“Preparing for emergence.”
The spiraling blue lights outside of the bridge’s viewports started to abate. A wave of pressure rolled over the crew, like the entire ship was springing upwards. There was a momentary feeling of weightlessness as the light of the stars faded back into view, then the Saint’s Aegisburst back into normal space, like a leviathan breaching the surface of an ocean. For a heartbeat, everyone was still, regaining their balance.
The bridge exploded into a flurry of motion and sound.
“Normal propulsion returning.”
“Running system scans on essential sectors.”
“Confirming realspace coordinates.”
“Void shields back online.”
Admiral Vessa’s voice rang out over the controlled chaos.
“I want a full range scan immediately. Tag any sources of radiation, heat, or radio, and put them up on the viewport.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
Nalyra merely watched, confident in the ability of her bridge crew. If anything required her input, she would be informed.
The bridge buzzed with activity for a few minutes until the communications officer half-turned in her seat.
“Admiral, I’ve got the unknown radio signal. Triangulating against the nearest Q-comm relay now.”
“What can you tell me about it, ensign?” Vessa was standing, leaning forward over her station.
“It’s definitely not Zakkili, ma’am, as far as I can tell. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The woman’s ears twitched, betraying a hint of nerves. “Smugglers, pirates, mercs…none of them use anything remotely close.” She paused for half a moment. “...got its location. Sending you the coordinates, Admiral.”
“Proceed at full burn, helmswoman,” Nalyra commanded. “Let us go and greet our noisy neighbors.”
“Yes, Royal Hand.”
The Aegis’s engines flared to life as the ship adjusted course, accelerating toward the coordinates. The conversations around the bridge died down to whispers as the crew focused on their tasks.
“How long until we are within range for our optical arrays, helmswoman?” Nalyra stood and moved to the holo table, glancing down at the starmap it currently displayed.
“Ten marks, Highness.” The woman replied, swiping a timer from one of her screens up onto the main viewport.
“Very well.” Nalyra tapped a manicured fingernail against the screen below her. “Keep passive thermals active. Vessa, make sure we send out a ping over the Q-comm network. I want this sector clear of any Zakkili ships, civilian or peacekeeper. If the situation requires bringing the Queen Matriarch’s judgement to bear, I will not waste time wondering whether some merchant captain has drifted into my firing line.”
“As you wish, Crown Daughter.” The Admiral snapped off a crisp salute, and moved to the front of the bridge, conferring with the women in charge of communications.
Nalyra made a slow lap around the room, disguising her impatience as an informal inspection of her crew. The source of the unknown signal waited ahead of them, noisy enough to summon a Citadel. A grin played around the corners of her mouth. They would soon learn just what they had called out to.
She completed her route, ending up back on the command dais. Soreth was there, waiting for her.
“I hope you’ll keep the Maker’s mercy in your thoughts, Crown Daughter, as you handle the situation.”
“Oh? What makes you think this will require mercy, High Priestess?” Nalyra raised an eyebrow at the robed woman.
“Is that not plain, Highness?” Soreth’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We will most likely encounter either smugglers or primitives at this signal’s source. One has grown up with the Maker’s grace, the other knows it not by name. Both deserve consideration.”
“I know both engagement and contact protocols, Soreth.” The Crown Daughter held back a wave of irritation from bleeding out. Only this woman could make words of faith feel patronizing. “Are you questioning my competency, High Priestess?”
That got a reaction from the other woman. Soreth drew back, her face going just a little pale.
“Such was not my intent, Crown Daughter. I merely sought to remind you of the Covenant’s teachings. Care and mercy are Her gifts to us all.”
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Nalyra held the High Priestess’s gaze, eyes boring into her. After a long moment, she looked away, dismissing the woman with a careless wave of her hand. Soreth retreated back to her corner of the command dais, sinking down onto the pillows once more.
“Highness, we’re getting a return from our optical array.”
The call pulled Nalyra’s mind from the High Priestess, and she hurried to the holo table as fast as she could without looking undignified. The timer still had about forty seconds left, but she swiped it off the display. After a few tense seconds, a series of three-dimensional holographic ships hovered above the surface of it.
“Well, would you look at that…” Mikka pushed off from her station, sliding over to the holo table in that damned rolling chair of hers. Vessa walked over as well, her amber eyes fixed on the holograms.
“Do we have any identification on these?” the Admiral asked, her gaze never leaving the small replicas.
“Negative, Admiral.” One of the bridge crew responded. “I’ll keep running them against the database, but I don’t think we’ll find anything. I’ve not seen anything resembling these before.”
The holographic ships were familiar in some ways, but very foreign in others. Compared to the graceful curves and ornamented towers of a Star Citadel, these ships were blocky, plain. Almost brutally utilitarian. Every angle, every engine shroud and hangar bay seemed to have been designed to use as little material as possible, with the exception of the oversized armor panels layered across each hull.
Nalyra tapped on the screen below her.
“Computer, display a scale for these vessels.”
Small numbers popped up next to each different replica.
“Nothing above 200, no, 250 meters long.” Muttered Vessa, her brow furrowed.
“Small ships to be so far out here.” Mikka snickered. “You’d think they’d bring something bigger.”
Nalyra simply stared at the holograms, her face thoughtful. These weren’t smugglers, that was certain. No, this was clearly a fleet, meant for patrol or battle. The ships bristled with weaponry – she could pick those out easily. Missile bays, plasma launchers, point defense…it was all vaguely familiar, but different enough to feel alien.
A soft beep sounded across the room.
“Negative match on silhouettes, markings and heat signatures.” one of the crew called out. “By royal protocol, this is officially a first-contact situation.”
The atmosphere of the room changed, but not dramatically. Slightly tense, but with more excitement than nerves. This wasn’t some bizarre creature or strange anomaly. It was a small fleet. Alien, yes, but recognizable. That was something everyone in the room was trained to deal with.
“Highness, shall we slow our burn?”
“No need.” Nalyra responded, tearing her eyes from the holograms. “Bring us within stand-off range and park us there. Let us see how they react.” She turned to Vessa. “Admiral, bring the crew to action stations, and seal the Under Deck. It won’t do to shirk protocol.”
“Yes, Crown Daughter.” The Admiral returned to her station, and a moment later, an alarm sounded throughout the ship, signifying the switch to battle readiness.
“We’ve got a new contact. Twelve total now.” The ensign at the sensor station called out. “Bringing up the scan…and that looks like a flagship if I’ve ever seen one.”
The holograms floating above the table flickered, and a larger vessel, twice the size of the others, appeared above them.
“Now that’s more like it.” Mikka smirked, gazing up at the newest addition.
“An…unusual fleet composition. Where are their carriers? Their torpedo cruisers?” Nalyra mused. “I don’t see the logic here.”
“They are alien. Who can guess what kind of doctrines or protocols they follow.” Vessa was back at the Crown Daughter’s side, also looking at the newest ship.
“Royal Hand, we’re reading active scans being directed at the Aegis. Shall we deploy countermeasures?”
“No, I think not.” Nalyra returned to her seat at the back of the command dais. “Let them gaze at the glory of the Monarchy all they desire.”
The alien vessels were visible to the normal long-range cameras now, zoomed windows blooming across the viewport to track each ship. The smaller ships were burning hard, moving into a formation around the flagship.
“Entering stand-off range now. Reversing burn.” The helmswoman announced, and the gravity on the bridge shifted a bit as the Aegis’s forward thrusters worked to shed their momentum.
“Keep an eye on their electromagnetic signatures,” Nalyra ordered. “If they start to spool up their reactors for a dive, I want to know before they vanish.”
“Yes, Highness.”
“Now then, little aliens.” The Crown Daughter steepled her fingers. “What will you do next?”
The seconds stretched into marks. The small fleet completed their burns, now arranged in two rows on either side of their flagship.
“Are they moving any power to weapons?” Vessa’s shoulders were rigid, her hands folded tightly behind her.
“Negative, Admiral. However, I’m catching dozens of point communications from the flagship to the rest of their fleet.”
“You think they’re chatting about what to do next?” Nivi’s eyes were wide, staring at the alien vessels with an almost longing curiosity.
“Probably talking about how they plan to blow us up.” Teased Mikka, flashing the younger woman a grin.
“An attack?” Nalyra scoffed at the idea. “They are intelligent enough to have reached this far into the empyrean. I doubt they will be foolhardy enough to challenge a Citadel.”
“Not with a fleet that size.” Muttered Vessa, her eyes going to the hologram replicas of the ships.
A long moment of silence settled over the bridge, almost all eyes on the magnified images on the viewports.
“Crown Daughter? Um…we’re being hailed by the flagship. Text only.” The ensign’s ears twitched, a few of her mindthreads shivering.
“Text? Some string of alien runes, I suppose?”
“No, Highness.” She glanced back, her eyes wide. “It’s…it’s in Zakkili.”
Nalyra had to suppress a twitch of surprise in her own crownthread.
“...put it on the main viewport, ensign.”
The woman hesitated for just a moment, then flicked the message upwards. Text crawled across the large screen.
Attention [Star Citadel]. You [trespass] in Ydani space. Depart immediately, or we will be forced to defend ourselves.