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| - Rapier 331 Rapier Squadron VF-33 "Black Knights" Terran Confederation Expeditionary Fleet Unnamed System, Uncharted Space Rattler looks out through the Canopy of his Rapier Medium Fighter at the aftermath of what appeared to be a large scale battle. "Excalibur, Rattler. Looks like we missed some sort of party." "Understood Rattler. The fleet will maintain position at the edge of the system. We're still detecting some active signals in system." "Copy that. Rattler out. Hey Mags, What do you think happened?" "No idea sir." "Well... Stay Frosty. We could find ourselves in a furball real fast. We may not be anywhere near Kilrathi Space, but that doesn't mean squat." Rattler again looks out at the carnage, and cringes. "Whatever did this... Dang... I'd really hate to be on the receiving end of that gun." ~~ Whilst the Gatekeeper is busy rebuilding after the failed invasion by Darkon, Ty294 and Admiral Grage arrive in an old, modified Victory-Class Star Destroyer. The Gatekeeper informs them of the situation, and Ty294 begins an investigation. Ty294 begins his search for clues as to the mysterious invader's identity while Grage convinces the Gatekeeper to board the Star Destroyer so he can show him what is stored on board. "These artifacts were recovered during the Fury Crisis a number of years back." Grage explained, "They were brought to this galaxy by the Furies which were extra-galactic beings. I have kept them hidden away over the years so I can study it without the knowledge of Imperial command or anyone else who may interfere with my work." The Gatekeeper surveys his surroundings, as he noticed that the interior of the Star Destroyer has been converted into a large labratory, where engineers and scientists are busy researching and developing new technology based on the artifacts. Grage shows the Gatekeeper deadly weapons such as the 'Bolt Buddy', the 'Blast Cannon' and the 'Wasp Missile'. Finally, Grage shows the Gatekeeper his impressive legion of Cyborg soldiers. "All my assets are at your disposal my lord. I hope you can make good use of them." The Gatekeeper looks with extreme interest at the Cyborg Soldiers. "Hm... With proper funding, this could be something good. I've actually been looking for the perfect robotic/living soldier for generations now. This might just be it. I'll have my engineers reinforce this ship's hull and shields immediately." The Gatekeeper raises his head, as if he senses something, quickly thanks Grage, then vanishes without a trace. Grage shakes his head, "Damn force users..." Returning to his research lab, Admiral Grage leaves his bodyguards outside to guard the door, and proceeds to continue his study of the Fury relics. Suddenly, a blaster bolt from a silenced weapon comes from seemingly nowhere, and hits him in the back. As he collapses, he sees a shadowy form darting towards the back exit from the lab. Wearing a body armor made from unknown material beneath his uniform, Admiral Grage is only singed by the bolt. He presses the alarm button on the console. Moments after the mysterious assassin had vanished, his bodyguards charge into the lab. "Sound intruder alert! Contact the bridge to initiate full lockdown of the ship! We have an uninvited guest aboard. I saw him leave through the back entrance! Come with me!" Admiral Grage and his two elite bodyguards set after the assassin. Deathstrike, one of Darkon's apprentices, makes her way to the wide corridor with maintenance access tunnels running through the walls. She can see two cyborg troops positioned at the far end. Activating the portable holographic illusion, she wires a shaped charge into the motivator unit to detonate within 4 meters of the cyborgs. As she can already hear the footsteps of Grage and his bodyguards approaching from the cross-corridor she just left, she is aware of the critical timing required. She sets the hologram moving towards the cyborgs and hides into one of the maintenance tunnels, just as Grage and his bodyguards charge into the corridor. The hologram is nearly to the cyborgs by then. "Halt, intruder!" - Orders the first cyborg in an emotionless tone of voice "Wait! I want this one alive" - shouts Grage from behind. "I want to interrogate him!" She watches from the shadows as Admiral Grage and his pathetic bodyguards approach behind the holographic bait, a smug smirk on her tatooed face. A concealed shaped charge in the hologram suddenly explodes, destroying the two cyborgs in front. As the bodyguards rush forward to protect Grage from a possible follow-up attack, a soft whisper of air behind them is their only warning. Turning around, they see Grage collapsing to the floor with a knife protruding from the back of his neck, as a shadowy shape seemingly flies over them. They spin back around, as Deathstrike lands soundlessly behind them. An uppercut palm-strike rips off the lead trooper's helmet, a semisecond before the other palm drives his nose into his brain. Deathstrike sidesteps and rolls behind the collapsing body as the other trooper's rifle blast hits the dead man's chestplate, coming to a kneeling position with the dead trooper's rifle in her hands. A point-blank shot to the other trooper's helmeted head puts this one out of his misery as well. Before the second body even hits the ground, she is gone. "Lord Darkon, a master of Teras-Kasi, trained me himself, you pathetic fools! You are nothing but... prey... to me." She sends a covert burst transmission to her master. "Deathstrike to Lord Darkon: Infiltration successful. Obtained samples of Fury technology from Remnant forces. Promising potential for further development. Adversaries still preoccupied with tracking this unknown assailant. VSD sabotaged. Rogue Admiral Grage assassinated. Proceeding to Objective Beta." "Acknowledged, Deathstrike." The Sith Lord replied, "Do not compromise your cover by executing Objective Beta just yet. I have dispatched Deathshade to the staging area. She will relay you more specific instructions when you join them. Too sensitive to discuss even on a secure channel." "Understood, my lord. Deathstrike out." As Deathstrike proceeds toward Objective Beta, she overhears more and more reports on the lockdown of the ship and the search for the assassin. Realizing that her deep cover has been completely compromised, she decides to abandon the mission, and makes her way to her infiltrator ship. Deathstrike's sensor-stealthed infiltrator ship decouples from the VSD's auxiliary transfer port just as the destroyer is towed into Uberweapon's bay. Before entering hyperspace, she dispatches another covert transmission to Lord Darkon. "Unable to maintain deep cover, my lord. Enemies alerted to my presence. Proceeding to the staging area. Objective Alpha accomplished, forced to abort Objective Beta! I beg forgiveness, Master..." "No matter, most lethal one of my assassins. The Fury relics have been delivered to RTSE's Experimental Research Bureau, and that is what matters. Objective Beta would have been a nice bonus, but it is not essential. Soon enough, our weapons technology will surpass that of Gatekeeper's puny Shadow Empire, and the time for ultimate invasion will be at hand! At the moment, I am far more interested in that unknown fleet your ship's sensors detected at the edge of Akates system. Meanwhile, return to the staging area and await further instructions." Hmm, they seem to be taking an interest in Gatekeeper's Uberweapon. I can't believe that thing survived our assault! I think a closer look might be useful. Let's see what they are up to... "Lord Darkon to Fleet Admiral Rajko: An unknown force has appeared near TEC space. Dispatch your Advance Scout Group to maintain long-range surveillance on the Akates system. Find out as much as possible about them, but maintain a low-profile until we know for certain what they are up to... whether they could be a potential ally, or a new enemy." "Yes, my lord." Meanwhile, Ty294 discovers one of the Gatekeeper's techs who has been brutally executed. The cause is obviously a stab wound in the back. This infiltrator must use a form of cloaking technology to sneak up on his prey. Ty294 makes a brief call to a 'friend' then continues his search. A disturbance in space is visible at the edge of Akates Star System. Suddenly, the space is ruptured as a gigantic fleet emerges from hyperspace. A massive battleship can be seen in the center, larger than any previously known Super Star Destroyers. The commander of the fleet sends an intercom message that anyone can hear: "This is Grand Admiral 'Legend' Patten, commander of the Atlantea Mk.III-class Battleship, Leviathan, of the New Ethoran Federation 417th Expeditionary Fleet broadcasting on channels. All contacts, please respond." Legend turns to his second-in-command, Admiral Jackson, and says, "There must have been one heck of a battle here, we better keep on our toes." "Admiral," the sensors officer calls, "We have contacts of our port side. They seem to be some type of fighter. Wait! More contacts! Another fleet is positioned on the edge of the system. Unknown affiliation." "Good God!" Legend says. "What is that massive ship out there?" He is, of course, referring to the massive ship seen in the center of the system. "Well, I guess we're going to find out," Jackson responds, "And I'm unsure if we're going to like what we find." "Advanced Recon Group Alpha, break out of formation and spread out." Legend ordered, "Try to gather as much information as possible on all contacts. Time to test out our new sensor equipment. All battlegroups, power weapons and prepare for battle if necessary. We don't yet know what's out there." "Sir, Recon Lead reporting. We've detected unknown contacts at long-range. They appear to be some kind of scout vessels." "Recon Lead, jam their sensors, we don't want any prying eyes here. However, do NOT fire upon them. We don't yet know their intentions, whether they're friendly or hostile. Meanwhile, I'll try to contact them." "Yes, sir!" Legend opens intercom channel, "Unknown scout vessel, report your affiliation and intentions. Be warned, if you come within 5,000 miles of our ships without stating your intentions we will regard you as hostile and open fire. Repeat, we WILL open fire. Please respond." ~~ Meanwhile on the Uberweapon, the Gatekeeper stands alone, looking out of the throne room viewport window. "They obviously do not understand the powers at work here. Perhaps I should remind them exactly who they are dealing with." He turns to a Sgt. who just walked in, "How is Admiral Grage?" The Gatekeeper asked. "Surgery was successful, my Lord." "Good... Bring him here." "Yes Sir!" The Sgt. runs out of the room. "Now, to monitor that fleet just a few miles away. I will not open fire until I know their intentions..." ~~ "Captain Boljak, the unknown vessels are jamming our scanners. Reconfiguring to a cross-frequency bandwidth. Scanners operational again. Resolving... they are hailing us, sir." "We are under orders from Fleet Admiral Rajko to maintain low-profile. However, since they have obviously detected us, I see no reason not to respond. Open the channel." "Yes, sir." "I am Captain Boljak, commanding the Reborn True Sith Empire's JS13 Advance Scout Group. You have entered a contested sector of space. On the supreme authority of Sith'ari Overlord Darkon, I demand you state your affiliation, purpose and origin." He looks at the comm officer, "Transmit our sensor scans to the Fleet Admiral. Immediately." "Accomplished, sir." "I am Grand Admiral 'Legend' Patten," He replied, "Commander of the Atlantea Mk.III-class Battleship, the Leviathan, flagship of the New Ethoran Federation 417th Expeditionary Fleet. We were sent on an expeditionary mission to discover new galaxies to open diplomatic relations with. Our origin? Well, I will not give the coordinates. Suffice it to say we are from a far away galaxy, a galaxy we call the Phalanx Galaxy. I now demand to speak to your leader, so that we may open diplomatic relations." Legend turns to the comm office, "Hail that dreadnaught out there, I want to see what exactly is going on here." "Recon Lead, this is the Grand Admiral. Run a full scan of that dreadnaught. Pay attention in particular for possible weapons systems." "Yes, sir. We've also detected communications leaving the RTSE scout vessel. In addition, they've gotten past our first level of jamming. Should we start Phase 2?" "There is no reason to, they've probably already sent a report to their superiors. Besides, we want to keep them guessing at our technological abilities." ~~ Fleet Admiral Rajko opens the comm to Lord Darkon. "My lord, have you received the encrypted packet sent by my advance scouts?" "I have, Admiral. I am authorizing you to conduct the preliminary talks on my behalf. Stall them for now, and try to find out as much as possible about this 'New Ethoran Federation'. This overture of 'opening diplomatic relations' might be a ruse of some kind. Conduct further scans of their vessels, as well. I have more important matters to attend to. I have lost contact with Deathstrike after her last report, she may have been captured after all. I'll deal with this personally... if the Gatekeeper has so much as taken a hair off her head, I'll feed him his own intestines! After the... situation... has been satisfactorily resolved, I'll take over the negotiations, Admiral. Perhaps I can convince them to assault the TEC from the rear, forcing the Gatekeeper's forces to fight on two fronts. Take Battlegroups JZ1, JZ3, JZ11, JZ20, and JZ37, as well as Support Groups JH4, JH7, JH41, and JH50. I doubt the Gatekeeper has run out of his petty tricks... be prepared for anything." "Understood, my lord. Reconfiguring the fleet to Standoff Formation K1O-12. Proceeding to Akates system. ETA-13 minutes." ~~ "Admiral Recon Lead, reporting. We intercepted a RTSE transmission a short while ago. It's contents are... interesting. They mention some 'Gatekeeper' and the Trader Emergency Coalition. It was also mentioned having us attack the TEC. And they further mentioned scanning our vessels. Further, they are configuring their fleet into a standoff formation." "How amusing." Said Patten, "They think they can 'scan' our ships. What a suprise they'll get when they find that their scans cannot penetrate our advanced hull plating. They seem to underestimate us. We shall teach them never to do that again. Recon Lead, stay cloaked and continue your close surveillance. Legend over and out." "This is Grand Admiral Patten broadcasting over Fleet Channel Alpha. All forces, move into Fleet Formation Standoff Phi-Gamma-Beta. I am declaring a state of combat readiness level 5. All forces prepare for possible battle." He turns to Jackson "I don't like this turn of events, hopefully we won't have to resort to war. I'll try talking to the RTSE Fleet Admiral." He opens the channel to Fleet Admiral Rajko. "You seem to be underestimating us. Your leader doesn't even believe our our true motives. Further, you are hiding information from us. I DEMAND to be told exactly what is going on here!" "Fleet Admiral Rajko to fleet. The NEF fleet is scattering our scans again. ASG-JS13, deploy your multispectral sensor nets. I do not like this." "Nets deployed, Admiral. We are detecting several faint tachyon signatures close to the center of the fleet. Possible cloaked scouts." "They are monitoring us at close range! BG-JZ11, move to intercept the interlopers! BG-JZ3, SG-JH7, move out to flank/crossfire stance. Rest of the fleet, reconfigure to Bastion Formation B22-41. Pilots to their fighters and bombers! All ships, activate deflector shields. Kurgarin dreadnoughts, energize reactive armour in addition. All armaments at the ready, but do not charge them yet. Transmit a general warning to their scouts to withdraw to a secure distance. I will not tolerate espionage!" "Admiral, the NEF Grand Admiral is hailing us, sir. Channel open." "And you, Admiral Patten, are openly provoking us by sending your scouts to spy on my ships at close range! We do not seek a confrontation with the NEF, but your provocative actions are uncalled for. Withdraw your scouts at once! As was explained to you before, this is a contested sector. The only information I am authorized to disseminate is that the RTSE is at war with the Gatekeeper's Shadow Empire and their puny TEC allies. There is more happening here than meets the eye, Admiral, and until Lord Darkon is able to speak with you himself, this is all the information you shall receive. For the moment, do not interfere with us, and we shall not interfere with you. Otherwise, we will be forced to take action!" "Close channel, Lieutenant." Grage arrives at the Gatekeepers throne room, his neck completely reconstructed by the surgery. "My lord, I regret to inform you that the spy has likely escaped my vessel with some of the Fury relics. Fortunately, these relics are of lesser importance. We have also captured a second agent sneaking around the ship." Deathshade is dragged into the room by two cyborgs. ~~ "Admiral, this is Recon Lead. We've been detected and are moving back to rendezvous with the main fleet." "Very well, Recon Lead." He turns to comm screen, "Well, the cat's out of the bag now." Patten walks to fleet communication. "All vessels, we are now on highest alert. The RTSE may attack at any moment. All carriers, launch fighters for CAP. All Bastion-class Battlecruisers, move to the front of the fleet, full power to shields." He turns to weapons officer. "Power up the prototype M182 beam weapons, full power. Divert power from all non-necessary systems to weapons and shields. Launch Hornets for CAP. Prepare the Havocs and Novas for launch. We will be ready if they attack." Legend opens a channel to the Uberweapon, "So, are you the Gatekeeper, the commander of the Shadow Empire? We are willing to open up diplomatic relations and may even be open for an alliance, if you wish." He turns back to the comm officer. "Lieutenant, send an encrypted message to the Prime Minister on Ethora, Code Level 0. 'We have exited hyperspace in a contested system. A large battle took place here just before arriving. Contact made. Tensions high. Preparedness level 10. Reinforcements may be necessary. Requesting additional Atlantea-class and Decimator-class Battlecruisers, carriers, and escorts.' This is Priority Level Black. Send the message." "Yes, sir. They have an ETA of 30 minutes." "Let's hope we last that long." ~~ A few minutes later, the hologram communications device turns on in Patten's flagship, and a massive man who must be at least 7 feet tall and wearing some sort of mask and armor with glowing red barbed wire up the sides appears. "Good evening, Grand Admiral Patten. I am the Gatekeeper, creator of the Force as well as the majority of the known universe, and the Emperor of the Shadow Empire. You have stumbled into a very precarious situation. My Empire is currently in a standoff with the Reborn True Sith Empire, ruled by the Sith'ari, Lord Darkon. I have absolutely no idea what he has against me, you, the Imperial Remnant, or Ty294, but he has a lot of enemies. I am open to diplomatic relations, as my Empire's roots can be traced back to diplomacy, and not the art of war. The massive vessel between your two fleets is the Uberweapon, my flagship. It is in it's 'Compressed' form. Uncompressed, it would roughly be about the size of this entire star system. That takes care of that. Now, onto something you will not enjoy hearing: Lord Darkon will not hesitate to attack you at any second. I guarantee you he is just biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. If you wish to discuss this further, contact me at will..." The Gatekeeper contacts Grage, "Grage, I want you to ask Ty how he is doing in his search for my Assailant. I am rather curious to know his identity..." ~~ Deathstrike sends another burst transmission from Lord Darkon: "My lord, I have managed to escape the Uberweapon! But Deathshade is in their hands. Your orders, my lord?" "Deathshade did her duty by providing your escape. The important thing is that you are no longer in their hands, and that the information you are carrying is no longer in danger of being compromised! Transmit the termination signal to Deathshade's cranial implant, and join me on the Blood Sanctum. Events have developed considerably during your incarceration, and the final phase of our war with the Gatekeeper and his SE is about to begin. You shall stand at my side in this final campaign!" "Yes, Lord Darkon. I am honored that you think me so worthy!" Deathstrike transmits the termination signal, and, on the Uberweapon, Deathshade suddenly collapses, dead, no longer able to divulge anything to the Gatekeeper that might compromise RTSE security. Meanwhile, on the Blood Sanctum, Darkon's Flagship, "My lord, it seems these creatures from the NEF are about to form an alliance with the Gatekeeper. How foolish of them to side with a doomed Empire... when they could have became allies with the might of RTSE!" "Indeed, my dear Deathstrike... and as I said before, the final campaign is about to begin. You have proven a worthy apprentice, and I grant you command of the Blood Sanctum. You shall lead our core fleet to battle!" "Me, Master?! To command your flagship? But..." "Do not worry... I have something else planned. Now, take your fleet to the outskirts of the Akates system, and cut off our enemies' retreat. When the dust settles, not one of them shall be left alive! The Reborn True Sith shall bathe in their blood before this day is done!" "At once, my lord!"
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