How it all began...
(Only recoverable texts from Mr. Drew's Diary. Dated 2300 years before this friday).
With the sound of clamps release, we said our last goodbyes to the planet below. Capital to the empire that billions have called home. Our shuttle began it's desent towards the Ticonderoga. The Ticonderoga, a Vigorous-class colony ship, was to be home to over 8,000 people forthe next 18 months.
Thats how long the admirals expected it to take to get to the entrance to a parallel universe and travel through it. The fleet had been preparing for months now. It took that long to assemble the 10,000 ships that now loomed before us. Even though half of these massive vessels were armed to the teeth, It didn't seem like it would be enough to tackle a whole new universe. The possibilities are endless. That's what the volunteer recuiters had told my family and I.
With a latch, we docked on the Ticonderoga. Within the next ten minutes we were settled in our room. For the next 18 months it looked like we would be traveling in luxury, the suite was that big. The amazing thing was that everyone traveled with the same size rooms. I could imagine that for most people this was a step up. The final-departure bell rung and the Ticonderoga's engines lurched us forward. The fleet would clear the galaxy in a matter of weeks and civilization in a year. After we cleared civilization, the matter-converters would come online and be able to produce anything anyone would ever need using dark matter.
18 months already. The fleet is right on schedule and we should be exiiting the portal between universes any minute now. The view panels are open and all colonists were watching. A white light flashed and than it was clear. We had been dwarfed. Before us was a fleet easily 500,000 strong. Rumors said that the admiral didn't even have the time open communications, the coms were down before he could give the order. That fast our journey ended, the only thing anyone could hear was the rattle of guns and the explosions of ships. The Ticonderoga's captian made a last minute descision and sent us back through the protal. From there we drifted toward an unfamiliar world, engines shot, the only option being to start from scratch.
2300 years later
I woke with a start. I was being shaken by my co-pilot, cpl.Leo Zanzibar. "Wake up, we're just about to arrive". I got up and rubbed my eyes just as my co-pilot walked out of my room. I walked out the door, hung a right and walked into the cockpit. "we're about to reach the 50th galaxy in our journey". I sat down in the pilot's seat, "Wow, bout' time".
My co-pilot and I had left the our home at the nearly two years now. Our home being the Centurion empire spanning 3 galaxies and over two dozen planets. My co-pilot and I are designated as the third deepspace exploration team ever deployed. The first and second ones didn't go nearly as far as we are. The technology wasn't good enough. It would've taken them years longer to go as far as we have.
The goal of all this isn't to map out the universe, but to search for our so-called ancestors. The only piece of evidence that dates back to our empire's beginings, Mr. Drew's Journal. It's the only lead to anything about before our empire. It is said in his entry that they traveled across the universe. A couple more months and we will have explored it all.
"Entering the 50th galaxy in 5..4..3..2..1..". We arrived... and almost rammed the ship straight into a floating piece of hull plating!!! "Evasive Manuvers!" I yelled. Our scout ship jerked to the right and scraped the edge of the plating. Turns out we were flying behind the wreakage of ship that had just been torn apart! "Full engine reverse!" Our ship jerked to a stop and began backwards. "lookout!" Sshhhhkkkkk! Another piece of hull plating almost crushed the cockpit. "Re-aligning the engines now!"I said. "There's a ship coming in to view, in 3..2..1.." looming before us was a massive black vessel, larger thatn a cruiser! It had red markings of death on the side."Pirates!" My co-pilot was right for once. "Engines to maximum, shields up!"
"They're firing! Incoming." "We're taking hits, if we can't activate the warp engines we're toast!" "Our shields are down, but we're not taking hits anymore. I don't get it." "I think I do, look!" I turned my head just in time to see the pirate ship erupt in flames. The shockwave sent the ship spiraling, but once we got it stablized, all my co-pilot and i could do is stare. A fleet dozens of times larger than anybody back home could muster, waving the Centurion flag. A call came through over the intercom, "Looked like you could use a hand. Oh and welcome back."