Please do be reminded that I do not own Sins Of A Solar Empire. As far as I know, Stardock owns the official Sins game.
Chapter 1
1
Rear-admiral David Campbell held a file-pad in his hand. Usually, when he didn't wish to write and file mission reports relating to the TDN Normandy, he read past reports. He found that they were enjoyable to read. Especially when they were about his own Dreadnought-class Battle-ship, the Normandy. He was about to take a sip of coffee and touch the 'pad to spin round the page when the klaxon blared and a voice reported the situation over the red-comm – the official emergency inter-comm which wired throughout the ship in every corner – He listened closer.
"Situation Epsilon, code 5094-S, official Fox-Trot situation. This is not a drill, I repeat, not a drill." the young man's voice echoed to repeat his message. Admiral Campbell's training translated it all instantly: Situation Epsilon meant it was a minor occurrence, code 5094-S meant they required him on the bridge, and fox-trot meant that the situation was that a small scout-ship had wandered into the vicinity of the Normandy. He wondered whether it was Vasari or Advent scout-ship. He had bet his good friend, lieutenant William Bridge, a good buck of credits that they would encounter 3 scout-ships of whatever faction on that day. This was indeed the third fox-trot situation today – he had won – He decided to claim his credits later and elevate to the bridge. This was a very useful thing, for his quarters was opposite an elevator which terminated it's 'up ride' at the bridge – and terminated it's 'down ride' at the observation deck – so he could go up and down without walking too far on the ship. The admiral wiped away all thoughts as he stepped into the elevator
The Bridge
The transporter stopped and the door slid open. The officers who were coincidentally in his way immediately stepped out of his way, snapped a sharp salute acknowledged him with 'sir' and let him pass by. The flight deck was long. And the necessary chairs went up in layers on a slope. The dome-like viewing window was was at the foot of the slope, showing off it's holographic sensor screens. Lieutenant Bridge was on the left of him as he sat in his chair.
"You owe me those credits, lieutenant."
"Yes, sir." Mr. Bridge chuckled as he replied.
"Target at 8-O'clock by 2-O'clock. Poising PMC." the computer reported. Using the hour-times of the clock for directions of where the target was had become a popular term used by the computers of capital star-ships. The PMC was a Phase Missile Cannon. Which fired a round which was in phase until it detected a target and passed through it's shields. It then exploded with the force of 2 Hydrogen – the same element that fuelled stars' energy– explosive weapons "Target at 12-O'clock by 12-O'clock. Firing PMC." A flash lit the bridge, and several other corridors and rooms aboard the Normandy, up as the second most powerful Human weapon known to the three factions detonated behind the shields of an enemy scout-ship. "Target neutralised. Resume normal ships' duties." the computer reported. The familiar noise of the bridge – communications and speech failing to reach his ears – cleared through the bridge. He decided to go back to his room and work on his model. He stepped out of his chair and walked into the elevator behind him. After a short trip down, he walked across the corridor and opened the hatch to his quarters. A muffled jolt indicated that the ship had gone into phase and the phase dampeners kicked in to counter it's internal, also meaning deadly, effects. He closed the hatch behind him and walked through the open doorway. He turned right and saw the bed. In the left corner, there was his model. It consisted of a horizontal panel which was black with occasional white dots to represent space. It was a large panel which took up almost half of the room. He had purchased 'build your own' kits for capital ships, cruisers and frigates of the TEC while on leave on Argonev. The shopping centre they had in the capital was remarkable. An open space, ten stories high, ten floors and a cinema. Shops were everywhere where you could see them and where you couldn't see them. His model consisted of three fleets. One was TEC, one was Advent and one was Vasari.
A massive jolt shook the ship. Surely they couldn't have dropped out of Phase already? And even if they had, a jolt that big shouldn't have occurred.
"Bridge." He touched the comm-pad. "What just happened?"
"I don't know, sir. A massive jolt shook the ship, then we dropped out of Phase... wait... I'm detecting ships!" the helmsman, lieutenant Bridge, spoke back through the comm-pad.
"Vasari? Advent?"
"No, sir. These ships aren't like anything I've seen before. They're organically structured." other, minor, shakes occurred; something powerful – usually energy fire causes those shakes – was impacting the shields. "They're firing on us, sir. Readings show they're plasma bursts."
"Return fire. I'll be up there in less than a minute." admiral Campbell immediately left the confines of his quarters and went up to the flight deck. Whoever these people were, they most likely weren't going to be the teddy bears of wherever they were.