Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 21, 2021 20:01:45 GMT
As Terri recovered from the destruction of the Hana, the attack of the Anointed faction that was calling themselves the Red Letter Day Soldiers, she conferred with Gavin on what she needed to do, what she could do, in order to ensure Skalia didn't die for nothing. Though as she had stayed in bed for this time, the Admiralty Board tried time and time again to remove their attachments with the Anointed, and each time they tried, she and Gavin had rallied enough support to stop it from progressing. Though now that she had recovered, it was time to contact those people involved in the Wyvern Incident.
She read from the reports that Union was more.. willing to negotiate, then the RSC. So, pulling the information that Zypher had given the Dectrose, she had Kaikoma create a robust, yet simple drone. One that would be large enough to have an FTL drive, yet not big enough to pose much of a threat. Once they had done so, she recorded a message for the Union, asking for a meeting.
"This is a message from High Diplomat and Fleet Admiral Vanessa Terri of the Dectrose Empire. We understand there was an incident that occurred inside the RSC No-Fly Zone, and wish to apologize for the actions of Admiral Anna Ryn, as well as explain some of the unusual actions of some of it's crew during the event. As representative of the Dectrose Empire, I formally request a Diplomatic Meeting with a representative of the Union of Worlds, as well as the Restevian Socialist Confederation. I would request that all parties would arrive in neutral territory, and with one ship in attendance. I can imagine there are tensions, though I would like to ask this of all participants as to ensure that Diplomacy is given a chance. You may contact us back at IBG Station Mark Sokolov on Frequency 211.1. Thank you and please have a pleasant day."
After the message was placed on the drone, and everything was prepared, the Drone warped out of Dectrose space, and near the border of Union space, taking care not to enter, but to pulse out a beacon for the Union to pick up.
The message was read and transferred to Union high command, the attention of Admiral Hargun personally fell on the case, he said having ready the message and leant back in his chair. With the attack on Rubikon underway and the strike on the Crucible coming any day now he didn't technically have time to deal with this situation.
However he also wished to speak to the Dectrose personally, with their actions in the no fly zone and from cautionary information given by the AU on the Dectrose Hargun wanted to resolve the situation, or if that was unacceptable inform the Dectrose representative of their poorly chosen outcome.
Despite the fact that the call had asked for one ship only Hargun simply ignored it, with possibly damning information on the faction they were about to meet he had absolutely no guarantee they would try anything or hadnt gone to the APP by now and were hosting an ambush to kill a member of Union command. It was war after all and while the Union had been accepting and trusting in peacetime the 2AW had shattered that entirely.
55 vessels jumped to the designated co-ordinates after the message had been relayed to RSC command for them to send their own representative. The Union fleet consisted of primarily heavy vessels nothing under a cruiser was present and the largest was one of the 3 Lancer class dreadnoughts present in Ancerious. Hargun made sure the weapons were cold, but shields were at full power he would take no chances here and even if it gave off the wrong message the risk certainly outweighed any diplomatic problems it would cause.
"This is Admiral Hargun commander of Union forces in the Ancerious galaxy, please idenfity yourselves"
Two dozen Restevian vessels dropped FTL .2 AU from the Union craft, not a one lighter than a destroyer and with a core of battlecruisers and one battleships. These were the heaviest ships immediately available, and they moved up alongside the Union fleet.
Colonel-General Brelkov had been equally suspicious of the summons, and had made sure to approach the situation with notable caution and hesitation. But he'd come all the same, and he'd headed for the coordinates with his ships and guard troops. With shields up like the Union they came to a stop, and General Brelkov had his comm officer hail Admiral Hargun.
"Hail, comrade." he said into the comm, scratching his chin and looking out the screens on the battleship Nordentar's bridge. "Any ideas of what these Dectrose buggers are going to say?"
As the AGA ships amassed in the designated location, Terri, sans her own ship, traveled alongside Rear Admiral Yuma Goto. The relatively young Rear Admiral had been the XO under Fischer, and both had been large supporters of the Dectrose's membership with CORE. Though as his ship 'Impetuous' warped into the location, he had been tense. Even as the rest of his fleet held itself back in reserve, being alone, with the aggressive-looking AGA fleet gathered in front of him, would likely unnerve the most seasoned Dectrose Admirals.
As she softly, carefully took a sip from her coffee, she put on her most calm, patient look, as her finger gently tapped the comms and she spoke to the representatives. "Good day to you, Admiral Hargun, and to you, Restevian representatives. Although I am slightly concerned at the show of strength, I am confident that diplomacy will prevail today." She paused, took another sip, and continued "And speaking of that, I would like to recommend that this meeting take place face-to-face onboard either a Union or Restevian vessel, as the Dectrose's actions have put us in this position, and we are not at liberty to suggest our own ship. I will agree to wherever you decide the meeting shall take place. Although I must add that I would be bringing with me a security detail of four ATAF Infantry, I pray that this is acceptable."
"Considering the situation in the galaxy and the history of our peoples interactions this is the best course of action not a show of force. If you wish we can conduct the meeting aboard this very vessel and a security complement is allowed but you will be under our watch. I will notify the RSC representatives of this arrangement and docking co-ordinates will be sent to you at once" Hargun replied before cutting the link, the exact course paths for the Dectrose being sent immediately afterwards along with the info and invitation to the RSC.
Hargun did not trust the Dectrose, but he hoped at least this situation could be resolved. Going down the various maglines in the huge 19km dreadnought he made his way to the vast hangar where the representatives would meet, the hangar was full of Firestorm fighters and Eagle Eye bombers, all either underground maintenance, refueling or launching and recovering as the fleet deployed patrol fighter screens as standard. An honour guard was waiting for him of Union marines along with two heavy power armour suits, and unseen two terrifying Skia as well although they were always with him as body guards.
Colonel-General Brelkov rode over to the Union dreadnought in a shuttle with his own honor guard, and as soon as the small craft landed in the designated hanger he straightened his uniform and stepped out to meet up with Hargun.
The general marched across the hanger with his guards following, making his way through the maintenance and launches with the air and manner of a man who felt most comfortable in a bustling, living military environment such as this. After all, as the Union knew, Valentin Brelkov was a soldier's soldier, having earned his rank in the Terran-Restevian War. His guards of five Marines and one Gladiarus marched along behind him, their weapons slung across their backs and set on armor hard-racks as they kept close formation behind their leader.
"Comrade Admiral, good to see you again." Brelkov said, extending a hand to Hargun. "Let us hope that today goes as well or better than the last meeting we both attended, da?"
Both Goto and Terri boarded a Hawkbat III Shuttle, and pushed out from the hanger, taking care to keep the 'Impetuous' in a defensive posture as the shuttle followed the course laid out by the Union ship, and soon enough they arrived at their designated position. The pilot checked the atmosphere and turned around to the assembled team "Conditions are in the green, but be sure to alter your settings if you're going to be staying a long while." The ATAF guard didn't have much to change, as their helmets would automatically keep them both warm and at the correct humidity, though Terri and Goto had to set up their augmented lungs to adapt to conditions onboard.
The pilot checked everyone again and opened the side door, the hot, humid air of the shuttle rushing out as the four ATAF guards, Goto and Terri exited the vessel. All of the guards where armed with various weapons, from PDWs to Carbines on the ATAF, all of which had been lazily slung to their sides or on their backs, as to not provoke a hostile response. Terri and Goto then proceeded to approach Hargun and Brelkov, saluting them both as they got within a close, but respectful distance.
Terri, after contemplating, spoke "As much as it is a pleasure to meet you both in person, I personally wish it was under better circumstances, though hopefully with the information I have brought with me, as well as the Dectrose's most sincere apologies for Anna Ryn's behavior, I believe this can be brought to a peaceful and diplomatic end." She motioned towards Goto "I have also brought along Rear Admiral Goto with me as to learn the finer details of diplomacy, though he has had experience under Fleet Admiral Fischer as well as time spent performing humanitarian missions within CORE. So I would like him included in the proceedings, as he's caught up with what reports we have on the situation."
"Yes indeed General I just hope that this all goes smoothly, I would rather not be making any more enemies, although with events unfolding so far I am not so sure we can avoid it" Hargun replied to Brelkov as they watched the Dectrose shuttle come into land and Terri exit the vessel.
"Very well his presence will likely help this along then. And while I welcome you aboard I too wish this was under better circumstances, apologies alone wont solve the situation that was caused. But hopefully cooler heads will prevail today and something regarding peace can be sorted" Hargun replied also giving a brief salute to Terri and Goto as they arrived "If you come this way we can begin"
Hargun took them down one across the vast hangar and over to a large door, a large conference room awaited them, four Union guards stood without weapons but in full armour at each corner of the room. It was big, easily able to accommodate near 30-40 dignitaries in a large circular smooth table, a colossal holographic project took the centre of the table currently displaying the galaxy at large.
"Please have a seat"
Brelkov left his Guards with the Union troopers, the Restevian soldiers watching the Dectrose troopers suspiciously. The colonel-general himself marched over to a seat near Hargun, and sat down before removing his cap and setting it on the table in front of him.
"So." he said. "How shall we begin?"
Terri, as well as Goto took their seats, relatively close to the AGA reps as the table was much larger then their own meeting tables, though it did leave an impression of the magnitude that this incident has stirred up. The guards had followed them into the room, and simply stood near the two with an unwavering presence, though such unnatural stillness was likely in part due to them locking their augmentations in place until they needed to move. Terri brought out her AVD node and placed it on the table, and tapped it as it began to glow, project a holographic display in front of her and Goto and then receded, blinking as if awaiting a synchronization with the table itself.
She looked to Brelkov next, then Hargun "Would you mind if the AVD node I have brought could be synchronized with your table? We could then more effectively display our first piece of information regarding the Anointed and their developing situation. Of which I believe is an important piece of the puzzle that is this incident." She paused, then continued "The Dectrose Admiralty Board believes that the Anointed Empire is currently undergoing a Civil War of sorts, with a faction known as the Red Letter Day Soldiers clashing with the current governmental system. Recent discoveries on the Ancnet have also confirmed our suspicions and as far as I know a diplomat has been dispatched to assist the current governmental body in repelling the RLDS rebels."
She then provided the two with video footage of the RLDS ambush on Skalia and Terri "The reason for the Anointed not being asked to these proceedings is due largely to the fact that the RLDS seems to have a keen interest in capturing me alive, or my soul intact. I have come to believe that without me, the Anointed government would lose a key diplomat friendly to both the Dectrose and Anointed, and a diplomat they place their full trust in." She frowned "Unfortunately the risks are too great to have them present now, though once this Civil War is sorted out we can attempt to gain answers once the mess is mopped up."
Hargun waved a hand allowing the table to connect as he reviewed what Terri was showing him. He raised an eyebrow, this had absolutely nothing to do with the situation or to do with their seemingly reported untrustworthy attitude. For a meeting that was meant to discuss potential diplomacy, and talk down the huge incident that had happened due to the Dectrose outside of Ural the opening statement had nothing to do with it.
Hargun was actually quite surprised.
"This... Information you have brought to us, I am going to be honest I thought you were going to try to defend your captains actions in the incident outside of Ural or at least explain them, but you have seemingly... Skipped that entirely. There were Anointed soldiers on that ship of yours yes, and the Anointed did inform us that they were not Anointed so it is entirely possible that you are telling the truth, however." Hargun shook his head "That doesn't change the fact you did not leave when asked to, and the fact your captain seemed to... Kill the crew through some kind of memetic kill code. We have logs from the scene as Brelkov will provide that your captain ordered the Anointed to kill her if she was moved, that doesn't seem like a civil war to me that seems like you had drones designed to take orders present. Maybe the Anointed do have problems within their own ranks, we will investigate that ourselves"
"But you are clearly the cause of this situation, now I know Brelkov is still holding your remaining crew that were not killed immediately and perhaps we can discuss handing them back over" Hargun looked to Brelkov.
"With respect, comrades, the Navy is holding them and not the Army." Brelkov said, spreading his hands helplessly. "I will speak to Tchaikovsky, however releasing them will take some time. I cannot mark them as prisoners of war, as they were not taken in wartime, so I am not sure how much I can expedite the process."
The general nodded in response to Hargun's stating of logs, and brought up a few files from his wrist-mounted computer to bring up transcripts, audio logs and helmet cam logs of the whole incident in question to show.
Remaining silent until the two of them had finished, Terri waited for a moment longer before speaking again "The RLDS's presence on the bridge of the Wyvern is what we have come to suspect was the reasoning for Ryn's final moments of defiance. As well, such orders, that of ordering guards to kill the Commanding Officer, or killing non-essential members of the crew to avoid an unfavorable incarceration is actually quite common within the Dectrose Empire. We have perfected a cloning system, where the person with the correct implant receives the order, or is otherwise killed, the cutoff signal is sent to a cloning facility, and that person is then revived into a new body, safe in Dectrose territory, and retains their most updated memories and skills."
"However, this has not been the case for Admiral Anna Ryn herself. We believe her signal was tampered with or otherwise disabled in a way to where she would not revive at the facility. Whether Ryn knew of it or not, is sadly still unknown to us at this time. Though the fact that she had ordered such a command puts weight into the assumption that she thought the RLDS would protect her somehow, and she had chose to defy the RSC's commands. This action is against the Admiralty Board's wishes to not instigate conflict, and had she spawned back at the cloning facility, she would have been stripped of her duties and rank pending a hearing on the matter."
She looked at Hargun with a soft gaze "Though what you wanted to hear is why they even refused to leave in the first place. We have come to the conclusion that Ryn and Winston had decided to scan a supernova created by the Crucible, and compare it with naturally occurring ones. This was their mission before going on to the trading post for the Divine Davian Empire." She tapped a few points on her AVD node, sending over the mission directives for that mission, including an extension of the Galactic Core Exploration mission log, meeting the Annoliddan Inquisition, the study of a Crucible-made Supernova and the trade agreements to the Davians for a shipment of firearms.
"In their attempt to gather their data, Ryn decided to try and buy time to complete the scans, and then leave. Of course by the time she had exhausted her chances with the RSC forces, it was much too late for her to attempt to leave with the data. Which had been destroyed with the Wyvern." She shifted to Brelkov "Though one thing still eludes me, General. Several sources seem to indicate that you jammed their transmissions when Ryn attempted to call for Admiral Fischer. Why would you jam their transmissions to call for the Dectrose to explain the current situation unless you had intended to take captives from the beginning?"
"In all likelihood, the reason Ryn would have called for Fischer is for a quick diplomatic solution to the incident. As the Hawk-series hold onboard some of the Dectrose's best sensors and codes, as well as more experimental AIs, and as such, Ryn asked for the crew and ship to go and for RSC to take her instead. Though this was not given thought." Terri crossed her arms "I will not stand by what Ryn had done in her last moments, but she had tried to negotiate for a diplomatic end prior to those moments before her death."
"I would request, madam, that you understand our reasoning." Brelkov said mildly in response to her words about the jamming. "It is a cautionary measure, as we have been in a situation where we faced an unknown contact doing much the same thing as your ship was doing. We did not jam comms, and within minutes our ships were facing a force that outnumbered theirs a hundred-to-one."
He took a breath, shuddering as he recalled the incident. "We jammed the comms out of caution and a desire to prevent an ambush, not because we intended to take your crew captive from word go."
"That is a barbaric action, irregardless of transfer the sheer fact that you could order your own troops death and then choose not to resurrect them is... A rather disturbing premise." Hargun said revolted at the ease of which they could happily terminate their own military personnel, if something went wrong and they didn't transfer they could suffer huge problems or outright die, or if the military chose not to resurrect them then they would just be killing themselves needlessly. It was an action that the Union found abhorrent.
"So she killed herself thinking the Anointed would protect her? From either other Anointed? I have to say that makes little sense unless she was truly desperate, her stalling for time to try and scan the Ural system clearly alludes to desperation and it was hardly surprising she ran out of chances with the RSC, when told to leave a system you leave or face the consequences." Hargun paused "As the General here states we are at war, with a serious threat to this galaxy and we can hardly afford to take such chances so easily. If an unknown vessel appeared on the outskirts of Asuras scanning away at the debris and itself refused to leave immediately it too would be com jammed the moment we turned up. This is to stop it calling reinforcements or just simply broadcasting what it had found. Such information cannot be allowed to escape, for all we know Ryn was trying to transmit the data to your high command or to the APP as a review of the Crucible. There are a thousand possibilities and for nations at war affording to cater to all of them is simply out of the question"
"When you exhaust your chances you listen to what the opposing faction wishes you to do, if our positions were reversed the Union ship would have done everything the RSC asked, turned over the data and requested to leave it would not have exhausted its chance to do so, and if it did the crew would of simply allowed themselves to be impounded. Better that than a diplomatic incident such as this"
She tapped her thumb on the table a little, before looking to Goto and sighing, then returning her gaze to Brelkov "Thank you for explaining your reasoning for the communication jamming, we where not aware of this and apologize for the actions Ryn has taken that have disturbed you in that way. However." She turned to Hargun "I now realize that the Union of Worlds assumes much in the way of the Dectrose's operations and how we run things. You asked why they where seemingly killed, I replied honestly. Our military assets are no good to us in a permanently deceased state, therefore we will always 'choose' to revive them. For the Dectrose, we have effectively overcome death as a natural part of out lives."
She looked down and frowned before looking back up to the two representatives "The only recorded incident where someone did not come back to the cloning facility was Admiral Ryn. And as I said before, something or someone either tampered with her cloning chip or blocked it's function, and that is quite a terrifying prospect to come to terms with. As only the AGA where present there, and RSC had been blocking our communication, we can only assume that the AGA has the technology to block our chips and enforce lasting casualties upon us."
"She ordered her death, in the belief that she would indeed be revived and be able to debrief to the Admiralty Board what happened, we know of what we know from the AVD nodes on the bridge, and can only assume why she did what she did. Only Ryn would truly know, and she is, in light of her clone not reviving, lost." She inhaled softly "And though you speak about your war, we have had no part in it other than our own in CORE, which Union forces are present at. We don't want any part of the war between you and the APP, though it appears as you want to give us a black and white decision, an ultimatum."
"The fact that Ryn also did not transmit the data and offered it to the RSC officials as well as herself in exchange for the freedom of her ship and crew, shows that those thousand possibilities do not apply to nations that are not involved in your war. We are neutral in your galactic war, and we wish to remain neutral. We have met nations involved in the APP and AGA, and so far have no wish to join either side."
She opened her AVD node to project in front of her to clarify something, then continued to Hargun "We have also had other nations unknown to us enter our territories, one of which arrived at our home planet in violation of the Ivan Protocol, and by all regards we could have chose to take hostile action. But both times we did not. We have let diplomacy rule over aggression, and that's why I'm here with you both today. Though if the situation you have offered included your best and newest addition to your fleet, something critical that could tip the balance against you, would you really allow it to fall into someone's hands that you know nothing about or what they intend on doing to that ship or your crew?"
She paused and leaned forward as if to get closer "As I'm representing the Dectrose, I'm answering your questions to the best of my ability and knowledge, I'm being honest. It seems to me, Hargun, that you are listening, but not hearing what I'm trying to explain. I know that our first meeting was on sour terms, but do you really wish to condone a neutral nation for an accident such as this? Is there no mercy or forgiveness that resides within the Union?"
"There has been plenty of mercy and forgiveness in this galaxy in the way of my people, if you wish to presume much about me people with all due respect I would ask you to pull your head out of the sand and learn about us its the same of claiming anything about any of the major powers yet clearly displaying little in the way of actual knowledge. I find it truly laughable that you presume that we are the ones who blocked your chips when before this meeting I had no idea your people could even do such, if you wish to assume that then by all means go ahead but you can check any of the ship logs the jamming that was used was only for anti-communication purposes and unless your people transmit your consciousness over base well used military frequencies instead of secure specialized channels then your accusation is meaningless" Hargun waved his hand in a gesture.
"At no stage in this meeting have I even mentioned any kind of ultimatum you seem to perceive us as the APP in that regard, if you choose to stay out of this war then by all means do so but I will give you some advice, do not go snooping in restricted areas, and do not concern yourself with the Crucible. The reason I say this is because that unless you directly anger and attack Capitol you will never be a target, they may be bloodthirsty but they are not stupid, besides it probably wont exist much longer anyway" He smiled at the thought of such a weapons demise.
"And yes I would allow that it would certainly play out better than what has transpired. However If you wish this meeting to end diplomatically then I would suggest we start making some movements. We have already discussed transfer of the remaining Dectrose crew members, and I am also sure Brelkov will also be able to guarantee that no other Dectrose vessels will be harmed if they enter RSC space. I myself would like to offer a non aggression pact between our two nations to ease your thought on the AGA possibly wanting to attack you. I however ask in return that you refrain from wandering into places where you shouldn't be"
"Da." Brelkov agreed, nodding. "I can pull some strings with the Navy to ensure that they won't be harmed unless circumstances become extraordinary, but if they're intruding in the NFZ they will still be told to leave and thereupon they'll be expected to. Standard procedure, you see."
The general meshed his fingers, and looked between the admiral and Terri. He wasn't about to offer a NAP to a nation that had introduced itself to his people so directly and in a way most in the armed forces were considering very unwelcome, and least of all without Tchaikovsky's word, but he would extend common courtesy at the very least.
"And as I said, I will attempt to see your crew released soon. It may take some time, but I will do what I can."
Terri and Goto exchanged glances, and Goto nods, tapping an AVD node to send orders to the IBG stations, Terri looked up "Hargun, it seems we agree that there are many things presumed on the both of our nations. But the insight that the Union and RSC had not blocked Ryn's chip only leads me to the conclusion that the Anointed, who where present and had assisted in heightening the stressful situation with Ryn, would be the only group left that could do so. Goto has increased our patrols and alerted our Border Guard stations to keep a look-out for any suspicious ships."
Goto nodded "From what I have been able to tell, and the technology seen and able to be used by the Anointed's ships, we believe that they may be able to shift their ship's shapes into other forms and into unknown ship designs. But hopefully we can contain that kind of situation." He looked to Terri and she continued "Yes, hopefully we can avoid any future incidents with the RSC and likely the Union, and if what you say about Capitol is indeed the truth, we may not need to investigate any of the target systems that weapon may consume. Of which I am sincerely sorry for your massive losses, I can only hope that such a weapon will not be used again."
She shifted in her seat, tapping her node a few times "And of course, these terms seem very fair, I can personally sign on behalf of the Dectrose Empire for a Non-Aggression Pact between us and the Union of Worlds, and I'm certain Goto can sign as my witness on the exchange of the Dectrothian crew members, as well as the other races in confinement. The Ubians signed up for the Dectrose Military from Accord as 'Independent Security Contractors' meaning they no longer serve under the Accordite flag, and are members of the Dectrose Empire. As well, the Anointed are being gathered for their safety while the Civil War rages on within their fleets."
Terri leans forward and sighs "Send over your documents for me to look over and sign, and we can hopefully end this dark event on a much brighter note."
"Such a weapon will be stopped before it can be used again, and yes there are many assumptions here but hopefully in time the truth to all of them will be uncovered." Hargun flicked his hands as he typed in commands into the projector, a form appeared in front of Terri and Goto detailing the NAP.
It was fairly simple, no military action was to be taken against the Union or its allies regardless of what type, no hosting of enemy forces to the Union in the Dectroses territory and no full on alliances or aiding the APP was to be undertaken or null the contract. In return the Union would not take any military action or aid in such against Dectrose forces or host forces that were hostile to the Dectrose within their own territory.
"I hope these terms are acceptable to you so that yes indeed we may end this on a brighter note"
Brelkov nodded in agreement, for while he was not offering a NAP from the RSC he had little reason to protest the Union offering one. It was more than fair, and an echo to the one the RSC had received some now years ago.
"It is my hope that we can eventually move on from such unfortunate occurrences, same as comrade Hargun." he stated, drumming his fingers on the table and putting his forth his most diplomatic smile.
Terri read it over, and looked back up "I think the Dectrose will be able to abide by the terms listed here, we've only done economic ventures with those that we meet, as well as several MDP's with nations allied with AGA, or those that are neutral. Though I believe.." She turned to Brelkov "That the Dectrose and RSC need some time away from each other, this was a very tense and difficult situation, and I believe both sides need some time to cool off and build relations in a more controlled, peaceful way."
She smiled and signed the NAP, as well as Goto, before her smile straightened out "Though, I'm afraid I have some news that may be upsetting to you, Hargun. While the Dectrothian Corsairs have been tasked to the assault on the System's worlds, I'm afraid several events have come up and we are going to be withdrawing our forces from the conflict, and I believe Bohler wishes to leave CORE, as the Dectrose haven't had much in the way of the economic support explained at the meeting Fischer attended."
She smiled again, and gave a reassuring look at Hargun "Instead we want to improve relations with nations we are close to, those of Accord, Anointed, Zypher and the Three Domains Alliance. We wish for the members to be able to join what we have called the "Free Defense Council", where they can still assist the AGA's forces, or CORE's forces and sleep at night knowing that their borders will be protected by the combined forces of the FDC."
Goto nodded as if in agreement "As much as the Dectrose have assisted with the Avilun refugees, and those affected by the war, I was under the impression that CORE was not going to be a military alliance. By seeing so little economic assistance and stability to strengthen relations, instead the focus has been on a military campaign on their enemies. I'm afraid the Dectrose where mislead into what CORE really was, and Bohler will likely be making a statement to a CORE member about their withdrawl."
"I agree with the decision that relations between your two nations should be halted and given time" Hargun commented looking to Brelkov and Terri before speaking again "Well I cant say much seeing as we didn't exactly fight alongside you, or see any real contribution military to the war effort against the System and Voleant but that's your nations choice to honour to agreements of CORE"
"So it seems like you wish to make a power bloc of your own?" Hargun asked at the mention of making the Free Defense Council "Many are appearing on the galactic stage these days, sadly they all seem to turn into military blocs in the end regardless of what they started out as. I never intended for the AGA to be a military powerbloc, merely one for economic and peacekeeping purposes... I wish you luck with your endeavor" He smiled before realizing something.
"Oh and one quick thing, I ask of you to not point whatever long range scanner that you have at Union or AGA space, the Artificia notified us about such an event and while we thought nothing of it the same event in the Davian trade system picked up by both theirs and our escort ships detected the same. Whatever it is, it is clearly a very powerful scanner or detection system and I would appreciate it if it was not used to gather data on the Union or its allies."
Brelkov nodded again, entirely in agreement with Hargun's words. Whatever this scanner was, it was a legitimate concern, and he felt every legitimate reason was in play with the Admiral's request to not point it at the AGA.
That said, he had a question for Hargun when the meeting was done.
Terri gave a reassuring look towards Hargun "I understand your concern, though this was a rare case where the Oracle was used to scout out the Davian system coordinates to ensure that there was actually a presence of the Davians there. Unfortunately, we had received several false coordinates from them and it was Admiral Ryn's mission to scout out those newest coordinates. With her gone, Admiral Landow decided to not use the resources and manpower to chase down another coordinate when it could be false, and thus the Oracle was used to ensure that the trade systems where indeed there. I ensure you it was purely a non-aggressive act, and it's no different from the data we could have gained from Ryn herself on the system."
She looked over her shoulder to a guard, and he nodded, gathering a cylinder from his pack, he approached Terri and gave her the cylinder, sipping her usual black coffee from it, and continued. "As for the Artificia, I'm afraid that Saber had harbored some anger or hatred of them for some reason, and had ordered it to be used against them. Though he was then demoted for his actions when Bohler came from the Warlock Wormhole, there was enough influence from his supporters to vote on another system to be scanned. As to why he had ordered them to be scanned, I do not know, but whatever he was planning, the restrictions we have placed on him prevent him from leaving our borders."
She looked a little more stern "If he where to leave, his CC-01 will be disabled, his clone removed and he will be an enemy of the state, we do not condone any terror actions that he may have done, and we're still sorting though the damage he's done to several extra-imperial relations." She leaned back, and sighed. "Hopefully this answers your questions, is there anything else you need to discuss?"
Hargun nodded at the replies and then shook his head "Those answers satisfy my inquest, I don't believe that there are more topics to discuss. Unless the Dectrose or RSC have anything more to add to this meeting? Any more treaties or inquests to be signed off or asked about?" Hargun asked to both of the representatives present as he tapped in some commands to the holographic projector.
"Nothing else, comrades. My questions have been answered, and I will not keep Madam Terri any longer." the general nodded, placing his hands on the table and acknowledging them both in turn.
Terri and Goto gathered their things, standing up as they began to leave. Terri nodded and gave a quick salute "Thank you for letting diplomacy have a chance, I promise that I will work diligently to restore relations and move the Dectrose Empire into a better, and more brighter future. Until next time." Goto gave a bow, then a salute, then the both of them left the room together with their guard, Terri and Goto had quite a lot of work ahead of them.
She read from the reports that Union was more.. willing to negotiate, then the RSC. So, pulling the information that Zypher had given the Dectrose, she had Kaikoma create a robust, yet simple drone. One that would be large enough to have an FTL drive, yet not big enough to pose much of a threat. Once they had done so, she recorded a message for the Union, asking for a meeting.
"This is a message from High Diplomat and Fleet Admiral Vanessa Terri of the Dectrose Empire. We understand there was an incident that occurred inside the RSC No-Fly Zone, and wish to apologize for the actions of Admiral Anna Ryn, as well as explain some of the unusual actions of some of it's crew during the event. As representative of the Dectrose Empire, I formally request a Diplomatic Meeting with a representative of the Union of Worlds, as well as the Restevian Socialist Confederation. I would request that all parties would arrive in neutral territory, and with one ship in attendance. I can imagine there are tensions, though I would like to ask this of all participants as to ensure that Diplomacy is given a chance. You may contact us back at IBG Station Mark Sokolov on Frequency 211.1. Thank you and please have a pleasant day."
After the message was placed on the drone, and everything was prepared, the Drone warped out of Dectrose space, and near the border of Union space, taking care not to enter, but to pulse out a beacon for the Union to pick up.
The message was read and transferred to Union high command, the attention of Admiral Hargun personally fell on the case, he said having ready the message and leant back in his chair. With the attack on Rubikon underway and the strike on the Crucible coming any day now he didn't technically have time to deal with this situation.
However he also wished to speak to the Dectrose personally, with their actions in the no fly zone and from cautionary information given by the AU on the Dectrose Hargun wanted to resolve the situation, or if that was unacceptable inform the Dectrose representative of their poorly chosen outcome.
Despite the fact that the call had asked for one ship only Hargun simply ignored it, with possibly damning information on the faction they were about to meet he had absolutely no guarantee they would try anything or hadnt gone to the APP by now and were hosting an ambush to kill a member of Union command. It was war after all and while the Union had been accepting and trusting in peacetime the 2AW had shattered that entirely.
55 vessels jumped to the designated co-ordinates after the message had been relayed to RSC command for them to send their own representative. The Union fleet consisted of primarily heavy vessels nothing under a cruiser was present and the largest was one of the 3 Lancer class dreadnoughts present in Ancerious. Hargun made sure the weapons were cold, but shields were at full power he would take no chances here and even if it gave off the wrong message the risk certainly outweighed any diplomatic problems it would cause.
"This is Admiral Hargun commander of Union forces in the Ancerious galaxy, please idenfity yourselves"
Two dozen Restevian vessels dropped FTL .2 AU from the Union craft, not a one lighter than a destroyer and with a core of battlecruisers and one battleships. These were the heaviest ships immediately available, and they moved up alongside the Union fleet.
Colonel-General Brelkov had been equally suspicious of the summons, and had made sure to approach the situation with notable caution and hesitation. But he'd come all the same, and he'd headed for the coordinates with his ships and guard troops. With shields up like the Union they came to a stop, and General Brelkov had his comm officer hail Admiral Hargun.
"Hail, comrade." he said into the comm, scratching his chin and looking out the screens on the battleship Nordentar's bridge. "Any ideas of what these Dectrose buggers are going to say?"
As the AGA ships amassed in the designated location, Terri, sans her own ship, traveled alongside Rear Admiral Yuma Goto. The relatively young Rear Admiral had been the XO under Fischer, and both had been large supporters of the Dectrose's membership with CORE. Though as his ship 'Impetuous' warped into the location, he had been tense. Even as the rest of his fleet held itself back in reserve, being alone, with the aggressive-looking AGA fleet gathered in front of him, would likely unnerve the most seasoned Dectrose Admirals.
As she softly, carefully took a sip from her coffee, she put on her most calm, patient look, as her finger gently tapped the comms and she spoke to the representatives. "Good day to you, Admiral Hargun, and to you, Restevian representatives. Although I am slightly concerned at the show of strength, I am confident that diplomacy will prevail today." She paused, took another sip, and continued "And speaking of that, I would like to recommend that this meeting take place face-to-face onboard either a Union or Restevian vessel, as the Dectrose's actions have put us in this position, and we are not at liberty to suggest our own ship. I will agree to wherever you decide the meeting shall take place. Although I must add that I would be bringing with me a security detail of four ATAF Infantry, I pray that this is acceptable."
"Considering the situation in the galaxy and the history of our peoples interactions this is the best course of action not a show of force. If you wish we can conduct the meeting aboard this very vessel and a security complement is allowed but you will be under our watch. I will notify the RSC representatives of this arrangement and docking co-ordinates will be sent to you at once" Hargun replied before cutting the link, the exact course paths for the Dectrose being sent immediately afterwards along with the info and invitation to the RSC.
Hargun did not trust the Dectrose, but he hoped at least this situation could be resolved. Going down the various maglines in the huge 19km dreadnought he made his way to the vast hangar where the representatives would meet, the hangar was full of Firestorm fighters and Eagle Eye bombers, all either underground maintenance, refueling or launching and recovering as the fleet deployed patrol fighter screens as standard. An honour guard was waiting for him of Union marines along with two heavy power armour suits, and unseen two terrifying Skia as well although they were always with him as body guards.
Colonel-General Brelkov rode over to the Union dreadnought in a shuttle with his own honor guard, and as soon as the small craft landed in the designated hanger he straightened his uniform and stepped out to meet up with Hargun.
The general marched across the hanger with his guards following, making his way through the maintenance and launches with the air and manner of a man who felt most comfortable in a bustling, living military environment such as this. After all, as the Union knew, Valentin Brelkov was a soldier's soldier, having earned his rank in the Terran-Restevian War. His guards of five Marines and one Gladiarus marched along behind him, their weapons slung across their backs and set on armor hard-racks as they kept close formation behind their leader.
"Comrade Admiral, good to see you again." Brelkov said, extending a hand to Hargun. "Let us hope that today goes as well or better than the last meeting we both attended, da?"
Both Goto and Terri boarded a Hawkbat III Shuttle, and pushed out from the hanger, taking care to keep the 'Impetuous' in a defensive posture as the shuttle followed the course laid out by the Union ship, and soon enough they arrived at their designated position. The pilot checked the atmosphere and turned around to the assembled team "Conditions are in the green, but be sure to alter your settings if you're going to be staying a long while." The ATAF guard didn't have much to change, as their helmets would automatically keep them both warm and at the correct humidity, though Terri and Goto had to set up their augmented lungs to adapt to conditions onboard.
The pilot checked everyone again and opened the side door, the hot, humid air of the shuttle rushing out as the four ATAF guards, Goto and Terri exited the vessel. All of the guards where armed with various weapons, from PDWs to Carbines on the ATAF, all of which had been lazily slung to their sides or on their backs, as to not provoke a hostile response. Terri and Goto then proceeded to approach Hargun and Brelkov, saluting them both as they got within a close, but respectful distance.
Terri, after contemplating, spoke "As much as it is a pleasure to meet you both in person, I personally wish it was under better circumstances, though hopefully with the information I have brought with me, as well as the Dectrose's most sincere apologies for Anna Ryn's behavior, I believe this can be brought to a peaceful and diplomatic end." She motioned towards Goto "I have also brought along Rear Admiral Goto with me as to learn the finer details of diplomacy, though he has had experience under Fleet Admiral Fischer as well as time spent performing humanitarian missions within CORE. So I would like him included in the proceedings, as he's caught up with what reports we have on the situation."
"Yes indeed General I just hope that this all goes smoothly, I would rather not be making any more enemies, although with events unfolding so far I am not so sure we can avoid it" Hargun replied to Brelkov as they watched the Dectrose shuttle come into land and Terri exit the vessel.
"Very well his presence will likely help this along then. And while I welcome you aboard I too wish this was under better circumstances, apologies alone wont solve the situation that was caused. But hopefully cooler heads will prevail today and something regarding peace can be sorted" Hargun replied also giving a brief salute to Terri and Goto as they arrived "If you come this way we can begin"
Hargun took them down one across the vast hangar and over to a large door, a large conference room awaited them, four Union guards stood without weapons but in full armour at each corner of the room. It was big, easily able to accommodate near 30-40 dignitaries in a large circular smooth table, a colossal holographic project took the centre of the table currently displaying the galaxy at large.
"Please have a seat"
Brelkov left his Guards with the Union troopers, the Restevian soldiers watching the Dectrose troopers suspiciously. The colonel-general himself marched over to a seat near Hargun, and sat down before removing his cap and setting it on the table in front of him.
"So." he said. "How shall we begin?"
Terri, as well as Goto took their seats, relatively close to the AGA reps as the table was much larger then their own meeting tables, though it did leave an impression of the magnitude that this incident has stirred up. The guards had followed them into the room, and simply stood near the two with an unwavering presence, though such unnatural stillness was likely in part due to them locking their augmentations in place until they needed to move. Terri brought out her AVD node and placed it on the table, and tapped it as it began to glow, project a holographic display in front of her and Goto and then receded, blinking as if awaiting a synchronization with the table itself.
She looked to Brelkov next, then Hargun "Would you mind if the AVD node I have brought could be synchronized with your table? We could then more effectively display our first piece of information regarding the Anointed and their developing situation. Of which I believe is an important piece of the puzzle that is this incident." She paused, then continued "The Dectrose Admiralty Board believes that the Anointed Empire is currently undergoing a Civil War of sorts, with a faction known as the Red Letter Day Soldiers clashing with the current governmental system. Recent discoveries on the Ancnet have also confirmed our suspicions and as far as I know a diplomat has been dispatched to assist the current governmental body in repelling the RLDS rebels."
She then provided the two with video footage of the RLDS ambush on Skalia and Terri "The reason for the Anointed not being asked to these proceedings is due largely to the fact that the RLDS seems to have a keen interest in capturing me alive, or my soul intact. I have come to believe that without me, the Anointed government would lose a key diplomat friendly to both the Dectrose and Anointed, and a diplomat they place their full trust in." She frowned "Unfortunately the risks are too great to have them present now, though once this Civil War is sorted out we can attempt to gain answers once the mess is mopped up."
Hargun waved a hand allowing the table to connect as he reviewed what Terri was showing him. He raised an eyebrow, this had absolutely nothing to do with the situation or to do with their seemingly reported untrustworthy attitude. For a meeting that was meant to discuss potential diplomacy, and talk down the huge incident that had happened due to the Dectrose outside of Ural the opening statement had nothing to do with it.
Hargun was actually quite surprised.
"This... Information you have brought to us, I am going to be honest I thought you were going to try to defend your captains actions in the incident outside of Ural or at least explain them, but you have seemingly... Skipped that entirely. There were Anointed soldiers on that ship of yours yes, and the Anointed did inform us that they were not Anointed so it is entirely possible that you are telling the truth, however." Hargun shook his head "That doesn't change the fact you did not leave when asked to, and the fact your captain seemed to... Kill the crew through some kind of memetic kill code. We have logs from the scene as Brelkov will provide that your captain ordered the Anointed to kill her if she was moved, that doesn't seem like a civil war to me that seems like you had drones designed to take orders present. Maybe the Anointed do have problems within their own ranks, we will investigate that ourselves"
"But you are clearly the cause of this situation, now I know Brelkov is still holding your remaining crew that were not killed immediately and perhaps we can discuss handing them back over" Hargun looked to Brelkov.
"With respect, comrades, the Navy is holding them and not the Army." Brelkov said, spreading his hands helplessly. "I will speak to Tchaikovsky, however releasing them will take some time. I cannot mark them as prisoners of war, as they were not taken in wartime, so I am not sure how much I can expedite the process."
The general nodded in response to Hargun's stating of logs, and brought up a few files from his wrist-mounted computer to bring up transcripts, audio logs and helmet cam logs of the whole incident in question to show.
Remaining silent until the two of them had finished, Terri waited for a moment longer before speaking again "The RLDS's presence on the bridge of the Wyvern is what we have come to suspect was the reasoning for Ryn's final moments of defiance. As well, such orders, that of ordering guards to kill the Commanding Officer, or killing non-essential members of the crew to avoid an unfavorable incarceration is actually quite common within the Dectrose Empire. We have perfected a cloning system, where the person with the correct implant receives the order, or is otherwise killed, the cutoff signal is sent to a cloning facility, and that person is then revived into a new body, safe in Dectrose territory, and retains their most updated memories and skills."
"However, this has not been the case for Admiral Anna Ryn herself. We believe her signal was tampered with or otherwise disabled in a way to where she would not revive at the facility. Whether Ryn knew of it or not, is sadly still unknown to us at this time. Though the fact that she had ordered such a command puts weight into the assumption that she thought the RLDS would protect her somehow, and she had chose to defy the RSC's commands. This action is against the Admiralty Board's wishes to not instigate conflict, and had she spawned back at the cloning facility, she would have been stripped of her duties and rank pending a hearing on the matter."
She looked at Hargun with a soft gaze "Though what you wanted to hear is why they even refused to leave in the first place. We have come to the conclusion that Ryn and Winston had decided to scan a supernova created by the Crucible, and compare it with naturally occurring ones. This was their mission before going on to the trading post for the Divine Davian Empire." She tapped a few points on her AVD node, sending over the mission directives for that mission, including an extension of the Galactic Core Exploration mission log, meeting the Annoliddan Inquisition, the study of a Crucible-made Supernova and the trade agreements to the Davians for a shipment of firearms.
"In their attempt to gather their data, Ryn decided to try and buy time to complete the scans, and then leave. Of course by the time she had exhausted her chances with the RSC forces, it was much too late for her to attempt to leave with the data. Which had been destroyed with the Wyvern." She shifted to Brelkov "Though one thing still eludes me, General. Several sources seem to indicate that you jammed their transmissions when Ryn attempted to call for Admiral Fischer. Why would you jam their transmissions to call for the Dectrose to explain the current situation unless you had intended to take captives from the beginning?"
"In all likelihood, the reason Ryn would have called for Fischer is for a quick diplomatic solution to the incident. As the Hawk-series hold onboard some of the Dectrose's best sensors and codes, as well as more experimental AIs, and as such, Ryn asked for the crew and ship to go and for RSC to take her instead. Though this was not given thought." Terri crossed her arms "I will not stand by what Ryn had done in her last moments, but she had tried to negotiate for a diplomatic end prior to those moments before her death."
"I would request, madam, that you understand our reasoning." Brelkov said mildly in response to her words about the jamming. "It is a cautionary measure, as we have been in a situation where we faced an unknown contact doing much the same thing as your ship was doing. We did not jam comms, and within minutes our ships were facing a force that outnumbered theirs a hundred-to-one."
He took a breath, shuddering as he recalled the incident. "We jammed the comms out of caution and a desire to prevent an ambush, not because we intended to take your crew captive from word go."
"That is a barbaric action, irregardless of transfer the sheer fact that you could order your own troops death and then choose not to resurrect them is... A rather disturbing premise." Hargun said revolted at the ease of which they could happily terminate their own military personnel, if something went wrong and they didn't transfer they could suffer huge problems or outright die, or if the military chose not to resurrect them then they would just be killing themselves needlessly. It was an action that the Union found abhorrent.
"So she killed herself thinking the Anointed would protect her? From either other Anointed? I have to say that makes little sense unless she was truly desperate, her stalling for time to try and scan the Ural system clearly alludes to desperation and it was hardly surprising she ran out of chances with the RSC, when told to leave a system you leave or face the consequences." Hargun paused "As the General here states we are at war, with a serious threat to this galaxy and we can hardly afford to take such chances so easily. If an unknown vessel appeared on the outskirts of Asuras scanning away at the debris and itself refused to leave immediately it too would be com jammed the moment we turned up. This is to stop it calling reinforcements or just simply broadcasting what it had found. Such information cannot be allowed to escape, for all we know Ryn was trying to transmit the data to your high command or to the APP as a review of the Crucible. There are a thousand possibilities and for nations at war affording to cater to all of them is simply out of the question"
"When you exhaust your chances you listen to what the opposing faction wishes you to do, if our positions were reversed the Union ship would have done everything the RSC asked, turned over the data and requested to leave it would not have exhausted its chance to do so, and if it did the crew would of simply allowed themselves to be impounded. Better that than a diplomatic incident such as this"
She tapped her thumb on the table a little, before looking to Goto and sighing, then returning her gaze to Brelkov "Thank you for explaining your reasoning for the communication jamming, we where not aware of this and apologize for the actions Ryn has taken that have disturbed you in that way. However." She turned to Hargun "I now realize that the Union of Worlds assumes much in the way of the Dectrose's operations and how we run things. You asked why they where seemingly killed, I replied honestly. Our military assets are no good to us in a permanently deceased state, therefore we will always 'choose' to revive them. For the Dectrose, we have effectively overcome death as a natural part of out lives."
She looked down and frowned before looking back up to the two representatives "The only recorded incident where someone did not come back to the cloning facility was Admiral Ryn. And as I said before, something or someone either tampered with her cloning chip or blocked it's function, and that is quite a terrifying prospect to come to terms with. As only the AGA where present there, and RSC had been blocking our communication, we can only assume that the AGA has the technology to block our chips and enforce lasting casualties upon us."
"She ordered her death, in the belief that she would indeed be revived and be able to debrief to the Admiralty Board what happened, we know of what we know from the AVD nodes on the bridge, and can only assume why she did what she did. Only Ryn would truly know, and she is, in light of her clone not reviving, lost." She inhaled softly "And though you speak about your war, we have had no part in it other than our own in CORE, which Union forces are present at. We don't want any part of the war between you and the APP, though it appears as you want to give us a black and white decision, an ultimatum."
"The fact that Ryn also did not transmit the data and offered it to the RSC officials as well as herself in exchange for the freedom of her ship and crew, shows that those thousand possibilities do not apply to nations that are not involved in your war. We are neutral in your galactic war, and we wish to remain neutral. We have met nations involved in the APP and AGA, and so far have no wish to join either side."
She opened her AVD node to project in front of her to clarify something, then continued to Hargun "We have also had other nations unknown to us enter our territories, one of which arrived at our home planet in violation of the Ivan Protocol, and by all regards we could have chose to take hostile action. But both times we did not. We have let diplomacy rule over aggression, and that's why I'm here with you both today. Though if the situation you have offered included your best and newest addition to your fleet, something critical that could tip the balance against you, would you really allow it to fall into someone's hands that you know nothing about or what they intend on doing to that ship or your crew?"
She paused and leaned forward as if to get closer "As I'm representing the Dectrose, I'm answering your questions to the best of my ability and knowledge, I'm being honest. It seems to me, Hargun, that you are listening, but not hearing what I'm trying to explain. I know that our first meeting was on sour terms, but do you really wish to condone a neutral nation for an accident such as this? Is there no mercy or forgiveness that resides within the Union?"
"There has been plenty of mercy and forgiveness in this galaxy in the way of my people, if you wish to presume much about me people with all due respect I would ask you to pull your head out of the sand and learn about us its the same of claiming anything about any of the major powers yet clearly displaying little in the way of actual knowledge. I find it truly laughable that you presume that we are the ones who blocked your chips when before this meeting I had no idea your people could even do such, if you wish to assume that then by all means go ahead but you can check any of the ship logs the jamming that was used was only for anti-communication purposes and unless your people transmit your consciousness over base well used military frequencies instead of secure specialized channels then your accusation is meaningless" Hargun waved his hand in a gesture.
"At no stage in this meeting have I even mentioned any kind of ultimatum you seem to perceive us as the APP in that regard, if you choose to stay out of this war then by all means do so but I will give you some advice, do not go snooping in restricted areas, and do not concern yourself with the Crucible. The reason I say this is because that unless you directly anger and attack Capitol you will never be a target, they may be bloodthirsty but they are not stupid, besides it probably wont exist much longer anyway" He smiled at the thought of such a weapons demise.
"And yes I would allow that it would certainly play out better than what has transpired. However If you wish this meeting to end diplomatically then I would suggest we start making some movements. We have already discussed transfer of the remaining Dectrose crew members, and I am also sure Brelkov will also be able to guarantee that no other Dectrose vessels will be harmed if they enter RSC space. I myself would like to offer a non aggression pact between our two nations to ease your thought on the AGA possibly wanting to attack you. I however ask in return that you refrain from wandering into places where you shouldn't be"
"Da." Brelkov agreed, nodding. "I can pull some strings with the Navy to ensure that they won't be harmed unless circumstances become extraordinary, but if they're intruding in the NFZ they will still be told to leave and thereupon they'll be expected to. Standard procedure, you see."
The general meshed his fingers, and looked between the admiral and Terri. He wasn't about to offer a NAP to a nation that had introduced itself to his people so directly and in a way most in the armed forces were considering very unwelcome, and least of all without Tchaikovsky's word, but he would extend common courtesy at the very least.
"And as I said, I will attempt to see your crew released soon. It may take some time, but I will do what I can."
Terri and Goto exchanged glances, and Goto nods, tapping an AVD node to send orders to the IBG stations, Terri looked up "Hargun, it seems we agree that there are many things presumed on the both of our nations. But the insight that the Union and RSC had not blocked Ryn's chip only leads me to the conclusion that the Anointed, who where present and had assisted in heightening the stressful situation with Ryn, would be the only group left that could do so. Goto has increased our patrols and alerted our Border Guard stations to keep a look-out for any suspicious ships."
Goto nodded "From what I have been able to tell, and the technology seen and able to be used by the Anointed's ships, we believe that they may be able to shift their ship's shapes into other forms and into unknown ship designs. But hopefully we can contain that kind of situation." He looked to Terri and she continued "Yes, hopefully we can avoid any future incidents with the RSC and likely the Union, and if what you say about Capitol is indeed the truth, we may not need to investigate any of the target systems that weapon may consume. Of which I am sincerely sorry for your massive losses, I can only hope that such a weapon will not be used again."
She shifted in her seat, tapping her node a few times "And of course, these terms seem very fair, I can personally sign on behalf of the Dectrose Empire for a Non-Aggression Pact between us and the Union of Worlds, and I'm certain Goto can sign as my witness on the exchange of the Dectrothian crew members, as well as the other races in confinement. The Ubians signed up for the Dectrose Military from Accord as 'Independent Security Contractors' meaning they no longer serve under the Accordite flag, and are members of the Dectrose Empire. As well, the Anointed are being gathered for their safety while the Civil War rages on within their fleets."
Terri leans forward and sighs "Send over your documents for me to look over and sign, and we can hopefully end this dark event on a much brighter note."
"Such a weapon will be stopped before it can be used again, and yes there are many assumptions here but hopefully in time the truth to all of them will be uncovered." Hargun flicked his hands as he typed in commands into the projector, a form appeared in front of Terri and Goto detailing the NAP.
It was fairly simple, no military action was to be taken against the Union or its allies regardless of what type, no hosting of enemy forces to the Union in the Dectroses territory and no full on alliances or aiding the APP was to be undertaken or null the contract. In return the Union would not take any military action or aid in such against Dectrose forces or host forces that were hostile to the Dectrose within their own territory.
"I hope these terms are acceptable to you so that yes indeed we may end this on a brighter note"
Brelkov nodded in agreement, for while he was not offering a NAP from the RSC he had little reason to protest the Union offering one. It was more than fair, and an echo to the one the RSC had received some now years ago.
"It is my hope that we can eventually move on from such unfortunate occurrences, same as comrade Hargun." he stated, drumming his fingers on the table and putting his forth his most diplomatic smile.
Terri read it over, and looked back up "I think the Dectrose will be able to abide by the terms listed here, we've only done economic ventures with those that we meet, as well as several MDP's with nations allied with AGA, or those that are neutral. Though I believe.." She turned to Brelkov "That the Dectrose and RSC need some time away from each other, this was a very tense and difficult situation, and I believe both sides need some time to cool off and build relations in a more controlled, peaceful way."
She smiled and signed the NAP, as well as Goto, before her smile straightened out "Though, I'm afraid I have some news that may be upsetting to you, Hargun. While the Dectrothian Corsairs have been tasked to the assault on the System's worlds, I'm afraid several events have come up and we are going to be withdrawing our forces from the conflict, and I believe Bohler wishes to leave CORE, as the Dectrose haven't had much in the way of the economic support explained at the meeting Fischer attended."
She smiled again, and gave a reassuring look at Hargun "Instead we want to improve relations with nations we are close to, those of Accord, Anointed, Zypher and the Three Domains Alliance. We wish for the members to be able to join what we have called the "Free Defense Council", where they can still assist the AGA's forces, or CORE's forces and sleep at night knowing that their borders will be protected by the combined forces of the FDC."
Goto nodded as if in agreement "As much as the Dectrose have assisted with the Avilun refugees, and those affected by the war, I was under the impression that CORE was not going to be a military alliance. By seeing so little economic assistance and stability to strengthen relations, instead the focus has been on a military campaign on their enemies. I'm afraid the Dectrose where mislead into what CORE really was, and Bohler will likely be making a statement to a CORE member about their withdrawl."
"I agree with the decision that relations between your two nations should be halted and given time" Hargun commented looking to Brelkov and Terri before speaking again "Well I cant say much seeing as we didn't exactly fight alongside you, or see any real contribution military to the war effort against the System and Voleant but that's your nations choice to honour to agreements of CORE"
"So it seems like you wish to make a power bloc of your own?" Hargun asked at the mention of making the Free Defense Council "Many are appearing on the galactic stage these days, sadly they all seem to turn into military blocs in the end regardless of what they started out as. I never intended for the AGA to be a military powerbloc, merely one for economic and peacekeeping purposes... I wish you luck with your endeavor" He smiled before realizing something.
"Oh and one quick thing, I ask of you to not point whatever long range scanner that you have at Union or AGA space, the Artificia notified us about such an event and while we thought nothing of it the same event in the Davian trade system picked up by both theirs and our escort ships detected the same. Whatever it is, it is clearly a very powerful scanner or detection system and I would appreciate it if it was not used to gather data on the Union or its allies."
Brelkov nodded again, entirely in agreement with Hargun's words. Whatever this scanner was, it was a legitimate concern, and he felt every legitimate reason was in play with the Admiral's request to not point it at the AGA.
That said, he had a question for Hargun when the meeting was done.
Terri gave a reassuring look towards Hargun "I understand your concern, though this was a rare case where the Oracle was used to scout out the Davian system coordinates to ensure that there was actually a presence of the Davians there. Unfortunately, we had received several false coordinates from them and it was Admiral Ryn's mission to scout out those newest coordinates. With her gone, Admiral Landow decided to not use the resources and manpower to chase down another coordinate when it could be false, and thus the Oracle was used to ensure that the trade systems where indeed there. I ensure you it was purely a non-aggressive act, and it's no different from the data we could have gained from Ryn herself on the system."
She looked over her shoulder to a guard, and he nodded, gathering a cylinder from his pack, he approached Terri and gave her the cylinder, sipping her usual black coffee from it, and continued. "As for the Artificia, I'm afraid that Saber had harbored some anger or hatred of them for some reason, and had ordered it to be used against them. Though he was then demoted for his actions when Bohler came from the Warlock Wormhole, there was enough influence from his supporters to vote on another system to be scanned. As to why he had ordered them to be scanned, I do not know, but whatever he was planning, the restrictions we have placed on him prevent him from leaving our borders."
She looked a little more stern "If he where to leave, his CC-01 will be disabled, his clone removed and he will be an enemy of the state, we do not condone any terror actions that he may have done, and we're still sorting though the damage he's done to several extra-imperial relations." She leaned back, and sighed. "Hopefully this answers your questions, is there anything else you need to discuss?"
Hargun nodded at the replies and then shook his head "Those answers satisfy my inquest, I don't believe that there are more topics to discuss. Unless the Dectrose or RSC have anything more to add to this meeting? Any more treaties or inquests to be signed off or asked about?" Hargun asked to both of the representatives present as he tapped in some commands to the holographic projector.
"Nothing else, comrades. My questions have been answered, and I will not keep Madam Terri any longer." the general nodded, placing his hands on the table and acknowledging them both in turn.
Terri and Goto gathered their things, standing up as they began to leave. Terri nodded and gave a quick salute "Thank you for letting diplomacy have a chance, I promise that I will work diligently to restore relations and move the Dectrose Empire into a better, and more brighter future. Until next time." Goto gave a bow, then a salute, then the both of them left the room together with their guard, Terri and Goto had quite a lot of work ahead of them.