Exploring a brave new world

[MikDaTv]

*The Argus exeted hyperspace over the planet of Sarvchi. It's hyperdrive began it's cool down procedure and the main engines powered up.*

[Keldon] "Where are we?

[Navigator] "435 lightyears from our last jump point. looks like we found a complete hyperspace route."

[Keldon] "Log it and attach any relevant sensor files. Put us in a high orbit of that planet there and begin doing sensor sweeps of the surface."

*The helmsman complied with his orders and put the Argus in it's orbit. Little did Keldon or his crew know however, a Republic satellite was also in orbit. The spy drone locked on to the new contact on it's sensors, took a few light readings and a picture and hypercommed it to the nearest republic ship, which at this time just happened to be the RNS Galactica.*

[MikDaTv]

*Keldon watched the streams of data flow down the holographic viewer in front of him. The data pertained to the planet below them. All the sensor data the Argus could collect was being stored in the ships computers.*

[Helm] "Sensor sweeps completed over 85% of the planets surface."

"Good good, keep me informed of any problems. Once those sensor sweeps are complete drop a nav buoy and take us back to the mouth of that hyperlane we just found. We'll head back and report our findings."

[Navigator] "Shipmaster, do you want me to program into the nav buoy?"

"Mark this site as possible location for colonization. That will make the Leadership cast back home happy."

[MikDaTv]

*The RNS Galactica exited hyperspace over the planet Sarvchi. Nearly immediately her shields went up but her weapons stayed offline.*

[Helm] "Jump complete, hyperdrive cooling down"

*Captain Walton analyzed the system the sensors were feeding to his command chair. The long range sensors hadn't picked anything up yet.*

"Put Galactica just outside of high orbit. Launch Dragoons and begin a Victor Sierra search pattern. Put fighters on alert status but don't launch them yet. We don't know anything about this ship so stay on the alert. I want all sensor contacts logged, even if you think it's just an echo or residual energy signal."

*A chorus of acknowledgments rang all around the bridge. Captain Walton sat back in his chair and waited for the reports to come in.*

[MikDaTv]

[Helm master] "Shipmaster, a new ship has entered the system. It's... it's huge! about 1,500 meters long. She's activated energy shields... much stronger then our own."

*Keldon stood up and approached the main holo display.*

"Show me."

*The image on the hologram changed from a surface view of the planet to a zoomed in view of the Galactica.*

"Gods... what a beast. What species could create such a... such an ugly box of a ship."

[Helm Master] "Our sensor data confirms she's much more heavily armed then us, but she only has one hypermatter reactor powering the whole ship, with a few secondary power generators for smaller systems."

"A ship that big with such a wide spread power distribution can't be very fast. Has it seen us yet?"

[Helm Master] "Negative Shipmaster, the vessel has made no attempt to intercept us or made any move towards us at all for that matter."

*Keldon sat back down in his command chair and used his control pad to shift the image on the hologram to a forward view.*

"Bring us about and towards the ship. Such a powerful vessel... they'd make powerful allies, and possibly they represent access to navigational data that can help us in expansion."

[Helm Master] "How shall i make my approach."

"Slow and carefully. Make the traditional approach of respect. Gun ports open with all shields forward."

[Helm Master] "as you command shipmaster."

[MikDaTv]

[Sensor Officer] "New Contact! Relative bearing zero three four mark two niner. Inbound on our location at high speed."

*Captain Walton transfered sensor data to his command chairs monitor and had a look.*

"That thing is the size of a corvette... but look at it's speed. amazing. Only thing i've seen match it is the Raptor class."

[Sensor Officer] "Captain, she's approaching with gun ports open and all shields forward."

"Charge turbolasers and load torpedo tubes, but don't open fire. Not until they do."

[Weapons officer] "Captain, weapons are having a hard time locking on. something about that ships skin is giving the sensors trouble with a firm subsystem lock."

"Get the best firing solutions you can, but again, don't open fire yet, wait for my order."

[Weapons officer] "Aye aye Captain."

[Odan Thos]

Wyvern sat in the cockpit of his Y-35 looking at the screen for the words launch to appear. He did not know what was going on outside his own fighter and whatever he could pick up over the ship communication channel. He pushed a button and opened a channel to his wingman.

"Sparta, Myrmidon. What do you think this is about?"

Wyverns wingman was Helen Kai, callsign Sparta, was a Twi-Lak that had joined the Union of the Force around the same time as he did. It just happen they ended up that she would become his wingman, saving his tail on several occasion. She was the voice of reasons in many ways.

[Sparta] "I think they are going to eventually cancel the alert; like usual. It is pretty standard to have us on alert when we enter a system."

Wyvern lowered his head. He had hoped to do some real flying, the simulator was really getting tiresome. Helen may not have been able to see him lower his head, but it was easily displayed by his disappointed voice.

"Wyvern knows. He just wises for more action. This sitting around is the worse thing for him."

Helen agreed to the comment, but suggested he do a systems check. In a way it was to get Wyvern's mind off the possibility that he would have to get out of the cockpit again without even taking off. Wyvern did as Helen suggested and started to check his systems. It helped him get his mind of the lack of action and he once again caught himself staring at the screen for the word launch to appear.

[MikDaTv]

*Dragoon 176 watched the alien vessel approach. It's blistering speed amazed Wizard and his copilot, but they stayed on it with little trouble. The Dragoon's stealth systems allowed it to get in close.*

[Wizard] "What you think? launch a sensor drone?"

[Copilot] "yeah, maybe we can get a little more data on that things sub systems if we can get the drone closer to that skin thats causing sensor interference."

[Wizard] "Ok, one sensor drone loaded into the tube... firing..."

[MikDaTv]

[Helm Master] "Launch Launch! An Alien vessel has just launched some kind of missile at us."

"From where?"

[Helm Master] "Shipmaster, it appears that they have a stealth ship out there somewhere. It was illuminated for a short time when it launched the missile."

"Evasive maneuvers! spin up the hyperdrive and prepare to make the jump to hyperspace."

[Weapons Master] "Shipmaster, we are in perfect attack position shall i fire? I've already charged the cannons."

"You what! Do you know what you've done? They'll take that as a sign that we're preparing to attack."

[Weapons Master] "Aren't we?"

"No you fool, we're going to run. Bring us about, find that hyperlane and make the jump."

[MikDaTv]

[Wizard] "uh oh. Looks like it didn't like that."

[Copilot] "She's coming about! Get us out of here.!"

*It was to late, the Argus turned, nearly on a dime, and accelerated. Her new coarse put the Dragoon directly in her way. It was all over in a few seconds. The dragoon was wreckage in space and a black blotch on the nose of the alien ship.*

[MikDaTv]

[Sensor officer] "We just lost Dragoon 176! The alien ship rammed her."

"Was it an accident?"

[Sensor officer] "I don't think so Captain, her weapons are charging and preparing to fire."

"Launch Alert fighters and get a second wave in the tubes. Target enemy ship, aim for the engines and fire torpedo's."

[Weapons officer] "Still can't get a hard lock captain."

"Best guess then. fire, but try not to destroy her. I want to find out why she's attacking."

[Odan Thos]

Wyvern seen the blinking launch command come across his screen. It was a self-propelled launch, meaning he needed to be combat ready when he left the tube. He turned on his combat communication channel with Sparta.

"This is Myrmidon, Launching."

Wyvern pushed the throttle down, not to maximum thrust, but three quarters power. The reason he went with three quarters rather then maximum thrust was because Helen physically could not handle that much power, and she had to be able to keep up with him. As Wyvern cleared the tube, so did Helen.

"Form up. Four fifths power and shield double front. Arm your concussion missiles and we well designate targets when we get close."

[Sparta] "Copy that Myrmidon. Lets show these guys how to fly."

The element of two Y-35 headed towards the unknown corvette, Wyvern hopped that it only had ray shields and navigation shields. That would mean there missiles could be effective. As he flew towards the target he tried to adjusting his targeting computer to get a lock on critical systems, but he just kept getting a static. It was as if the ship was admitting some jamming signal which screwed with his targeting systems. He realize he would have to do it the old fashion way.

[MikDaTv]

[Helm Master] "They've attacked. They've launched missiles of some kind at us and smaller ships have been launched from her."

"it didn't have to be like this. Prepare for battle, bring us about. we can't open a hyperspace gate while we're under attack."

[Helm Master] "incoming!"

*Turbolaser blasts streaked past the nose of the Argus, missing by meters. The next wave missed to. The maneuverability of the Argus was just to much for the Galactica's gunners. Then the third wave struck home. Three turbolaser blasts slammed into her forward section.*

[Engine Master] "Shipmaster, the damage was severe. Forward sections are venting atmosphere, but the skin is adapting to the energy weapons. They should do less damage next time."

[MikDaTv]

[Sensor officer] "They've moved into an attack posture. Coming right at us. Weapon impacts have damaged her forward hull but her skin is changing. On a molecular level, her skin is morphing."

"For what purpose?"

[Sensor officer] "Unknown, but i'd guess it's adapting to our weapons. She's firing weapons!"

"Brace for impact!"

[MikDaTv]

[Comms officer] "Incoming signal. its a distress call from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. They're under attack by sith forces."

"Bring us about, all power to the hyperdrive, plot us the shortest coarse coreward and get us to Coruscant on the double. recal the alert fighters and keep the ones in the tube ready for launch as soon as we enter the Coruscant system."

*The RNS Galactica shifted coarse and jumped to hyperspace, leaving the Argus behind, it's crew puzzled.*
__________________________________________________________

*Keldon paced the bridge. it was strange that the alien ship would just up and leave. they were doing minimal damage to it, yet it ran away. The surprise move spiked Keldon's curiosity.*

"Helm, set coarse. Follow that craft..."