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The Carbonite Tribble Emporium

Aaron Fox

SB's Minor Junker Descendant and Hunter of Nazis
Author
Well, there was an idea of GDI in Star Wars that I posted in SB...

Galactic Republic Exploration Corps Ship Valkyrin; Janua 22nd, 3227 LY

"Alright, attention all hands, rig the ship to exit hyperspace," Captain Tofal ordered as the old Corellian-built exploration vessel prepared to exit hyperspace. Plotting hyperspace routes is tricky, time consuming, and stressful work, but thankfully this new route had given the crew of the Valkyrin minimal difficulties... unlike other routes as of late. It has become more and more apparent that galactic exploration has been becoming harder and harder every year. Not only groups like the Trade Federation were locking down exploration as a whole, but also it has become harder and harder to find hyperspace routes at all. This is both a blessing and a curse, especially for a small -if one considers having only a moderate-sized vessel 'small'- outfit like the Valkyrin. Still, if such an outfit got a lucky break like what has been happening so far, then they're set for life as the route's worth would be enough to buy entire planets, perhaps even an entire system.

Soon enough, the ship exited hyperspace just at the border of the system.

"We've just exited hyperspace. Sensors are getting preliminary data now and..." the sensor officer said before she paused, "Are you guys seeing this or have I gone space crazy?" Everyone on the bridge took a gander at the holo-emitter at the center of the room, which displayed the sensor data. While the emitter wasn't the best maintained, what it showed was something that is flat-out insane. From what the sensors were showing, the system is built up beyond anything resembling reasonable or what is considered sustainable. The sensors' software was actually partially glitching out given the shear amounts of data coming in.

"Is it me or is this system more developed than Kuat?" one of the officers asked aloud. The others weren't speaking out but shared the same sentiment, and the crew was lucky that they weren't part of the Judicial Fleet or they would have been reprimanded for misconduct. However, Tofal wouldn't blame them given the current situation. Murmurs spread like wildfire as the crew tried to make sense of the sensor readings. It was supposed to be a simple scan-and-grab before heading towards the next system on the hyperspace route. Now it's a first contact situation, the first one in decades...

"Sensor alert! I'm detecting a vessel in our aft quarter, approaching fast!"
___
Global Defense Initiative Vessel Stiletto, CIC - Wolf-359 system; January 22nd, 2257 AD - 10:30 AM

"Sensors, CIC; contact bearing 014 by 022. From the preliminaries it looks like an exploration vessel."

"CIC, Sensors; say again?" Lieutenant Reynolds asked with a frown as he milled about in CIC.

"Sensors, CIC; Confirming contact, bearing 014 by 022. Distance 4500 kilometers. Design likely exploration vessel."

"Alright, get system command on the horn; tell them we've got a first contact situation and it looks like an exploration vessel," Lieutenant Reynolds ordered, "Get all stations to yellow alert... just in case." GDI had always planned for the worst case scenario... but always hoped that it won't be used.

"Comms, CIC; System Command acknowledges, proceed with first contact."

"CIC, Comms; Message understood. Helm, ahead one quarter and prepare to get into first contact distance," Reynolds ordered, "Comms, prepare first contact procedures. I want this done by the numbers!" Everyone shuttered at Reynolds' orders. GDI took first contact seriously, and had ensured that it always is serious business. Serious enough to have summary execution for anyonethat pulled a 'Jankowski' during first contact.

"Comms, CIC; Message ready for transmission."

Reynolds sighed... then gave the order.
___
Galactic Republic Exploration Corps Ship Valkyrin

"Commander... we're getting a transmission from the incoming vessel," the communications officer -a Corellian named Haily Jenson- said as she looked at her screen.

"What sort of transmission?" Tofal asked.

"It's... while I'll be, why they're using that ancient transmission system I'll never know. From the sounds of it, it looks like they're trying to establish comparisons to our mathematical and scientific systems," the communications officer answered, "Damn, this sort of first contact protocol hasn't been used since the Reformation."

"Are you damn serious?" one of the other officers asked, barely believing in what is being said, "We are dealing with an entirely new race?" Murmurs were abound as others had similar feelings about this.

"Alright, start replying based on that protocol," Tofal ordered, "I want this done by the numbers. If anyone screws up and we don't die, I'm going to allow the Republic to let the screw up to rot for life or extradite them to the new race for trial." The vast majority of the officers audibly gulped at that statement. Even the Trade Federation couldn't circumvent the various 'First Contact' laws with their incredible power and prestige... and the last time someone screwed up a first contact, the poor sap got a one-way ticket to the most secure prison in the Republic for life... without parole.

"Alright then... now let's work our way through this..." Jenson said as she started to work...
(________________________________________________________)
Corusant, Capital of the Republic; Mar 1st, 3227 LY

Corusant was a hive of activity as the Valkyrin entered the system. The Judicial Force has practically grounded everything for today, and the Senate has called for an emergency session to meet the representatives of the new race. The various news networks had holo-cam crews scrambling across known space to get to the Senate complex before everything simply shuts down. For those in the orbital traffic stations, this is probably the tensest moments of their lives. The Senatorial Guard stood ready, waiting to escort the ambassadors into the antechamber of the Senate... who already evacuated an area about five miles on the surface just in case someone decided to make trouble getting a sniper blaster and killing one of the ambassadors like what had happen two centuries ago... and that nearly started a disastrous war.

Thanks to the clear skies, the Valkyrin quickly entered the atmosphere of Corusant, and was quickly escorted by a flight of Judicial Force fighters towards the Senate. To the crew of the Valkyrin, it was actually rather quick... to everyone else, it was a literal eternity. Holo-cams crowded the docking bay, ready to get a glimpse of the new race for the various Holonet news networks. Standing at the end of the royal purple carpet was the current Supreme Chancellor, Finis Valorum. Ever since he obtained the office last year, he had been fighting an uphill battle that had gone absolutely nowhere. This, thankfully, would help with gaining the popularity needed to push some of his reforms. Making sure that a new race is introduced to the Republic would give him some political credit for later use for future legislation. Credit that can be used to fight the growing corruption that has been eating the Republic itself... if it works that is.

"This is Justice Escort 212, ETA, five minutes."

'So,'
Valorum thought to himself, 'this is where I make or break my career.' This moment is something that Valorum knew that would make or break his political career... showing that he isn'tsome simple faceless bureaucrat that got lucky and was elected Supreme Chancellor. If he failed... then it would pretty much be the end of his life as he knew it.

The minutes ticked on by as the Valkyrin inserted itself into the atmosphere and the crowd waited with barely contained excitement. Soon enough, the Valkyrin smoothly got into visual range and maneuvered into the hanger. The Corellian exploration vessel got onto the docking cradle and stopped. Everyone waited as one of the airlocks opened up. The first ones to come out was the rag-tag explorers that made first contact and the crowds simply roared in applause. As the explorers walked down the royal purple carpet, the next group came out... clad in armor and armedwith weapons that the rest of the galaxy didn't recognize and escorting their representative. The way they moved was completely and utterly alien to the crowd, the way they moved was unlike anyone who worked at the various defense forces across the Republic, the way they kept swiveling their head like a firefight could break out at any moment, how their weapons were in a position that was different than anything that the galaxy knew. It a little while longer, but the new race's representative was face to face to the Supreme Chancellor.

"On behalf of the Galactic Republic," Valorum introduced, "I and the Senate welcome you to the greater galaxy." Valorum was mentally shaking as this was the moment of truth.

"The Concordiat of the Global Defense Initiative appreciates the honor you've given us," the representative said, "I am General Jeffery Granger... and normally someone from the diplomatic office would be here instead of me, but I'm the only one with first contact training that was immediately available. I hope that we have a good relationship for the foreseeable future." Valorum mentally frowned in confusion, but then again there was a time where travel was a lot slower and made things slower in general. This 'Concordiat of the Global Defense Initiative' is probably utilizing something akin to early hyperdrives in terms of speed... which can cause problems down the line. The crowd was eating it up like cake though, and a roar of applause spread across the hanger at what appeared to be the first peaceful steps to integration.

"I hope that our relationship will be great in the foreseeable future," Valorum replied with a smile, "Let's not keep the future waiting shall we?" Granger couldn't help but agree... even for different reasons.

Granger and his entourage walked towards the Senate chamber. As they slowly walked towards the Senate chamber, Granger's thoughts of the Galactic Republic went lower and lower. From what Granger gathered from the analysis of the history of the galaxy and what little information of the political situation that slipped through the lips of the Valkyrin's crew, things aren't exactly stable, and the Supreme Chancellor is hopping to use this going well as political capital to force reforms that will never happen. A purely democratic government will always fall apart as vested interests grow more and more powerful until reforms are impossible. That is the lesson GDI was forced to learn before the Second Tiberium War when civilization was literally falling apart at the seams. Sadly, it appears that this 'Galactic Republic' is going a similar route... and GDI has to prepare for the worst possible outcome and step into the void when it happens...
(___________________________________________________________)
Kaumia, the Outer Rim; February 8th, 2262 AD

Sounds of gunfire echoed through the night as Captain Thomas looked through his scanoculars. Pirates -from what INOPS had gathered, they're most likely backed by the Hutts- had attacked a fledgling GDI colony a few months back, and since the Republic isn't going to make them an example the Concordiat decided that GDI will. That is why Thomas is here, poking his head out of the Sentinel Mk V Heavy Tank's commander's cupola. INOPS tracked the pirates to this planet, and it was quickly discovered that pirates were well-off enough to have an theater shield around their base... which proved to be an incredible headache when the Type 4 ion cannon fired a full-charge blast into it and shrugged it off like no one's business. That forced a planetary assault.

To say that it was a slaughter is to be understate the obvious. The Mammoth 34s and the assault infantry dropped in with aerospace fighter support. The pirate's answer to the drops was sending out their technical hovertanks -and so smug and sure that GDI AFVs wouldn't be even able to touch them- and their starfighters. The starfighters were annihilated before they could even get close to the dropships, leaving the technical hovertanks to fight off proper tanks... and like the starfighters were annihilated before getting into their effective range. The few remnants of the initial pirate force quickly retreated towards their outer perimeter defenses only a further back...

... and it is these very defenses that Thomas and his comrades are about to assault.

'Hm... looks like they've been using the local terrain decently enough,' Thomas thought to himself, 'Still, given that -so far- all their heavy weaponry either activated the AMS or barely put a scorch mark on armor plate... it likely won't help them. Then again, those things act like bloody GLA Scorpion tanks and those could never stand up to a GDI tank in a straight up fight.' That was when Thomas saw something unusual. "Gunner, is it me or is that a heavy cannon they're unmasking there?" Thomas asked his gunner. In the distance Thomas saw several pirates in what looked like blaster-resistant armor taking the camouflage off of a heavy cannon.

"I'll be god damned. INOPS is right on the money yet again," the gunner -Balthazar- answered through the tank-radio, "That's probably one of the Sinar Systems heavy 'blaster' cannons. These guys got some good toys to the party, too bad that it ain't going to help them much anyway." Balthazar was right on that one, GDI acquired the various weapon systems in the galaxy through various means, and so far it hasn't impressed GDI RnD much. Armaments from Sinar Systems however... are the exception.

"Sending fire mission request," Thomas smirked, "Sending coordinates."

"This is Yankee Five, fire mission received, shells on the way."

203mm gauss-howitzers started firing HE rounds down-range, sending a torrent of artillery shells into the landscape in front of Thomas's tank. The aftermath wasn't pretty by any means, as shrapnel, debris, and gore littered the landscape in front of them...

________
Kaumia Pirate Base HQ, Command Center; an hour after GDI landing on the planet

Jokev frowned at the situation that was developing. The holo-plot showed that this 'GDI' never heard of the word 'overkill'. Each camouflaged defense site outside the shield perimeter had been thoroughly annihilated, and with a ruthlessness that outstrips even the most ruthless of pirates. GDI had moved in with a ferocity of a rancor with the precision of a Jedi... and the only thing that was keeping him and his men from total annihilation is the theater shield. Jokev's men laughed at the very idea of getting a theater shield for their base. Now they're not laughing as most of them are only alive because of that shield.

That was when the outer perimeter beacons started to disappear from the holo-plot. Jokev's blood turned to ice as the implications are obvious. The old Mandalorians had special units that were specifically trained and equipped for long-term operations behind enemy lines. They were incredibly effective against the Republic during the Madalorian Wars. Now Jokev is seeing a far more refined version of those units ripping his men apart... and that filled him with dread...
___
Kaumia Pirate Base, outside Main Complex

Blacklight Operative Samuel Ray Jeffery smirked in his helmet as the HRV tagged the pirates. The wetwork for the final assault had gone excruciatingly well. Almost picture book perfect well... and that's the problem. Nothing goes that well. Jeffery's team now stood -under thermo-optic camouflage- before the main complex of the pirate base with his team... and the pirates were on the target list with the leader -a non-earth human named Jokev- to be captured. With the majority of the pirates trying to stem the tsunami of metal that is the GDI steamroller, that left the main complex undefended and making it easy for Jokev to be snatched. With Jokev taken into the tender custody of INOPS, GDI would find who is backing these pirates and start investigating into them... and then crush them.

If the Galactic Republic isn't going to crush the slaver and pirate problem, then GDI will with it's usual ruthlessness. Letting it fester would only make things go from bad to worse.

"Found him," Blacklight Operative Michael Reynolds said over the comms, "Looks like he's in their CIC... and the place looks practically empty." From what Reynolds said, it sounded like a perfect smash and grab, but actually believing it is a personal invitation for Murphy to ruin your day and make the entire mission go pear shaped. "Very few guards. Looks like he's panicking..."

"Damn, so far Alderaan is has any inkling of what war really is,"
Blacklight Operative James Ramirez chuckled, "It's pretty fucking bad that the majority of the galaxy so far only showed Napoleonic levels of tactics at best... and most of them don't show any tactical acumen beyond common sense. It's like mass murdering puppies, kittens, and babies at this point." Everyone else agreed with that assessment as they readied to walk their way into the headquarters. Cybersecurity was... crap... compared to GDI's. Then again, the galaxy wasn't in an arms race to produce the best AIs and cybersecurity, leading to things like barrier mazes, attack barriers, and other, nastier, defenses alongside AGIs that run on Quantum Celerium circuitry with the processing power reaching towards the very limits of computing capability.

In essence, nothing that the locals could create could stop GDI from hacking pretty much everything they wanted... and that has all the Megacorps scared as well. Very scared. If it isn't on a separate network -which practically no one practiced here- then all their little secrets would be revealed. The only problem for INOPS/EXT-CW is the fact that the holonet network hasn't gotten to GDI territory yet.

The Blacklight team quickly got to one of the doors to the facility, and prepared to breach...
__
Kaumia Pirate Base HQ, Command Center

"Security breach!" one of the pirates yelled as the alarms went off, "Maintenance Door 27!"

"We're already close to the breach, moving to... oh frak...."

"What is it?" the pirate that announced the security breach said.

"We're frakking screwed! The rumors of GDI are true!" the pirate talking said as a blaster-fight was heard in the background, "They've sent Blacklight after us!" The pirate started to talk about something else but the message was cut before the pirate was able to relay the information.

That was when Jokev's body lost almost all pigmentation. The galactic underworld had rumors about GDI. Nasty rumors. No one within the Underworld had been able to confirm them because of GDI's extreme thoroughness. Everyone knew it was GDI, because it had their signature all over it... it was just that no one could prove it. The rumors always ended the same way, if GDI sent 'Blacklight' after you, then there is no way to escape, no where to hide, and you'll be dead within minutes. "We need to get out of here, shut as many blast doors between here and their current location," Jokev ordered, "We'll abandon the command center and..." That was when Jokev saw two GDI soldiers at his door, threatening anyone that dared to reach for their blasters...
)_________________________________________________(
Jedi Temple, Corusant; June 4th, 2263 AD

For Psi-Councilor Harry Mendalev, being in the Jedi Temple is... different... than anything else. The Jedi Temple had a calm architecture within it's walls, particularly -and achieved in ignorance- for psions and apparently 'Force Sensitives', which is good for Mendalev's handful of case studies. Three children -one human, a Twi'lek, and a Wookiee, had been discovered to have psionic potential and -once appraised on the problems of untrained psions- the Jedi Council agreed to allow GDI's Psionics Division access to the Jedi Temple and the younglings in question. Despite everything, many of the Jedi Knights and Masters have reservations on the GDI personnel.

While, problematic, Mendalev wasn't as worried as the others. They would warm up eventually... and simply worrying about it would hamper the technopathic arts class.

That was when the three children, two older padawans, and a Jedi Knight entered the room. The three budding psions are part of the class but the Jedi Council is... paranoid... about a non-force user within the Temple's walls and had assigned a Jedi knight and two low-level but older padawans to keep an eye on Mendalev and his comrades. Despite this, the three non-psions were interested in the techopathic arts despite it being only for psions thanks to elements of the class being useful for Force Users... like the understanding of technology so that the technopathy can be really effective.

Mendalev smiled as the students took to their seats. There is one thing and one thing that Mendalev liked most about the Jedi, and it's the value of allow one's self to be taught by the teacher and thus pass down the knowledge and experience of an older generation to the next. That -sadly enough- had to be beaten -both metaphorically and literally- into a lot of groups back during the early years of GDI. Individualistic to the extreme, much like the Greek City-States of yore, those idiots were. That is only a small mercy compared to everything else though, they can give the vast majority of Russians a run for their money in the stubborn department. Adapting is apparently not the Jedi Order's strong suit.

"Hello students, and welcome back to technopathic arts class," Mendalev said in a scholarly tone, "Have you done the homework I've assigned over the weekend?" The three students replied with a 'yes' -or in the case of the Wookiee a growl that translated to 'yes', Wookiee is actually quite easy to translate once you get the tonal aspect down pat- as they turned in their papers. "That's a good start. That homework is designed to ensure that you can understand the principles that I am teaching you, and helps train you for events that you'll discover in life. Now, let us go over what you learned over the weekend and start on learning other principles of technopathy..."

Jedi Temple, Jedi Council Chambers; a few hours later

"... and that is how today went," Jedi Knight Shu-Chen explained to the Jedi Council, "So far there hasn't been anything that would indicate that the GDI 'Psions' are a truly detrimental force within the Order. If anything, they have helped us if anything. Their Psionic Etiquette class has done wonders for the three students and their fellow younglings. Even the unassigned and resting padawans had learned a thing or two and improved their technique." The Jedi Council simply nodded at this information. "It is my humble opinion that we should loosen some of the restrictions on these individuals. Nothing drastic mind you, simply not having a Knight observing their classes every day would be a start. With growing apathy in the Senate and a rise of anti-Jedi sentiment in the streets, it is my humble opinion that GDI will be a valuable ally in the days to come as they understand us more than anything."

The council wasn't outright ignorant, as the Jedi Order has a seat in the Galactic Senate itself even if the seat simply abstained it's vote every time a vote came around. Whispers have been faint but there has been a growing faction within the Senate that has anti-Jedi sentiment... and so far no one stopped them from growing. Having someone that could possibly understand them could help the Order if the unthinkable happened... and GDI has been incredibly understanding to near naivety if anything else.

"We will take your opinion into account when we deliberate. Please return to your duties Shu-Chen," Master Windu said politely. The Jedi Knight in question briskly left the room, leaving the Jedi Council alone.

"Change, GDI has started," Master Yoda said thoughtfully, "Yet, unsettled, we all are." The other masters nodded or hummed in agreement. Yoda is perhaps one of the more cryptic Jedi Masters, but is perhaps one of the wisest.

"Indeed Master Yoda," Mace Windu agreed, "Yet I can't shake the notion that they're change isn't good for the Order. It is more open, for a lack of a better word, than what the Jedi have practiced for centuries." Windu wasn't wrong in saying what it felt like. Some of the greatest reforms were made by trying to talk what the Force felt like or how the world around them was changing. The existence of the Jedi Order having a seat in the Senate stems from such a reform as the Senate is the heart of the Republic's politics, and having a pulse in the Republics politics allowed them to be better diplomats.

The deliberations continued throughout the rest of the day and well into the night, while the seeds of change continue to be planted...
 
Tribble #2: Mass Effect AU with Sins of a Solar Empire (or SoaSE for short), Battletech, among other things...

Well, been going back to Sins of a Solar Empire... and I've been playing a little too much of pretty much everything at this point so I'll make it brief. So I'll have to set the scene.


(Thank you HBS and Paradox for giving what is probably the best intro score for a history of such promise but with such sorrow)


For mankind, it started out with such promise... but ended with such sorrow. My ancestors were born into a world of unparalleled plenty, of unparalleled science and art, of realizing dreams. Sol became colonized as colonies were erected across planets and planetoids across the system. It was paradise for practically everyone. Great cities that not only pleased the eye but also minimized their impact on the environment. Unparalleled pleasure and entertainment pleased the masses with ease. Work has all but vanished as automation took hold. Yet, there was something missing... something that scratched that itch that dominated humanity so much over the centuries. On June 3rd, 2104, an answer came for that itch:

The first, viable FTL in the form of the Phase Drive.

The Terran Federation -humanity's united government- started with simply charting the cosmos, making sure that colonization plans were tailored to the planet in question. This didn't go well with the more adventurous of the populous, getting the Terran Federation into a situation where it can't win. For every well-managed and well-designed colony, there were hundreds of 'prospector' operations setting up across known space. This would go on for the better part of two centuries. Despite whatever the Terran Federation could come up with, numerous prospector operations would continue to pop up with surprising regularity. What few people understand is that colonization is a very resource intensive and complex business. Planets have to be surveyed, cataloged, and require immense amounts of preparation in terms of training and infrastructure. Even as the Terran Federation got better and better at colonization, legal colonization was incredibly slow.

That would lead into the fracturing of the Terran Federation and the resulting civil war.

E05P26.jpg

(thank you Mr. Average for having what is probably the best combat scene with combined arms and power armor on the internet that isn't behind some sort of paywall or something)

It was 2344 when the vast majority of the colonies rebelled against the Terran Federation, igniting the civil war. The rebels were surprisingly well armed despite the restrictions enforced by the Terran Federation. The Terran Federation Armed Forces, however, were continuously stymied at every turn by their political leadership and that meant hundreds of millions (at least) of loyal citizens were being killed by this inaction. So, the Terran Federation Armed Forces pulled a military coup against their political leaders and disbanded much of the elected government. The coup, after much consideration, put one Fredrick Neumann in charge. Fredrick Neumann was an elder that was simply the man with the right mentality, in the right place, at the right time. He never liked politics despite his ability to thrive in that world, but during his time as Supreme Marshal of the Armed Forces, he maneuvered through politics like a master. His tenure as Supreme Marshal gave him immense support of both the people and the military. At the end of the day, he wanted to become simply a modern Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus...

... but reality wouldn't let him. As the war dragged on with no end in sight, Fredrick was forced to build a new foundation... and this foundation would become known as the Terran Haegemony. Fredrick worked to make the foundation as strong as possible, but he would never see if his legacy was built upon stone or in sand as he died only a decade into his reign. Despite everything, the Terran Haegemony was able to regain control of numerous systems. The Terran Haegemony -a unique fusion of constitutional monarchy, constitutional republic with limited franchise, and a bureaucracy that is made up of only cybernetic officers and AI- would annihilate all but a handful of secessionist factions when the Turians led an expedition to a system with a Primary Relay in 3552...

... leading to first contact with an alien species on somewhat peaceful terms. In the end, it became readily apparent that the Turians and humanity would treat each other like brothers, and this caused great concern for the Asari and the Salarians. The Quarians -who didn't suffer the Morning War thanks to the addition of a few more cool heads being leaders- show great interest with the Terran Haegemony... and this is where our story begins as a band of Quarian and Turian officers and their units undertake an officer exchange program in the decades that follow first contact...
 
Tribble #3:

Ok, been playing around with nBSG since Deadlock came out. When I read A Family Affair (a Space: Above and Beyond/nBSG fic) on SB for the unbetellionth time, an idea screamed to be 'sketched'.

Now I'm going to 'flesh out' the background before I get into the sketch itself:

The Twelve Colonies have problems, between the Sagitarion Secessionist movements, the fear of the Cylons, and normal semi-liberal democracy politics, there is a lot on their plate and the Colonial military is saddled with a good portion of it. Now if there is one thing that both the political and military sides of the Twelve Colonies agree on, it is that the Twelve Colonies already have a shitload of things on their plate and that's with only the Cylons to worry about. So a detailed 'dos and don'ts of First Contact' were made and literally hammered into the heads of every Colonial officer in the Colonial military. In addition, the protocols that were hammered into said officers' heads include provisions like 'if in a first contact situation, a Colonial Officer is authorized to force anyone under his/her command to abide first contact protocols by any means necessary, including immediate execution'. Because having the Cylons is bad enough in the Colonial military's eyes, having another unknown into the equation is only to make things worse.

The thing about the Cylon War is that it caused major setbacks to Colonial RnD and much of the RnD that wasn't destroyed was taken by the Cylons. This included large-scale A-Grav tech, advanced computers, cybernetics research, MMI research, among others. It has only been in the last decade that the Colonials were able to regain much of the lost technology. The Colonial Fleet has been doing much of this regaining tech research alongside new avenues that weren't explored before like railguns and weaponized training lasers for CWIS work. The biggest symbol of this is the Galactica class of super-heavy Battlestars... which got labeled 'Warstars' by the media. While the initial production run was always intended to be a series of testbeds (both in terms of technology and actually running ships of that size) for a later production run, the initial 12 ships were reduced to 3 due to Aldar's budget cuts. Basically, the Galactica class is the Zumwalts of the Colonial Fleet. Oh and this is slightly AU with Zak Adama failing his Viper exams but he and his fellow cadets manage to get their Adamant class ship limping home after a run-in from a Cylon War mine (which killed most of the officers and incapacitated the survivors), thus getting him on the ship command track.

Now the story begins with a small taskforce -consisting a minor Battlestar and some escorts- jumping into a system just within the Red Line due to intelligence that Sagitarion Secessionists were using the system as a rallying point for stolen mothballs so they can jailbreak their leadership. So the taskforce enters the system... in front of an Earth exploration vessel. Everyone goes 'WTF!?!' and goes through their first contact protocols before someone does a stupid and starts shooting. As cooler heads prevail, contact is established and the two humanities meet at last. Things goes as well as you expect and mirrors A Family Affair in this respect.

The Earth Humans -in my current sketches- are effectively a post-Xenonauts (in a universe similar to Sword of the Stars) Earth ruled by the Xenonauts/Successor-to-the-Xenonauts and a setting I'm working on called 'Iron Galaxy'.
 
Tribble #4:

Basically takes place in the 'Iron Pact' timeline and some peacenick decided to revive the 'Maximum Battleship' concept... and the reality and hilarity ensuing in a similar fashion to the satire of Pentagon Wars:


But in this case, it's the US Navy general staff banging their heads against the wall at the ridiculous wants of the peacenick's ever escalating wants and desires despite the US Navy not wanting the aforementioned battleship concept in the first place.

For those who never heard of the 'Maximum Battleship' -also known as the Tillman- concept, here is a video that more or less sums up the shear insanity that the idea had:
 
Everyone, may I remind you that this is a story idea thread for EVERYONE. You have my EXPLICIT permission to put story ideas as long as you have two things: the latest tribble number (i.e. Tribble #x), what you are crossing/fusing/original idea-ing, and a description (more than a single sentence) of the idea. Thank you and have a nice day.
Signed, Aaron Fox
Tribble #5
Star Wars/'Iron Galaxy'

The Iron Haegemony has worked quite hard to be where it is. Lots of blood, sweat, tears, and bodies were shed to not only ensure that humanity continues ever onward, but also thrive in a galaxy that isn't the most kind. Humanity has built a powerful industrial and military machine and it's government governs trillions of men and women, alien and human alike. With the discovery of the Trans-Galactic wormhole, things get weird... and thrusts the Iron Haegemony into the politics and history of the Galaxy far, far away...
 
Tribble #6
S.T.A.L.K.E.R/Outsider (webcomic)

One of the big mysterious things in Outsider that humans don't really show up on the Loroi psionic senses. In my idea, that's because the Noosphere was knackered by the C-Consciousness when they created The Zone. The steady expansion of the zone is also why humanity presses for new colonies even more than they do already, as well as using the artifacts from the zone to do so. The end result is that humanity's technology is a fair bit better, but still not on par with the major combatants.
Come first contact with the Loroi, they find out that these pink mon-keigh have made artificial psionics (which they can't even do) and broken physics over a decent chunk of their planet. With the artifacts of the Zone, humans are in a much better position to negotiate with the Loroi and contribute to the war.
 
Tribble #7
Iron Pact (alternate timeline)/Avatar: The Legend of Korra

When a quantum science experiment goes haywire, it connects to the world of Avatar about decade before Korra smuggles herself to Republic City (which, by my estimates is up to 15 years after Korra was discovered to be the Avatar at 3 or so) on an uninhabited island somewhat away from the various shipping lanes. This island quickly becomes a major metropolis as the Iron Pact starts exploiting the island's resources in a myriad of ways, with research in numerous fields of biology being the primary ones. To ensure the safety of this colony, the Iron Pact had setup a garrison there... which would lead to the metropolis's discovery about a few years (2 or 3) before Korra smuggles herself to Republic City.

After a tense standoff between the 1st Fleet of the United Forces and the Iron Pact garrison, things cooled down from 'likely standoff' to 'starting to talk to each other' after a Colonel Iroh managed to convince everyone not to start shooting, knocking out his commanding officer in the process (which caused an inquiry where he would be absolved of all charges, as "the situation was a complete outside context problem and out of the top-level command staff, Iroh kept his wits and cool despite his commanding officer being the opposite"). After this event, Iron Pact citizens soon started to show up in the various locales in the Elemental Nations as tourists and some of them started showing up for a longer-term...

The story is about one Nick Valentine, a US private detective who had moved to Republic City to help the Republic City Police to adapt to the changing times... and the meeting with a young, energetic, short-tempered, somewhat haughty woman and her polar bear dog...
 
Tribble #8
Tribble #2 human polity-(AU-ish) Gundam SEED

Basically it's something of a pileup. A cabal of interstellar corporations had been selling materials, technologies, fabricators, reactors, and weapons to the Earth Alliance, exploiting them unknowingly -and intelligently- for all their worth via a wormhole that connects the Iron Haegemony to SEED!Sol, causing the PLANTs -and their military organization ZAFT- untold headaches until a faction of humanity fighting against the Iron Haegemony -the Frontier Coalition- joined up with the PLANTs after their capital -the planet of Harmony- fell to the Iron Haegemony juggernaut. While the Earth Alliance has a head start -even uneven among themselves- ZAFT worked to close this gap and regain the advantage...

... as the Bloody Valentine War rages, a new player appears... and it isn't happy about the situation it finds.
 
Tribble #9
Tom Clancy's the Division and Iron Pact Timeline

Plot: Due to SCIENCE! on the Iron Pact side, Imperial Germany, the African Commonwealth, and Iron Pact Poland switch places with their Division counterparts a short time before the main outbreaks of the Dollar Flu happen. Just as the chaos dies down, the Dollar Flu spreads like wildfire across the planet... and this is the story of those who are fighting to keep civilization around...

Wolfenstein Bio-division Headquarters, Some Island off the German Baltic Coast; Early Days of the Dollar Flu outbreak

"So, what are we looking at doctor?"

Medical procedures that everyone in the old reality that the Iron Pact came from when it came to new diseases is extremely radical from the perspective of the new one. With the fact that the idea of privacy is all but extinct in the Iron Pact nations gave it a leg up on the current situation. The carriers and early victims were quickly carted off to Wolfenstein's Bio-Division Headquarters on an isolated island in the Baltic under Fall Schwarz protocol. So far the carriers weren't being cooperative and use of currency and plastic had been suspended with all currency being recalled for Fall Schwarz grade cleaning, thanks to the tainted bills and credit/debit/gift cards that the carriers had on them.

"From remote autopsy samples, we're looking at a viral pathogen specifically designed to be completely and utterly resistant to most forms of anti-viral countermeasures," the doctor answered as she looked through the data, "Nastiest piece of shit I've ever seen. Spanish Flu, Smallpox, Dengue, Hantavirus, H1N1 and it's sub-species Swineflu, Marburg... I could go on but this is specifically designed to wipe as much of humanity as possible." The doctor heard unsettled mumbling from her superior over the vidcom. "This thing has a mutation rate that is beating our treatments. We're probably looking at someone that makes the Unabomber look like an idiot and has the training and equipment to produce this."

"So... what do you suggest doctor? We've barely quarantined this across the portion of the Iron Pact that came with us as it is and the rest of the world is starting to flay apart at the seems. We're getting refugees trying any method to get past our borders to civilization and it is appearing that most of them don't even know that they're infected."

"We'll have to find the source and use it to synthesize a counter-agent... and that requires us to go into New York City," the doctor replied, "We'll probably need at least a full air armored infantry and an armored marine regiment in power armor with heavy full-conversion cyborg support given how quickly the city's ability to sustain civilization deteriorated." The doctor could feel the cringe from here, the world hasn't really seen the full capabilities of the Iron Pact's power armor and have kept their full-conversion cyborgs as far out of the public eye as possible. Yet, the situation now requires that the world -well, what is left of it- finds out the full extent of our capabilities. "We're looking at a Fall Omega situation here."

"... I understand doctor... Thanks for confirming it... God help us all..."
 
Tribble #10:

In the bleakness of the Second Europan War, hope endures. While Gallia and her allies haven't been part of the greater conflict, Federation and Imperial generals -valuing their own lives- seek avenues to break the meat grinding stalemate that has become common across the Europan Front. While the majority of the Federation general staff prepare for Operation Northern Cross, the Imperial general staff prepare not only the eventual hell mary plan that the Federation is planning but also finding an unprotected flank to strike into the heart of the Federation.

Months into the war, Maximilian is sent to invade Gallia to not only to secure the flank but also to ensure the Federation and Gallia's allies don't gain their ragnite reserves... and unleashes modern warfare against Gallia and it's allies, forcing what remains of Gallia's military and the expeditionary forces that Gallia's allies have stationed there closer to Rangriez...


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... meanwhile in another universe, a simple border screwup on the Ethiopian-Somali border between Iron Pact border patrols and forces belonging to the Commune of India and it's Somali allies has escalated into a third world war. As Pakistan becomes overrun, the Iron Pact has begun REFORGER operations to the various hotzones, trying to ensure that things don't deteriorate further. One of these convoys -headed by the US carrier USS Enterprise and German carrier SMS Admiral Erich Raeder with plenty of escorts- on it's way to the Southeast China theater enters a weather anomaly, and into another war...
 
Tribble #11:
Harry Potter/Recess-FNAF-FEAR thing

Basic idea: Michael Schmidt is an animatronic engineer and is friends with TJ and the gang and is the husband of Alma Wade. Michael had recently wrestled control of Fazbear Entertainment from William Afton and gave William a one-way trip to the deepest pits of hell but Genevieve Aristide is now on the run, trying to regain Armacham Technology Corporation from Alma Wade. As of late, Michael has been jumping from one Freddy's location after another, investigating them and seeing if any of William and Genevieve's bunkers are in said locations. The location in Little Whinning, fortunately, doesn't have the aforementioned bunker... but it has one of Grindelwald's 'toys' is found instead and the plot follows a little known fanfic called 'SAVE HIM' (which in of itself is a FNAF/HP cross where Mike takes Harry in alongside the animatronics) and 'Harry getting raised in abnormal' fics.

Oh, and the Prophecy is still in effect... just not in the way everything thinks it is going to go. ;)
 
Tribble #12
Frostpunk/Iron Galaxy

The fight for survival on an Earth turning into an iceball continues ever onward. The Americans -before the catastrophe- had been moving people to Yellowstone where an experimental geothermal plant is located, the Chinese and Germans have been digging into mountains to ensure the continuation of their respective nations, the Ottomans had been moving as many people to the Fertile Crescent -using the incomplete Berlin-Baghdad railroad- to ensure their future in the coming new world. Stockpiles of munitions, food, animals, and resources -alongside important artifacts and treasures- have been made at locations for future cities in preparation of the coming cataclysm.

New London is one of these pre-prepared cities, mysteriously left abandoned or unused and with no infrastructure built up. That mystery -in the eyes of Sir Andrews (son of Lord Andrews)- was to be investigated later as survival was paramount. Over the several months, New London worked itself to the bone to survive in this new world. Problems -old and new- arise in this fight for survival... but Sir Andrews tried his damnedest to ensure that New London would survive. Now that the storm has passed and things have normalized, the truly serious work on recreating civilization and investigating the mysteries of the new world can begin...
57BFAC6D51AD3AC540895B431AE9D16C20AC2A52

____

The year is 2320, and mankind is once again at peace. Despite being forced to fight several wars at once, the Iron Haegemony has won it's continual existence. Despite this, the situation has required that new worlds -and eventually systems- be explored and colonized for more resources and sources of revenue. So, the Survey and Colonization Agency (SCA) had started a massive campaign to map out warp points and tram-lines to complete this mandate. The Explorer class large exploration vessel William Clark had went down a recently discovered warp point and much to the crew's surprise, discovered a literal clone of the Sol System... with the star dimming. This information is quickly sent to SCA Command in Sol and the William Clark was authorized to start investigating the system immediately while it waits for a science vessel and a handful of military escorts...
 
Tribble #13

Naruto/Iron Pact Semi-serious 'raise a kid' adventure/comedy

Due to SCIENCE! (particularly work on portals), Aaron 'Junker Boss' Amadeus Thomas Neumann gets teleported to the Hidden Leaf Village. Due to some shenanigans that had drunkards, Uchiha elements of the Military Police, the ANBU, Aaron with a military 8-gauge shotgun, and one Naruto Uzumaki (age 6), it was agreed that Aaron would be the caretaker of Naruto. Thanks to Jiraiya, Aaron and Naruto have a decent place to live in the village.

Now Aaron is saddled with taking care of the (future) hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja Naruto Uzumaki while waiting for Wolfenstein to locate him...


... shenanigans ensue.
 
@Horton: Can we move this to the Index given the thread's purpose? If you can do that, thank you. :)

To continue on:

Tribble #14: Cyberpunk 2020/2077 - Iron Pact

It all began with The Event. Only those that came with The Event knew what could be the cause, but this single explainable event had changed the course of history. The European Union went into crisis mode after much of central and eastern Europe was replaced by a massive Imperial Germany and it's allies. The China that everyone knew had been replaced by a genuine Republic of China who was allied with Imperial Germany. The vast majority of the third-world-all-but-in-name United States was replaced by an incredibly powerful -technologically, militarily, and economically- US that is also allied with Imperial Germany. The biggest change would be in Africa, where Central Africa was replaced with a powerful Federation of African ethnic groups known as the African Federation... also allied with Imperial Germany and effectively part of an Imperial German Commonwealth...

After initial problems, things start in directions that weren't even thought to be possible...

... and this is where I come in. North and South California had been forcibly taken into the union and Night City is one of the larger centers of resistance. Urban Pacification Units have been sent to retake the city from the plutocracy-induced-anarchy that it had evolved from... and I'm part of one of those units...

Our first job? Hunt down some gangsters that have more greed then sense...
 
#Tribble 15

The ship had been floating up there, for several hours, its shiny hull gleaming in the sunlight. The secret is obvious here. There was nothing to hide it, it took no stealth, and in fact, seemed to be moving around the world, searching for something...

The news, everyone, has gone mad. Riots have sprung up. World leaders have popped up. North Korea is claiming credit. Pastors are saying these are the end times. Hippies are screaming that the alien judgement is coming.

Finally, the ship stops, and begins broadcasting. The face shown is that of a young girl, teenager, blonde with grey eyes.

Girl: "Thank god, finally, the translation spell is working. What the hell is up with your language anyway? It isn't in the lexicon. Anyway, with the analysis of the language completed, now I can start with the talking. Where on earth is the address of Melkior? Here, its saying, continent of Melkior. Within the city of Temaru, that's my first delivery. But for some reason, I can't find it. I've checked the locator and everything. But nothing."

Everyone: "...what?"

Girl: "Look, I'm from the Swift Foundation. You know, the delivery company? 'Never a day late'. That's our motto. Seriously, I'm on a schedule here. Where is the continent of Melkior?"

UN: "There's... no such continent here. And we've never heard of your foundation."

Girl: "I'm quite sure I'm on the right planet. Isn't this the planet of Aratan? My locator's old, but its displaying that name."

World: "We've never heard of such a planet. And... how did you get here, anyway? We don't know of any world, other than this."

Girl blinks. Then looks. Then blink again. Then, she gets that look.

Girl: "So.... you have never heard of aliens or alternate dimensions.... until I came here?"

World: "Yes!"

Girl: "I'm so going to lose my job."

Introducing First contact edition 5. Where Earth is contacted by a delivery girl on her summer job, and a way too old dimensional locator.

A/N: No crossover. Just an idea I had. Can be adapted to any setting.
 
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The ship had been floating up there, for several hours, its shiny hull gleaming in the sunlight. The secret is obvious here. There was nothing to hide it, it took no stealth, and in fact, seemed to be moving around the world, searching for something...

The news, everyone, has gone mad. Riots have sprung up. World leaders have popped up. North Korea is claiming credit. Pastors are saying these are the end times. Hippies are screaming that the alien judgement is coming.

Finally, the ship stops, and begins broadcasting. The face shown is that of a young girl, teenager, blonde with grey eyes.

Girl: "Thank god, finally, the translation spell is working. What the hell is up with your language anyway? It isn't in the lexicon. Anyway, with the analysis of the language completed, now I can start with the talking. Where on earth is the address of Melkior? Here, its saying, continent of Melkior. Within the city of Temaru, that's my first delivery. But for some reason, I can't find it. I've checked the locator and everything. But nothing."

Everyone: "...what?"

Girl: "Look, I'm from the Swift Foundation. You know, the delivery company? 'Never a day late'. That's our motto. Seriously, I'm on a schedule here. Where is the continent of Melkior?"

UN: "There's... no such continent here. And we've never heard of your foundation."

Girl: "I'm quite sure I'm on the right planet. Isn't this the planet of Aratan? My locator's old, but its displaying that name."

World: "We've never heard of such a planet. And... how did you get here, anyway? We don't know of any world, other than this."

Girl blinks. Then looks. Then blink again. Then, she gets that look.

Girl: "So.... you have never heard of aliens or alternate dimensions.... until I came here?"

World: "Yes!"

Girl: "I'm so going to lose my job."

Introducing First contact edition 5. Where Earth is contacted by a delivery girl on her summer job, and a way too old dimensional locator.
Please add "Tribble #" please...
 
Wait. This was supposed to be whimsical.
I think you read it wrong, most First Contact stories are either ones of combat or have massive gravitas to it. The idea you posted has neither... which is interesting.
 
I think you read it wrong, most First Contact stories are either ones of combat or have massive gravitas to it. The idea you posted has neither... which is interesting.
Heh. And then I remember another idea I had. Field trip. Only that they took a wrong turn and ended up here.
 
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