"Back at Staff Officer School, they have all these war games and scenarios they throw at you, to see how people deal with command pressure. We used to call the scenarios for alien encounters 'bug levels.'"

"Now here we are, in our first real bug war, and we're the bugs."

Colonel Campbell, late CO of the NACs Indianapolis and Versailles, Post 1st Battle of Willoughby.


Willoughby, Capella System

THS Linea Solaris (Solar class Cruiser)

"(P.A System) All hands, this is the captain! Abandon Ship! I repeat, Abandon Ship!"

Senior Shipmate Pinaria Elvonian flung herself into one of the escape pods, into one of the seats, and pulled down the restraint as the Linea Solaris shook.

They had spent too long gawking at exploding Frisky Motherships before they were jumped by several.

Turian cruisers were rugged but not tough enough to survive taking hits from Mothership Pentrators, even with kinetic barriers.

The Linea shuttered again as another Turian threw themself into the pod and onto a seat before wrestling down the safety restraints.

"We're all in! Launch!"

A dozen Turian crew members, all gripping onto their own restraints in a mixture of fear and apprehension, watched as the escape pod's hatch slammed shut. And then all of them were thrashed around in their sets as the pods exploded outwards from the starboard side of the cruiser and into space.

As over a dozen and a half escape pods jettisoned from the now-burning Turian cruiser, a single Lanky seed ship managed to get within broadside range and unleash another barrage of kinetic penetrators.

One of the penetrators smashes through the poor cruiser, slicing right through like a bullet through a Hanar. Any surviving Turians caught in its way are turned into paste and mist. Said penetrator slams into a rack of disruptor torpedoes.

That was all it was needed as the Linea Solaris, one of hundreds of Turian Solaris class cruisers built to defend the galaxy, detonated with the force a few megatons of TNT, briefly forming a brand new star in the Willoughby system.

Vengeance would come mere seconds later, the Lanky Seedship suffered a direct hit from the ODFS Wellington. A single well-placed Particle Beam shot slammed right into the belly of the Seedship, forming another brief star in the system. When the light died down, the Seedship had a massive gaping hole in its structure.

And it didn't take long for a pair of Hades-G nuclear missiles from the JDS Myoko to find their marks and insert themselves neatly into the wound. Twin nuclear devices initiate and put a bright end to the Lanky Seedship.

The battle rages on. The Citadel ships desperately trying to pull away and fight back, the Lanky Seedships chasing after them, and Human forces conducting their own pursuit.

()

NACs Vancouver (Avenger Class Battlecarrier)

CIC

General Mills felt like swearing as another of the new alien's ships exploded and winked off the display.

"Nova 2 has been destroyed by Sierra 3." a tactical officer reported.

And then the Seedship followed suit.

"Sierra 3 has been destroyed! Wellington nailed it with her P.C., Myoko took it down with her nukes!" the tactical officer commented ecstatically.

6 seedships now remain.

"Ma'am, the unknown battleship is reorienting towards Sierra 15. The remaining cruiser is falling back." the sensor operator reported.

Mills promptly figured out what was happening.

"The flagship is going to sacrifice themself for the rest of the fleet. Idiotic, but honourable. Let's not let that happen just yet." the general mused.

"Sierra 15 and 17 are moving to broadside unknown battleship. Unable battleship firing railguns and kinetics along with torpedoes." the sensor operator responded.

"Then let's give them a hand. Weapons. Bring up particle mounts alpha and beta."

"Aye sir. Energizing coils for mounts alpha and beta." the weapons officer responded.

"You have the conn. Sync with another Avenger and blow those seed ships out of my battlespace." Mill ordered.

"Yes sir. Linking with the Tijuana. Standby…linked. Tijuana reports they have a lock with their cannons."

"Fire at will."

"Yes sir." the weapon officer took a deep breath as the onboard AI slightly nudged the 500,000 ton monster of a ship into a firing position, The Tijuana does the same.

"Really shouldn't have stopped to pick on someone new," the weapons officer hissed.

The Vancouver briefly shudders and two streams of hydrogen atoms are violently accelerated at the speed of light from two different battle carriers.

And both streams rammed right into both Lanky Seedships, violent flashes of light erupted from the monster's motherships and when they dissipated, a third of their hulls/forms were simply gone.

Despite being only a few thousand kilometres from the blast zone and temporarily disoriented, the Turian dreadnought took this opportunity to strike back. It fired it's spinal mass accelerator into the breaches of Sierra 15, followed by a few Disruptor torpedoes and cruiser-grade mass accelerators.

Citadel munitions flew into the jagged holes made by the Vancouver, detonating cutting into Lanky seedship material. Soon enough, the Lanky seedship explodes once more, this time caused by a lucky disruptor torpedo. What was left was reduced to the size of frigates and sent sailing into the unknown.

The other seedship had two nukes shoved through the breach, courtesy of the NACS Anzio area Defence Cruiser's railguns firing kiloton level nuclear shells.

"Hits. Sierria 15 and 17 are no factor! All remaining Lanky Seedships are on the run. Bearing 048 by 175. The range is 120,000 klicks and growing." the sensor operator reported.

"Prepare Orions. Wait until the 1.2 million mark. Let's show these aliens how we handle a Lanky Seedship." Mill smirked.

THV Dominatable Will

Admiral Kandros coughed as the bridge was vented of noxious fumes.

The Dominatable Will had taken a few hits from Frisky penetrators and taken hits to a number of non-critical systems. but all things considered, they had survived a close-range battle with a mothership.

It could be worse, they could all be dead now.

Spirits bless these Aliens for their aid.

"Admiral-" the sensor operator gagged as the still functioning ventilation system sucked up the remains of the smoke. "-Frisky motherships are retreating. Heading out of the system."

"Spirits bless us. And the unknown aliens?" Kandros stared at the holo board.

"Sir, four dreadnaught and several cruiser class vessels are holding positions, beyond spinal accelerator range. Whatever they use, it's got more range their most of our weapons." The sensor operator responded.

"What's their next move?" Kandros mused. "Signal the fleet, order them back into formation."

"Yes ma'am-"

"Admiral! Unknown vessels have just launched missiles!" The sensor operator responded.

"Missiles? What are they going to-"

"Nuclear detonation detected where the missiles are!" The operator interrupted.

"Did they just nuke their own missiles?"

"Unsure! They're- more nuclear detonations! Detecting dozens of nuclear detonations trailing towards motherships-"

"What in the spirits is going on-"

What was going on was the deployment of Orion class missiles. A hastily created weapon system created by the Russians and shared with the North Americans in exchange for a battleship, these were 10,000-ton blocks of Pycrete and ice that were hauled at a target at 10% the speed of light.

It was a very crude weapon, but one that took advantage of Earth's immense nuclear stockpiles. And with a kill rate of 74%, they were extremely deadly to anything that was unlucky enough to be on the receiving end.

Launched out of box launchers on the side of the Avengers, a pair were launched from each present capital ship via electric ion engines to give them a kick. And once they were far enough from the Avengers, they began dropping megaton yield nuclear warheads like droplets from a sink.

Every nuclear explosion sent the 10,000-ton block of ice and pykrete a little bit faster, just a little more velocity, just a percent faster the speed of light-

The Turians watched as eight Orions found their mark, every single one of them. By ones or pairs, every Lanky seed ship ate an Orion.

Their effects were devastating.

One Seedship was quite literally split in half diagonally, begging to rip itself apart along the path of Orion's flight path.

Another managed to intercept a Seedship attempting to dodge, practically Shearing off the aft end of the organic monstrosity.

One was bisected by twin Orion hits.

One by one, all six remaining Seedships were either outright destroyed or mission killed and spiralling out of control.

NACs Vancouver, CIC

"All Orions have hit their mark. Splash six Seedships." The weapons officer smirked.

"Not bad. Tell the other Avengers good shooting." Mills smirked and then achieved the fleet communications system. "JDS Kongo, this the Vancouver. Request that you chase after the mission killed Seedship and shove a few Railguns into their guts."

"(Comms) Solid copy Vancouver. Kongo is moving to engage. We'll handle this. Kongo out."

As Mills deactivated the Comms unit, his sensor operator frowned. "General?"

"Yes, sensors?"

"Uh, we have a situation. I'm tracking several objects that were launched from Nova 2 before it was destroyed. I believe they are escape pods."

"Escape pods? Heading?" Mills mused.

"Towards Willoughby,"

"Oh, those suckers." Mills hissed. Willoughby was currently occupied by the Lankies on the ground. The invasion just started and the combat controllers were just landing.

"One of the old Terraformer sites more accurately, General I would recommend we attempt a rescue or at least recon." The XO responded. "It could sap some of our STTs but we could gain some brownie points, like with the Omnear."

"… Right. What's the closet space-borne assault force over Willoughby?"

"One second." The tactical officer quickly tapped his station board. "NACs Anchorage, a Hammerhead cruiser, and the JDS Akagi, a Saipan class assault carrier. They're a part of the reserve force, slated for the third wave."

"Got it," Mills reactivated the fleet Comms. "NACs Anchorage, JDS Akagi, this is the Vancouver. Come in."

"(Comms) This is the Anchorage, go ahead Vancouver,"

"(Comms) Akagi reporting in. How can we help?"

"Akagi, Vancouver. We have unknown objects from an unknown vessel heading towards the planet's surface. Non-lanky aliens. These objects are believed to be escape pods of some kind. Sending you all the details. Your orders are to follow: deploy Recon to assess the unknowns and Lankies and secure those objects. Use all force necessary, including the deployment of forces and air assets. How copy?"

"(Comms) Affirmative Vancouver. Receiving day uplink…Anchorage is deploying an ST team and gunships to assess and assist."

"(Comms) Akagi will need fifteen minutes to correct the orbital path. Once completed, we will deploy mobile armour, air assets, and infantry to reinforce. We will get the job done Vancouver."

"Loud and clear Akagi, Anchorage. Kick ass and take names. Vancouver out." Mills turned off the Comms and watched on the holographic board as two of the task force's capital ships broke off from the main fleet.

"Gods bless your souls," Mills whispered.

NACs Anchorage, Hammerhead class cruiser.

Deployment Bay

Sergeant William Rameriz, of the North American Commonwealth Defence Corps Spaceborne Rescue, double-checked the latches of his battle suit. He may not have been a part of the initial invasion force but he was still nervous as ever.

And why shouldn't he? Humanity may have been pushing back the Lankies but the Lankies were 80-foot-tall creatures that could pick apart entire regiments.

He looked down at his suit. His Hostile Environment Battle Armour. The bug suit. It was his and his alone for the past two years.

Unlike a certain foolish Combat controller, William Rameriz had carefully horded and kept his bug suit in decent condition for 6 months straight, no need for a replacement.

And he looked over his own rifle. The International Combat Enhanced Rifle Mark 2, which only took several seconds to earn the name Inker. The universal battle rifle for the EU, NAC, and Pacific Alliance. It was a further refinement of the old JUMBO rifle, incorporating a 50 Caliber tungsten, armour-piercing round and magnetic coils into a weapon of the same size. This ended up effectively giving Humanity auto-cannons for every soldier.

It was then the battle klaxons began ringing again and the Anchorage suddenly shifted under William's feet. "(P.A) Attention, attention, all STTs to briefing room 3. Repeat, all Special Tactics Teams are to report to briefing rooms 3."

Rameriz stood up, gripped his Inker, and strolled out of the deployment bay and into the corridors.

Along the way, there was a frenzy of activity. He frowned. They may have been in combat but the Anchorage was suppose to be a reserve force, right?

The Spaceborne Jumper entered the briefing room to find an international audience awaiting, all seated like in an amphitheatre.

North American SEALs, Combat Controllers, and Spaceborne Rescue, Japanese Pathfinder scouts and Rangers, Korean Black Berets with Tiger and Eagle Shock Troopers, Taiwanese Orbital Recon and Assault Troopers, and even a few Euro combat controllers. About a company's worth of elite special force operators from across Human space.

And leading them was Captain David Anderson. A SEAL within the NAC navy, he was an experienced operator having deployed behind lines to call in nuclear strikes on Lanky Settlements and Terraformers, flanking attacks against Lanky hordes, and even tunnel clearing. When he said jump, everyone was usually in the air before daring to request an altitude check.

David cleared his throat. "Alright Podheads, listen up."

The holographic screen activated behind Anderson, showing relevant information.

"Roughly half an hour ago, several of our Avengers made contact with several unknown vessels of unknown designs. Said vessels engaged in combat with several retreating Lanky Seedships and lost a pair of cruiser class vessels."

The image of a knife/bird-like cruiser with wings appeared on the screen. This caused a minor vocal ripple amongst the assembled special forces operators.

"Sir." one of the SEALs asked. "Is this first contact with another species? Like the Omnear?"

"Unconfirmed but General Mills thinks it's very likely. In either case, it's not our job to speculate. What is our job is this."

The Captain tapped his Personnel Data Pad (PDP) and the holographic screen shifts to images of several round cylindrical objects in space.

"One of the unknown cruisers, designated as Nova 2, has launched multiple objects just before she went bottoms up. Vancouver Actual believes that this may be either escape pods, black boxes, drop pods, or something of that matter. This image was caught by one of Vancouver's drones, and all of them are heading towards Willoughby."

Anderson looked into the eyes of all the operators. "Either case, Vancouver Actual wants eyes on these things and we're being sent in."

Texts of data appeared on the holographic screen. "Both Special Tactic Teams from both the Akagi and Anchorage are being deployed for this op, followed by a full-on ground assault. Our objectives are simple."

A map appeared. "1) We will deploy via drop pod onto the planet's surface. Intel believes that these alien objects will land near an old terraforming station so that's our target. 2) We will attempt recon on these alien objects, and ascertain whether or not they are hostile. 3) The Combat Controller will coordinate with allied airpower to sweep the area of Lanky threats. 4) Allied ground forces will land and move to secure the Terraforming station. Or what's left of it."

"Any questions?" Anderson looked at the Special Forces operators.

A Japanese Ranger raised their hand. "Sir, what happens when we run into these unknowns?"

Anderson snorted. "You all have the old first contact packages that were updated when we ran into the Omnear. Try and follow those. If they're hostile? You know what to do. If not? Well, I guess Itami that your tentacle anima fetish has just been filled."

The Japanese ranger protested. "Hey!"

"Anything else?"

Ramerize raised his hand. "Sir, what happens if, during first contact, the Lankies show up? Do we prioritize defending the cargo or what's left of the station?"

"Ramerize! The Commonwealth has spent over 15 million dollars to outfit you with a Bugsuit. Try not and pull a Grayson here. If need be, carrying the damn aliens bridal style! Clear, all of you?"

"Clear sir!" The room echoed.

"Good. Now let's go over some last details. Everyone open up you PDPs, some extra details we need to go through." Anderson tapped his own PDP and sent a patch of data to them and the holographic display shifted again to a map of the ruined Terraformers.

Rameriz sighed an opened his open PDP. Another day in the Special Tactics Teams, and another day with weirdness. On some days, he wished he could strangle himself for transferring over from armoury duty.


Codex….Saipan class Fleetcarrier

During the long war, most network news stories and movies showed the Avenger class Battlecarrier to be the tip of the spear for Humanity's counterattack. Squadrons of half a dozen battle carriers, supported by stealth ships, spearheaded Humanity's counterattack, kicking out Lanky seedships from previously occupied systems. By 2134, all of Humanity's lost systems had been reclaimed.

However, Humanity was beginning to neglect other assets of its combined military. Despite the introduction of cruiser-sized troop transports and new weapon systems, such as Humanity's former pride, the supercarrier, and escort class vessels, began to be relegated to border patrols and other rearline duties. This was rectified in the late 2130s, when a major navy overhaul program was initiated by the North American Commonwealth and later expanded to all other Human militaries. This would see the introduction of modernized cruisers that could fight Lanky seedships in wolfpack tactics, smaller particle beam weaponry on vessels, smaller Orion class missiles, more advanced sensors, the gradual phase-out of railguns in favour of coilguns, and most importantly, the reintroduction of the Supercarrier as a mainline combat unit in a fleet.

The reintroduction of conventional carriers came about during the Tientsin campaign, where even the Avenger class battle carrier struggled to effectively create a planetary beachhead for Human ground forces. The introduction of Plasma Warheads, courtesy of the Omnear species, also began to see Human strike fighters, relegated to planetary defence/offence and recon, back into anti-shipping roles.

Started by the North American Commonwealth and later expanded to include the Pacific Alliance, the European Union, and the Oceanian Defense Force, the Next Generation Carrier Program later changed to the Saipan program, saw to devise a new carrier platform able to defend itself against lone Lanky Seedships, and to coordinate and transport divisional level forces while providing the necessary support to conquer continents on their own. The final design was hammered out in 2141 and the first hauls laid down in the same year at the New Bremerton shipyards over the colony world of Khontala. The first of the ships, the Saipen was launched in 2145 and officially commissioned later that year. The Sino-Russian Alliance, African Union, and Republic of India would deploy their own cruiser variant, the Shanghai class.

Displacing 680,000 metric tons and at 1.5 kilometres long, the Saipan class carrier surpasses the NAC's Pacific, Intrepid, and Regulus class carriers of previous generations. Powered by 6 Deuterium Fusion Reactors and having the same Fusion engines as an Avenger Mark 6, the Saipan can keep up with an Avenger despite its heavier displacement. It requires a crew of 800 to operate, plus a further 1200 aircrew and support personnel to manage aero-space operations. Of particular note is that the Saipan is the first Human class of vessel to use the indigenously made Alcubierre and the Omnear Jump drives for strategic and tactic jumps respectively.

The Saipan follows the same design vein as the Avenger, with heavy Ceramic-composite alloys, a laser and kinetic point defence system, and two-particle beam cannons. However, a Saipan class forgoes any Orion class missiles in favour of more carrying capacity for internal storage, as well as its armour being thinner compared to an Avenger.

Saipan's armament consists of two particle beam cannons mounted similarly to an Avenger, 40 coilgun mounts, 10 mounts for specialized Orbital Bombardment Cleansing weapon mounts strictly for Lanky use, 60 Hades missile tubes, and various point defence systems, and 60 reloadable space-to-ground missile tubes for planetary bombardment. Similarly, a Saipan carries the same drone and wonderball complement as well as the same Lidar, Gravitonic, and Radar sensors.

However, the most important aspect of a Saipan class Fleet carrier is its ground forces and air complement. Saipan's main role is to support planetary and lunar assaults while providing military operations with plenty of strike craft to complete a mission. As such, each Fleet carrier has the facilities to command, support, and operate a division-level force and several strike wings of aircraft.

Each Saipan class carrier can carry an airborne complement of over 340 strike craft and transports. This includes 16 squadrons of dropships, either of the Dragonfly, Mistaya, or Hayabusa types, 6 squadrons of dedicated gunships, 6 fighter squadrons of either Shrikes or the newer F-59 Marauders, and 1 squadron of 12 Blackfly Special Operations Ships.

The maximum troop complement for a Saipan is an entire division of marines with their associated equipment. This is around 8 to 10 Spaceborne infantry regiments, numbering around 5000 to 6000 combat troops. However complaints about crampiness, the expanded fighter facilities, and the unusual amount of vehicle onboard the carrier makes 6 regiments a more normal number (3000 combat troops). In addition, a Saipen typically carries 150 wheeled armoured vehicles, usually of the Mule or Grizzly IFVs or Scimitar Light Tanks, as well 96 M-5500 Power Amplification Combat Suits. A Saipan also carries 80 Surface to Ground drop pods, being fired out of dedicated launcher tubes. Most Saipan class ships would also be accompanied by 2 or more Greyhound class troop transports meant to ferry the rest of a regiment. All Saipans have amenities traditionally seen on land or station-based facilities, including RecFacs, training grounds, a running track, and FTL communications.

The first class, the EUV Saipan, finished in 2145 and same service during the Stand of Tyir, where a renewed Lanky assault over an African Union colony saw the combined Human fleets and three dozen Lanky seed ships duel in ship-to-ship combat. The Saipan's fighters, equipped with nuclear penetrators and Plasma anti-shipping missiles, saw resounding success and her fighter wing was credited in destroying 5 Seedships before going on to redeploy to aid Tyir's ground defences in destroying a Lanky landing force. Mass production would commence across the EU, P.A. NAC, O.D.F, and the UODF (United Omnear Defence Forces) shipyards. The Sino-Russian Alliance, Indian Republic, African Union, and South American Alliance would follow suit with their own design, the Shanghai class which was a copycat of the original Saipan with SRA aesthetics.

Not including the Shanghai class, by 2163, 29 Saipan class Fleet Carriers would be constructed. 8 in the hands of the North American Commonwealth Interstellar Navy, 6 in the hands of the European Defence Corp (or EuroCorp) Interstellar Command, 7 in the hands of the combined Pacific Alliance National Space Fleets (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, and Malaysia each getting one, with the remaining two jointly operated by the ASEAN nations), 3 in the hands of the Australian and New Zealand Naval Corps, and 5 operated by the United Omnear Defence Fleets, which serves as the backbone of all Omnear offensive actions.

It should also be noted that 12 more demilitarised Saipan class carriers are in use by the NAC Colonial Establishment and Administration Bureau, which uses these demilitarised Saipans for transporting colonists or colonial supplies from Earth to rebuilt colonies. Designated as the Island class, these vessels can carry tens of thousands of metric tons of construction materials or 20,000 passengers to new Colonies. The main difference between the militarized and colonial versions is that the Islands lack a nuclear launch or orbital bombardment capability, only 20 coil gun mounts, lack proper fighter launch bays, and few amenities in favour of more cargo and passenger space as well as a larger hanger to accommodate large colonial drop ships. Despite this, an Island class, in emergencies, can act as an impromptu battleship to defend colonies, though this has never been attempted. Construction of more island-class carriers is underway, with no plans to halt production.

As of the middle of the 22nd Century, the fortunes of war have shifted in favour of Humanity. Bitter fighting has resulted in the destruction of dozens of Lanky Seedships, the reclamation of most of Earth's lost colonies, and the re-establishment of Humanity's interstellar empires. While the Avengers are the ones who lead the charge against the space forces of the Lankies, it is the Saipan and her sisters who spearhead the effort to reclaim those colonies lost to Humanity.


Codex…Omnear

The Omnear are a biped, mammalian class species originating from the Tropical world of Hitarra. They are classified as a hybrid Dextro-Levo race, though favouring the former but able to consume both Levo and Dextro life without issue. Humans commonly refer to the Omnear as sapient foxes or dogs, as their appearance greatly resembles an Earth fox with longer ears and more vibrant fur colour. Like Earth foxes, the Omnear have fur all over their body. The Omnear are also smaller than the average Human and Asari.

Culturally speaking, the Omnear is akin to that of the European Union or Asari Republics. They are classified as a pacifistic and egalitarian species with a focus on materialistic gains. This means that the Omnear focuses on the sciences and culture instead of conflict and heavy industries. Omnear goods, including computers, FTL drives, vehicles, and artistic supplies, are some of the finest in the galaxy. However this focus on quality over quantity meant that the Omnear could not produce on the same level as other species, causing them to team up with the Human nations. The Omnear are divided into multiple nations, akin to the Asari Republics or the European Union.

Despite their pacifistic nature, most Humans consider the Omnear to be Technical Pacifists as they have fought wars and developed weapons on a level surpassing Humanity and other Citadel Species. The Omnear are considered masters of plasma, having developed directed plasma weaponry, plasma-based warheads, and even plasma swords useful in conflict. They are also the second species to develop the carrier, a vessel meant primarily to transport sub-light fighter craft.

The Omnear have also developed their own version of FTL separate from the Alcubierre lanes or the Mass Effect drives in use by Humanity/Lankies and the Citadel species: the Jump Drive. The Jump Drive can teleport a mass like a ship or space station across vast distances almost instantaneously. This removes the need to discharge like M.E. Drives or use fixed positions like Alcubierre ones. The main issue is power. The Jump drives the most energy consuming, significantly limiting Omnear interstellar expansion. Prior to their inclusion into the Lanky War, the Omnear jump drives could only travel up to 7 lightyears in one jump, compared to the 150 lightyears of the Human drives, the 20 lightyears of standard Citadel drives, and the mind-boggling 900 lightyears of Lanky drives.

Omnear civilization traces its roots back roughly 15000 Terran years ago. Descended from prey species, the Omnear showed high levels of interspecies cooperation in order to defeat larger predators. This initiation hunting cooperation began to evolve into primitive hunter and gathering clans, to fishing and agricultural villages, and eventually into city-states roughly in the 800s BCE. The Omnear would follow a similar path to most species in the galaxy, growing into an industrial and technological age akin to Humanity, though with significantly less conflict.

In 1984 CE, the Omnear would abruptly develop Plasma accelerators. This is believed to be caused by the presence of rare gaseous substances in Hitarra's crust. This would set off a technological race that would see the development of Plasma Fusion reactors, Plasma shields, and most importantly Plasma Thrusters in use for both Aero-space and extraterrestrial travel. This would spark a tense but ultimately peaceful space race amongst the Omnear species. This development in plasma would also allow the Omnear to avoid the overpopulation, energy, and pollution crisis gripping the Batarian and Human homeworlds.

However, due to their aims for quality over quantity, the Omnear would have a much slower space expansion compared to Humanity. The Omnear would not develop its first FTL Jump drive until the 2080s, whereas Humanity developed its Alcubierre drives in the late 2040s. The Omnear nations would go on to colonize 6 planets and 9 moons, and settle 2 dozen star systems.

The Omnear would encounter the Lankies in the early 2130s. Lanky Seedship, designated as Hitari 1-4, entered one of the systems colonized by the Omnear, ignoring the few Omnear patrol ships before destroying multiple Omnear vessels, dousing the Omnear settlements on the world of Elyaitum with nerve gas, and landing hundreds of Lanky ground forms on the world. What was left of the Omnear defenders was wiped out to a man. Attempts at repulsing the Lankies by the combined Omnear fleets floundered.

Over the next four years, the Omnear would launch a protracted Hit and Run campaign on Lanky Seedships. The initial battles would see sparse but notable victories over Lanky Seedships, with the Omnear fleets using their Plasma Torpedoes to break holes into Seedship hulls and cluster plasma missiles thrown to destroy them. The Omnear navies would claim 5 Seedsip kills, at the loss of dozens of precious warships of their own. The Omnear would be driven back, losing 3 colony worlds, a moon colony, and a dozen systems before the Invasion of Hitarra.

The invasion of Hitarra saw eight Lanky seedships invade the Omnear home system of Karnack. The defending fleets, under Space-Warden McCloud Snipes (equivalent to a three-star Admiral or General) from the Republic of Kushun, masterfully directed a multinational force of a hundred ships against the Lankies, destroying half of the Lanky force at the cost of 34 of his own vessels (note that at that time, Omnear warships were of lower tonnage compared to even pre-war Human vessels) and the depletion of most of the Fleet's plasma munitions. Before any of the Omnear reserve formations could react, dozens of Lanky drop pods were launched at Hitarra. Many were shot down by ground-based defences but enough got through that there were hundreds of Lankies on the planet's surface.

It is here that the Omnear demonstrated that they really were peaceful in name. After Action Reports state that Omnear reservists, police, and even civilians armed with Plasma rifles and even plasma swords and weapons engaged in ferocious close combat with Lanky forms. Casualties were high, eclipsing the battle of Earth, but all Lanky life forms and their drop pods were destroyed and their remains seized.

Still, things looked nearly hopeless as another 4 Lanky Seedships arrived into the System. The Omnear fleets, already badly depleted of munitions, were prepared to make a final stand when a quadlet of N.A.C. and E.U. Avenger battlegroups, led by the NACs Cascadia under Admiral Woodward, also arrived in the system to pursue several escaping Lanky Seedships. A major battle between the Lanky and Human fleet ensued, with the NACs Cascadia nearly mortally wounded when shielding the Omnear fleet from Lanky Kinetic Penetrators. Still, the battle was won and the Lankies were wiped out from the Omnear home system.

Official peaceful contact was established with the Omnear people and the Human nations. In gratification, the Omnear collaborated with Humanity, primarily the European Union, on advancing their weapons technology and FTL. In exchange, the North American Commonwealth donated the Cascadia to the United Omnear Defence Force along with 2 dozen smaller cruisers and destroyers. Though damage sustained meant that she couldn't make FTL jumps, the Cascadia's presence provided an extra defensive measure against further Lanky attacks as well as a training vessel for anti-Lanky warfare. Humanity also began to cooperate in terms of industries, aiding their smaller cousins to better mass produce their high-quality technologies.

This first contact would also unveil that despite being of too different amino acidic groups, both Humans and Omnear could consume food products from each other's worlds. Unfortunately, this discovery was made after the disappearance of 4 crates of German Beer, 9 Beanbags, catnip, and beef jerky as well as the appearance for a bill for property damage worth thousands of dollars caused by Omnear and North American marines.

As of 2163, the Omnear have reclaimed all their colonies with the aid of Humanity and their forces modernized to a respectable force. Currently, the Omnear operates a fleet of a hundred human-sourced warships, including five Avenger class vessels, and 400 indigenously built combat vessels all up to modern standards. While no longer on the offensive, the Omnear militaries have drastically cooperated with their Human counterparts to refit and upgrade their militaries as well as expand and refine their war tactics. This includes the PLAARs (Plasma Launcher Anti Armour Recoilless System, though commonly referred to as a Player Launcher).

Omnear exports to Humanity include cultural media, advanced fusion reactors, high-quality food stuffs, handheld Plasma weapons, jump drives, advanced medical equipment, plasma munitions, and computer technology. Omnear imports heavily from Humanity including heavy industrial equipment, nuclear material, starships, manufacturing designs, mass-produced goods, artificial gravity technology, and raw materials.