Post by EmperorMyric on Dec 16, 2017 18:28:44 GMT
"How dare you have your pawns attack another of our allies!" The Emperor Roared. He was furious, first the attack on Exceion now this, The Emperor could stand the first attack for the reasons behind this but in Myrics mind, this was going too far. "How many more of our allies do you wish to attack! We will have no relations by the time you are finished with your grand scheme!" Myric smacked the table hard, Droth flinched, he had been summoned here by Myric, as the official emissary to the Union he was required to oblige, but seeing the Emperor like this was both an incredible sight, and one of fear. Myric stared into Droth’s eyes looking for an answer.
Droth looked questionatively at the Emperor; he knew that for all the anger he saw, it wasn't as charged as it seemed. The Emperor, after all, was not an unintelligent man, and in the field of diplomacy posture was everything. "You insult us, my Lord," Droth answered calmly, though aware of the concern due in the situation. "Accusing us of such an action is unbecoming, especially given your knowledge of us."
"And yet you seek to taunt us? You attack our allies knowing full well they will request our support and yet we can do nothing! We go to provide humanitarian aid and yet the Immortal Empire seeks to slaughter innocents who we provide for! What would you have me do in those situations? Walk away?"
Droth nodded with a certain degree of understanding. "If Costellon had been attacked by the will of our commands, your wrath would not only be just, but merited. Yet this is not the case there. Consider these things, my Lord." Droth stated evenly, as he removed a silver disk from his sleeve. "Costellon has not even identified the attackers as those of the Immortal Empire. Your accusations towards the deeds of those in our command are hurtful. We are aware of the intents of the Immortal Empire, my Lord; we give guidance to their leaders, and we even see their futures. They are not behind this."
Droth sat the disc down on the table and activated it; like an unfolding flower it opened, and revealed a map of that area of the galaxy. "You are familiar with the Spartan Empire, are you not?"
"Then who damn well is!" Myric shouted "I know the ICS sworn enemy Atlantis is behind the attacks but they have help... And yes I am familiar with the Spartans..." He said shaking his head of old memories.
The map shifted to show a series of lines between Costellon's colonies and the space of the Tenebraen territories. "Spartan sources have detected wake trails leading from Tenebraen space to the attacked colonies and then retreating back into Tenebraen Space." Droth shook his head. "I must confess, this is odd to us, and I cannot speak for its accuracy..."
“It might seem,” Droth proposed, "that the Dark City is attempting to provoke your wrath against the Immortal Empire."
"Tenebraes territories? This must have some evidence so solid it would make a black hole look like gas, I do not trust any sources that are not my own, we will investigate these sources" The Emperor then looked directly at Droth "Or you are making that assumption to try to goad us into siding with you... Droth, This is a complex game taking place, if I find out that your associates or superiors are behind this then so help me there will be war" The Emperor said frustrated and enraged.
Droth's eyebrow rose up at this. "May I ask the Emperor what he thinks we might gain by attacking these colonies? Surely he remembers our reasoning for Exceion..."
"I do not know what you gain, your schemes are elaborate and complex, anything could be said for one of your schemes. And yes I remember the reasoning for Exceion, if I had forgotten your pawns the Immortal Empire would be burning and my allies would not be so battered from warfare. It is a miracle that I do not turn back on my offer, any respecting ruler would. But I know what will happen if I do. But by Umbreas power do not abuse my word!" Myric growled.
"Nor do we, my Lord!" Droth said forcefully. "The Dark City wields powerful time travelers who would detect us and undo our purpose here. Costellon is of no threat to us. We do not attack those that do not threaten us, Emperor." He tapped the disc again, and it shifted to reveal reports-Tenebraen and of the Ascendancy-regarding events at Vastra. "These Lost Squadrons may be of some relevance here. Even we lost ships to this peculiar event...you are not daft, Emperor. You know we are not daft either."
"We do not meddle in time because it creates these exact problems" Myric said turning to look at the reports "These lost fleets do not appear to be operating under anyone, I have had a couple of reports of Union ships going missing only to partake in these random attacks on some other poor soul... Do you have any idea who could be behind it all?"
Droth paused here as he contemplated his answer. It was an uncomfortable thing to address.
"...one of the Heraldic was assassinated on Zel." He said slowly, his hesitation evident here. "We suspect a temporal agent of the deed, but we have no solid leads as yet. But the deed was committed by a very skilled person, whoever he or she may have been..."
"...they were exceptionally skilled in their arts, it goes without saying." He added softly.
"Zel... The Homeworld of the Zelic Empire? I will not ask for your sake, but if you manipulate them into attacking yet more of my allies..." The Emperor Scowled "But someone of this level... hmmmm" The Emperor sat down and thought "I don’t know who could of done that but I think I know someone who might... Unfortunately they are not available right now... So I suppose your scared because this sort of thing doesn’t usually happen am I right?"
Droth tilted his head quizzically at this. "We have no reservations about your attacking the Zel. They are not in our command. As for who could have done it, the logical answer is another time traveler, and a very skilled one at that." He looked ridiculously perplexed now, and Myric admitted privately that it was an unusual look upon his face. "This is how we live, Emperor. Always on the razor's edge. If we felt fear upon the precipice, we would fall."
Myric smiled "I guess you really despise Tenebrae timecasters aye? Another nation with the ability to control time?" Myric chuckled to himself but soon stopped abruptly "Living on the Razors edge... Sounds elating if you ask me, but it would get tiring like the rest of things. As for the Zelics, good I do not want another enemy who I can’t attack out of fear of causing a unwinnable war."
Droth smiled apologetically. "They do not know it, but we have saved them before from great evils. In alternate timelines, we have asked that they give us distance and leave this galaxy, but invariably they refuse to abandon their colonies. From our perspective, we exhausted every diplomatic option."
“And you see this place as purely your own? Yet you do not try to destroy me or any other empires that have staked claims here. Nor have you tried to destroy the Sicarii... Yes we know of them" Myric smiled.
Droth scratched his chin; he was not familiar with the Sicarii, but he ignored that point. "We see ourselves as parents, in a sense. We guard and nurtured many indigenous species in this galaxy, and while we do not appreciate the increasing intrusions of these intruding empires, they are old enough to survive on their own now; and beyond that the Union is not a threat to them. But the Tenebraens..." Droth shook his head. "They command time too, and they would discover us."
Droth looked questionatively at the Emperor; he knew that for all the anger he saw, it wasn't as charged as it seemed. The Emperor, after all, was not an unintelligent man, and in the field of diplomacy posture was everything. "You insult us, my Lord," Droth answered calmly, though aware of the concern due in the situation. "Accusing us of such an action is unbecoming, especially given your knowledge of us."
"And yet you seek to taunt us? You attack our allies knowing full well they will request our support and yet we can do nothing! We go to provide humanitarian aid and yet the Immortal Empire seeks to slaughter innocents who we provide for! What would you have me do in those situations? Walk away?"
Droth nodded with a certain degree of understanding. "If Costellon had been attacked by the will of our commands, your wrath would not only be just, but merited. Yet this is not the case there. Consider these things, my Lord." Droth stated evenly, as he removed a silver disk from his sleeve. "Costellon has not even identified the attackers as those of the Immortal Empire. Your accusations towards the deeds of those in our command are hurtful. We are aware of the intents of the Immortal Empire, my Lord; we give guidance to their leaders, and we even see their futures. They are not behind this."
Droth sat the disc down on the table and activated it; like an unfolding flower it opened, and revealed a map of that area of the galaxy. "You are familiar with the Spartan Empire, are you not?"
"Then who damn well is!" Myric shouted "I know the ICS sworn enemy Atlantis is behind the attacks but they have help... And yes I am familiar with the Spartans..." He said shaking his head of old memories.
The map shifted to show a series of lines between Costellon's colonies and the space of the Tenebraen territories. "Spartan sources have detected wake trails leading from Tenebraen space to the attacked colonies and then retreating back into Tenebraen Space." Droth shook his head. "I must confess, this is odd to us, and I cannot speak for its accuracy..."
“It might seem,” Droth proposed, "that the Dark City is attempting to provoke your wrath against the Immortal Empire."
"Tenebraes territories? This must have some evidence so solid it would make a black hole look like gas, I do not trust any sources that are not my own, we will investigate these sources" The Emperor then looked directly at Droth "Or you are making that assumption to try to goad us into siding with you... Droth, This is a complex game taking place, if I find out that your associates or superiors are behind this then so help me there will be war" The Emperor said frustrated and enraged.
Droth's eyebrow rose up at this. "May I ask the Emperor what he thinks we might gain by attacking these colonies? Surely he remembers our reasoning for Exceion..."
"I do not know what you gain, your schemes are elaborate and complex, anything could be said for one of your schemes. And yes I remember the reasoning for Exceion, if I had forgotten your pawns the Immortal Empire would be burning and my allies would not be so battered from warfare. It is a miracle that I do not turn back on my offer, any respecting ruler would. But I know what will happen if I do. But by Umbreas power do not abuse my word!" Myric growled.
"Nor do we, my Lord!" Droth said forcefully. "The Dark City wields powerful time travelers who would detect us and undo our purpose here. Costellon is of no threat to us. We do not attack those that do not threaten us, Emperor." He tapped the disc again, and it shifted to reveal reports-Tenebraen and of the Ascendancy-regarding events at Vastra. "These Lost Squadrons may be of some relevance here. Even we lost ships to this peculiar event...you are not daft, Emperor. You know we are not daft either."
"We do not meddle in time because it creates these exact problems" Myric said turning to look at the reports "These lost fleets do not appear to be operating under anyone, I have had a couple of reports of Union ships going missing only to partake in these random attacks on some other poor soul... Do you have any idea who could be behind it all?"
Droth paused here as he contemplated his answer. It was an uncomfortable thing to address.
"...one of the Heraldic was assassinated on Zel." He said slowly, his hesitation evident here. "We suspect a temporal agent of the deed, but we have no solid leads as yet. But the deed was committed by a very skilled person, whoever he or she may have been..."
"...they were exceptionally skilled in their arts, it goes without saying." He added softly.
"Zel... The Homeworld of the Zelic Empire? I will not ask for your sake, but if you manipulate them into attacking yet more of my allies..." The Emperor Scowled "But someone of this level... hmmmm" The Emperor sat down and thought "I don’t know who could of done that but I think I know someone who might... Unfortunately they are not available right now... So I suppose your scared because this sort of thing doesn’t usually happen am I right?"
Droth tilted his head quizzically at this. "We have no reservations about your attacking the Zel. They are not in our command. As for who could have done it, the logical answer is another time traveler, and a very skilled one at that." He looked ridiculously perplexed now, and Myric admitted privately that it was an unusual look upon his face. "This is how we live, Emperor. Always on the razor's edge. If we felt fear upon the precipice, we would fall."
Myric smiled "I guess you really despise Tenebrae timecasters aye? Another nation with the ability to control time?" Myric chuckled to himself but soon stopped abruptly "Living on the Razors edge... Sounds elating if you ask me, but it would get tiring like the rest of things. As for the Zelics, good I do not want another enemy who I can’t attack out of fear of causing a unwinnable war."
Droth smiled apologetically. "They do not know it, but we have saved them before from great evils. In alternate timelines, we have asked that they give us distance and leave this galaxy, but invariably they refuse to abandon their colonies. From our perspective, we exhausted every diplomatic option."
“And you see this place as purely your own? Yet you do not try to destroy me or any other empires that have staked claims here. Nor have you tried to destroy the Sicarii... Yes we know of them" Myric smiled.
Droth scratched his chin; he was not familiar with the Sicarii, but he ignored that point. "We see ourselves as parents, in a sense. We guard and nurtured many indigenous species in this galaxy, and while we do not appreciate the increasing intrusions of these intruding empires, they are old enough to survive on their own now; and beyond that the Union is not a threat to them. But the Tenebraens..." Droth shook his head. "They command time too, and they would discover us."