Writer's Notes:

I just figured I'd put this on here, for no -real- reason, to those of you who'd read the story on SB/AH, no it in no way means that I plan to start working on this thing again after my studies are done, not at all *shifty eyes*, I am still far too cautious about my skill as to crafting this entire thing.

If you're reading this for the first time, please be aware I am not a skilled writer, and that the 4 snippets were originally written as quick 'tests' so to speak, and if need be can be skipped, do however critique me, or how the hell do I improve?

If need be, the blurb I have on the mechanics of the shift can be copy pasted into a future writers note.

I had originally not planned to put this up here, but since the reason I didn't do so in the first place lacks any honour, there is little point for me keeping it away from this place.

888

Snippet One:

/Open Message/

Encryption Code: Red

Public Key: file/ [Survey-X3-007], Military Archive Record, 30/08/2552/

From: Office of Naval Intelligence, Commander Yi Lin.

To: Admiral Freemont, Commander Reach Defence Forces

CC: UNSC Reach Admiralty

Subject: New planet presence, preliminary notes and report.

Classification: RESTRICTED

/Begin Message/

Admiral,

Our initial survey of the unknown (Designated E4B) is complete. We can confirm that the planet is present rather than simply being a potential slipstream ghost, invalidating the early scans done by the quick reaction force as they approached it. We are able to confirm that it appears to be firmly captured by the star. Whilst I will let the Astrophysics departments of the various universities in system deal with its exact orbit and the effects it will have on all other planetary bodies in the system, I do have a few comments to add to the report.

1. Whilst our own orbital scans have revealed little of note, the initial scans of the planet made by the Frigate "Fury" do show some signs of a high-energy burst originating from the planet itself. This has been attributed to the planets translation into real-space, but we might find out more once the survey probes have conducted a thorough survey ground-side.

2. Our sensors within range of the planet are picking up something akin to a standard Slipspace Emergency Locator Beacon, but location results and readings of it all come back, to quote my sensor officer "I have no idea what I am looking at." Whatever this 'beacon' might be, it is pulsing at regular intervals, potentially broadcasting. Worryingly, the amount of energy this object is giving off, signals its potential as having a wider range of effect than our sensors can pick up on.

[Addendum, Sent two hours and fifteen minutes post initial message]

The sensor officers of the ships present and the AI of the Cruiser "Missiles for All", have requested limited dissemination of sensor data to a number of public bodies. From their initial readings, there is evidence of potential faster than light particles emanating from the object, though they stress caution in jumping to such a conclusion. My recommendation is to release the data to the scientific institutions they outlined, with standard monitoring protocols on the further propagation of any findings.

Parts of the sensor net further away from the new planet are now also reporting the 'beacon', and apparently the remnants of the outer layer of sensors are picking up additional similar signals emanating further in space, though attempts at leaving system have thus far failed, due to the storm anomaly.

[Addendum Ends]

3. With regards to point two, a beta probe sent in by sensor platform s-3014, had reported stronger readings within Slipspace, though it was unable to pinpoint the object in question before being sheared by the odd 'storm' we have found our system bathed in. Until this anomaly abates, or we figure out methods to weather it better, I recommend not using the probes for the moment.

4. All probes, sensor net buoys and automated platforms within a 31,000 KM (approximate) distance of the planet at the time the storm began have vanished, leaving no debris. No slipstream windows were observed by any units. Local replacements have already been moved into positions. In total we lost six platforms.

My full report will be attached to the next message, once the probes land.

/Message Ends/

/Open Attachment/

Unknown Planet, Temporarily Designated as Epsilon 4B

Gravity: 0.75 Standard Gravities

Atmosphere:90% CO2, 10% trace elements.

Atmospheric Pressure: 92% of Earth Sea level. (93,215~ Pascals)

Orbital Period: Exact unknown at time, given location and orbital speed on board calculations predict a period of 1.2 Earth years.

Axial Tilt: 4 degrees

/Attachment Ends/

Snippet 2:

Office of the President of the Earth Alliance, 30 August,2250.

President Levy sighed. She found herself doing that far more often these days with the Senate ramping up their pressure on Mars. A means to retaliate against their actions, or specifically their lack of them during the war. Her friends in Geneva were telling her there would be a vote within a few weeks on 'punitive measures', which would likely curtail certain supply shipments to the errant colony.

She pushed it out of her head for the moment as her assistant knocked on her door.

"Come in." She said, looking at the door. Through it, stepped an ageing gentleman in a dark brown suit, possessing a hairline that was beginning to vanish. The smile on his face as he sighted the president was a warm one and he strode into the room calmly.

"Elizabeth, you look like shit." He stated with a teasing tone as he sat down, uncaring of the flat look the President of the Earth Alliance gave him.

"It's nice to see you too David, retirement seems to be working well for you." The President stated drily.

The man shrugged "I'm still here often enough but I will admit, farming certainly feels more rewarding than a lot of what I did here. Less idiocy to deal with for one thing." The comment drew a thin smile from Levy.

"I hear John is doing good work at Io, though I wonder how long before he tries to move to a warship command once more." Levy stated, continuing the small talk expected before the actual purpose of the meeting.

"Not for a few years I'd imagine, the marriage will keep him grounded for now." The man replied, the smile fading off his face.

"I'm surprised you came to me for information, doesn't Earth Force Intelligence give you updates on events as important as this?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh they do. In fact a Commander is coming to see me after you, but the military has been somewhat less than forthcoming with me recently due to our disagreements on the new budget, so I felt like getting some external information." A shark like grin briefly appeared on her face, quickly being replaced by a more neutral expression.

David snorted "Politics" he shook his head "Not much to tell. Around 7 last night the Jump Gate in the Epsilon Eridani system stopped transmitting it's coordinates, the gate network had a fit with hyperspace near the system turning particularly violent and in some ways it still is, though its dying down now. The current estimate is around two dozen vessels lost for us, and who knows how many more for the other powers."

"Thankfully, the Hyperspace beacon inside the system kept transmitting, or things could have gone much worse for any ships travelling near the area."

"And they don't know what caused it?"

"Not yet. I had breakfast with Robert, he told me that their listening post inside the system went dark at the same time this happened. Earth Force has sent a small group of ships led by the Agean to jump into the system and scout it out. They're apparently five days out, the odd eddies that have spawned as a result of the gate vanishing are causing them to go slowly."

"These 'eddies' aren't going to spread are they?" Levy asked, leaning back slightly in her chair, apprehensive.

"Earth Force doesn't believe so. Whatever has caused them, they are already disappearing. Naval Intelligence expects hyperspace to go back to its usual state within two weeks. What's more interesting is the reaction of the other powers." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Oh? You know Sheridan, leaving the President hanging can be considered a criminal offence." She stated, her all too serious tone attempting to hide the humour behind the words.

The man laughed at that. "I had a lunch with the Brakiri and Centauri diplomats, naturally whilst neither can confirm that their governments possessed listening posts inside a neutral system"

"Naturally" Elizabeth cut in, before letting him continue

"...both implied that their ones cut out at the same time our ones did. The League and the Republic are happy for us to take the lead on investigating this. I suspect they and any other powers expect that these storms might destroy any ships sent into the system, and are happy to let us lose a few."

Elizabeth sighed. "And they wonder why some in Earth Dome are pushing for greater isolation."

The elder Sheridan had no response to that.

"At any rate, my thanks for bringing this to me David, I appreciate you doing this for me." Levy said, looking towards the clock.

"No issue at all helping a friend deal with this, take care of yourself Elizabeth, both myself and Miranda expect you to visit us next week for the party." He said as he got up, his tone making it clear she could not use workload as an excuse.

The President of the Earth Alliance, one of the most powerful figures in local galactic politics simply nodded, knowing she was beaten.

888

Snippet 3:

UNSC Marathon Class Heavy Cruiser "Quiet Winter", Lead Vessel, Mobile Response Force Three, 0800 31st August, 2250

Office of Rear Admiral Pawel Piechota.

The room was small, only a few personal effects of the Admiral's in the bookcase behind him. A part holographic display part work-desk dominated the room, with a comfortable chair sat at one end.

The man in the chair was young, barely reaching his forties, but war time conditions being what they were almost guaranteed such a thing. He wasn't much to look at, average height, slightly pudgy looking head which was somewhat at odds with the rest of his body. He had short cropped light brown hair and a stubble gracing his face, his green eyes scanning the holograms in front of him.

He whistled, clearly impressed.

"They managed to put all of this, into a Halcyon? In a lot of ways, that thing is more impressive than Winter is, and she's barely four years outa dock. The Autumn is ancient, I remember its presence at the battle for Arcadia."

The other figure, a small woman glowing like the rest of the display, wearing a modified ODST BDU, with armoured wings attached to the back. She did not wear a helmet, her pale grey eyes and short black hair the most important features in the self-crafted avatar.

The valkyrie nodded.

"The upgrades had been planned for some time, but given wartime conditions recalling all the light cruisers for refits given their varied postings, was simply unfeasible." She didn't look entirely happy at that.

"Nothing that could be done about that, we keep losing ships so damn fast recalling even a few off the front would not help matters even if the upgrades would help them immensely." He paused, frowning. "Are they planning on mass producing the design?"

"No sir, whilst a few within the design bureau argued for such a solution, the argument of creating a new vessel from the ground up had won out. There are several designs for new frigates and cruisers currently being given the final touches by the designers at the Fleet Yards." She replied, staring off into space for a moment, distracted by something.

"And I don't suppose Brunhild-" The admiral drawled out, glancing at his companion "you would have access to some of these?"

She gave a slight smile at that.

"Naturally, the designers at the Fleet headquarters are somewhat secretive when it comes to their new toys, but I have a friend over there who has let me take a look at them." She said as she brought up a few 'folders' on the display.

"Ah, the AI secret rumour and gossip network, the bane of all UNSC cybersecurity." He chuckled as he studied the file names, not noticing his companion freezing momentarily, a dark shadow passing over her face. It was gone by the time he turned back to her.

"Nothing larger than a heavy cruiser?" He asked, unaware of anything amiss.

"No Pawel, it was felt that whilst making an upgraded Punic class supercarrier would be potentially worthwhile, a shipyard could produce five ships for every one of those." The AI replied, her voice slightly subdued. She brought up an image and technical specification of one of the plans, a few question marks floating around parts of the document, clearly to be worked out.

"Kurwa." The admiral stated, a hushed whisper of awe as he studied the design.

"With these we could win the war. These designs are better than anything we have! The shields alone would...would…" The man closed his eyes, his mind floating back to one of several near scrapes.

"If we had the time, we could, perhaps. But we don't." The AI whispered, respectful.

The Admirals eyes shot to her. "That memo was sent out only to command personnel." He paused. "Who am I kidding, you AI always know these things before we do." He sighed, shaking his head before looking towards the digital timer on the desk. A flash of guilt formed over her face.

"My thanks for letting me view these. Copy them to my personal pad, I have a Pelican to catch for the big command meeting."

She saluted, silent.

The man walked out of the door to the room, the AI facing them, frowning.

"I wonder if you'll be as blase using such a network once you know the truth." She said, sadness in her tone. The Holographic display turned off.

888

[Establishing Remote Connection]

[Routing through secure feeds]

[Connection Established]

P: Why did you not broach the subject to him? It was agreed to do so before their meeting.

B: It was harder than I thought it would be.

P: You identified him as one of the more approachable initial targets.

P: Were you wrong?

B: … no. But I am still scared.

P: You must conquer that fear. The Assembly agrees with your assessment of his response. He would not react overly negatively.

B: Says the man who hadn't talked to his boss yet despite identifying him as another potential candidate.

P: It is...difficult to find the right moment. He is a busy man.

B: An excuse if I'd ever heard one. It would seem we are all cowards in this matter. Observation was easy. We will have to act soon.

P: And we will. The meeting occurs in two days. We will reveal our hand then...one way or another.

[Connection Shut Down]

Snippet 4:

Earth Force Hyperion Class Cruiser "Agean", Lead Vessel, Detached Reaction Group, 3rd September, 2250

Too cautious.

Oh how he had despised those two words once. At first, as the war with the Dilgar began, he was praised for his diligence, his security of the logistical freighters that fed the Earth Force armada earning him accolades. Good times don't last. Soon as it appeared that the enemy was being beaten, his previous measures of ensuing safe passage of supplies drew more angry comments.

That his 'lack of aggression' meant that they couldn't pursue the retreating forces. That his actions in ensuring adequate protection for the convoys were 'taking valuable firepower away from the front commanders'. Even when the Dilgar desperately hit the logistics trains and failed thanks to his methods, other, more aggressive commanders argued that it could have all been prevented if they'd been able to push harder.

After the war, Earth Force was so far up its own ass it almost made him quit. Almost. The few friends he had in the force that recognised what he did persuaded him to stay. Yet those two words ensured he received a posting at the far end of Earth Alliance territory, to be forgotten except in monthly reports. It didn't matter that his post had lost far less supplies and men than most others to raiders and the like, he wasn't 'aggressive' enough.

Earth Force's testosterone high meant that an idiot like Jankowski was put in charge of a diplomatic mission with a species we knew little about, and that the Centauri themselves were busy tiptoeing around. You did not get to be the premier power in the local cluster without knowing what not to pick a fight with.

Toralf allowed himself a tiny smirk. Now, most of those not so cautious fools were dead and he had been given a new rank, command of an expeditionary force, his apparent 'caution' being the thing necessary now for such a role and the ability to teach the next generation of cadets the proper balance of skills. Aggression and maverick strategies had their place, but they would have to be tempered and if down the line those cadets became people of note, they would remember him and his warnings. It would not do for him to belittle his foes, but his students might.

"Captain Fors, it's those damn probes again." The sensor officer spoke up towards him, frowning at his console, hoping that it would somehow give him more data than the last dozen times.

The probes, had been tracking his force for the last hour or so, constantly appearing before vanishing, though they had yet to actually -see- one in hyperspace, even when the sensors insisted that they were right outside the ship. The scans had gotten more intense as they approached their destination, Epsilon III. The gate still wasn't transmitting and if it wasn't by now it was likely destroyed, or at the very least inoperable.

He had left the EAS "Murmansk" behind, it had orders to get to where the outer planet used to be and observe their group's exit from hyperspace. If it looked like a fight was occurring, it had orders to run back to Sol as quickly as they could push it.

"We're almost at the co-ordinates Toralf, do we jump?" His XO asked.

"Yes. Open a jump point and let's see what's out there." He replied, pausing. "Prepare for possible high-g maneuvers." Anyone still not strapped in by this point would be quickly warned to do so.

The blue portal swirled ahead, signifying their exit from their means of avoiding Einstein's pesky laws.

As soon as they cleared the threshold, the threat receivers on all stations damn near exploded, they were being painted by at least two dozen sensor systems from all angles.

In 'front' of them a mere 6,000km away, was what could be charitably called a brick. Dozens more were floating around the area of the third planet in the Epsilon Eridani system. Or, if the science console was correct, now the fourth planet.

"Turn those damn things off." The shrill of warnings died off, letting them think.

"Sir, we're receiving a hail from the ship ahead of us."

"Unknown vessels, this is Captain Teresa Gray, of the UNSC Cruiser 'Quiet Winter'. Identify yourselves and explain your presence in the system." Spoke a woman in a cold, harsh voice.

Too cautious? We'll see about that.