Prologue

The silent behemoth raced through the vast coldness of dark space. On the surface it resembled any other asteroid. Large, full of craters, and spinning. This asteroid, however, did not lose any of its volume during its trek. Indeed if it had it would have been reduced to a mere pebble at this point for its journey had been long. Since before man could even walk this asteroid had been on an intergalactic trek. It had crossed the complete and utter void existing between galaxies to eventually make its way to the milky way, home to Mankind.

It entered the galaxy with much grace. As if dancing to a sonata the asteroid spun ever so gently on its axis. As it passed the first of the outer stars light glinted off rough surface for the first time in millions of years. The term year at this point would be wrong to use since Mankind's sun; Sol, was in its infancy stage when the asteroid first began its quest.

At this point Mankind had just begun to forge bronze.

Launched from the unknown depths of a far off galaxy with a sacred mission to accomplish, it was nearing its goal. When it entered the outer edges of the Thalis system Mankind was savouring a well deserved victory over its galactic rival.

What progress.

As if the asteroid had known all along exactly where it was going it entered the atmosphere of the second planet of the Thalis system a couple of years later. It burned and streaked fire across the blue skies of the planet, but did not disintegrate.

As it crashed into the surface it embeded itself deep into the planetary crust.

The balance of galactic power was about to change.

Great stuff! Very good start.

One question though: Isn't the leader of the Korath Clan called Kindar A'Aghol? Or is this a new Korath leader?

Karma for you good sir for keeping me and others on this forum. most excellent.

Chapter 2: Government over guns

Earth
Sol System
Capital World of the Federation
Capital city of New Johanesberg


The once mighty Federation was licking its wounds. Years of warfare with the Imperial Drengin had crippled its economy, and the loss of half of its Navy to the rebellious Helios AI had left its borders relatively undefended.

Undefended and unmanned as Helios had proceeded to destroy virtually the whole of the complex Echelon communication system. Furthermore, the figurehead of the Federation; Commodore Alan Bradshaw was considered KIA on Marshall IV. Simply put; the ressources of the Federation were thinly spread and it no longer held the power it once did.

As such it was not a so much a surprise when a Hermes class survey vessel came into contact with another intelligent species. Exploration funding had taken a serious hit. The TFS Torun had stumbled across the Carinoids system by mere chance. Sent to investigate a small cluster of debris of unknown origin they had discovered the existence of three class M planets. The Torun proceeded to run extensive sensor scans of the surface only to discover that the first planet in the system was already inhabited.

After setting up an Echelon II sat relay station an emissary was sent to the surface of the planet to communicate with the race that would come to be known simply as the Carinoids. The Federation never considered them more than a minor race. Trade relations were set up and quickly the carinoids came within the sphere of influence of the Terrans.

Or at least that was the concesus.

"Last reports from the system indicate the carinoids had multiple freighters inbound and outbound from their capital. Clearly they have set up an extensive trade network."

"Excellent! What is the net income on the trade routes established with them?" Asked the Prime Magistrate of the Terran Galactic Federated Republic; Carlos Da souza

There was an ackward silence in the large room overlooking the sparkling blue waters. The Trade magistrate cleared his throat.

"Actually sir I didn't quite say that their established routes had for destination a Federated world. The Carinoids clearly have a mercantile view of the universe around them but for reasons unknown they have not sent a single freighter to any of our worlds. Our current policy also forbids us to send large scale freighters to any civlization not recognized by the UP."

Da Souza saw the thinly veiled criticism but decided to ignore it. It was becoming common these days.

The trade magistrate continued.

"We simply don't have enough freighters to go around. Between the needs of the military..." he shot a quick stare at Klaus Muckler, "...and our economic needs our merchant marine is spread thin."

"So you're telling me those litlle bastards enjoy the luxury of our protection, they sit and prosper in a little corner of our Federation protected by our entire Navy, and they don't even have the decency of trading with us."

The Trade Magistrate continued Da Souza's thought "They trade with Drengin before their own benefactors."

"OberKomander, mobilize patrols in the area. I want a Navy presence up their ass 24/7 standard" Commanded Da Souza

This got Muckler's attention.

Klaus Muckler, The most decorated officer in the Navy and hero of the Drengin War, perked up in his seat. After Bradshaw went MIA the responsibility of commanding the fleets and armies of the Federation fell on his shoulders. Many saw him as the most competent field commander and strategist of the Navy. His ship during the Drengin War; The Colgate had added up the most confirmed kills of any in the Navy. He had gained the respect of every officer in the Navy. The Navy, however,  had lost much in the eyes of the people. The dramatic failure of the Helios AI construct had sent the Federation reeling.

Shortly after the Federalists Party and its formed governement fell from power in a vote of non-confidence within the central council, a new party was brought in and with it a new government. For the first time the Federalists did not control the Federation. The new Prime Magistrate made it a campaign promise to bring reforms to the military. Barring a full fledged military coup, Muckler was helpless in the face of the winds of change.

Reforms were debated and rehashed over and over until a proper solution was found. Da Souza had demanded for the military to be accountable to the government, and thus the people. Everyone was in accord and Muckled reluctantly gave away his independence of action. Da Souza, or more appropriately; the Prime Magistrate, would be commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Muckler held his ground on the issue of division of command within the Navy. Muckler argued rightly that with Echelon down and currently being rebuilt it would be simply innefficient to complicate the chain of command by adding someone in charge of every different facet of the armed forces. Distances of incredible magnitude separated Fleets and planets. It would be better to keep military power as centralized as possible. This meant Muckler would be at the top of the chain of command for every facet of the military, from marines to fleets.

Thus the new reforms were put into place.

Da Souza wanted to bestow upon Muckler the rank of Commodore but he quickly refused, there was only one Commodore of the Terran Galactic Navy. He chose rather to take on the title of Oberkomander.

To keep a minimum of a good image of the military Da Souza had demanded one thing of Muckler. Join his central government as Magistrate of Defense. Muckler had no choice, though he clearly saw the well planned moves of the Prime Magistrate. By bringing in Muckler Da Souza was sending a clear message to the people that the military was under the tight control of the government.

Bradshaw must be rolling over in his grave thought Muckler.

The caucus meetings and central council meetings were especially tedious. To show his contempt for such things he always wore his dark black Navy suit and cap and donned all of his medals. He looked more like a 20th century officer of a certain army than a magistrate, but that was of course the point.

Regardless of his title, rank, or appearance he now took orders from the Prime Magistrate and he had just been given one.

"Mr. Prime Magistrate, our forces are already spread thin, I highly doubt the carinoids are a priority right now. They are living peacefully and have no military to speak of."

"That's because we protect them by the very existence of the Federation. And they trade with the enemy!" exclaimed the Trade Magistrate.

Muckler tried not to roll his eyes. "I wasn't aware that there existed a state of war between us and the Drengin. "

Da Souza interjected before Mcukler went at it again with one of his magistrates. It seemed every meeting brought a new confrontation between Muckler and one of the magistrates.

"The Korath still refuse to recognize the People's Socialist Republic of Drengia as a legitimate government. Since we do, it means that this is an issue of foreign policy. Therefore if a planet within our sphere of influence decides to accord exclusive trading rights to the Drengin, socialist or imperial, we can only assume the Drengin have some part to play in this. Let us not forget what brought us to the first war. We need a pro-active solution to this problem. The sending of a military presence in the carinoids system will send a strong message." countered an agitated Da Souza.

"Now send the damned squadron." He finished.

"Sir, if the Carinoids sustain amicable trade relations with socialist and imperial Drengin we can perhaps use that as a springboard to defuse some of the tension that exists between the two and between us and the Imperial Korath. As far as our intel can confirm they have four trade routes; two with the Imperials and two with the socialists. Think about the possibilities. Some of the greatest friendships are based upon solid trade foundations." replied Muckler.

"Quite so Mr. Muckler. Perhaps we should therefore intervene before the Carinoids get too friendly with either of the Drengin governments." replied the magistrate for foreign relations

Da Souza turned around. Clearly he wanted this conversation to be over and he didn't like the fact that this military man was lecturing him on diplomacy.

"Exactly, and they haven't sent a freighter to one of our worlds. Why is that? Oberkomander you have been given a direct order and you will obey it."

"Yes sir of course. I simply think that this will serve as a catalyst for deterioating our relations with the carinoids. It's not by sending military vessels that we'll figure out why they aren't trading with us. "

"What you think dosn't matter one bit. They trade exclusively with the socialists and imperials while enjoying the complete protection from our Federation. Do as you are told or I'll find someone who will."

"Then perhaps you would like my resignation." 

Da Souza realized he may have been a bit harsh. Muckler had the admiration of more or less all the officers in the Navy. His resignation would leave a serious power vaccum in the military hierarchical taxonomy. On one hand his officers would see his resignation as a lack of confidence in the government and they would not hesitate to follow those sentiments. On the other hand any replacement would not enjoy the same loyalty from his subordinates. There were simply no viable replacements for Muckler.

Da Souza kept his head high "That will not be necessary."

"If it is the will of the council that my opinions don't matter than why am I here?" Muckler twisted the knife just a bit.

"Enough Klaus. I get it. Your opinions will be noted on the record. Your orders still stand however. I will send a diplomatic mission to the Carinoids within the month." Da souza turned to the rest of his magistrates

"I want the other two planets in that system colonized asap. Spend the money required."

Just as the magistrate for internal affairs was about to speal up Klaus cut him off. He liked to do that just to make it uncomfortable for the others. He wanted to show that he didn't like being here and that he didn't like the power play the Prime Magitrate had played by taking away his supreme authority for the Navy. He wanted to get on the central council's nerves because he knew, like Da Souza did, that there was no one to take his place. The dissappearance and presumed death of Bradshaw had left the Navy completely unprepared but Muckler knew his captains would not swerve in their loyalty to the Navy and the Oberkomander.

"Sir I've notice that since the last trimester the spending budget for the Navy has been reduced again compared to the initial projections. May I ask where the money is going?"

Da Souza let out an exasperated sigh. He hated the fact that a man with a military background tried to show off his skills as a civil servant. Muckler simply didn't understand how things worked within a government. "The rebuilding of our Echelon II satcomm system requires a lot of capital. Echelon II is now under the jurisdiction of the department of internal affairs and is no longer a military project. Your funds have thus been reduced."

Again Da souza had managed to take away some of the military's power. Initially under the auspices of the office of the Commodore; Echelon had been a revolution in regards to intergalactic communications. Manned and monitered by FISA, who reported straight to the Commodore, the reins had been taken away from them and put into the hands of bureaucrats and civil servants working for internal affairs. Another facet demilitarized.

Furthermore with the war at an end and the galaxy at peace funds for FISA had also been cut dramatically. As such the Federation's spy network lacked any type of cohesive goal. Intel throughout the galaxy was sparse and hardly capable of providing a good representation of what was trully going on in the galaxy.

The people, however, were happy about these changes. There had been strong sentiments that the Federation resembled too much that of a military government, regardless of its benevolency. Bradhsaw had thus stepped down from the office of the Prime Magistrate and had appointed himself C-in-C of all armed forces by becoming Commodore of the Navy. This had satisfied the people, but really nothing had actually changed. As sentiments rose again against the militarization of the Federation war had broken out and once again the people rallied to the flag.

Now, again in a time of peace, people were happy to see that the military was losing much of its power. Especially the fact that the new OberKomander was answerable to the Prime Magistrate; the representative of all Humans in the galaxy.

After what seemed like another four hours of endless talk the meeting finally ended. Muckler again left dissatisfied and drained from the day's work. He walked out on the landing platform where his shuttle waited for him. He climbed aboard and buckled in, let out a sigh of fatigue and closed his eyes.

"Back to the Menelaus sir?" asked his personal Tir-Quan bodyguard and pilot.

Muckler thought about it for a second. He needed a rest. "Negative, I think I'm in need of some fresh air."

His pilot knew exactly what that meant.

A short twenty minute ride later Muckler's shuttle touched down at his personal villa in the Austrian Alps. He immediately took in the bright sun reflecting on the glaciers and inhaled a large gulp of cold fresh air. He exhaled and already felt better. Hardly touched by the catalcysm, this small paradise had been in his family for generations going back to WW1 when his ancestor Von Muller had commanded a German light cruiser in the pacific. It had been among the most successful surface raider of the entire war. Emperor Wilhem II had donated this plot of land to congratulate the man. Navy life had been in the Muckler's entourage since that time.

Klaus sighed. Sometimes it felt so much easier to simply be in command of a ship and forget the politics that went with being in command of something larger.  If a small civilization like the Carinoids was able to give so many headaches to a man Muckler could only imagine the existence of something much larger.

****************************************************************

*i'm sort of a history nut in case you guys can't tell. Therefore +1 karma to whoever can ell me what light cruiser I'm talking about and which allied ship finally managed to disable her.

Hint: she made up part of the German asiatic squadron based at Tsingtao which was commanded by a certain Maximilian Graf Von Spee.

good luck

(NO WIKIPEDIA!!! lol)

Wow the story continues and with a history question thrown in-not sure I know the answer but seems that Eidolon does hehe

Nice update KUTGW

6 days gone, 1 to go; still waiting for an update.

need more to feed my AAR hunger

Very nice!

By the way, if you want more readers. try posting in the "general" area of the galciv2 forum. You'll get more readers, and I doubt the moderators will care that it's there. After I finish my story I will be doing that.

hiya fellas,

once again I've been away for too long and let you guys hanging. im a no good aar tease. Work got pretty hectic during christmas and have just started to loosen up. Not to mention I switched restaurants. To compensate you guys I have concocted a longer post than usual bringin insight on many aspects of the story at once. Things are starting to get interesting as Muckler puts pressure on the new Prime Magistrate and a new race makes itself known to an unsuspecting soldier.

Enough with the teasing.

without further ado here is the next post

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Chapter IV: Conflicting Judgement

Outpost 007   
Bond System
Forward Navy Base
Outskirts of Federation space

Barren didn't describe it. Bleak was an understatement.

Oupost 007 was established not long after the Helios awakening. Composed of three planets, all of which are habitable, the system was discovered by an early probe. Short of ressources at the time however the central government of the Federation decided it would be best to simply establish a minor presence on one of the worlds until the time when Genesis class colony ships could be brought in to colonize the other two planets. No one knows exactly why the government decided to install a military base on the worst class planet of the system. No one except those stationed there.

Tir-Quan pilot first class Mathias Udet stood next to his shiny new SF-112 thunderhawk. In his hand he held his holo-checklist and went over his pre-flight routine. The ship was fresh off the assembly line from the nearby industrial planet of Ratha V. the ship itself was inside a large hangar carved out of the side of a mountain. Nothing man-made had withstood the fury of the outdoors during an aurora storm. The violent winds were enough to disfigure a man while all the flying debris would rip him to shreds . Rocks the size of a groundcars were known to fly around in the most intense areas of the storms. Though they weren't very often Mankind had learned its lessons early with the phenomenon.

Udet's mechanic came next to him. "I diverted some of the magnetic shielding power to your sensors sir. Bug hunting shouldn't require you to tax your shielding power outage to its maximum, but I thought you could use the extra juice in your sensors to better hunt the bugs."

"Sure Pete, no worries." replied Mathias.

"Other than that the girl still has that new ship smell. Ain't nothing for me to do but admire her and keep her nice and shiny."

Mathias let out a rare chuckle. He hadn't really had the chance to do that since his unit had been transferred here. The 5th Tir-Quan "Alan Bradshaw's life's guard" battalion had been affected to Oupost 007 in support of the local garrison and a supplement of a squadron of Helix fighters consisting of three wings. Word was this system was bug infested. Tir-Quan training doctrines demanded that every Tir-Quan unit had to be sent to a bug den at least once. A condition that sparked fierce competition between deifferent Tir-Quan units as to who would get the chance to face the bugs and prove their right to belong to the Brigade.

Udet had waited long for this moment.

The system had first been recognized as infested when the Genesis class Akhenaton deteced them on their pre drop ops. The life signatures didn't always appear on long range telescopic sensor pings. Though the chances of happening were very slim, every now and then a colony ship found its destined planet to be infected.

When a pilot, who by law had to be a Navy pilot, found such a planet he executed a very tight SOP. The ship had immediately begun construction of the Echelon II satcomm relay station with prefabricated materials inside the ship. After contacting Pearson NS a small detachment was sent to Bond IV, site of the infestation. It never returned.

A full squadron of Helix fighters was sent with orders to maitain a quarantine while the Tir-Quan battalion arrived. Well...The Brigade was here now.

"Toxic emissions are down today sir. Commander's even accepted to allow everyone some time outside. Scientists say the air is ok to breath today, but not for too long."

Oupost 007 was not especially hospitable. Other than its deadly Aurora storms the atmosphere was quite toxic with CO2 emissions being higher than the recommended average dose a human should endure. Anyone working outside was required to wear a breather and a protective suit. The suit shielded a man from the harmful sunrays which easily penetrated 007's atmosphere.

The installation of a forward Navy base was nothing short of an engineering miracle. The team had touched down in between Aurora storms and had begun blasting away at the side of the mountain.They had then proceeded to install CO2 scrubbers to clean the controlled atmosphere inside the facility. All of this done before another aurora storm could devastate the work site.

"Thanks for the invite, but I've got to go over the flight plan for this afternoon."

Udet had hated this place since the first time he stepped foot on the desolate rock. The last thing he cared about was getting "fresh air" outside and putting on his protective UV suit. He would never admit such a thing obviously. He was Tir-Quan, the finest military initiative created by man. He would endure until victorious or dead.

The intercom crackled and a loud voice announced "All pilots report to the ready room, all pilots to the ready room."

"That's my cue, check the left stabilizer Pete I think it's off by a quarter degree. That means more ion exhaust is hitting it. I don't need an upper left fin slowly deteriorating." Udet said as he walked away from the bird toward the pilot ready room.

The mechanic sighed, the damned Tir-Quan boys were always perfectionist. Frankly he was somewhat intimidated by the fact that he had been affected to a Tir-Quan squadron. They hardly smiled and knew nothing other than work with the only goal being victory. They kept mostly to themselves and spent most of their time either in meditation chambers or in training simulators. When the regular Navy flyboys told old war stories in the pilot bar the Tir-Quan were practising their hand-to-hand combat or fine-tuning their legendary combat suits.

Udet walked into the pilot ready room. Many of his wingmates were already seated with their holopads in hand ready to take notes on the upcoming briefing for the day's mission. Udet took a seat and pulled out his own holopad while waiting for the major to show up.

The atmosphere inside the room would have seemed tense for any regular Navy pilot, but not for Tir-Quan. Nobody spoke not because no one had anything to say, but everyone was busy doing mental projections of the days mission; their first since arriving on Outpost 007. Tir-Quan soldiers attempted to exercise their body and minds twentyfour/seven. Some were sitting with their eyes closed as they meditated in silence while others were fiddling with their holopads attempting to calculate munitions and fuel costs for the day's mission.

While regular Navy servicemen left such things to the brass, Tir-Quan prided itself on being a fully functional unit even if the unit was scattered across a planet. Every Tir-Quan soldier had to know the fine details of their missions as if they had planned the whole thing from logistics to strategic manoeuvres on their own.

The battalion major walked into the room.

As if snapping out of a trance every soldier in the room suddenly gave the man their full attention. Major Charles Leclerc was an imposing figure in his Tir-Quan combat fatigues, but what really impressed his men was his abilities to lead in battle. Leclerc had recently been transferred to the 5th Batallion and by luck of the draw this was his second bug infestation. As such he had the full devotion and respect of his men.

"Gentlemen" he began, "Today you will be given the chance to prove yourselves not only to General Matco and I, but to yourselves. You will be tested on all that you have learned as a Tir-Quan soldier since your induction in the academy years ago. Tactical situation on the field is as follows; We have two planets insystem Bond IV and II. Up until oh four hundred standard this morning our intel told of only one planet infestation. That has now been changed to two. That means we now have a system wide infestation with Oupost 007 being the only rock in this place untouched by the bugs. Of course when you look at this place it makes you wonder which of the two, us or them, is more civilized." some of the Tir-Quan laughed.

"What this really means is an golden opportunity for the 5th Alan Bradshaw's Life's Guard to show just what we are capable of doing. Our job is to eradicate, pulverise, crush, and grind every single insect found on the two planets by any means necessare without degrading the quality of the planet. This is supposed to be a future home for Mankind after all folks, therefore no nukes of any kind regardless of the size of the den."

Major Leclerc didn't have to ask if they were clear on the order. He knew they were. You didn't have to tell a Tir-Quan twice.

"I assume you've all ordered your ground crews to maximize your air-to-ground loadout?" The major received a loud 'affirmative' in unison. "We will approach the equator of Bond II at its point nearest to us from opposit directions. The squadron will be divided in two, callsigns Duck and Goose. We will move in opposite circles from each other. Duck will circle North until it reaches the pole or its munitions are expended, Goose will do the same southward bound. Check your flight ops for your designated half."

"Do we have any idea of the size of the dens planetside?" asked Udet

"Negative, we have no fixed intel. We do know that the scout party sent last month consisted of a party of twenty Stellar Marines equipped for armed reconnaisance; that means armoured ground cars and heavy caliber automatic weaponry. Provided the unit fought to its minimum capabilities the dens must be sizeable. Thus we go in first with the airstrike and mop up later. Any den not completely destroyed will be marked via infrared targeting and destroyed in subsequent airstrikes. We do not leave this system until the job is done. Personally I hate this rock they call an Oupost. Make it quick gentlemen."

Udet was brittle with excitement but his outer calm betrayed nothing of his emotions.


Earth
Sol System
Capital City of New Johanesburgh
Capital of the Federation


Oberkomander Klaus Muckler could not believe he was back here. The last meeting had been less than a month ago and already Prime Magistrate Da Souza had ordered all of his magistrates to reunite for a meeting of the central council. Muckler hadn't even unpacked his bags when he returned to Pearson NS, nerve center of the Navy, from the last meeting. He wondered just what exactly could be so urgent. Damn bureaucratics, they allowed themselves to wallow in their own self-importance. Of course since the drastic cuts in military funding and the transfer of FISA to the magistrate of internal affairs Muckler was blind when it came to anticipating things of strategic importance to the Federation. Perhaps Da Souza knew something that he did not. He grumpily took his seat at the table, his medals hanging off his chest and his hat pulled low over his eyes casting a dark shadow empashizing his mood to his 'co-workers'. Though he was caught offguard by the meeting he had spent the past week working feverishly hard and he had come prepared.

He had barely had the time to ensure the mass production of the newly designed SF-112 Thunderhawk and hadn't even seen it in action at the various test flights scheduled during his voyages to and from Earth. He had to rely on the asurance of his officers who ensured him that the nimble fighter carried enough firepower to be effective in combat and be a cheaper option than the heavy SF-135 Executor which was too costly considering the military's restrained budget.

Muckler sat down at the table and waited for the rest of the officials to do the same. He watched as bureaucrats and Magistrates tried to win the favour of one another.

He merely sighed and thought back to his villa where peace and quiet reigned supreme. He allowed himself a moment as he close his eyes and inhale the cold air of the alps and the freshness of the sparkling glacier lakes. He walked through the woods with his antique hunting rifle kept in perfect shape by the care of his ancestors and passed down from generation to generation. The Kar98k bolt-action rifle was once a weapon of choice and was more than enough to take down a meaty stag. As he walked he was careful to watch his step so as not to make a sound. His gaze pierced through the woods trying to find his prey. Suddenly a large bavarian reindeer pops out from behind a tree four hundred yards in front of him. He held his breath and froze in his tracks. He slowly brings the rifle up and carefully positions it against his shoulder. His sights are perfeclty aligned. A bird cries out, the deer's head shoots up suddenly aware of an invisible danger. Muckler places his index on the trigger, begins to squeeze and...

"Muckler!"

Klaus' eyes opened suddenly and reality hits him like a ton of bricks. How long was he out for? Around the table everyone was staring at him. It seems the meeting has already begun with a holo-image hovering above the table. Klaus recognized it as the homeworld of the Carinoids. He attempts to hold on to the peaceful image of his villa but it has clearly slipped back into the depths of his mind.

"Oberkomander I asked you a question. How soon can we send additional forces to the system?"

Muckler's head spun into high gear he instantly became the professional soldier that he was. The competent commander and brilliant captain of the Terran Galacatic Navy. He knew what he was about to say would displease Da Souza.

"Camelot squadron has already been in-system for seventeen days. They report absolutely no abnormal behaviour, transports come in and out bearing Drengin goods and exporting mostly raw materials. It seems the planet is especially rich in kanvium."

The magistrate of trade let out a disaproving grunt. He was about to start another personal hate speech about the Carinoids and their trading policies but Klaus kept going.

"We have come into contact with elements of their orbital defense forces. Their ships are somehwat more advanced than the Helixs currently making up Camelot Squadron. Contact made with their military has been peaceful and without incident. I took the liberty of planing a GNN photo shoot of our flyboys next to theirs. Pictures to go up on this evening's News bulletin."

Da Souza immediately slammed his fist onto the table. "Pardon me!"

Klaus simply looked at the Prime Magistrate and continued his briefing, he wasn't done angering the man.

"A more thorough patrol of the system revealed the existence of a carinoids starbase. Construction appears to be just newly finished and already the base is bustling with activity. Interregations of the starbase officials reveals that the base is used as a trade hub for the homeworld. Ships and cargoes are allocated here and a massive merchant center inside reports nearly full capacity of full time vendors."

Da Souza's eyes had widened as he listened to Klaus.

"Camelot Squadron has scanned incoming cargo ships, most of them originating from Drengin space, and all were found to contain no weapons or military hardwarde of anykind kind. Note here that not all ships stop at the Carinoids Starbase, designated Charlie Sierra One, but continue straight on towards the species' homeworld. Understanding the importance of such intelligence I have taken the liberty of dispatching another squadron of Helixs and a squadron of our new SF-112 Thunderhawk. This will be more than enough to neutralize any threat from the carinoids. It is important to note that is the opinion of my chiefs of staff and myself that the Carinoids do not pose any kind of threat to the safety of Mankind and any Federation world in proximity to their homeworld."

The magistrates looked one another in the eyes, this was serious news not to be taken lightly. The construction of a foreign starbase in open space claimed by the Federation was not usually a welcomed thing. Before they could start to speak all at once Muckler concluded his short briefing "As I have said before trade relations are a catalyst for the coming together of two peoples. To that end I have authorized my highest ranking officer in the field to negoatiate the opening of a trade route..."

"Preposterous!" yelled the magistrate of trade as he stood from his chair.

Muckler raised his voice so he could finish what he was saying. Already he could see the commotion brewing. "The trade route is to be effective within the week; also to go up in this evening's news bulletin" That was the straw that broke the camel's back. An eruption roared through the committe room as the magistrates yelled their disapproal of his course of action. Muckle stared nonchalantly at Da Souza and sat back down in his chair. He leaned back allowing his medals to fully show and the light to illuminate his face showing Da Souza that he knew just as well as he did how to play the political game.

"Everyone out" murmured the Prime Magistrate. No one heard as his voice was barely heard among the cacophony of accusations and claims of incompetence. "Everyone out Now!" screamed Da Souza. The officials gave hard stares at Muckler as they left the room one by one.

The Prime Magistrate sat down opposite his Magistrate of Defense.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"My job as a civil servant and a military commander in charge of keeping his species safe. I only realized the benefits of my job sir. I can now see the problem from both points of view. Therefore I'm even more competent for your job than you are."

Da Souza looked like he had been slapped in the face. "What are you tryign to prove exactly? Do you have any idea what I can do to you?"

"Relax Carlos I don't want your job. I want what's best for Mankind regardless of whether or not I undermine you."

"You have crossed the line this time. Leaking information to the press is bad enough but what makes you think it'll actually make the news. You know I control what goes on the news every night."

"Your contacts in GNN are largely Alan Bradshaw's contacts therefore making the actual link not you, but your position as Prime Magistrate. Your power base is slippery Mr. Prime Magistrate."

Da Souza was seething, "Your pictures of our military with theirs will never make the evening news. You know that is goign against this government's policy and you are part of this government. You will be severly reprimanded."

"Sir, what I said about their ability to pose a threat is true. The Carinoids do not have the capability to harm us without suffering total anihilation. They know this. We are safe from them as are the people of the Federation."

"I decide what's best goddamn it and you better start understanding that. You went over the heads of everybody in that room and that is not how a government functions."

"Like I said. I have the advantage of seeing things from both ends. I knew when to take the initiative and forgo your bureaucratic waste of time, your system based on nudges and winks."

"This trade route will never see the light of day. I have had the assurances of the combine corporations that any economic activity with the carinoids must go through me first."

"Perhaps, but the clock is ticking, the news bulletin is due to air in two hours. Once the population is aware I believe you find reversing the tide quite difficult. The people want peace, not war. We have seen enough of war Carlos."

Da Souza thrashed a glass of water out of the way and stood up pointing a finger at Muckler. The glass crashed on the smooth polished floor and shattered outward in a perfect demonstration of gravity.

"You will not win this!"

At this the door opened and a member of FISA entered the room. He walked bristly toward The Prime Magistrate and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Muckler watched Da Souza's face change in an instant. When the man was finished whispering he leaned back and stood next to him to escort him out of the room.

"You may have just bitten off more than either one of us can chew.



Bond IV
Bond System
5th Tir-Quan 'Alan Bradshaw's Life's Guard' Division
Tir-Quan Pilot Udet

The pounding in his head never ceased. He tried to move but he couldn't even feel whether or not he had any legs or arms. His thoughts were a jumble and it took all the efforst to even hold on to one for more than a nano second. Everytime he tried to remember what had happened the pounding became so intense he felt like he was blacking out. The only solid feeling he had was that of his own existence. He knew he was alive somehow right now but he had neither the presence of mind to know when right now was or for where he was.

The pounding in his head began to take on a rythm but his thoughts remained as muddy as ever. The rythmic ache became less and less severe and for an instance Udet could almost see every instance of his life before him. He saw himself reach out to touch the vivid pictures dancing before his eyes when the pounding intensified again. He let out a low moan as the pain overtook him and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. The pain continued for an undetermined amount of time before subsiding. This time the pictures were different. He saw a vast galaxy on the verge of destruction. Powerful beings in giant ships which seemed to be alive. An asteroid escaping the death and destruction of the galaxy. He saw a lush green world and a beautiful star giving life to that world. He saw the asteroid crash onto the world, but instead of bringing mass destruction to the planet it gave life. A sentient species of hard working bipedal insectoids. In an instant he understood all of it.

In their galaxy they were known as the Thalans. The planet they had crashed on they had named Thalis. They were refugees of an unspeakable horror that had ravaged their entire galaxy. Whenever Udet's mind attempted to probe what had caused their exodus and who was responsible for the destruction of their galaxy the pain became insurmountable indicating that whoever was in charge did not want to divulge more to Udet's mind. Udet saw a vast empire already formed as the Thalans sent out colony missions on many worlds throughout the milky way. In an instant Udet understood that the Thalans controlled the vastest part of the galaxy. Corners that mankind had not even begun to look at were already colonized by these "bugs". Udet did not see them as such anymore.

This was not a random bug planet. This was one of their colonies. Mankind had unleashed its weaposn upon a race who wished only to live in peace. The pain cleared away completely as Udet's mind cleared a path through the fog towards the final answer. Peace. This race had seen enough of war in their own galaxy. Peace. Udet saw the word in his mind and immediately understood what he had to do. Peace.



My'lioth Prime
My'lioth System
Fiefdom of House Vire
Colony 327

The attack came without warning. Savage and swift the ships swooped down on the small unsuspecting village of colony 327. The Drengin villagers who were toiling their fields looked on helplessly as the sturdy black ships landed in their fields burning part of their crops with their engine thrusters. Confusion reigned supreme when armormed Drengin soldiers dressed all in black descended from the ships armed to the teeth. Their helmets were tightly fitted on their heads and the face guards were pulled down to make sure their faces were kept concealed.

The ships landed around the village surrounding it and as the soldiers marched through the fields they rounded up all the men and made their way inwards to the village. When they got to the gates the colony mayor ran out to meet the unknown soldiers.

"What is the meaning of this? We are under the protection of House Vire and the Imperial government of Korath. You have no right to..." He was cut off when a soldier put a round square between the eyes. The mayor crumbled to the ground like a rag doll. Screams rang out and panic began to sweep through the people. A voice came over a loud speaker and boomed through the village.

"Residents of colony 327, subjects of House Vire. You have hereby been ordered by the supreme conclave of chairman Kona to work camps inside the People's Socialist Republic of Drengia. Your refusal to join the revolution and continue to serve your masters as serfs is a clear sign of your need for re-education. Those who do not comply will be considered traitors to the Drengin race and executed on the spot."

This only served to heigthen the sense of panic with the villagers, but soldiers were already among them kicking the men to the ground and tying their hands behind their backs. The women who struggled were easily retained by the soldiers. Those who struggled too much were reserved far worse treatment. The children were separated from their parents and put together. There were special plans laid out for them.

Every now and then amidst the commotion a shot rang out putting an end to a life who struggled to maintain its freedom. A soldier checked the time regularly. Planetary defenses' response time in this sector was never under a half hour. Time was running out and this operation needed to be wrapped up a soon as possible. Villagers were herded into the transport ships. Families were torn apart. The women screamed and lamented while the children looked wide eyed unsure of what was happening. Some cried.

When all was done a soldier approached the leader. "All the men are loaded sir, and the sturdiest women with them. The children are loaded as well. We have left the dead and only a couple of survivors."

Kir'ith lifted his face mask and smiled "Right on schedule. Perfect."

Chapter V: The tip of the Iceberg

Earth
Sol System
Capital world of the Federation
Capital City of New Johanesburg

The past two weeks had been the most hectic Da Souza had ever known. Since the start of the Drengin war years ago no other Prime Magistrate had had so much on his plate at one time. There was no time for public appearances regardless of all that was happening. Da Souza and his cabinet worked tirelessly to handle the situation as best they could.

The first order of business had been the revelation of a sentient hive civilization known as the Thalans. The inability of the 5th Tir-Quan "Alan Bradshaw's Life's Guard" to neutralize the bug infestation in the Bond system had been received by the central government as a monumental failure and proof that a more thorough reform of the Navy was needed. The treasury of the Federation was well in the green notably thanks to important budget cuts in the military and the central government had hoped to be able to colonize the remaining two planets in that system.

It was only after a certain Tir-Quan trooper, a pilot first class; Mathias Udet, told of his story and of how his entire squadron was incapacitated by the sheer psychic power of a Thalan overlord. Unlucky for the Navy and central government a GNN news ship was in orbit in order to cover the extermination of the bugs and to show to the citizens of the Federation the superiority of Mankind's war machine. In the confusion that reigned following the grounding and overpowering of the Tir-Quan squadron, no coherent response would be mustered and GNN delivered its news bulletin of a Tir-Quan failure. The supposed elite branch of the Navy had suffered a humiliating defeat. Many clamored for tis abolition and the redirection of its funds towards public works.

When the squadron and its members returned to Outpost 007 they were interrogated individually and their brains probed by the Navy's latest equipment in subconsicous analysis. When it was deemed that the troopers told the truth and that indeed Mankind had stumbled across another sentient species in within the galaxy a urgent message was sent to the central government and the Navy's C-in-C requesting orders on how to proceed.

Federation Ambassadors travelled to known Thalan planets for as it turned out, the Thalans governed the largest portion of galactic space known. It was decided that amicable relations were to be sought out with the Thalans on strong urgings by the Navy C-in-C Klaus Muckler. The Navy was stretched thin at the moment and extra ressources could not be spent on a show of force to their new glacatic neighbours.

This was based on distrubing reports from the Socialist Republic of Drengia. The Republic was being accused of taking offensive action against Imperial property in the My'lioth System. Reports stated that a number of small planetside colonies were raided with the aim of kidnapping and forceably removing manpower to incorporate into the Republic's workforce. The Imperials blamed the Republic's policy of equality among all workers of the Drengin race for their incursion into Imperial Space. They reitirated that the Imperial House of Korath legally claimed these worlds and its properties, both material and manpower, and that the domestic policy of the republic should not overflow into neighbouring Imperial worlds.

In order to throw oil on the fire Lord Korath publicly stated that since the People's Socialist Republic of Drengia was Mankind's creation they had a responsibility to keep an eye on Kona's actions. This was vehemently repudiated by the Republic while a more diplomatic repsonse was formulated by Da Souza'a cabinet; Since the Republic remained its own legal entity and in no term was it considered a protectorate of the Terran Galactic Federated Republic, its internal matters could not be a concern of jurisdiction for the central government.

Furthermore, Federation spies reported that a rift was growing between the Imperial House Korath and one of its noble minions; House Vire. According to detailed reports Lord Vire continued to refuse the demand that he increase his share of sacrifices for the good fo the Empire. His house was the last great noble hosue to still show some reluctance towards full wealth sharing. Though House Vire was nto strong enough to break away from the Empire and withstand the pressures of the galaxy on its own they still retained much internal influence in regards to Korath's Empire which grew stronger day by day.

The Galaxy at this moment was a very tense and instable place. The right spark might set off the whole powder keg.

In addition Da Souza had to get ready for an election campaign set to kick off in a week.

And yet there were more unseen troubles that lay on the current path.

This is great. Can't wait for the next installment. Also, thanks again for reading my story.

Chapter VI: The bulk of the iceberg

Earth
Sol System
Capital world of the Galactic Federated Republic
Capital City of New Johanesburg

The past two weeks had been the most hectic Da Souza had ever known. Since the start of the Drengin war years ago no other Prime Magistrate had had so much on his plate at one time. There was no time for public appearances regardless of all that was happening. Da Souza and his cabinet worked tirelessly to handle the situation as best they could.

The first order of business had been the revelation of a sentient hive civilization known as the Thalans. The inability of the 5th Tir-Quan "Alan Bradshaw's Life's Guard" to neutralize the bug infestation in the Bond system had been received by the central government as a monumental failure and proof that a more thorough reform of the Navy was needed. The treasury of the Federation was well in the green notably thanks to important budget cuts in the military and the central government had hoped to be able to colonize the remaining two planets in that system.

IT was only after a certain Tir-Quan trooper, a pilot first class; Mathias Udet, told of his story and of how his entire squadron was incapacitated by the sheer psychic power of a Thalan overlord. Unlucky for the Navy and central government a GNN news ship was in orbit in order to cover the extermination of the bugs and to show to the citizens of the Federation the superiority of Mankind's war machine. In the confusion that reigned following the grounding and overpowering of the Tir-Quan squadron, no coherent response would be mustered and GNN delivered its news bulletin of a Tri-Quan failure. The supposed elite branch of the Navy had suffered a humiliating defeat. Many clamored for tis abolition and the redirection of its funds towards public works.

When the squadron and its members returned to Outpost 007 they were interrogated individually and their brains probed by the Navy's latest equipment in subconsicous analysis. When it was deemed that the troopers told the truth and that indeed Mankind had stumbled across another sentient species in within the galaxy a urgent message was sent to the central government and the Navy's C-in-C requesting orders on how to proceed.

Federation Ambassadors travelled to known Thalan planets for as it turned out the Thalans governed the largest portion of galactic space known. It was decided that amicable relations were to be sought out with the Thalans on strong urgings by the Oberkommander. The Navy was stretched thin at the moment and extra ressources could not be spent on a show of force to their new galactic neighbours.

This was based on distrubing reports from the Socialist Republic of Drengia. The Republic was being accused of taking offensive action against Imperial property in the My'lioth System. Reports stated that a number of small planetside colonies were raided with the aim of kidnapping and forceably removing manpower to incorporate into the Republic's workforce. The imperials blamed the Republic's policy of equality among all workers of the Drengin race for their incursion into Imperial Space. They reitirated that the Imperial House of Korath legally claimed these worlds and its properties, both material and manpower.

In order to throw oil on the fire Lord Korath publicly stated that since the People's Socialist Republic of Drengia was Mankind's creation they had a responsibility to keep an eye on Kona's actions. This was vehemently repudiated by the Republic while a more diplomatic repsonse was formulated by Da Souza'a cabinet; Since the Republic remained its own legal entity and in no term was it considered a protectorate of the Terran Galactic Federated Republic, its internal matters could not be a matter of jurisdiction for the central government.

Furthermore, Federation spies reported that a rift was growing between the Imperial House Korath and one of its noble minions; House Vire. According to detailed reports Lord Vire continued to refuse the demand that he increase his share of sacrifices for the good fo the Empire.

The Galaxy at this moment was a very tense and instable place. The right spark might set off the whole powder keg.

In the two weeks that followed the political situation of the two Drengin entities came to a head. Amidst the loud accusations emanating from the Imperials, Kona desperately tried to come to a peaceful agreement with them. This seemed to show a loss of face for his people who believed they were the center of a farce. The Republic was being gravely accused of committing serious crimes against the Empire and yet the Head Chairman, Torlek Kona, seemed to try and take the easy way out. The fact was that Kona could simply not risk war with the Imperial Drengin. The Imperial war machine had grown considerably in size.

Initially made up from whatever militia remnants the loyal houses could muster, it was now a large and modern combined armed force. Yet as heavily armed as the imperials were it seemed they too were unwilling to take the quarel one step further. As such a vicious war of words took to the galactic stage. The People's Socialist Republic of Drengia against the Drengin Empire. Meanwhile the Federation stood inept face to face with the growing instability. The Election campaign for a new Prime Magistrate was well under way but it was hardly the first thing on Da Souza's mind.

An emergency session of the central government was called to address the question of whether or not the Federation would intervene in a Drengin conflict. Klaus Muckler attended the meeting, but as usual the meeting was governed by magistrates who knew little on the actual matter of war and the capacity of the Federation to wage it should it come to that.

"We need to send at least two fleets of frigates to Republican space in order to safeguard their borders against hostile Imperial action. Anything less would make us look weak among our galactic neighbours." This came from the magistrate of industry. It was immediately followed by banging on the table from the other magistrates signalling their approval. Before Klaus could stand up and speak his piece another magistrate took up the smae line.

"This would also send a strong message to the carinoids!"

"Here Here!" came the unison response.

"Perhaps we can even get the Thalans to support us as well. A uniformed response by the two civilizations would be an incredible show of force. The Imperials will never dare any offensive action once they see the might of our Navy next to the Thalan hives."

Many people nodded their head in agreement that perhap this was a good course of action in order to both strengthen relations with the Thalans and keep the Imperials in check. This was too much for Muckler, as something clicked in his mind. His medals shining, he stood up and slammed his fist on the table. Heads turned.

"That, gentlement, is simply unacceptable." he said as calmly as he could.

The Magistrate of the interior snorted,  "Clearly you do not know the latest."

He slid a holopad to him across the table. Muckler picked it up and read.

His features tensed. In an instant what political power he had slipped out of his grasp





How had military inetligence not picked this up? FISA might be out of his control now but he still had good contacts. Perhaps it was something greater.

Da Souza's term had been very popular. With the war over and the incompetency of the Helios affair the military reforms were very welcomed by the people. Da Souza had from the start cut fund transfers at a most critical point; the loss of all ships euqipped with a Helios AI. Some destroyed, most stolen. The Navy had been undermined from the start. This latest would be a severe blow to his credibility. It was as if Alan Bradshaw had never existed.

One of the main contending point was still the Gray Rock research facility. It dated back from the time of the old UEF and had made the smooth transition to the newly created Federation when Bradshaw had rose to power. It was the focal point of advancement technologies for all of Mankind. Whoever controlled held a lot of weight in their arguments. Da Souza had slowly taken much form the Navy and its ability ot fulfill its true purpose. The protection of Mankind. The threat was on the inside.

But Muckler wasn't at the end of his surprise. The Magistrate of the Interior stood and handed over to Muckler more holopads. The Oberkomander looked over each one and said "Why wasn't I told about this?"

"It's clear the Carinoids have expansion aspirations. You have been too blind to see it and have thus put the entire federation in danger. The Carinoids have not taken our presence of force seriously. I imagine that has something to do with your incompetent decision of a public show of affection on GNN." The Magistrate of the interior ripped into Klaus. " We cannot tolerate this policy and see nothing else but aggression as the future course of action. If we do not act first we will be caught on a two front war with the Korath streaming across our borders and a force in our rear to pin down our reserves."

"I believe that's a hasty conclusion" replied Muckler.

Then Da Souza intervened, "Unfortunately for you Oberkommander your conclusions simply don't mean much anymore. You have clearly failed the Federation as the commanding officer of its Armed Forces."

Without Muckler ever getting wind of it the Carinoids had been able to build three starbases with one actually being inside Earth's sector.

"Now you see the urgency of the situation. You now have two choices that open up to you. Either you co-operate with my orders and carry them out or we create a full cover story about how the Oberkommander of the Terran Galactic Navy is failing the people. Simply another failure to add to the growing list."

Muckler was feeling alone indeed. His political power was metling before his eyes. Alan Bradshaw had always recognized the importance fo political power in conjunction with a firm grip on the military. Klaus was losing control of the former with alarming results. Da Souza undoubtedly wished to gain full control of all Federation power structures just as Bradshaw had. The current Prime Magistrate, however, seemed to wish it for his own purpose.

"As Commander-In-Chief of the all Armed Forces you can command me to do whatever it is you wish as your subordinate, however, do not think you can tame my initiative." said Muckler.

"Just remember your initiatives are subject to my orders." snapped Da Souza.

The meeting continued with more talk about the combined Carinoids/Imperial threat. Speculations were afoot as everyone attempted to give their two cents about what the treaty meant and how best to deal with the current Drengin turmoil.

While all the other Magistrate spoke Klaus sat silent. His medalshung heavily from his chest as he tucked his face behind the shade of his Navy cap. His mind swirled as he thoguht of best to cope with what was going on. With the election coming up Da Souza would be foolish not to use the current Carinoids threat as a way to boost his polls. he would dupe the people and centralize all power in his own hands with loyal sheep behind him. His reforms had simply aided in this hidding behind the veil of promised transparency and accountability.

Muckler made a mental note to meet with the leader of the Federalist Party. The Federation had to be given back to the Federalist and Derek Ohio was the right man to for the job. Survivor of a Drengin slave camp during the war when his planet defected to the old Empire. He understood above all what sacrifice and hard work meant. he had lived through the war and had experienced it first hand. He was a staunch defender of the idea that one had to walk softly while carrying a big stick.

One way or another Da Souza had to be removed from power.

There are a couple of threads up already on that subject and I had the same troubles.

here's what I did.

1)Download faststone capture and install it.

2)create an imageshack account

3)upload pictures to imageshack

4)copy URL for "forums" into your post whenever you want to put up a screenie in a forum post

Ive never had any problems with either of those programs and all of my pictures ahve always shown up on other people's screens.

cheers

Admiral I salute you sir!  Some excellent screenies to support the background story-nice one