Where we Left Off [RP TITAN]

[Professor Fenway]

As the CSV Distant Memory travels to NGC 1300, strange things begin to happen.

It starts small; FTL drive fluctuations. Abnormal readings. Readings generally associated with stresses on the drive, stresses caused by excessive superluminal speed. Then the fluctuations get bigger, and more problematic. Distant Memory is forced to stop about half the way to NGC 1300; any further, and the ship would be torn apart. And they came upon a very strange sight indeed.

They happened across a massive derelict, floating in the void. After a delay, sensors confirmed it as the wreck of the N.R.S Aurora super-dreadnought, built by the NeoRomans many years ago. The wreck is untouched but completely dark, silent. No energy signatures whatsoever. And it seems to be warping in a way, as if it were behind a black hole. As it turned and turned, the ends curved away and around. An away crew was sent, and found nothing of interest about the ship. What was more interesting, however, was the complete lack of anything else whatsoever. No stars, no galaxies, nothing. The only lights came from the Distant Memory, the only signature an unintelligible radio wave coming from every direction. Unable to press onward, the Distant Memory turned around.

And it was greeted by a grand sight. A point of light, seemingly appeared from nowhere. It grew brighter and began to expand, ever so slightly. It kept growing. And its form shifted. As it grew, forms of light shifted and formed into great clusters. Clusters within those clusters. It grew, and individual galaxies were soon identifiable across this small cross section of the sky. But then it began to redden. It turned a deep crimson red and stopped moving altogether, slowly fading darker and darker. Distant Memory attempted to contact the Milky Way to ensure their navigational data was correct. Since, you see, the sensors were reporting nothing that matched the known universe. No reply was received: the message never even arrived at its destination. With no choice, Distant Memory spooled up the jump drive and jumped back, in the approximate direction from whence they came.

The ship nearly disintegrated as the drive was pushed to the red-line and beyond, overloading several systems. But on the verge of destruction, the fluctuations lessened and lowered, the drive returned to normal operation, and Distant Memory returned. Behind them, just after the initial jump, a great dark spot marked the space towards NGC 1300. The galaxy had vanished from the sky.

[Error]

(Meta) Contact has been re-established with CSV Distant Memory. The ship reports damage; recovery vessels and five destroyers enroute to site just outside the Milky Way. (/Meta)

--BROADCAST TO ALL NATIONS--
NGC 1300 galaxy appears to be suffering massive spatial distortions. Confirmed wreck of NeoRoman dreadnought approximately at the midway point. ANY VESSELS ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL TO NGC 1300 WILL LIKELY BE DESTROYED BY SPATIAL DISRUPTION. TRAVEL STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

Possible effect of the ARK Network war in NGC 1300. All contact with NeoRoman Hierarchy lost. Advise increasing military alertness in lieu of further information.

-Novan Commonwealth CSN FLEETCOM-
--END--

[Vinyl]

The last of the transports vanished beyond the WLM gate. It was then that the gate seemingly vaporized in a brilliant flash, similar to how Pleth, Zuguth, and the TTI planet. In fact the only difference was that alfter the light, the scattered particles shimmered in the supership's lights. It was gone, just as planned.

Shortly afterwards, the drives of every single ship in all the fleets engaged. They exited just a system from Cyuuth. A few eager vessels attempted to engage, but were swiftly brought down by the cumulative firepower if the merged fleets.

-------

<:.\ PUBLIC BROADCAST TO ALL NATIONS \.:>
The Hexaguthian Empire, in their remaining presence, bequeath to the Coalesced Coalition of Carthaic Peoples, the territory that is the Hexalan Expanses.

The Empire also renders all of their representatives dispatched among all space outside of Wolf Lundmark-Melotte null of all diplomatic power.

This is our official withdrawal. Fare well in our abscence.
<:.\ END \.:>

[ACH0225]

The Ringworld has fired at the enemy fleet, destroying large numbers of them. The Aiigaiion and support fleets are moving in to mop up the remains, and the Barrage Cannons are firing. Strigiforme forces are moving to the borders to prepare to counterattack.

uwotm9? The jump blockers around Strig territory should stop you from moving such a large force that deep in.

[Vinyl]

2 words: wormholes, *.
Also, you know what? There is so much shit I am packing, it's hardto keep track of them.
Ministration is firing on the ringworld along with the launchers.
meta: Supership is sitting fine and dandy at this little planet I like to call Manufactorum Primaries.
At Primaries, it is landing some self replicating droids. Now, these are very very simple droids, glorified factories just for setting up a population. However, they are designed to gradually use the more powerful and sophisticated schematiczvin their files. They also operate under the several AIs housed in Primaries, and they are just burning to get to the point of offense, against the Strig. /meta

EDIT: The droids aren't avtualy going to work out so much like that, kiling the strig, but they're there and the CCCP knows.

[ACH0225]

The world has a Super Shield which went up the moment you went in system, and because it's so heavily built up, its a strong one.

The missiles going to the Ringworld ping off the Super Shield protecting it while the capacitors recharge.

Additionally, the Barrage Cannons are shooting improved Yttrium warheads at your fleet/your ministation. These are roughly on par with T/S warheads.

I'm assuming that your super-ship survived the giant ball of fusion from the heart of a star, but the rest of your fleet likely did not.

[Vinyl]

Well, thing is the supership didn't go with them, considering the Strig are oh so predictable when on the defense and it'd be a hell of a gamble for the Empire's legacy.

On account of firing on the ministatiin, tell me, how have you figured its location?

[DeadlyMiddie]

//TRANSMISSION TO CCCP//
STAND DOWN. CEASE YOUR ASSAULT ON THE STRIGIFORME IMMEDIATELY.
//END//

The Imperial Military is on Alert Level 10. The 5 demobilized fleets are being mobilized again. The HADES ARROW is charging, and the ARCHANGEL device is being prepped for firing.

//TRANSMISSION TO TAJER AND DARKSTAR CO//
check PM
//END//

[ACH0225]

Well, thing is the supership didn't go with them, considering the Strig are oh so predictable when on the defense and it'd be a hell of a gamble for the Empire's legacy.

On account of firing on the ministatiin, tell me, how have you figured its location?

By you shooting at me and me figuring out the trajectory from that attack. Considering "muh wormholes" can't cover for the fact that it needs to have an exit point, I'd imagine that the Strig could just figure out from the point of impact, and then take a guess at which one of the manufacturing worlds it orbits.

[Vinyl]

It's actually floating around the area where the ARK ships were so valiantly held off.

@Middie, the CCCP only got the territory. The attackers are still part of the Empire.

[ACH0225]

Either way, your manufacturing worlds are still being destroyed.

Strigiforme forces have moved into the attacked system, and destroyed all remaining hostile forces. The world's super shield has not yet been dropped. Forces on the Strigiforme borders are being placed on highest alert, and SDI forces are being called in for support.

[Vinyl]

What is shooting up empty rubble going to accomplish, exactly?

The amount of forces I have is known, so you'll know that the only thing left is various launchers spread about the galaxy (meta-ish), a ministration(/meta) and a titan. So what good is mobilizing your ships to the border gonna do, unless you're anticipating to go to war.

[ACH0225]

What is shooting up empty rubble going to accomplish, exactly?

The amount of forces I have is known, so you'll know that the only thing left is various launchers spread about the galaxy (meta-ish), a ministration(/meta) and a titan. So what good is mobilizing your ships to the border gonna do, unless you're anticipating to go to war.

If you know the Strigiforme, you should fully anticipate my anticipation of war. The strange country thing you left behind, which currently has no real ties to any other power, is understood by the Strigiforme to be the sole source of this attack. After they are freed from your imperialism, it will be revealed it was you all along, and the Strigiforme will invade WLM.

[Vinyl]

CCCP isn't tied to me, is the thing. They are capitalist owl pigs, in fact, especially in that they still resent the MR.

I didn't leave it behind, it's been in existence since Exion was dissolved.

Oh, and good luck invading WLM, as you will find yourself in a world of bright red laser things exploding your incoming faces.

[Error]

The Novan ambassador on Cuuyth has pointed out - in a very mild tone of voice - that firing on Cuuyth or her defenders while foreign representatives are present could be considered a hostile act against said reps.

This was relayed to the CCCP fleets by the dropship.