Snowdove30: It is the newer style Basestar, and I'm not sure they have actually encountered any ressurection ship as of this point. It's not too hard to hide something from a non-jump capable fleet. As for the Colonials... yes they will get to meet up... but your either going to love the way I do it or hate it, as I don't think anyone else has ever attempted it before ;-)

Evilspanker: Newer Race it is indeed, but the second and third questions... I'm not revealing too much yet... Regardless, the 'cultural interactions', if it is tackled at all, will most likely be addressed in a sequel, to those of you want to know so you don't waste your time.

As for everybody else, this originally was just a test at my abilities as a writer. Im glad to say you guys talked me into continue it. I don't mean to nag, but please do review. Especially if you like it enough to want to know more. Hope the next number of chapters aren't too dull, but I need to both practice the dull and setting the stage for the much more exiting events to come (say starting around chapter 10). I'll update as often as I can.

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Alpha Jump Destination:

In a remote solar system, with little debris or asteroids to obstruct the jump-in site, the Enterprise appeared. She was the largest ship in the defense fleet, coming in at just under 500 meters long. Despite her lacking in volume and size, when compared to the Whitestars, the combat capability of the ship, in theory, would be enough to take out at least two of the white beasts at a time in favorable conditions, with little damage. Because of the powerful effective range of the main lasers, the ship could get the first shot advantage. However, If the Whitestars ever did manage to get into effective range, and past the countermeasures, there would be little they could do to escape, unless they could jump. Enterprise was extremely slow, since electrical power wasn't the best form of sub-light propulsion.

The front of the Enterprise was an armed and dangerous dagger, like that of a star destroyer without the mistake of a huge bridge complex on top as a target. Her anti-ship laser turrets lined the sides in sets of four, with 2 laser emitters on each turret. In total, there were 58 heavy lasers on 32 large turrets, most of which could be brought to bear on a single target. The rear of the main section housed the main engineering portion of the ship. Hanger bays, repair facilities, material storage, computer cores, and the main nuclear jump engine itself.

Protruding from the sides, and elevated above the main dagger portion of the ship, were the two sublight engine pods, along with emergency fighter landing bays and nuclear missile tubes, pointed forwards for direct combat with an enemy vessel.

The whole ship was a crisp, dark jet black color best suited to hamper the tracking capabilities of their form of Radar. Studies had shown weaknesses in their system of tracking by certain wavelengths, that may have been used as some sort of mass long range communications frequency. The ship was still trackable, but harder to hit from a distance, and not seen until it was too late. Lastly, a statue of Athena, Greek Goddess of Heroism, was at the point of the dagger. The original name of the ship was supposed to be Athena, as the designers had compromised on originally, but was changed by the good Captain of the ship. He had been against putting on the statue as well, but due to the armor having been built into the statue, there was no going back. Still, it added a certain elegance to an otherwise dull, if not large, warship of space.

"Jump successful, sir," Alison reported with a smile. Some congratulations and cheers went up on the Bridge, but not too many. Commander Prager's presence made sure of that.

"All right then. Ensign Sasto, what is the distance of the nearest planet?" Renolds asked. He motioned for his XO to come closer. "Commander, I have a sneaking suspicion our dear friend Scotty is having a bit too much of a good time. Go down and check up on how the reactor room is doing. I don't want them going through half our supply of beer we smuggled aboard."

"Yes, sir. So you knew about that?"

"I was the one who got it, Commander." He smiled. Going back to a straight face, one Renolds knew was one of confusion, she began to walk towards the vertical hallway entrance. Gravity was no object in space, so the designers had decided not to put in any ladders, stairs, or personnel elevators in the ship. It was initially a shock to see people walking on an apparent ceiling, but it was something the crew quickly got used to. Rumor had it that if you jumped, you would float in null gravity until the other side's gravity would pull you in. So far Dr. Kemngo, a supposed Frenchman, hadn't reported any mysterious bumps on the head, though.

"Sir, the nearest planetoid is approximately 5 days away at best speed. No signs of life, fuel, or resources."

"Set a course for it, continue gathering information on this system until we reach the planet, and set up a lottery for the crew for possible names. If we're going to start exploring space, we might as well name what we make clam to."

"Yes sir."

Down in the reactor room, Katie "Scotty" Anderson, a rather young former coal miner and US Marine Engineer, was letting her boys loose. Granted, she hadn't been the intended Chief engineer aboard the Enterprise, but she did her job well. It had been her father, Scot Anderson, who was supposed to fill that role. Unfortunately, the man had a heart attack a mere week before launch, leaving his daughter the only one who knew how to work the reactor on their own. She wasn't even supposed to be on board for the first jump, let alone the entire dark voyage into space, but her father had taught her everything on his pride and joy engine. No one had stopped calling the Chief Engineer 'Scotty' though, even though it never would have fit the bill. Her father had helped to design the engine, and considered it his other child, and treated it as such. Katie, on the other hand, hardly cared for it at all. Renolds knew it would make thing difficult, but hardly saw any alternative when it came to knowledge of the engine. Right as he thought, There was definitely more going on than on the bridge.

Upon walking into the Reactor Room, Commander Prager's sight quickly froze the group in position. Some of the younger crewmembers seemed even more rowdy than should have been otherwise permitted. Scotty herself was not in the desirable position to get caught. Still, after the walk down, and the feeling of jumping for the first time, left Chelsea with a slight compassion for the sorry group, who had already began lining up at their stations.

"I take it there was some kind of reactor leak that caused all this commotion, Chief?" She sternly said, walking up to Scotty. Before the girl could answer the XO continued her tirade. "This is not how a ship off to kill the most vicious beasts in the galaxy acts normally, or at all in any sane situation, and especially not where pushing one wrong button could 'accidentally' cause the entire ship to go up before even seeing action. Now, obviously this wasn't your fault that it happened," she continued, hinting on what would happen if she ever caught the crew here like this again, "but if for some reason a disco party suddenly should erupt here, its your job to control it. And if for some reason you cannot handle it, then..." Prager cracked her knuckles "...I will just have to take care of it for you. You get the picture?"

"Per-perfectly, sir."

"Good. I don't have any desire to come down here again to catch some guy with his pants at half mast, unless they got blown off in an engineering breech. Not a sexual one. Now clean this mess up, and get back to attending to the reactor." She opened one half the heavy sliding hatch, similar to those on a submarine but moved like sliding doors rather than opening outwards, with one hand. "And if I find out about anything else down here ever, I'll make sure your father gives you just as much hell as I will once we return." She closed the hatch, turning the wheel several times to close it again.

Meanwhile, in the ready room, the pilots prepared to go out on their first patrol. Abraham 'Lincoln' Tzu gave the appearance of a strong willed man, but apprehension gripped him, as did excitement. The new, unfamiliar space caused both, as it's tactical implications were clear to him. The advantage was that there was no longer any worry about any planets getting bombed, but from here on out it was unfamiliar territory. They would have to learn how to spot places to lay traps merely by sight and sensors alone, and to do it independent of the environment. Some people, namely the younger, cocky American pilots, said he was too focused on strategy. Tzu was certain a good portion of them were dead, failing to learn the true art of fighter combat. Listening to his pilot 'aces' now, 'Lincoln' began to wonder how most of these had managed to live at all, let alone make it aboard Enterprise. He stepped up to the podium, looking out to humanities 'best and brightest.' Most of the pilots settled down. One of the rookies, though, had not.

"Madtown!"

Startled, she looked straight ahead, almost itching to stand up and come to attention. "Sir!" she stated. Lincoln began to wonder how she had managed to get that name. The girl was from the northern states, that he could tell by the accent. But such a talkative rookie would no doubt make an even more confident, more talkative, and more annoying ace, in time. If she was on this ship, there was a good chance of that.

"Hear, don't be heard," he warned. It was a cryptic, and in his own ranks it wouldn't have been much of a warning. To the majority of those who had not been part of the former Chinese Stratospheric Navy, though, they took it at its worst. He allowed a brief smile, looking down at the assignments on his paper, before speaking again.

"The coming days are littered with turmoil and destruction. Patrols might not be your most ideal form of entertainment, but they are necessary to get to know your wing men in the cockpit, not just in the chair next to you." Taking a pause, difference was something he intended to maintain with his pilots. "Your assignmens are on the board. Show up and depart. Dismissed." He turned slightly before some noise reached his ear.

"Hey!" he had heard of this particular Englishman. Benjamen O'malley, probably as annoying as they got. Probably worse than the rookie, too, "Aren't you going to wish us luck and say 'good hunting?" He smirked and laughed. Bringing up the rear, that's where he'd gotten his nickname, Caboose.

"Do you need it?" Lincoln smiled back, the room beginning to resume the noise level it had earlier. Caboose was slightly red in the face, but the quick thinking Chinese man was just as quick on his feet, already out the hatch, suppressing a smile.