"How did we end up here?
I thought we were going to explore Africa, and now I'm told we are heading into battle?!
Zaro, is Esmond out to kill us all?" Sung of House Yi said, after being dragged along like the others to head into back into the Spatial Ark Star World out of the blue.
From there they were transported to another area where they saw two giant ships docked with people rushing onto them with supplies, cargo, and personnel for combat.
Just from their first thoughts after witnessing the two ships, nobody believed they were working starships even if their minds told them so.
They all believed that playing Stellar Wars had made them too dull and flawed to believe they were standing before working starships but after they arrived at the bridge of the SSV Normandy, named PSS Necthea.
Stated as part of the Phantom Security Services, Necthea's new design and equipment made completely different from the original ship.
Even the spirit that embodied the previous SSV Normandy changed into the ideals and nature of the PSS Necthea.
The standards of the equipment showcased the very best of what the Spatial Ark Star World could offer.
Similarly, the USS Enterprise – Galaxy Class went through a name change as well and became a member of the Septum Aecors of Terra Kingdom after its upgrades were completed.
Renamed SAT Vocatus, after the Second City of the Spatial Ark Star World which was renamed by the people as Vocatious City.
Capable of housing a crew of tens and thousands on the SAT Vocatus, it was more of a war class battleship than an exploration class ship.
It still retained the space for science labs and experiments, but it was tasked for warfare, and accordingly was outfitted with the respective crew.
Carter thought it would be wise to send the Grand Army of the Clones as well, but most of their ships were still undergoing upgrades and Esmond wanted to show the Bloodied Princess that he wasn't a threat.
"Calm yourself Sung.
Think of this as a new experience!
Look at everyone around us, do they seem frightened? No.
They are trained and prepared for battle and war, so watch and learn.
Be glad we are the first people from Earth participating in such a wild ride!" Rian Atlaesus'nov of House Atlaesnov.
Formed from the marriage of the Romanov and Atlaesus Houses, Rian was a close and dear friend of Zaro's as well as creating close ties with Esmond.
Rian and Kristoff also had a close connection which place him close with the children of the Imperial House of their Empire.
Currently 10 members of the Atlaesus Group was aboard the PSS Necthea with all of them being close to the Atlaesus family.
Out of everyone, Zaro remained quiet and unmoving with his eyes focused on the behaviour of the crew on bridge deck.
He wasn't paying attention to the small squabbles among the family, especially with Rian around to manage them if he wasn't able to focus on them.
Zaro wanted to rather understand how Esmond could already be at a state much similar to the Stellar Wars.
A part of him suspected Esmond created the game to maybe help humanity adjust with the troubles of space travel but now he felt like the original theory was wrong.
It finally clicked when he saw the HUD System applied to their seats which reminded him of Stellar Wars.
'He wants everyone to prepare for life at space and its working parameters to survive…' Zaro couldn't help but look over at Esmond, shocked his little cousin thought deeper than him in regard to the greater picture.
Before he could confirm his theory, Esmond instead ask Zaro a question, which also reached the ears of the other members of the Atlaesus Group and bridge crew.
"I'll be straight forward with you… this is the first time we are heading into Space and its for battle as well.
We could avoid this battle, but the benefits brought to us by participating in the fight could help our overall plans and ambitions in deep space and the galaxy as a whole.
Are you ready to be involved in a fight that'll be recorded as the first for Earth and its humanity as well as for the citizens of the Spatial Ark Star World."
Esmond's eyes panned across the entire room and reached everyone, yet the person to answer was Zaro.
"Let's make our mark in history." Zaro smiled with a grin as he thought about the expression of all the noble heads when they learnt he went into space.
Esmond wouldn't have them participate but they would get to enjoy a front row seat to the battle.
"~ALL TEAMS PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE!!~"
Celeste, the A.I designed and developed by Carter and Esmond already started working to manage the land DryDock on the Mainland of the Spatial Ark Star World rather than it being in the Stratosphere of the Mainland.
Carter already made the purchase to turn Celeste into an A.I Spirit, but since Igdra arrived, the formation of the A.I Spirit also gained an organic element to its composition.
This allowed Celeste to gain a better understanding of her relationship to the Spatial Ark Star World and Esmond, while understanding her purpose in regard to her work overseeing the Spatial Ark Star World Fleets.
Besides launching the ships and loading them with cargo, personnel and necessary equipment per mission guidelines, Celeste wasn't involved any further in the operations.
But she joined the mission as the A.I System of the two Starships.
The two ships seamlessly disconnected from their docks and started flying up towards outer space before Carter planned to open a gate leading out of the Spatial Ark Star World.
Zaro and the others were all lost in the beauty before the eyes as they saw the landscape of the Mainland before reaching outer space.
"Time to get going everyone." Carter appeared within the bridge deck inhabiting his personal Android range.
Esmond nodded and confirmed it was time to leave, so Carter opened a portal to leave for the two ships, while Celeste led through the ships and allowed them to appear behind the dark side of the moon.
Immediately the Power Cell Star Engines activated in the two Starships, propelling them to carved through space and time to appear near Halley's Comet.
Folding through space through a hybrid Warp and Power Cell Star Engine combined together led the ships through a rainbow-coloured portal that left everyone aboard the ships in awe.
Everyone felt like they'd achieved a small part of their lives dream, but they weren't able to enjoy it for long since Carter immediately drew their attention to the spaceships in the distance.
The Engines drew purified energy directly from Solis within the Spatial Ark Star World, so the force behind their movement, weapons and performance was far ahead of anything Esmond originally expected for the Engine.
But that didn't bother Esmond whatsoever, rather he felt delighted his space fleet would be far ahead of other ships, especially in the Tartarus Zone.
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"Battle alert!
Engage Cloaking Shields!
Contact the main ship in the lead, the Bloodied Princess.
Tell them we are ready to support them and that they need to make a slingshot manoeuvre around Pluto.
Celeste, have both ships on standby for combat!" Esmond Captained the PSS Necthea while the Captain for the SAT Vocatus came from Starfleet.
On arrival, Celeste immediately brought up the location of the Bloodied Princess, only to discover that it was being chased by several destroyer class ships.
They sent ahead several frigate class ships to keep up with the Bloodied Princess, which appeared on its last legs from heavy damage.
Esmond wanted to step in immediately and help, which he found would be easier than expected when the Bloodied Princess followed his plans and hid itself safely behind Pluto.
"Shall we get started?" looking on in the distance, Esmond noticed the frigate class ships getting closer as were the destroyers.
"As you wish Esy…" Carter sat back in his own seat beside Esmond's while setting up the War Drones to take formation around the two ships.
"… Bring the rain!" Esmond said as the crew launched everything from missiles to plasma and laser beams.
The War Drones floating closely around the hull of the ships shot their own volley of attacks that went undetected up until they made contact on the hulls of the ships and ripped them apart, leaving them at the mercy of the vacuum of space.
Esmond and Carter paused for a moment to stare at each other like they felt shivers crawling down their spines after witnessing the power of their attack.
No one in the bridge questioned the might of the weaponry systems as if it were normal but Esmond forgot to remember that the best of the Spatial Ark Star World was built in.
That wasn't all, nobody told Esmond how much effort and time they put into upgrading the former SSV Normandy.
Even the SAT Vocatus astonished Esmond as it broke apart the first Destroyer Class Ship of the other three coming up.
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'… Please tell me we aren't violating any laws of the Galactic Society right now with our weapons…?'
'Hhahaha… of course not… maybe… umm…' Carter didn't know how to answer Esmond right now after three frigate class ships were destroyed in a heartbeat.
Typically, the shielding of the ships would allow them to survive most attacks, but the PSS Necthea circumvented everything and directly ripped the ships apart.
'Start gathering everything from the crashed ships and take them to the Space.
Hopefully we can gather something from the wrecks…' Esmond lastly said to Carter as the PSS Necthea increased their attack rate to deal with the destroyer class ships coming closer.
They were anywhere from 1km to 3 in length and around a quarter of the width, depending on the size but Esmond figured the destroyer class ships in front of him were second hand.
All of the custom work on the exterior hull of the ship made that very clear to Esmond who figured it was either a private fleet or a small-time mercenary organisation.
Just as the battle continued on, Celeste accepted the incoming call from the Bloodied Princess which caught Esmond by surprise.
"Am I speaking with the Captain…?"
Asked the lady sitting in a chair on the other side of the video feed.
Esmond noticed the fear in young lady's eyes who appeared no older than him, but her sense of authority and leadership pushed her forward to not disgrace herself in front of Esmond.
"Yes, you are.
I'm Esmond Manston, and this is my ship the PSS Necthea.
The other ship, SAT Vocatus, that is helping with the battle, is also under my control.
May I ask if you're the Captain of the Bloodied Princess?" Esmond addressed her girl with deep red hair that went against the believe that all members of the Imperial Empire had platinum blonde hair.
Only her purple eyes as deep as sapphires were the only indicator, she was of the Imperial family.
"… I'm Philippa Rolcia Vain… the Captain of the Bloodied Princess.
My ship is only passing this Star System for now, even though we plan to head further into the outer galactic rim." Hoping to understand why Esmond chose to help her, Philippa still had her crew prepare for the worst.
"… To the Tartarus Zone perhaps…?" Esmond slyly smiled before adding, "I only say this because I believe we can help each other within the lawless Tartarus Zone.
At the same time, I want to find out about the truth that makes the Tartarus Zone what it is." Hoping his honesty would help connect with Philippa, Esmond gave her a cheerful smile, only to see an annoyed expression in return from Philippa.
"… I am truly grateful for what you have done to protect me and my people, but to trust someone unknown in deep space is a fool's game."
"You aren't wrong there, Captain Philippa.
I only ask that you place a little trust in me for now to help create a stable relationship between us that could very well change the forces of power within the Tartarus Zone."
Esmond's sincerity helped Philippa make a choice to work with him for now.
She didn't know if Esmond could keep up with his ideals and goals within the Tartarus Zone but if he could, she prayed they could accomplish even a fraction of the overall goal.
All her research told her the Tartarus Zone valued power and strength above everything, so she planned to use Esmond's power to help her in the early stages at the very least.
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"Geneviève… remind me to never complain about warfare within Stellar Wars…" Commented Alania who found herself mesmerised by the simplicity and ruthless warfare in deep space.
"Don't worry, I'm already considering broadening my horizons and take some Starship construction and fundamental classes at the Necthea Academy for the Star Legion."
Geneviève was excited to start her classes at the new academy constructed and managed by a combination of Starfleet and Necthea Institute personnel.
In fact, all sorts of scientists and groups focused their attention of the academy to make it highly desirable for everyone to study at.
Also, the grounds for the Academy took up around 100 acres within the Space, which set it up to be one of the signature designations to visit within the Spatial Ark Star World.
They weren't the only ones who rethought their commitment to the Spatial Ark Star World taking in their Empire after witnessing the brutality of war in space.
It was evident to all that deep space could easily bring about their planets destruction once it was discovered by a hostile force.
Just their basic equipment could help them easily take over the planet.
This made Zaro wonder why Esmond hadn't just done that already but regardless of that, he seriously considered informing the Emperor to hasten the process to emigrate.
He was aware Esmond, and the Space could offer their Empire so much more than it already had.
Zaro was aware the Empire tried to move towards space for some time now, but nothing worked out because they couldn't connect with the rest of the world for assistance.
Even if they were a powerhouse that could reach Mars, it still couldn't keep them their permanently without assistance from Earth and that meant the entire planet.
But Esmond and his Spatial Ark Star World removed that dependence on the rest of Earth but at the same time they needed to support Esmond's battle to gain the planet in his hands.
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"How's the battle going?" Esmond asked Celeste who appeared in a holographic form right next to Esmond who'd gotten up from his Captain's seat.
"Mostly cleaned up, Big Brother.
Only problem we've found so far are the captured slaves and forces kept on board some of the vessels.
There seems to be several different types of races and species kept as slaves and the work force.
They've gained quite a large number of injuries, so I think its best they all move into the Spatial Ark Star World immediately." Esmond approved of Carter's plans and decided to take on the people kept within the enemy ships.
Most of the battled finished up by this point so by the time the first ships moved to the Spatial Ark Star World, it'd come to a brutal end with a clear victory in Esmond's favour.
The autonomous Mech robots hadn't even taken action at this point with the War Drones and the two Starships being enough to take on a small fleet.
Esmond let Zaro and the others explore the Ship while the crew prepared for a small reception on the SAT Vocatus for the Bloodied Princess and her staff as the Galaxy Class Ship offered to help fix the damages as they progressed close to the Tartarus Zone.
In the meantime, Esmond entered his stateroom and settled down before his bed as Carter activated a film to watch.
To his surprise, it happened to be of some value.
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*Ding*
[Scanning surroundings… Analysed!]
[Quest activated in conjunction with Spectral Consciousness Ability]
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[Please select difficulty…]
[Easy] [Normal] [Hard] [Hardcore] [Nightmare] [Hell]
[Nightmare] [Accepted!]
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[Media: Film]
[Name: Ironman]
[Year of release: 2008]
[A Suit Like No Other…]
[During the coup in which Obadiah Stane tried to takeover Stark Industries, secretive agents of Hydra tried their own hand at accessing Jarvis to gain everything related to the IronMan Suit.
[Host is required to interfere and stop the Hydra Agents from infecting Jarvis programming while trying to gain design schematics of the prototype powered armour suit]
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[!!!ATTENTION!!!]
[Due to certain attributes of Hosts have reached certain thresholds, the following mission parameters will be adjusted accordingly]
[Host will be provided with additional Optional requests and tasks to perform to achieve greater evaluation grade]
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[Host needs to:
- 0/40 Kill Hydra Agents stationed around Tony Stark's Malibu Mansion
- 0/1 (Optional) Enhance and Copy Jarvis programming
- 0/5 (Optional) Download Prototype design schematics
- 0/1 (Optional) Supply Project information concerning treatment to deal with metal shards within Tony Stark body and Reactor Core
- 0/1 Establish access with S.H.E.I.L.D database for Jarvis
- 0/1 (Optional) Discover Hydra Double Agents and create timed release for data to selected Official]
[Rewards:
- 8,505,000,000 Credit
- 8,122,000,000 Exp
- Extremis liquid Nanotech Iron-Man Powered Armour Suit – Elite Grade
- J.A.R.V.I.S Operating System – Elite Grade
- Stark Industries collective project database – Mortal Grade]
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[Any other Rewards are based off evaluation]
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[Time to complete: 30 Minutes]
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