Ghost in the Machine

[Shireling]

[THIS IS AN IN-CHARACTER RP THREAD. All non-character chatter must remain outside of this thread.]

INTERGALACTIC SPACE, NEAR THE ARAXI GALAXY
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The black void of space afforded a camouflage that no cloaking field could imbibe, a sky so dark and huge that the largest of the scanning arrays of the Federation might take thousands of years to spot the discrepancy---and in all that time no intergalactic trade routes had stumbled upon the massive object. That is, until a gravitational anomaly stood out to researchers at a Vikran intergalactic observatory on a border outpost of the Araxi Galaxy. At first, the anomaly was taken for a rogue orphan planet, jettisoned from its home star eons ago---but it's trajectory was all wrong. The object was moving towards the galactic centre. Not in the roundabout, elliptical manner of a heavenly body, but in that direct and purposeful motion that could only be attributed to a large spacecraft.


The Matrix was a monstrosity of a starcraft: built in a roughly rectangular shape, the beast was roughly the width of Saturn from bow to stern. A network of complex and interlaced metal tubing, pipes, and shafts (some as wide as Planet Earth) crisscrossed in an intricate pattern all over the central, cavernous body of the vessel from which belched a fiery nuclear forge like the core of a planet. No markings, linguistic or otherwise, adorned the vessel save the ancient scoring of plasma weapons upon the vessel's armor. It was like a mass of metal, save for the towering crystalline spires that rose like a citadel from the center of the central shaft and glowed a luminescent red, green, yellow, and blue light scheme of an alternating intensity. This was, as it would happen, the control center of the ghastly craft. A ghost city of spires inhabited by silent machinery and unfeeling automatons, set to tick away the epochs until their redundancy. 


M, the Overseer, caught a glimpse of their reflection in the polished walls of the control terminal. Their spectral form was vaguely humanoid, but devoid of any discerning features. It was an impression of a being that had lived for so long within the walls of a computer bank, and had so morphed the image of themselves that their true, physical form had been lost. Perhaps for the better. The Universe was to serve them---they decided their true form, not the rude confines of nature.


"Overseer," the computer chimed, "Galaxy 3451932 Subprime 6 approaches. The local inhabitants call it 'Araxi'."


"What a ridiculous name." M said aloud, but when they questioned themselves about why it was ridiculous, no answer emerged. "What are the military capabilities of its people?"


"These beings have a highly developed military, Overseer. Perhaps on par with the separatist navy during the War."


"Hmm..." M nodded softly. "But no graviton manipulation, or atomic replication?"


"Not to my knowledge, but our information is incomplete. Shall I warm up the engines for our approach?"


"Yes, 38109, then excuse yourself and await further instruction." The computer raced off to execute its orders, putting the Matrix's engines on standby to start up. The ten thousand year voyage from the last waypoint to Araxi had been just as uneventful and vacuous as one would suspect. M was away for most of it, in the simulated wonderlands of Homeworld. This campaign would last a century, then he could program the Matrix to move to the next waypoint and resume its mission without him at the helm. A century was but a short period of time in relation to eternity.

 

[Shireling]

THE ROYAL PALACE, FERRARIA, KEFALONIA PRIME
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The alcohol flowed freely in the State Room as Kefalonian diplomats, military officials, and foreign policy advisors celebrated the latest and greatest triumph of civilization over the forces of anarchy and evil. This refers, of course, to the official surrender of the Klavikan Republic after a lengthy bombardment of Klavika itself. The protracted naval battles and planetary skirmishes largely won, the Kefalonian military had now set about dividing the spoils of war among several companies and noblemen vying for royal charters to settle some of the conquered land. Resistance was still heavy, but that was to be expected. As for Klavika itself, they had a new leader. It had been a year since Tarzak Varak had been convicted of war crimes in a Kefalonian court before being exonerated by royal decree and handed command of the Klavikan Provisional Dominion, a rump state directly under Kefalonian control. The KPD had been governing the outer worlds of the Klavikan Periphery for a few months now, but now Klavika was due to be handed over to Tarzak as the capital of the newly-formed nation.


Tarzak waited in the Grand Hall just outside of the Princely Offices, where the King did most of his work and took most of his visitors, alone. Ignoring him, a clean and well-trimmed Kefalonian man in a black overcoat and lapel pin signifying him as Naval Intelligence walked past Tarzak and into an adjoining room. He reemerged seconds later on the coat-tails of a senior naval officer smoking a pipe.


"Admiral," the NI man began, "I just received a report in from Araxi. They say they're tracking some sort of object."


"What kind of object?" The admiral asked as they again disappeared through another doorway into an adjacent hallway that was open on one side to the cool air and allowed a view from the thirteenth story of the palace down onto the manicured grounds.


"Admiral Forozov, you're not going to believe this but--- the object was a spacecraft, the size of a type one gaseous planet."


"Spacecraft?" Forozov muttered as he puffed. "Foolish nonsense." A look of concentration wore on his face. "Nevertheless, follow up these reports."


The Naval Intelligence officer nodded, moving quickly to the staircase as he began to descend to the twelfth floor to the dispatch room. Enklar Sasarov's life, as of then, was a whirlwind of change and emotion as he found himself, yet again, in the job he had loved in his youth. After his military service in the war had ended, he had picked his NI post back up as a lead analyst: a glorified desk jockey. His marriage to Elmetia Renoa had been somewhat controversial, but he was expecting his first son in the not so distant future. Things were looking up, yet he still shuddered to think about the night he had first encountered the raven's feather...


Able to hear the revelers in the State Room, a smaller creature by far than Tarzak, an ambassador from Kowoxia, whose people had been clamoring to trade in closely-guarded, highly prized Kefalonian tempered adamant for armor plating ship hulls. The King had given the Kowoxians an audience, and had assured them that some agreement could be reached. Perhaps the ultimate barb at Tarzak, this creature was seen first by the King. No doubt, this was rage-inducing. But he had been given an opportunity, one that would be squandered if he needlessly resisted his new masters now. A voice could be heard from the other side of the door, "Come, come in." At which point, a butler opened the door to the offices and nudged the Finecian ambassador inside, closing the door behind him and going about his business.


Inside the office, an old man sat behind a large wooden desk that rested on an inclined stage-like structure. Several comfortable seats could be seen in the room below the stage, an extra small one being provided to accommodate guests of such stature. The old man behind the desk was radiant, but clearly had seen better days. The lighting behind him seemed to frame him in a halo of light, and the clearly religious mural of a man holding his arms stretched out to a radiating son that was hung behind him was evidence of the spirituality of either this man or his title in particular. For his part, Voracius set his grizzled hands flat on the table before picking up a tea cup from a nearby tray and taking a sip.


"I trust your travels were not an excessive burden, Ambassador." The old king said as he smiled upon the creature.


@Bobisdead123

 

[Spacekitty]

General Tarzak


[SIZE=10pt]A figure stood seemingly out of place in the grand gothic styled halls of the Kefalonian State-house.  He wore a rich black military uniform, adorned with gold medals and pendants, topped off with a black cap emblazoned with a shimmering gold wolf’s head.  The man, that much evident by his robust form, was several inches short than the average Kefalonian, although still a great deal taller than a Terran and undeniably built much heavier than the taller Kefalonians.  It was the infamous Tarzak Varak, former High General of the Klavikan Republic, now little more than a steward to the aged Kefalonian Monarch.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Tarzak stood like a statue, his clawed hands held behind his back as awaited his audience with the Kefalonian King.  Outwardly he appeared the epitome of patience, simply staring straight ahead motionless, silent, and calm.  But on the inside, he was anything but calm, silent or patient.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Anger bubbled inside of the former General like boiling water in a Kefalonia tea kettle.  He wanted to be anywhere but here.  Tarzak [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]hated[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] Kefalonia and anything remotely related to it.  Even the thought of the Kefalonians made him so enraged he wanted to smash anything within reach, as he had done so, on multiple occasions.  When he had first received the call to “join” the so called “King” for a meeting at the State-House he had become so infuriated that he had smashed the Phone into the concrete wall, cracking the concrete and causing chunks to fly off, hitting a guard on the other side.  The phone was nothing more than jagged metal and dust in his bloody paw.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Fast forward to today, he had arrived at Kefalonia in a particularly sour mood, his left paw covered in a golden gauntlet to hide the fact that he had broken it.  He had refused to bandage it in any way, lest he showed any sort of weakness to the King.  Of course, this meant it was extremely painful every time he moved it, making the already short fused Wolfman on the verge of exploding.  But he resisted, keeping himself calm and collected, on the outside at least.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]As he stood there, he wrung his hands, grimacing ever so slightly as pain shot through his broken hand.  To his left was tiny fox like creature who barely reached the mighty General’s waist.  It was a Finecian, a member of the annoyingly hyper, high pitched, big eared fox people who never missed an opportunity to make a quick buck.  He looked down upon the creature out of the corner of his eye.  It was dressed in an ornate grey, red and gold suite, with a small dove shaped pin marking him as an ambassador.  Evidently he was here on some sort of diplomatic mission, no doubt something trade related.  Tarzak tried his best to ignore the creature as it fidget excitedly, checking its silver pocket watch every half and second and gazing about the ornate halls.  He closed his eyes and exhaled.  If the creature checked its watch one more time he was going-[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]His not so pleasant thoughts were distracted as a Kefalonian rushed past him,  the end of the man’s black over coat waving in the air as he disappeared into an adjoining room.  Seconds later a second Kefalonian emerged, the first close behind at his heels.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]"Admiral," the first began, "I just received a report in from Araxi. They say they're tracking some sort of object."[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]"What kind of object?" The admiral inquired as they once again disappeared through the opposite doorway and out of site.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Tarzak raised his ears curiously, turning his left to try and pick up on the conversation.  Sadly, as expected, the walls were sound proof and the most he could hear was the Finecian Ambassadors incessant fiddling.  And so, he went back to contemplating what it would be like the rip off his over sized ears and choke him with them…[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]What felt like hours later, the time ticked away by the painful sound of the jingling of the small chain attached to the Finecians pocketwatch and the soul piercing scrape of the Ambassadors shoes on the oaken floors, the door to the Royal Office swung open silently, a well dressed Butler entered the hallway.  He cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the Finecian who quickly shoved his watch into his pants pocket and stood up straight, smiling at the Butler.  [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Tzarked cracked his neck, a loud series of pops emanating down the hallway, letting out a sigh of relief.  [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]FInally[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt].  He could get this little tea party over with.  He straightened his uniform, the medals and decorative chains jingling softly.  He stepped forward to follow the Butler inside only to be stopped.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“Mr. Chavick please” the Butler said in a rich low voice.  He motioned for the Finecians to follow through the open door way.  Mr. Chavick jumped excitedly, straightening his suit and following the Butler through the wooden door frame.  The Butler glanced back towards Tarzak, his eyes lingering on him for just a moment before closing the door behind the finicky ambassador.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Tarzak paused, just for a moment.  Surely this was mistake?  Surely no mere diplomat of some irrelevant trade post was so important as to be seen before him.  He waited, expecting the ornately carved door to open once more, the Finecian shoved out and himself ushered in.  But of course, this did not happen.  Anger swelled up inside of him, little a pop bottle that had been shook up too much.  If that decrepit, worthless stain on the universe didn’t open that Ornx blessed door he was going to go in there and tear his fuc-[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Tarzak shook his head, calming himself.  No matter how much he wanted to, he had to restrain.  It wasn’t that he was couldn’t do it or was afraid of getting shot..  He was certain he could break through the locked door and tear the old man limb from limb before any guards could save him.  He had gotten shot before, he was more than willing to die if he could bring the king down with him.  It was that if he died, so did Klavika.  He was needed to lead his people through this dark time, to keep what little was left of the great people of Klavika together.  Even now the outer rim worlds that were not being occupied by the Kefalonian dogs were splitting apart, turning into small warring city states vying for dominance other one another.  No one else was fit to rule in such a dark time, only Tarzak himself was capable of pulling together the scattered Klavikan fleets to reunite the tattered empire.  Even then, Tarzak had his doubts.  A large number of colonies had gone rogue, some of them being capable industrial words protected by their own array of defensive platforms.  To make matters worse rogue pirate fleets, the remnants of Klavikan convoys roamed the edges of Kefalonian and Klavikan territory, raiding small outposts and disrupting what shipping routes remained.  He would need a large fleet to combat all these threats, much larger than he had now and likely larger than the Kefalonians wanted to allow him.  And so, he was here to negotiate with the King, or more like plead, like a dog begging his master for a treat.  He could not afford to spoil things, if not for himself, then for his people.  He would play the role as a pawn, suffer the humiliation of bowing to a foreign tyrant, if that's what it took to rebuild what had been lost.  And so he would wait, patiently, until the King was [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]gracious[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] enough to conduct the meeting [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]he [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]had requested.[/SIZE]

 

[Spacekitty]

Mr. Chavick, Kowoxian Ambassador


[SIZE=11pt]Mr. Chavick entered the King's chambers, ushered in by the well dressed Butler who gently closed the door behind him.  The door emitted a soft [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]click[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] as put into place and the lock set.  As soon as the connection was made the loud sounds of drunk statesmen and the clinking of glasses was cut off, leaving silence in it’s wake.  Some guests may of been intimidated by the sudden change of atmosphere, but not Mr. Chavick.  He took no notice of it, simply gazing about the room in awe, admiring it with an excited glitter in his eyes.  The room certainly demanded such amazement.  While it was similar to the rest of the State-House,sharing the same rustic, gothic style with ornately carved oaken furniture, it had a certain [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]feel[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] to it, a specific auroa it emanated, likely the intent of its design.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]In the back of the room was a great and likely ancient mural of a man stand with his arms stretched out above him, a bright sun radiating behind the picture.  It obviously had some sort of religious symbolism to it, but whatever it was, it was lost on the unreligious iInecian.  He simply appreciated it as a nice looking painting.  In Front of the painting, partly obstructing it was an oak desk set on a raised stage, behind it, the king himself.  [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Mr. Chavick bowed deeply upon seeing the King.  The elderly man was framed in a yellow light, casting his features in a partial shadow and giving him almost holy feel.  Again, Mr. Chavick took no notice of this, too excited by his trip to Kefalonia to be properly intimidated.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]"I trust your travels were not an excessive burden, Ambassador." The old king said, breaking the silence and taking the Finecians attention away from the room itself.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]“Of course not!” The Finecian replied in what Finecians would consider a rich low voice, but was in reality high pitched, like a Terran child.  “It always a pleasure to visit the wonderful nation of Kefalonia.  I thoroughly enjoy my time here.  Well, save for when I’m on your roads”.  He shuddered slightly.  The Kefalonians were nice people, but they drove like maniacs, often exceeding 150 km/hr.  That’s why Chavick chose to walk whenever possible.  Besides, that way he could visit all of the local cafes.  It was his personal goal to find the best tea the Kefalonians had to offer.  Chavick absolutely [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]loved[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] Kefalonian tea and often had it imported directly from the source to his home in Kowoxia.  Of course however, nothing was better than drinking it in Kefalonia prime herself, which is exactly what he had been doing before his appointment.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]He had actually arrived a few days early to Kefalonia Prime so he could explore and try his best to taste the tea at as many shops as possible.  He had actually gotten lost doing so and had to call his Kefalonian escorts to come find him.  Which proved difficult, as they had trouble spotting the short Finecian in the crowds of people.  Despite this, he managed to arrive at the capitol building on time.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=10.5pt]“Congratulations on the victory over the Klavikans” Chavick continued over a brief pause.  He remembered the Klavikan he saw outside, dressed in a fancy black uniform decorated with gold chains and medals.  Some high ranking Klavikan Official likely here to discuss surrender terms of some portion of the Klavikan realm no doubt.  It was odd Chavick was given audience first, but that was none of his concern.  “I’m glad to see Kefalonia has emerged as strong as ever” he said.[/SIZE]


@Shireling

 

[Shireling]

"Yes," the King began with an implacable, soft, sluggish smile. "Victory always brings with it a tide of pride and euphoria. I suspect the new arrangement will be to the benefit of the Klavikan people as well, if they ever come to understand that there is no virtue in strength---merely a capacity for survival. Victory has not been cheap however." 


The King paused, then he looked towards the tea tray. "Mr. Chavik, perhaps you would care for a cup?" He asked, taking a small (although to Chavik it would be quite large) porcelain cup and filling it with tea from the steaming decanter. He held the cup outstretched and signalled for Chavik to mount the platform to recieve it from him. 

 

[Spacekitty]

Mr. Chavick


Mr, Chavick nodded, listening to the King talk.  His people had encounters of their own with the Klavikan race.  The Klavikans had invaded them, almost successfully subjugating the entirety of Finecia before they were beat back by a coalition of Finecians and her allies.  But that was generations ago and against a far smaller amount of Klavikans than the Kefalonias had to deal with.  Chavick did not envy them in the slightest.  From what little interaction he had had with the creatures, he knew them to be incredibly strong, brutish and aggressive.  Although not the brightest of folks.  But you best not mention that to them, lest you want to be their next meal...


Chavick was instantly ripped from his reminitions on the Klavikan peoples when he heard the distinct clink of a spoon on the rim of a tea cup.  Chavick looked back at the King to see him lifting up a large plain white cup filled to the brim with steaming hot tea.  His black beady eyes lit up and his ears twitched slightly. Tea directly from the King of tea makers himself?  Surely this tea would be the best there is.  Earnestly he extended both hands, as to properly  grasp a cup of sutch size but found his small furry arms too short to reach even half way across the massive desk.  He considered leaning out to grab it from him, but he risked spilling the tea and thoroughly embarrassing himself.  Clearly, as the King seemed to suggest , the best option was to climb up onto the desk and receive the tea.


It was slightly embarrassing to climb onto another's desk, let alone a King, but the short FInecian was actually quite use to the problem as it was rather common for his species when dealing with their typically much taller neighbors.    And so carefully, he climbed onto the great desk and grabbed the cup with both hands, bringing it back down to the eat, etting the refreshing aroma fill his sensitive nostrils as he did so.   If it tasted as good as it smelled, he was in for a treat.


"Thank you your majesty" he said simply.  "I always find Kefalonian tea particularly refreshing.  It must be the strong gravity of your planets, surely somehow it strengthens the tea plants taste".   


@Shireling

 

[IneedHealing]

[Federal Observatory - Virgo Sector, Wild space (Furthest point of the Araxi Galaxy)]


Researchers of the station that found the collector anomaly gathered at the hangar as a line of fully armed Federal infantrymen closed off all exits and encircled the researchers and staff. From the back of the jet black painted drop ship, emerged a 8ft tall man, fully clothed in a finely ironed and cleaned, black officers uniform. As he exited the drop ship, not a single person said a word, with the only sound that were being emitted was from the General's boots, which echoed through out the dead quiet hangar. 


"Gentlemen. The Federal High Command is not pleased." The General spoke, slowly locking his gaze with the commander in charge of the station. "I'm. Not pleased." 


"You have all betrayed the Federation by not notifying or monitoring this anomaly and reporting it directly to the High Command. Instead......You swines took it upon yourselves to contact those......Kefalonians......"


"As such, under the Auctis Contingency, Section 2. Protocol 1.....You are all relieved of your duties. And this facility will undergo........some changes." The general ended as he turned towards the infantry commander who raised his hand as the Federal soldiers all raised their weapons towards the staff and researchers. "Kill them all." The Commander ordered as every infantrymen opened fire upon the defenseless staff and researchers. 


Streaks of Bright white anti-matter energy flew with fine precision as they struck their targets, ripping the bodies into pieces. The soldiers continued their relentless execution until the order was given to stop, as every gun was silenced in unison. From the pile of shredded corpses, one staff member, his entire left leg blown to pieces by a single anti-matter energy round, crawled across the floor, until he was stopped by a sergeant, who kicked the badly injured staff member, turning him over to face the sergeant. 


The staff member raised his hands up, trembling furiously with nothing but fear in his eyes, silently begging the sergeant to spare him. 


The Sergeant did not even budge as he unholstered his handgun and shot the staff member right through the temple without a second thought. The Anti-Matter Energy round blew up the staff member's head as blood and matter scattered everywhere and burned through several inches of the thick reinforced floors of the hangar. 


"Take the bodies and dump out the air-vents.....Or what's left of them. And send word to High Command that the new staff can be brought in." The General spoke. 


------------


[Undisclosed Location]


"Your Excellency. We've managed to establish a secure channel with King Voracius." 


"Give me the mic." The Chairman replied as the staff member tapped several commands on his hologram Omni-pad, as a small circular hologram materialized in front of the Chairman's face. 


"King Voracius. This is the Chairman. I've gotten word that....one of my own outposts contacted your empire about an anomaly. Least to say, I am not too pleased with the news, and I'd like for us to have a little. Chat in private about this. Breach of national security." 


"Message sent Chairman." the Staff member responded. 


"Stupid." The Chairman muttered. "The king?" The Vice-Chairman asked. "No.......I was referring to those stupid idiots on the outpost. Including the Kefalonian people. the King on the other hand......That old man is tolerable.....To a certain degree." 


"Send word to all Aegis Sector Commands. I want every armada within the Aegis galaxy cluster on standby. And get me the Supreme Council."


@Shireling

 

[Shireling]

[Federal Observatory - Virgo Sector, Wild space (Furthest point of the Araxi Galaxy)]


Researchers of the station that found the collector anomaly gathered at the hangar as a line of fully armed Federal infantrymen closed off all exits and encircled the researchers and staff. From the back of the jet black painted drop ship, emerged a 8ft tall man, fully clothed in a finely ironed and cleaned, black officers uniform. As he exited the drop ship, not a single person said a word, with the only sound that were being emitted was from the General's boots, which echoed through out the dead quiet hangar. 


"Gentlemen. The Federal High Command is not pleased." The General spoke, slowly locking his gaze with the commander in charge of the station. "I'm. Not pleased." 


"You have all betrayed the Federation by not notifying or monitoring this anomaly and reporting it directly to the High Command. Instead......You swines took it upon yourselves to contact those......Kefalonians......"


"As such, under the Auctis Contingency, Section 2. Protocol 1.....You are all relieved of your duties. And this facility will undergo........some changes." The general ended as he turned towards the infantry commander who raised his hand as the Federal soldiers all raised their weapons towards the staff and researchers. "Kill them all." The Commander ordered as every infantrymen opened fire upon the defenseless staff and researchers. 


Streaks of Bright white anti-matter energy flew with fine precision as they struck their targets, ripping the bodies into pieces. The soldiers continued their relentless execution until the order was given to stop, as every gun was silenced in unison. From the pile of shredded corpses, one staff member, his entire left leg blown to pieces by a single anti-matter energy round, crawled across the floor, until he was stopped by a sergeant, who kicked the badly injured staff member, turning him over to face the sergeant. 


The staff member raised his hands up, trembling furiously with nothing but fear in his eyes, silently begging the sergeant to spare him. 


The Sergeant did not even budge as he unholstered his handgun and shot the staff member right through the temple without a second thought. The Anti-Matter Energy round blew up the staff member's head as blood and matter scattered everywhere and burned through several inches of the thick reinforced floors of the hangar. 


"Take the bodies and dump out the air-vents.....Or what's left of them. And send word to High Command that the new staff can be brought in." The General spoke. 


------------


[Undisclosed Location]


"Your Excellency. We've managed to establish a secure channel with King Voracius." 


"Give me the mic." The Chairman replied as the staff member tapped several commands on his hologram Omni-pad, as a small circular hologram materialized in front of the Chairman's face. 


"King Voracius. This is the Chairman. I've gotten word that....one of my own outposts contacted your empire about an anomaly. Least to say, I am not too pleased with the news, and I'd like for us to have a little. Chat in private about this. Breach of national security." 


"Message sent Chairman." the Staff member responded. 


"Stupid." The Chairman muttered. "The king?" The Vice-Chairman asked. "No.......I was referring to those stupid idiots on the outpost. Including the Kefalonian people. the King on the other hand......That old man is tolerable.....To a certain degree." 


"Send word to all Aegis Sector Commands. I want every armada within the Aegis galaxy cluster on standby. And get me the Supreme Council."


@Shireling

(you know, I kind of a assumed they would contact your government first and the Kefalonians would find out through espionage) 

 

[Shireling]

Voracius
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​

The old king nodded politely, "Yes perhaps. Now, Mr. Chavik, it has come to my attention that certain individuals in Kowoxia would like to trade in Kefalonian alloys. Usually, we restrict trade of most war goods outside of the Trade Empire. However, we have talked at length concerning Kowoxia and her military tradition and naval capacities. We feel safe in allowing such a trade, although it may be more expensive as our trade commissioners have played with the idea of a 2% export tax on refined metal. That, however, is assuming you agree not to trade the alloys again with any of the other Finecian kingdoms, or, god-forbid, a more militant power than yourselves."


He laid a sheet of paper out on his desk as far as he could manage to the opposite side and gently shuffled a pen in an inkwell towards that end of the table.


"I encourage you to read it, of course, Mr. Chavick, to make sure that everything is agreeable. That copy is in Finecian, but here is my copy so you may ensure they are the same."


The king set another piece of paper alongside the first. He folded his arms and waited for the ambassador to approach.


While he did so, the butler returned and came to the king's side. He whispered something unintelligible to which Voracius replied, "A station that large... He thinks that the outpost contacted us? Did they? Why would they?"


More whispering.


"I assume he's probably shot a few million of his subjects by now, bloody barbarian." Voracius said sardonically. "Tell him we gleaned the information from a sentry satellite. If he must come here so I can hammer that through his thick skull, then so be it. Just tell him not to bring an entire fleet like last time. He triggered a defensive condition six."


"Of course, my lord."


The Butler scuttled off and shut the door behind him. "Now, Mr. Chavick, where were we?"

MILKY WAY GALAXY
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0.02 PARSECS GALACTIC SOUTHWEST OF FREDERIKA
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The Milky Way was a backwater galaxy to the Trade Empire, but nevertheless close enough to Kefalonian outposts in Andromeda to warrant surveillance by the Kefalonians. The Yurians, a militant race that had been on the ascendancy in the Milky Way, had been attacking trade routes and harassing military convoys. Thus, the 1,899th Strikefleet, eight dreadnoughts and associated convoys, was sent to cripple the Yurian war machine.


Near the inhabited system of Germainia 21, the dreadnought Harporov had suffered a hyperspace engine failure and needed repairs. It was here that they were attacked by a much larger Yurian fleet, although much less advanced. While the fleet passing through the system might not have tripped the more primitive scanners of the Teuto Conclave, the massive firefight that had ensued certainly would.

 

[IneedHealing]

Chairman
​

King Voracious's words weren't enough as the Chairman boarded the Weiss-Class Capital Stealth Dreadnought that was docked on the inner most defensive ring of the planet. Being such a large ship, it was too big to fit on shipyards on the planet surface. A con that came with the Weiss-Class ships. When the Chairman's shuttle landed inside the ship's hangar, the Chairman, along with his entourage made their way towards the bridge.


"Captain. Set a course for Kefalonia." The Chairman ordered,as he entered the bridge. The Captain, obviously taken by surprise by the Chairman's sudden appearance did his best to look presentable and professional, before saluting. "Chairman." 


"I....Apologize. But right now out orders are to stay dock-." The Captain was cut mid sentence by the Chairman who grabbed the Captain by his collar. 


"And who gave you that order?" 


"..........No one your excellency.....I'll prep the ship immediately for launch." The Captain responded slightly startled. In response, the Chairman let go of the captain who rushed on past, leaving the bridge.


Half an hour past until the anti-gravity anchors, were released as the ship reversed out from it's dock, before maneuvering through the hundreds of naval and civilian vessels cruising through the solar system. "Captain, we've been given to warp out." 


"Power the Void-Drive. Set a Course for Kefalonia." The Captain ordered. 'Course set. Void-Drives activated. Powering all engines. Reactor readings normal. Entering Void-space.'

 

[Shireling]

THE KEFALONIA PRIME EXCLUSION ZONE 
​

KEFALONIAN SPACE 
​

 
​

Owing to the inventiveness and, arguably, the paranoia of the Kefalonians, one could not simply warp directly into Kefalonian orbit. The planet was ringed by hyperspatial scramblers that made any hyperspace travel to coordinates directly within the orbit impossible. Thus, the area immediately surrounding that ring of satellites was called the exclusion zone, as in the area in which excluded hyperspace traffic is accommodated. 


The Federation ship appeared on the far side of the planet, flanked on either side by two Homeguard Bannerfleets consisting of twelve dreadnoughts apiece with associated escorts and convoys. Beyond that, and obscuring their view of the planet to some degree, was a vast network of orbital defenses, shipyards, orbiting cargo depots, ore refineries, and space elevators that ran the length down to a few metropolitan centers on the planet. 


The Federation ship was immediately hailed by the bannerfleet on their left flank. Greeting them, a stern Kefalonian matron in unornamented red officer's attire appeared on screen. 


"Greetings, Chairman Amnestas. Approach vectors for your shuttlecraft have been administered. It is advised that you bring a minimal number of bodyguard as King Voracius does not respond well to such displays of aggression. Thank you for not bringing more of your warships, your grace." The female admiral stated dryly. 


@Chairman Amnestas

 

[IneedHealing]

THE KEFALONIA PRIME EXCLUSION ZONE 


KEFALONIAN SPACE 

"This is the Captain of the FN Tyranny. The Chairman will make his way to his shuttle shortly. Expect him to arrive in the next 20 minutes." The Captain replied. "Chairman. I think you should make haste. The King will be expecting you soon." The Chairman did not reply back. He simply turned around and left the bridge in silence, leaving the captain somewhat confused and relieved.The Chairman made his way to his personal shuttle that he used to come aboard the FN Omega in the first place. Inside, the chairman walked down the narrow corridor towards his own personal room.

Spoiler

Shortly after, a squad of 6 Federal Special Operations Forces operatives boarded the shuttle. Each operative was fully equipped, and made their way towards the passenger seats which was just behind the Chairman's private room. 

Spoiler

/monthly_2017_02/SOF.thumb.png.b70d45668dc5c176f24b9f9b99016385.png

Once the last of the crew were on board, the shuttle took off from the hangar as it began to ascend towards the surface of the planet. The shuttle cruised high above Ferraria, until it finally touching down in front of the Royal Palace. As the shuttle touched down, the Chairman and his S.O.F operatives gathered at the exit platform. "Chairman. We have landed, you may exit when ready." The Shuttle's pilot spoke through the intercoms. 


"Weapons check." The S.O.F Commander said as each of the other 5 Operatives configured their weapons. "Keep the safety locks engaged." The Chairman said as the group exited the shuttle. "I'll take two. The rest stay." The Chairman ordered his S.O.F guards. "Yes Chairman." The S.O.F commander responded, turning around before ordering two of his men to escort the Chairman, while ordering the rest to guard the shuttle. 


"Now. Where is Voracious." The Chairman muttered as he Entered the Royal Palace before stopping and awaiting for whomever to come and escort him to the King.


@Shireling

 

[Shireling]

(Forgive the time-dilation shenanigans that are about to occur guys. The Chairman has obviously arrived much later than his conversation with the Kowoxian.) 

ROYAL PALACE
​

FERRARIA, KEFALONIA
​

 
​

It had been several days since the King had received his last visitors as the Chairman's ship was en route. The monarch sat in his chair on the sixteenth story balcony sipping tea and watching with vague interest as the Chairman's shuttle landed...right in the flowerbed. Normally, Voracius would accost such a rude guest, but not these Federation chaps. They were categorically unstable. 


A troop of palace guardsmen, in crisp white uniforms toting ever-so-deadly plasma rifles advanced down the drive to meet the Chairman and his men. The Captain of the Guard, bedecked in many metals and such, approached the Chairman and saluted. 


"Respectfully, sir, I am not permitted to allow you to carry weapons into the palace." He said, his voice flat and untwinged by emotion. He was a large, strapping Kefalonian that towered over the Vikrans and could probably snap the Chairman's neck if he so desired. But, he didn't seem to have the demeanor of a murderer.


It was growing dark outside. The birds hanging low in the trees chirped in the intermittent silence. Somewhere away in the city, a siren sounded followed by various other ambiances such as the sound of an electric train on a raised rail. The sound of the city seemed distant and feint, a trick of sound no doubt. 


@Chairman Amnestas

 

[IneedHealing]

Chairman


Being Vikran, the Chairman and his two escorts stood just as tall as the Kefalonians and did not flinch at the Captain of the Guard. In fact, the chairman seemed more impatient at the Captain's words. "Here." The chairman said handing his firearm to one of his escorts. "My escorts will remain outside. Now, will you excuse me." The Chairman entered as he allowed himself to be escorted by the guards towards the Kings room. 


"King Voracius....." The Chairman said as he slowly approached the king. "I presume you already know why I am here.....I have to say. It was quite the chore having to replace so many of those men and women. Now. What information did your people obtain?"


@Shireling

 

[Shireling]

Voracius murmured something under his breath and laid his cup of tea down on the table beside him. A cool breeze blew on the balcony, what would have been considered extremely chilly to most humans. 


"Sit down, Mr. Amnestas." He said in a gravely voice. He looked to see if the Chairman had taken a seat, and after he did so he turned to look out on the foregardens of the palace. 


"We weren't directly contacted by that research station. Rather, we intercepted a telecoded signal between that observation station and a nearby relay station. This is routine, you see, we have satellites that scan the heavens for communications to constantly keep an eye on the movements of fleets and armaments in our neighbors. The transmission was unencrypted, which we thought was rather odd. This is the message we picked up." 


The King presented Amnestas with a teletyped sheet of paper on which was stamped the following communique: 


ARAXI OUTPOST SINKLAIR


ITEM 411 D 


ADVISE FEDERATION COMMAND---LARGE VESSEL SPOTTED APPROACHING ARAXI AT A VECTOR BEARING 22246.4582.1274. VESSEL IS EXTRAPLANETARY IN SIZE AND OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN. 


The King steepled his fingers and stared whistfully at the city before him. "I'm afriad I can't tell you what the thing is, only that it's the largest vessel we have ever heard described. Right now, our scribes are cross referencing every text we have back to the empirical period concerning alien races and the races that other species have written of. The Library of Gorgotha may have contained something had it not been destroyed in the war, but I doubt it. This is something we have never seen before." 


@Chairman Amnestas

 

[IneedHealing]

The Chairman stared at the piece of paper. His expression slowly turning more and more grim and annoyed as he started to crumple the paper. "Why did Aegis Command not intercept this. We control most of the Aegis Galaxy Cluster surely one of our outlying censors would have picked up something....."


Not a second later the Chairman activated his OMNI tool. "Execute Order 1. I want every staff manning stations within the Aegis Galaxy Cluster to be interrogated..... Kill off the useless ones. I don't need incompetence and general stupidity plaguing the ranks."


Deactivating his holographic tool, the chairman turned his head towards the king. "As for you. What gives you the right to do such things? Spying on us.... If it weren't for the fact that you were a trade empire, I would have been more aggressive and unforgiving towards your kind 4 thousand years ago when I was still new in office, when our species first met...." 


"What do you even plan on doing with this information.....King Voracius?" 


@Shireling

 

[Shireling]

King Voracius rubbed his temples in exasperation.  "It's not spying if you're broadcasting such things on open channels and unencrypted frequencies, Chairman. And even if it was spying, you act as if you don't have agents within the institutions of my kingdom as well." 


The King's voice carried a sort of venom as he spoke. The chill seemed to be getting to him, so he wrapped himself tighter in the shawl he had draped over himself. 


"Protecting my people is of the utmost importance to me. You might not be able to understand that, true. But it is so. For someone so old, you lack the keeness of a wise ruler. Perhaps only knowledge of a finite existance can bring these things." 


A long pause. 


"What I planned to do with this information was keep my people safe. Who knows what that thing could be, or what it's purpose is. I find it telling that instead of preparing to investigate the craft, you find it necessary to come all the way to my home to harass me." 

 

[IneedHealing]

"People....are replaceable. I serve only to ensure that the government continues to stay in power. And that the Federation continues to exist. So don't talk about your noble ways. Power. And fear. They are the key to everlasting sustainability and power. Not. The other way around." 


"And I assure you. I don't tolerate brain dead idiots into my military who are so dumb to broadcast on open channels. If smwhat you say is true. Then I will have to replace all those idiots.....as for your plan. I've already alerted my forces while on my way here. They should be arriving at the ships location within the next few hours. 


As the Chairman was about to continue his rant, the doors slowly opened as the Chairman's daughter. Kyra entered. "Father. You have a call from the supreme council waiting." The Chairman let out a grudging sigh before shooting Voracius a cold glare. "We'll continue this discussion when I get back." The Chairman got up. Storming out of the office. 


Kyra on the other hand waited for her dad to leave before turning to face the king. She bowed in a respectful manner. "I apologize if my Father said anything offensive. He has a tendency to be overly hot headed and irked by the smallest things. It's difficult to deal with."


@Shireling

 

[Spacekitty]

Mr. Chavick


[SIZE=10.5pt]It seemed pleasantries were over as the old King smiled and dove into the matter;[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]"Yes perhaps. Now, Mr. Chavik, it has come to my attention that certain individuals in Kowoxia would like to trade in Kefalonian alloys. Usually, we restrict trade of most war goods outside of the Trade Empire. However, we have talked at length concerning Kowoxia and her military tradition and naval capacities. We feel safe in allowing such a trade, although it may be more expensive as our trade commissioners have played with the idea of a 2% export tax on refined metal. That, however, is assuming you agree not to trade the alloys again with any of the other Finecian kingdoms, or, god-forbid, a more militant power than yourselves."[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]The Kefalonian King then slid both Chavick's copy and his own copy of the agreement for the Finecian Ambassador to check over and sign off on.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]Chavick grabbed both papers, both more so lengthy paper-bound books than a simple sheet, as to read both over thoroughly and decide on the matter.  He would of course pay extra attention to the Kefalonians side of the agreement to ensure that there were no discrepancies, but this was more of a pleasantry really than an actual precaution.  He had no doubts the two documents would be completely identical, the Kefalonians always held to their side of the bargain.  It was part of the reason he enjoyed dealing with them so much, he could focus on the finer side of diplomacy rather than worrying if he was about to sign away all the Kowoxia's coffers.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]As he was peering over the terms of his own copy of the document, the butler re-entered the room and made for the King's.  Chavick tried his best to ignore him and not listen in on their conversation, but his sensitive ears could not help but pick up tidbits of their conversation.  From what Chavick could gather, it seemed as if the Kefalonians had detected an unusually large moving objects of sorts in a nearby galaxy somehow connected to what he could only assume was the Federation, based on Voracius's remark.  Chavick was intrigued but of course, it clearly did not concern him or his people.  It would be quite rude of him to inquire about it, given that he would have to admit to have listening in on the King's conversation, and so he merely continued check over the documents as if he had not heard a word.  Although the wise King could probably guess the Finecian had heard at least part of the conversation given the instinctive twitch of Chavick's ears and their keen nature.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]Just as the Butler scuttled out of the office, the King turned back towards Chavick. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]"Now, Mr. Chavick, where were we?"[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10.5pt]Chavick looked up from the documents he had just read over.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]"You had just given me the trade agreement your majesty.  I've read both copies over and find them to be identical of course.  As for the terms, I can't help but to find them most pleasing.  They seem fair and mutually beneficial"[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Chavick smiled.  It was always a good feeling when meetings ended as planned and an agreement was reached without must argument.  [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]"Kefalonian adamant is exactly what Kowoxia needs to modernize her Navy.  This agreement will certainly annoy the Red Sun who will still be stuck with outdated Kefalonian Composite armor.  Of course, they'll probably clamour at the next Central Meeting for an open trade deal and send delegates both your way and my way.  But that'll be another diplomats problem.”[/SIZE]



[SIZE=11pt]Chavick chuckled slightly.  He was not envious of whoever was assigned to the Red Sun.[/SIZE]


@Shireling  (I can respond in rapid succession today if you want to knock this out)

 

[IneedHealing]

Detachment 51 from the 296th Armada


Mission Details: Deploy Fleet detachment to intercept the anomaly detected from Outpost 900.


Ships being diverted:


6 Kari-Class Frigates (745 metres)

Spoiler

1 Seraph-Class Fleet Escort (1.5 km)

Spoiler

/monthly_2017_02/58a3df4a6733d_Seraph-ClassFleetEscortShipLongrangeseeker.thumb.png.054aede27af3cf53976e64abb31d6a3e.png

3 Warran-Class Light Stealth Cruiser (65 km)

Spoiler

1 Atlas-Class Stealth Battlecruiser (85 km)

Spoiler

En-route to Anomaly. Estimated Time of Arrival: 0:03


The Fleet detachment from one of the Southern Sectors of the Aegis Galaxy Cluster warped into the same sector of the Anomaly. All ships began the standard procedure of attempting to intercepting the large vessel by cutting it off from it's current trajectory. 3 Frigates were lined up on the ship's port and starboard side, while the other ships were attempting to hail the unknown vessel.


"Send the vessel a warning for intruding through the Aegis Cluster without clearance." The Rear-Admiral said from the bridge of the FN Ilios Battleship.


"Unknown vessel. You are in Violation of Federal Space. Under Federal Jurisdiction, no vessel, excluding Military and Government are allowed to travel through the alternate routes of Dark Space within the Aegis Galaxy Cluster. You have 1 minute to respond or we shall assume hostilities and open fire upon your vessel. This is your only warning, either ahead to the demand, or be met with force."


@Shireling


-----------


Federal Embassy - U.F.S


An explosion erupted from several floors, causing panic among-st the Embassy staff as Federal troops stationed within the Embassy scrambled to gain control of the situation. Within minutes of the explosion erupting, two mercs hastily fled the scene, with one of them carrying a briefcase. Seeing the two mercs, some of the soldiers tried to chase after them, but found it difficult as the two had a very long head start.


"Take them out!!!" The Infantry Captain shouted chasing after them. Meanwhile several soldiers raised their assault rifles, firing off several Anti-Matter energy at the two. The Merc not carrying the briefcase immediately whipped around and activated an Energy shield that deflected the Anti-Matter energy.


As the two mercs started to inch closer and closer towards the gates, a LARV from the Embassy's underground armory drifted to a halt as the gunner opened fire with the vehicle's auto-cannon, tearing the thick metal walls protecting the embassy apart, all the while the same merc had put up a biotic barrier protecting him and his accomplice as the two jumped over the gate.

Spoiler

The Captain, who was right on their tail, slammed the override panel for the gates, before quickly drawing his handgun, firing a couple shots at the mercs from across the street until they disappeared out of sight, enraging the captain, who started cussing and swung at thin air in frustration and anger, having to be restrained by soldiers.


@Bobisdead123

 

[Shireling]

King Voracius (Several Days Ago) 
​

 
​

The King nodded kindly and then made a motion with his hand to usher the diplomat away. Finally, Tarzak was ushered into the room and Voracius took another sip of tea. 


"Good afternoon, General." He murmured. "You'll enjoy what I have for you here today." 


The King lifted a scrap of paper and held it out towards him. 

King Voracius 
​

 
​

The King nodded softly and turned his attention back towards the garden below. 


"He's not a very wise ruler. His emotions are his master, not the other way around." 

At the Matrix 
​

 
​

The Matrix, moving ever closer and ever faster towards Araxi, was like a hulking god before the Federation fleet. Speeding to keep pace with the craft, the ships came alongside the hull of the Matrix. All hails fell on deaf ears. The craft flew ever onward without an indication of stopping. 

 

[IneedHealing]

Detachment 51

"No response....Open fire." The Rear Admiral said. "Report to High Command."

At the Admiral's orders. All ships brought their weapons to bear at the vessel, and opened fire.

Kyra

"I know it's not the most ideal but...please. Try and work together with him. My father wants to deal with this alone but I fear that his reckless mindset is only going to cause greater casualties." Kyra said. "As much as it hurts. It really does frustrate me to see him like this."

"As much as I don't want to think about it. He will inevitably kill many of our own people if this issue ends up becoming a really big problem. And I don't want so see

Shireling

 

[Shireling]

At the Matrix
​

Below, relative to the bow of the Matrix, Araxi stretched out to nearly cover the whole of the visible sky from the observation deck of the massive vessel. All of her untold masses, whether yearning to breathe free air or pledging their lives to the tyrant that ruled this corner of the Universe, would come to regard this foreign vessel as the artificer of their doom.

"Overseer," a computer terminal accosted M, "there are vessels attempting contact."

"Took them long enough," M chuckled softly to himself. How long had it been? M really had no idea. Time was an illusory commodity to him, or rather---it wasn't a commodity at all. Time for M was like water to a fish, always there, always nourishing, never vanishing.

"What are they saying?"

"Their primitive language was a chore to decode, did you know they rely on a vowel-consonant structure? That's right! They actually use a primarily "spoken" language. It sounds like a bit of throat gurgling from these fleshlings, but the jist was the usual: this is a restricted area, identify yourself, so on."

"Right," M frowned. Suddenly, another computer terminal, a large crystal to be more precise, flashed red then green.

"Weapons fire reported on the lower levels, Overseer."

"Status?"

"Our armor is undamaged. Shall I scramble the Dismantlers, sir?"

"No..." M mused, "We need to give them a show of force."

M waved his glowing, particulate hand over the control terminal's interface and it flashed an assortment of colors before bringing up a complex set of mathematical commands which he inputted into the system by the controlled quantum fluxation of the particles in his simulated fingertips.

"Forge Cannon is operational, Overseer." The weapons computer said, booting up.

"Target their capital ships, bring a view on my interface."

A video image of the Federation fleet firing off their weapons appeared floating above his console interface. He tapped on the red ridicule that appeared over the ships, singling out the largest vessel.

"Target selected, Overseer. Fire on your command."

M smirked internally as he keyed in the command to fire. On the screen, the once impressive Federation capital ship was struck by a beam from the vessel's mighty Forge Cannon, fed by the small sun that fired the plasma core of the ship's many factories. The white hot beam cut the ship in two before her fuel and atmosphere ignited, causing the vessel to explode violently: all hands lost. The Federation fleet was showered in a cloud of debris and plasma, the closest ships being disabled by the blast and the resulting flying detritus. For the rest of the fleet, much of the debris smacked harmlessly against their shields.

M turned to his computer and nodded grimly. "Activate the Dismantlers."

Royal Palace, Ferraria
​

King Voracius nodded softly. "Miss Kyra, would you care to sit, have a cup of tea?" The King motioned to an open seat near himself and the tea set resting on a tray on a nearby table.

In this girl, Kyra, Voracius saw a potential heir that---if not him---perhaps some future king would be able to reason with. A sane and competent ruler at the helm of the Federation would be a boon to everyone in the Virgo Supercluster, not just the people of the Federation itself.

IneedHealing

 

[Spacekitty]

General Tarzak

Tarzak waited outside the King's royal office, pleasant thoughts of ripping the Kefalonian King and the Finecian Ambassador limb from limb brewing within his mind. He imagined what he could do as soon as he was permitted his little "viewing" with the King The old crippled man would put up but feeble, laughable resistance. The Kefalonian guards he was no doubt closely watched over by would be unable to stop him, their weak bodies would be tossed aside like the trash they were. Perhaps he could drown the Kefalonian Monarch with his tea before help arrived....

If it wasn't obvious, Tarzak hated the Kefalonians for many reasons, including their self-righteous attitudes, the humiliation they forced upon his people, and their stupid tea. He hated the Finecians as well, despite having few interactions with them. Their voices were high pitched and annoying. That was enough justification for the General's Hatred.

Finally
, after what seemed like hours the door to the King's office swung open, the small Finecian ambassador being ushered outward by the butler. Tarzak steed forward determinedly, intent on barging into the office,but decided against it. Rather he stayed put, standing in a nor relaxed position with his hands held behind his back and waited for the Butler to call him instead.

It only took a few moments for the Butler to return. Tarzak allowed the man to guide him inide, ignoring the urge to slam the Kefalonian's head against the wall. As he entered the ornate office, he seemed unresponsive to the grandeur around him, heading straight for the King's desk. He pushed the chair aside, electing to stand rather than sit. Standing allowed the General to maintain eye level with the King, rather than have look up to him as was the obvious intent of the raised stage. The Kefalonian King would perhaps note this as some form of defiance, or perhaps brush aside as a custom amoung the Klavikan people, who often saw sitting at meetings as a sign of weakness.

"Good day", King Vooracius" He replied in a smooth, deep and sometimes clipped accent, giving the King of slight bow.

"I'm sure I will" Tarzak said, smiling as he took the paper offered by the King.

"What is this?"

Shireling

 

[Shireling]

"A treaty, transferring control of Klavika to you, General Tarzak. It bears the royal seal. Additionally, your new nation is officially recognized. Kefalonian troops will be departing Klavika soon, however some will stay on the border worlds. Travel and trade between our nations will be unrestricted on your end, of course."

The King leaned back in his chair. "I've already signed the document." He pushed the inkwell and pen to the end of the desk.