Story Arc: First Contact with a Rogue Trader Militant
Episode 1: The Supercarrier Moonbreaker (II)
Chapter 2: The little mouse sees the elephant
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POV Narrator
Captain David Anderson is one of the Alliance's most decorated special forces operatives and the first to graduate from the N7 Special Forces program at Arcturus Station, serving honorably in the First Contact War.
For all these reasons, Anderson considers himself a capable man, who can handle any situation.
Unfortunately, the appearance of an unknown alien ship, larger than the Citadel, threatens to change Captain Anderson's mind.
'Before us is undoubtedly the largest ship in the galaxy, and my forces consist of a 700-meter cruiser and four 100-meter frigates.' Captain Anderson thinks, his expression grim.
Anderson is not a naval engineer, but it doesn't take a diploma to understand that such a large ship, capable of moving, must have a monstrous power source and they will surely have weapons of the same caliber.
"Let's hope they're friendly and just scouting using warships for safety." mutters one of the SSV Tokyo's officers, a petite woman named Alara Kitan.
"What has humanity done to only encounter alien warmongers?" The ship's helmsman, Gordon Malloy, mutters under his breath, wishing he could turn the ship around and walk away.
'I haven't seen morale this high since Shanxi surrendered during the First Contact War,' Captain Anderson thinks, seeing how his soldiers have been intimidated by that mammoth ship.
Unfortunately, Anderson can't blame his men for acting like this; they're basically mice in front of an elephant, or perhaps it would be better to say ants in front of a Sauropod, a long-necked dinosaur.
"Have any of our people responded to our emergency communications? We need skilled diplomats or an entire war fleet as reinforcements!" Captain Anderson exclaims loudly, a necessity for his soldiers to function.
"The SSV Tokyo and the frigates accompanying us are unable to send any calls or messages, we can barely communicate with each other." replies the Communications Officer, a certain Isaac Jackson, one of the few able to maintain his composure, almost as if he were a machine.
"Why are we having these problems? Are they jamming our signal?" Anderson asks, casting a quick glance at the unknown alien ship.
"Yes and no. When that monstrous ship appeared, the local star system was flooded with all kinds of radiation, which is emitting interference. Our systems are not designed to function in such conditions." Isaac explains, concentrating on his work.
"Captain Anderson, what's going on! The entire crew is in a frenzy." asks a certain Agent N-7, entering the Bridge.
The new arrival is John Aiden Shepard, Anderson's right-hand man and the XO (Executive Officer) position on the SSV Tokyo.
Physically, Aiden appears as a Caucasian male with green eyes, medium-length brown hair, 190 centimeters tall, weighing 80 kilograms and with a mesomorph build.
Aiden wears the N-7 light armor, with personal modifications to suit his preferences for cyberwarfare and hand-to-hand combat.
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Some information about Aiden Shepard.
Aiden is originally from Earth, his past before enlisting is little known, but it is speculated that he was some kind of hacker and that he lives in Chicago.
Aiden's talent with machines and combat made him the best cadet in his class.
Then, when Aiden was sent to Torfan he proved himself to be a soldier who gets the job done.
His actions on the field earned him two things:
One, the nickname of the Butcher of Torfan.
Two, an invitation to the Interplanetary Combatives Academy, aka N-School.
they sent him
At N-School, Aiden Shepard stood out as the top of his class, earning the N7 designation after impressing instructors and peers with his skill in combat, mixed martial arts, and hand-to-hand combat.
Furthermore, he gained recognition as one of the best Infiltrators in the Alliance military, with an unparalleled skill for technology, especially hacking, and his potential that attracted the attention of David Anderson.
Recognizing Aiden Shepard's exceptional talent, Anderson personally congratulated him and soon took him under his wing as his greatest protégé.
XXX
Returning to the humans of the Systems Alliance.
"Just look at the screen and you'll understand." Captain Anderson said, pointing to the holographic screen showing a live image of the largest ship in the galaxy emerging from a portal.
Aiden Shepard stands still as a statue, his expression calm, the only sign of his surprise being his wide eyes.
"Were the Hanar right and the Protheans are returning to our Galaxy?" asks Aiden Shepard, his calm and cool demeanor proving worthy of his station.
"All we know is that a giant ship is coming out of a Wormhole," Captain Anderson said, having no further information on the matter.
"If we're facing First Contact, we need skilled diplomats or a bunch of nuclear missiles," Aiden Shepard said, finding no other solution to the problem of the gigantic ship.
"The unknown ship has finally emerged from the wormhole, it's huge!" Alara Kitan exclaims at times.
"How big is it?" asks Aiden Shepard, wanting to know what kind of beast humanity and the Council will face if things get dire.
"The radiation emitted by the wormhole is making it difficult to measure exactly with sensors and scanners, but it's around 100 kilometers long." Isaac replies, getting more or less exact measurements.
"This is twice the size of the entire Citadel, this is not a ship, but a fortress city built on a Heavy Super-Dreadnought." Captain Anderson said, almost unable to believe his eyes.
The most advanced vessel in Citadel space is the asari-built Destiny Ascension, which boasts a length of 1,002 meters, considered the pinnacle of naval engineering.
But now, in front of the Systems Alliance Patrol Fleet, there is a ship of 100,000 meters or 100 kilometers, there is no comparison.
"Technically, that's incorrect, Captain Anderson. The Citadel is 43.6 kilometers long; double that to get 87.2 kilometers. The unknown ship is twice the length of the Citadel plus 12.8 kilometers," Isaac said, being a rather meticulous man, especially when it comes to numbers.
"We understand it's a large ship, a thousand times larger than humanity's largest ship," said Aiden Shepard, not needing exact numbers to address this potential problem.
"Commander Shepard, you're wrong too. It would be more accurate to say that Unknown Vessel is 125 times larger than a standard Systems Alliance Dreadnought. Or that it's 100 times larger than the Destiny Ascension with a margin of error of 20 meters." Isaac said, unable to resist correcting someone's miscalculations.
"Thanks for the information, but you should try to establish communications with the nearest Outpost or Fleet," Anderson said, not being in the right frame of mind to tolerate Isaac's antics.
Isaac nods and returns to his work as Communications Officer.
"Captain Anderson, something's happening at the Wormhole!" Alara Kitan exclaims, drawing the attention of everyone present.
The petite woman presses buttons and the SSV Tokyo's sensors/scanners/cameras change angles and focus on another observation target.
Once the colossal vessel exited, the Wormhole slowly faded away, revealing a massive ring of black metal, large enough for an entire fleet to pass through.
"That looks like some kind of giant Mass Relay." Aiden Shepard mutters, being able to guess the device's purpose, especially after witnessing it being used.
"Isaac, how big is that Metal Ring?" asks Anderson, needing to get a general idea of the engineering capabilities of these new aliens.
A race's building skills are a good indicator of their technological capabilities.
"According to our devices, this unknown variant of the Mass Relay has a circumference of... 628 kilometers." Isaac said, almost showing admiration for this feat of macro space engineering.
For a moment, silence reigns over the bridge of the SSV Tokyo.
All those present are Officers or Non-Commissioned Officers of the Systems Alliance, which means they have received some level of education in Space Engineering.
This allows them all to understand the huge difference between their standards and those of the new aliens.
Apparently the Council Races build in sizes of hundreds of meters or a few kilometers, while these new aliens seem to build using hundreds of kilometers.
"These aliens like to build big things, or they're compensating for something," said Helmsman Gordon Malloy, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
It's a shame that the Butcher of Torfan isn't a very patient man when dealing with comedians.
"Gordon Malloy, we're in a First Contact situation with an alien race clearly more advanced than us. They could hear us without our knowledge. And your insinuations could offend or anger them," Aiden Shepard said in a stern voice.
"Isaac, send a message to the rest of the Fleet, they are not to even sneeze without my permission or Captain Anderson's." Aiden Shepard said, making it clear that no one is allowed to act on their own.
"I wouldn't phrase this order in Shepard's exact words. But I agree we can't mess with these aliens. I don't want to see how big their weapons are." Captain Anderson said, approving Shepard's order.
The holographic screen shows the metal ring breaking down, much of its mass changing from solid to liquid, and then being absorbed into its basic components.
In less than five minutes, a 628-kilometer ring composed of metal alloys unknown to humanity was reduced to 343 one-hundred-square-meter metal cubes.
"Tell me someone recorded what we saw, because I doubt anyone will believe it without proof," said helmsman Gordon Malloy, losing all desire to joke.
"I recorded the whole process from start to finish, I'm still recording it, I think those constructs haven't finished their task," Isaac said, sensing the work is still in progress.
The cool-headed Officer is right.
The 343 cubes are grouped into 7 groups of 49 cubes each, then they join together to form 7 enormous cubes measuring seven kilometers in height/width/length.
The seven enormous cubes begin to move towards the 100-kilometer-long ship, the constructs line up, and it begins to rotate clockwise around the ship in an imaginary orbit.
"The scientific community will be speechless if they ever see these images," Isaac said, completely fascinated by this demonstration of alien technology.
"They have a pocket Mass Relay or something. The Asari are going to lose their minds when they find out. I hear their scientists have been trying to figure out how to recreate Mass Relays for centuries." Aiden Shepard said, looking at the image of the colossal ship.
"I've seen more than enough to understand that we must pursue a peaceful and diplomatic approach. Open communication lines to all frequencies we can reach, and we'll send a First Contact Packet and a message." Captain Anderson said, knowing that his next actions will have repercussions for decades or centuries to come, affecting the fate of humanity and the rest of the Citadel races.
"The First Contact Package is ready, the communications system is programmed for all known lines. We just need one message to transmit," Isaac said, quickly finishing his preparations, a sign of his efficiency.
"Good luck, Captain Anderson." Aiden Shepard said, hoping his mentor would succeed.
"I am Captain David Edward Anderson of the Cruiser SSV Tokyo and Senior Officer of the Systems Alliance Navy Patrol Fleet." Anderson said, specifying who he is, his position, and who he represents.
"On behalf of the Systems Alliance, the body representing Earth, its colonies, and its citizens, I greet you and extend the hand of peace. Humanity looks forward to peaceful coexistence with your people. But should you attack us, know that we are no strangers to war and know how to defend ourselves." Anderson said, making it clear that they want peace, but are prepared for war if necessary.
"Registration complete, sending the message and the First Contact Package." Isaac said, before hitting the send key.
"You gave a good speech, Captain Anderson," Aiden Shepard said, finding nothing bad to say about his mentor's speech.
"Let's hope the new arrivals liked it," Anderson said, more concerned about the aliens' reaction than the reaction of his men.
For several minutes nothing happened, the crew of the SSV Tokyo waited for a response or at least some sign from the huge unknown vessel.
Then, suddenly, all the screens on the ship lit up, displaying a streak of purple codes.
"This is a Cyber Attack!" Shepard exclaims, activating his Omni-Tool, trying to help.
Unfortunately, before Shepard could begin to interfere, all doors on the SSV Tokyo closed and all ship systems shut down except life support, artificial gravity, and a camera tracking the unknown vessel.
"I don't think the aliens liked Captain Anderson's speech," said Helmsman Gordon Malloy, unable to keep his mouth shut in such a situation.
Purple portals began to appear around the sides of the gigantic ship, from which emerged six ships about twenty kilometers long and several dozen Space Fighters.
"Try turning the systems back on. We need to notify Alliance Systems at the very least!" Anderson exclaims, willing to sacrifice himself if it will help humanity even a little.
"I'll see if I can open the door!" Aiden Shepard said, activating his Omni-Tool and walking over to the locked door.
The larger ships remained in a defensive formation around the mothership, while the dozens of Space Fighters closed in on the Systems Alliance Patrol Fleet.
Continues ...
XXX
Author's Note:
I admit this chapter is shorter than usual, but I've had some busy days.
Here is an introductory Codex on USKY using [Stellaris] terminology.
● Government
▪︎Individualist authorities - Imperial
(Imperial governments are similar to dictatorial ones, except that the throne is always inherited by a designated successor upon the ruler's death.)
● Ethics
- Militarist (The only true virtues are courage and discipline, and channeled properly they can overcome any obstacle. Therein lies true strength; force withheld, a promise made.)
- Fanatic Authoritarian (A single voice, a single throne, a single state. It is the solemn duty of the masses to obey those enlightened few who have been charged with the great responsibility of leadership.)
- Xenophile (There exists, in all of us, a deep-seated fascination for the unknown. An adventurous spirit that rejects the familiar and glories in the unfamiliar, whatever - or whomever - it may be.)
● Civics
■ Standard civics:
- Efficient Bureaucracy (This society is renowned for its efficiency. Not only do the mag-trains run on time, but the colossal bureaucratic apparatus required to run an interstellar nation has been greatly streamlined)
- Distinguished Admiralty (The Fleet and the Admiralty have unusually prominent roles in this society, wielding a great deal of influence in political circles. They have the pick of the litter when it comes to new military recruits.)
- Feudal Society (This society is organized in a feudal manner, with a monarch whose rule relies on powerful vassals that govern their territories with considerable autonomy.)
- Imperial Cult (This society has a dominant state religion where the ruler is worshiped as a living deit)
- Philosopher King (It is not enough to simply rule. The Ship of State must be guided by a king that wields enough wisdom and knowledge to steer it true.)
- Scavengers (In this society, nothing goes to waste, even in the grimmest times of war: no enemy technology will go undiscovered, as teams of scrappers accompanying the war fleets scrape wreckages of anything and everything worth saving.)
- Eager Explorers (Yearning for the stars, this civilization sped through several stages of development, reaching the age of galactic exploration far earlier than most.)
- Heroic Past (The legendary heroes of the past inspire this civilizations young people to achieve the extraordinary. As role models, government officials are expected to embody these ideals.)
- Rapid Replicator (This society has taken control of the means of self-assembly. Each machine begets another, forming an unbroken chain stretching our planet's limits.)
- Warbots (This society constantly refines its armies, economy, and education for diverse warfare strategies. Each machine contributes to collective strength, ensuring adaptability and success in conflict.)
- Genetic Identification (This society requires every citizen to be registered from birth in a genetic index used in every level of bureaucracy.)
■ Permanent civics
- Galactic Curators (The meticulous collection and preservation of historical artifacts has always fascinated this civilization. But now, with the mysteries of the galaxy at their doorstep, there is everything left to learn.)
- Beastmasters (Coming to full, technological maturity in a system that serves as a feeding ground for Space Amoebas, this society has acquired a deep knowledge of their life cycle. They now work to nurture, raise, and ultimately clone these creatures for mutual benefit.)
■ Sovereign civics
- Divine Sovereign (This society has appointed the Chosen One - an individual endowed with unparalleled psionic might - as their eternal ruler.)
● Policies
▪︎Diplomatic Stance - Cooperative / Mercantile
▪︎Pre-FTL diplomatic stances - Eager
(This pre-FTL civilization is eager to set out to the stars and meet the rest of the galaxy.)
▪︎First Contact Protocol - Cautious
(We will take every measure to prevent information about ourselves from falling into alien hands before we have decided whether they will be friend or foe.)
▪︎War Philosophy - Liberation Wars
(We must further our own interests, even when they run contrary to the interests of others.)
▪︎Subjugation War Terms - Balanced
(Our subjects are as much part of us as we are of them, their success is our victory, and we shall move forward as one.)
▪︎War Doctrine - Rapid Deployment
(We must move quickly to strike where the enemy is weakest, and defend where the enemy means to attack. Maneuver is the key to success.)
▪︎Orbital Bombardment - Selective
(Allows only the bombardment of identified military targets, while keeping civilian casualties to a minimum.)
▪︎Orbital Surrender Acceptance - Allowed
(Foreign citizens have the right to surrender.)
▪︎Pre-FTL Interference - Active Interference
(To unlock the secrets of the universe, any subject of interest must be made freely available for study.)
▪︎Pre-FTL Enlightenment - Allowed
(By sharing our knowledge, we can actively encourage less advanced societies to take their rightful place in the galactic community.)
▪︎Resettlement - Prohibited
(Free pops cannot be forcibly resettled between planets.)
▪︎Land Appropriation - Prohibited
(The land that our empire controls belongs to all of its inhabitants.)
▪︎Initial Border Status - Closed
(The borders of our empire must be well guarded, least we fall victim to insidious influences. Only those who have proven themselves worthy may enter our space.)
▪︎Research Restrictions - No Restrictions
(The galaxy is vast and full of wonders; to stifle our researchers from opportunity would be a mistake.)
▪︎Economic Policy - Mixed Economy
(To commit ourselves fully to either war or peace is to restrict ourselves to a narrow view. We must be ready for whatever the future may hold.)
▪︎Trade Policy - Consumer Benefits
(Profits and taxes must take second place to improving the lives of our citizens. We should focus our trade efforts towards the manufacture and distribution of everyday necessities.)
▪︎Artificial Intelligence - Citizen Rights
▪︎Robotic Workers - Allowed
(The benefits of automation are obvious and immense. For the future of our people, we cannot afford to ignore the opportunities presented to us by technology.)
▪︎Pre-Sapients - Tolerated
▪︎Debris - Research & Salvage Debris
(As Scavengers we will strip debris for both research and resources.)
▪︎Refugees - Refugees Welcome
(Those fleeing death and persecution at the hands of tyrants will be welcome within our borders.)
▪︎Population Controls - Prohibited
(To reproduce and propagate their species is the inalienable right of all our citizens.)
▪︎Slavery - Prohibited
▪︎Purge - Prohibited
(The purge is an atrocity and should always be treated as such.)
▪︎ Eternal Vigilance - Full Spending
(Every starbase needs to be properly defended. Spare no cost.)
▪︎Engineering Research Focus - General Studies
(By not focusing on any particular branch, our researchers will have more freedom to pursue their own experiments.)
▪︎Physics Research Focus - General Studies
(By not focusing on any particular branch, our researchers will have more freedom to pursue their own experiments.)
▪︎Society Research Focus - General Studies
(By not focusing on any particular branch, our researchers will have more freedom to pursue their own experiments.)