First Steps - DSEG [See Note]

[Jiang Winters]

[Open to DSEG peeps and GA peeps.]

Spoiler: Opening Fluff

In all things, the first step is always the most difficult, the most hazardous.

The men and women of DSEG knew this when they chose to embark upon the greatest journey ever undertaken by the Kushari Federation. It was their race's first sojourn into the greater galaxy, their first experience with true hyperspace travel.

The planning had been meticulous. The route was carefully plotted, carrying the Expedition's meager fleet through the veil of asteroids and black holes that isolated Kushari space and taking them directly towards the Galactic Core. Star Charts captured from pirate vessels during the First Contact event decades ago had given the Expedition a rough idea of where the nearest civilized planet was located; a world known as Fresia, along a hyperspace route known as the 'Metellos Trade Route.'

According to the information they held, the world was part of a faction called the 'Galactic Alliance,' and was a major manufacturing center. It was, however, not heavily populated and did not seem to be a major military stronghold, making it an ideal place for first contact. There they would be able to initiate contact without fear of being 'boxed in' - if worse came to worse, they could simply turn the fleet around and hyperspace to the first of several deep space rendezvous points they had chosen. The fleet would not return to the homeworld directly - they weren't about to risk a hostile alien fleet chasing them back to Federation space.

The journey to Fresia had been surprisingly short. The hyperdrives fitted to the fleet were direct copies of the hyperdrives installed on the pirate vessels destroyed during First Contact - it had been believed that they would take two months to journey to Fresia. The trip took scarcely four hours. Needless to say, DSEG was pleasantly surprised!

The fleet dropped out of hyperspace on the outermost fringes of the system. The Agamemnon scrambled a wing of Firehawk interceptors to guard itself and put the rest of its strike craft complement on standby. The Spirit of Kharak Corvettes, namely the Halcyon and the Mercy took up position on either side of the Agamemnon to provide a bit more security to the Kushari supercarrier. The Corvettes put their fighters on standby but did not deploy them, nor did any of the ships power up weapons - the last thing they wanted to do was signal hostile intentions.

The last corvette, the Serenity, moved on ahead of the task group. It would make first contact with whatever ships the GA had in the system, while the remainder of the Expedition held back.

Serenity's course took her directly towards Fresia. She sent out a hail on all frequencies as she drew closer. The message, broadcast in Basic, was simple: "This is the USS Serenity. We hail from the Kushari Federation. We are here to establish diplomatic relations."

On the bridge, her captain drummed his fingers against his seat's armrests and frowned. The ship carried with her a Federation Ranger and several SIGINT operatives - they would arrange a meeting between the Alliance and DSEG's Commanding Officer. While the captain was relieved that he did not have to play diplomat himself, he was unsure of the wisdom of allowing a Ranger to play the role.

"You sure this is a good idea, ma'am?" he queried, glancing up at the armor-clad figure standing just beside his seat, arms folded over her chest.

She hitched her shoulders. The captain sighed and shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes," he muttered. There was no doubt in his mind that they'd make contact soon - it was hard to miss a corvette broadcasting a signal on every comms frequency it could, after all - and once contact was made, he'd know for sure whether or not it was a good idea.

 

[Cailst]

Fresia, a water world speckled with islands everywhere. Two point three million people were scattered amongst them, a population that was dwarfed by a couple city blocks in the more densely populated areas of Coruscant. On one of those islands was the center of a government that governed the planet. That day was a quiet day. The most exciting event had been the annual galactic snail race where Mr. Forsei, the Alsakan senator watched the Alsakan snail beat out the Fresian snail who had been viewed as a strong contender.

The networks were all over it, mentioning how the Alsakan snail had been arrogant and had used illicit drugs to cheat. The blogosphere was crying out that Fresian pride had been lacking, thus contributing to the loss. Even late night talk show hosts were all over it, making horrific puns about it.

Well, at least until something had been detected in Fresian space. Space traffic controllers first heard the message.

"This is the Fresian Government, part of the Galactic Alliance. Send a representative down to the planet so that we establish relations." The controller said.

In a span of a breath, word spread throughout the capital reaching the media organizations and the blogosphere. To respond, the Fresian senator suggested that Mr. Forsei go as the Fresian senator was still in an unpleasant mood as his favorite snail had lost.

 

[Emma Lou]

"Good luck with getting her to speak to you. It's like pulling teeth to get a growl out of her"

Ayako Nataski, SIGNIT Field Agent, stood at the entryway to the bridge with one hand resting on her athletic hip. She was wearing some dark slacks with a cute white blouse. She looked pretty decent after coming from wearing the same uniform everyday for six years!

"I've known her for like three months and have barely gotten much out of her"

This was Ayako's first time going out since she has been recruited by SIGNIT and it was also her first time out of the Kushari system. Her first time really truly away from her family. It was scary and exciting at the same time.

It was as soon as those words left that there was speaking over the ships speakers. She smiled. This was an opportunity that she never thought would happen. She was going to meet others like her during her time with SIGNIT.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Rook clicked her teeth and glanced over her shoulder at Ayako. She was the latest recruit into Special Investigations and Intelligence - the Ranger had chosen the human woman because she'd blend in well with humans in the rest of the galaxy, and because of her military record and experience. After gesturing for the SIGINT Agent to enter the bridge, she turned her full attention back to the ship's forward view screen.

It was at that moment that Fresia responded to the Serenity's hail.

The bridge burst into a frenzy of activity. The responding frequency was isolated and the ship's comms systems shifted to that frequency, and the communications officers obtained rough coordinates from which the Fresian call had originated. Word was relayed back to the Agamemnon, which dispatched two SD88 Meadowlark dropships to follow the Serenity in and act as transports once the Corvette reached Fresia.

Simultaneously, the lead comms officer issued a response to the Fresian controllers. "Acknowledged. An envoy is being dispatched. Estimated time to arrival..." He paused and looked to Rook. She gestured '15'. "Fifteen minutes. Repeat, an envoy is being dispatched. Estimated time to arrival is fifteen minutes."

The Serenity moved closer to the planet, while its four Firehawk interceptors took up positions on either side of the Corvette's sleek blue hull. The gray Meadowlarks caught up within a few minutes, and clamped on to the outside of the Serenity's hull to bring on passengers.

Rook's attention shifted to Ayako. "You're with me," she stated. The female gestured for Ayako to follow and headed out. It took less than twenty seconds to reach the dropship from the bridge, and then they were off.

The diplomatic entourage consisted of six Marines and two diplomats to each dropship - the diplomats in Rook's shuttle was made up of herself and Ayako, and any other SIGINT agents who happened to jump on in.

True to their word, the dropships and their Firehawk escorts made planetfall just a minute prior to the 15 minute mark. With the Meadowlarks leading the way and the Firehawks taking up the rear, the little procession made their way to the spaceport from which the transmission had been broadcast. "This is Blue Flight to Fresia spaceport. We're on final approach - please indicate our landing zone with marker lights and we'll set down."

 

[Emma Lou]

"Three words, today. We are making progress, Rook"

Ayako smiled as she followed Rook and made her way into the dropship along with the other diplomats going planet side. She had grabbed her equipment belt on the way out and clasped it around her waist as they walked. She could not contain the smile on her face. This was her first time on a planet that was not her own.

"Have you ever been to another planet, Rook? This is my first time"

 

[Cailst]

"Your landing zone is indicated," The controller stated.

The Meadowlarks and Firehawks continued on their path towards the landing zones on the planet. Eventually, they finally descended on the ground of Fresia. Attendants at the landing zone were there to usher the passengers of the drop ships from the landing zone to the Capitol building which was unoccupied during that time of the year due to it being the Fresian congress being out of session.

Quickly, the passengers boarded the tram system which ran from the airport to the various sites throughout the city. Because of the situation, they were immediately sent to the capitol building where Dr. Forsei had arrived minutes beforehand. As they walked in, they heard his voice.

"Greetings to Fresia!" He said.

 

[Tzeentch]

Kiritsugu Lethe stood next to Dr. Forsei as he greeted the newcomers to Fresia. He had been hired only weeks before as a guard for the Doctor, and couldn't care more or less.

A Contract was a Contract, no matter the objective, target, or such.

In a stance that could easily be mistaken as a relaxed or lazy one, with his left hand in his pocket with the other at his side, Kiritsugu studied the individuals that stood before Dr. Forsei. As he studied them, he realized that he had not seen such a species in his travels throughout the three decades he spent working as a Mercenary, except for the Human that was among them.

With half-lidded eyes that had the look of boredom to the untrained eye, the man in the near-formal suit continued to stare at them as the end of the cigarette in his mouth lit up, before he breathed out a steady stream of smoke.

This just might be interesting..

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Have you ever been to another planet, Rook? This is my first time."

Rook merely nodded in response to Ayako's question. She felt no need to elaborate - a generic answer would have to be good enough.

The Dropships touched down and the ramps hit concrete. A simple tap on one of the Marines' shoulders told the squad all they needed to know; they wordlessly filed out of the ship behind Rook. They wore the same IAR20K 'Templar' armor as Rook, from helmet to boots, and carried a mix of M35 Assault Rifles, M18 Battle Rifles, and a handful of M7 Shotguns. They slung the weapons onto their backs to board the tram to avoid sending the wrong message, and rode in relative quiet towards the capitol building.

Upon arriving, Rook was the first one into the building. She greeted Forsei with a crisp salute after he welcomed them. "I'm Lieutenant Rook of Kith Sjet. It's an honor, sir," she replied. Rook, never one for pleasantries, was quick to continue speaking. "My purpose here is to extend to you a request for a formal meeting, between a representative of the Galactic Alliance such as yourself and my commanding officer, Lord Admiral Jun Sajuuk-Sjet of the Deep Space Expeditionary Group. The meeting will be to establish relations between our nation, the United Kushari Federation, and the Alliance."

 

[Cailst]

"And it is my pleasure to accept such a request," Dr. Forsei said.

Looking around, he saw a table near the podium in the chamber of the Capitol. If they were to look up, they would see the inside of the dome, covered in gold leaf and showing artwork detailing achievements that the people of Fresia had accomplished. Likewise, around the walls of the chamber, there was a string of illustrations and words with positive connotations around them. Not far from the podium were the seats for the representatives. Here and there, a few cameras peered into the chamber. They weren't expected to do much for the off season but just in case. Same with the bodyguards that were assigned. It was unlikely that there would be an issue but it was standard protocol. Like the bodyguards of the Kushari, their guns were slung upon their backs to convey some trust. As for the meeting itself, the table itself was a fine long stone table with several wooden chairs around it.

"Would you take a seat?" He then asked so the meeting could get underway.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Although her Marines were quite interested in the artwork, they forced themselves to stay focused on the situation at hand. Rook took the offered seat and set her M35 Assault rifle down, leaning it against her chair. She was somewhat surprised that the seat held her weight - she'd been told to expect human-built chairs to collapse under the weight of her and her armor. Granted, it did creak and groan under protest, but it held and that's what was important.

She folded her hands together on the table, but did not remove her helmet or any components of her armor for that matter. For Rook, her helmet was her face.

"I'm sure you have many questions about us, sir, for we have many questions about you. Our information on the Alliance is sketchy at best, and what little we have is better than forty years old. However, as we are your guests, we will save our questions for later - please, ask whatever you wish to know. We will answer."

 

[Tzeentch]

Ever since the armored woman had spoken, Kiritsugu had taken his eyes off the foreigners as a whole, and focused on her. Her tone and actions alone would scream discipline to even the untrained. It seemed that these individuals sought to forge a bridge between themselves and the Alliance.

When Forsei offered the diplomat a seat, he moved next to Forsei's own seat, his eyes never leaving the woman who sat in the seat across from them. When the seat groaned and creaked, even the emotionless Kiritsugu raised a brow, albeit unnoticed to those with poor perception or focused on something else.

Breathing out one last cloud of smoke, Kiritsugu grabbed his cigarette and put it out with his right hand, revealing a strange tattoo of sorts on the back of it, before letting it hang at his side once again.

 

[Cailst]

"Very well then, who exactly are you and your organization? What does it do on a regular basis and where do you believe it is heading," Dr. Forsei asked.

At the moment, Dr. Forsei knew next to nothing of them except that they were heavily armed and armored but also appeared to be interested in relations with the Alliance. Perhaps some sort of arms dealer company? If tensions with the Empire continued to deteriorate, it seemed possible that arms would become very valuable. If it were possible, an alliance of sorts could be helpful.

"Also, would you care for any food or drink?" He asked, trying to be a polite host for them. However, he wasn't exactly sure whether they were willing to take off their helmets to eat if they wouldn't even take them off for negotiations.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Ma'am?"

Rook glanced up at the Sergeant who had accompanied her. She nodded wordlessly, and he, along with his men, removed their helmets. Their feline features were revealed as the 12 Marines clipped their helmets to the back of their armor's belt section.

She nodded towards the nearest Kushari soldier. "It'd be most kind of you, sir. My men would appreciate it," she replied, before sitting ramrod straight in her seat once more. "My men are Kushari Marines. Miss Ayako Nataski here is Special Investigations and Intelligence. I am a Federation Ranger - special forces, if you will. The organization we work for is the United Kushari Federation - an alliance of 6 Kith, or Clans, from our home system. We were sent here as a part of the Deep Space Expeditionary Group, to establish peaceful relations with new species, to create trading partners and economic opportunities, to discover new technology and to increase our scientific knowledge, and to secure the Kushari's place in the greater galaxy."

"As for what we do and where we are heading, it is this: The Deep Space Expeditionary Group will continue to explore the galaxy, forging new friendships as we go while simultaneously producing and selling Kushari products. Our flagship, the Agamemnon, is equipped with automated mining and manufacturing facilities - the Expedition is wholly self contained, which is why we are able to operate autonomously without support from the homeworld."

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk noticed the new ships that had never been seen to the young Kushiban. Her eyes were wide in amazement. Kusuyk felt a sudden impulse she'd thought she'd rid herself of.

I need. . . ​

The rabbit-like creature's tail flicked, her ears perked. Normally, she'd fight her impulses till the bitter end, however, she was all ears this time.
"This better not be a hallu." she growled to herself, it'd been some time since she last had a hallucination, and never had it been on such a large scale as ships. Didn't mean it wasn't possible.

Yes. This is happening.​

Kusuyk stood up from the box she had been sitting on all morning and hopped quickly away and right for the ships location. A mischievous grin lined her face. Her mind screaming "YES. YES." This was what she was looking for, or at least she thought it was.

The moment she arrived to a decently close location to the ships, she just gawked. The heavy machinery, the ships, everything. The people were decked head to toe in large and high-tech armour that Kusuyk had never seen, or knew little about. They were massive people at that, their height towering over Kusuyk in a way she didn't even know possible. She'd never cared for others' heights, but these people were surreal to the critter who wasn't even a meter in height.

All of this just confirmed her impulse was right. She had to be closer. She had to.

Quietly and quickly, the kushiban snuck through the area and into the opening of one of the ships, though it had taken some effort being so big. "Excellent." she mumbled to herself very quietly once aboard, her tail flicking back and forth out of habit. She held her breath and froze as the beads crashed together twice. Oops.

"Time to explore." she thought to herself and went further into the large ship. Hopefully the owners wouldn't be taking off anytime soon, there was a lot of ground to cover.

 

[Cailst]

"What would you like to eat and drink?" One of the bodyguards asked. It would be an exercise in futility if the Kushari did not like or could not eat what they had to serve.

After the bodyguard asked them, Dr. Forsei went back to discussion.

"As the Galactic Alliance, we would be glad to establish peaceful relations with you and your people. Certainly, we would be able to help your people as you would help ours. Would you ask any questions of us?" Dr. Forsei asked.

As the helmets came off, Dr. Forsei was a bit shocked. While he had seen stranger aliens before, it simply was a surprise to see what he thought to be humanlike aliens to be a blown up version of his mother's housecat that could talk. Never the less, he was able to keep his feelings hidden as he did not want to upset his guests.

 

[Tzeentch]

When the Kushari removed their helmets, Kiritsugu blinked once, and then twice, while allowing a tiny spark of curiosity slip into his empty eyes before mercilessly crushing it, reverting his face to that of a 'bored' individual; the curiosity survived for a surprising 0.132 seconds.

Kiritsugu had plotted out many different scenarios in his mind, each with their own branching paths, yet it seemed that he had forgotten to include a species covered with fur somewhere along the line. However, unexpected or not, they seemed to simply build a bridge of trust and such between the Alliance and themselves.

Kiritsugu began to formulate and rewrite the many paths that this meeting could go, from combat situations to the desired peaceful negotiations. For a split second, he tore his eyes from the revealed feline-like group and glanced at his charge before refocusing on the diplomat across from him.

It was a good idea to check on one's charge every few minutes, even when said charge was right next to you.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Food back home is pretty similar to most human food. We'll take whatever you serve. As for drinks, water's fine," the Marine answered. For a Kushari, his basic was near-perfect - evidence of the Kushari's extensive use of both basic and their traditional language.

After speaking, the soldier took a quick glance at the bodyguard's comrades. Though none of them were career soldiers, the bodyguards seemed quite competent, especially the one seated directly beside the Alliance's diplomat. In the event that things went south, which the Marine hoped to the gods they didn't, he had that bodyguard pegged as their greatest threat.

Rook nodded her head once. "I have two questions; does the Alliance advocate the use of force to solve its problems, or does it prefer peace, with force as a last resort? Secondly, what does the Alliance require of its friends in terms of trade limits and military regulations?"

The purpose of the first question was simply to gauge what kind of nation the Alliance was - the second was simple curiosity on the part of DSEG, who wandered what kind of hoops their race would have to jump through in order to be a part of the galactic community.

 

[Emma Lou]

Ayako stood straight and slightly as Rook spoke with the man across the table. He looked like her. It was very strange to see others like her besides her family and other humans who were all Kushari. She also did not understand why everyone looked at the felines strange. They were not strange. They were just a different type of Kushari.

She moved to stand behind Rook just as the other man stood behind the Dr. She wanted to talk to him and ask him about his race. What was he? Was she the same? She had never met anyone from outside her own system or race. This was so different and exciting.

 

[Tzeentch]

Kiritsugu drew his eyes away from the seated Diplomat and looked over the assorted group of Kushari, glancing at the Kushari soldier that looked at him for a split second, before looking at the woman just behind the Diplomat dead in the eyes with his own empty ones; she was staring at him...

If he was capable of feeling or displaying emotion, he would have felt a shiver claw its way up his spine. This one, from how intently she was boring holes into his head, would be troublesome to deal with, how exactly, he didn't know and preferred it that way. She looked somewhat. . . excited, to say the least.

Kiritsugu felt the urge to light a new cigarette.

Regardless, he attempted to gauge her abilities; the sheer amount of emotions pouring off of the woman alone would make one think her an inexperienced soldier (in his opinion). However, he could tell from how she held herself that she had... a half-dozen years of training at least. Whether or not she had participated in full-out combat situations, however, was unknown to him.

If he was capable of doing so, his brow would have started twitching; he didn't like leaving holes in puzzles, nor plans; it prevented him from fully plotting out paths in which any situation could go down..

Still didn't mean that he was going to speak to anyone for any reason, even to find information, unless absolutely necessary. He simply looked back at the seated female who still bore the helmet; obviously, this one was a highly trained and experienced soldier if he ever saw one. She'd be the greatest threat and would need to be the first to be eliminated, should a conflict somehow rise..

Again, he felt the need to begin smoking.

 

[Emma Lou]

Ileana became painfully aware that she had been staring when the guy looked back at her. Oops. She quickly brought her attention back to the conversation between Rook and the Dr. man.

It was not that she was inexperienced or did not know how to hide her emotions, but she was just so excited. She should have acted like a proper soldier, but she was feeling like a giddy five year old going to the capital city for the first time.