Post by Sheng on Jun 11, 2023 22:33:50 GMT
Dawnsand
New Archon | Abandoned Colonist Settlement | Restricted Province #A-9
33:21 AST
New Archon | Abandoned Colonist Settlement | Restricted Province #A-9
33:21 AST
It was called Dawnsand by many, the long since forgotten city where the first Reborn Colonists had settled after arriving in Ancerious. It was briefly the largest city on the planet before another city, Potential, quickly overtook it but in the end both were neglected and eventually forgotten due to the economic constraints of the time. Leaving their rusted ruins to rot in the Freesands. Our current cast was currently meeting in secrecy in the former cities town hall, a large European like building that had long begun collapsing in on itself as the weather had eroded it's stone and metal foundations. The interior was in an equally bad state as the exterior with rust and unstable masonry present throughout, but the meeting spot had long since undergone renovation and reinforcement to allow for safe business conduct. The room itself was an exorbitantly decorated 20m x 20m cube within the deepest portion of the town hall, black marble floors and walls that were adorned with various paintings and furniture. In the centre was a long oval table where 17 Reborn of various creed and cosmetic make sat, quietly discussing meaningless topics to each other whilst they waited for the meeting to truly begin. They were all prominent members within the Second Dawn's federal make-up, with Fleet Admirals, Generals, Corporate Backers, Ministers and more present throughout the assembled conclave. But there was one seat empty yet, one slightly fancier then the rest with a large symbol engraved in silver on the headrest resembling their character for "A" with a snake coiled around it.
The idle conversation continued up until 33:30 when the last individual finally entered the room, which quieted nearly instantly. The individual? None other then the radical tyrant himself; Archon-1. He walked briskly to his seat before claiming it as the others looked at him expectedly, Archon nodding to them before reaching down with his left arm and tapping the table as it came to life and revealed itself to actually be a holo table. The other members looked down at their respective screens before Archon-1 began speaking "I thank you all for attending on such short notice, as you all know we've had some serious setbacks in regards to our own objectives the least of which are not so easily brushed away. The Selenicans have infiltrated the Pillbox and are believed to have recovered files on the Alternative Programme, though we cannot confirm this information until we can get personnel into the facility it is foolish to presume that anything within remains uncompromised. Our forces are too distant to re-enter the area of operations in time to stop them but have adjusted course and begun the return voyage regardless for an investigation as to what they will have taken by the time of their arrival. I know that this isn't good news, the fall of the facility alone was bad enough and this only makes it worse but we cannot give into panic of recklessness now for there is simply too much at stake. I would ask kindly for your own reports and input."
The table broke into quiet conversation after he had spoken and various members started flinging their screens to each other to collaborate, discussing various topics of interest before they gradually began to quiet down and look back up to Archon-1. After a minute a senior executive from the Potius Cras corporation's intelligence bureau began to speak with a calm but unamused tone "These are indeed grave tidings, Archonis. A situation precisely such as this is why we pushed for the implementation of a standing force to quell any... sudden unpleasantries, yet you assured us the facility was totally safeguarded if not completely uncompromisable. If the documentation and similar that was being held within this very facility were to be unveiled to the eyes of the galactic public? We would be ruined and likely face dire consequences from the galactic community as a whole." The others that were assembled nodded their agreement before another one piped up in addition "I am in total agreement, this is an intelligence leak of nigh apocalyptic proportions. We should strike quickly in response to their invasion with one of their own, war with the Selenicans as long been deemed inevitable so why not jump to action and quell their fangs before they can see to use them?" More murmurs of agreement were emitted but way less then the statements made by the previous members, after a few seconds Archon-1 held up his hand politely to bring the table to silence before speaking a response "I know you all are worried about our position but let us remember not to take drastic action. If we were to levy military action against the Selenican Republic we would likely find ourselves at the receiving end of several other nation's hostilities as a response to existing defensive pacts between the Selenicans and other nations."
More quiet statements of agreement could be heard at this and a few of the assembled looked down at their own screen to run the numbers before shaking their heads in exasperation. The one who suggested the initiation of conflict bowed his head in respect before one of the other members spoke up "But they have a point. Relations with not only the Selenicans but the Coalition as a whole have been deteriorating for some time now and we could press this as an advantage. Perhaps not war, but we could respond to their own initiatives in kind like our most recent collaboration with the Federation. More sabotage, precision eliminations of high ranking Selenican nations, targeted terrorist acts. We could firmly step on their tails to show them we are not to be trifled with but without the risk of drawing the public's ire." The other members seemed fond of that idea as they nodded their agreement and started running the numbers on their screens, Archon-1 even seemed to pause and scratch his robotic chin as he considered it before speaking "Almost like a shadow war, one that would allow the neutralization of necessary strategic targets without the commitment of mass resources..." The other members spoke to each other to discuss the logistics as Archon-1 thought of the prospect before responding "Such an effort would have to be prepared for, it would have to be perfect. If they ever caught wind of our involvement they would retaliate immediately and with ample justification as to why, we would be seen as the aggressors of a dishonest conflict. But your idea.. it has merit and warrants further investigation, and investigate it we will but that is for another session at another time. Let us reroute the conversation back to the most imminent matters now that we have dealt with that one."
The other Reborn returned to their screens for a few minutes deliberating on what the next topic should be before an agreement was made and various files were projected into the centre of the table and elevated via holographic projectors above the table itself so all could see. "Then let us discuss the Alternative Programme. We have nearly assembled all of the necessary material and avoided the scrutiny of both the public and those within the government who would stop us, but the science of the project is still lacklustre and fabricating what machinery we can for the vessel is a risky endeavor due to said machineries existing costs. We can do it but it must be done in stages to avoid the depletion of our funding sending up too many red flags, there is also the matter of introducing those into the fold who will be required to operate the device. Such a complex piece of equipment will require months of training for it's crew to be optimally proficient in usage, an undertaking we must have done well before the completion of the Programme itself for the weapon to be operational within a preferred time-frame. The problem is the more we tell about it the greater the risk of exposure, and with a topic of this magnitude any exposure is devastating exposure. So how are we to combat this problem? each individual must be heavily briefed and monitored throughout their time once they are informed of the weapon and that itself will require more personnel to be brought in to watch them. Eventually we will have to put trust alone on certain individuals to not leak the information about the existence of the Programme and that is a grave risk."
Those assembled nodded their agreement, it was true. Nearly all of those who knew the true nature of the Alternative Programme were all in this very room, and those who were contributing without knowing what they were contributing too were still being monitored to ensure secrecy. But it was beginning to take it's toll on their pooled resources, the point where they'd have to trust the bridge to hold was approaching more rapidly then any of them would care to admit. Archon-1 nodded before he spoke up "A valid concern, I may however have a solution. I have been developing an... apparatus.. you could say, that may be of use to us in this type of situation." Archon-1 slid his hand across his screen and projected various files up to replace the ones that were already up. Those around the table whispered to each other about what they were now being shown as Archon-1 continued "This little project of mine may be able to remedy some of our more rapidly approaching problems when it comes to discretion and personnel but much like the Programme we are discussing itself it will take time until it is ready for implementation. For now? I persuade you all to maintain your current directives and leave the more... complex matters to myself, rest assured we will remain successful in our advances and objectives. Alas, I must now depart, the Council grows weary when I travel from the Citadel for too long and I leave you all now to your own devices. We will reconvene in a months time to discuss further developments." Archon-1 stood and gave a polite nod to them all as they all nodded back to him with respect before he stepped away from the table and then quickly left the room.
He approached the shuttle he had used to transport himself here and quickly embarked it before signaling to the pilot to take off. As it roared to life and started to slowly push itself off of the sandy ground he though to himself about the topic's of tonight's rather rushed meeting- or rather his rather short attendance. He would have to be briefed upon their next convention but he had stirred up the pot and heard there most critical input. Now? He'd just have to figure out how best to incorporate that which he thought would fit best, a monumental task but one he had ample time enough for. He stared out as he watched the shuttle rocket through the dark sky, lit by New Archon's shattered moon and the obsidian black sand racing below them. Yes, the coming times would be interesting indeed...
The idle conversation continued up until 33:30 when the last individual finally entered the room, which quieted nearly instantly. The individual? None other then the radical tyrant himself; Archon-1. He walked briskly to his seat before claiming it as the others looked at him expectedly, Archon nodding to them before reaching down with his left arm and tapping the table as it came to life and revealed itself to actually be a holo table. The other members looked down at their respective screens before Archon-1 began speaking "I thank you all for attending on such short notice, as you all know we've had some serious setbacks in regards to our own objectives the least of which are not so easily brushed away. The Selenicans have infiltrated the Pillbox and are believed to have recovered files on the Alternative Programme, though we cannot confirm this information until we can get personnel into the facility it is foolish to presume that anything within remains uncompromised. Our forces are too distant to re-enter the area of operations in time to stop them but have adjusted course and begun the return voyage regardless for an investigation as to what they will have taken by the time of their arrival. I know that this isn't good news, the fall of the facility alone was bad enough and this only makes it worse but we cannot give into panic of recklessness now for there is simply too much at stake. I would ask kindly for your own reports and input."
The table broke into quiet conversation after he had spoken and various members started flinging their screens to each other to collaborate, discussing various topics of interest before they gradually began to quiet down and look back up to Archon-1. After a minute a senior executive from the Potius Cras corporation's intelligence bureau began to speak with a calm but unamused tone "These are indeed grave tidings, Archonis. A situation precisely such as this is why we pushed for the implementation of a standing force to quell any... sudden unpleasantries, yet you assured us the facility was totally safeguarded if not completely uncompromisable. If the documentation and similar that was being held within this very facility were to be unveiled to the eyes of the galactic public? We would be ruined and likely face dire consequences from the galactic community as a whole." The others that were assembled nodded their agreement before another one piped up in addition "I am in total agreement, this is an intelligence leak of nigh apocalyptic proportions. We should strike quickly in response to their invasion with one of their own, war with the Selenicans as long been deemed inevitable so why not jump to action and quell their fangs before they can see to use them?" More murmurs of agreement were emitted but way less then the statements made by the previous members, after a few seconds Archon-1 held up his hand politely to bring the table to silence before speaking a response "I know you all are worried about our position but let us remember not to take drastic action. If we were to levy military action against the Selenican Republic we would likely find ourselves at the receiving end of several other nation's hostilities as a response to existing defensive pacts between the Selenicans and other nations."
More quiet statements of agreement could be heard at this and a few of the assembled looked down at their own screen to run the numbers before shaking their heads in exasperation. The one who suggested the initiation of conflict bowed his head in respect before one of the other members spoke up "But they have a point. Relations with not only the Selenicans but the Coalition as a whole have been deteriorating for some time now and we could press this as an advantage. Perhaps not war, but we could respond to their own initiatives in kind like our most recent collaboration with the Federation. More sabotage, precision eliminations of high ranking Selenican nations, targeted terrorist acts. We could firmly step on their tails to show them we are not to be trifled with but without the risk of drawing the public's ire." The other members seemed fond of that idea as they nodded their agreement and started running the numbers on their screens, Archon-1 even seemed to pause and scratch his robotic chin as he considered it before speaking "Almost like a shadow war, one that would allow the neutralization of necessary strategic targets without the commitment of mass resources..." The other members spoke to each other to discuss the logistics as Archon-1 thought of the prospect before responding "Such an effort would have to be prepared for, it would have to be perfect. If they ever caught wind of our involvement they would retaliate immediately and with ample justification as to why, we would be seen as the aggressors of a dishonest conflict. But your idea.. it has merit and warrants further investigation, and investigate it we will but that is for another session at another time. Let us reroute the conversation back to the most imminent matters now that we have dealt with that one."
The other Reborn returned to their screens for a few minutes deliberating on what the next topic should be before an agreement was made and various files were projected into the centre of the table and elevated via holographic projectors above the table itself so all could see. "Then let us discuss the Alternative Programme. We have nearly assembled all of the necessary material and avoided the scrutiny of both the public and those within the government who would stop us, but the science of the project is still lacklustre and fabricating what machinery we can for the vessel is a risky endeavor due to said machineries existing costs. We can do it but it must be done in stages to avoid the depletion of our funding sending up too many red flags, there is also the matter of introducing those into the fold who will be required to operate the device. Such a complex piece of equipment will require months of training for it's crew to be optimally proficient in usage, an undertaking we must have done well before the completion of the Programme itself for the weapon to be operational within a preferred time-frame. The problem is the more we tell about it the greater the risk of exposure, and with a topic of this magnitude any exposure is devastating exposure. So how are we to combat this problem? each individual must be heavily briefed and monitored throughout their time once they are informed of the weapon and that itself will require more personnel to be brought in to watch them. Eventually we will have to put trust alone on certain individuals to not leak the information about the existence of the Programme and that is a grave risk."
Those assembled nodded their agreement, it was true. Nearly all of those who knew the true nature of the Alternative Programme were all in this very room, and those who were contributing without knowing what they were contributing too were still being monitored to ensure secrecy. But it was beginning to take it's toll on their pooled resources, the point where they'd have to trust the bridge to hold was approaching more rapidly then any of them would care to admit. Archon-1 nodded before he spoke up "A valid concern, I may however have a solution. I have been developing an... apparatus.. you could say, that may be of use to us in this type of situation." Archon-1 slid his hand across his screen and projected various files up to replace the ones that were already up. Those around the table whispered to each other about what they were now being shown as Archon-1 continued "This little project of mine may be able to remedy some of our more rapidly approaching problems when it comes to discretion and personnel but much like the Programme we are discussing itself it will take time until it is ready for implementation. For now? I persuade you all to maintain your current directives and leave the more... complex matters to myself, rest assured we will remain successful in our advances and objectives. Alas, I must now depart, the Council grows weary when I travel from the Citadel for too long and I leave you all now to your own devices. We will reconvene in a months time to discuss further developments." Archon-1 stood and gave a polite nod to them all as they all nodded back to him with respect before he stepped away from the table and then quickly left the room.
He approached the shuttle he had used to transport himself here and quickly embarked it before signaling to the pilot to take off. As it roared to life and started to slowly push itself off of the sandy ground he though to himself about the topic's of tonight's rather rushed meeting- or rather his rather short attendance. He would have to be briefed upon their next convention but he had stirred up the pot and heard there most critical input. Now? He'd just have to figure out how best to incorporate that which he thought would fit best, a monumental task but one he had ample time enough for. He stared out as he watched the shuttle rocket through the dark sky, lit by New Archon's shattered moon and the obsidian black sand racing below them. Yes, the coming times would be interesting indeed...