Ghost in the Machine

[Shireling]

Federation Bridge
​

"Commander Ellisok Ayan. Ellisok is the surname, Ayan is the referential. A quick lesson in the Kefalonian language, a one well-heeded, women are never called by the surname."

Commander Ayan stuck a hand-rolled cigarette in her mouth from a cigarette tin in her coat and snapped her fingers. A small flame leapt up from her thumb which she used to light the cigarette before gently fanning her hand to put the flame out. Her aid entered with a briefcase, polishing his spectacles.

"This is Mr. Petrius, the chief diplomatic officer for the sector. To get to the short and sweet, the King has called a diplomatic summit at the capital and you're invited." She blew smoke in a giant cloud that enveloped her face before quickly vanishing.

"Also, we have papers here for you to sign. Passports, other such formalities." The male clerk set down a series of papers from his briefcase and a pen in front of Reznev and began pointing at various lines. "Sign here, and here, and here. Initial here. You need an ID number here but we'll leave that blank."

IneedHealing

 

[IneedHealing]

Reznev took the pen, signing the documents, before looking up.

"Admiral. I suggest we tell all vessels to start their engines."

"Alright. Relay the message to all vessels. Set a course for Kefalonia prime." Reznev responded to his Rear Admiral, before turning to face Commander Ayan. "Why would the king want us?....Why not contact the Federation High Command and the Chairman? i get that our nation does not have the friendliest relations with the rest of the universe, but speaking to us military leaders on diplomacy terms isn't our strongest suit."



Shireling

 

[Shireling]

"His Majesty asked for you specifically, Admiral Reznev. Don't ask me why, but it probably has something to do with your first-hand experience fighting the Anomaly."

Commander Ayan blew another puff of smoke before turning on her heel. "Vasilik prechikan, Admiral." She said, meaning "Peace be with you" in Kefalonian before leaving the deck to return to her vessel. Mr. Petrius awkwardly collected the signed papers and trundled off following his superior.

IneedHealing

 

[IneedHealing]

The entire Federal fleet took several hours to reach the outskirts of Kefalonia prime. "This is the Supreme Admiral, Yau Reznev of the VFN Roanoke. Awaiting clearance to land."

Shireling

 

[Zaltusinel]

Baldorov set the report down and went to his computer console. Assembling a meeting of the allies of Kefalonia would be easy: there were several. First, there were the insectoid Ionusians---a long-time member of the Trade Federation. The Phenians, another long time ally. The Cephali, a more recent (within the century) addition. There were other minor races that had no consolidated government that would not need representatives. Then there were the "potential allies." The Finecians had recently presented themselves as potential, if not allies already. They would certainly be invited. The Klavikans, of course, were bound by the treaty to assist in these matters if they were needed, so he would send for a representative from the Provisional Government. Then, there was the Yor, a migrating race of traders that usually found themselves in Trade Empire territory. A report had come across his desk of a new nation that had emerged in the Milky Way, backwater place though it may be, called the Marquilla Union. He could contact them. Furthermore, there were other nations that he could possibly bring on board. The so-called Provisional Authority of Gates, for example, were a warlike group that might be persuaded to assist in the cause, and they did have some third party relations with them---crude and uncivilized though they may be. Then there were the Moira, a race of subterranean... well, he wasn't sure what they were, but they had had diplomatic relations in the past. He would send them an invite. When he had decided these were the parties he would invite, he shot off a hypercommunique to be sent to the nearest relay system.

Attention by Order of the Kefalonian Ministry of Foreign Afffairs, you are hearby cordially invited to attend a summit of nations held at the Royal Palace, Kefalonia Prime. Parties intending to send representatives should send them unarmed as a gesture of goodwill, as we will be sharing sensitive intelligence in the course of the meeting.

---Kaspar Baldorov, Minister of Foreign Affairs
-----------------------

♪Union Chairman, Arhis Pelpoi♪
​

The message spun on the sphere which it was displayed upon until resting in front of Arhis. His hair dangled over his eyes as he considered the quest for it was. His eyes peered around, only finding Yaun, looking out over the Cintaquin waters. The repulsive gravitational field rested, letting the ground become a sea. Arhis yawned, opening the console of his arm to the status of H3K1. Seeing that it had returned to Cintaquin, he considered, with a hand brushing his hair, to send the entire fleet to this "Kefalonia Prime". His main office on Cintaquin held an iridescent design with occasional sparks of energy flowing within. There was multiple couches, chairs, and places to sit as paperwork was almost non-existent. Arhis whistled his brother over, seeing that he would advise him on the security of the meeting.

"So, I suppose you heard about this?" Arhis moaned as he adjusted himself on the couch. Yaun peeked, before wandering over.

"Yes I have brother. And as you may expect, we should send all of H3k1 and bring forth J87A along for support." Arhis flustered his lips as his arms waved about. "I understand your concern for this country's deceit as the Futile have taught us. Let me assure you, I have ways to ensure these tricks will not be effective if they exist. Equip all Hanson with psi amplifiers, our psionic abilities will likely make up for our lack of weapons. They are easily disguised in our clothing. Yodiqu to disable anything harmful. And Grimmaar for the sake of our Union's presence. Arhis nodded, lifting himself up from the couch. He touched the holographic pad on his arm, signalling three things. Since the use of the current accelerator was successful, the accelerator was ordered to be prepared again for "Kefalonia Prime". The entirety of H3K1 and J87A would escort Arhis to "Kefalonia Prime". This included 14 battlecruisers, 34 frigates, 5 fighter carriers, 2 dreadnoughts, the "Restorer" Lufyia Gesalt, the flagship Avon Prime, and the Avon Umbra ,that had been completed two hours before Kaspar sent his message, from H3K1. From J87A, this included nine artillery cruisers, 2 troop carriers, 5 fighter carriers, and one EDS(Electrio Disruptive Sine) craft. An EDS craft is similar to those who use EMP's, however, instead of flat out disabling craft, it makes them go absolutely bonkers. And he instructed his escort to be of Yaun's request. For Hanson to carry psi amplifiers to substitute weapons and wear clothes that would disguise the presence of such things, for Yodiqu to prepare for a stealth operation, and for Grimmaar to prepare for diplomacy.

"Come brother, we have deals to attend to." Arhis signaled for the planet's hyperwave beacon to signal back to the Kefalonians to prepare for their arrival. The Union would arrive shortly, and bring a fleet. "The Union has accepted your invitation. Do expect a heavy escort, for our Chairman is coming to represent the Union. We are expected to exit Chillspace at "Kefalonia Prime" in some time. We hope you understand our policies."

Shireling IneedHealing

 

[IneedHealing]

"High Command will not like this." Iren said, staring out from the Roanoke's observation deck, watching ships from various factions of the universe gathering within Kefalonian Prime. "High Command is the least of our concerns. If anything, Chairman Amnestas will be furious. The gathering of so many "xeno" scums. It's not like we have any friendly relations with them in the first place."

"Some of us have lived longer than some of these factions had become a space faring race. Our nation has existed when many of these factions were just feral tribes on their home planets, or their solar systems were just forming, while we were flying across the webs of galaxies in our capital ships, waging total war. That ego can turn into arrogance. An excuse to look down on the other species. Especially the young species like these races that have much to learn. And lots of greatness to fulfill." Iren stated, turning her head ever so slightly in Reznev's direction, who returned a faint, light-hearted chuckle. "It's our job to set an example. Even though we have been exploring space for well over one million years. We still fall victim to arrogance, greed, and xenophobia. Even elder races like ourselves have much to learn. And the greatest thing about this is that we have the opportunity to learn from these young races as well.....Vikrans have always looked down on the others. We have sought nothing but power and destruction to keep this Federation intact. Our ancestors would be shaking their heads form the heavens if they were to see what their dream and legacy has decayed into. A regime slowly rusting away. Under the jist of a totalitarian military regime......We still have much to learn." Reznev responded. "All we can do is hope that Kyra Amnestas does not become corrupted. She'll play a pivitol role in re-shaping our empire."

"Captain. Relay another message to Kefalonia Prime. With all this traffic, our request might have been lost."

Shireling

 

[Shireling]

The Meeting
​

To put things bluntly, the Kefalonians were not pleased that the Marquillans had found it necessary to send an entire fleet to escort their leader to the meeting. But it could be forgiven. The Chairman of the Union and Reznev were ushered out of the spaceport together and driven to the Palace in the same staff car. By then, night was falling in the capital and the huge gothic skyscrapers were lighting up with a pleasant, yellow glow.

When the two parties were led into the Grand Hall, the great central table was set and covered in a veritable cornucopia of appetizers arranged according to the tastes of the various guests by their seats. There were placcards sitting on the tables, only four seats were occupied. The Ionusian representative looked to be some sort of general of high rank. The ant-like creature made whirring and clicking noises as its antennae swept the table in front of it. Then it spoke in an uppercrust Kefalonian accent, "I say, it's a wonderful feast your Majesty. I just hope the others arrive soon. I am positively starving."

"Be patient, Callus." Another alien, this one a tall, pale humanoid with no discernible nose and icy grey eyes wearing a black suit. He sipped from a tea cup and chuckled softly. "But yes, Your Majesty. It is delightful." His place card marked him as the Phenian ambassador.

Across the table from him, a squid-like creature (the Cephali Ambassador) in some sort of wetsuit was reading a newspaper. "I would like a new roadster. They're advertising the new Kasporov Models at 56,000 Marks only!" The creature said in a warbling modulated voice distorted by water.

"Don't sound so hopelessly pampered, Kaln." Another creature, this one with yellow skin and two sets of high ridges on its deformed head spoke. The ambassador of the Yorian Peoples.

And in the center sat King Voracius of Kefalonia, his old and wizened face wreathed by the light being emitted from the doorway behind him, and dwarfed by the huge stained glass relief of the First King of Kefalonia in the wall behind him.

The servants stood apart from one another and one spoke in a booming voice that silenced the chatter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Chairman of the Marquilla Union and Admiral Reznev of the Federation Navy."

A short round of applause. The old king smiled tiredly. "I hope your trip was not too arduous, Gentlemen. Chairman, I appreciate your personal presence here at this summit, and I assure you that my people are greatly humbled by your visit."

Above them, the faux night sky ceiling turned and twinkled brilliantly. In the corner, an android in a gold waistcoat was winding his way through a sonata on a piano-like instrument.

"Now, Chairman, I hope you will consent to speak with me at a later time, but I believe the Finecian and Klavikan ambassadors have just arrived ( Spacekitty ) and I have urgent business with the young Admiral here. Admiral Reznev, if you please."

The Kefalonian king signalled for Reznev to come to his side. "If you would be so kind, wheel me into the hallway so that we might chat in relative privacy."

IneedHealing Zaltusinel

 

[IneedHealing]

Reznev followed through, as he wheeled the King off into a back corner.

"A Pleasure your Majesty." Reznev said bowing before Voracious, standing up quickly. "I already know that you wish to speak about the events that unfolded in LEOSECCOM......" Reznev's face darkened. "Federal High Command used us as bait....They knew of the projected course of the anomaly before it warped into the Orian System....And they evacuated all the essential personnel before we even knew about it. The entire 14th Armada was apparently en-route to support us....But we later learned that the 14th Armada was actually being routed to Ikazuchi, the sub-capital. Leaving the Orian Homeguard fleet to fend for itself."

"4.2 billion innocent lives......of that, 13 million were soldiers...." Iren added. "Comrades that High command had no use for anymore. And saw them as expendable....Simply numbers on paper. Not even thinking for even the slightest moment about the lives that they are throwing away."

"The Military installed a system known as T.A.D.D. Thermo-Atomizer Disruptor Detonator.....It's one of our more high end weapons....Capable of turning anything within a 750 million km radius into a radiated blast furnace, creating a supernova. We barely made it out as it was." Reznev activated a life size projection of the device. The device itself was 5 feet in length, and was a light metallic grey colour.

Spoiler

"Your Majesty....Federal High Command has weapons capable of far worse destructive potential. T.A.D.D is simply a low end weapon........What I fear is that the Chairman will not hesitate to use those more destructive and inhumane weapons when things turn sideways. In a sense, it was a victory...the T.A.D.D managed to slow down the anomaly. Now the federation is bombarding the anomaly with Dark Matter lance strikes to occupy it."

"And this is the result." Iren said turning on her data-pad of current Federal news, which was showing a surveillance camera of the destroyed Orian system, with billions of asteroids and debris circling a small white dwarf sun, with the matrix in the background, continuously being hit by long-range lancer strikes, along with various images of the destruction, and any bodies that were still afloat. "To the last soldier, our Homeguard Defense Forces fought heroically. The destruction of Orian, and the sorrow that accompanied that loss shall forever be marked in history as a day of infamy. But despite this loss, we shall never submit to the aliens. What right does this new foe have to threaten the security of our space? The sacrifice that was made was immense, however, we must overcome this loss and confront this enemy wherever we may find them. We must find the strength to fight against the unwanted Xeno scums in order to protect the PEACE and SECURITY and FUTURE of the FEDERATION!"

"To go with it's rhetoric, the Federation is going to apply pressures on all aspects of government to pass a full scale militarization bill,enabling the military to have access to emergency funding to build whatever it needs to wage total war against the anomaly.....some minght even take the advantage to label Every alien race as a threat. An enemy.....We can't allow for such a thing to happen." Iren stated.

"Your Majesty......please. The fact that two federal fleets were wiped out....no other race would even stand a chance. Our government refuses aid because of our uneasy peace with the rest of the intergalactic community.....Ever since you, Kefalonians have discovered us, both our nations have been on an uneasy peace......It is still my country. I have an obligation to the Federation. I will not stand to watch my beloved empire burn from this threat, and from within."

Shireling

 

[Zaltusinel]

♪Union Chairman, Arhis Pelpoi♪
​

Arhis scanned the hall for anything dangerous. He advised his escort not to scan the planet right on arrival, and he hoped that they never would. He sighed as he noticed he was alone, Yaun must have been occupied elsewhere while he was at this meeting. He lazily sat in the seat, moving his back some to find a degree of comfort in the chair. After all, he hadn't sat in a chair in over one hundred and fifty years and he smiled at the thought of everyone thinking he was thirty. Arhis adjusted his coat, letting it prism in the light of the hall. His eyes focused on the food around him, noticing the human food that was displayed before him. Arhis smiled at the others at the table, he used his telekinesis to lift the fork from the table and cut a bite of the appetizers. He quieted the psi channel that was humming above him; he wouldn't expect anyone to hear it. He closed his eyes, ensuring that Yaun was in no clear danger. He wasn't in any. After a brief moment of idleness, he received a message from the Yodiqu that had dispersed into gas and trailed behind him. They had reached the hall through the vents and were investigating the scene. He nodded with no other cue obvious. He let his dress shirt be seen, letting his jacket's magnetic couplets disengage. The shirt held vibrant style of color and of design. Appearing something you would wear to a festival in a more Sherlock Holmes impression. But the dress shirt wouldn't even be considered for a festival, some would say not colorful enough. Arhis quietly rose from his seat, tuning his voice with a soft cough.

"Hello ambassadors and others of the stars, this meeting has been a pleasure to attend. I should formally introduce myself as Arhis, Chairman of the Marquilla Freelance Technical Union, governing body of the Ultoras sector. Please pardon my quirks and quacks as my union has not met another legitimate governing body since its founding one hundred and fifty years ago in rough star date accords. I am one of the founding fathers of the Union and have been the Chariman of the Union since its founding. We overtook a sector controlled by an oppressive empire known as the Futile Opa Empire. I was the revolutionary that overthrew their rule and established a new democracy in the sector. My brother, Yaun, was one of the greatest heroes of the war that we raged upon them. We call that war the Grim Futile war, marking its importance of the hardest and bloodiest war. I dare say it was bloodier than all others. I am a Hanson, my home world is Cintaquin. A planet of peculiarity and fascination that would cause most to be baffled at the amazing feats nature had accomplished there. The sea forms a blanket in the sky by the competing gravitational fields that push all water to the sky. Every two weeks, the water falls and the land is changed for two days. Species learned to be adaptive and smart, brute force barely survived. "
Arhis paused, peering at those around him.

"My people come in many varieties, and you shall notice the various styles of dress, of culture, and of war. The Union does not assimilate people to one culture, the culture changed to them. We select only the worthy, those who uphold our creed. And we eradicate those who do not. We believe in expression, in liberty, and life. Our people are attentive and busy. Crime is hard in our sector, every person does their part. Every three years, our society changes. The core is the same, but the Union thrives on an ever changing tide of new ideas and expression. One art gallery couldn't be seen in a lifetime. The eternal would die before they read every book the Union has to offer. Because culture is celebrated and encouraged to persist. We believe that all races have identity in their culture, and that no one should ever take that. However, as I said, some races are not too pleasing to see. So they perish." Arhis paused, letting a thread of wine travel from the goblet and enter his mouth with no presence of his hands.

"We take great pride in our technology as you might guess from our name. Each race will continue their original military plans, we come in and improve them with our technology. This explains the quite diverse look of our fleets, elegant in many forms. Some more steampunk, some more human like, and others more like smooth crystals bent and shaped by gods. Our technological differences shine, through you may have noticed," Arhis pointed to the Union fleet above, "of our arrival. We do not use wormholes or the like. We use "Chillspace", or the use of currents inside the fabric of space to travel. We condense our ships to extremely tiny sizes, pass through the outer layers of space, and pass through the current to our designation. Only one of examples that I have noticed of the technological differences the Union has with the intergalactic community for which it will meet. Our isolation had not been on purpose, we tend to be progressive in our work, always moving forward. And as you may suspect, we haven't had significant losses since its founding. Our sector is massive, allowing us to develop and create thousands of ships. What you see is a fraction of the Union's arsenal. The most worthy of discussion is the Restorer, the Avon Prime, and the Avon Umbra. All ships of collective expertise to tackle major new roles in fleets. Such as healing as the Restorer or the coordinator as the Avon Prime or the assassin as the Avon Umbra. Which is fresh out of the workshop. Do not fear my people's oddity, our culture is unique and some might say absurd. And I wouldn't disagree. We are artful in everything we do. And everything is a piece of art. We gladly change because the bridge that is stiff will break, but the bridge that bends will live on forever." Arhis smiled as he bowed.

"I brought a massive fleet, for history has taught me so. The Futile Opa Empire assembled something of this meeting, assassinating every last leader of the Ultoras sector. Throwing it into chaos, that is how they began. I dare not ignore that lesson, so I brought an insurance policy. And I pray to Helios, that I do not cash it in. So heed my warning, if something happens to me, a Hanson who has always been in public favor, then this threat will likely be dwarfed." Arhis rose from his bow and continued.

"I hope that in this meeting we can come together and deal with a threat that endangers us all. And I hope that we all have something we share. Oh, if you wondered, I am over two hundred years old." Arhis smiled and rested upon his chair. He lifted it with no physical assistance, sat in the chair, and placed it back on the ground. He twiddled with the pad on his arm, authorizing the fleet above to idle and rest. But on the condition that they always be ready, all systems were ready at a moment's notice.

​

Shireling IneedHealing Spacekitty

 

[IneedHealing]

"As delightful as we Vikrans are to meet your people......Chairman. The universe is a big place. And there are more insidious beasts lurking in the depths of the universe." Rear Admiral Istez reaponded with a grin. "Beasts that walked this universe far longer. Take my advice and enjoy your new found companions before attempting to boast. For that can lead you down a path that you might not desire. Or worse."
Zaltusinel

 

[Zaltusinel]

"As much as you may seem so full of yourself, I am still willing to help you. And you have been under the influence that age makes thy stronger, to some that may be true. However, only a fool takes a warning as a boast. I am not a boastful person. And age is hardily valuable, the past sinks into their minds with thoughts that plague them until they cannot see anything. My people have enlightened themselves with the future and I will lead them to ensure that stays. Nor am I stupid, snowflake. Of course the universe is big, I would take your own advice. Initial scans indicate that you only have one ship. We've had our dealings with the Kelforians already, so we know what their ships look like. And from your sweet labeling and some other scanning in orbit. So you're in no position to threaten darling. Also, I would keep in mind that every sentient on those ships can hear you." Arhis opened his pad, authorizing a scan of the Federation ship. A wave of navy energy would pass through the ship.

"Let's see how long until you notice what I just did. Don't worry, it means no harm. Lashing out on me is your mistake, since you have no idea what I am capable of and our predecessor in power holds a great deal in common with your technology. So we know more than you think. Some beasts look like angels darling, and we've had our fair share of tricks to dodge."

IneedHealing

 

[Shireling]

The Hall
​

There was a long, tense silence as the Federation Rear-Admiral and the Chairman bickered. The other delegates looked between themselves uneasily, the Ionusian rapping his fingers (of which he had many) against the table nervously. Finally, the Phenian ambassador waved a servant over with a tea tray exclaiming,

"Tea, yes! Splendid! Gentlemen, you must have some tea. You have tasted none like the delights the Kefalonian capital has to offer." He said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

Outside the Hall
​

The room that Reznev had wheeled the King into was the food preparation room. Several chefs could be seen in white smocks brandishing meat cleavers and cutting into hunks of various meat both domestic and exotic. As Reznev regurgitated the story of the battle to him, he began to frown. As his explanation went on he grew more and more cross.

"Thank you, Admiral, that's enough." He said when he had finished, waving at him dismissively. He composed himself, then steepled his hands in thought. "Wheel me back to my place, if you please, Mr. Reznev. Your presence has been most informative."

 

[IneedHealing]

Outside the Hall

"Chairman Amnestas will not listen to reason. At this point, he'll do anything to protect his pride and ego.....But I could arrange a meeting with the Vice-Chairman, your majesty. He's more sensible than most. I'm sure he can find a solution." Reznev spoke.

"The last thing we want is a repeat of Orian's destruction." wheeling the King back into the hallway to find his rear admiral and the chairman in a tense standoff.

Istez smacked the tray aside, not wanting servants to crowd him with drinks he did not desire. He then stared at his palm with a grin. "Very well.....I let you think as you please....Chairman." Istez's face darkened. "Rear Admiral."

"Not here." Reznev warned.

"Supreme Admiral. This leader just attempted to scan our vessel.....Perhaps we should take extra measures against these unwanted guests." Istez stated. Reznev eyed the Chairman, before turning his gaze back at the Rear Admiral. "And?"

"We locked our ship down. They would not have been able to scan a single thing, other than maybe the basic exterior." Istez responded. "This man believes we only have one vessel....One vessel that is just as good as one fleet."

"Cord Istez. I think you should stop. You're not helping." Reznev was not pleased at all. "If you have forgotten, we already have an uneasy relation with the rest of the universe. Lets not make that worse." Istez let out a sigh. "Very well." Istez spun around and walked to Reznev's side, earning a disapproving glare from his superiors. "Apologies your Majesty. Would you like us to stay or, shall we take our leave?" Reznev looked down at the King.
Shireling
Zaltusinel

 

[Echopraxia]

KAPETON Demilitarised Zone, Solar L4, Intergalactic-Teleport-Gate 748 (Kefalonian Volume Connecting)

In the control centre a sensor tech summoned his supervisor.
Civil:T98-984: Subspace wavefront detected, Integral. Approaching fast. Multiple vessels likely. PA, definite.
Integral:T65-132: Interrogative, class?
Civil:T98-984: Medium likely.

Dangerously close reality warped and bent, light and gravity mirroring around a single, growing, point. Like a pencil pushing and stretching a balloon the PA's ship forced brutishly its way back into existence. Then reality 'popped' around it and it was suddenly there. Static discharged: The process was inefficient and clumsy. Primitive, perhaps. But it worked.

On engines ticking and warped from overexertion the Indefatigable approached to parking distance from the Moiran gate. Behind it, three shockwaves-which-were-not-shockwaves heralded the arrival of its ad hoc entourage: One less than when they set out. To run at 110% reactor output was not riskless.

A curt transmission cut through the void between the largest ship and station.
"ITG-748, this is the Indefatigable. Spool your gate for immediate transit to Kefalonia pursuant to Regis Pact joint orders FTL'd to your position, over."

"Gate 748 has received your transmission requesting transport to Kefalonia. Gate 748 is currently pending transportation until the arrival of OIR Shire."

"ITG-748, this is the Indy's commanding officer. Negative on that delay. Spool your gate immediately for our individual passage."

"Gate 748 is pending by request of OIR Shire and Official Imperial Registered craft commander. Gate 748 can not transport Provisional Authority vessel 'Indefatigable' until the OIR Shire has arrived or altered the previously sent order."

"Gate 748, Indy. You are in violation of Regis Pact Joint Command orders, which are to allow passage of these vessels for the Kefalonian Summit. You will spool that gate and grant us passage immediately." But it was hopeless: The Moirans who controlled the gate refused to budge. An hour passed. Each minute saw the flotilla's lead over the OIR Shire shrink. Fuming, VMar. Jilt ordered the ICV Lion, then the ICV Brave, to refuel in the 'field expedient' way: By diving into the atmosphere of the system's gas giant and using magnetic scoops to fill their tanks with hydrogen. Dangerous. Aboard the Indy engineers made the most of the time with impromptu field repairs. Four hours later their lead had evaporated completely.

 

[The Gunrunner]

OIR 'Shire,' KAPETON Demilitarised Zone, Solar L4, Intergalactic-Teleport-Gate 748

"Forwarded from Imperial Command of R25: Exarch R17-S44-P2-134524, you are to change course to the Kefalonian capital. You will act as a representative to the Empire, gathering information on the reason for the meeting. We expect you to relay this information back to us so the Empire may make a decision. Full details are in the attached file." It was very inconvenient timing; the marines, crew, and command elements were ready for their transport into the anomaly's area. The men had drilled hard and the final rounds had only just been done when he was assigned to another task. Jiekalm releases a sigh, the red lights filling the room and halls suddenly returning to normal - Their jump had finished, sadly not at gate 435 to reach Araxi. Outside he could hear naval crew unfasten themselves from their seats. As he reads over the mission details, he pours himself a glass of something strong to burn away the irritation; Serving the empire may be an honour, but playing diplomacy is far from Moiran. As he tilts the glass back against his mouth, he sends his response to the ship's commander: "I've read the message, Commander. Is there anything else?"
"Actually, yes. The representative for our allies is here."
Jiekalm frowns and downs his drink.

The ship had no markings specifying it as part of the imperial navy. Indeed, that was the point considering its original mission. Still, it was large, secretly fitted with adequate armaments and holds for the marines and drones originally deemed necessary. With the new diplomacy mission... well, this may be somewhat awkward. Initially it was likely confusing for the Indefatigable, and indeed their own wormhole gate, that they would be here. The ship-commander signals for his commsman to send a message to the gate greeting themselves, along with their naval standing and number - "Welcome to Gate 748, OIR Shire. There is a Provisional vessel here. They arrived at exactly 04:52, requesting that we immediately transport them without delay." The man clicks a chuckle in his seat, sending back a confirmation that they've received the last message. Their next transmission is sent to the Indefatigable.
"Indefatigable, this is the OIR Shire. The OIR Shire will make their jump through the 748 connection to Kefalonia when you are ready. This imperial vessel wants to sarcastically thank you for waiting."
“This PA vessel sarcastically hopes you had a leisurely journey. Shall we transit? ”
The commander chuckles, sending an order to the wormhole station: "Send us through."

The station's crew enter into a frenzy, madly working their equipment - Terminals, machinery, electronics. The command elements step along the aisles of chairs, servers and computers, directing the separate groups to their work. Outside the station, the lower rotaries of the disk-shaped construction slowly turn. Their heat vents release vast amounts of building gas, swirling as the rotaries rapidly increase in speed. Soon, the rotations are so fast it's impossible to see it as anything but a pure-grey blur. Then, and only then, the ring it is attached to comes alive: Space ahead of the ships warps and transforms, colours disappearing, reappearing, then sporadically changing in brightness and type. The stars are merely devoured in the growing mass of colours, except for one - A central dot of pure white. Except it wasn't there before. The central dot grows and grows, until it's clear it wasn't a star at all. The edges stretch like they are being pulled to meet the ring, and its center is pushed back to reveal the light like a malformed tunnel. It grows until it has devoured the ravenous colours of space, latching itself to the inner edge of the metallic ring. The machinery slowly clunks and whirs to life, and its outer half begins to turn. What happens next is in an instant: The inner tunnel flashes, but that light is sucked away like it was by the vaccuum of space. What replaces it is a clear image of Kefalonia Prime, bordered by restrained tendrils of blue.

The PA and MCE vessels come to life, their great thrusters thundering throughout the engine rooms. Slowly, the metal crafts are pushed into the gate. The moment the tips of their crafts touch the portal, they blink out of sight. The commander of the station nods his approval, then orders for the gate to be shut off once again.

 

[The Gunrunner]

OIR 'Shire,' Territory of The Kefalonian Trade Empire, Solar LXX, Kefalonia Prime

Far from the Kefalonian homeworld, where the radius of their instant-travel scramblers end, there's a grand distortion of space; stars, black, and planets seen through the effects of the wormhole's formation seem to stretch apart by the powers of intergalactic travel. This was of course merely a trick of angling, and no real damage was done to the planets, but the effect could still be described as frightening. Looking at it from the sides, everything stretched and warped unnaturally, along an invisible cylinder. From the front, however, it was more clear; there was no build-up like the gate of the station the fleet passed through, no. Instead it was a mere flickering of the blue bordering tendrils, like a spark in space, before the portal flashed open. In an instant, the transports for the Provisional Authority and Moiran Collective Empire blinked through the tunnel. Their gateway, as soon as it came, disappears.

Jiekalm sucks in a deep breath, unstrapping himself once the light above him returned to normal. A broadcast was sent over the ship: "All personnel, the OIR Shire has finished its jump to Kefalonia Prime. You are permitted to return to your duties." The apparent representative exits his room quickly, hurrying down the cramped corridor leading to the bridge. He squeezes past two engineers doing specs on the wiring, agitatedly shoving one of them against the wall to get by.

He hurries into the bridge, locking himself into the stiff salute of the military, excusing himself from it and approaching the man's side. The ship-commander glances to him, leaning over to speak: "It was a more comfortable journey than what we'd get going to the Federation, at least." Jiekalm frowns, holding his wrist infront of him and turning to the man to respond - "It was a more comfortable journey to take on a more annoying objective. It is worse that I will now have to talk to them." The captain responds curtly, "It is not so bad, Exarch. Our objective has been delayed, I believe, and not cancelled." He leans back in his chair, evidently not interested in continuing into a one-sided discussion of one Moiran's complaining. They were of equal credit anyway. "Your transport is ready to bring you to the surface. There will be a ration pack in the passenger side." He looks to the representative, knowing what the confused expression would be for - "I've transported enough diplomats to know that most xenos don't know or care about the dietary concerns of other species. The rations are so you have something to eat down there."
"The action is appreciated." The Exarch locks himself back into the salute, and the ship-commander stands to return it. They excuse themselves son after, Jiekalm exiting the bridge for his planetside craft.

As the Moiran vessel continues is path to Kefalonia Prime, it sends a text-based transmission to the homeworld: "This vessel is Official Imperial Registered 'Shire,' belonging to the Moiran Collective Empire. It responds to the request of a diplomatic international summit, sent by the 'Kefalonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.' This vessel is detaching a smaller transport craft to deliver the Empire's chosen representative. Request: Confirm docking rights." Soon after the transmission is sent, it detaches its smaller craft. Inside, Jiekalm reads over the ration packet's ingredients, hoping he'll have something decent to sate himself for this.
Shireling

 

[Echopraxia]

Kefalonian Prime High Atmosphere

A crewman might be forgiven for thinking the Zelir commander lived in the narrow, shadowed ops room at the heart of the ship. Not so. She emerged from her tiny cabin, shrugging on an unfamiliar diplomatic uniform and starting her way towards the hangar and waiting dropship. A white tunic, black pants, and a sabre in a silver scabbard made it her clothing startlingly ornate compared to the only other uniform, other than a spacesuit, used in the PA: A grey jumpsuit. It had been discovered years ago keeping to the host's dress code was a painless sacrifice when it came to negotiations with less practically-minded groups.

Crewmen had to press against the walls to let her pass in the narrow corridors. Between such interruptions, she glanced back to carry on a conversation with her ship's marine officer.

"I want a QRF standing by to drop while I'm on the ground. Marines and robots podding in immediately, followed by heavy equipment and evac in the dropships. Drop at my signal, or the first sign of trouble."

"Do you expect trouble, Sir?"

"A bunch of politicos and brass, risk their own balls for some power play? A gunfight over appetisers is fucking unlikely, major. But keep the marines on standby." She turned to face him "The situation is fluid. One can't be sure what exactly to expect. But this ship? Our tech? It's a few hundred years out of date, at least, compared to these guys. Oh, and we're surrounded by a handful of different fleets. I need evac planned, because we can't afford to be caught underfoot if they start stomping."

They continued in silence. It was a long walk from the aft of the human-compatible part of the ship to the hangar near the bow. At the airlock Jilt donns a breather and gloves: Forkers didn't bother completely pressurising or heating so large a volume as a hangar bay to human-survivable levels. The marine officer is remaining on the ship. He salutes sharply through the airlock's porthole and turns away.

In the hangar a dropships is levered down from the spindly racks above her head to the deck. She boards, and gives a quick nod to the only other passenger: A marine sergeant who is to be her bodyguard. The pilot is speaking quickly and professionally into the radio, communicating his approach and requesting permission to land. There's a mechanical clicking underfoot as deck rails ratchet the dropship to an airlock, then to the bay doors themselves and a sheer drop to Kefalonia Prime.
Shireling

 

[Buckteeth]

The ship that exited FTL travel outside of Kefalonia Prime's scrambler zone was by no means remarkable. Barely eight kilometers in length, the vehicle had the rough shape of a bar of metal and the individuality of one too. It's hull, a matte grey for the most part, was bulky, had no distinguishing markings, and looked more akin to industrial equipment than a spaceworthy craft. Nevertheless, this vessel, humbly named Lone Talon, carried the leader and representative of the Entiran Clans, V'Voorizoar.

The Head of Clans was uncomfortable. Not only was he being transported by a military ship, something he hadn't done in years, he was in one of the lesser military ships, without immediate support, at the location of what was probably the most diverse gathering of governments in the history of the galaxy. Of course the Entiran military was supporting him in a fashion, gathered in the blackness between stars around Kefalonia Prime, but it did no less to ease the sensation of being just one of many ships, most of which seemed to be larger. As final diagnostics were completed on V'Voorizoar's life-sustaining suit, he grew anticipatory of an enviornment where all leaders of the galaxy would at least appear equal, unlike here in the stark reality of space. Four guards, their suits built for war and nothing else, escorted him from the still-whirring individual biomechanics room to a nearby hangar, where a small, unarmed craft awaited. The guards and V entered, making themselves comfortable as they waited for clearance.

The communications array of the Lone Talon beamed out a short message to Kefalonia Prime:
"This is the Lone Talon, envoy of the United Clans of Entira. Exalted Head of Clans V'Voorizoar has arrived in attendance of the Kefalonian Summit of Nations. We request clearance for the transit of our Head of Clans by means of unarmed interplanetary craft. Our head of Clans will retain a military escort of four personnel until he reaches the Summit, which he will attend alone. Upon the Summit's conclusion, the Head of Clans will regroup with military escort and leave the system as soon as possible. We await your response."

Shireling

 

[Shireling]

The Grand Hall
​

"Sit, Admiral, your attendants are free to roam about the grounds, but I have not enough places for them at the table." The old king said in response to Reznev. Finally, the Finecian ambassador that had been at the palace some weeks before alongside a Klavikan general from the new provisional army arrived and were introduced ( Spacekitty ) and took their seats. It was shortly afterwards that a cadre of three new representatives was marched in and the meeting was completely staffed ( The Gunrunner Echopraxia Buckteeth ) with each being introduced in their turn as the representatives of the Moiran Collective, the Provisional Authority of the Gates, and the Entiran Clans. When all were met together and seated, the King began to speak in his low, gravely, charismatic tone that is indicative of a clever speaker. Each guest had been offered, in kind, a small device that was affixed to the outer part of their auditory organs so that they might hear the discussion in their own language, if they did not possess such a device already or know the Kefalonian language. The translation was not always perfect, but this was the heart of what was said:

"My cousins amongst the stars, we are gathered here today to eat, be merry, and discuss a situation of grave importance both to our respective governments and the people on whose behalf we have been ordained by the Maker or fate to administer. In the course of this meeting, I will share with you all the information my government has at its disposal relating to the Anomaly, which you may know as the Matrix. Some of our sources are arcane, consisting of archeological information gleaned from ancient libraries and temples. Trust that the information pertaining to the fates of our respective civilizations is accurate to the utmost degree."

Several waiters entered then, placing food down in front of each respective summit-goer that was hand-prepared to the most common tastes of their respective species. The King himself had a hardy bowl of pasta soup laid out for him and a glass bottle full of what the Kefalonians called "nerve tonic" but was actually what a human would consider a mild cola.

 

[IneedHealing]

Naxus - Federal Capital

"Reznev's fleet was last detected within Kefalonian territory. We need to extract him. If word gets out of what really happened on Orian. The intergalactic community will be in a frenzy. And there is nothing more that I dislike more than having to deal with thousands of angry leaders spewing diplomatic complaints." The Chairman made haste towards the fleet of Weiss-Class Capital Dreadnoughts of the 1st Federal Armada. "Hezra. I leave everything to you. Get Reznev back to Federal controlled territory. He still has much use left within the military. And be quick, time is of the essence." The Grand Marshal Saluted, quickly boarding the VFN Imperious, a Reiss-Class Heavy Capital Stealth Multi-Role Command Vessel.


"Admiral. The Grand Marshal has boarded the vessel."

"Prepare for Hyper jump."

The Imperious, slowly moved into formation. The large metallic superstructure lumbering slowly in the empty vacuum of space, like a feather. Naxus Command gave the fleet permission to initiate a hyper jump, as the ship activated it's drive-cores, as they set of on a 17 hour flight from Naxus, to the Aegis - Virgo Super cluster DMZ.

-VFN Imperious-

"This fleet will stop at the Virgo-Aegis DMZ. From there. I will take the Imperious to Kefalonia Prime to escort our vessels back. We will radio the Kefalonian outposts along the DMZ to ensure that they are not taken by surprise,and will be well informed about our arrival, well before we arrive." The Grand Marshal spoke to a synthetic projection of his Admiral.

---------

-Virgo/Aegis DMZ-

Because of the recent attack on Orian, the entire Federation was on high alert. This meant that the DMZ which separated two very different societies, of an already uneasy peace had to be militarized to the time being. And so, for the first time in many centuries, the DMZ between both the Aegis & Virgo Super clusters were saw a large influx of vessels sent to protect and lock down the Aegis Super cluster.

----------

Reznev seated himself along side the delegates at the table. Because of what events transpired in the last several hours, it did not sit well with him to the point that he did not have an appetite to eat, politely waving off the waiter. "King Voracious. Wouldn't it be best if you were to talk to the head of the Federation? Instead of having me, an Admiral represent and relay the information pertaining to the meeting?"

Shireling

 

[MongHead]

With the summit starting, the Primarch of the ReinHolt Republic was served an exotic assortment of meats, breads and crackers for his dish. To top it off, he and his fellow envoy were served a glass of ReinHolt's exotic wine, to which the Primach raised his glass, glancing around the room full of leaders of nearly every intergalactic member. Other than the odd Admiral, whom represented a malevolent empire. "Times are dark. But we are the greatest hope. This gathering of many leaders, from every corner of the universe shows the strong bond we all share when faced with a common enemy. Though, perhaps we should also attempt to pursue a diplomatic, and peaceful solution. Surely, we would be able to reason with this, Matrix. There should be no cause to act up against this new potential foe without attempting contact first. Nevertheless, I hope that we can all gather our strengths to find a solution to this issue at hand."

 

[IneedHealing]

Isetez's muscles tightened, fighting the urge to retort, resorting to a look of utter disgust and annoyance towards the Primarch and his Enovy as he kicked the doors to the dining hall open, storming out, with Iren tailing behind him.

"Primarch." Reznev spoke, slowly rubbing his temple. "I apologize for my Rear Admiral's actions. But your words, as righteous as they are, only distresses my men. They've gone through a lot. And as noble as you are in your beliefs.....Peace, and diplomacy simply will not be options. Complete destruction is the only viable solution to dealing with the matrix. Only a person blind in their ideals of a perfect world will they try and turn to peace. I've learned, the hard way, that peace. Is simply not achievable. But that's just my opinion. I apologize once again."

"I'll pay for any damages he may cause, your highness." Reznev stared at Voracious, while pointing at the wide open doors.

-----

"You didn't have to make such a scene."

Isetez let out a frustrated sigh, hanging his head low. Sensing the distress, Iren moved next to Isetez, leaning over the balcony next to her underling. "I understand that talking about peace brings back pain for you. But you can't continue to live a life of guilt and remorse. You have to understand that the Primach meant no harm when he said what he said. He was only speaking from his point of view, from the society that he was raised."

"He speaks of peace. Yet if he found out what happens within the Aegis Super Cluster, that man would have a heart attack. So much so that he'd rethink his own ideals. And watch his tongue." Izetez replied.

"You need to work on being less hostile, and negative. towards yourself and others. You should apologize to the Primach. He doesn't know you. And you don't know him....Be glad it's us dealing with the leaders......Imagine if Chairman Amnestas was here instead of us." The two shared a chuckle at Iren's subtle words towards their Chairman.

"Alright." Isetez said straightening up. "I'll go apologize. Not for you. But for myself."

 

[Spacekitty]

Mr. Chavick, Kowoxian Ambassador

Grainy, old-timey music played from the seemingly archaic wooden radio in the corner of the cafe, filling the morning air with the sappy, care-free love songs characteristic of Kefalonian media.

Once I get you up there,
Where the air is rarefied
We'll just glide
Starry eyed
Once I get you up there
I'll be holding you so near
You may hear all the angels cheer
Just because we're together

Weather wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words, and I'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco bay
It's perfect, for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me
Let's fly, let's fly away
Pack up let's fly away

Mr. Chavick sat next at a small single table next to the window, his head propped up against the back of the chair, which was almost comically much too large for the small Finecian, only his large fluffy ears peeking over, one of which was twisted backwards to listen to the music as he gazed out at the busy streets before him. Dozens of people bustled back and forth across the window every minute while automobiles flew past at dizzying speeds, chaotic yet ordered. He had witnessed a crash just a few minutes ago, where two drivers had flown into each other nigh head on at high speeds. They had simply gotten out of the car, apologized to each other, exchanged insurances information, and carried about there day. Save for some side wards glances from passerbys, the event was rather casual, as if 120mph collisions were normal and concerning. As backwards as the Kefalonians were at times, they had hit cars on the nose. It was amazing to Chavick that the intersection wasn't a big ball of flames. Kefalonian engineering had seemingly long since eradicated car crashes as devastating events. Maybe one day they would also invent something to finally replace the phonographs they insisted on using...

Smiling and shaking his head, Chavick took a sip of his tea, his nostrils flaring and letting in the sweet aroma. One more Kefalonian cafe down, thousand more to go. He had been in the capital for a little over two weeks now, almost half way through his "round" as the Kowoxian's Federal Emissary to the Kefalonians. His job was to maintain and build positive relations with their giant neighbors and growing trade partners, along with occasionally representign the Finecian Systems as a whole to negotiate new lines of trade before the two trade nations. It was, for the most part, an enjoyable and relatively easy position. THe Kefalonian were typically easy to work with and straight forward, you'd know right away if a deal was even remotely possible. There was no needs for goose stepping around the issue or tricks. Hell, He had long since forgone a personal military escort, only keeping a single armed Kefalonian Butler more for convenience and show than for actual protection. As far as he was concerned, Kefalonia Prime was as safe as it got, certainly better than some of the more backwater systems stuck in a perpetual sci-fi rendition of the wild west he had been forced to sit as representative to earlier in his career. The Kefs could be trusted, he could enjoy himself here.

And enjoy himself he did! He was always interested in experiencing other people and their culture, it was part of the reason he had become a diplomat, save from the prestige and social standing it brought his family. It was amazing how different people and cultures were across the galaxy. From civilizations where worms were held as sacred beings to a massive inter-planetary nations that still relied on the written word (Hint, he was there now!)! Out of them all, the Kefalonians were his favorites. They were simple, honest, somewhat backwards folk, if not a tad conservative and staunchly religious. He found them and their worlds interesting and as a trade nation, starkly different from his own. Where Finecian streets were filled with vendors, street side shopping plazas and crowded with an overwhelming mix of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and molecular back bones, Kefalonian cities were oddly uniform. They were surprisingly uniform in general. Where Kowoxia was multi/intercultural, Kefalonia was uni-cultural, even the aliens that called this place home seemed little different than their Kefalonian overlords, adopting the same sense of style, same taste n music, even the same manner of speaking! The place had a way of "converting you" to their way of life. Even Chavick himself had noticed himself becoming ever so slightly more "Kefalonianized" every time he stayed here.

He sighed, waving off the cafes clerk who offered to get him a babies high chair, which he felt he would be more comfortable in. Having to look straight up at everyone he talked to and almost getting trampled in the streets was embarrassment enough for him. He needed to save face when the painfully high gravity of the planet would ache his old bones and force him to request his Butler carry him everywhere. Finecian's small frames were made for smaller, Mars sized planets. Not Kefalonian super earths. The braces the Kefalonians had provided for him did little to ease the stress, although on the bright side when he got back home he would feel as light as a feather. Perhaps he would petition the government for a mech suit...

Suddenly, something buzzed in his pocket. It was the small (well large by his standards), pen like rod he had been given by the Kefs as way of contacting each other. It was their version of a cell phone, a silver cylinder that could record, send and receive audio messages. He fumbled around the for the hefty thing in his pocket, dropping the thing to the ground with a clack. Not wanting to go through the ordeal of climbing down and back up the chair, he apologized and had his butler do it. Listening to the message he sighed, finishing off his tea as quickly as he could. Guess he vaation was over, some international crisis had emerged.

Late and apologizing profusely, the Finecian ambassador would arrive to the meeting, dressed in a bright orange suit. "I'm so sorry for my tardiness your majesty, I had to finish off my tea. Your cups are far too large." Shireling MongHead Buckteeth IneedHealing The Gunrunner Echopraxia

((Quick re-intro post, lets get this under way. Everyone arrive to the meeting!!))

 

[The Gunrunner]

Royal Palace, Territory of The Kefalonian Trade Empire, Solar LXX, Kefalonia Prime

The craft blew dust out to the sides as the ground came in contact with its planetary thrusters, the landing gear whirring out with a slow grind. The pad lights up to clearly show their spot, and the craft lowers itself into position. Inside, the Moiran diplomat looks himself over in the reflection of the side-window. His outfit was nothing interesting - Black cloth covering the entirety of the body, arms, and legs. It was simple, plain, and entirely unimpressive - Though that was the point. No pockets, no baggy sections, no jacket. It was to show he was unarmed, that he wasn't hiding any weapons and that was all. The only exception to this uniform was his breathing mask, though that was somewhat of a necessity. Then again, the appearance was far from... comforting; the eye alone looked to be a solid block of metal coming from his socket, with wires swimming over and back under the skin of his head - Arms and legs dotted with hexagons of metal to hold the skin against his cybernetics, each of which easy to consider melee weapons themselves, if not simplistic mining equipment.

The door to the transport hisses, releasing pressurized air out vents around the top and sides, before whirring open. Finally, the diplomat steps out of the craft. Even through the dark single-goggle covering his remaining organic eye, the oppressive sun of these surface dwellers assaulted his visual senses. The bionic eye dimmed its light, signifying it has adjusted accordingly. As a servant rushes out from just beyond the landing pad, the provisional diplomat steps out of her transport as well. Jiekalm can't help but to disappointedly sigh into his mask, not bothering to greet her. A servant rushes out to greet them both: "Ah, sirs. We have been expecting y-" His greeting is quickly interrupted. Jiekalm's voice is monotoned, and desensitized by the roboticism of the vocoder's attempt to give him an understandable method of speech, then further malformed as it passes through the speaker of his breathing mask - "Discontinue typical greetings and lead me to the meeting site." Despite the brutalizing of tone and voice, it's still easy for the servant to see the man is less than happy to be here. He quickly bows and gestures to follow.

The walk through the many halls of the royal palace are done in relative silence. Along the walls are various paintings, busts, or other exotic or expensive decorations. The servant tries to keeps a consistent pace as he steps through the halls, leading the PA and Moiran diplomats to the ballroom. Jiekalm's dulling attention jolts back to life as the Homos Imitor asks "What unit are you, Moiran?" He considers blowing off the question - It would be a small moment of satisfaction for the underhanded attempt to undermine their side of the talks - but the tedium of this walk was doing its tole, "Special forces marines" crackles through his speaker. "They don't send your type on border patrols." She smirks. Why was she smirking? "You wouldn't have assassinated a God-Emperor recently? ...Interrogative." He gives a disappointed sigh, muffled away by his mask. This was often something he had to clarify - "Moiran-manufactured translators work both ways - The Empire is not as developmentally slow as the Provisional Authority. Additional, answer to your question: Moiran operations are classified, but failures of the Provisional Authority are the result of the personnel given the task."

"The PA is not slow, just young and very busy. As for the 'failures of personnel' - I look forward to your performance in this parley, Special Forces Marine."

"If a nation lacks experience, it is obvious that it should leave important decisions to their superiors. Regardless, your enthusiasm is less than mutual, Imitor. I am watching you."

"And I you, Moiran. Hope that our staring contest doesn't let one of these decadents stab us from the side. "

As the two bicker, the servant ahead of them quietly mutters to himself, wondering why the fuck he still has this job.

The servant finally leads the two to the doors of the ballroom, hastily waving for two citizens by the entrance to open the way. As Jiekalm steps into the meeting site, he stops in the doorway to marvel over the sheer size of the room. Behind him the servant quickly makes the announcement of the two new arrivals: "Exarch Jiekalm Kmuegersto of the Moiran Collective Empire, and Vice-Marshal Jilt Arlton-Zelir of the Provisional Authority." The servant bows, but quickly has the doors shut on his retreat, more than eager to leave the two's company. The Moiran rotates his body, looking from one end of the table - To the diplomats, leaders, admirals, and the food - to the other. As his heavy steps bring him to the gathering, those psionically capable might find his presence oddly... hollow. A trail follows him, like he temporarily makes the space he walks through empty. When he reaches the table, he takes the seat he assumed must be for him - A stool, though crafted well enough to be comfortable. It was highly preferrable, so his nutrient sack didn't get in the way. He pushes his plate away from himself as the king gives his greeting, uninterested in the available food;

"My cousins amongst the stars, we are gathered here today to eat, be merry, and discuss a situation of grave importance both to our respective governments and the people on whose behalf we have been ordained by the Maker or fate to administer. In the course of this meeting, I will share with you all the information my government has at its disposal relating to the Anomaly, which you may know as the Matrix. Some of our sources are arcane, consisting of archeological information gleaned from ancient libraries and temples. Trust that the information pertaining to the fates of our respective civilizations is accurate to the utmost degree."

Jiekalm rests his arms infront of him, the speakers of his mask crackling to life: "Interrogative, Goals, weaknesses, numbers, borders, locations, other enemies, potential or confirmed allies, strengths, species description. Has the Grand Vikran Federation of Order inflicted any significant damage to the anomaly during its exposure." buzzes from him. He turns himself to look to the Federation representatives seated, continuing, "Statement, different from some nations, the Moiran Collective does not terminate its populace for insubstantial success."
Shireling IneedHealing Spacekitty Buckteeth MongHead Echopraxia

 

[Shireling]

Voracius frowned and furrowed his brow as he mentally pieced together what the Moiran had actually said. When he was satisfied that he knew what words had been exchanged, he picked up his tea cup and drank a small, delicate sip.

"If we are to bicker and insult one another, let us save this for another time. While you are guests in my home I expect a certain amount of...decorum. Then again, you all probably knew that." Voracius looked to his side. "Admiral Forozov, can you present the guests with dossiers?"

A uniformed Kefalonian who had been standing and chatting up the help walked forward and provided every attendee a bundle of documents in matching red folders with black lettering.

"This dossier represents Kefalonia's combined knowledge of the Anomaly." The admiral explained. "You may read at your own leisure, I will indulge you with the high points while you eat." He opens the last copy for his own reference.

"The Anomaly, designated 246-B-1, was first officially observed by Kefalonia six galactic cycles ago. For those on Terran time, around fourteen years ago. At the time, it was catalogued as a decaying neutron star in the Regislov Dwarf Galaxy. Radio transmissions from that area of the cosmos yielded garbled distress messages. We had reason to believe that Regislov was uninhabited, but these messages proved otherwise. Furthermore, after combing the radio background records and painfully reconstructing the language of the galaxy's inhabitants, we found that they had been utterly annihilated."

A cold silence followed his words.

"While the light from Regislov still shines, it is old. For the entire galaxy was destroyed no less than ten million years ago. Probes have confirmed that the area where the dwarf galaxy had once been was home to three different supermassive structures. Some of the brown dwarf stars had been converted into structures called Matrioska Brains, giant supercomputers that, as we can tell, were used primarily for communication. The black hole that had made up the center of the galaxy was home to a gravitic resonator, a device made to suck energy from a gravity well. And finally, tethered by an unconscionably massive gangway of sorts, there was the inertial dampener."

Another pause.

"The Anomaly showed up around 10 million years ago, and disappears from our optical records a million years ago in Regislov. The oldest structures left that we observed were dated around 10 million years old, and the youngest about a million. As you can see, this forms a convincing pattern."

"Regislov is not the only example. Naval Intelligence has catalogued six such galactic extinctions in the local supercluster. There is also the example of Karkeq."

Forozov laid a metal rod out on the table and it projected a hologram of a planet. The planet looked to be heavily scarred by bombardment, both natural and artificial.

"Karkeq, in the Sombrero Galaxy, was the capital of some old and forgotten civilization whose name we probably can't even approximate. However, we know that this civilization was visited by an object matching the Anomaly, except in a few minor details, around sixty million years ago. We have spotted several structures matching the ones built in Regislov, but we also know that there was a supernova event a few thousand years later that destroyed the Anomaly. Now, judging from the treatment that the Anomaly got from the Federation, it probably wasn't lured into a natural supernova. It was most likely destroyed from the inside out. That means that this civilization beat whatever it is that was sent to destroy the Federation at Araxi. We know that they were probably killed off in the process, or at least regressed to the point where they couldn't send out any more signals. Karkeq, we think, is the key to defeating the Anomaly."

"Now, our archeologists found a cache of holodisks back a hundred years ago on another planet in the nearby dwarf galaxy of Rukedo. The disks spoke of a warrior race from another galaxy that battled a race of "gods" who appeared in a ship called the Matrix. The Matrix, the text said, was meant to destroy galaxies and use the raw materials in the construction of super-stellar structures known as inertial dampeners. Not a very sexy name, but it tells you what it does. These devices were meant to solve the problem of heat death in the Universe, by siphoning inertial energy from this Universe and funneling it into another...somehow. The text never make it clear if there are more than one of these Matrices, where they are from, or who pilots them. But we know that this warrior race spoke of in the disks had a climactic battle with the Matrix in the interstellar space near the homeworld and destroyed the craft. We just need to know how they did it."

"To that end, we have proposed an expedition to Karkeq, to see if we can retrieve any information about how the Matrix can be stopped. We feel this is the most pertinent thing to do. But, we are open to suggestions. And, of course, questions."

Forozov folded his arms behind him and was silent.

Spacekitty Buckteeth Echopraxia @Anarchist The Gunrunner IneedHealing MongHead

(Sorry for the delayed reply. Trying to get in the swing of things again.)