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The recent events have caused an unsuspected change in the Galactic Order, former enemies are now forced to fight by side against the newly emerged threats. Even the xenophobic Troodontid Empire has to search for new allies, coincidentally among one of their worst opponents, the Galactic Empire of Cyrannus. Now these two powers have to collaborate, if they want or not. But will it work ? Will the distrust be overcome ? Or will it end in chaos ?


Prelude[]

An Unlikely Alliance[]

Conflict in the Unknown Regions! The constant growth of the Neraida Gigamatrix caused them to clash with another powerful civilization in their sector, the Troodontid Empire. The Troodontid senate has send out the main fleet to stop any more intruders right at the border. However the Gigamatrix managed to outmaneuver the blockade and now goes for one of the most important structures of their new opponent...

Bifröst under attack
Unlikelyalliance1

Two Neraida cubes engage the Troodontid defenses

It seemed like a regular day at the Bifröst. Nothing seemed to happen. the Troodontid fleet had left to the borders, no ships needed to use the wormholes to reach a far distant world. Only four Nemesis Star Destroyers remained in orbit around the massive space gate.

But then suddenly something happened, something totally unexpected. Two Neraida Cubes arrived right in front of the Bifröst. The controlling AI was ripped out of peaceful slumbering by the event. The first thought of the AI was that the blockade had been broken and their fleet defeated. A quick uplink to the other AIs, the ones controlling the fleet revealed that this didn't happen. All ships were still intact and on position. The next action was the call for help. However the AI soon realized that the help wouldn't arrive in time. the Troodontid fleet was spread several light-years away, even with Transwarp the nearest would need over an hour to reach the world. The AI send out a Distress Signal to the nearby allies, but those were unable to help as well. The Bifröst seemingly was on its own.

The Nemesis Star Destroyers engaged the cubes, opening fire with all their weapons. The strong ships were among the most common Troodontid ships and quite capable of taking on most threats. Firing ion and energy blasts, as well as lasers and missiles they managed to knock down the cubes' shields surprisingly easily. Their own shields in return seemed to withstand the heavy lasers fired by the cubes quite easily. Surprised by this realization the controlling AI already hoped for an easy victory, at best be without losses. But reality hit them hard, very hard. The heavy weapon fire from the Nemesis Star Destroyer might have got rid of the shields, but it turned out they were not enough to crack open the hull.

Help from an unsuspected side
Unlikelyalliance2

Dogfight over a Cube

Then all of the sudden, the Troodontid sensors picked up another presence nearby, at the border directing towards the Galactic Core. It took some moments to identify the object, but after comparing it with the database revealed that the presence was a ship, a ship that could possibly save them from the situation. It was an Imperator-class Star Destroyer.

Quickly the senate agreed on asking the Imperials for help. Opening a Trans-Galactic channel to the Core Worlds, they managed to gain access to the Bri'sa'tana, the Grand Mandator of the Unknown Regions. Informing him about the situation, they managed to convince him to grant them the help of the Empire. However in return of the aid of the Empire against the Neraida, the Troodontids would have to defend the Imperial borders against the recently emerged threats.

Clearance
Unlikelyalliance3

The battle continues

The Imperial Star Destroyer arrived just in time, the shields of two of the Nemesis Star Destroyers already started failing. The heavier weapons arriving in form of the new capital ship allowed them to finally effectively battle the cubes. Rather than battling the two cubes at the same time, the defensive fleet now concentrated the fire on the one that had already reached the Bifröst and begun attacking it. Though the cube managed to fully take down the shields of one of the Star Destroyers and cut it into halves, the other managed to break through the armour of the other one. Explosions shook the massive cube as it slowly drifted away into space.

With one cube down, the other one saw itself outnumbered by far. Rather than risking a direct fight, it turned around and prepared to leave the system. Realizing that the controlling AI ordered the AI in charge of the other chipped Star Destroyer to abandon the ship and accelerate it into the fleeing cube. Though the ship managed to crash into the cube right before it could retreat, it couldn't prevent the jump to faster-than-light speeds. The hull had been severely cracked by the impact, but only the Troodontid ship was ripped apart by it. Heavily damaged the ship now floated away. Repair ships would soon arrived and reassemble or at least reuse the parts. Together with them several Troodontid Battleships arrived, making the Imperial Star Destroyer obsolete. After the Troodontids thanked the crew, the Star Destroyer left the system to continue with its patrol duties.

Proloque[]

Battle of Drausia[]

The war has begun. The Troodontid ships were send to reinforce the Imperial border patrol. Hundreds of ships have left the Troodontid territory through the Bifröst to engage the State's forces as early as possible to keep the threat of their new opponent as low as possible. The Imperial world of Drausia is of big importance for the Troodontids as it controls the hyper space route to their territory and ensures help against the Gigamatrix. But now the State has launched an attack on it ...

Battle of Drausia

The Troodontid defenses engage the incoming State forces

A massive Centurion-class Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace, accompanied by several Basileus frigates. Comparably minor forces had been dispatched for the attack as no Imperial presence had been detected by the long ranged scanners. However the scanners only had searched for Imperial ships, not Troodontid ones.
When the Centurion-class jumped out of hyperspace, it was welcomed by a Troodontid defense fleet, consisting of several Sasgh Class Carriers and two Nemesis Class Star Destroyer as well as a Siraust Class Battleship. Mistaking the ships for easy targets, the State ships opened fire. But they soon realized they had miscalculated, when the Troodontid ships opened fire themselves. Bolts of plasma and matter hit the shields of both sides, a vicious battle began. It soon turned out that the State forces were unprepared for heavy resistance. One frigate after the other exploded through the fire of the battleship, and not even the Star Destroyer was a match for it. The heavy shields of the Troodontids made it hard for the attackers to get through, while they themselves couldn't do much against being ripped apart by the Troodontid fire from both fighters, bombers and warships. Though the Star Destroyer managed to get through and severely damage one of the carriers, he couldn't stop the inevitable. The State forces realized that as well and tried to retreat. Though one of the frigates managed to escape, the star destroyer's drives were methodically destroyed by the Troodontid fire, forcing it to stay behind to be destroyed.

Terrorism on Raptura[]

To consolidate the collaboration between the Troodontid Empire and the Galactic Empire, latter has offered the exchange of diplomats. Though the Troodontids denied sending one of their own to represent themselves, they agreed to maintain an Imperial senator on the Troodontid capital world. After the arbitrament, the new ambassador is set to arrive two days alter.

Terror on Raptura

The Imperial ship explodes on the platform

Preperation

A small delegation of Troodontid senators headed for a secondary landing pad on Raptura. The rain was worst than usual, thick drops constantly fell on the ground, making the metal slippery. Nevertheless the Delegation kept on walking, their mission was of greatest importance as they should welcome the ambassador the Empire had offered to send. They had to change the plans in the last minute as the political climate had once again changed.

Though still grateful of the deeds of the Empire to secure the Bifröst, the Troodontids now, two weeks after the attack, had retracted to a more sceptical view of their big neighbors again. They now once again felt secure enough to protest against the conditions. However Draicon wanted the arrival to go as smooth as possible. While most senators and general public believed the ambassador would arrive on the main port to further impress him, the leaders had decided to relocate the point of arrival to a more remote location to prevent protestants. The ambassador would have to deal with them soon, but not instantly. and maybe the political climate would have changed again till then, further decreasing the risk of diplomatic problems.

Catastrophe

The spaceship of the ambassador arrived soon later. Androids had been dispatched to ensure his safety, including several heavier vehicle androids, mainly super tanks. Though these were mostly used to defend Troodontid fortress worlds, like Raptura, these ones were specifically send to protect the new ambassador. The ship slowly moved towards the platform. Once it landed the delegation waited patiently for the ambassador to step out and introduce himself. However something else happened. At the moment gate started opening, everything went bright. The landing platform was shaken by the explosion, the androids and Troodontids flung backwards. Even the heavy super tanks were tossed over the edge of the platform like leafs, to fall several kilometers to the lowest section of Raptura. The senators and their guards were luckier, they hadn't been on the platform itself, only on the pathway leading towards it. The Imperial ship was the one hit worst. It had been ripped apart and all Imperial personal had been killed by the explosion.

Aftermath

Though the fire burned for two more hours, the Troodontid fire fighter androids and the heavy rain managed to keep it from spreading and ultimately extinguish it. Draicon ordered his androids to search for any remains and investigate the causes of the explosion as quickly and effective as possible. Now he and the senate had something worse to do, they had to report to the empire and inform them about the incident. As expected the Imperials were more than enraged by the event, blaming it on the Troodontid inability and denying any responsibility. After allowing the Imperials to cool down a bit, the Troodontids asked regarding the sending of a second ambassador, however the Imperials only decided to discuss it.

Ianuarius, 04 NE[]

Rethinking[]

The explosion and apparent assassination of the Imperial ambassador has severely damaged the Troodontid's relationship with the Imperium. These now start to rethink about the importance of their alliance, especially since they consider the Troodontids as too weak to be either help or threat. Its now the Troodontids turn to prove them otherwise.

A new ship
Rethinking 1

The most important politicans of the Troodontids gather in the president's office

President Draicon looked up in surprise as several of his closest allies in the Empire entered his room. So far it had been a rather dull day, just more reports of the act of terrorism that had to be read through and signed. Nothing of worth stood in them. Apparently all surveillance had been fried by ion radiation from the ship, making it impossible to determine where the bomb had been. Same went for the bomb itself, its explosive signature didn't seem to fit any Troodontid explosive, however that wouldn't be enough to convince the Imperium of their innocence. Without a confession it would be impossible to ever clear up the case.
However his day changed to one of the most important days of the year when these senators arrived. Thor, Kvasir and Teruculus greeted him, and Draicon also noticed that the senators Oslid and Vesnar accompanied them. These two were the leaders of the two most dominant political movements apart from his own and used to oppose his style.
Instantly he asked for the reason of the visit and so Teruculus explained it to him. The others considered that the Imperials had to be impressed in order to ensure the aid they needed. The only way to impress them and to stress their power was - in their opinion - to establish more colonies in Cyrannus, something the Troodontids hadn't done for ages.

Surprised Draicon asked for the way this would be achieved, only to be reminded of the current state of automation. Kvasir and his fellow scientists had already designed a colony ship that wouldn't need any Troodontid surveillance in order to construct and maintain a colony. As Draicon didn't seem convinced of the new design, Thor jumped in to aid Teruculus by pointing out the strategic value. These colonies could be constructed alongside the border to ensure better protection for the core worlds without having to send out more ships.
Rethinking 2

A new colony is established on a hostile planet at the border of the Troodontid Empire.

This ultimately convinced Draicon and he agreed to support the operation in front of the senate. Together with the Republicans and Imperialists, this would mean a majority and thus allow the new ships to be built on a large scale.

Galactic Power under construction

Only a few days later over a hundred of the new ships were finished and send out to dig themselves into planets. They primarily targeted hostile and uninhabited worlds to make them even harder to conquer. But more colony ship were under construction and even more would be ordered soon. The Troodontid empire began growing again and it was growing fast.

The explosion and apparent assassination of the Imperial ambassador has severely damaged the Troodontid's relationship with the Imperium. These now start to rethink about the importance of their alliance, especially since they consider the Troodontids as too weak to be either help or threat. Its now the Troodontids turn to prove them otherwise.

A new ship
Rethinking 1

The most important politicans of the Troodontids gather in the president's office

President Draicon looked up in surprise as several of his closest allies in the Empire entered his room. So far it had been a rather dull day, just more reports of the act of terrorism that had to be read through and signed. Nothing of worth stood in them. Apparently all surveillance had been fried by ion radiation from the ship, making it impossible to determine where the bomb had been. Same went for the bomb itself, its explosive signature didn't seem to fit any Troodontid explosive, however that wouldn't be enough to convince the Imperium of their innocence. Without a confession it would be impossible to ever clear up the case.
However his day changed to one of the most important days of the year when these senators arrived. Thor, Kvasir and Teruculus greeted him, and Draicon also noticed that the senators Oslid and Vesnar accompanied them. These two were the leaders of the two most dominant political movements apart from his own and used to oppose his style.

Draicon - Greetings. What an unexpected pleasure. May I ask why you came here ?
Teruculus - Greetings, sure you may, my friend. It is a matter of greatest importance. You sure know that the Imperium is considering severing our alliance and thus will make it nearly impossible to hold our ground against the Neraida?
Draicon - Yes, but we can't really do much against that. We may have entered the intergalactic stage, but the Imperium is far more important and dominant
Teruculus - I disagree with you. The Imperium simply needs a reminder that we are powerful as well. We simply have to impress them. And I think the best way to impress them is more territory that we claim, albeit we need to establish more colonies.
Draicon - Maybe, but how should we be capable of doing so. We need Troodontids to inspect the planets before building, we need Troodontids to make sure everything goes according to plan, we need Troodontids to plan everything. But we don't have the necessary people to do so on a large scale.
Kvasir - Well, our AIs are capable of running colonies with ease, why shouldn't they also be capable of building them for us?
Teruculus - Exactly. We might not have established new noteworthy colonies in Cyrannus for a long time, I think at least 30 years or so, but still. It might be time to rethink our actions and to build more colonies.
Draicon - But how?
Kvasir - I'm glad you finally ask. Here, look at the hologram. This beauty was designed by me and some of my colleagues over the last few weeks. It is a colony ship. We simply build one of these and tell an AI to fly it to a certain planet. There we send it to the ground, let it dig itself into the ground and we are done. The colony is built. From then on the AI is fully capable of adjusting the colony to any wanted shape. The ship alone is already able to fulfill all needs and purposes of a colony on its own. The frontal parts have their own fighter and bomber bays to protect the colony against any enemy aircrafts. The areas above that contain Quantum Replicators to produce every material the colony or we might need, while the back contains its android factories that can produce the necessary workers or army. Furthermore there is a powerful shield generator on the end that is able to switch between the protective hull shielding of the ship itself and a bubble shield that can be extended over the planet till a true planetary shield generator has been built.
Draicon - Impressive. and what are these cannons on the mid segment
Kvasir - Oh, a good question, indeed. These are new, experimental cannons. They work like our Chent cannons, however they fire much faster projectiles. They are meant to destroy enemy capital ships that are foolish enough to attack the colony.
Draicon - Very well, but is it really worth ...
Thor - May I interrupt you here ? This thing is definitely worth the construction time. If we can place these colonies at strategic positions, they can drastically increase the protection of more important planets. If we put these colonies alongside our borders it would become harder for enemies to get through without sending even more ships to the blockades. Additionally they serve as decoy. don't forget hardly anyone knows much about us, even our allies don't know the locations of all of our important planets. This means that even if the Imperium decides to sever our alliance, the Neraida will need much time to get to our Core worlds, long enough for us to leave this galaxy or to develop an effective weapon against them.
Draicon - Very well, but how should we get this through the senate. You might have noticed that it gets harder and harder to pass laws these days, with all the different parties in the senate. And one that changes our most basic concepts ?
Vesnar - That's why they came to us first. Teruculus already knew you would worry about that. However with the help of me and Oslid, it should be possible to pass this. We still have the majority in the senate.

Oslid - Since the senate seems to drift more and more into inability, we have to pass this fast. Otherwise we may never be able to pass it.
Rethinking 2

A new colony is established on a hostile planet at the border of the Troodontid Empire.

Draicon - Very well, I will bring this in front of the senate today

The election was one with a surprisingly overwhelming majority as many of the splinter parties agreed with it and thus allowed the new ships construction on a large scale.

Galactic Power under construction

Only a few days later over a hundred of the new ships were finished and send out to dig themselves into planets. They primarily targeted hostile and uninhabited worlds to make them even harder to conquer. But more colony ship were under construction and even more would be ordered soon. The Troodontid empire began growing again and it was growing fast.

Ambassador's Arrival[]

The month is reaching its end, but during the last few days of Ianuarius, something unexpected happens. The Imperials have once again send an ambassador. This time unannounced...

Surprise Ambassador
Ambassador's Arrival 1

Troodontid ships circle the Star Destroyer vigilantly

The Imperial Star Destroyer appeared out of nowhere, right on the border of the Solaris system. There the massive warship sat, silently and patiently waiting for the Troodontids to react. It flew right on the border of the defensive grid, just close enough to look menacing, while not risking itself to be destroyed or affected by the Troodontid defenses.
The Troodontid officers quickly overcame the shock of the ship, and then started wondering about something far more troublesome for them. How did the ship get there in the first place. None of the sensors in the surrounding systems had picked up a signal of the ship while it moved through several parsecs of Troodontid space. Meanwhile the senate was messaged. like the ones who first noticed the ship, they were in agitation, but out of a different reason. They in return worried about the reason why the ship had arrived.
Resultantly they ordered several of the smaller vessels to investigate and interrogate. The frigates soon reached the destroyer, that had already started sending a message to them once they came in range. It was a message from the ship's captain that informed the Troodontid s that the ship was merely a there to deliver a new ambassador to the Troodontid capital and to ensure his safe passage to the planet. The Troodontid senators on the ground were taken by surprise as it was the thing the expected least. Now everything had to be quick, preparations for welcoming him had to be made within the few minutes till the ambassador would reach them. Quickly a squad of androids was assembled to great the newcomer accompanied by several major senators.
In space the senator meanwhile left the capital ship together with two ASP fighters as wingmen. It took them only a few minutes to cross the solar system. The shuttle touched ground at the same time, the Troodontids had finally finished setting up the welcome committee. As hoped the landing itself was without complications, and the Troodontids welcomed the arriver as openly and friendly as they could. The ambassador Proctor also appeared to be open and friendly, giving the Troodontids hope that the assassination wouldn't to hamper the relations in future.

Showing the ambassador around
Ambassador's Arrival 2

President Draicon shows Raptura to ambassador Proctor

President Draicon arrived at the pad soon later. The shuttle and the fighters had already left again, but the ambassador and the few senators hadn't left for the senate yet. This gave the president the chance to greet the ambassador himself and to exchange some words with him before the official introduction would happen. He took Proctor aside and lead him out onto the one of the kilometer high, shielded walkways that covered the higher layers of Raptura. There he offered to show him around and lead him towards the senate rather than using a portal to get there. Due to obligation Proctor agreed even though he definitely wasn't happy about staying in the constant rain longer than he needed to.
Leading him between the between the skyscrapers Draicon quickly began to talk about the matter he truly came there. He informed the ambassador as detailed as possible about the investigations, however he didn't mention the failure of the surveillance to prevent the ambassador from worrying. He also informed the ambassador about the security protocol for Proctor.
After that Draicon seized the opportunity to actually show the city to Proctor to impress him. Though the rain ruined it a bit as both politicians clothes were soaked with rain water even though they had been protected against it, Draicon considered it still a success as Proctor was visibly impressed upon realizing the actual size and scale of the city that rivaled even the biggest core world city planets.

The month is reaching its end, but during the last few days of Ianuarius, something unexpected happens. The Imperials have once again send an ambassador. This time unannounced...

Surprise Ambassador
Ambassador's Arrival 1

Troodontid ships circle the Star Destroyer vigilantly

The Imperial Star Destroyer appeared out of nowhere, right on the border of the Solaris system. There the massive warship sat, silently and patiently waiting for the Troodontids to react. It flew right on the border of the defensive grid, just close enough to look menacing, while not risking itself to be destroyed or affected by the Troodontid defenses.

Troodontid Officer 1 - We picked up the signature of a ship near the perimeter.
Troodontid Officer 2 - What kind of ship ? One of ours, I suppose.
Troodontid Officer 1 - No, it's a different design. The sensors identify it as an Imperial Star Destroyer. The Imperials are here.
Troodontid Officer 2 - But how ? None of our border sensors have picked up any signs of alien ships.
Troodontid Senior Officer - This is problematic. Are you sure that there is no sign of it before it arrived here ? Is there a blind spot in our defense. We need to conduct an extensive inquiry. But more importantly, the senate has to be informed

The message spread like a wildfire, within minutes all major members of the Troodontid government were informed.

Oslid - There we have it. That comes from dealing with the Empire. Now they have a star destroyer within striking range.
Abscondite senator - Exactly most likely they have come to attack.
Oslid - We have to act quickly before they can get in firing range. Attack them!
Vesnar - Oslid, don't be foolish. Why should they ? Maybe they want to do their own examinations on the recent act of terror. It was one of their people after all.
Oslid - They would say so, but in fact they plan an invasion. You Pro-Imperials would gladly surrender this planet to the Empire.
Vesnar - Would we ? Just because we can't deny their influence and hide inside our shells like you, it doesn't mean that we are traitors.
Draicon - Stop right there. No yelling. You can blame each other once there is a regular senate meeting. But not now. This is a crisis meeting as you might have noticed. I deem it unlikely they will attack. The Imperial ships are stronger than ours, but they can't hope to penetrate our defenses with only a single ship.
Vesnar - Exactly. Furthermore we are allies.
Draicon - I don't have to illusion that our alliance with the Imperials is more than talking. They could be here to declare war or to sever our alliance. But we can't attack them now. Under all circumstances we have been shown that a war against the Empire is something we want least. We wouldn't survive.
Thor - As sad as it is, it is true. We are unable to put up a long fight against a navy that big ad that powerful. Our planetary shields would keep us safe from their bombardment for a while, but not forever. We can't allow a war against them.
Oslid - Send the Super Dreadnought. They will loose any willingness to wage war as soon as they see it.
Vesnar - This could be seen as a provocation.
Draicon - Indeed. we will send ships. But we will show humility. We will send some small ships.

The frigates soon reached the destroyer soon afterwards.

Captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer - Greetings, I'm Agnotior from the Galactic empire. I am the captain of the Perdor. I am here to ensure the safe passage of ambassador Proctor.

The transmission appeared inside the center of the senate as an over-life size hologram.

Draicon - This is surprising. We are feeling honored by this second chance. The perimeter defenses will be let down in a few moments and your ambassador has free passage to Raptura. Our fighters will show you the path through the mine field.
Captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer - Good, Proctor will arrive soon. He is currently on his way to the shuttle. Expect his arrival in a few minutes. Agnotior out.
Draicon - Good, we have some minutes before he gets here. get the preperations ready. Try to buy us as much time as possible. We have to leave a fantastic first impression, otherwise we might be doomed. The leaders of all political parties with more than five seats here, get to the landing pad now, the others help me setting up everything here.

Android Guards were send to the landing pad instantly, the senators followed some minutes later. In space the senator meanwhile left the capital ship together with two ASP fighters as wingmen. It took them only a few minutes to cross the solar system. The shuttle touched ground at the same time, the Troodontids had finally finished setting up the welcome committee.
The exit of the shuttle opened. A Libertus stepped out. Not a particularly tall exemplar, but still more than three times bigger than even the biggest Troodontid. Clothing and color wise the ambassador also looked rather average, brown feathers with reddish taint covered his body. On his head he wore a hat that identified him as a member of the Imperial ambassadors.
The Troodontids stepped forward. Both the Troodontids and the ambassador bowed at the same time, recognizing each other as equals. This was unusual for an outsider especially for an Imperial one. Most of the times these deemed themselves as much more important and valuable than the tiny and young Troodontids. This was a good sign.

Vesnar - Greetings and welcome to Raptura. Me and my colleagues *he shot a fiery look at Oslid* are honored that you came here.
Proctor - Kalos Mercu and thank you. I am also honored to be here and to learn more about your culture. My name is Proctor.
Vesnar - Good, we will lead you to the senate soon, first we would like to introduce ourselves.

The senator smiled. It seemed like there rally wouldn't that much of a blockade between their civilizations after the tragedy.

Showing the ambassador around
Ambassador's Arrival 2

President Draicon shows Raptura to ambassador Proctor

President Draicon arrived at the pad soon later. The shuttle and the fighters had already left again, but the ambassador and the few senators hadn't left for the senate yet. This gave the president the chance to greet the ambassador himself and to exchange some words with him before the official introduction would happen.

Draicon - Kalos Mercu, ambassador. Welcome on our humble home world. I am President Draicon, current leader of the Troodontid Empire. I am sorry I arrived a bit late, but I was kept from coming instantly by some important topics. Would you mid going for a small walk?
Proctor - Sure, Why not ?
Draicon - Good. I would like to show you around a bit before we go to the senate.
Proctor - In this horrible rain ? Nevermind, these clothes should keep me dry for a while and I would love to see your city a bit more.
Draicon - Well, well, that horrible rain. *he chuckles* I guess you hav eto get used to it. It is the biggest flaw this planet has, I don't think you would ever see the city if you would wait for the rain to stop. This rain is indirectly caused by this city. Please follow me.

The two walked along a one kilometer high pathway between the massive skyscrapers of the city. Most of them exceeded their height by several kilometers more.

Proctor - Interesting. I don't see any buildings smaller than two kilometers in this city. Is every city here like this or just the capital ? I'm sorry that I have to ask, but I couldn't see it from my shuttle, the clouds made it impossible to see the surface.
Draicon - Yes and no. there is only this city. This city covers one hundred percent of the planets surface. But you have a keen eye sight. No, in this sector no building is smaller than approximately two kilometers. But I haven't put you in the rain just to talk about buildings. The reason why I brought you here is because we can talk without being watched or overheard.
Proctor - I guess it is because of the unlucky fate of predecessor, right ?
Draicon - Partially. We are deeply sorry for his death and that of his crew. We do everything to find the guilty ones and will put them on trial for it. However the investigations are problematic. The platform has been rigged, but we don't know by whom. We are not even sure about the explosives, they were probably be not even of Troodontid origin. Our surveillance has been destroyed by ion radiation that might be released by the explosion, but could also have been caused by a different, maybe even natural event. All in all we haven't gotten very far and increased vigilance is necessary. As such you have to be protected the entire time. You will always carry a personal shield generator in case someone should fire a weapon at you. You should refrain any contact with Troodontid civilians as long as none of the androids we assign to you are nearby. You can pick any android you want, I would personally suggest Super Warriors, the serves as the sentinels for senators as well.
Proctor - Thank you. Is it really necessary. If the assassin would still be on the planet, he would have taken me out when I landed. Is it really necessary to guard me all the time.
Draicon - I'm afraid yes. At least till we got some more information n the killer. Now we have reached the Government sector. There, in the distance you can see the senate. It is hard to miss. It is the tallest building in this area and uniquely shaped to set it apart from the rest of the buildings. In this area the architecture gets a bit more interesting and I hope you will like it

The president continued showing the ambassador around till they reached the senate building. Their cloths were now soaked wet, but it could still be considered a success.

Proctor - A truly impressive city you have here. Such views are rare, even in the core worlds.

Martex, 04 NE[]

To assemble a fleet[]

The Troodontid civilization is one of the most mysterious ones. Hardly anyone has ever visited their territory in the furthest part of the Unknown Regions, even less have returned from there to share the secrets they hold. One thing is clear, if you search for an obedient army or an advanced fleet you are at the right place there.

- Excerpt of the Encyclopedia of Cyrannus
Shipyard Tour
AssemblingFleet1

View over the Rapturan Shipyards

The meeting and greeting of the Imperial ambassador had been finished, even though the welcoming ceremony took long into the night. Bleary-eyed the politicians went home to get some sleep. In the constant darkness cast by the thick rain clouds above the planet, it wouldn't e too hard to sleep through several hours of the morning. But neither Draicon nor Proctor had the option. They had already agreed on doing a sight-seeing tour through the most major structures of Raptura.
Two hours later the President met the ambassador on the doorstep to the building that served as Imperial embassy. The Troodontid still looked tired and worn, while the Libertus had recovered very well. Though their bodies are much smaller, Troodontids need more energy to survive, a day without sleep like the last one was far more power-draining for them than to the more efficient Capricornians. Nevertheless Draicon smiled as Proctor came out and greeted him friendlily. Then he revealed his plans for the day. They would visit the planet's most notable showplace, the orbital shipyard rings that produced the majority of the Troodontid fleet.
Proctor at first thought Draicon was joking as he hadn't seen any sign of the promised massive orbital rings when he came to the planet. Draicon in return wasn't too pleased about the diplomats disbelief and distrust of the Troodontid abilities. With a single hand movement the teleporters sprang into action and shifted the two onto the space station. The Libertus who still grinned stepped towards the large windows and looked out. He instantly jumped back as he realized the president hadn't made a joke. Below the ambassador there was nothing. Far below massive thunderstorms and clouds were visible, but just enough to make it clear where they were located. With a shocked expression the ambassador turned around and asked for an explanation why he hadn't seen the rings when his shuttle flew towards Raptura. Draicon in return was pleased by the ambassador's reaction as it revealed he had managed to impress him. Quickly he answered the Imperial's question and explained that the rings were protected by a massive stealth field in order to prevent them from becoming the primary target of aggressors.
Then he started to show the Imperial around, presenting the different stages of Troodontid ship building to him. In the end Proctor was even more shocked and realized that the Troodontids had once again been underestimated.

Gladiator-Class Light Destroyer
AssemblingFleet2

Draicon shows Proctor the new design

The next day, Draicon showed up on the embassy's door step again, this time to show Proctor something different. They both teleported to the research department of the Troodontid military. Moving up into one of the high security floors, Draicon revealed his intentions to Proctor. The Troodontid had not shown the ship yards to him without reason, they actually had started to plan spaceships for the Empire's war, specifically ones that were usable against ships of the Imperial State. The one the president had in mind was called "Gladiator-cclass Light Destroyer" and would theoretically serve as low cost, easy to construct light star destroyer that could be used to greatly reinforce the Imperial lines against State attacks. While not capable of battling against a fleet on its own, the design was durable enough to survive even severe damage and fast enough to retreat without problems. Though there were still some flaws, the Troodontid scientists were proud of their new spaceship and decided the time was ready to reveal it to the Empire. Proctor was taken by surprise once again and agreed on giving the Troodontids the necessary plans to continue on their plans.

The Troodontid civilization is one of the most mysterious ones. Hardly anyone has ever visited their territory in the furthest part of the Unknown Regions, even less have returned from there to share the secrets they hold. One thing is clear, if you search for an obedient army or an advanced fleet you are at the right place there.

- Excerpt of the Encyclopedia of Cyrannus
Shipyard Tour
AssemblingFleet1

View over the Rapturan Shipyards

The meeting and greeting of the Imperial ambassador had been finished, even though the welcoming ceremony took long into the night. Bleary-eyed the politicians went home to get some sleep. In the constant darkness cast by the thick rain clouds above the planet, it wouldn't e too hard to sleep through several hours of the morning. But neither Draicon nor Proctor had the option. They had already agreed on doing a sight-seeing tour through the most major structures of Raptura.
Two hours later the President met the ambassador on the doorstep to the building that served as Imperial embassy. The Troodontid still looked tired and worn, while the Libertus had recovered very well. Though their bodies are much smaller, Troodontids need more energy to survive, a day without sleep like the last one was far more power-draining for them than to the more efficient Capricornians. Nevertheless Draicon smiled as Proctor came out and greeted him friendlily.
Draicon - Kalos Mercu, ambassador.
Proctor - Kalos Mercu, president. It really seems like this was a hard night for you. But since you are here, I guess you want to continue the program any way ?
Draicon - Indeed. I have something special planed for you today. We are going to visit the heart of our power, the orbital shipyard rings of Raptura.
Proctor - Orbital shipyard rings? There were no shipyards in your orbit yesterday, let alone rings. I would have seen them from space, wouldn't I.
Draicon - If you think so, it must be true. Still I insist that you come with me Proctor - Yes, yes, I will follow you, but why do you try to hoax me with something as obvious as this.
Draicon - You will see.

The president reached out and pressed a button next to the doorstep. Blinding blue lights activated, making it impossible to tell the surrounding. then suddenly the lights vanished. The street had vanished as well, just like the rest of the scenery that had been around them. They had been moved to a new location that couldn't be more different from the rainy streets of Raptura. The area was large, but not built for species apart from Troodontids. The ceiling was low and Proctor would hit his head if he jumped up.

Draicon - Sorry, as you can see this is a meeting room. It wasn't designed for anyone apart from Troodontids. Not even guards are allowed in here. Normally there wouldn't be a teleportation link as well, but I ordered the portal block to be deactivated for some minutes so that I could give you a proper tour.
Proctor - Tour through what ?
Draicon - If you still don't believe me, look out of the window. See it with your own eyes.

Proctor turned around and indeed, one side of the room was made entirely of the invisible barriers that served the Troodontids as windows. He stepped forward and instantly made a step backwards again. The Troodontid hadn't lied. They were on an orbital structure. Another more cautious view revealed more details of the massive structure. Shimmering black and grey, the shipyards were covered in hundreds of ships that were repaired, build and deconstructed. Small androids flew past the window at high speeds, slower, bigger ones followed them. Each one headed for a specific task, everything was coordinated, everything went to the right place.
Far more menacing however was the view that Proctor could see below him. Massive thunderstorms hit the higher atmospheres of the planet, cloud formations were created and cracked every second. The view of the climate catastrophe from above was shocking and beautiful at the same time.
Slowly the Libertus turned back towards the president.

Proctor - But how could I miss this when I first arrived ?
Draicon - You didn't really believe the empire was the only one that has advanced cloaking devices. These two rings are entirely engulfed in a cloaking field that make them nigh impossible to detect, especially if you aren't aware of it. Its only a simple safety measure, but it seems to be effective after all.
Proctor - And these things are huge. How could you hide them for so long ? How could the core worlds not notice this ?
Draicon - The Core worlds don't like competition, they prefer to claim to be he only ones with power and would prefer it if it staid this way. Spotting megastructures not made by them or their ancestors wouldn't do much good on this behalf. They don't even look for stuff like this other than to get military information.
Proctor I guess you might be right about that.

The two started their tour through the shipyard, looking at the thousands of ships that were constructed at the moment, presenting the different stages of Troodontid ship building. In the end Proctor was even more shocked and realized that the Troodontids had once again been underestimated.

Gladiator-Class Light Destroyer
AssemblingFleet2

Draicon shows Proctor the new design

The next day, Draicon showed up on the embassy's door step again, this time to show Proctor something different. They both teleported to the research department of the Troodontid military. Moving up into one of the high security floors, Draicon revealed his intentions to Proctor.

Draicon - I think you should have guessed that I didn't show you the shipyards without a reason. And in here lays the reason why.
Proctor - Actually I didn't think so far, I thought you simply wanted to shock me and present your value
Draicon - I can't deny that for once, but our alliance is nothing more than words saved inside databases and a handful of ships patrolling the borders. We decided that it would be better if we could extend the collaboration. As you have seen we are capable of producing ships in large numbers with little effort. We additionally aren't the worst ship designers either. We have been secretly working on a plan of a new ship for your navy. It was a bit different to work on ships suited for organics, but in the end we are quite pleased with our end result.
Proctor - I think I know what you want to tell me, but I am not sure if it's a good idea. We can produce a lot of ships on our own and don't really need your help on that.

The Troodontid however had already moved forwards and opened a data file that was called "Program Gladiator". A hologram of the ship designs popped up, revealing the ships design in detail.
The ship itself wasn't too impressive. It was about a kilometer in length, triangular in shape. The front was slightly split, large armed wings that had been curved forwards were visible on the side. The front was built for quick fighter deployment, the engine bay for speed. In the end it could be described as not usual, but also not remarkable.

Draicon - This is what we call the Vaasrad Light Destroyer, or how it would be named under your service Gladiator Light Destroyer.
Proctor - Still, it doesn't really convince me.
Draicon - Well, you haven't heard everything yet. The ship was designed specifically for this conflict. like the Imperial State designed their ships to counter yours, we designed this to counter theirs. Based upon the data transmitted form our own fights with the Imperial State, we have been working on figuring out how to beat their Centurion-Class Destroyers. Their firepower is tremendous and they are capable of simply cutting through equally sized ships. However it also comes at a prize, we suspect their shields to be weaker than what you would expect from their technological standard. They simply have to move most of their energy to the weapons to perform at highest efficiency and defeat the enemy before they can even get through the weakened shields. This sadly can't be really changed, so a ship would be necessary that can evade most fire while having powerful enough shields to withstand the blasts that hit them. Albeit we designed this beauty. It has a much higher sub-light speed than the Imperator-Class and the Centurion-Class, making it much harder to hit for weapons. Their shields are ours, so combined with your energy sources they could withstand more damage than a ship of either of our fleets with comparable size. If we add Imperial weapon technology to it, they could also have enough fire power to destroy larger ships. Additionally most of the ship is still controlled by AIs, so they need only a third as much personal as one of your star destroyers. We could give you about 500 of them within the one and a half months, you can take them to the core and you can then give them a test run. If you like them and they proofed effective against your enemies we can then mass-produce them and give you even more of them.
Proctor - I think you convinced me. It might indeed be a good idea to let you produce some ships for us. Do you need anything form us for this ?
Draicon - Yes, we need to know about both your reactor components and your weapons if you don't want to build them yourself.

Proctor - That should be doable.

Grand Invasion[]

Imperial intelligence has revealed that the Imperial State has decided to take care of the Troodontids once and for all. They have planned an invasion on the Northern territories with the plan of quickly taking out the Troodontids Core Worlds. However the Imperial ambassador got message from his government and warns the Troodontids about the incoming attack. Ready to turn the State's attack into a slaughter and send their powerful armada to crush them before they can get a foot into Troodontid territory.

True slaughter
Grand Invasion 1

Troodontid ships engaged in a massive battle over Druutsia

The commanding AIs of several battleship and hundreds of supply ships together rendezvoused above the Troodontid storage world Druutsia. The defensive fleet had been greatly reduced since the government had pulled most of the defenses from the Southern territories to prepare the "reception" for the Imperial State. Hopes were high to land a devastating blow against the enemy. Based upon the intelligence the military advisors had gained from the Imperials, the battle was hoped to be both quick and destructive. a considerable portion of the State fleet had been send, destroying them meant that the war might be over very soon.
Accordingly cheerful were the AIs that were left on the other worlds. While some were arrogant, others vicious, they also were selfish and in no way morons. They knew that a prolonged war against an advanced enemy could not only mean the destruction of their ships, but also immense problem amongst themselves. Like their masters, they would prefer to end the war sooner than later and to stay out of it for the most part.
The AIs over Druutsia were especially happy since they were located far away from any danger. Only far less advanced civilizations lived in the sector. Most were left alone, but those who dared to confront the Troodontids were driven back to their worlds. That was more than enough to fulfill the blood thirst of the AIs and safer than attacking an advanced civilization.
The AIs did get an unpleasant surprise that day. In midst their happy chatter, signals popped up on their radars. Enemy ships had entered the area. And not any enemy. The State forces that were expected in the North had actually made their way around the Troodontid territory and had come to the South. Hundreds of enemy vessels jumped out of hyperspace.
The few Troodontid defense forces started to fire at them, but the State's forces were outnumbering them by far. Red bolts of plasma fired by the massive turbolaser batteries on the decks of the destroyers bombarded the shields of the larger Troodontid ships. They returned fire with hundreds of cannons emplaced all over the enormous hull of the battleships. The Koios Transporters in return tried to escape the battle as good as possible while deploying fighters, but unlike the though Siraust Battleships, they were easy prey for the enemy.
Only a minority of fighters could be deployed before the bombers managed to blow up hangar after hangar. The shields of the bulbous giants held of most of the fire, but more and more turbolaser blasts got through and impacted the hulls. Explosions shook the giants as one after the other exploded in massive blasts of fire. Some tried to escape, but the destroyers retaining beams prevented them from going to the necessary speeds.
the Battleships in return tried to take on the destroyers, but they were too few. the destroyers fired their deadly projectiles at them, slowly draining the shields from them. The main cannons of the battleships tried to lock onto the enemy ships, but they were too fats and too mobile most of the time. None remained in front of them long enough to be hit by the Death rays.
Soon only wrecks and broken space stations that crashed onto the planet's surface remained of the defensive forces, the Troodontids had left there.

Ground Invasion
Grand Invasion 2

State ships deploy countless tanks on the surface of Druutsia

The smaller State ships started to descend to the planet's surface. Taking space meant nothing when facing Troodontids, the ground was the more important battle ground against them. Massive ramps came out of the lower parts of the ships, allowing the tanks and troopers to leave in countless numbers.
Troodontid artillery fired back, taking out several of the landed ships, but that success was short-lived. More ships landed, more troops were deployed. The laser turrets on the ships, started to target the artillery, destroying one after the other once the yhad gotten out of the protective shields. The icy temperatures and strong winds made it near impossible for both sides to gain any ground, fire fights were over within seconds. For the moment the Troodontid forces had the better position, being located inside their bunkers and defensive positions, save form the sight hindering storms and the slippery ice shields. The State troops however didn't have it as good. They had to make their way to the Troodontid holdouts. The troopers soon were forced to get back to their carriers, even their heated armor and natural resistance couldn't make up for the hostility the planet threw at them. The tanks alone were much easier targets however and after several of them were lost to the long ranged cannons and artillery of the Troodontids, they also turned around.
Inside their bunkers the androids were surprised how easily the invasion had been fought back. The underground reinforcement were slowly brought up, but not hasty.
Troodontid star fighters that had been stored inside the colony sprung into action and started their attack runs on the retreating forces. However that was the one mistake that decided the battle. Without the aerial dominance in the sector of the colony, the State's fighters could launch their attack. Deployed from the destroyers in eth orbit, fighters and bombers started their attack. The anti-air defenses first seemed enough to protect the majority of the positions, but then a well-fired bomb ended the battle abruptly. The bomb hit the main shield generator. As it exploded it started a chain reaction. the sudden power overload caused the other shield generators to overheat and fail as well. The powerful Troodontid shield that once protected the planet went down. This was the opportunity the destroyers had waited for. Relentless turbolaser fire maimed the colony, leaving only ruins and a handful of androids behind. The fire melted the entrance to the underground sectors, sealing them and locking the reinforcements below the surface. The imperial State now had a door to the inner Troodontid territories.

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