Snippet #1359041

MSV Ulysses, uncharted system, 13:29 ETST, January 24th, 2287...

"The alien ship is signaling us back. Radio pulses, different frequency and timing, but I'm pretty sure it's communication." said Navigator Decker, adding a "sir" after a moment's pause.

Flynn breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, if they're interested in communicating maybe they aren't bent on killing us." said Flynn.

Hadley shook his head. "I say we just leave, and fire a warning shot if they try to follow us. Even if your right, I'd rather not lead them back to the colonies. God knows what they'll do, and I think we all know what the fleet will do."

Flynn pocketed his watch. As far as he was concerned, the fact that the alien ship wasn't moving to engage them was a good enough sign for him to not shoot.

"No warning shots, at least not yet. Here's what we're going to do-" began Flynn, before an alarm cut him off.

"X-ray spikes detected in uncharted jump gate, informally designated object 001." piped in Miranda.

"Oh no...Not now..." mumbled Decker.

"Mary, get us the hell away from that gate. It's about to hit the fan, and I don't want to be downwind, if you catch my drift." said Hadley, looking over to Flynn.

"Sir?" asked the Navigator, ready to carry out Hadley's order.

Flynn sighed. "You know, I'd really prefer not to start an interstellar war. Are we sure that's the STR?"

Mary nodded. "I'm almost positive."

"Do it." said Flynn. Less than a minute later, the ship began to adjust its course away from the jump gate.

MSV Foreman, heavy carrier, g0062a, a few minutes earlier...

"Sir we are on our final approach of the jump gate." said the Foreman's navigator.

"Good, good. Captain, I assume you have given the general order to brace for interstellar transit?" said Rear Admiral Falke. He had taken interest in the Foreman's mission, and decided to oversee it personally.

"Yes sir." said Captain Micheal Rayes, ranking officer on the Foreman. Like James Hayer, the Captain of the Normandy, the other battlecruiser assigned to the Foreman, Micheal Rayes resented Falke for both his achievements and his attitude, but could not openly express that due to his rank.

As Rayes silently brooded over Falke's insistence on micromanaging the mission, the Foreman shot through the jump gate. A few moments passed, and the ship materialized in the uncharted system the Ulysses had last been seen in.

"Sir, we have detected multiple spacecraft in the vicinity." said the Foreman's navigator.

"And you are analyzing them, navigator, are you not?" replied Falke. Behind him Rayes rolled his eyes.

"Yes sir, putting the scans up now...Oh shi-sir..." said the navigator, alarmed by something he had seen on his terminal screen. Before Falke could make a "deduction", the ship's AI answered for him.

"Four spacecraft detected. One spacecraft tagged as the light carrier MSV Ulysses. Three spacecraft unidentified."

With a prompt from the navigator, the AI made a quick radar sweep of the spacecraft, and constructed 3 dimensional models of them on the hologram projector.

"All hands, prepare for imminent engagement; move to combat positions. Repeat, all hands, prepare for imminent engagement, move to combat positions immediately!" shouted Falke over the Foreman's PA. On the Perch and the Normandy, Merinov and Hayer made similar announcements.

"Sir, permission to speak freely." said Captain Rayes.

"Permission granted Captain." replied Falke.

"Sir, what the hell are those?" asked Rayes.

Falke shook his head. "I do not know. However, I am certain that those ships are not of human design. Therefore, by the Hayashi Doctrine, we must immediately engage them if victory seems likely."

"Sir, pardon me, but why are you so sure we're going to win if we fight?" said Rayes.

"I am not certain, however, I will not allow extraterrestrial lifeforms to discover human space. Navigator, prepare the destroyers for launch."

"Yes sir." said the Foreman's navigator...

((Neonus: The Foreman hasn't engaged you yet, it's just lurking around g0062b.))