Warning: an unknown ship is approaching Haven

A ship of unkown origin has been spotted in the outskirts of the system, no special energy signatures have been detected and it is likely that it has arrived through sublight speeds. It's hull is massive and displays no known marks. It is estimated to reach Haven within a month.


EDIT: and just to let you know I had a good reason to Think that the planet was called Earth as that was what showed up on the info tab.

After a comparatively brief journey through a couple of systems via the hyperlanes, the Yuxu science fleet and its escort corvette arrive. During the entire journey they wondered where their new alien friends had gone to. They had transmitted their intent to travel, and received a return transmission indicating an acknowledgement. However the other vessels were at none of the connecting systems, leading the different crews to believe that they may have been set up. Seeing the massive ship in their scans across the system did not help assuage their feeling of betrayal.

After some delay, the Freeman flotilla arrived from warp directly from the random system they had their four-way adventure in without making any intermediary jumps. It wasn't considered strange that the reptilians arrived first since they were presumed to be more advanced, but their usage of hyperdrive FTL was still not suspected.

It was at this point that the face of Claryse, the leader of humanity, appeared on the bridge infront of the Herald.

Unheard and unimportant human-human chatting:

Shortly afterwards, the Freeman fleet ceased FTL communications with Haven. They once again began broadcasting a monochrome television transmission to the reptilians' fleet, this time of the Herald infront of a chalkboard with five pictures taped to it. One picture was of the reptilians' fleet, one was of the Freeman flotilla, one of Haven (and its space station), one was of the unknown vessel, and the final one was of the Freeman construction ship farther out in the system that was of very similar design to the ships in the Freeman flotilla the reptilians were already familiar with. Addy lined up the Freeman holdings (Haven, the flotilla, and the construction ship) near eachother and put the reptilians' version of a plus sign connecting them all in an attempt to convey that these were connected. Secondly, he put the reptilian fleet photograph and the unknown ship next to eachother elsewhere on the chalkboard and connected them with a plus sign as well, in an attempt to ask if they were connected in the same way as the similarly-designed Freeman ships. Finally, Addy pulled out a few more photographs that were copies of the selfie he sent and of the allied reptilians. He taped the human images to all the Freeman property, then taped the reptilian photos to both the reptilian fleet and the unknown ship in an attempt to incite the reptilians to accept they were of the same kind or to correct the ridiculous assumption.

Meanwhile, a song was relayed to the Freeman construction ship farther out in the system closer to the hulking unknown ship to attempt an establishment of communications with it. The radio transmission broadcasted was a calm and simple song.

The ship does not register it, it might as well be a dead hulk but for the smallest of power trails that emit from it, engines are off, Everything seems to be off.

The arrival of the human fleet both soothed and perplexed the scientists aboard. Soothed that they had arrived, so if they had been double-crossed they could kill the double-crossers, but perplexed at the odd anomalous signatures that the arriving fleet gives off. They return the transmission showing the human and Yuxu fleets together and set them as not being equal to the unknown ship, showing no association. Seeing that their scans show the hulk to be powered down, and likely uninhabitable, they decide to treat the super massive ship as a planetary ruin. The military ship transmits drawings of the two fleets with smaller strike craft, and drawings of soldiers on top of them, with arrows drawn toward the big ship.

The utter lack of "energy signature" readings outside of EM wave readings (radio, thermal/infrared, and visual) left the Freeman flotilla blind and confused to the strange hulking vessel. It didn't have its engines on, but as far as the humans knew, it could have had its weapons charged and its occupants rabidly preparing to initiate Armageddon at the slightest provocation. The reptilians confirming that it was not one of their own alongside the dead silence of the unknown vessel only exacerbated the fear of the unknown.

The further transmissions from the reptilians seemed to indicate they desired to board it, either meaning an investigative exploration, a personal diplomacy mission, looting, or combat boarding (similar to the earlier pirates of their species), none of which sat well with the Freemen. The Freeman flotilla lacked the strike craft to deliver soldiers in the style that the reptilians seemed to desire, which further complicated things. However, the construction ship that was closer to the alien hulk had mining shuttles that could work perfectly for this task even if they lacked the dedicated combat suits the exploratory fleet had. As the reptilians presumably were in space longer and presumably had better technology, the best course of action was considered to be to trust the reptilians' judgment and order the construction ship to gather up a paramilitary force to join the reptilian strike craft.

The construction ship had crewmembers in mining space suits (designed with extra padding for micrometeorite impacts and physical impacts, but not bullets) equip firearms from the armories and mining explosives from the mining supplies. Additionally, they brought some cutting torches and other miscellaneous equipment for the mission, including a television with a bulky battery attached. They all boarded the mining crafts and were ready to join their more professional allies in the mission. The image the reptilians sent of the strike craft plan was transmitted back to its creators, as a confirmation of the plan.

Meanwhile, the previous song was broadcasted again to the mysterious hulk, in final hopes that it would begin communicating without the need for a face-to-face boarding. Assuming that anything was left alive aboard the mysterious ship, of course.

Still no response from the ship.

Also a reminder: the ship is currently traveling at 0.3 lightspeed. This must be taken into acount in case of a boarding attempt.

With the confirmation, the Corps fleet engages and moves at intercept velocity. During the days it takes to reach the derelict ship, four more Corps ships materialize from the hyperlanes. Once the science ships have completed their scans, it's a matter of hours before a boarding plan is drawn up and transmitted.

Diagrams of the hull exterior are transmitted, showing the landing zones of the shuttles. First the Corps shuttles will disembark and cut into weak points that appear to be airlocks. The diagram of the exterior dissolves to show the halls and corridors of the interior. The images representing Corps marines and scientists advance inside followed by the image of the Herald, representing the human soldiers, that then hold position at the entry points with one unit of Corps marines, indicating that the marines will advance inside to investigate, while the entirety of the human force, accompanied by one unit of marines, will hold position at the entry points. The rest of the transmission consists of marines going room to room and cuts off when command believes the humans have gotten the idea.

A new transmission is sent, showing the marines immediately coming under fire from unknown symbols as they enter. It shows the marines making a slow advance within the ship, with marines pouring in and methodically clearing rooms and hallways, with the humans again shown guarding the entry points. This is hopefully interpreted as the battle plan in case of resistance.

That transmission cuts out and a new one is sent showing a still of marines having advanced far into the ship unopposed, having set up checkpoints at each corridor intersection, identified by both Yuxun and Haven numbers. A cluster of unknown images pour in from unexplored areas, and the marines all retreat, the outposts and checkpoints holding position until the exploring marines have passed and retreat themselves. This continues until the ship is empty of marines back out the airlocks, leaving the humans for last to cover their retreat and exit, the diagram only showing them moving once the last marine has exited. Corps shuttles hang around the entry/exit points firing pixels that miss the humans as they board their own shuttle, hopefully indicating covering fire as the humans make their exit. Once the shuttles clear, the human missile ships and two of the Corps ships then fire their weapons from maximum range. This is hopefully understood as the backup plan, should anything horrible happen within the ship that causes the boarding to be aborted.

The transmission sent by the reptilians was received and at first considered to be some sort of calculated expectation of events, but the multiple different scenarios then led the humans to figuring out that they were battle plans for various scenarios. As the plans were considered reasonable and optimal to the primitive and inexperienced humans, they accepted the plans and confirmed this by sending back a monochrome clip of the animation's beginning where the shuttles were boarding and taking positions inside. Correspondingly, the human shuttles in reality took their positions outside the hulk as demonstrated in the Yuxu plans and prepared for their role.

In consideration of how they would cover the retreat if needed, the humans began devising a preliminary plan for their own. Upon boarding and having the landing area secured by their allies, the most important detail would be to deploy explosives that would be detonated upon a retreat. Exactly where the kill areas would be depended heavily upon the environment inside such as if there was artificial gravity or not, and especially upon if the area would have air or vacuum present. The questions would need to be answered when the time came.

With the idea in mind, the humans sent over some transmissions to the Yuxu fleet. They sent a photograph of an explosive charge to be used, and then showed a short video demonstration of it being used to blast apart rock. They then sent a video transmission of the "retreat plan" animation, edited to have the explosive charges crudely doctored onto the area, with circles around the explosives cut out of the film into static (due to being cut out from the film reel) after the reptilian forces had retreated past the kill zone.

Upon seeing, what they believe to be an explosion, the warbosses in charge of the corvettes conclude that this is a perfectly sensible idea and they should have thought of it earlier. They retransmit the escape plan again, this time showing explosions after each checkpoint and outpost has been passed, including the emergency exit of the ship.

The corvettes and the science ships participating in the operation pull up alongside the derelict ship and match its acceleration before killing most of their thrusters, keeping their capacity for making quick course corrections so they don't drift and crash into the ship. They deploy their shuttles, which fly to their designated landing zones, who in turn deploy their plasma cutters to cut their way into the ship. The operators weld on rings that they clip their safety harnesses to to ensure that they don't get tossed into space in the event of rapid decompression. If they are successful in cutting inside they attempt to walk in to test for artificial gravity.

Adter a while they get through, there is no artificial gravity inside the ship which still shows no signs of life.

[Also have you forgotten about your space merchants and their attempts to trade with the Swarms?]

The first squads exit their craft and activate the mag boots of their suits to continue out of the airlock and into the adjacent corridor. The suited soldiers use flashlights mounted on the side of their mag rifles and shotguns to cut away the darkness of the interior. Then the next group comes in to cut away the former airlock doors. Meanwhile soldiers enter carrying floodlights and sandbags. They strip off an adhesive covering and place the bags firmly on the ground, and continue on building their adhesive sandbag chokepoint, clearing the way for the human contingent to board.

Once the landing area is breached, cleared, and secured, the Freeman 'soldiers' enter through the airlock created by their strange allies. The human forces were from the construction ship that had never met the reptilians before being ordered to join them in battle, but these were disciplined navymen so they were treated as allied forces in any case. They carried on with their objectives and joined the reptilians in fortifying the area and sticking explosives in designated locations in the airless room that would cause maximum damage to the hull and potentially launch shrapnel at any charging forces but minimal shrapnel in the direction of retreating forces.

The idea was to cause damage to the first wave of chargers and break the charge's momentum through injury, confusion, and intimidation (if such a concept as fear existed in the unknown forces), while also causing hull damage that would make advancing particularly difficult due to removing potential jumping point to approach from in the zero-gravity environment. A slap to the face followed by slamming the door, all to buy enough time for everyone to flee.

In addition, the human forces applied bright-red specialized spraypaint (designed specifically for use in space) to mark kill zones of the blasting charges. The humans hoped that their allies could see the color red, or at least see brightness difference enough to see the lines.

Once the humans' defensive positions were taken care of, they manned them and stood ready to defend the retreat if the need arose.


(I assume the environment is a vacuum right now due to the breaching. If it isn't, I'll edit my post to correct that detail. It's important for charge placement, but it's not like I'm placing the locations on an actual map. Shockwaves and concussive force and all that.)

No sign of life as of yet.

The Corps marines appeared completely different from their pirate counterparts. While the majority of the pirates wore bulkier suits to resist hazards like radiation exposure and micrometeorites around planets and other celestial bodies and were equipped with a hodgepodge of scavenged tools, the marines were dressed in a sleeker and more form fitting combat suit with only enough radiation protection to counter the background radiation of deep space. They wore protective vests and padding over their arms and legs and head encasing metal or polymer helmets with gold coated glass for lenses to see through and to render themselves immune to bright flashes. Their magnetic boots allowed them to walk within the ship relatively normally through the turning on and off of electromagnets depending on the movement of their flat feet. Each suit had some form of custom job done to it from decorative helmet engravings, to headbands to hold personal items in place, to different nongarish colors of their standard suits. Their weapons were given similar treatment.

The science personnel by comparison wore slightly bulkier suits with no additional armor and a dome of reflective glass for a nonmoving helmet. Only some of which were decorated.

The soldiers escort the science personnel as they move from room to room, set up their perimeters, and allow the science suits to start scanning and dissecting the rooms to ascertain their function and purpose of technology within.

One marine takes notice of the Freemen setting up the charges and taps them before pointing to the charges and back down the hallway. The other marines size the Freemen up, taking notice of their equipment while invisibly talking back and forth with each other about who could take who. They look at each other while one produces a deck of cards and fans them out and leans in to gesture toward the Freemen.

Suddenly the extra-protection doors shut Close, protecting the ship against the void of space as well as isolate the different groups.

In regards to the reptilian's suggestion of following to place more bombs in other suggestions, it was accepted and the Freemen blasters began following.

In regards to the card games, the unscientific navymen from the construction ship took the cards at face value as being either Tarot cards or playing cards, but their relatively bulky suits were not dexterous enough to easily manipulate something as tiny as cards.

However, to the chagrin of the explosives experts and to the mixed-blessing of the humans in the card situation, the doors suddenly sealed and locked down. It was uncertain whether this was for defensive purposes or simply an automatic mechanism triggered by the decompression, but in any case the humans made haste to brace themselves for the possible assault wave. This wasn't the time to mess around, and the Herald wasn't present in person to mandate messing around. Time to aim at the entrances and spawncamp again if the unknown occupants forced the allied marines to retreat. Or at least attempt to retreat through the sealed compartments...

Through the wonder of being able to speak to each other over the radio, after the initial startling from the doors shutting close, they show no signs of alertness to their human counterparts. However, within the corridors of the ship, the marines are very much on guard, watching the hallways, ceilings, and vents for movement. The welders are brought back to remove these new doors from blocking their escape and impeding their progress.

Suddenly attacks had started to be made on the isolated groups. Enemies had emerged from small and otherwise irrelevant holes on the sides and roof of the ship. Doors had been opened to reveal even more and larger enemies at the most inoportune moment and overall much use had been made of the general labyrinthian feel of the ship, as well as the fact that the intruders had not yet breached the new doors.

Outside the ship was slowing down, not hurtling quite so fast towards Haven any more. Tentacles suddenly extended so as to pierce the hull of the surrounding ships and insert their interior with bases.

Corps naval doctrine dictated that when marines boarded a ship that Corps Scouts cut into and invade the enemy’s air ducts to harass and cause chaos deep within pirate ships. Given that they were unfamiliar with the floor plans of this alien ship, it was decided it was best not to subject the young apprentice soldiers to the unknown when they had been trained to infiltrate Yuxun ship designs. Because of this there was a reason why the marines kept watch over the vents and the ceilings of the vessel. They were used to carrying out and encountering such harassment tactics.

The smaller bugs were met by shredder rounds from the barrels of some of the Yuxun shotguns, and caustic acidic shells from the barrels of others. Some of the bugs found themselves shot from their high velocity mag rifles, and others found themselves shot with a spray of flechettes fired from the barrels of larger magnetic guns. All who got too close that didn’t die from shot or slug was stuck with their monoedged bayonets and wrestled until they succumbed.

Once the fighting started the the marines at the landing zone jumped to attention and, having no other way to communicate, smacked the backs of their human counterparts and pointed forward toward the door and to the vents to get their eyes trained on the proper places. The soldiers within the landing area could feel the vibrations of machinegun fire rattling the hull of the ship as the captured shuttles tried to cut the tentacles away from them. Their parent corvettes launched a retaliatory warning broadside into the side of the ship at point blank range, the vibrations of which were more easily felt by the soldiers within.

The welders at the door worked doubletime to cut open the emergency bulkheads that separate them from their comrades fighting for their lives and to open the ship again the lifegiving cold void of space. With a burst of decompressing air the door flies back into the landing zone and out into the void.

The back-slaps were confusing for the humans and were at first taken as an indication to blow the charges, but thankfully the reptilians' pointing corrected the humans' thoughts before a severe mistake was made. The humans readjusted their aims to include the vents and stood ready to open fire. The faint vibrations of gunfire and explosions only served to increase the nervousness of the paramilitary humans, but they stood firm and made sure to open fire on any and all non-allied entities that entered.

Then the humans all got blasted around the room and thrown around chaotically due to the sudden rush of air from the other rooms and the lack of magboots or other similar technology. The lack of expectation for the shock left the humans no longer aiming and prepared for about thirty seconds, but the fact that anything not braced (like a charging enemy) would similarly be inconvenienced almost certainly mean it wouldn't matter much aside from no longer being in cover.  Thankfully, the mining spacesuit padding helped remove any damage that could have occurred from the flying around. The Freeman forces resumed covering their allies in the oxygenless environment once again. They hoped that the retreat or victory could be completed soon so that they could blast the ship into chaos and get home.

Meanwhile, the tentacles of the strange ship began puncturing the exterior sections of the construction ship that sent the shuttles. The other Freeman vessels were very much keeping their distance in order to potentially bombard the alien craft from a safe distance, so they were left untouched. The remotely-controlled ball turrets on the construction ship began firing away at the tentacles in an attempt to sever them and free their parent ship. The construction ship also planned on attempting to thrust away in order to tear itself free, but the Herald insisted on not doing so for whatever reason that he neglected to explain.

In the contrast to the chaotic and violent environment happening aboard the alien hulk, the Herald stood on his own bridge sucking on another small lollipop. Noting the bulky unknown ship's attempts to puncture and ensnare its enemy, he ordered another "math" problem to be sent to the allied reptilian ships. The video transmission was of two photographs, one of the giant unknown vessel shooting tentacles to puncture and ensnare its enemies, and the other of the reptilian pirates shooting harpoons to puncture and ensnare its enemies. The two photos were put into an equation as follows: "unknown vessel tentacle attempts" = "pirate vessel boarding attempts".

Waiting to see how the reptilians would respond to the equation, the Herald waited and watched as the combat unfolded. The missile tubes were kept loaded on the military Freeman ships, but were not fired yet despite the allies' broadside. This further confused his subordinates, but once again they received no elaboration.

When their initial charge against the intruding forces were met with only a marginal successs the aliens changed tactics: They would at random open up a door and do a massed charge, including Hunter Castes against the enemy, killing them all and do so with another room, keeping the enemy very much unaware of from which direction they would attack.

Outside the ship dispatched smaller ships that begun charging at the enemy ones, hoping to pierce their outer shell and dispatch more swarmlings.

(Oi, I didn't say I actually killed any of your guys. I left it up to you whether or not their ammunition could pierce their chitin or not. Does the machinegun fire have any affect on the tentacles? We need details or there's nothing stopping us from handwaving the encounter and blasting the ship to scrap.)