An older female walked into the room and settled into her seat before turning to the others in the room. The woman was the president of the Mydori Union and the others in the room were her advisory council a group of people she had appointed to be her confidants and advisors. The Advisory Council consisted of six members so in the room was a total of seven people.

“I hear that a new player is in the area,” said the president.

“Yes, someone who calls themselves the Sol Refuge. I have done some looking around, but it seems they are not just from out of the region. None of our neighbors have heard of this race, either. Although it is possible that they are a xenophobic race that prefers to avoid contact with alien races. As a race they have clearly taken extraordinary measures towards making their ships stealthy,” said the advisor to her immediate left.

“Somehow I don’t think that would explain why none of our neighbors have heard of them. Perhaps they are from outside of the neighborhood,” theorized the president.

“That is actually quite possible, our science division has done some calculating. Their ships appear to be warp based, and while finding them has proven difficult we did manage to witness their ships making a warp jump during one of our encounters. Using the readings of the jump as a base we calculated their speed. Since it was clearly a combat jump we used it to determine their maximum speed and reverse engineer a possible cruise speed for their ships. We calculated a cruise speed of 20,500 times lightspeed. Making their ships significantly faster than those of most known races. Only the Cylovans and the Sylnari have faster ships,” said her science advisor just as an ambassador she invited to the meeting arrived. The ambassador belonged to one of the races of the Alliance. The Alliance had sent her to negotiate the admission of the union into the Alliance a year ago. While a formal military pact had already been signed, the Union had yet to actually join the Alliance. There were also players in the Alliance reluctant to accept the union, since they controlled almost as much territory as the Alliance and a stronger military.

“I think you may have miscalculated. I have had my people review the data you gave us. The data clearly shows they have developed some form of stealth warp travel. My race uses warp drive quite heavily, and I will tell you now that stealth versions tend to be more efficient, but slower than traditional drives. They can reach the same speeds as a traditional warp engine of course, but don’t maintain them as well. I think their cruising speed would be a factor lower around 7300 times light speed. Which is still faster than most ships in the Alliance,” said the Alliance ambassador.

“Well it is all just speculation, so it is best to take these numbers with a fair amount of skepticism,” replied the president.

“That’s true, but these newcomers are fairly advanced. Based on the data, they clearly use some type of powered ship armor to protect their ships, that seems to be comparable to Cylovan energy shielding,” said her science advisor while bringing on to the screen one of the two encounters in which they were seen fighting.

“Powered ship armor? As in polarized hull plating?” asked the president.

“You could compare it with polarized hull plating, but that is like comparing a stone period tool with an iron period tool. Sure both get the job done, but the one is far better at it. Their plating is far superior to any polarized hull plating system I have ever seen. They also appear to be ahead of us and the Alliance in weapons technology. Most notably in torpedoes, those glowing bolts you see penetrating the Cylovan shields appear to be ‘photon’ torpedoes a weapon that was previously theoretical. It seems they have properties we never even guessed, including the ability to penetrate energy shields,” said her science advisor. The alliance ambassador pulled a stack of papers out of her bag and placed them on the table.

“Most certainly not a standard feature. The Alliance has been working on ‘photon’ torpedoes for some time and has developed a working prototype. Which the Alliance is interested in trading for more of your distortion missiles. Our ‘photons’ don’t have that shield penetration feature, and have a lower yield as well,” said the Alliance ambassador.

“That is interesting, given their technology it might be worth it to seek these newcomers out. Even if they aren’t willing to trade any of their technological secrets, more allies will help us fight off the Cylovan Menace,” replied the President.

Captain’s Log November 29th 073 SDE,

Capturing the Cylovan Cruiser has proven to be the right move. We have towed the cruiser through warp to a nearby nebula. The gas clouds have served us well in hiding our presence. A good thing too, since our attack did not go unnoticed by the collective. We have spotted a number of their ships combing the area in a clear search pattern. In other news the rest of fleet successfully linked up with us yesterday, including the vanguard ships we dispatched. As for the cruiser we have nearly finished our study of the cruiser. We have salvaged what components we deemed useful, but there is a great deal of material we have no use for. What we have learned about the Cylovans is a bit disturbing to say the least. They are a machine race created by an older race of the same name. Apparently they were originally service bots, but at some point their creators started handing them more and more power and eventually they gave them full autonomy. At some point these machines came to the conclusion that all organics would be much happier under their rule, and began waging war on all their neighbors. The databanks indicate that these Cylovans have built a number of so called “organic sanctuaries” where they basically brainwash people into believing in their idea of paradise in which every aspect of life is managed by them. And when I say every aspect I mean every aspect, right down to how long you will live and who you will marry.

Anyway the most interesting piece of salvage was the hyperwarp drive, which remained mostly intact. Unfortunately it isn’t one of the ones that can generate a conduit, but it is still going to be invaluable to our science department. They already have some interesting ideas that we can do with hyperwarp technology. Mostly considering most of what has been revealed by the initial study is that it operates on a theories we already made, but never actually explored. Mostly due to a little thing about the consequences of a mistake. Hyperwarp requires a great deal of energy to accomplish, and when your dealing with massive amounts of energy mistakes can be disastrous. Which is why we never left the theoretical stage, we deemed the research too dangerous. The introduction of a working drive to guide our research has changed the equation, and the risks have been deemed acceptable now. It may take a few years to see some results, but they will almost certainly be worth the cost. Of course we still have to decide what to do with the cruiser. While there is still a great deal more technology on the crippled cruiser that we have no use for, it would be a shame to just scrap the cruiser. Selia has proposed an interesting solution to our little problem. While we may not have any use for the remaining technology on the cruiser, there are those who do. The Mydori Union who we have already encountered for example are at war with the Cylovans and selling the scrap to them would be quite profitable. Our research labs for example have a rather long list of materials that they are in need of to continue their research.

Countryman was settled in his seat on the council listening to the others debate Selia’s proposal. He didn’t have a vote except in the case of a tie, so he was just listening to the debate, while catching up on some paperwork. One thing he loved about being a cyborg was the unnatural multitasking ability it gave him. He was able to do multiple things at once with full efficiency. Listening to the ongoing debate he finally interjected with his own opinion.

“That point is kind of moot. It is clear we cannot coexist with the collective, but neither do we have the strength to fight a war with them. Our superior stealth can only get us so far. We will need allies, and while the Mydori may look repulsive they are a potential ally. Regardless we have no reason to hurry. I suggest we set course for Mydorius at low warp, that will allow us to minimize our signature, and avoid unnecessary combat,” said Countryman.

“Yes, but there's no reason to concern ourselves with this conflict either. We have no interests in this part of space. I feel it would be better if we just leave for another safer part of space,” replied Eriko Dykes. Dykes was the captain of the Umikaze before it had been sacrificed in the raid on New Valoria. The years had been quite kind to her. She was one hundred and fourteen years old, but she looked a hundred years younger. She was a cute, with a round face framed by short brown hair.

“Personally I would as well, but there are larger concerns as well. Unfortunately we cannot afford to ignore them. It is clear to me that if we do, they will spread across the galaxy. We must take action to at the very least contain the threat and soon. Sooner or later a war with them is inevitable,” said Greyman.

“Greyman has a point, they are already strong and with time they will only grow stronger. Even if we find a new homeland, they will eventually threaten it. That future conflict will go better if we take measures to weaken them now,” said Drakes.

“That cruiser was packed with useful technologies, studying more of their ships would be useful as long as we can avoid encountering some of the larger ships we learned about,” said Ruri. Countryman knew the ship she was most worried about was something called the Dreadnought-2. A deadly Cylovan Dreadnought, that also happened to be the largest ship class in their fleet. They had learned about it while combing through the Cylovan database. It was a behemoth of a ship with a diameter of twenty thousand meters. Armor eight hundred meters thick, heavily reinforced internal hull structure, the most powerful shields the Cylovans are capable of fielding, and massive hangers allow it to carry ninety thousand fighter craft. As things currently stood just one of these ships could wipe out their entire fleet, and worse the ship was faster than them. Meaning that it could easily chase them down if it was deployed against them. Countryman was pretty sure that they could evade it however by taking full advantage of their superior stealth.

“Yes, I’m sure fighting them would be a great boon to the scientific community. However we cannot afford a war with them,” responded Dykes.

“Actually, if we could secure another system rich in the right materials. Using a combination of asteroid mining and raid tactics we could secure the materials to build fleets to wage war against them. The real question is not if we can afford a war, but should we fight a war,” interjected Countryman.

“Countryman is right, we can fight one, but I don’t think we could sustain a war for long. Which is why we will need allies, just like he said earlier,” replied Drakes.

“Anything else anyone wants to add?” asked Richard Greyman while looking around the room, after waiting a moment and none of the council spoke up he said, “Well than I guess it is time for the vote.” The following vote was nearly unanimous and the council made its decision. As the council session ended Countryman left for the bridge to carry out the council’s decision. They were going to make contact with the union. In under an hour he had the fleet formed up and on a direct course at warp four for the Mydorian Homeworld. A system whose location they had learned from the Cylovan database. Unless they increased speed it would take them over five years to reach the system. While they weren’t in a real hurry, he wasn’t planning on taking that long to reach the system. He was planning on increasing speed once they were no longer picking up Cylovan ships on sensors.

The Cylovans had actually dispatched quite the number of ships to the region after the Enterprise had capture the cruiser. On sensors they were actively tracking just over four hundred ships in the sector that were clearly conducting a search pattern of the sector. They had risked an active pulse that thankfully went unnoticed in order to identify these ships when they first showed up. Most of them were low threat destroyer and frigate classes, but the three of them were cruisers. Countryman was pretty sure they could win the battle, but would prefer not to fight said battle. With the fleet underway, Countryman left the lift and headed down to one of the lower decks. Commander Forrest had been pestering him over the past couple of months to come down and observe one of his war games.

They had been conducting war games since the refit, but Countryman had never found the time to observe them. The games had also become a fair popular entertainment choice. Apparently watching two or more groups of marines fight out a combat scenario is entertaining. Countryman came out of the lift and was halfway to his destination when a young crewman stopped him. The girl was one he recognized, and he felt a bit of a headache coming on. She was a bit of a pain to deal with. She often came by with complaints on one thing or another.

“Sir, you have to do something,” said the young woman.

“Something about what? I have no idea what you are talking about Mio,” ask Countryman. This wasn't the first time she had forgotten to lead with the subject. It was one of the little things that irked him about her.

“Sorry, I found some kids watching something containing adult content. Security refuses to do something about it, and they won't listen to me either,” replied the crewman Mio.

“Did you contact their parents?” asked Countryman.

“I did, but they won't do anything either,” replied Mio. Countryman sighed and shook his slightly before replying, “in that case there isn't anything I can do. I can't interfere just because you don't approve, the law forbids it. Besides on a ship like this they have likely encountered such activities countless times before anyway,” responded Countryman. Referring to an old law that dictated the rules involving children.

“Huh, that stupid law? Kids shouldn't be exposed to such things! Also what do you mean encountered countless times?” asked Mio.

“Just open that door over there and you will understand,” said Countryman pointing at a supply closet door a couple meters down the hall. Mio gave him an odd look, but walked towards the door. She stopped in front of it, but didn't open it. Instead she turned around her face flushed bright red and walked back to Countryman.

“Okay I think I get what you mean. People need to be more discrete, and careful,” said Mio. Countryman chuckled a bit and told her it wouldn't help much. Than he left her as he continued on his way to observe a war game.

He entered the garden deck after passing the checkpoint. It was a massive artificial environment. Complete with forest hills and rivers that took up the entire deck. In fact it took up three decks. It was both a popular dating destination, and it was often used by the military for war games and training. It was here that the marines practiced ground warfare, both organic and synthetic troops practiced regularly. These on going war games also doubled as a source of entertainment for those that had the time and credits. Not far from the entrance to the garden deck was a series of bleachers behind a transparent screen that were built for observing the war games. The environment had changed a bit since the last time he had visited. Last time it had been quite chilly, as they had been simulating a snowy winter. Today it was as far from a snowy winter as you can get. His cybernetic sensors told him the temperature was 117 degrees fahrenheit(47 degrees celsius) and it was quite humid. Looking around it became obvious that the garden had been changed to resemble a jungle. Extra trees and growth had been added to the garden. Also of note was the gravity. Artificial gravity on the deck had been increased, which combined with the temperature and humidity made it very uncomfortable. “I hate jungles,” muttered Countryman to himself as he headed towards the bleachers. He wasn’t kidding about his dislike for jungles, he did hate them. He also hated cactus, but for different reasons.

Following the path, it took him barely two minutes to reach the bleachers. He found Forrest standing just outside the bleachers. Forrest was talking to a R-2 a young crewman who had some rank, but not an officer. She gave a quick nod after he said something and ran off. Countryman guessed she had just be given orders to do something.

“Is there a reason you turned the garden into a jungle?” asked Countryman.

“Good day, sir. Glad you found time to observe, your timing is pretty good. We were just about to start todays war game. As for the jungle thing that's part of this month’s training regimen,” replied Forrest as he led Countryman into the bleachers. Which was a comfortable arrangement of padded and tiered seating. Not the normal outdoor type you might have expected. The screen and doors around the bleachers allowed them to be kept in a more controlled conditioning. It was dryer in the bleachers area, but just as warm which was actually more comfortable then out there.

“So you are conducting jungle combat training? May I ask why?” asked Countryman.

“Right now, yes. We will change it in a couple of months, when we move the jungle plants back into the appropriate arboretum. We are practicing jungle raid tactics, in which on team is the raid force and the other the defenders. The raid team is smaller and they practice securing their objectives and then retreating to the LZ. The defenders in turn are tasked with stopping the raid team. We have been practicing raid tactics since we are more likely to raid a planet than try to invade one,” said Forrest.

“That does seem to be a good call,” said Countryman as he took a seat and Forrest than left for last minute preparations. Countryman found these live exercises fascinating. While VR simulators could be used for training personnel it was no substitute for live training. Which is what the war game was for.

Before long the two teams were set to start. View screens hanging from the ceiling of bleacher area gave him excellent views of the area. War games were fought with special weapons, and specially programed armor. These weapons resembled and handled like the real thing, but were totally harmless and a red line on the side marked them as training weapons. The pulses would register on the armor and a computer would track hits and damage. When the computer registers a simulated penetrating hit, it marks the occupant of the personnel armor as dead. Their weapon locks, and their armor enhancements switch off. While a marker identifies them as ‘dead’ to both teams. They are to then leave the field, and failure to do so will result in a penalty for their team. Vehicles are treated in a similar fashion, but after a knockout blow is registered, the vehicle merely shuts down. Occupants may leave the vehicle to fight, if they ‘survived’ the simulated blow. If not they are advised to either remain in the vehicle or withdraw from the field. If the ‘dead leave the vehicle they must either return to vehicle or withdraw from the field failure to do so again leads to penalties for the team.

As he was waiting for the mock battle to begin a girl approached him and sat down. She was a cute woman at 152 cm. She was dressed in a thin blue summer dress that clung to her frame. She had an average chest and her face was framed by long black hair. She regarded him with her cute red eyes for a moment before greeting him. “Hi, Jac. I hear we are heading to the Mydorian homeworld,” said Megumi Richards addressing him the way his friends and familiars do when not on duty.

“Yes, we are. Repulsive looking creatures, but they have a strong economy. We’re going to sell them what’s left of our prize ship. What we want is large quantities of research materials. Fortunately we can just request the raw ore for most of the materials we need, which will allow us to purchase more, but we do need large quantities of military grade protoplasma,” said Countryman.

“I heard that weapons research is working on a new torpedo. I take it the protoplasma is for that project,” said Megumi.

“Yes, but that project isn’t the only one in need of protoplasma. Speaking of projects, a group of young scientists asked me for help on their micro-warp drive project. I think I found the flaw in the engine, but we are running short on the materials needed to build a new prototype. Most notably being protoplasma and appropriate grade Rydium. If it works, then we will also need to buy materials for refitting our shuttle fleet with micro-warp drives,” said Countryman.

“Yeah, I have a few projects of my own that could use some rare materials. I’ll have my departments submit a list of things to consider buying for various projects,” said Megumi.

“Sounds like a good idea, and looks like the game is starting,” said Countryman. With that the two turned their attention to the war game. The game had two teams, red team which was led by a promising cadet, and blue team that was being led by her instructor. Red team was the raid force, and the team did a fairly good job. Managing to complete most of their objectives, before being forced to pull out. As the game was ending, Countryman and Megumi left together to continue their earlier discussion.