STGOD 4 Game Thread

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » 2004-09-06 10:57pm

Veithan Empire

Avery waited.

He had been informed that Yrt would be visiting him today and had taken the news to heart. The Veithan complex which housed him was only one of several he could use. His membership with the Order carried with it a great deal of privileges. It was not surprising, he was after all was said and done a servant of the Empire. By joining the Order he had chosen the fate of his people and their future over his own wishes and desires. His future as a “normal” Veithan citizen had been sacrificed, in order that he could serve. He had no regrets.

Even now he was puzzled as to the true reasons of Yrt’s desire for a meeting. Was it really as simple as a meeting between old adversaries? He admitted that he had given the Krell agent a great deal of thought since the mission in Manasa. He had been hard to forget and had forced him to employ a great deal of his cards during his attempted penetration of the Manasan Royal Palace. And now, after talking with Natalya about the mysterious agent from the Krell, here he was awaiting his arrival. He was not concerned about his safety, he knew a great deal more than Yrt could suspect. No, he was looking forward to the meeting for it promised to finally answer the questions he himself possessed.

His guest arrived at the front of the door, a polite message intruding upon his neural implants and alerting him to that fact. The command was given and the door opened before Yrt. He did not believe in throwing wealth around, and as such his apartment was Spartan all things considered. He was held in high regard that was no secret but by the Order, and through the organization, to the Veithan Government. His mind flickered, the deck of cards which had been placed on the table before him flickering, as he withdrew another card of the deck and telekinetically placed it in its rightful place. It was something to both pass the time, and hone his skills. Since their last meeting, he had felt that telekinesis was one of the areas he could use improvement on.

He looked up towards his guest and offered a light mental touch, the sensation of an attempted telepathic message. The sensation that telepathy delivered upon the mind was quite distinct from that of an attack of another type of intrusion. Due to this, he fully expected that Yrt would not resist his thought. His right hand moved, and the chair opposite him was moved telekinetically once more in an open invitation. Yrt hesitated for a moment, and he gave him a taste of his new found strength. It was just a taste, he did not activate the full capabilities of his improved gestalt. There was no need, instead his mind widened for a fraction of a second, blossoming like the morning sun before just as quickly withdrawing once more. Like Yrt himself, he had not been idle since Manasa.

Yrt moved with an easy grace, cautiously sitting down in the offered wooden chair. His thoughts easily heard, a soft smile appearing on his lips. His answer to his thoughts was immediate.

~I am who I am. In many ways we have a great deal in common Yrt. I am a servant of my people, someone that has sacrificed a great deal in order to excel in their chosen profession. Is it really that surprising?~ His thoughts were honest enough, laced with mild amusement at the last of his words. Nonetheless, his defenses while subtle could certainly be felt to someone of his caliber, especially to one that had been Veithan taught.

~I had been thinking about this meeting for weeks now Yrt, and now that I find you here alongside me I find that much of what I wished to say, may have been already answered. I will be frank, I did not expected anyone quite like you in Manasa.~ He paused for a moment, his left hand moving for a second. ~You made quite an impression.~ In the end, he had been forced to employ most of his tricks. Had Yrt not been able to have been transported away from the Manasan compound, the end result would certainly have been in question.

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » 2004-09-07 12:01am

Tortugan Space
Tortuga System, Tortuga

The Master of Arms sighed softly as current intergalactic events were examined. The government was moving quickly, and the pro-Asgard faction was growing. The likelyhood that an announcement dealing with the final tortugan decision about the basing of Asgard ships in their system being made within the next few days was high. The Asgard had playered their cards very well, and their efforts in restoring power and basic living conditions to some of the hardest hit areas during the war had won them a great deal of favor. It would prove difficult to slow down the momentum of the arrival of the decision and once it was made, Tortuga perhaps would never be the same.

With the Fleet in high alert due to the entire Hudson incident, it had proven most difficult for his plan to be carried out and thus, it had been delayed yet again. The frustration the delays were causing were difficult to describe, he hated it when well laid plans did not come to fruition. But that was no longer a chief concern of his. The Minmatar had moved quickly, far more quickly than he had given them credit for. The so called "Unity" station was completed and that meant, that their system would gain a bit more importance in the future when it came to diplomatic relations. If anyone cared that was...

The terrorist incident at Hudson had pushed the galaxy into a downward spiral, as the Ousters leveled accusations against the White Sun Confederacy. He did not know enough about the White Sun to comment one way or another if they were foolish enough to try such a move, and stupid enough to be caught at it. But that was not the point, the point was that the White Sun were part of the UPA and that meant that if the White Sun were attacked, the entire UPA may get involved. He sighed softly, aware that it seemed that fate had spared his nation the burden of being the flash point for another major conflict. If the White Sun were proven to be guilty of the Ouster accusations beyond a reasonable doubt, they deserved whatever they got. If not, then the situation became far more complicated. Personally, he had given the matter a great deal of thought. Nonetheless, at the moment it seemed that the only opinion that mattered was that of the Veithan Empire. It was their report that would decide where the nations not directly involved at the moment would go...

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-09-07 12:21am

[Asgard Engineering Encampment]

The reaction to the Minamatar announcement was one of condecension and derision mixed with a grudging admiration. It was only to be expected after all. The Engineers had labored ceaslessly under rotten conditions to repair the shattered fabric of a civilization; the Minies had built a station that wasn't terribly more impressive than most orbitals scattered through out the Empire.

The work of rebuilding Tortuga was progressing nicely. As the power grid was rebuilt and brought into action the mobile generators were being moved to the outlying areas enabling a faster rebuilding there as well. Already the key sites in most urban areas had been restored as well as the arteries for future expansion. More than that would have to be done by the Tortugan engineers already being trained by the Asgard Imperials.

Of course plans were being made to sell the Tortugans the sort of heavy equipment necessary to continue the work as effciently as possible, and at what was essentially cost. Not a bad price at all considering this was top of the line industrial and construction automatons and the like.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-09-07 12:28am

[OOC: Flashback time for the next couple posts.]

Oort Cloud, Tortuga System

"Tactical, final analysis?"

"We can't possibly take them, Commodore. We're outnumbered by over three to one and we don't have any heavy ships."

"Aye. We withdraw, then. Let the paper pushers sort out why we couldn't complete our mission if it isn't readily obvious. Helm, set course for Joyous Gard."

"Aye, sir."

The freighters jumped out accompanied by their escort destroyers and fighters, followed by the battle group. All Nashtari ships cleared the system within two minutes in an orderly withdrawal.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-09-07 01:00am

Ronogho, Nashtar Star Cluster

With Second Fleet long withdrawn from the system and the Army forced to stand down (from a mission that several elements not directly associated with Trafglaror hadn't been keen on in the first place), government had resumed almost normal operations. Almost normal rather than completely normal for two reasons. It was hard to return to normalcy with your records shuffled by careless soldiers, and normally there wasn't a nationwide referendum running that almost the entire electorate would turn out to vote on.

The vote had previously been expected to be very close, but tip away from joining the Republic. Now, however, circumstances had changed. First, Ronoghans being a very honorable people, many among the populace felt that they owed the Republic a debt of honor for restoring them to self-rule after the coup. Second, the Ouster threats of war against the White Sun Confederation, and consequently against the Alliance, mounted fears that a divided Cradle of the Stars would be overrun, and that the Hajr would not differentiate between Republic and independent populations should they come.

The Ronoghan news networks followed the elections all day. Nashtari news agencies reported on the referendum as part of their normal daily reports, and the Republic's government studiously avoided making statements about the progress of the referendum and flatly denied any involvement in the process.

At the end of the day, Ronoghans the world over collectively held their breaths (something that they could do for a far longer time than humans, incidentally) as the final counts were made.

The electorate had voted 67.14% in favor of joining the Republic, clearing the two thirds of the vote required by less than a percentage point.

Senate Chambers, Ronogho

Senator Toran Gos, head bandaged where the skin had been split by a butt-stroke from a rifle during the coup, got down from the stand, having just given a long and rousing speech in praise of the referendum results. He had promised integration into the Republic as soon as was practical, pending the Republic's acceptance of Ronogho's application for statehood. Deliberations on the nature of their new constitution as a state were set to begin the next day. In the meanwhile, President Rhaglaros gave the orders for the Navy to work with the RSC on defending the Cradle of the Stars against the threat of the Hajr.

_________________________________________________________________

Force Declaration: Ronoghan Navy.

3 Liberty class battlecruisers, Nashtari make. See my OOB.

3 Ronoshi class medium carrier hybrids, Ronoghan make. Roughly equivalent to Merovingian class only more heavily armed; to be described.

6 Hangrabi class light cruisers, Ronoghan make. Lighter than Carnegie class.

10 Dawn Raider class frigates, Nashtari make. See my OOB.

15 Gononan class frigates, Ronoghan make. To be described.

7 Starlight class destroyers, Nashtari make. See my OOB.

20 Yonohan class destroyers, Ronoghan make. To be described.

Murazor · Post by **Murazor** » 2004-09-07 06:58am

Home-White Sun Confederation.

"The outer colonies have been completely evacuated, Councilor, and the 5th fleet will soon join the forces protecting the core worlds. The humans living in Sixtrasis have been transported to Australis and the orbital defenses and shipyards of Sixtrasis have also been relocated in orbit around the planet."

"It is good to hear that, Overadmiral Verolix. I won't insult your intelligence by telling you to keep your forces in high alert and to continue with the preparations. Just do it. I would want to ask something else. As a soldier, how long do you think that we will be able to delay the Ousters?" asked Verilon.

"Not for long without outside help, Councilor. We are outnumbered and outgunned in a horrible proportion. We should not attempt to face openly their whole fleet or we risk being crushed like bugs in the first confrontation. We should retreat from the core territory after our initial defeat and fight from the outposts and secret bases. This will drain their forces as we raid their supply lines and attack isolated ships while they search for us. They might need several months to make a search of the full cluster and during this time, things may happen Outside that will force them to leave our territory. But we cannot hope to defeat or even hold them for long in open conflict without the Alliance."

"Thanks for your opinion, Overadmiral, you can return to your duties, but remember that we have almost run out of time" said Verilon dismishing the supreme commander of the White Sun fleet.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-09-07 12:43pm

Senate

All in favor of Mobilizing the military in order to fullfil our treaty oblgations say aye

AYE!

All opposed?
NAY!

And the Aye's carry the motion.

The president then wrote his orders, each of the 6 fleets was to be further subdivided into carrier groups.

[/b]

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-09-07 01:27pm

Deep Space
Edge of the White Suns Confederation

The Mother Void stood amongst her attendant fleet of warships like some corpulent battle-goddess with her lethal children. Her holds were packed with supplies, fuel, and troops, along with some assorted special objects and equipment which would play important parts of the oncoming conflict. Replacement fighters and strike-craft sat dissassembled in her massive holds. Millions of soldiers were packed like sardines in her stasis-pods and in the holds of the troop-transports and tenders which swarmed around her. Ammo colliers, mobile foundries, and robotic machine shops were all parts of her entourage. Then there were the warships themselves. The largest were Cataphracts, brutal assault warships designed to pound enemy capital ships into submission. Fast columns of sharklike strike cruisers and raiding frigates flitted about, covering the larger vessels and preparing to react to any attack with lethal force.

Activity began, suddenly. One off the Fleet Tender's holds opened up and discharged it's cargo. A swarm of small FTL drones erupted from the open bay and disappeared into the aether, their tiny Kincaid drives pushing them out into space. They were leftovers from the Machine War, and were designed to scan the systems of the Confederation. Their timing was carefully designed to ensure they arrived when and where the Hajr wanted. They'd be able to detect such overt objects as heavily populated worlds, major starbases, and large fleet concentrations.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-09-07 01:43pm

Colony WOrlds

The people started to prepare to move undergrund, literally.

The networks of cliffside caverns(natural or artificial, second best thing to 3 kilometer tall trees)) that they lived in and around made for perfect bomb shelters, especially when dug several kilometers deep. It would be hell on any soldiers to take these fortresses. Especially when the defending roops had the homecourt advangage.

Other than that, colony defenses consisted of theater shields over the cities, and independandly shielded laser cannons.. Not enough to hold a fleet off, but enough to bleed them.

The people were armed and ready to defend their homes.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2004-09-07 04:30pm

Before the Four Faces of Evil, religion was happening. Those few outsiders who lived among the Etern were watching with a mix of fascination and horror. Alot of horror, and the fascination of staring at a train wreck.

Swords and axes beat against shields. Roars, sometimes coherent vows of honor and bravery, sometimes merely incomprehensible noises, echoed through the chambers. Warriors knelt before their families and their Lords, swearing to return home victorious or not at all. Destruction was called to strike at their foes through them, and pleas were made to Corruption and Madness to not infect those so possessed.

As the night wore on, it collapsed into what, for some, would be the last worship of Excess in their lives, as revels and orgies began to break out.

As the new day approached, fleets were already preparing. The war was coming...

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2004-09-07 04:56pm

[img=left]http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/spyda/ ... ol_100.gif[/img]Unity Station Summit 1

Agenda: Discussion of impending war
Invited: All known powers

All non-combat vessels carrying diplomatic staff are cleared for docking at Unity Station in the Tortuga system. This forum is open to representatives for all known powers.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-09-07 05:05pm

This is diplomatic transport Agripis, we are dropping off Ambassader Natrix

Ambassador Natrix was still wearing white, the color of mourning, but work.. it would help him get his mind off his saddness

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2004-09-07 05:08pm

Spyder wrote:[img=left]http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/spyda/ ... ol_100.gif[/img]Unity Station Summit 1

Agenda: Discussion of impending war
Invited: All known powers

All non-combat vessels carrying diplomatic staff are cleared for docking at Unity Station in the Tortuga system. This forum is open to representatives for all known powers.

The Sovereighn Confederacy of Itsil will attend this summit, but it wishes to know what escort the attendant diplomats will be permitted.

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2004-09-07 05:23pm

After the pressure was equalized the door to the docking arm opened.

"Ambassador Natrix, welcome to Unity Station." He was a fairly stocky gentlemen wearing the uniform of the Minmatar navy. "I'm Captain Julian Santiago. This is Dr David Braddock, our political advisor."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintence." Said the man wearing civilian formal attire.

"It appears as though you are the first here, I've had my people prepare quarters for you. Should your people wish to establish an embassy here, we can also arrange diplomatic offices."

To the Itsil:

"We feel that a group of five is an adequate maximum. We will accept more but we will have to begin charging for additional quarters. Only the delegates themselves will be permitted inside the main chamber."

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-09-07 05:27pm

Thank you very much Captain Santiago, Dr. Braddock, it s only natural that i am the first one here.. after all, I am less than a day away... I appreciate your hospitality"

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-09-07 05:28pm

[Monacoran Space, Wargame Codename: Round Hammer]

The exercises were proceeding well enough. The Monas who had come out to exercise against the Asgard Fleet had been doing well, all things considered. Their new Jardian ships were proving quite adept.

Now late in the games several new Asgard arrivals would hopefully tip the balance, Admiral Von Bek hated losing. With the addition of BatRons 10 through 12 as well as CruRons 15 through 18 he now had a real hard edge. He intended to press his friendly rivals. The prestige of the Asgard Imperial Navy was on the line after all. There was no way the Monas and their upstart navy were going to beat five centuries of tradition.

"All crews, here we go again. I expect no less than victory."

Bugsby · Post by **Bugsby** » 2004-09-07 05:32pm

The Krell fleet from Earth emerged out of hyperspace over Cadmus and headed for the orbital docks. Its active status on Earth had been ended two days ago, and now it sat to resupply from the planet. A few day's worth of supplies wasn't much, but at the end of a long campaign it could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2004-09-07 05:38pm

The diplomatic cruiser Unity of Purpose moved out of orbital dock around Itsil and headed slowly out of the traffic zone of the planet before engaging its hyperengine and heading towards Unity Station. Onboard ambassador Kriskret Blue-Arm reclined in his quaters, after a few hours he grew bored of this activity, he called the captain of the ship.
"Captain Grey-Eye"
"yes Ambassador"
"How long until we reach Unity Station?, sorry but I seem to have forgotten".
"Two days, approximately, Ambassador"
"Oh joy" he muttered to himself.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-09-07 06:49pm

Speaker to Trolls wrote:To: Lord Protector Joshua Matthews.
From: Ambassador Kitsek Red-Ear.
Subject: Alliance Status.

On behalf of my government I would like to request a meeting to discuss my government becoming an official member of the Alliance

Lord Protector Sir Joshua Mattews rose welcoming the Itail Ambassador.

"Kitsek, welcome. I am sorry that it took so long to answer but events seem to be outrunning me these days."

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2004-09-07 10:01pm

The black needle of Duke Claude Peipus's diplomatic cutter slid into the Tortuga system, followed shortly thereafter by a small freighter of only a few hundred tons capacity. The cutter docked at the station after receiving permission and confirmation, the freighter went to ground on Tortuga itself--inquiries were made by the captain as to the purchase of a small estate to serve as local residence for the ambassador.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2004-09-07 10:09pm

Spyder wrote:[img=left]http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/spyda/ ... ol_100.gif[/img]Unity Station Summit 1

Agenda: Discussion of impending war
Invited: All known powers

All non-combat vessels carrying diplomatic staff are cleared for docking at Unity Station in the Tortuga system. This forum is open to representatives for all known powers.

A small Baeloaren transport entered reality at the edge of the Tortuga system. Within an hour the ship had been cleared by Tortugan security and the Baeloaren ambassador was shuttled to Unity Station.

"They put this station up pretty fast, Councilor." his aid pointed out.
"Yes, they did, I suppose that means one of two things, they are an industrious folk," he chuckled "we may want to keep the Vac suits close at hand." the two shared a laugh.

The doors hissed and opened. The Councilor and his aid walked onto the station.

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » 2004-09-07 11:26pm

Veithan Empire
Mulaya System, Mulaya III
17 days after the Hudson Incident

The Veithan diplomatic complex located within the planet had been chosen as the outlet for the Veithan report to the galaxy at large about the information it had examined and gathered over the course of the investigation. The chosen conference hall was more than capable of holding three hundred and seventy five people in comfort. The hall was packed, as it seemed that every news organization in known space had sent some form of representative. Unsurprisingly, VNN along with the major Accord broadcasters had been granted front row seating. It was a small enough courtesy.

In an adjacent room, the Veithan empire representative and chosen speaker went over the data alongside various members of Veithan intelligence including the director of intelligence himself. The male Veithan smiled thinly, his eyes glancing upwards towards one of the best informed men in the entire Empire.

~Its nearly time Jon. Are you certain that you don’t want to do this yourself?~ His thoughts were soft and laced with trepidation. The Veithan Analysis had been thorough and complete, but it was still crucial to events at large. Even now, he was uncertain he was up to the task.

The Director of Intelligence laughed softly, the sound exchanged from one mind to another. ~You worry too much. I am certain that you will do admirably, besides, I prefer to work behind the scenes.~ any further thoughts were delayed when a beeping sound resonated through the room. The time had arrived. The Director’s eyes sliding towards the Veithan male opposite him. ~Its time to tell the galaxy at large what we have found.~

The Veithan male nodded and took a deep breath holding it for a few precious seconds before slowly releasing them. ~Yes, sir.~ The Veithan stood from the chair gracefully, walking to a nearby door and sliding past as it slid open. The Director of Intelligence watched and smiled.

Conference Room

The Veithan male arrived, moving wordlessly behind the podium which dominated the conference room. As he moved, he could feel hundreds of eyes track him up until the moment when he arrived at the podium, a few keys pressed as he gained access to the holograph emitters arrayed around him. The entire process took only a handful of seconds before he glanced at the gathered crowd. His eyes sliding over the rows before he spoke.

”I am glad that all of you have managed to be here. As everyone is quite aware, the Veithan Empire was asked by the Hajr to verify the information which they have presented against the White Sun Confederacy. Furthermore, the Veithan Empire in conjunction with our allies the Ravenlock Consortium were tasked with the scanning of White Sun Ethereals and a Hajr Admiral in order to add to this evidence. We have taken our responsibilities quite seriously, and are now able to bring our preliminary findings to the attention of the interstellar community as a whole.”

”I say preliminary findings, because it would be a disservice to the interstellar community as a whole to imply that in the mere ten days that have passed since we began this process, we have achieved one hundred percent reliability in our investigation. We have done all that we can in the allotted time, and have reached certain conclusions regarding the strength of the evidence gathered and its veracity. Without further delay, we shall begin a detailed report on what the Empire along with her allies have found.”

”The Evidence which was provided to us by the Hajr was as follows. The first piece of evidence which the Hajr gave us was a tape of the interrogation and the process regarding the interrogation of the ethnic Jardanian which was accused of playing a central part in the entire Hudson affair.” A mental command was given, and snippets of the interrogation tape were played in various holo-emitters located in the room. “The man was heavily drugged and described how he was approached to do the job.” The snippets faded, replaced by the major points which had been given to the Hajr, including who he worked for, the situation around it and the method involved in approaching, the motive for his dislike of the Ousters and ultimately how he died. There was a murmur that swam through the gathered crowd before the Veithan proceeded.

”The second piece of evidence and perhaps the most damaging to the White Sun, is a record from the Jardanian’s ship showing him engaged in negotiations with a Sixtra agent.” The holo-emitters flickered, showing a small five second clip of the exchange between the Jardanian and the Sixtra before fading once more. “The Ouster evidence was put through a wide assortment of tests in order to ascertain their authenticity. It was this process that consumed the largest amount of time during our investigation. We shall talk about what the Empire discovered about the data in a moment. Firstly, we must talk about the telepathic scans carried out by the Empire.”

The Veithan spent a moment or two in silence the holo-emitters showing a picture of the White Sun home world before focusing on the Veithan/Ravenlock delegation as it moved towards its meeting with the Ethereals. “The White Sun Confederacy was gracious enough to allow Veithan Primes in conjunction with Ravenlock telepaths to scan the minds of a number of their Ethereals.” Data on the Ethereals flickered to life, projected into the air including pictures, snippets from their physiology and their place in White Sun society. “The scanning attempts upon the Ethereals were successful although this does not mean that they were without complications. The Veithan Empire does not have direct dealings with the White Sun Confederacy, and as such, this was the first ever attempt for such a scanning to take place. The minds of the Ethereals were innately distinct from a human or similar mind, and due to this the end result was lessened. It is the stance of the Empire that while no deception could be felt in the minds of the White Sun Ethereals and their scans were not hindered in any manner, there is uncertainty as if truth can be found through such methods.” A murmur ran through the crowd at the Veithan assertion. The Veithan’s right hand moving in a gesture for silence. “Please, allow me to explain. It will take months of cooperation between Veithan telepaths and Ethereals for a telepathic scan to have the same level of reliability as a scan between Veithan and another human-like mind. Furthermore, Veithan primes discovered a surprising innate ability of the White Sun Ethereals. It seems that it is possible for one Ethereal to transfer memories from his mind to the mind of another. If this is the case, it may prove all but impossible to discover information from an Ethereal since he or she may have shuffled the relevant information to the mind of another. The idea of scanning every Ethereal comes to mind, but it is inherently difficult to coordinate. As such, it is the stance of the Empire that the scan of the White Sun is inconclusive, and as such not of great use to debate at hand.”

The holo-emitters shifted, a picture of a Hajr Admiral projected as well as some basic information. “The Hajr provided to use one of their admirals, Lan su Hadriel in order to show the Hajr had nothing to hide and was willing to work with the galactic community.” He glanced around the front row for a moment before continuing. “The scan of the Admiral was successful, his mind far easier to navigate than that of the White Sun. The information gathered from the Admiral were many, but only a handful are of direct relevance to the case. According to the memories of the Admiral, the Ouster fleets were located in the south, towards the core as they prepared to assist in the defense of Etern should it be necessary. His shock and outrage at the Hudson incident was…considerable.” The Veithan paused then, letting his words sink in before he continued. “However, while his scan helps sharpen the picture as to Ouster Naval activities in and around the time of the Hudson incident, it is not as helpful as if the Hajr had provided a member of the speaker’s council. The Hajr Admiral does not set policy, and as such, it would be in the estimation of the Empire relatively easy for him to be kept out of the loop in a manner of speaking.” Murmurs erupted, and the Veithan speaker reacted quickly. “Please, the Empire makes no accusations against the Hajr. We simply wish to point out that an admiral, is not privy to the same details as an Ethereal would in his own nation. As such, the information gathered by the Veithan scan of the Admiral’s mind while useful, is inherently weaker than the information gathered from multiple Ethereals. Ultimately, the Empire believes that while the scan of Lan su Hadrel has been helpful, it is of no great use to the debate at hand.”

The conference hall was quiet as if the air itself had been sucked out of the room, the Veithan speaker considering for a moment before continuing his presentation. “Now that we have touched upon the evidence provided to us by the Hajr and the information gathered by the Veithan and Ravenlock scans upon the White Sun Ethereals and the Hajr Admiral, we are prepared to talk about what has consumed the greatest amount of time during our investigations. We have put all the Hajr provided evidence both tapes, through an extensive and exhaustive array of tests as we sought to verify their authenticity. We utilized the very latest in technology, and have come to the following conclusion.” He waited for a moment, every eye upon him as he continued. “The stance of the Empire is that no tool currently at its disposal has found anomalies within the Hajr provided tapes. As such, we are inclined to accept that the information is genuine.” The Veithan saw eyes widen, realizations form, before his right hand moved in a gesture that barely beat out the flood of questions that was certain to come. “We are not finished.” The Veithan’s words were soft, but they were firm. As if greater delights were to come to those that waited. No one moved, for surely the case was decided. If the Hajr information was genuine, what more was there to talk about?

”Although the Empire is inclined to accept the Hajr provided evidence as being legitimate, this does not mean that it is without flaws, nor that their assertion that the White Sun Confederacy is behind the incident at Hudson is accurate.” Shock spread through the gathered members of the conference hall as the words of the Veithan registered. Eyes widened, glances were exchanged and in more than a handful of faces, sneers appeared. Who else could possibly behind the attacks if not the White Sun? Only they had the Sixtra! Nonetheless, the vast majority of people within the room were hooked. Their eyes staring at every move the Veithan made as if suddenly nothing more than children awaiting the conclusion of their favorite story.

”Over the time that we have possessed the data, our people noticed certain inconsistencies within the Hajr evidence. This evidence does not pertain to the authenticity of the tapes, as I have said before the Empire is inclined to believe that they are genuine. Nonetheless, there are certain points that we full must be brought to light. The first, is the tragic loss of the Jardanian at the hands of the Hajr as he was interrogated. It was the assertion of the Hajr that the cause of death was an unforeseen interaction between the drugs which were used on the Jardanian and the Jardanian’s heart. The Jardanian perished due to a heart attack and could not be revived. I am not a doctor, but I have been told that the likelihood of this occurring assuming a thorough medical scan was performed is relatively low. Once again, I make no accusations against the Hajr and the Empire considers the death of the Jardanian an accident. Nonetheless, I believe we all know that had the Hajr gotten in contact with us or the Ravenlock or any power in known space possessing potent enough telepaths, the Hajr could have avoided this investigation. For certainly, the facts would have come out. Beneath a combined telepathic scan, the absolute truth behind the Hudson incident could have been ascertained in a manner that left little to the imagination. With the death of the Jardanian, that opportunity was lost.” He let his words sink in, nods and thoughtful expression dominating the assembled crowds. His words carried with them a certain sense, and certainly had the Veithan Empire, Ravenlock Consortium and others been able to say that their telepaths, had indeed scanned the prisoner and ascertained that he was indeed, a puppet in a shadow game between the White Sun against the Hajr, there would be little room for debate. Instead, the tragic death of the Jardanian made the absolute truth far more difficult to find.

”The second point of the Ouster evidence that raised a few eyebrows within the Empire was the relatively amateurish job which the White Sun agent was to have worked. It has been established that during the Jardanian interrogation, he spoke of being hired through a small network of traders and that he did not know the sponsors were. Up until this point, it certainly feels and seems as if the shadow sponsors behind the attack against Hudson are clever, dangerous and capable. This idea shatters the moment that the Sixtra agent comes to play.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “We are to believe that a White Sun agent, engaged in a course that will shake the foundations of known space was to stumble so foolishly? Is it hard to imagine that if the White Sun are indeed responsible for the Hudson incident, they would be aware what being caught would mean? And yet, the Sixtra agent did not appear to have taken any precautions at all against discovery. Consider that the Jardanian agent had multiple tapes detailing various meetings with this agent. Apparently, they were to be used as insurance for payment. Nonetheless, the fundamental problem remains that the tapes were made, suggesting that the Sixtra agent was incompetent to the point of treason.” He paused, eyebrows arching in the second and third row before he nearly blushed. “I am not a spy ladies and gentlemen, but I was assured by those well versed in these matters that not even the Covenant of God forces or the Arcane Empire was quite this foolish in their utilization of their agents. Ultimately, it is all a matter of perception. We can believe that this Sixtra was granted a mission of such risk, that failure or capture would likely mean the political suicide of the White Sun Confederacy, and he was one of the worst agents in the history of known space. Or we can believe that for whatever reasons, the Hajr were extremely fortunate.” The Veithan paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. The Sixtra had been idiotic in his handling of the given situation, allowing a series of meetings where it had not chosen the places, and he had not bothered scanning the Jardanian for hidden recording devices. It was the move an amateur would make, not a professional agent. And why would the White Sun send an amateur in such a dangerous assignment?

”Ladies and Gentlemen, I have spoken at length about the findings and perceptions of the Empire when it comes to the matter of the Hajr evidence and the telepathic scans of the White Sun and Hajr representatives. I have shown some of the weaknesses of the evidence given to us by the Hajr and have admitted that the information has been tested extensively and found to be genuine. In these circumstances, it would almost seem as if we are back to where we started.” A few voices spoke amongst themselves as he spoke was this the end result of it? Had the Veithans wasted ten days simply to say that they were back to square one? “However, I am pleased to announce that the Empire with considerable assistance from the Ravenlock consortium have found a possibility that was overlooked by the Hajr in their quest for retribution. This possibility conforms to all the pieces of evidence provided by the Hajr.” All speaking ceased, hundreds of eyes watching the Veithan which stood calmly behind the podium. “Ladies and Gentlemen, let us talk about the Lying Darkness.” As he spoke, the name was projected by the emitters into the air. The words floating in the air as if silently mocking all gathered in the hall.

“The Lying Darkness was the force responsible beneath the attempted attack on the Ravenlock trade fair. This attempt failed for a multitude of reasons, chief among them being Accord cooperation and the overall incompetence of its agents.” He paused for a moment, letting those words sink in before he continued, data on the Lying Darkness offered to the congregation through the holographic emitters. “The Lying Darkness sought to increase hostilities in known space by an attempted attack upon the Ravenlock Trade Fair with a fleet of ships externally quite similar to the Krytos Star Empire’s own vessels. When the Accord fleets that chased the Lying Darkness ships cornered most of these vessels and destroyed them, we made sure to gather as much of the wreckage as possible in order to continue our investigations.” Images flashed of the Krytos-like Lying Darkness ships. “We learned a great deal about them, especially considering that we managed to capture several Lying Darkness agents and keep them alive. Furthermore, while the Accord destroyed most of the Lying Darkness ships, some escaped.” The holo-emitters shifted, displaying the relevant information. “And as you can see, before the Accord forces lost contact with them, they headed towards the galactic north and the rim. Hudson, is in that general location.”

”However, there is more to our assertion that the Lying Darkness is responsible for the Hudson incident than the fact that they attempted to increase hostilities in known space by attacking the Ravenlock trade fair. The Lying Darkness agents were capable of changing their shape!” The emitters flickered, playing a data stream from the Ravenlock bathroom where the Darkness agent had shed his form. The process was quick, almost instant and the Darkness agent did not seem to be bound by mass limitations. A stir flickered through the crowd at the revelation of the information. Many making the connection that the Hudson Trade Hub had been hit, and that perhaps the incompetent Sixtra need not be a Sixtra at all! Other pieces of evidence were shown, all highlighting the magic-like ability of the Lying Darkness agent to shape change. “The Lying Darkness had the motive to initiate the Hudson Trade Hub incident a desire to continue what it had attempted to start in the Ravenlock Trade Fair, furthermore as can be readily seen its agents have the capability to assume the shape of a Sixtra in order to implicate and incriminate the White Sun Confederacy. What the Lying Darkness has to gain from all of this? The heightening of tensions between known space nations, the depletion of national naval assets and personnel as wars are started. Ultimately, we believe that the Lying Darkness wishes to weaken known space in order so that its forces may ingrain themselves and eventually act.”

”It is the opinion of the Empire that the Lying Darkness is behind the Hudson incident. The pieces fit nicely, working with our previous experience of the Lying Darkness and the evidence provided to us by the Hajr. The apparent penchant that the Lying Darkness seems to possess towards disrupting trade areas and the capabilities of the lying darkness agents which possess the ability to shape change cannot be understated. The Lying Darkness sacrificed millions of Hajr lives, in an elaborate but ultimately failed attempt to use the powerful Hajr forces against the White Sun Confederacy.” He let those words sink in, aware that the Hajr would not like the idea of being used as a weapon, and that it made a good headline.

”It is our responsibility to show the Lying Darkness that we as a whole will not be manipulated in such a manner. To this end, the Veithan Empire with the assistance of the Ravenlock Consortium will make all the data we possess about the Lying Darkness available to the Hajr. It was the Ravenlock that possessed the knowledge and capability to track down, the general area where the Lying Darkness home systems seems to be located. We offer this information to the Hajr in order that their blood debt to their people is paid in full. The Hajr pointed out the history of the White Sun Confederacy, and we believe that this was part of the reason why they were the chosen nation to be sacrificed by the Lying Darkness. As sentient beings, we should always be aware of our history. The White Sun is not the only nation that has at one time in their history, performed questionable acts. There are many nations that exist today, that took an active role during the Genocide Wars. Nonetheless, we do not hold this against them. We should never forget the past, but we should also never allow the specters of the past to haunt our present, nor the sins of the fathers to stain their children.” The Veithan paused, his eyes sliding slowly over those gathered before him. Now, everyone knew where the Empire stood and what the Empire along with her allies had learned.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-09-07 11:46pm

Ambassador Sipedon, present for the meeting, signed in relief. It was not every day that war was averted like this.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-09-07 11:48pm

Fortress Asteroid
Eketrina
Hudson System
Ouster Occupation Zone, Rimwards Edge of Known Space

Deep within the armored fortress that was Eketrina, Elanie sat in state. Hers was the power of the spider, the seductress-queen, the empress of back-room deals and swift knives in turned backs. Her strings stretched from this heart to all reaches of the vast empire that was the Diaspora. Among the Clusters, in far-off Elysium, her agents took positions of power. Elanie delicately plucked the blemishes that stood between her and total power, removing them with a hand which was like a perfumed razor-blade.

Elanie was ruthless, killing where necessary, corrupting when possible. She had the Speaker’s extensive lists, informants, and contacts at hand, and used them with a ruthlessness which the great woman had lacked. At times, even her heart felt the sting of her actions- after all, these were her people. The thought was always fleeting, killed by her iron self control and her conviction that her actions, while brutal, were simply necessary.

The Diaspora had started as a few refugees, grandchildren of the Floaters who had lived on the vast Dreamship as it sailed away from the Womb of Kharam, on it’s mission of seeding life in the galaxy’s far corners. Those ancestors had tinkered with their own genetic code, genemodding ruthlessly to adapt themselves for their journey. Their children had stumbled off the slowboat into the fallow land than was the Elysium Cluster. In only eighty years, five generations for their people, they had filled the systems with their teeming humanity. A ravenous horde of mouths, breeding, working, loving, living, and dying- it was a powerful and dangerous society. That was the force behind the Diaspora- not some simple need for conquest. The Elysians needed to expand, or they would die. Their society devoured systems, and as long as their borders expanded, the streams of freighters would continue to feed the beast. Should the Diaspora fail, should it falter for a few months too long, the machine would break. Without the expansion, the growth, decay would not be long in setting in. The Unbound would kill each other, and the clusters would war on one another for the dwindling supplies of resources.

That was why the people of the Clusters had collectively made the choice- the choice to follow the path of Diaspora. The choice to create the Hajr, knowing that it would become the dominant political force- the choice to doom their children and their children’s children to a brief life like a flash of magnesium paper in the void, a life of living, feeding, loving, fighting, and then finally dying. Their blood allowed the process to continue, and if it went on long enough, every star would one day hold their society, the vast pressure of their population’s needs providing the momentum for the warrior culture of superiority and social evolution which the Hajr served to propogate.

Celicia su Elysium would not have been sufficient for the job. A wise woman, and strong, but she did not have the proper vision to fully unite the Clusters behind the Hajr. Elanie knew that she had to shore up the government, to ensure that the Diaspora was not hampered by internal dissonance.

A light chimed. Elanie stretched, shaken from her reverie. It was one of her assistants. She read the message, eyes sliding over the symbols hungrily. She devoured the message, and closed her eyes, focusing, thinking.

This was unexpected.

Her eyes remained shut, sealed, for a minute. She was perfectly still, a statue in alabaster and olivine, hanging in mid-air, motionless.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Get me Alexander, and the fleet coordinator. We must move."

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-09-07 11:56pm

Open Transmissions

From: Lord Protector Sir Joshua Mattews

Ladies and Gentlemen, like all of us I am shocked and appalled by the actions of the Lying Darkness. I offer my nations aide to the Hajr to root out these savages and bring them to justice. I appland the Veithan Empires investagation and thank them for finding out the truth. Without their efforts we would have allowed the real killers to escape.