Maxwell Mattran's Story

"I understand your concern Admiral and we will comply fully on two conditions. "I want me crew to remain in control of my vessels, though I will permit a search. We have weapons and military personnel aboard I will not lie. Secondly That you will not take us prisoner. " Zarahara said Before turning to his command crew. "Plot a docking course for the hanger for all ships and patch me through to Commander Wolf. " Zarahara ordered as an officer nodded and just pointed to the door as it opened and a man in full armor an a look of confusion approached the Admiral.

"Will I thought this was Neutral space." He said as he pointed at the Viewscreen to the massive Ultra-Dreadnought.

"Appears our intelligence is dated." He said. "I want your men prepared commander we are not going to be treated like beasts by these people. Who knows we may even be able to gain funding. As for the rest I am transferring orders back to the other battle groups to regroup away from this location and leaving them in Rear Admiral Loch's hands. " He said.


The military commander nodded to Zarhara and then walked out of the room as he opened a comm to the marines to report to action stations just in case.

Von Steiner nodded, "Those Terms are agreeable, but please remember, this is a working Cybran Ultra Dreadnought and There will be a number of Cybran Marines watching over your vessels at all times."

He then cut the feed and watched the fighters and interceptors make their way back to their own fleet. He stood up and quickly nodded to his Rear Fleet Admiral with a small smile, "Take over, I want to meet these people myself, get the Cybran Marines to meet me down there, and use the rapid Transit." And with that, he walked off the Command deck going to his quarters to change into his parade uniform.

Zarhara turned to a comm and contacted the captains bridge. "Captain Itran take us in you have command of the vessel." He said as he talked out to go meet will and his marines at the main landing ramp for staging.

The ship lurched along with the two cruisers as they were drawn into the Cybrans massive Ultra-dreadnought. The main landing ramp on the flagship lurched down. At the entrance stood Will Zarhara and Commander Wolf in full military dress behind them were 500 of the ZAR's Elite guard. All of the men wore full armor and carried a standard weapons but stood at attention as they waited to be boarded and for the formalities to be over with.

The Cybran Marines stood in their full Combat armor, their weapons already raised as over a thousand stood around the doorways to the pmain ship, their Commanders and the Fleet Admiral appeared in full military dress, even the known Waffen-FSS commander had appeared for this in his black uniform with a long leather trenchcoat over his uniform. The Military men watched as the ZAR people came down their walkways, the loaders standing outside the hanger, in the second floor, watching the proceedings closely.

Commander Wolf looked at all of the weapons that surrounded them. "We best make this look like some sort of ceremony." He muttered under his breath to Admiral Zarhara. "FORWARD MARCH!" The commander shouted as they marched down the massive ramp and into the hanger bay. They stopped at the end once all 502 Were off of the ship. Then they waited to be greeted by the Cybran leadership on the vessel.

Deeper out in the vast expanse came another communication to complicate matters. This transmission was an automated warning sent by the AI that maintained the marker. The communication did originate outside of Cybran National Space but even rudimentary sensors would be able to lock onto the beacon and determine that it would eventually enter the outskirts of Cybran space in a few decades. "Alloway. Stay clear. This is Varden marker 1.0.6.Alpha.5.7.3.Echo. This marker is orbiting a rogue gravity well estimated at 723 million standard solar masses. Stay clear. Alloway.", said the female voice. The voice then repeated in a number of different languages some may have been known but most would surely be alien.

The group of Cybran commanders walked towards the ZAR commanders, making it look formal in their full military grade uniform. Von Steiner just smiled slightly as he walked, turning to look at his fellow commanders, "They are small, a bit too small... To pose a treat anyway."

The group smirked, walking towards Wolf and Zarhara, "So, you are the small vessels that entered our space area?"

The Command bridge,
HDS Reyto II,
Alert level five

Captain Gorsha looked at her command screens as the comms officer started to shout out at her, "New threat, just outside the border!"

She turned and opened a comms link to the bridge of the Dreadnought, "Rear Admiral, this is the HDS Reyto II, we have picked up a message coming towards the border. Your orders?"

Will and Max watched as the commanders walked towards them the two walked over to meet them in the middle. "Yes it was our vessels your excellency." Will said with a straight face. He knew Wolf was going to be struggling to keep his cool. Obviously these people were very narcissistic and wary of outsiders though the latter also seemed understandable if what they said about their alert codes was true.

"Alloway. Stay clear. This is Varden marker 1.0.6.Alpha.5.7.3.Echo. This marker is orbiting a rogue gravity well estimated at 723 million standard solar masses. Stay clear. Alloway."

The marker continued to repeat the same message. Through the use of gravimetric sensors the slight pull of the distant singularity could be felt even this far away, at the HDS Erstürmen's location. I direct scan would pinpoint the marker. It was just as the message said. The marker was maintaining an orbit about an astronomical unit from where such sensors would determine the center of the gravimetric distortion resided. The distortion was immense and yet all seemed calm. There was no visual indication that the object resided in that location or that such a monster was moving. The marker, once scanned would indicate that it was highly advanced, utilizing highly sophisticated gravity dampeners and dimensional warping technology to maintain its location even under the immense gravitational pull of the object it orbited.

Even at the vast distance that separated the fleet and the marker it could be detected that the device had highly advanced defensive systems. Likely these systems were designed to defend the marker from debris falling into the well that it orbited. No offensive systems were present on the marker but it did appear to have both a transmitter and a receiver to communicate via broad and cycling out-of-band faster-than-light transmissions.

Von Steiner smiled, offering a hand in order to shake hands with the ZAR commanders, his pale eyes glancing them up and down before locking eye contact, "Welcome to the HDS Erstürmen and also Cybran National Space, sorry for that. We are currently in a state of war in a nearby system. Something that should only take a few days to end, but the High Command say we must be at high alert."

The other Cybran officers looked at the ships, then to the ZAR marines, the Waffen FSS command smirking slightly. He knew that these men would not stand a chance in hell against either the Waffen FSS marines, or the standard Cybran Marines.

Command bridge

The crew continued to call out the location of the marker, the Fighter commander looking up at the Rear Admiral, "Your orders?"

"Send out the fighters, I want to know what is making such noise that we do not need."

Both Will and Max shook hands with the Cybran admiral. "It's completely understandable I would have taken the same actions myself had I been in your position. " Will said with an understanding nod. "So I'm not sure if you have Heard of the Sullen Enterprise Confederation but they plotted a coup to overtake our former government and merge our systems with their own. Our military was split and We are part of they loyalists to the former government. Currently we have forces spread out in hiding though we are looking for a system that would be willing to take us in and grant us asylum until we can organize an assault against the SEC. We would be more than willing to offer the You and your leadership our full services in the meantime. The Three ships here are only a fraction of our full power." Zarhara said with a nod.

Meanwhile Wolf looked from the Cybran troops to his own. He knew his men were good but the armor on those cybrans was tough and they were not currently equipped to deal with them as the troops had prepared more for ceremony than a battle. For this he was glad.

Von Steiner nodded calmly, "We will see about granting you asylum, but if not, I am sure we could grant you one of the old battlestations." He smiled slightly before turning to introduce his fellow commanders, starting with the Waffen FSS, "Field Marshal Moh Taskin, Waffen FSS. Marine General Dostya Rankin, Cybran Heer, and myself, Fleet Admiral Von Steiner, Cybran Navy."

He turned back to face them, "Please, come and get something to eat, surely you must be hungry." His eyes glanced around, then rubbing his eyebrows. "I can open a feed link to my commanders."

Zarhara and Commander Wolf nodded to the man. "Yes that would be most kind of you. " Will said as Max waved off the Majority of the Elite Guard to return to the ship except 12 or so who would remain as their personal escort.


Wolf was nervous about this place. Something about these people did not settle well with him.

"Jump. Jump." Flashes lit the void as arcs of electromagnetic energy folded space in upon itself. From nearly halfway across the known universe ships jumped into the local space in the vicinity of the marker. The role of a beacon traditionally held by a deployed cynosural field was filled by the singularity the marker orbited. Observations made by the marker's sensors had been relayed to Inaya in Ayenee and then to Fleet Admiral Haldis.

A small number of vessels, fifteen in total appeared in the local space. Eight of the smallest of these ships, about a single kilometer tall at their long axis vanished a split second later. This left seven ships on the field and well within the massive tug of the gravity well but apparently unhampered by it. The ships that remained aligned in the direction of the HDS Erstürmen and then came to a full stop. Being that the distance that separate the new arrivals and the Cybran fleet was slightly more than a couple hundred astronomical units a space battle was unlikely unless one of the fleets closed on the other.

The fleet admiral's thoughts were translated into action as she was plugged directly into Godr, the thirteen kilometer tall ship that she piloted. It was her ship that hailed the Cybran fleet. "Alloway. This is Fleet Admiral Haldis of the Varden. Please identify yourself."

Command Bridge

The Rear Admiral swallowed, watching the crew with a glance to each of them as they started to shout that their was new ships. As he stood up and walked towards the glass screens, the ships lights flickered, and the glass screens lit up with the positions of the new vessels. "Get the Admiral up here, we have a situation."

"Yes sir!" Came a shout from one of the guarding Cybran Marines as they ran out the command bridge, running towards the massive ship hangars.

The Rear Admiral watched him go before placing his gloved hand softly on the screen, "Are they on the border or in the border?" He snapped, turning around to view the command staff, Their uniforms... So grubby. He shut his eyes calmly as he turned back around to the glass screens.

"Sir... They're within the border." Shouted out the Operation Commander of the sensor screens, "Fourteen units."

He shook his head, "Send the Frigates and the interceptors towards this fleet, I want their intentions."

Hangar bays

A Cybran Marine ran into the hangar bays, shouting on the Fleet Admiral, who quickly turned around along with his fellow Cybran Commanders, "What is it boy?!"

"We have a new fleet of vessels. The Rear Admiral asks if you can come up to the command bridge and give orders." The marine replied quickly, panting slightly. His eyes placed of the ZAR commanders while the Fleet Admiral just nodded slowly, and turned again.

"I am sorry my friends, I will leave you in the hands of these two while I see to this situation." He sighed before he turned swiftly and walked off towards the Command Bridge as the battle alarm went off.

Hangar Bay.

Both Will and Max nodded, "Another fleet?" Zarhara said wondering what was going on. He did not like that his ships were immobilized with in this massive vessel on bit.

ZAR Sepratist Response Fleet

Between the Varden and cybran fleets another fleet dropped out of hyperspace. Rear Admiral Gillian stood on the bridge of the of his flag ship Excalibur, an eclypse class star defender. This ship was accompanied by 3 carrier class ships and 4 destroyer class. There were no corvettes deployed currently though if the need arose Excalibur could deploy the 5 in her hangers.

Rear Admiral Gilian saw no sign of Zarharas fleet but there was still a faint signature. Where are you Will? He thought nervously as he looked out at what was going on when his science officer pulled him from his thoughts. "Sir I have black hole readings on the charts. The fleet to the our starboard is just beyond it but the hole is moving. We will need to make a coarse change soon."

Command bridge

The Fleet Admiral burst into the command bridge with a growl, "What do you mean? Another fleet?" He snapped, walking straight to the glass windows. His uniform now creased in many places, his cap under his arm.

The Rear Admiral turned and swallowed, "There is a new fleet, I have send four frigates and the interceptors towards it."

"Sir, make that two new fleets. Two new fleets." Came the sensors commander with a bark. He stood up as the comms operator started to send out messages in all three of the Cybran Languages. The tension on the Command bridge was tense as the commanders of each station stood up to look over at both the sensor command staff and the comms staff.

Von Steiner grunted, "Get the fleet to battlestations, get those people back on those ships and get them out the hangar bays. NOW!" He turned to the Comms commander, "Get the battleships ready and get the rest fleet to move into position!"

Hangar bays

Field Marshal Moh Taskin held his hand to his earpiece before shaking his head, "I am sorry, but you must leave this ship at once, Fleet Admiral's orders. We are in a closing battle situation, and it is best for your vessels and men to get out these bays." He then turned as the Waffen FSS squads raised their weapons, prepared to fight.

Command Bridge,
HDS Victory

The Captain of the Frigate, HDS Victory moved his ship forwards towards the new fleets that were now in Cybran National Space, sending out messages, "Newly arrived fleets, identify yourselves. You are in Cybran National space. This battlefleet has the command order to open fire at will, identify yourselves or face punishment. Over."

Both Zarhara and Wolf nodded to the Admiral. "We Will leave at once. Though I am receiving a transponder code from my rear admiral I'm assuming he has come looking for me. So if you must know we will be joining their fleet." He said, "Though I'm sure he will identify himself to your bridge." Zarhara said before they boarded the Triumph and the ramps closed. Soon the three ships lifted off and out of the hangar.


Command Bridge Excalibur
"Well there ye are Will." Gillian said as he watched Zarhara's three Vessels exit the Ultra-dreadnought. "Sir I am relinquishing fleet command to you after identification. " He commed to the admiral.

"Attention Cybran Vessel and Unidentified fleet. This is Rear Admiral Gillian of the Zar Separatist forces or fleet here is merely to locate and regroup with The Triumph, Liberty and Piety."

Command Bridge,
HDS Erstürmen

The Fleet Admiral looked at his crew before shaking his head, "Send the frigates closer to their fleet."

"Yes sir." Came the receiving sound of the Comms Commander, who was already going what he was told. "ZAR Separatist forces, this is the HDS Erstürmen, we request you move back two hundred units out of the Cybran Borders, we will have to deal with this new fleet ourselves, over."

The Varden fleet was quite close to the singularity's event horizon. The closer the frigates got, the more influence the gravity well would have on them until they could not escape. This would be true unless the Cybran ships were designed to deal with gravity sheer and on such a monumental scale and the terrible hunger of a natural phenomenon that not even light could hope to escape from. If the frigates could not cope then the gravity well would claim them.

POD
Rond, Varden Hive Class Capital Ship/Hotel Charlie Victor
Battle-station, Yellow Alert

The different transmissions sent by both the Cybran fleet and the Zar Separatist fleet were intercepted. Fleet Admiral Haldis offered a response quickly though the transmission also relayed a steely resolve. Thought was instantly translated into action and communication . "This is Fleet Admiral Haldis of the Varden in command re-identifying. The fleets present stand identified by their national origin."

[Scanning local space...]

"Unidentified Cybran contact. This marker identified you as a sentient, space faring race. This is first contact. We offer peace. Identify your borders so they may be given berth."

"Rear Admiral Gillian of Zar Separatist Forces on extra channel. This gravity well, marked 1.0.6.Alpha.5.7.3.Echo, moving 256/km sec, event horizon radius of .752479 AU from singularity, 723,179,913.761298 standard solar masses. The event horizon will overlay your current location in 180 microts. It is recommended you move off grid hammond of the largest vessel in our fleet now aligned with Cybran fleet.

microt - a second (of time) (approx.); 180 microts = 4 minutes; therefore, 3 microts = 4 seconds
hammond - the starboard, or right-hand, side of a ship, opposite of the treblin side