Chapter 17: Uncharted space

Uncharted space; 29 parsecs to the North-east of AUR's space; UTCF Darkest Hour

"Leaving warp space on 3, 2, 1." The soft tremble of the 6 km long Pacific-class flagship leaving warp space was barely noticeable through its multiple decks. Around the ship several destroyers, cruisers, light cruisers and frigates appeared alongside a few dreadnoughts and began to converge around the behemoth on defensive wolf packs, the small fleet (to UTC standards) began to scan down the system looking for anything useful for the UTC and its allies. Minerals, fuel, eezo, even habitable planets if they have luck.

"Anomaly detected," but they weren't ready for what they will find.

"What is it?" Asked Rear Admiral David Schultz as he walked in the CIC as he received a data pad from a crewman and a coffee from the yeoman, thanking her he took his place on the galaxy map while rapidly reading the information displayed on the datapad.

"We've detected a strange object on the system," say Kiyo, the ship's AI as she materialized on front of the console at the right side of the galaxy map. "From what we got from the preliminary scans is of artificial construction," David sipped from his coffee as he gave the data pad to the same crew man that was waiting for him.

"Something else?" He sipped again.

"No sir."

"Order the fleet to halt and send a frigates' wolf pack to investigate, and tell them to send that thing to oblivion if turns to be hostile."

"Yes, sir." She bowed deeply before disappearing, David sipped a few times while changing the galaxy map to a tactical screen of the system, sipping again he supported himself on the railing with his forearms while looking at the wolf pack of six frigates leaving the main fleet and heading to the small anomaly, a few tense minutes later he saw the anomaly sign turn green before disappearing, muttering a 'thank god' he sipped from the hot liquid again.

"We got the report from the scans sir," he made a 'go on' sign with his free hand without separating the mug from his lips. "The scans shows that the artifact is indeed from artificial origin and from what they saw is very old, going from seventy years to a century and a half-"

"That's a lot of time." Muttered David.

"-but the thing that the captains found interesting was a small data cache that was stored on a separated data disk with a small solar panel providing energy only to it."

"Definitely interesting, if whoever launched this put a data disk with its own generator then they wanted someone to find it," he paused for a few seconds. "They got the data?"

"It took a little of EVA work, but yes. Right now the linguistic AIs on the fleet are trying to decipher the language, sir. And actually I'm providing 35% of my unused processing power to one of them."

"Be careful with that," said David as he ordered with the galaxy map to the fleet to reassume original orders. "Anyway, inform me when they-" Kiyo interrupted him.

"They already did it; apparently my processing power was very useful." She stated with a victorious grin.

"Ok," The Rear Admiral replied with an exasperated sigh. "What they got?" he asked looking at the tactical map as the fleet separated again through the system, the dreadnoughts still keeping a defensive perimeter around the flagship.

"Mmh," Kiyo eyes opened like plates as she eyed the data. "My god," she whispered aloud.

"What is it?" Asked David raising an eyebrow.

"Sir, what do you know about the pioneer probes?" David raised the other eyebrow but replied nonetheless.

"Some very old probes that the pre-war USA sent to study Jupiter and Saturn, and that also carried a plate with information about the solar system and our species, why?"

"Sir, we found something similar," everyone on the bridge freeze down on place and turned to look at Kiyo with wide open eyes, with one or two jaws hitting the floor.

"Read the data, now!" ordered the officer as he ordered the fleet to reunite again, Kiyo approached her hand to the computer, the action creating a bridge between the other ships so they could trespass data without using their inner processing power.

"Apparently whoever sent this is an avian species called the Raloi, bipedal with a body according to it, strong upper body if the draws are to be believed and with minimal -but very obvious- physical differences between male and female and they're able to fly through short distances. Twelve planets on their system, only two of them rocky, F-class star. Continental-class homeworld with a 27 hours cycle, also there's several indications of how to go to their home system according to different major pulsars in relatively close systems. And yes sir, we've got the coordinates. And according to the data this probe was sent 97 years ago when they were on the equivalent of the early 20th human century."

"Damn, that's a lot of data for a 20th century species, I mean; we used a fucking plate on that time."

"Remember sir that not all species developed at the same speed on all the camps of investigation, as far as I know by that time humanity was having a boom on military technology."

"Damn right, nothing beats a 20th century fighter. Anyway report to FLEETCOM about the situation and our change of the route; also request that they sent the ambassadors." He ordered as he changed to the galaxy map, setting the warp drive for the jump. "Enable directive WD-6," On the back of the ship the massive antimatter container of the flagship electromagnetically separated a small fraction of antimatter from the rest and moved it through pipes to the annihilation chamber, where it found its counterpart and disappeared on a flash of sheer and pure power, said power being condensed and sent through the ship to the warp nodes and the main warp engine, behind the ship the powerful and invisible warp bubble appeared and began to connect itself with the several small bubbles created around the ship by the nodes. Three minutes later the ship was inside the warp bubble.

"Warp bubble is completed, no anomalies detected on the main engine or the nodes. The electromagnetic field around the container is stable."

"Good, are the light cruisers and destroyers attached to the dreadnoughts?"

"Yes, sir." Replied Kiyo with a nod.

"Good, enable WD-7." The main engine and nodes began to receive even more power from the chamber causing the bubble to begin to grow on size.

"Bubbles are beginning to merge, sir," called one of the engineers through the intercom. "All specs are green and within acceptable parameters."

"Roger that, Adams," David replied while breathing to calm down his growing nerves. "Keep me posted in case of any anomaly."

"Understood, sir," the link ended a few seconds before Kiyo confirmed the fusion of the bubbles and the start of the purification of the inside of them.

"Everything is green and within specs, sir. Waiting for your order," David closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, once he opened them they carried a resolve that only men that had seen war were able to carry. "Initiate jump." The view outside of the ship began to distort until it was a plain black, the pass to warp space being silent and unnoticeable as always. Forty five minutes later the ship was leaving warp space on the system, scanning in the exact moment the bubble disappeared.

'Debris?' thought David as he looked at the preliminary scans.

"Several ships detected around the second world near the debris, sir. Possibly of Ralo-" She stopped as her gaze intensified. "All men to battle stations, targets approaching fast and in hostile formation!" The battle horn roared through the ship as several men rushed to their specified consoles, the same being on the rest of the fleet as it took a defensive formation.

"Kiyo what the fuck are you doing!" Roared David feeling indignant.

"Sorry, sir but-"

"But what!"

"The ships are Batarian!" David face fumed with rage as he changed the galaxy map to the tactical one.

"Call FLEETCOM and request immediate reinforcements, is time to teach these scumbags a lesson," His eyes steeled with resolve. "They will not enslave a species on our watch."

And with this, the For Terra book is finished.

Stay tuned for the final chapter (a general codex that will include information that wasnt disclosed on the story) and the next story.

besides, a poll would be on my profile in no time about what said story will be about, so be sure to give your opinion because i will not reply (nor tolerate) any review saying they wanted this or that. because i already notified of said poll.

Also, small change on the last chapter. On the declaration of war from part of the fanatics instead of decades now is centuries