Glowing Energy?

The nonopus makes a motion. A nod perhaps. A nod without a neck. Or maybe something else entirely. How could one know?

"Never mind that." It says through its device. "I am Gar''zhog. I speak you for other factions here act like fear. Only yours knows strength. Galaxy soon in danger from Hildenburen species from other galaxy. Gar''zhog must know what strength to resist."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I wish only that there was another way," the Hildenburen says. "But the Gar''zhog, our enemies, are a warlike species, and their strength is much greater than our own. The reason we appeared in your galaxy is that there were reports that the Gar''zhog were going to invade, and that their scout was already on its way. We're not sure when the full attack will fall, and we needed to speak to at least marginally well respected men of the spacefaring powers of your galaxy. You were the most important aboard your vessels, we concluded.

"But in any case, the point is this: when the Gar''zhog armadas come, as we have deemed you to be rational and sentient beings, we deem you to have the right to be free of the arbitrary rule of the Gar''zhog race. We cannot defeat the Gar''zhog alone, so to repel their invasion, we will undoubtedly need assistance. We pulled you here so that we could make that judgement, then release you back with foreknowledge and the ability to make an informed decision. We will leave you a method of contacting us again.

"However be warned. The Gar''zhog are very powerful. Both we and they are from the very first galaxy stable enough to support complex life after the formation of this universe. They have tech that is millenia beyond what your people may be capable of. Their scout may attempt to dispose of you when you return. It may have tried to sway higher leaders among your people. It may attempt to divide you. If it succeeds, you will all be enslaved or destroyed.

"We fight a war that is ideological. The weak vs. the strong, the free vs. the dictatorial. If the Gar''zhog subdue you, you will remain in their grasp forever. We have been at this for generations, and our warfare has progressed unaltered. If you elect to stand with us, the Gar''zhog will be repelled, and so long as you allow us to observe your galaxy, it is unlikely they will ever return.

"Your ships are beyond the door behind me, and your crews are in stasis to the right and left. Opening the doors will wake them, and flying through the portals immediately evident will send you back home. We apologize for resorting to these methods, and for Petra's unfortunate use of force, but this method has shown to be 7.569% more effective than any other. If you would like any more info before you go, ask. Once you go, you may call us to learn more with this."

As he finishes, Dr. Kai, Decimus, Calvin, Thorgood, and Cpt. Morgan find one of those purple devices in their hands, this time with only one button.

"Have you ever met the Guardians of Oa? They claim to be the first intelligent species in the universe. They certainly have much power and we may need it. God forbid, we may even need the assistance of the Sith armada."

*Knight Commander Jager stared at the creature for awhile trying to get a read on him but found none as he knew nothing of it*

Jager: Ok slow down for a second. First off, what makes the Ordenreich different then the others? Who are the Hildenburen and why are they a threat to the galaxy? And why do you need to know our strength?

---

Calvin: I guess the best question to ask is are these "Garza" people weak to anything? Ships have a weak spot or anything like that? The Ordenreich specializes in kenetic weaponry for our ships and we have an insanely large nuclear payload so I'd like to know if this is going to be useful in case we need to make a switch? Also how many are coming and how advanced are we talking about?

War....FINALLY, something both Decimus and Quintus were accustom to. Sure, war had been eliminated on their homeworld with the formation of the Dominion but before that...war was all the Veridians knew. Centuries and centuries of warfare was much of the reason the Veridians were as they were. Indeed, war had brought the Veridians to the very brink of extinction, a threshold the Veridians would have surely crossed had it not been for the glorious dictatorship of Julian Augustine.

Decimus eyed the device now in his hand, such a strange little wonder. As he looked it over and showed Quintus, the two awaited to see the answer to Calvin's question.

He says to Calvin, "I didn't want to bring it up before but six megatons is something we'd barely notice if it hit our ships. If the Ghar"zog are as powerful as he... er... she... whatever... says, then those weapons would not leave a scratch on their ships."

(OOC: Yeah, that's what the pause for a moment back on page seven meant. The Rhean fleet is capable of outright destroying the surface of a planet down to utterly removing its atmosphere and boiling away the oceans. There's also the Eclipse, which can shatter continents with its superlaser, basically a shrunken down Death Star blast. Then there's the Rutians and MIDAS, which can erase planets entirely.)

(OOC: Yeah, you might want to scale them up a bit, because we've built more powerful weapons than that in RL, and I'd presume that you'd already have discovered fusion power which would give them a bit more oomph.)

Doctor Kai raises an eyebrow, and says, "I suspect, then, that you may have chosen the wrong person when you picked me. I am not a military man, nor am I even an experienced captain of vessels. Now, as the top scientific advisory of my employer, CEO Nwabudike Morgan, I do have some influence, so I suppose I could try to get the support of the Planetary Governate through him, but I cannot exactly see the odds of this working well. Still, I shall do what I can."

He then seems to realize something, and then asks, "Wait. Will the captains of the other Centaui vessels that we have dispatched know of this? The sheer amount of testimony may help this cause."

"Because," the nonopus responds, "alone you reacted to ship by send troops. Others send weak men. War needs troops, not weak men. Gragh, one moment."

The nonopus does something on the machines, and a new device appears, which the nonopus puts on his head, replacing it for the old one, which he puts in a receptacle. All at the same time. Ah, the multitasking ability of having 9 arms. I wonder if they have dominant tentacles. Or a dominant tentacle.

"My grasp of your language is better," it says. "Needed an update. But look, the Hildenburen are our nemesis. Their race, through deceit and trickery, has infiltrated many galaxies. They are the ones who took your people. The basis of the story, which has gone on for millenia, is that we're both from the first galaxy that became stable after the big bang. Since, they have gone to war with us for control, manipulating other species to join them, and through them, sometimes gaining an upper hand in conflict."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The fact that you asked that question," the Hildenburen responds to Calvin, but pauses seeming unable to finish the sentence. He answers Morgan first. "No, we have not. We have encountered many allies among the galaxies as this struggle has been waged. But never one as powerful as us or them."

He goes to Kai. "No, they are in stasis. If you feel that waking them and telling them here would be helpful to you, you may do so. It would require much more energy for me to become completely corporeal here. so I would rather not."

He goes back to Calvin. "Do you mean nuclear fission weaponry? The weakest of the mechanics on a Gar''zhog frigate is antimatter. For now we'll hope they think you don't warrant anything bigger than a frigate. We're not sure how they produce it all. But normally what they do is use massive energy generators to erect a Tholian web that prevents FTL travel in the area of combat, then outslug their opponents. Moving in any particular direction will allow them to slice a hole in spacetime, and material vanishes often in this manner. We have yet to create a program to prevent annihilation in this manner. The best hope for us is usually to let them come and lay siege to a planet, which you use all your might to hold, then a Hildenburen fleet will appear when the Gar''zhog are already locked in combat, and from there we can provide what tactical advantage you need."

Through all this, Thorgood just looks pensive...

Doctor Kai, nodded, and said, "I think I would like to do that, yes. May I be brought to the stasis chambers to see the other captains?"

Calvin: I see. Our nuclear arsenal is much bigger than the little peashooter nuke mine I have on board my stealth frigate. Most of our arsenal is made of the classified weapon known as the FOAB bomb or Fusion Ordinance Astro Bomb or as we like to call it the "Father of all bombs"...

It has a 2 Petaton yield which is about 2 billion megatons. Its a planet killer.

(OOC: Before you guys get ruffled its possible. I got this bomb from Halo and their NOVA bomb)

Calvin: In any event if what you say is true the Ordenreich ships are very adaptable, like my people, if you have any antimatter weapons to give or schematics the Ordenreich can outfit our ships with antimatter weapons. Failing that I guess we can armor and shield the crap out of our ships to take a beating from these "Garza" waiting for you to finish them off.

(OOC: I say Garza because Calvin doesn't care enough to pronounce the name properly)

---

*Jager silently took in what the alien said then spoke*

Jager: So in a sense all the races of our galaxy are being dragged into a war yours have started. In any event its not my call to make I am a military officer in the Ordenreich so this decision to side with you is not mine to make. Besides, the other races deserve to get the decision to weigh their options

(OOC: Sela, if you open one of the doors, the people you want to wake up will wake up.)

Decimus and Quintus converse with one another for a few moments while Kai, Calvin, and Morgan make their remarks and the Alien speaks. Both Veridians were highly suspicious of the alien and the whole story in general After all, whose to say both aliens weren't working together to start a war to wear down their galaxies defenses or that these second aliens even existed.

"I say we just get the hell out of here and inform the Dominion of our findings" Quintus said in a whisper to Decimus. "I agree" Decimus whispered back, "an there is no reason to trust these aliens and for all we know that door could lead to our deaths. It it's better than standing around here though." Just then Decimus over hears Calvin's question about the aliens giving over weapons technology.

"Presumably" Decimus says to the Hildenburen following Calvin's question, "you will share this technology with us all if you intend to share technogy at all. Also, do we get our original clothes and weapons back?"

Calvin: Why not? I prefer it if the Ordenreich wasn't the only fleet other than our friends here that can actually damage these new enemies. As for the FOABs no. Thats a highly classified secret. We already have more than our fair share of manmade asteroid fields trying to protect those things

(OOC: It depends on how long you've been around. Two petatons would be around the level of the Eclipse, I think, except the Eclipse can recharge relatively quickly for another blast. Or maybe not. The Death Star was something on the level of 1X10^38 joules, massively more than 4.18×10^24 joules that a petaton would be, and the Eclipse's blast is supposed be around a quarter of the Death Star's power or something like that.)

"That's better. That might even give MIDAS a run for its money. It's certainly understandable that you wouldn't want to give them away. It is Rhean policy to declare war on any state other than their own with a Star Destroyer."

(OOC: Well unlike your star destroyers the FOABs are a singular weapon of mass destruction so while my nukes are ultra powerful they are limited in supply)

"Anyway, I'm off to wake my crew. Ta-ta." He heads for the door.

"If they must," Gar''zhog responds. "Your people I know have force of arms, because you were not afraid to use it. The others, thus far, have been.

"And just because your description wasn't precise, I want to make sure that you fully understand the situation. The Hildenburen kidnapped several of your people. They will be sent back with some story meant to confuse you and make you lose sight of the fact that your defenses have been compromised. Then, when they come in force, you will be defenseless. Or, you can stand with us and keep them at bay.

"The others can be told this. I merely wanted to see what the strongest nations would say."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hildenburen nods at Morgan. "Just follow him," it says to Kai.

"How do I know that this is not a simulation and you are not merely looking to get information out of us?" Thorgood asks, belatedly, now that he has thought over the situation. "I'm hardly inclined to believe that not one, but two species are so vastly ahead of us in -- Ow!"

A red light has appeared at the Hildenburen's temple. It disappears though.

"Feel that?" It asks.

"Yes, --"

"I believe that if you were unconscious, that would have woken you up."

"So...." Decimus asks again, "are we going to get our original clothes and weapons back? Oh and what of Calvin's question....are your people willing to share technology with us?"

"You'll find everything you came with on your ships. And likely yes, but I doubt you'll find our forms of technology useful to you. Military technology will be shared, though in time. Likely beyond the reach of your life spans, depending on how long your species lives."

Decimus turns to Quitnus and the two Captains nod to one another before turning to Calvin "see you on the other side" Decimus says before the two Veridian captains walk through the doorway presumably to their ships and awaiting crew.

Jager: Oh, really? The Ordenreich has many military projects in production my friend. Many of which are not made known to any but our highest authority. Whatever our missing men might have told your friends I doubt it would be enough to compromise our defenses. Besides what you have told me could easily be manipulation on your part. How do I know your side is the side to be feared? There are too many unknown variables so unless you have some concrete proof of what you say then all I can tell you is that I will relay what you say to the Hierarchy and you can tell your story to the others as well. From this point until the hierarchy can make a decision however the Ordenreich is remaining neutral in this conflict

-----

Calvin: You would be surprised what my people are capable of though I suppose we will see in time. I'll be returning to my people. I will let them know what you told me but I suggest that you transmit them proof of what you say. I'll vouch for you but you did just kidnap the crew of a highly classified stealth ship and the hierarchy will want answers

Doctor Kai and decides to go off to collect his crew and his vessel, and not yet wanting to converse to the other captains, preferring to let them leave and then message higher authorities himself and pass the choice of what to do on to them.

The Veridians and Morgan and Kai find their ships and crews as promised. In the giant area where the ships are found, one of the walls appears to be completely missing, and on the other side is space. Yet there is atmosphere in the room. Must be kept in by something, but there is no obvious indication of what. In any case, when the ships are approached, there are neat directions on how to get back to the spot from which they were taken.

Thorgood and Fazz follow shortly after, and prepare to leave as well.

"They'll get answers soon enough, in the form of a massive fleet of Gar''zhog war vessels amassed from hundreds of controlled galaxies," the Hildenburen responds to Calvin. "Nevertheless, it is likely that the Gar''zhog scout ship has already arrived in your galaxy. And again, if you press the button on the device I just gave you, we will contact you the same way I am speaking to you now."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Teresa returns to the ship with mercury, which she gives to the alien. If the Veridians or the Centauri representatives dispatched wanted to accompany her, they would also arrive.

"Neutrality will be an impossible position," Gar''zhog says. Teresa seems momentarily taken aback by the fact that the creature is talking now. "You could remain neutral if you had great force, but I doubt you could withstand the fleets that they can bring to bear. Keep in mind, they control many scores of galaxies directly. Also there is no reason to assume that the Hildenburen relied only on what they were directly told by their prisoners. Likely they tried to appear on the side of your people after probing their minds and learning what they should say to dampen their anger at being taken against their will.

"The bottom line is that the Hildenburen appeared in your galaxy and took your people and will follow with a large invasion. I'm trying to offer you a way out."

Teresa pulls out her commlink.

Doctor Kai, his vessel, and all of the other Centauri vessels, return to Port Garland where he immediately reports to CEO Morgan with what he had been told on the Hildenburen vessel, and then Morgan relayed the information to Lal, who began to put it into consideration. Finally, he decided to a) inform Doctor Fedorov over a safe commlink of what he had just been told and then send encrypted message to the leaders of the various expeditions with the same information.

***

Doctor Fedorov followed Teresa, having just received her communication, and said to the Gar'Zhog when it was done speaking, "An interesting proposal, but what do you have to prove any of what you are saying is true? The Planetary Governate will not follow the untested words of outsiders either way, so unless you have actual proof that this is the case there shall be no way the Planetary Governate can follow your proposal."

Both Decimus and Quitnus return to the bridges of their respective ships, to find their crew all in place and the ships themselves operating at optimal efficiency, just as they had left them. Wanting to waste no further time the Captains ordered their ships out and, as quickly as they had disappeared, the two Veridian Warships reappeared almost in the exact same location as they had been taken. Now back in space, between Centauri and Rhean controlled sectors, Decimus sent a message back to command which was quickly replied to with orders to return to home port. Without any delay the two ships disappeared into hyperspace in a flash, almost as quickly as they had appeared.
_________________________________________________________________________

Servius returns to hear what the Gar''zhog has to say, although while it is speaking he can feel the communicator going off in his pocket. Excusing himself from the group, Servius gets on his communicator only to hear news from the Dominion that the ships have returned. It appears the Dominion has ordered he and his ships also return to Dominion space with whatever information he currently has. He returns to the group.

"It would appear our ships have returned" Servius says to the group. "I can only speak for the Dominion ships that went missing however. I have been ordered back to Dominion space it seems."

Servius turns to Doctor Fedorov, "I hope that if any further information is discovered it will be forwarded to us via our embassy on the Centauri homeworld"

He then turns to Teresa, "if you would be so kind as to beam me back aboard my ship."

(OOC: If I was on the Craftworld with the nonopus, I'd suggest a Vulcan mind meld. Sadly, I'm not.)

And so Morgan headed back to Rhea, with the tale, though he expresses the possibility the alien is lying.