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...
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...