SLYNES - Swirly Lights Yonder, a Never Ending Story

[Daftpanzer]

@Iggy would you mind if I drew some ship outlines in the style of the ones you posted?

In Sector H/C

The Fleet-Captain adorned himself with a shiny gold-silver environment membrane, leaving only his outer appendages protruding. He was then inspected by a collection of various crewmen to make sure he was presentable and that there was nothing attached to his person that might cause offence. Finally, after what passed for a salute, he bounced himself off the hangar floor and drifted into the waiting service craft. The crew nudged several computer consoles in after him - translation programs at the ready - then closed the door. The service craft was little more than a hollow cylinder, with a rocket motor at one end and some electronics at the other, girdled by a ring of vector-nozzles. The middle space was usually reserved for cargo or replacement components. It was not really designed for carrying passengers, although the internal environment was within tolerances. There was no point undocking the atmospheric landing craft for a ship-to-ship visit. The magnetic catchment pads had been playing up in any case.

'Fleet Captain, the situation remains the same.'

'Right... I am on my way...'

From what amounted to the ship's bridge, the senior crew kept watch on the nearest alien vessel. It was all very exciting. One of the crew annoyed the others by constantly flicking the main display through all the different filters, from infra-red to radar wavelengths. An open hangar bay, or something of that nature, was brightly illuminated in visible light. Within moments, a small shiny object was visible, slowly drifting towards the opening.

'I am still alive. Slowing... I am inside...'

There was a rumble of static across the comm channel as the service craft ventured into the alien hull. The Fleet Captain took a moment (actually a minute) to gather his thoughts. Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Openness, Empathy. Hmm... Any other virtues he should be remembering? The hiss of pneumatics told him the craft had made contact with a solid surface. Two of his limbs were holding on tightly to computer consoles. He had no idea what to expect. Was communication even possible? But they had summoned, and so here he was.

Diplomatic Protocol was, in essence, easy. As the ancient philosophers had said:

Trust those who are trustworthy, but also trust those who are not trustworthy. Then you can earn true trust.
Do not obsessively worry about being harmed. Then the harm shall struggle to find you.
Those who fear death cannot embrace life. Those who accept death will live beyond life.
A thing may be unknown to the mind, but all is known to the All That Is. Thus you may go forward courageously, and enter the unknown safe in the knowledge that you are an equal part of the All That Is.

 

[TaylorFlame]

In Sector H/C

The computer had compared the message with known star charts of the area and had found a match. It appeared that the aliens came from a system easily one Rip away. Zuro ordered that this information be stored for future use by the fleet.

"Admiral, a small vessel is approaching us. It is unarmed, and scans reveal nothing dangerous on board. There seems to be only one living creature. It's course leads it into our hanger." said the Radar Officer. The 2IC of the ship confirmed his results. Zuro brought up his personal viewscreen and zoomed in on it. It was an odd looking craft, and it didn't look like it was very well built. But the same could have been said of the ships that had taken the lives of thousands of Geskani in the previous engagement. "It's entered the hangar, sir." added the Officer.

Zuro looked at the officers arrayed around him. When they weren't working on the various systems that they had been tasked to run, their eyestalks were pointed at him. He stood up, and looked at his Tactical Officer. "I want a team of Kuzo to meet me in the armoury near the hangar. Tell them to be fully armed as if for a boarding assault.

Zuro placed his 2IC in charge of the bridge, and made his way down to the hangar. He arrived at the armoury and inspected the Kuzo that were to accompany him. All of them were wearing the standard black body armour, and were each carrying two of the most effective light firearms to grace the Geskani fleet. Seeing no fault in any of them, he clipped a pistol to his Admirals uniform, a skin tight red membrane with 20 black stripes on his back, and took his small force to the hangar, which had closed shortly before. A glance at the hanger control orderly meant the door to the hangar was quickly opened, giving him an entrance inside. He made his way up to the alien vessel and stood about ten metres away from it. His Kuzo raised their weapons, and the hangars own guns were all pointed at the cylindrical craft.

Zuro was excited. He was about to make history. Again.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

@Daft= Hahah, go right ahead!

 

[Daftpanzer]

In Sector H/C

Inside the service craft, the Fleet Captain composed himself as best he could, and waited. 'I will give the aliens an opportunity to open the hatch,' he thought to himself. 'I should probably wait an hour or so before opening it myself.'

To: Geskani
From: Fleet Captain Mmuri Hammul Ai, Kudos-Authoritarian of Agreement Exploration Fleet #2

Peaceful intension. Wish to be amazed and delighted by your existence.

*******

OOC: Satellian Space Vessels (Inspired by Lord_Iggy. I found this therapeutic and addictive. Hope I am not being too ambitious with anything here...)

(not quite to scale)

A literal translation of Satellian names, and description:

Capsule

In the thousands of years since rockets started blasting away from Hmmaiaa's gravity, certain good ideas have emerged and outlasted the competition. Thus standards have slowly emerged, despite the best efforts of different kinships to keep things confusingly varied. The standard Capsule is a workable space vessel in itself, roughly 10 metres in length, structurally very solid, with support for several crew, although automated or remote control is more usual. It doesn't have the power to escape from anything like standard gravity, but it is versatile and can be attached to a large booster rocket, or accelerated from EM launch tubes, or more rarely, from surface laser arrays. Landing in heavy gravity is a problem, but a parachute and retro-rockets usually suffice. Multiple Capsules can be linked together to form space stations or emergency shelters as needed. Countless thousands of Capsules can be found wandering in the Satellian home system carrying non-critical cargo, and the occasional passengers who don't mind journey times measured in years. The many hundreds of malfunctioning and derelict Capsules are something of a hazard to space travel; catching these rogues is a good form of training for novice space farers.

Space Ship

For centuries, this was the only class of large space rig, and so it became known simply as the Space Ship. Hundreds remain in existence, and there has yet to be another Satellian space-only design that radically departs from the basic Space Ship blueprint. The Satellian tolerances for pressure, temperature and radiation allow greater freedom in designing spacecraft; few Ships are over 50 metres in length, but otherwise this is a very varied and versatile class of ship. With more powerful engines it can travel much faster than Capsules, with more cargo and much more functionality in general. These Ships built the first asteroid bases and outposts beyond the orbit of the gas-giant Ahrmm. This class is anything but aerodynamic, but it is manoeuvrable enough to land on small airless planetoids if needed. Most Ships carry a separate atmospheric landing craft for emergencies. Maintenance can be a problem, but some Ships can claim to be over a thousand years old, and are still operational. Owning a vintage Space Ship is a source of great prestige for any Kinship. The typical Ship can theoretically carry a crew of 10 or more, but the cramped interior is only really comfortable enough for 5. In recent years, many Ships have been retro-fitted with a low-power FTL drive at the rear, nestled between the standard engines as shown in the example above. But this class lacks the necessary systems and power generation for anything more than short hops. In any case, such modifications are considered to be a violation of the underlying character.

Big Ship

This design emerged in the last hundred years or so, as the expanding colonies of the home system required more efficient ships, with larger carrying capacity and more engineering tools, bringing the total length up to 300 metres. This design has been a victim of its own success. Initially known for its reliability and sturdiness, it was the workhorse of a new surge in asteroid mining and outpost construction. But in the 'rush' to explore beyond the home system, many Big Ships were retrofitted with FTL drives and new equipment that had not gone through the customary decades and centuries of refinement. Embarrassment ensued, and several alien races now have a poor opinion of Satellian shipbuilding. There are currently over a hundred Big Ships in existence, split between The Agreement and private ownership. Some have recently been upgraded with new electronics and defensive weapons from planet Sneed.

New Big Ship

Brand new, the first class specifically designed for FTL travel with upgraded power and drive systems, and the first designed by The Agreement itself, incorporating nothing but the best available equipment, regardless of Satellian or Snuddian origin. It also has a reinforced hull, and there are rumours of powerful weapons. Some have criticised its 'overly-uniform' appearance, accusing designers of placing form above function, a sin that Satellian designers have usually gone to great lengths to avoid. Such 'unimportant' things as xeno-interaction and space tourism have been considerations in its design; it has more comfortable living areas, and a large detachable observation dome at the front. The handful of these ships currently in existence are all owned by The Agreement, and are being assembled into a new exploration fleet.

Walker Rocket

Simply the pairing of a rocket module with a reinforced and vacuum-sealed hexapod walker. The main body is rarely more than 30 metres in length. These insectoid space vehicles have been essential to Satellian industrial efforts. Thousands can be found mining, building, trading and travelling between the asteroids and planetoids of the home system. Like the original Space Ships, many are very old, and can have great prestige value in certain circles of society.

Cargo Rocket Heavy Duty

Probably the most well-designed contraption to come out of Hmmaiaa. They are a recent design, and require serious power assistance to escape standard gravity. Currently only Hmmaiaa and the Ulumm-Bukk colony have the massive launch tubes needed to operate these rockets with economic efficiency, but these have proved worthwhile investments. Up to three hundred metres in length, these automated rockets are able to carry a serious amount of cargo into orbit, and venture through space if need be, before re-entering an atmosphere and landing conveniently upright, thanks to a combination retro-rockets and ingenious counter-rotating blades which extend from the upper section on descent. They are not designed to carry crew, as the standard flight would involve dangerous G-forces. They are not FTL capable themselves, but can piggy-back on other ships. Around a hundred have been built, and several have been 'beached' on Sneed as part of trade missions there.

Engineer Ship

A Swiss army knife for the fleet. The forest of robotic arms is capable of handling just about any engineering task imaginable to Satellian minds. Extra scientific equipment and a large amount of cargo and crew can also be carried aboard. At up to seven hundred metres in length, these are the largest ships that Satellians have ever built, not counting the mobile asteroid bases. They all date back to the pre-FTL era, although some have been radically modified since then; as with the Big Ships there have been some issues upgrading them, but problems are slowly being ironed out. Four of these ships are currently in existence - two operated by The Agreement, and two in private ownership. They have always formed the backbone of the exploration fleets, being a centre for communications, resupply, maintenance, navigation, and crew rotation.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Awesome Daft! It would be really cool if everyone did sketches like this at a consistent scale too.

My scale was 1 pixel = 1 meter, by the way.

Actually, another awesome thing would be if we set up a portrait of an individual of our species, to use for diplomatic purposes... maybe I'll work on that this weekend...

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Here's the portrait template, if anyone else would like to have a go:

It's 200 by 300 pixels, with a 2 pixel wide black margin, and a two-toned fame 2 pixels wide inside of that, containing a mug shot of one of your species. You can mess around with the appearance of the frame however you want- colour shape, etcetera- as long as the dimensions remain the same.

Just thought it would be a cool idea, and a chance to try a bit of artistry.

 

[Bil]

I think it's a cool idea, but unfortunately, not everyone has artistic talent (particularly, not me) so it might not be enjoyed by everyone. It's definitely cool for anyone who wants to do it, though. It adds spice to the mix

I promise I'll get to those stories in the next few days. Thanksgiving is a distracting holiday, and my weekends are usually just as distracting anyway.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

I'm just starting a story on the Rhetho's contact... hope to bounce a few stories off of you this weekend.

I'm a bit confused- I think that I'm being attacked by drones, while the Lelinthians are present. Is that correct?

 

[Bil]

Very correct. Sorry, I didn't think I was being very clear about it, but I was trying to get the update done as quickly as possible.

 

[TaylorFlame]

In Sector H/C

The ship remained silent, except for a humming noise that could be picked up by the weak ears of the Geskani, which had trouble hearing noises that did not change. Zuro waited for the hatch to open, impatient as ever. A transmission reached his antennae.

"Admiral, we received a message from the craft. We've run it through a translator a few times, and the best we can come up with is 'To make calm. We could be alarmed and awed, you have friends.' Honestly, Admiral, we need a better translator. Or less original alien dialects."

"Keep watching this ship Officer Giro. Notify me of any communications."

Zuro kept watching the ship. After another few minutes, he decided he had waited long enough. "Get that hatch open. Now." he said, the frustration at being made to wait apparent. A Kuzo stepped forward and approached the ship. Reaching what appeared to be a hatch, the Kuzo proceeded to press what seemed like the most logical button to press was. The hatch on the thoroughly utilitarian ship began to open as the Kuzo that pressed the button crouched, then leapt on top of the vessel in order to train his weapon on the alien from above.

 

[Vertinari118]

Unidentified Entity 001 Codename: The Devourer

Detected by: Long-range EM radiation sensors

Detected on: The Murgler Voyage. Exact stardate of detection unknown due to the entity's similarity to a large asteroid or small planetoid on scans.

Physical composition: Organic interior with a hard mostly inorganic 'hull' or shell surrounding the the organic matter. Large rocket engines and a primitive FTL drive have been detected as long with several lasers. Serial codes on these inorganic components compatible with those of our very first exploration vessels. The inorganic hull is mostly comprised of complex metal alloys engineered at a molecular level; steel, aluminium, titanium, bone, xylem (unknown how the xylem has survived take-off and re-entry), carbon allotropes (diamond, lonsdaleite, graphite and graphene) are definitely present though other elements are suspected to be present in the alloys. The organic mass would appear to be cells; trillions of cells: vast storage cells; cannons, believed to fire acid and enzymes, made from a range of cells; nodal cells, to which the other cells attach and receive commands from; an endless multitude. The cells appear to be in microbiological cysts at the moment with only a handful of the nodal cells active, presumably to guide the entity and rouse the other cells when required.

Behaviour: Observations indicate that it has begun to systematically strip planets of their resources, hence its codename.

Threat level: 7. It could easily destroy an undefended planet but the fleet should be able to resist it.

Imagery of an unspecialised amoeba

Spoiler :

I will crop it later. I only have paint on this computer and try as I might I can neither crop the image or resize it to the exact dimensions of the frame.

Amoeba Orders

-Fill the One's storage vacuoles and any remaining cargo holds he might have integrated into himself.

OOC: I have been talking to Bil and due to the biological nature of the One, and to ensure I can actually do things with him, he has the following unique rules:

One mines a system for usable resources and keeps them in the ship's storage spaces. From that point, he and the ship he infests will be sustained for four turns of inactivity (basically meaning that he can travel from system to system for four turns before running low on resources). If he acts (basically awakening out of the "cyst" or whatever hibernation-like technique he uses) during a turn, then it expends two turns worth of "fuel" (which, assuming that he started with 4, spent 1 travelling, and then spent 2 acting, he would have 1 left with which to re-fuel). This way, One still has to actively sustain himself, but he's also partially free of the standard "fleet maintenance" rules. This is an advantage, and the disadvantage has already been applied by you in that One is alone.

We both feel this is a balanced solution to the problem he presented. Players are allowed to comment on this and raise any issues they wish.

 

[Bil]

System J/D-L - Second Lelinthian Exploration Fleet

Fleet Warden Lotholitel viewed the large display screens in the command area of her tank, taking note of the strange alien vessels as they combated each other for seemingly no purpose. These ships were merely firing on each other and on the planets in the system, never obtaining anything as a result of their actions, merely destroying their targets and leaving or being destroyed themselves. There was no order, no structure to this conflict. It was random violence, and a waste of resources. This system must be purged.

As her fleet neared the lone alien vessel that only recently arrived, Lotholitel pressed her feelings outward, trying to reach the crew contained within, if there was one.

Calm... calm... calm...
Safe... safe... safe...
Submit... serve... obey...

The thoughts pressed forward, her emotions carrying her urges across the void, attempting to penetrate the mental fortitude of the aliens and instill the feelings she wants them to feel. With the failure to subdue the Satellians with empathic urges, this effort was just as likely to fail, though it still must be tried. Peaceful domination was the way of the Lelinthians, at least for a little while longer, though it might change in the coming years as the Great Wardens debate the merits of military action.

Warden Olothilien took the time while Lotholitel was occupied to engage the automaton ships, ordering a barrage of missile weapons to be fired. The machines had out-dated and time-worn technology, while the Lelinthians were masters of progress and advancement, so it seemed. The weapons were faster than the ships, and thus many of the ships found themselves destroyed. The remaining machines turned in their course to face the much more threatening Lelinthian fleet, but again, found themselves eradicated by powerful explosive projectiles. The immediate threat was gone, though the attention of the rest of the automatons in the system would be much more dangerous a foe to face. Olothilien pressed his feelings to the other Wardens that it would be wise to withdraw from the system soon, until they can be joined by the new Warfleet that the home world was building. There were still too many dangerous machines in the system for a lone Lelinthian fleet to engage.

Lotholitel continued to press her empathy toward the alien scout ship, her mind devoted to this, her senses dulled to the rest of existence. Safe... calm... safe... submit...


OOC NOTE: Iggy, you're under no pressure to succumb to alien empathy here. This is something that the Lelinthians just do, and odds are, it won't likely work, unless you would rather it did

 

[Lord_Iggy]

First Contact

Wahano Sam deftly flicked his tentacular arms over his visual control systems in the command core of the Startraveler Rhetho. Panoramic mosaic views of the vessel’s surroundings were projected onto the room. Individual regions were magnified, revealing the bizarre objects in the dead system. The crew diverted a small amount of their attentions to the bizarre, mobile structures projected.

It was the sensors officer, Habeb Nahla, who first broke the silence.

“Great Mother, what are they?”

There was little else to say. The six-Hletho crew of the Rhetho simply continued their work, keeping a focused fraction of their mental efforts focused on digging through their voluminous memories, attempting to discern what could be causing these phenomena.

“A metallic asteroid?” ventured Lico Daeja, “From planetary core material... expelled from a collision during the system’s formation phase, then caught in an ellipsoid orbit?”

Suddenly, one of the observed objects began to swing around, a bright blaze of light firing out of several previously-unnoticed openings, as it came to a gentle stop, sinking into an opening in a far larger object. Silence reigned again.

“No asteroid could do that-” began Wahano Mo.

“But what else is there?”

“It’s... is it possible that... okay. These things are spacecraft.”

“What? How could someone else have gotten to this system? No clade has possession of technology to reach this system before us!”

“Agreed.” declared Habeb Jahn, “There is clearly a simpler explanation for this.

Wahano Sam rested, almost in a reverie before he straightened and clicked his jaws several times.

“There is a simpler explanation.”

“Yes?” asked Daeja.

“These things are spacecraft- but they’re not ours. They are... alien.”

“Impossible!” exclaimed Habeb Jahn, “Some animal made this?”

“No more animal than we- a thinking being.”

“Maybe they are animals... some bizarre, space-adapted species...” suggested Mo.

A flurry of argument broke out amongst the crew. The Hlethan mind is difficult to comprehend, at times, for making logical leaps is not one of their strengths. Indeed, while the capacities of the Hletho for memorization are unmatched, this seems to come at the expense of original, creative thought- by necessity, most Hlethan thought had to come from experience. Thus, now was perhaps the first time any member of the species had seriously considered the idea of intelligent alien life. When the Hletho first left their home continent on Thaej, the better part of a million years prior, they had found nothing but vast, uninhabited lands, rich with plant, animal and thotha life. Thus, their expectations for space, while slightly modified by their astronomical observations, had been similar.

As the argument went on, Wahano Sam turned his attention back to the ‘alien ships’. Curiously, he took several close looks at the angular, mechanical vessels. He could see why the machines could be mistaken for oddly-shaped asteroids- their creators obviously had no sense of aesthetics. However, his observations were cut off by a growing realization.

“Crew at attention!”

The noise of bustling argument evaporated.

“I do not care which theory you accept, but these objects are approaching us in a predatory formation. I believe that we are under immediate threat, and that we should avoid close approach to these vessels. Jahn, I want you to set engines to full power, and set a course perpendicular to the approach vector, below the system’s plane.”

“It’s done.”

The Rhetho, previously drifting, had its engines blaze to life, as it slowly began to twist and duck away from the rapidly approaching objects. Suddenly, several rattling crashes shook the vessel. Several visual feeds died out, and small flares were visible on the objects.

“We’re taking hull damage! Deploy the Zir repair drones! Nahla! Send a transmission immediately! There are hostile phenomena in this system, and possibly elsewhere!”

“Transmit-”

The ship rattled again.

“We’ve lost power to our transmission array! Rewiring to backup sources!”

Wahano Sam’s arms were spinning over the controls in a multitasking whirlwind, ensuring that all systems were remaining as intact and efficient as possible. He rapidly ran over possible courses of action. He was certainly familiar with the concept of battle, but battle in space? It had, until a few moments ago, been unthinkable. Now, his only defense was to flee, until the power cells had recharged- but if he kept on running the engines, they would never have the opportunity. The Rhetho would have to...

Like a cool, blue breeze running through his mind, Sam felt calmness engulf him. Hletho do not panic, but they are certainly capable of feeling uncertainty and doubt. Now, he felt certainty in his actions. He looked up to the visual screens. Several of the vessels were beginning to break apart, exploding violently or compacting in on themselves. A ship of different design caught Sam’s attention on the projection. It was a great vessel, somewhat larger than the Rhetho, with a rounded front and great, sloping wing-like structures arcing backwards, concealing some sort of bizarre propulsion system.

Safety...

Sam was going over the controls again, maneuvering his vessel towards the larger one, the beacon of hope. Streaming missiles flew forth from it, devastating the vessels which had been assaulting the Rhetho.

The entire crew of the Hlethan vessel now simply stared at the image projected before them, watching their saviour eliminate the remainder of the hostile craft. Sam alone ran the controls, all others simply blindly followed his actions, in an unspeaking, trancelike state.

Submit...

His ship was now rapidly approaching the alien vessel- apparently, it was powering towards him as well. Slowly, he brought about the Rhetho and fired the thrusters in reverse, decelerating the vessel.

Serve...

The ship was now huge in the viewscreens, and within physical viewing distance, if the Hlethans had placed any windows in their vessel. As the two craft approached, they both slowed. Sam remembered the proper maneuvers, and with the unspeaking aid of Jahn, expertly shifted the ship into a steady pattern, slowly moving around the larger vessel.

Obey...

 

[Daftpanzer]

No Iggy! We must resist!

@TaylorFlame, the priorities of my envoy are A: have a face-to-face encounter with the aliens, B: deliver consoles containing basic information about our homeworld and its species, C: attempt basic communication, and D: make it back alive. He is completely unarmed, but may have a suicide-capsule implanted in his body, with which to end his life quickly, if he feels it would be preferential to whatever you had in mind.

@Iggy, I attempted to re-draw the ships on the same scale as yours. Its hard work! I'm thinking too big, I think. My 'engineer ship' was supposed to be the length of the blue bar at the bottom:

 

[Bil]

System J/D-L - Meeting

Fleet Warden Lotholitel felt comfort in the transference of emotion with an alien mind. The reports issued by First Exploration Fleet Warden Kelethlitel made this sound impossible, but it felt so natural and so fluid that it was like impressing feeling into the mind of a Culud, only... well, no, not like a Culud at all. The Culud are simple, easy to impress, and very trusting of Lelinthians. These beings were so different... so alien, far beyond anything that had been felt. But it was a comfortable feeling, something Lotholitel found hard to describe to her ship logs.

She pressed her feeling again as her primary limb activated the transport docking arm. Small grappling wires flexed and reached across the shrinking gap between the two vessels, reaching out for some sort of docking port or perhaps a flat stretch of hull. Safe... unite... connection... safe... Culud boarding squads donned their environment suits, picked up their laser-pulse pistols, and prepared to board the alien ship.

 

[TaylorFlame]

The Geskani Vanguard Class Warship. A smaller, lightly armed vessel designed to go at the front of a fleet to scout and tie down enemy ships before larger vessels arrive.

I could not figure out how to get ride of all the grey crap.

 

[Daftpanzer]

The Geskani Vanguard Class Warship. A smaller, lightly armed vessel designed to go at the front of a fleet to scout and tie down enemy ships before larger vessels arrive.

I could not figure out how to get ride of all the grey crap.

It has attitude!

EDIT: my guy is in that hangar-bay at the lower-rear of the ship?

In Sector H/C

The Fleet Captain slowly scuttled out of the now-open hatch and onto the deck of the alien hangar. Five limbs were low to the ground at all times. One limb held onto a computer console in the most non-threatening way he could think of.

Aliens surrounded him. Before committing his consciousness to scrutinising their forms, he tried to passively gauge how many were watching him. He was surprised to find some of the alien shapes already on top of his capsule, and pointing what looked like weapons at him. This was not very respectful!

A moment passed. Using all eight of his eyes, he took a moment to examine the nearest alien in closer detail. The head was strange, but that was to be expected. He focused on the overall body plan. It had only four limbs, and a graceful elongated body, completed by a long balancing tail. It was like a some of the small swarm-animals on Hmmaiaa, only grossly exaggerated. And far more powerful. The claw-like hands confirmed... it was a hunter.

The nature of the Lelinthians remained something of a mystery. But compared to the Snud, these aliens were certainly terrifying. He had been hoping for pleasant reassurances; perhaps a bulky and clumsy body, suggesting a focus on intellectual pursuits, some common ground they could build on. There was no such reassurance, quite the opposite in fact.

Satellian minds are known to work rather slowly, and indeed several moments had now past, but the Fleet Captain had already formed a series of conclusions and expectations. Nothing had yet been said, but he could sense these were predatory creatures, most likely territorial in nature. Encountering such a race was not unforseen. As they armed themselves personally, so their ships were most likely armed - in escalating orders of magnitude. How many millennia had these beings spent perfecting unimaginable weapons? He didn't want to think about it.

He bowed his front-end with all the grace he could manage. Attempts at communication would now begin. The best chance for his fleet's survival was to communicate the idea that they were no threat to the alien's expansionistic goals. More ancient philosophy entered his though-stream:

A strong force is only made more powerful by your attempts to contain it. Before it can be resisted, it must first be allowed to spread out.
Strong things are always weakened with time.
All you require is within your person. Do not trouble yourself with needless conflict.

 

[Bil]

As an after-thought, I realized today that it would make sense if everyone told me a general "battle plan" that their race follows. I've been going under the assumption that when entering a system and being attacked, at this point, most races need time to recharge their FTL systems and so they can't quite run, but I've also been assuming that they resort to standing and fighting. I don't want to make too many assumptions about your races, so if you guys could give me a general guideline for how your fleets would handle an unexpected battle, I'll be able to direct the encounters more appropriately.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Docking

Wahano Sam carefully held the Rhetho in a steady orbit around the mysterious vessel. As he did so, he was slowly becoming aware of something distinctly odd going on. An inconsistency? No! With concern, he immediately began to replay recent events through his head.

“The communications array is repowered.” Stated Nahla, flatly.

“Send the wide-range broadcast alerting Thaej and all other vessels of our situation.”

As he spoke, the calm feeling sloshed into in his mind again, heavier than before. Greatly concerned, he rerouted his thoughts into a whirlwind series of different tracks, the strange, invasive feeling struggling to keep up, like some beast pursuing him through a series of shifting doors.

His vessel had been attacked by some unknown things, then those original assailants had been destroyed by a newer arrival- one which had not yet taken any hostile actions towards the Rhetho. Then... he had begun to fly with almost a complete lack of care and consideration towards this vessel. Had it been without consideration? His enemies had been destroyed by this thing, he was indebted to it. The only proper response was to... approach it. If this thing was somehow the creation of non-Hletho lifeforms risen to sentience- bizarre and alien though the idea seemed- then reciprocation was very much a necessity.

Sam thought back to a story of the past of his homeland of Bres- when the first Jethan explorers landed on its soft, sandy coasts, they encountered the various primitive Hlethans native to the land. Sometimes, they were calm and cooperative, and forged lasting accords- other times, they were ill-considered, and launched centuries of warfare. If this situation was anything like past occurrences- which, it should be noted, are the only sources Hletho have for extrapolation- then the utmost respect and caution should be undertaken.

That creeping emotion! Sam reshuffled his thoughts, refocusing on his controls, finely adjusting the Rhetho’s position.

“The vessel seems to be extending something towards us captain.” Noted Lico Daeja.

“Docking tethers...” murmured Wahano Mo, “They’re greeting us.”

“Just like Captain Vanaraej at Resu...” echoed Sam, “So many ages ago.”

In a slow, elabourate dance, the two vessels, each equally bizarre to the other, came ever and ever closer. The snaking tethers delicately, elegantly slid onto the exterior hull of the Rhetho, magnetically snapping into place with a series of muted thuds. Several shorts on the damaged areas sparked and flashed briefly, before being extinguished remotely by Daeja’s quick reaction.

Like a birthgiver pulling a child close to her body, or some predator drawing its helpless prey into its fearsome maw, the larger vessel pulled the Rhetho into a shallow cavity on its underside, slowly turning the ship around, looking it over with a judging eye. Realizing the action, Sam pressed a series of keys, and the outer airlock opened visibly. Slowly, the rotation ceased, as the airlock aligned to the flat wall of the cavity. With a rattle transmitted through the taut tethers, an opening appeared in the host vessel. All eyes were focused on the door as blinding lights blazed forth...

 

[TaylorFlame]

EDIT: my guy is in that hangar-bay at the lower-rear of the ship?

You're craft is on a much larger flagship. That's essentially a heavy scout. It doesn't have a hangar. That small thing on the side is a gun battery.

In Sector H/C

A great lumbering figure made its way out of the alien craft. It was huge, much bigger then the Geskani, yet seemed to lack a weapon, natural or otherwise. It slowly made its way into the hangar, as if it was wading through the air. If it was scared, it did not show it, though whether that was because it could hold it in, it was too slow to comprehend its surroundings or it simply showed fear in a very alien way was unknown.

Zuro stepped forward. He attempted to communicate with the alien. Raising his antenna high, he sent it a signal. "Greetings." The signal was sent with what the computer assumed would have a similar meaning in the creatures own language. It appeared that the alien itself did not pick up the signal he sent, yet it still seemed to comprehend the message slightly. It must have some way of picking up the radio waves that the Geskani used to communicate. Zuro motioned for the beast to follow him, which, after a lengthy pause, it did, under armed guard the entire time.

The beast was slow, clumsy and methodical. It was like nothing on Ges, where the slowest beings were killed, leaving only the fastest alive. It did, however, exude an aura of calmness that Zuro had never felt before. It unnerved him. Nothing should be that content in a situation such as this. The bulky creature went against everything that life on Ges had spent millions of years moving towards. However, he also found the experience liberating.

They took the alien into a large room, locking themselves in behind it. The alien was ushered into one side of the room, guns trained on it the whole time. The Geskani arrayed itself around the creature, and Zuro stood a few metres in front of it.

"Present yourself."