The port was busy before sunset. Workers hauled crates, sailors checked ropes, and officers barked short orders. As three ships stood ready under the royal banner, their hulls freshly painted for the mission.
Lord Marius watched from the pier. He was not the loud type, calm, steady, and used to dealing with tense situations. Years of trade talks and border disputes had made him patient, but this mission was different.
No one knew what they were sailing towards.
"What's situation?," he said to his aide.
"Crew and supplies complete, my lord. We've taken fifty men per ship, mostly sailors and guards. The interpreters are reviewing the signal flags and hand signs from Admiral Calis's notes."
Marius nodded.
"Good. Remind everyone to have no weapons displayed unless I give the order. We're going to talk, not fight."
"Yes, my lord."
He looked across the harbor. The nobles who had pushed for this mission stood watching from a distance. Some still doubted it would work.
Others simply wanted to be first to profit if peace came.
Captain Rohen approached, saluting.
"The gifts have been loaded my lord, silver, silk, and scrolls bearing the king's seal."
"Keep them secure. We're showing respect, not wealth."
Rohen smirked slightly.
"Hard to tell the difference, my lord."
Marius gave a faint sigh.
"That's what worries me. One wrong move, one misunderstood gesture and we could start a war."
The captain's smile faded. "Understood."
A bell rang from the harbor tower, signaling the fleets departure. The crews began to board, the sound of boots and shouting filling the air.
Marius took one last look at the city behind him, the towers, the palace roof catching the morning light. Then he turned toward the ships.
"Let's begin," he said.
the ships moved out of the harbor under the morning sky. The royal banners fluttered in the wind, their colors fading as the coastline grew smaller behind them.
Lord Marius stood at the stern, hands clasped behind his back. The sea was calm, but the crew's voices carried a quiet edge. Everyone knew this was no normal voyage.
"Strange to think, my lord," said Captain Rohen beside him, "that we're sailing to meet men who could sink us without even getting close."
Marius didn't answer right away. "That's what the reports said," he finally replied.
"Metal ships. Flying machines. And the possibility that their Weapons could tear through our hulls with ease. It's hard to believe but Calis isn't one to lie."
A sailor nearby crossed himself out of habit. "Then why would such people even talk to us?" he muttered.
"To find out who we are," Marius said. "Same reason we're going to them."
The wind picked up. Waves slapped against the hull as the fleet settled into formation. The flagship in the middle, escorts on each side. A few sailors stared at the horizon as if expecting to see the foreign ships appear out of thin air.
"Still," Rohen said quietly, "if they wanted us gone, we'd already be gone."
"Exactly," Marius said. "That's why we'll treat them with care. Respect first, questions later."
The first night came without incident. The sea glowed faintly under the moon, and the sailors whispered about the unknown fleet, their ships of steel, their floating fortress on the water.
Marius listened from the deck but said nothing. He watched the horizon, dark and empty, knowing that somewhere beyond it waited the future of his kingdom, for better or worse.
By midday, the island came into view, green hills, rocky shores, and smoke rising faintly from the far side.
"Land sighted!" a lookout called.
Lord Marius raised his spyglass. What he saw made him pause. On the beach stood strange metal shapes, towers, vehicles, and men in strange armor moving in lines.
Further inland, he caught the glint of something turning slowly in the sun, a machine with spinning blades.
"That must be their camp," Captain Rohen said quietly.
Marius nodded. "Efficient. Defensive. And they didn't waste time."
The crew whispered as they drew closer. The UEN base looked alive with motion, cranes lifting crates, tents arranged in clean rows, and soldiers standing watch with weapons none of them recognized.
"Signal them," Marius ordered.
The flagmen hurried to the deck rail and raised the royal banner for peace. White and blue, crossed with gold. The ships slowed, oars steadying their drift.
Across the water, one of the metal ships responded. Colored flags rose from its mast, moving in a pattern that looked organized, deliberate.
"They see us," Rohen said.
Marius lowered the glass, his tone calm but firm.
"Then let's meet them properly."
A small boat left the envoy's flagship and moved toward the island. The waves were calm, but no one spoke. Lord Marius sat at the front, hands resting on his knees, eyes fixed on the shore ahead.
Behind him, six guards rowed quietly, their armor covered with cloth to appear less threatening.
On the beach, a group of UEN soldiers waited. They stood in straight lines, weapons lowered but ready.
Their uniforms were the same color, their helmets smooth and strange. One man stepped forward, his taller than the rest, calm but alert.
"Easy now," Captain Rohen muttered.
"They're watching our every move."
The boat touched the sand. Marius stood, adjusting his cloak before stepping down. The lead UEN soldier raised a hand, palm open, a gesture of peace.
Marius copied it.
A short moment passed in silence. Then one of the UEN soldiers pulled out a small device that spoke in a flat voice.
"Greetings… we mean no harm."
The words were rough but clear. Marius blinked in surprise.
The man pointed to himself. "Sergeant Thomson," the device repeated. Then he gestured to Marius, waiting.
"Marius of Dalmere," Marius replied slowly, tapping his chest.
Thomson nodded. He reached into his pouch, pulling out a tablet showing maps and symbols. The machine spoke again, translating as best it could.
Both sides began to understand each other not perfectly, but enough to see they shared one goal.
They didn't want war only peace.
The first minutes of the talk were slow. Every sentence had to pass through the small translator device, and even then, half of it came out broken or unclear. Still, both sides tried.
Lord Marius stood calm but alert. Behind him, his guards kept formation while the UEN soldiers stayed in a loose line a few meters away.
The air was tense but quiet.
Sergeant Thomson tapped his tablet, showing a map of the nearby sea.
The machine spoke in a flat voice:"We… are temporary. Exploration and contact only. No invasion."
Marius nodded slowly, trying to follow. "You come in peace… yes?"
"Yes," Thomson said, this time without the device. "Peace."
The word was clear enough. Marius looked back at his men, who relaxed slightly. "Then we share that goal. Our king only wishes to understand who you are. And why your fleet appeared near our coast."
Thomson paused before replying, choosing his words carefully.
"Accident. Not plan. We study… area. Then saw ships. Want to talk, not fight."
A murmur passed through the envoy group. Marius studied the machines behind the soldiers, the metal tents, the odd antennas, and the strange flying craft resting silent further back.
Their order and precision impressed him, but it also made him uneasy.
"You command great power," Marius said. "Yet you restrain it. That gives me hope."
Thomson's brow lifted slightly. "Same to you. You came… calm. No attack. That shows reason."
A moment of quiet passed. The translator hummed softly.
Finally, Marius spoke again.
"Then let this be our first step. We will bring your message to the King. Perhaps peace can follow."
Thomson nodded. "We agree."
The meeting ended with a single handshake. Cautious, firm, and watched by both sides.
When the talks ended, both sides stood in silence for a while. No one wanted to move too fast and risk a misunderstanding. The translator device repeated the last words
"We agree" and then went quiet.
Lord Marius turned to his scribe and nodded. The man stepped forward, holding a scroll marked with the royal seal.
"By order of His Majesty, King Aldren,"
Marius said, "you are invited to the royal capital. There, our council will hear your words and decide the next step between our peoples."
Sergeant Thomson listened as the translator spoke. He nodded, then replied slowly, "We accept. One ship only. Small group. Safe visit."
"That will be acceptable," Marius said.
"A royal escort will guide you once you reach our port."
Thomson relayed the message through his comms, receiving confirmation from the Resolute bridge.
A moment later, he said, "Our ship Horizon will come. Under Captain Reku's lead."
Marius's tone softened. "Then it is settled."
Both sides began their small ceremony. The envoy raised a blue and gold banner bearing the royal crest, holding it high so the UEN marines could see. In return, Thomson ordered a marine to raise their flag, a white field with the blue UEN symbol.
There was no music, no grand speech, only quiet respect. The wind carried both flags side by side.
Before leaving, Marius looked once more at the strange base, the machines, the guards, the flying craft.
"Your world must be very different from ours," he said.
Thomson gave a short nod. "Yes. But maybe… not so different in what we want."
Marius smiled faintly.
With that, the envoy turned back toward their ships, their banners fluttering in the sea wind.
The waves were calm as the envoy fleet pulled away from the island. The UEN frigate Horizon followed close behind, its gray hull cutting clean through the water.
From the deck of the lead galleon, Lord Marius watched the foreign ship move in silence.
His officers stood nearby, speaking in low voices. "It's like they command the sea itself," one said quietly.
"Let's hope they come as friends, not conquerors," another replied.
Marius kept his eyes on the horizon. "We'll treat them as guests until proven otherwise," he said. "That is the king's order — and our duty."
Behind him, the royal banners rippled against the sky. The sailors moved with a mix of pride and unease, glancing often toward the the frigate Horizon. Some whispered that its crew were spirits or sky-born men. Others said they carried weapons strong enough to sink fleets with a single strike.
As the fleet sailed home, Marius sat alone in his cabin, writing his report. His words were careful, each line weighed with meaning. "Contact were made. Peace is possible.
Their power unmatched."
He paused before adding, "Uncertainty remains."
That night, he stood at the stern and looked back. The island was already a shadow in the distance, and the Horizon's lights glowed faintly against the dark.
He wondered how the court would react. the ambitious lords hungry for war, the cautious ones urging restraint. There would be debates, perhaps even divisions.
But for now, the first step toward peace had been taken.
The fleet pressed on, sails full, as dawn began to rise over the water.