Not informing them, however just stating the obvious to any of them that didn't see what was going on. Since he was not doing much else, other than watch a child-diplomat use her charm.
Standing besides Faris, Azazel stood there glaring at the UCS men weilding weapons. If not for him having had woken up from that Crimson brainwashing, he would be having a field day in this hanger. However, he did tap Faris on the shoulder and pointed at the Neko, "I will wage 10 Tekk that she is apart of Yamatai." Looking up to wait for an acknowledgement on the wager, only to see a slight nod before turning back to eyeing up the NDC and UCS.
"Alice, ma'am." Spark whispered over her comms, knowing her armor looked as though there were a man under it. She relished the surprise she was about to give. "I'm removing my helmet."
The gesture was a show of trust, from her as military personnel to the other peoples', that their air was her air, and that she held no wish for combat. After all, she was human. Just like them, and humans had this thing about protecting their heads in combat. And so her left hand found its way off her rifle, to the helmet release on her chin. Right rested easily on the thumb brace and pistol grip of her carbine. A gentle movement of her fingers let her neck seals separate with a hiss, and she pulled the helmet up and back, free of her short, choppy hair, eyes closed. The white frump was shaken free as a hand absently hung her helmet on her hip. Then scarlet eyes surveyed the groups, and she offered a shy smile, tilting her head.
Alice gave a sigh, "I wish you would wait for orders for once Spark, then you wouldn't get demoted so damn much. Miss Itatski, seeing as the corporal can't sit still for more then a few minutes at a time. Feel free to go see your daughter. I swear I get the worst personnel for diplomatic situations, such FNGs."
Ichika ignored the indirect jab at her security, knowing it was more towards Spark. With a giggle she removed her own helm, reveaing the youthful face of the short neko before she handed her weapon to the admiral. With a even and calm stride, the neko walked up to Setsuya and hugged her. "Hey Set, how's my baby doing, have they treated you well, did the man get you laid, are you eating well, why are you wearing such tacky clothes?"
"Mom, calm down," Setsuya said embarassed as she gladly hugged her mother back, "Good, yes, no, yes, and I'll fix it later with volumetrics."
A myriad of faces greeted him for… what ends? “Right…” Michael breathed as he gazed upon those nearby. He couldn’t understand any of
them yet but he could understand that these people seemed… friendly enough. “Serenity. Set a course to bring us back to the fleet while we deal with the guests.” Michael spoke to seemingly the ceiling before Serenity answered. “Of course Captain. I have taken the liberty of beginning
the translations of their language. While I cannot give the technical details of their society or tell you everything that they speak of, I can at least hold a conversation.” The unseen AI responded over the speakers.
“Anything else I should know about that?” he returned as he looked skywards as if looking for her.
“I cannot seem to ask their people for a bowl of soup. The phrases to do so simply elude me.” Serenity replied as she undoubtedly began to do some cyber fuckery with the ship’s computers.
“Splendid. Tell them to follow me. I will be leading them into the mess hall. Also inform them that I believe state rooms are highly overrated, so we’ll be eating side by side with the rest of the crew.”
“Of course, Captain.” Serenity replied. However, she did not say exactly what Michael had said; being far more diplomatic. “Captain Oliver would like to inform you all that he does not possess a stateroom for which to dine in. He does, however, extend an invitation of dinner to you all. He would also like to inform you that he does not possess a stateroom due to his leadership style; preferring to eat alongside those he employs as is his leadership style. I would like to personally inform you, as this ship’s serving artificial intelligence, that you should make no efforts to communicate with any of the large reptilian species you encounter in the mess hall as they are quite… hands on with their communications. Please follow him.” She translated. Funny how there was a small feeling of what might have been satisfaction in her tone especially when one of the sensors looked very pointedly at Setsuya.
And with that, Michael began to lead them through the complicated ship corridors and through the winding hallways that were very quickly becoming familiar to Setsuya. Judging by the patterns, it appeared that they were actually made to be easier to navigate for terrestrial species rather than being made like ships of old where causeways and ladders might have made navigation a bit hectic.
They were still walking when they passed a natural wonder of the modern world; a park within a ship. There were actual trees being grown in this location with real grass from wherever these people hailed from. Children, adults and aliens alike frolicked and flourished here in this naturalist habitat as small animals dotted the plains. The scale of the creation was massive and one could've easily gotten lost in the woods. They had even created small ruins for children and adventurers alike to explore with staff of the ship changing out the layout and composition of the ruins to keep things interesting.
But then the technological wonders began to appear one by one. Shipboard hydroponics made up a supplement of the diet of this crew with freshly grown fruits and vegetables. Autonomous robots tended to the daily lives; ironing clothing and cooking and cleaning to make the crew both happier as well as far more efficient. It seemed as though most of the atonomous systems here were made to be convienient rather than world changing.
And then this asshole walked in; the VR room. There were dozens of mercenaries and soldiers alike sitting within small chairs. Attached to them were various electrodes and sensors that allowed them to interact with a virtual world... where even death was a very real potential reality. "I can't go back! I can't go back! I can't go back!" a soldier nearby sobbed over and over again as he hugged his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth while other staff members assured him repeatedly that the world he had been in, the pain he had felt and the deaths he had seen were not reality. The viewing screens showed a number of soldiers, hundreds of thousands of them, screaming across a vast landscape that stretched so far that the eye simply could not see the end of it. There were tanks, planes, soldiers and everything in between on this virutal hellscape. The Marines here were dying without dying and they were experiencing it over and over again. It made them very hardened soldiers and very well versed in the training they recieved.
At the moment it appeared that three officers were gathered around a large view screen, pointing at small formations as a camera flew about and looked across the battlefield. These officers seemed like armchair commanders rather than natural born leaders. And perhaps worse, most of them looked like they had never seen a trench in their entire lives. Still, the calculated approaches that they took were efficient and effective. They didn't have to bother with the idea that the little triangles that they sent were people dying against the red squares that were also people that were dying. They were never going to have to know the faces of the soldiers they commanded nor their names. A simple form would come across their desk to be stamped and signed when a soldier lost their lives... and that was all that mattered to them.
For now, however, it appeared that these soldiers were fighting a computer generated enemy. "The unwinnable scenario." Serenity commented idly as undoubtedly a few eyes were drawn. "It was designed with the idea that no commander could ever win and instead is typically played for time. Modeled after the Battle for Bunker Hill, the scenario presents a battalion surrounded on all sides by a seemingly endless horde. The idea is that the longer a commander can prevail against these odds, the better their chances. Captain Oliver disagrees however and notes that the Battle for Bunker Hill was far more than a simple game on a screen and instead was one of the most brutal battles in the UCS history."
It certainly seemed so. The large reptilian aliens that assaulted the trapped battalion gave little in the way of mercy. They smashed heads together with super human strength, ripped arms free of their sockets as if they were made of tissue paper, tore out throats with their teeth and wielded plasma weapons so powerful that each shot tore their opponent in half... even if they were wearing armor. In the simulation, the rain was pounding and artillery joined it like machinegun fire. The stacatto of weaponry echoed through the room and dozens of soldiers fell at a time before the chaos subsided and the Marines managed to regain their lines. But... it seemed like it was never simply 'one soldier here and there'. Instead, the enemy appeared to constantly harass the Marines until they simply lost entire squads or platoons to them at a time.
Michael Oliver visibly swallowed when he saw the room. "That's not quite how that happened. But it's pretty close. Close enough to give me nightmares." he spoke. Serenity did the job of translating quite well; giving Setsuya a run for her money. For now, however, she chose NOT to translate... as if she seemed to understand some need for the Captain's intellectual privacy. "It was... well, the only word that mortal men can use to describe Bunker Hill is Hell." he continued as he watched the view screen. His features didn't show interest. Instead they showed nothing but the nearly forgotten memories yanked up from the subconcious; horror.
Nevertheless, he turned back to those looking and gestured with his arm towards the remainder of the hallway. "The mess hall is that way but I'm sure the rest of you have questions. Ask away. Serenity or Setsuya can translate... enough."
Setsuya who was standing off beside Michael, decided to tap him on the shoulder when he spaced out yet again. "Hey uh, you okay, you've been spacing out here and there." Setsuya asked quietly, hoping to not draw too much attention on it. She hadn't thought much of anything on the VR simulation room, except the similarities betweent the shell shocked soldier and Michael. Alice remained silent, but the PTSD fest in the room they had been shown, was a rather uncomfortable sight to see, having fought through enough wars to seen too many trauamatized soldiers. "Perhaps it's best we move on."
Seeing Kyro glance inside then turn back with a straight face, he gave off a sense of disappointment. This made Faris give a critical comment, “No wonder they have no military, they basically train them to be scared of combat and to have no way of winning. If there is no incentive then people will refuse to fight. This type of training DETERS new recruits and long term soldiers. It doesn’t train them to be soldiers.” Speaking in a heavy Xunok accent, pointing out the flaws of their training system, being a Lieutenant Colonel in the largest Military is the Kraljevski Sector/Western Sector.
Meanwhile, Violet would agree if this was the time to, however, she would just silently nod and look over to her escorts to compare them to the UCS soldiers, seeing if there were any distinct differences that could be visible between the two. Wanting to see if Faris’ claim held water.
Azazel didn’t bother pitching in, as he was probably the most dangerous thing on that ship. He decided that these people, while large in number, were a very minuscule threat towards the Monarchy of Dovania, however a possible threat for the New Dusk Conclave. Therefore, tension is natural, when you have a mutual defense pact with someone and you don’t want them to be harmed, especially when they’re a historical friend.
"Ma'am." Spark calmly spoke up, watching the screens as she slipped into an easy parade rest. "I would like to partake in the virtual reality training, show what NDC power armor and the Storm Rifle II project can do. Do we have the technical data necessary? I feel that the training method they have could be really helpful in combat experience training for garrisoned troops. Major problem we have is that garrison lets the skills slip. Without sharp skills, the troops lose their lives in actual combat. Live fire drills can only do so much and are dangerous, besides. I feel myself and your other guard would be able to highlight NDC combat training."
Serenity translated everything that was said and in quick order though naturally she could only translate one person at a time. First, it began with Dovania’s ambassadors. “It also sorts those whom are too mentally weak to endure the stress of combat, provides the most realistic training available, provides a method of fixing the details of combat in a confined space such as a ship and certainly not least provides a method for Marines to continue training for land engagements while underway in space. I feel as though the potential benefits outweigh the drawbacks. We’ve never needed a large army. Ours is built upon the ideology of ‘less is more’.” Michael explained to the big guy in a dress uniform. There seemed to be a lot of big people here.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the soldiers that quickly became apparent was their devotion to their cause. One man on the screen was shot in the arm, leg, then subsequently his stomach and each wound amputated the limb or carved a baseball sized hole in his gut. Despite his injuries, he continued to crawl forward with one arm and stopped only to keep firing his rifle in the general direction of the enemy.
Say what could be said but these soldiers, despite their low numbers, were incredibly tough. They feared neither pain nor death once their training was completed. There seemed to be other applications to the VR room however. In the next section of it there were soldiers, newer ones, which were practicing EVA techniques; learning to put their armor on properly before stepping into the vacuum of space. Others, civilians, were using the VR rooms to simulate other experiences.
The experiences varied person to person but it appeared most of them were turning off the pain sensors or dulling them in favor of action or adventure games set in fantasy worlds or even science fiction worlds. Others took part in more… carnal… simulations. And yet still a select few merely sat in never ending fields of green serenity where they meditated and reflected. Ship doctors used their simulations to practice surgery under the most chaotic circumstances; including boarding action that was taking place directly in the surgery rooms.
Michael had resolved himself back into steel once Setsuya approached. Whatever demons he was dealing with were on the verge of breaking through a very dangerous door. Yet he seemed to have a willpower enough to keep them at bay; for now. “I’ll be fine.” He responded simply. His voice showed little more than determination even his eyes betrayed a great deal of hurt beneath the surface. For now, Serenity had not translated what Spark had said given that it was not directed at Michael.
Kyro glances back at Faris, keeping his face cold and calculating when staring at his subordinate. “They have obviously never heard of Kuvexia or Yamatai Lieutenant Colonel. It is only natural to adapt to one’s own environment. However, they will learn that they’re methods will not be as effective as they once were. That is if their claims are correct.” He spoke to him in Opšti, as he believed that the comment was best left to those whom understood what he stated.
“Whilst that may be effective in creating weapons, it doesn’t produce soldiers. These ‘Marines’ that you place through-“ Faris cut himself off. Not wanting to create an argument over military forces to someone who could kill them right there and then.
Azazel gave a slight chuckle under his breath, “Glupo.” He stated simply as he dripped his toes into the argument, turning around to wink at the girls from the NDC, taking off his muzzle as it was starting to get sweaty. Revealing his elongated canines and facial scars.
Ichika and Alice only gave Azzazel a raised eyebrow for a moment after only given the untranslateable argument a brief glance. "Why does it not surprise me that VR porn is universal. A rather inappropriate use of such technology in my opinion, but not my culture to judge. I do however see the merits of your training system, but I also see numerous drawbacks. Most of which would be negligible to a smaller armed force who is not concerned with any major growth. Something you should be concerned with now." Alice stated as they continued on, so far not impressed, but also aware and noting the kind of technology witnessed.
"I'll trust you for now, but I'm not convinced. How about we get away from this room and on with the tour if that's okay, that shocked trooper is...disconcerting." Setsuya asked as she only gave him a sympathetic frown, withdrawing her hand as he was back in the present.
Spark's hand twitched towards her weapon, giving Azazel a glare. She remembered him from a KOS list a while back, one that had since been updated to clear him. It irked her that the Monarchy of Dovania had an iteration of that thing, but she couldn't legally do anything about it. Even if it was legal, she couldn't do anything without starting a war. "Again, I would like to use these to demonstrate NDC weapons at some point. Though a simulation would not do for a hands on demo, unless you are willing to put a fireteam up against me."
"Perhaps in the future that could be arranged." he responded to Spark. Michael reached up and patted Setsuya atop her head as he continued his way down the halls and back to less memorable moments. He chose to ignore most of what was said. "VR porn does entertain I suppose. And it would appear that some customs, culture and language are universal between us."
Ranga quietly entered the room with her two Star Army escorts. It was a formality, but they were very good at their jobs. "I'm sorry I'm late. I'm Ranga Havard, the Ambassador for Yamatai." She said, introducing herself with a smile.
Setsuya was about to reprimand the captain for patting her head like some damn house cat, her expression already showing annoyance as she lifted a finger to speak. But luckily for him, the ambassador entered which caught the young woman off guard. As was drilled into her, she immediately stood with a crisp salute, volumetrics built into her body displaying her uniform with name and rank. "Santo Hei, Setsuya Itatski reporting ma'am! These people rescued me from a shuttle accident caused by their ships appearing here." she said confidently in yamataigo.
Ranga wasn't sure what to make of Setsuya. She returned the salute crisply and glanced the Neko up and down. She looked good enough. "Good, fall in and acompany me on this tour." She said casually as if it was every day that a wayward Star Army enlisted happened to randomly appear, and then initiated a direct encrypted telepathic link with Setsuya. The initial key was sent over the wireless, but after that Ranga used the line of sight telepathy that couldn't be intercepted unless one stepped inbetween the two and Ranga was good enough to pause if that happened. <Report, Santo Hei.> She said over the link, while the message was somewhat brusk, the undertones were that Ranga wanted to know what was happening, not that she was displeased with Setsuya.
The cat girl lowered her salute as she moved to join the yamatai group, <I was in transit to the NDC to visit my mother who is currently present of the NDC security detail. A massive spacial anomaly was detected a mere minute before this foreign fleet appeared. This vessel struck the shuttle on FTL exit, where the pilot was instantly killed, and I was knocked unconscious. I was treated by their medical personnel with some strange nano based gel. I've been shown historical footage and learned their language to an extent. I've only shown them where they are presently, as well as news clips of publicily known historical events ma'am.>
Ranga didn't nod or even visually acknolage the conversation. However, it was clear that she was thinking for a moment. Ranga correlated Setsuya's story and information with her own link to the Imperturbable. There was a slight glance at the NDC security chief. <Good, my medical officer will take a look at you when we get back to the Imperturbable. Until then, you are my expert on this new fleet. To do that you need to be a bit higher rank, I'm field promoting you to Jôtô Hei.> Ranga was satisfied with the situation and with the explanation. The field promotion was quick, but it was what Ranga needed at the moment and was appropriate to her new station as an expert advisor and the combat experiance that Ranga read in her file.
Kyro gazed back, as soon as he spotted the Yamataian Star Army enlisted, he motioned his people to leave, “It would appear that our envoy is no longer needed. We shall be taking our leave.” The tall King stated as his escorts as well as Violet and her’s turned to leave. “I refuse to speak to those who engage in the act of genocide multiple times over.” He stated in Opšti towards Ranga.