No, SV, You Are the Forest! (Riot Quest)

There were many things concerning the Forest. Its own growth took priority in its thoughts, but the mere presence of more ships nearby was disconcerting, fascinating, and frightening all at once. The predators were a curiousity that could be investigated more fully later.

Maybe the ship was a being like the forest, or the group of ships. Maybe it could be contacted. Maybe it would do... something... to hurt the forest.

And so the Forest, not so limited as the many smaller entities that lived within it, did everything. Collectors rose out of the network of roots, leaves darkly gleaming in the weak sunlight.

The growing Worm whispered to the Forest. What will be, was. The cycle turns.

A new kind of tree took root. Little more than a narrow trunk with a bare handful of stubby branches, a violet glow softly lit the area around it, only visible in the shadows of the larger trunks around it. Once grown, this tree would focus the power of the Forest, allowing it to soothe hostiles and ease the minds of others. For now, all it did was slightly cool the hostility of the actions of those that entered its luminence.

Resources were gathered, light and minerals secreted away in the roots of the Forest against possibly urgent need. Paltry compared to what had been gathered previously, other projects required greater attention.

The first ship skimmed around the shield weakly maintained by the Magnetic Trees, scanning and examining everything it could see, keeping its own probes back. The Forest examined it in turn, a copse of Mind Trees applying how it moved to the Forest, eventually finding a method to make it a reality. The Skimmer Tree would allow the Forest to slowly move, and for each one grown it could move more quickly.

Among numerous other projects, the Forest only truly succeeded in expanding its boundaries slightly, the network of roots grasping further out from the Heart of the Forest, shoots poking out of the tangle to form new trees. All else languished for lack of focus or attention.

The Forest finished gathering its strength and reached out to the Ship, and was startled by what it discovered. The Ship wasn't intelligent in its own right.

Instead, it carried a large number of other beings, who were capable of communication. Each of them independent, like the Forest, rather than a piece of a larger whole. This would be complicated.

*-*-*-*

"Senior Scientist Oragles, this had better be important. My patience is thin. What is going on?"

"F-fleet Admiral Monagles! I – I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral, I had not expected you to come personally!" Oragles' ears twitched upright on his head. This... this could be good. The Crystal Forest was strange indeed.

"The Minister of the Navy insisted that I show up personally, even if it is in second-line ships. You are lucky that our cease-fires are holding, otherwise it would be someone else."

"Ah," Oragles twitched. Monagles was a hero of the Ingaba, deflecting incursions, raids, and full-on assaults for decades. Under his leadership, the First Fleet had repelled the Matlownee's own First and Second Fleets as they struck in a deep strike, attempting to destroy the Ingaba's shipbuilding and orbital industry. If that had succeeded, the Ingaba likely would no longer exist as a united entity, swallowed whole by the factions around them. "Of course, Fleet Admiral."

"Now, the Minister mentioned you had a surprise for me?" he asked, mane ruffling.

"I am transmitting the data now, Fleet Admiral. I do not think you would believe me without it."

Oragles twitched his tail in the silence that followed, pleased that his current setup allowed him to hide that telltale sign of nerves, only showing him from the shoulder up.

"Energy shielding," Monagles finally intoned, voice much deeper than it had been. "You claim this forest has energy shielding."

"I do, and I would appreciate stronger weaponry to test its efficacy, and gather greater data for reverse engineering."

"Granted." he shifted his attention to someone offscreen. "Comms, signal the Fortlameen. One broadside, aimed at the Forest. Don't miss." A pause. "Good." He turned back to face Oragles. "A frigate will test your words, Senior Scientist. I hope for your sake that you are correct."

*-*-*-*

Scinitllating sheets of energy erupted from one of the ships that the Forest had identified, the path clearly intersecting with the Forest.

Magnetic Trees spooled up, power flowing through them from the wider forest as the single greatest concentration of tree-power for the turn acted.

A shimmering barrier appeared, encircling the Forest. The broadside struck the shield in a tremendous display, light sheeting off of it in a rainbow.

The shield held. The Forest was pleased.

And irritated. They were capable of communication, weren't they? And they hadn't even bothered? Hmph.

They pressed their mind outward, reaching for the ship, and finally connected to something on the other end instead of drifting. The Forest expressed its displeasure.

*-*-*-*

"Oh, how fascinating," Oragles said, studying his instruments. The channel with the Fleet Admiral was still open. "Not quite energy shielding. Particle shielding, it looks like, contained in a pair of shaped magnetic fields – vaguely similar to the magnetic sheaths utilized by Aarallaia plasma weapons, but much, much bigger. Thank you for your assistance, Fleet Admiral! This has proven most efficacious."

"Your data did not lie, Senior Scientist. Let me know what assistance you need."

"Of course. I will -" his hands reached up to his head, grasping it between them. "D-do we ha-have a psychic hand-han-ha-handy?" Oragles stuttered, pulling himself back together. "It is apparently fully capable of communication and is displeased with our assault."

Monagles was silent for a moment, staring at the ruffled fur and heavy breaths of the scientist. "We do," he said, slowly. "A Clairvoyant requested permission to come."

"Ah." There was nothing so disconcerting as to have a Clairvoyant arrive and advocate for or against some course of action. Oragles had never met one, and had hoped the event would never arrive. Clairvoyants served no side, fought for no government, and recruited from all peoples.

"Yaranae Yllarat will be our envoy with the Forest."

*-*-*-*

The Forest recoiled ever so slightly when pressure was placed against its extended thoughts.

"Who speaks to Us?"

"I am Yaranae Yllarat, Diviner of Truth, here to speak with the Forest on behalf of the Ingaba Directorate." The other mind was serene, calm, and confident.

"What do you want?"

"The purpose of the Ingaba here is to learn from your existence and understand what you can do, that they might replicate it for themselves. What do you want?"

*-*-*-*

Choose One:

This represents your opening diplomatic stance. It will be modified or adjusted over the course of this Event. The Forest is uncertain how the Diviner, or the Ingaba Directorate, might respond to any particular stance.

[ ] Aggressive
-The Forest lays claim to this star system.

[ ] Discovery
-The Forest desires knowledge, that it might be better prepared for the trials of the galaxy.

[ ] Expansionist
-The Forest desires more resources, that it might grow more quickly.

[ ] Isolationist
-The Forest desires to be left alone above all else.

[ ] Protection
-The Forest desires to be protected from attack and destruction.

This Event is expected to last for between three and five additional updates. Votes during this time will count as a vote for the age counter to reach the next tier.

*-*-*-*

Voting will remain open for between sixteen and twenty hours. Explicit roll results will be added to the final update in the chain, whenever that is. The Front Page has been updated with the Trees unlocked this turn.