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Post by I Like Turtles on Jul 31, 2015 14:00:46 GMT -6
For a moment as Doran Hurd took cover behind his desk he cursed himself for going with the antique wooden piece of furniture instead of a more modern metallic one. Sure, the wooden desk was far more fashionable and gave an air of luxury and prominence to the room, but at the moment it wouldn't help him at all. He and his closest guards took cover as the sounds of battle echoed through the hall, getting ever closer.
Finally the door exploded in and his guards fired out at it. Doran and his human slave, who was chained to a metal collar, hid behind the desk during the firefight. A few shots burst through the desk, but to the surprise of both individuals, none of the shots hit them. Within seconds it was over, the smell of gunfire and smoke wafting through the room, and a single booming voice could be heard.
"I know you're in here, Doran."
Doran gulped and shoved his slave out from behind the desk, hoping to draw fire. He then peaked out the other side ready to shoot. Unfortunately for him, none of the soldiers took the bait, and one of them had been creeping around the desk. He disarmed Doran in seconds and held him in place from behind.
"Druden Larn," Doran said as if he were spitting out the name. "I should have known it was you."
"Your forces have surrendered, Doran," Druden Larn said. He stood with an air of nobility about him, in fine clothes with his hands behind his back in a very proper manner. Quite different from the hulking and slightly hunched stance of most of his race, but the biggest difference would be his bright blue eyes. Very rare amongst the Retaren. "I have won. You will address me as 'Emperor.'"
"I will not!"
One of Druden's contingent butted Doran in the face. Doran Hurd took a moment to recover from the blow before spitting out the blood in his mouth, and laughing in Druden's face. A laughing Retaren is a terrifying sight, and the human slave, though held by one of Druden's men, cowered away as much as he could.
"The last of my rivals has been defeated," Druden continued. "No longer will you or your contemperaries keep the Retaren people from reaching into the heavens, as we should have done decades ago. Your constant war against progress is over. You will bow to my will, or I shall have your slave clean your remains off of my shoe."
An enraged Doran Hurd broke free from his captor and charged at his enemy. From behind his back Druden drew a Ripper and blasted his enemy with it. Doran stopped in his tracks and writhed with pain as his body slowly started ripping itself apart on a molecular level. Crippled by the agonizing pain of his wound, Doran could do nothing but cry out before he turned into a puddle of goop at Druden's feet.
With a sigh, Druden put the Ripper back on his hip where he normally kept it. He sat behind Doran's desk and nodded to one of his men who brought the human slave over to him and handed him a small towel. The human immediately started cleaning off Druden's shoe.
"Do you speak, human?"
The human stopped, terrified that the Retaren spoke directly to him. This was typically not a good sign, but it would be improper to not answer. "Y-yes," he let out with a thick accent.
"Ever since your people crash landed on our planet individuals like Doran Hurd have been trying to destroy your technology and enslave your kind. I am not going to tell you that Humans will no longer be slaves to the Retaren. We defeated you, it's our right. However, destroying your technology is absurd. The Retaren people need to move outward to move forward at all. Your name is Simon Fowler?"
Shocked, the human slave stopped wiping off his new masters shoe. He paused, gulped, and paused again.
"You can answer me, human, I will not kill you today."
"Y-yes," the slave, Simon, said cautiously.
"You were an engineer, were you not?" Simon nodded. "In fact you were a leading mind among your kind. It is one of the reasons Doran kept you. Luckily for you, your skills are exactly what I am looking for." Druden pulled a photograph of a spacecraft out of his pocket that fit easily in the palm of his hand. When Simon Fowler took hold of it his hand disappeared behind it.
"You are familiar with this space craft?" Druden asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes," Fowler said, getting rid of the stutter. "I helped designed it."
"Then you can help us reverse engineer the technology. Our own designs and advances are crude at best, but if we work together then the Retaren people can finally take to the stars." As Druden stood he took hold of the human by his upper arm and lifted him easily to his feet as he stood, putting him on his own feet.
"If I help you," Simon said, "what's to stop you from using our technology to find and enslave the rest of my people?"
"Nothing," Druden admitted. "But if you don't help us then your former master won't be the only stain on the carpet in need of removal."
Simon Fowler was a good, noble man. To a point. As much as he didn't want to help the Retaren enslave his people, he also just witnessed exactly what the Ripper did to people. He thought about it, wondering if, as a human, he'd die faster and with less pain. Retaren's are far harder to kill. Even so, it would be a painful death and, more importantly, a death. Simon Fowler very much wanted to live.
"Then it's settled," Druden said with a smile that could only be described as evil. He then spoke to one of his men. "See him cleaned, fed, and clothed, then bring him to the hangar so he can start his work."
The guard nodded in compliance and Druden Larn made his exit. Simon watched him go, relieved that his life may get easier from here on out, but distraught that his people may become victims to an incredibly vicious race. He made his decision though, and maybe there would be a way to help his people after all. Maybe not. He decided he wouldn't worry about it and see it through. After all, at least he was still alive and would be for as long as his new master trusted he was helping. He couldn't say that about the old one.
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Post by killer spork on Sept 25, 2015 7:19:49 GMT -6
The Red Scourge Warning klaxons wailed as the Odune went to battle stations. She was picking up multiple contacts on her auspexes and they were getting closer and closer. The heat blooms as weapons powered up indicated that they were not friendly. '' C> Drop your shields and prepare to be boarded! The Red Scourge is here!'' The communications piped before abruptly terminating. It was becoming quite obvious what the situation was. The Marauder class destroyer had stumbled upon a den of pirates that were using the moon as a base for their operations. The moon's orbit was cluttered with slag and the floating debris of dead vessels. But the Odune wasn't about to surrender without a fight. The honor of the Empire and its Emperor was at stake! Beam cannons roared adding more floating wreckage to the planet as the Odune annihilated a pirate corvette that was approaching to board. The attacks became more and more ferocious after that. Torpedoes came shooting towards the Odune from a larger ship that was lurking in the shadow of the wreckage. The torpedoes were fast, nimble, and deadly accurate. The explosions caused raging fires throughout the ship (killing a fair number of her crew) before her Captain signaled withdrawal.. The Empire would need to return in stronger numbers to clear this infestation from the Imperial borders. Exploration to the North East has revealed a den of Graal pirates using a moon base to conduct raiding operations. The Graal are a warlike race renowned for their ferocity in combat and war. If we don't do something soon, these pirates could turn their hungry gaze on our own shipping lanes! Yet opportunity knocks...perhaps we could use these pirates for our own uses. Destroy the Pirates!:Let us return with a fleet and annihilate this menace! Not only will we have taken care of a dangerous threat but their base is undoubtedly home to exotic hull designs from foreign races and booty that can be used for our own scientific purposes. -- Opens battle in skirmish thread. (PM force complement to moderator) Data gathered from the battle reveals that the pirates have at least one destroyer and at least two corvette class ships in their fleet. Bribe the Pirates:Why destroy these Graal when we can use them to our own purposes? I'm sure for a few credits, we can use them to raid the hostile shipping lanes of our neighbors! -- Open diplomacy thread with Graal pirates and their leader, the Red Scourge. Let them be:For the moment, the Graal have stayed away from Retaren space. We have demonstrated our power by destroying one of their ships. No fool would dare raid the Empire! -- No action is taken but the pirates remain a threat.
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Post by I Like Turtles on Sept 29, 2015 8:25:27 GMT -6
Captain Grolek stood stoic as the view screen showed the destruction of the pirate ship. Some of the younger officers took a moment to celebrate the victory, but Grolek quickly reigned his men in. "Report!"
"The pirate ship is destroyed," a lieutenant reported. "Something on scanners, INCOMING!"
"Evasive maneuvers, shoot them down!" Grolek ordered his men to avoid and destroy the incoming barrage. Somewhat new to spacefaring, this proved a challenge for the crew of the Odune, and though they were able to avoid some of the torpedoes, others smashed into the ship. The Odune rocked as warning lights flashed.
"Hits on decks two and three," shouted one lieutenant. "Cargo bay, engineering, and crew quarters!"
"No affect on our systems," shouted another, "hull damage and some lives lost, but we still have weapons and maneuverability."
"Retreat," Captain Grolek said emotionless. "Back to our home system, maximum speed."
"But sir, they killed our men," said one young bridge officer. "We must press the attack, we must-"
Captain Grolek grabbed the young officer around the neck and squeezed. The young officer was likely stronger, faster, but Grolek was a veteran of many campaigns and a much more skilled fighter than anyone else on this ship. He pushed the officer against a panel and spoke, though not necessarily to him.
"We cannot honor our dead by joining them, which is what we will do if we stay where we are outnumbered and try to fight. The Retaren Empire was not formed by idiots. Our mission is a scouting mission only, which means if we are pressed, we retreat. Is there anyone else that disagrees with my assessment?"
The entire crew watched in silence. "Good," Grolek said, then released the young officer and dropped him on the floor. "Now let's get home to get a larger force and destroy these pirates."
***
The Odune makes a tactical retreat and the Retaren Empire leaves the pirates alone for now.
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Post by killer spork on Oct 3, 2015 13:33:13 GMT -6
Moderation Mark The Skorax Nebula was a necropolis. The rotting relics of ancient ships sat floating in its orbit, abandoned, gutted, and forgotten. On the moon’s surface itself, the pirates had merely commandeered existing structures that had long since been abandoned by whoever had first set foot here. Yet one ship in particular stood out amongst the rest, quite simply because it was gargantuan. The pirates had ripped everything valuable from it or so it seemed. Terra or so it was called was clearly a colony ship. Long rows of cryogenic capsules lay abandoned. Whatever had happened here, the colonists had fled in a hurry. While the Retaren’s would never discover the reasons why the Terra had been abandoned, they would find that the ship still had its secrets. Upon restoring power to the ship (albeit briefly), the Retaren’s were able to download the ships manifest and crew logs from the bridge. The pirates lacked the technical know how to get such an ancient ship operational (it had taken Retaren engineers weeks). While much of the data from the ships core had long since been corrupted, they were able to discover coordinates that matched perfectly on the nearby moon. A search team dispatched would find a buried capsule underneath the rocky hard service that hadn't been disturbed for centuries. What was inside was beyond expectations. The ship’s log referred to it as ‘’ New Eden ‘’ and while Retaren engineers were unsure what the meaning behind the name was, it was clear by the scans and tests that they conducted that it was an object of great power. Further research would reveal that each colony ship had one of these devices and it allegedly had the power to terraform entire worlds. Now what would the Empire do with it? -- The Retaren Empire has recovered the ‘’ New Eden ‘’ Device. It can be used ONCE to terraform an uninhabitable planet.
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Post by I Like Turtles on Oct 3, 2015 14:47:07 GMT -6
"You do understand, our intent is not to hurt you," the Retaren interrogator said to his pirate prisoner. "No, we want you alive and well. You will be put to work, of course, but perhaps one day you will be allowed to assimilate into the Retaren Empire. It is not as unusual as it sounds."
The pirate stared at him, confused. "Seems a strange way to get me to talk."
"On the contrary," the Retaren continued, all the while picking at his dinner, "I find that opening these talks as if they are negotiations has proven quite useful in the past. I am honest with you about how you will be treated, and you are, hopefully, honest with me about the information I seek."
"I aint tellin' you nothin'," the pirate spat.
"That is up to you, however if you don't cooperate I cannot guarantee this will be a pleasant experience." The Retaren sliced at the meat and took in another bite. He chewed a bit before he continued. "If you fail to cooperate, I will have to use alternative methods to extract the information I need."
"Pfft! What a terrifying torturer!" The pirate laughed in his face. "You shouldn't be putting food in front of me already! You haven't even come close to breaking me, and I'm not even the least bit hungry."
The Retaren interrogator laughed as well. "You are correct, this would certainly be a most backwards way of attempting to intimidate the information out of you. However you have yet to see the whole picture."
The pirate laughed and shrugged off his questioner and sat shaking his head. The guards in the room would keep him from actually attacking, but he could probably spit at him. The interrogator turned and waved and servants came in from another room. They were carrying more of the roast.
"More, please," the Retaren said to them, "I have built up quite an appetite it would seem."
As the servants shaved off more of the roast the pirate finally paid attention. The body they were cutting from was not animal, but was one of his own people, one of his comrads here under their former leadership. The interrogator cut into the chunk of meat on his plate and continued eating.
"You're monsters," the prisoner said.
His interrogator grinned and lifted something off the floor that was out of sight. He placed a severed head on the table and then continued eating. "I take it you know this man," the Retaren asked, though it was clear by his captive's facial expression that he did.
"You should know," the Retaren continued, "since he was the first, we killed him relatively quickly. Normally we slow roast or keep the victim alive while we remove body parts. Those are just the simpler methods we have. Our scientists have developed drugs that will keep you alert and awake while we sever your apendagaes, and you still feel all of the pain.
"This man knew nothing," the Retaren continued, "and honestly he doesn't taste very good at all. Gristly. However I do have an army to feed and perhaps some of them will enjoy the taste."
The pirate's tone changed, clearly disturbed from what he's witness. "What do you want from us?"
"From the captives as a whole? Cooperation. From you? The whereabouts of Captain Mognosh Krugg."
"I, uh, I don't--"
"Uh uh, beofore you lie to me," the Retaren interrogator interrupted, "you should know that we will be questioning everyone. Our torture methods are very thorough, and most will not end like your friend here. However, yours will. If you lie to me, if you do not tell me what I want to know, then I will make sure you are ripped apart slowly and that you are awake to feel every bit of that sensation."
The prisoner remained silent.
"Now," the interrogator asked, wiping his mouth. "Where has Captain Krugg run off to?"
---
The Retaren Invasion Force interrogates and tortures any and all of the captured pirates for information pertaining to the location of Mognosh Krugg.
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Post by I Like Turtles on Oct 3, 2015 15:08:17 GMT -6
Simon Fowler gulped. He does that when he's nervous, and right now he's damned nervous. His mission was to research the New Eden device and bring new answers, but in the time they've had it in their research base, the Retaren have barely been able to crack this technology. Unfortunately, Simon could get no further, which is why he was nervous. Druden Larn had high expectations from him. He hoped that failure did not include any sort of... death.
"W-well," Fowler stuttered, "I can reconfirm the findings of your researchers." His brow glistened with sweat as he spoke to the Retaren leader. It was always hard to tell if the Retaren were looking at you to try and kill you or if they were just listening. He supposed his captor's actions would prove that.
"Nothing new then?"
"Uh, well, it will definitely terraform a planet."
"We know that, Simon." Druden Larn leaned back in his chair. "Your job was to assist our team in the understanding of the technology. We must know how to create more. Imagine, the disaster that was Akroz would not have happened had we but one of these. Now that we have one, we must learn if we can duplicate the process."
"It's, well..."
"Simon. Spit it out."
Gulp. "It's too advanced. We can't do it, at least not without a dedicated facility and a great deal of time." He lowered his head in failure, sure it would be ripped off by the Emperor.
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes."
"Of what?"
"You, Emperor."
"Because I am your captor or because I am a Retaren."
"Both, Emperor."
"But we've gone over this." Druden Larn stood and circled his desk, coming face to face with his human slave. Well, as close as could come. Simon Fowler still had to strain his neck to look up to him. "I have no reason to kill you so long as you are honestly assisting me. Are you honestly assisting me?"
Simon nodded furiously. "Yes, Emperor, I am doing everything I can--"
"Then stop worrying about your life. You are valuable for now." The Emperor backed off a bit, well aware that most species found the Retaren to be naturally menacing. Good. The Retaren should be feared. "So, with a lab, a team, and some time what do you believe the chances are of us being able to create a tool such as that?"
"It is hard to say," Fowler said, a little calmer. "We could figure it out with just a few more weeks study, or it could be something that takes decades to recreate. Of course, we will know more if we can take it apart, but that is risky. We could set it off or destroy it. However that stage is well beyond us yet."
Emperor Druden Larn stood in silence for some time. "The New Eden device will be studied," he finally said. "You will assist the team studying it and, so long as you are useful, you will be unharmed. Do what you can, Fowler. That is all I ask."
Still nervous and a little terrified, Simon Fowler nodded hastily and retreated expeditiously. Druden Larn glanced at one of his guards after the scientist left and shrugged dismissively. "Humans" he said, shaking his head with a slight grin.
---
Retaren scientists continue to investigate the New Eden device.
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Post by I Like Turtles on Oct 14, 2015 13:49:00 GMT -6
Simon Fowler gripped the metal armrest tightly as the ship entered the moon's atmosphere and touched down on the new base. The other troops chuckled at him but he paid them no heed. They were trained for this, he was not.
As they escorted him through the base he noticed a large number of troops there, all very regimented and uniformed. There were training grounds and armories and he soon realized this was not a research base at all. Suddenly he realized he was surrounded by strange Retaren, all of whom were of the Retaren military force, wandering through a foreign building. Though he had grown somewhat accustomed to the race, and felt somewhat certain Druden Larn did not want him dead, he couldn't help but fear for his life here.
Especially because of the screaming. Various pockets of this base carried some of the most horrific screaming he'd ever heard. He dared not mention it to his escort but during part of his trip it just got louder and louder. He could not ignore it any longer.
"What is that," he asked.
"Nothing to be concerned with, sir," a soldier said.
Simon found it curious that the soldier referred to him as "sir." The screaming did not let up. "I'd like to know," Fowler continued, "so that it does not disturb my work here."
"It will not, sir," the soldier said.
"Perhaps not if I were Retaren," Simon stated, "but humans hear slightly differently than you and have weaker stomachs, as I'm sure you're aware. If I knew what was happening I would be able to block it, but the unknown will only distract me." The soldier did not look impressed. "It is a racial weakness, I'm afraid."
The soldier snorted at the pathetic human. "Graal pirates," he said, "we're extracting information about their leader. Don't worry, your lab is nowhere near this area."
"Oh? Then why are we passing it?"
"The sound soothes me," the soldier said with a grin.
Minutes later the soldiers showed Simon Fowler his lab. It was a dingy and unkempt room that the former occupants used to store goods. It was a mess but the room was large enough, had a stable power draw, and Simon could see some state-of-the-art equipment had been recently set up. There was also a team of half a dozen Retaren who seemed to be waiting for him.
They stood and glared at him.
Perhaps even hungrily.
Simon gulped nervously. "Who are they," he asked the soldier.
"Your science team," the soldier said. He then promptly turned on his heels and walked away, leaving the former human slave with his new team of scientists of a warrior race.
He gulped again and smiled, then approached them slowly. They smiled as well, that terrifying sight non-Retaren never get used to. It was intended to make him less nervous. It didn't work. He pretended it did though as he got to know his crew.
---
Retaren Scientists continue to investigate the New Eden device. Retaren soldiers continue to interrogate the pirates as to the whereabouts of their captain.
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Post by killer spork on Oct 25, 2015 8:44:28 GMT -6
Moderation Mark The slaves hand was shaking as he raised the pistol and pressed it against his masters head. The crowd of pirates watched expectantly, like sharks circling wounded prey. '' DO IT HUMAN! '' One of the Graal roared. There was a moment of hesitation but it was overcome by a sense of desperation, fear, and above all else, hatred! The pistol barked, blowing the Retaren's brains all over the wall of the ship. '' Kill the rest. '' Comrade Krugg snarled. The rest of the crew of the Retaren freighter were shot, hacked, and stabbed by their former slaves until at last the cargo ship of the hold was silent. '' You have a choice. '' Krugg said, the massive Graal admiral stalking back and forth as he examined the 'blooded' slaves that now had the guns of the Graal pointed at them. '' You can continue the fight against your Retaren masters or die here like cattle. '' It wasn't much of an option and now that Krugg had forced them to partake in this bloody crime, they had little choice but to throw in their lot with Krugg. They were no longer simple pirates....but revolutionaries! The Red Scourge returns!
Re-armed and dangerous, the Red Scourge has returned to plague us! Pirate vessels have been hammering our trade routes and seizing slaves freighters to crew their ships! If we do nothing, our profits will continue to bleed and unrest may grow! Strangely, the Graal ships seem to be of a different design than when we last encountered them... Our scans have indicated that they are infact older Antoviyan vessels that have been refitted. While it is possible that the pirates have seized these ships, it also equally possible that the RWU is behind this recent spate of attacks.. Assigning ships for convoy protection would undoubtedly help mitigate our losses, it will not directly deal with the problem. We must destroy Krugg and discover the true motives behind his attacks. Organizing an expedition and calling on our allies might ultimately be our best option...but the choice belongs to you my Emperor! -- The Kwazan-Retaren trade route only generates 50% of its value until pirate threat has been dealt with.
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Post by I Like Turtles on Oct 25, 2015 22:06:42 GMT -6
"In other news, the debris of the Grelka, a lost transport ship en route to the Kwazan Conglomerate, was found today. Investigation vessels found the remnants and crew, and officials believe the cause of the accident to be a sensor malfunction that kept the crew from detecting a rogue comet. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the crew members lost..."
The news report played in the background as the Retaren shipping official smiled and nodded as he listened to his Kwazan counterpart. He was worried about the shipping lanes and rightly so. The Retaren, however, were less concerned.
"Please, a minor hiccup," the official said. "We will make up for the losses with an additional transport. Apologies, but fear not, they wouldn't dare attack us again."
--
Confident that the Graal Pirates do not want to attract too much attention, the Retaren leave them be.
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Post by killer spork on Nov 24, 2015 14:01:27 GMT -6
Moderation Mark It had taken years of research and testing but the scientists whom had slaved away night and day on the New Eden Device believed that they were on the verge of a breakthrough. They had unlocked the hidden potential stored within the unit. While the scientists could not replicate it (the device was simply far too advanced), it had nonetheless helped their research in other fields, specifically in terraforming planets. The researchers believed that the device could not only turn uninhabitable worlds into gardens of Eden but could expand the planet to its maximum potential size, opening up new land for development and colonizaton. Now they only had to find a suitable testing ground in which to use it. SUMMARY:
-- New Eden Device, in addition to make a uninhabitable planet habitable at no cost, can now expand a planets base sector (maximum of 5 sectors) at no cost. CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE. (ITEM has been researched to the MAXIMUM capacity) -- Retaren Empire gains +5 Science as a result of research.
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