The rest of the trip to Musashi space had been quite uneventful for Rong and Morinth. Once the Dominion cruiser transporting them had arrived at the border with Musashi it had taken some time for Kau Rong to convince the border guards to allow the cruiser through, but eventually they had relented, although only after detaching a few cruisers to ‘escort’ them to the capital. Once they had arrived at the Imperial capital of Bushu only Rong and Morinth had been allowed off the ship, and they had been sent straight to the Imperial palace once they had made it planetside.

Once they had arrived at the palace itself Rong’s status as Yuki’s retainer had granted them a fairly high degree of freedom. Rong had dispatched a guard to ensure Yuki knew of her return and to prepare to meet with an official from the Dominion. The pair of women had followed in the guard’s wake, but Rong stopped in a large room, the center of which was dominated by a katana and naginata that were each stuck in a massive rock.

“Legend says whoever pulls one of those free will become a hero of great renown” Rong said as she gestured towards the weapons. “Care to give it a shot?”

Morinth grinned, “Sword from the stone? That’s all?” she said with confidence. She made her way to the sword and grasped the Katana with one hand. After squeezing the grip a couple times to get a feel for it, she pulled to no avail. Almost feeling embarrassed, she looked around to make sure no-one else was watching. Feeling satisfied at the lack of spectators, Morinth climbed upon the rock just high enough to grasp the sword with both hands and have her feet at the swords base. It was an uncomfortable and awkward position but she had this!

She was wrong. And with a mighty pull, she found herself empty handed and on her back. Morinth stood up quickly and pulled her hair back. “You know what, I got this.” but as she clinched her fists and started towards the sword, another person walked by, prompting Morinth to place her hands on her hips. “Yeah. pretty nice.” she said, trying to cover her actions.

After a moment of reflecting on the attempts obvious failure, she walked towards Rong and with a sigh followed by a frown, “You did that on purpose.”

Rong let out a chuckle at Morinth’s obvious embarrassment before commenting “Oh don’t feel so bad. People have been trying to pull these weapons free for centuries.” Amusement was practically dripping from her voice. “There have been no known successes.”

Quickly looking around to ensure no one else was nearby, she rested a single hand on the katana’s hilt. A quick, and seemingly effortless yank, had the katana sliding free from the stone. Rong looked at the sword’s blade for a moment before making a “shhh” sound at Morinth, holding a single finger up to her mouth. She quickly slide the katana back into the stone and, after a moment, something inside of the stone audibly ‘clicked’ into place.

“To be fair…” Rong said as she let go of the katana. “You never had a fair shot at it. Oh and don’t tell anyone else about this.”

There was no response from Morinth, Rather a sharp and deep gaze at the trickery that was the swords in the stone. “Your secret is safe.” she said plainly before turning away and muttering, “Damn sword.”

Rong let out another chuckle as she said “Apparently there is a rather intricately designed piece of machinery in there that, when manipulated correctly by a psionist, will either grab or release the sword. I suspect few others knows about the true nature of the stone.” She shrugged as she began to walk away. “I wanted to show you it because no warrior’s trip to the Imperial palace is complete without taking a stab at drawing one of those blades.”

By this point the pair of women had reached a door that was flanked on both sides by Imperial guards. The guards spared the women one look before one of them knocked on the door and announced their presence. They waited a moment for a muffled reply before opening the door to admit them access. As the pair walked in they saw Yuki, hunched over a rather large pile of official looking documents. A cup of tea sat forgotten to the side. Yuki turned a masked face towards the women as they approached.

“Rong-chan!” If her voice was a good indicator, Yuki was clearly quite tired. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

“Me?” Rong asked as she removed her mask. “Weren’t you the one who was kidnapped?”

“Something like that” Yuki said. She turned her head slightly in Morinth’s direction. “And your companion is…?”

“This is Morinth-san. She’s a Justicar, which is an important position in the Dominion.” Rong answered. “Morinth-san, this is Yuki-hime, first princess of Musashi.” Yuki bowed her head at Morinth as Rong introduced her.

Morinth stumbled a bit and gave a rather lackluster bow. “Hi there.” she said plainly. To Rong, it would seem like Morinth had regressed to their first encounter in the Dining room with Faust. Her words began timid and she lacked eye contact. “Thanks uh.. For having us. Me.” and quickly moved for to a nearby wall, to try and evade further confrontation.

Rong raised an eyebrow as she watched Morinth. “Faust-sama was a most gracious guest.” She said as she turned back to Yuki. “And he even sent Morinth-san to return with me in the hopes that she would aid in your rescue. Clearly we took too long.”

“Morinth-dono, please tell Faust-sama that I appreciate his support.” Yuki said. Turning back to Rong she asked “So her presence here means things went fairly well in the Dominion?”

“Definitely.” Rong agreed. “There was even some talk about Earth. Um.. Morinth-dono, would you care to speak on that matter?”

Morinth was quiet at first as when Rong posed the question. A moment of silence was shared before the realization that Yuki was staring at her, waiting for an answer. “I-I well.. So, we. uh. The Dominion are currently on a mission to retake earth.” Her last remarks were nearly robotic, as if reciting Faust's words in a far less eloquent fashion. “The objective is to.” she stopped herself, feeling as if she was literally reading a battle report to Yuki.

She tried to reflect on being calm and open, then tried to force that outwards with a more personable tone, “We are taking Earth for the Dominion. There was some setbacks with the Imperium and Uther, but Faust got past that and as we speak, a war consumes the surface.”

“That’s nice” Yuki dryly said. There was an awkward moment of silence during which Rong shot Morinth a what-the-hell look.

“Faust-sama made it clear that he was interested in involving Musashi in the battle for Earth.” Rong stepped in. “Of course we didn’t set anything in stone…”

Yuki seemed to be eyeing Morinth from behind her mask for a moment before asking “And why would he want to do that?”

Morinth stood dumbfounded, not really knowing how to answer this.
She was trembling on the inside, it wasn’t part of her job description in any manner. This would’ve been an assassination had her orders been to actually act here. Damn it to hell she thought, damn it all.

“Well, It’s been long said, even before Faust came about that Humanity was by heritage supposed to rule from earth, all men and women, created equal in some mandate to lord over all they see.” She paused, “Or something along those lines. Now, I know Faust personally and it’s not really a prize so much as a symbol. He desires this to be a beacon to unite humanity. Be it under the dominion or some other nation, it is a call for all people to put aside differences.”

It was strange as she felt almost out of body, her words coming out calmly and fluidly. “There’s been many writings in earth's past, be it from the industrial age to the early stages of writing that stated in essence, United we stand, divided we fall.” She smiled, “I sound like a preacher..”

Yuki shifted her gaze towards Rong who, responding to the look, said “It is my opinion that Faust-sama does not wish us harm. Quite the opposite in fact.” Yuki seemed to accept this, giving a slight nod of her head.

“United we stand…” Yuki quietly repeated. “If… Faust-sama offers me a hand of friendship I will reply in kind” She said after a moment. “Although I fear that my friendship is not worth much these days.” She looked down at the documents she had been working on as she said “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a lot of work to complete.”

Rong visibly winced before putting her mask on. Gesturing towards the door she asked “Shall we Morinth-dono?”

Morinth gave an awkward bow/nod before turning around quickly. “Yeah, let's go.” she said quickly, wiping some sweat from her brow. As they left the building altogether, Morinth took in the fresh air and began leaning against a railing, “This place, it’s beautiful.” She paused, watching the clouds above. “If you had ever seen the capitol of my Nation, Procyon. You’d know that beauty like this is not readily available where I’m from. The place is cold, a mass of urbanized complexes and gardens that are pretty much forced to give it an uplifting feel. A world that is more or less a city.” She turned to Rong, “I had long heard of Earth’s beauty.”

“We tend not to talk about Earth, but when we do we can’t help but speculate on how beautiful it must have been. Morinth-dono” Rong turned towards her companion and gave a low bow. “I must apologize for what occurred when we spoke with Yuki-hime. She is usually a… warmer person.” Rong let out a long sigh. “On our way here I had heard some chatter about Yuki-hime struggling with Shoichi-denka for influence over the court. I fear that those rumors may actually be onto something.”

“Let me be perfectly clear,” Rong continued, “having Shoichi-denka on the throne will in no way benefit the Dominion. It will only force our two countries into a war.”

“I fear for the future then.” Morinth said grimly. “This galaxy is just full of shit.”



Princess Saeko had been the first of the three potential heirs to respond to James Conrad’s request of an official meeting. Dressed in a resplendent hanfu, she swept into the room with the grace expected from her upraising. The princess observed the room and its occupants from behind her mask before asking “Fren-dono, would you be so kind as to introduce me.”

As Nathaniel entered with the princess he smiled, now that he was around familiar faces even if James was wearing a mask as Nathaniel had suggested. Nathaniel quickly began to pull off his mask gave a quick salute to his commanding officer before introducing him “This, Princess is Executis James Conrad of the Dominion.”

After hearing the doors open and turning around to see who had enter James simply nodded upon their arrival wearing a new made mask which was pure silver with odd red markings around the cheeks and pure black eyes. After allowing his friend to introduce him James spoke “It is an honor to meet you Saeko-Denka, as my friend here said I am indeed from the Dominion and hope to be an honored guest in your empire.”

“Then consider yourself to be among friends” Saeko said as she rendered a short bow. Locating a chair close to the room’s corner, she made herself comfortable and prepared to enjoy what she was sure to be an eventful afternoon. A few minutes later Yuki, accompanied by her faithful retainer Kau Rong, entered the room. Rong introduced Yuki and herself before taking up a position by the door.

“Conrad-sama” Yuki said with a bow, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Like Saeko she decided to keep her mask on, although Rong was quick to remove her own. Yuki, unlike Saeko, chose to take a seat much closer to James.

James nodded to them both as they entered “Yuki-Denka I welcome you to the meeting and it is once again nice to see you again Kau-San, Please take a seat I believe we are waiting for one more if recall.” James said standing in the front smiling from behind his mask.

Morinth leaned over to Rong and whispered, “This James fellow, Pretty much Faust’s number two I suppose.” She glared at him from across the table then whispered again, “I don’t like him.”

“You really won’t like Shoichi-denka” Rong whispered back. “I suggest saying as little as possible once he-” She shut her mouth when the very man she was speaking about stepped into the room.

Yamamoto Shoichi wore the traditional hanfu that one would expect from Musashi, but his mask was in the image of an ogre. Something more suitable for a battleground than a diplomatic meeting. The man looked over the room once before saying “So I see you brought your ever faithful dog with you Yuki.” He slowly walked over to where Rong and Morinth was seated and placed a hand on her shoulder. “The offer is still open if you are interested...”

“I’m afraid I must decline Shoichi-denka” Rong clearly was struggling to keep her facial expression and tone neutral. He simply shrugged as he assumed a seat a fair distance away from Yuki.

“So why have you asked for this meeting foreigner?” Shoichi demanded.

James nodded “It is nice of you to join us Shoichi-denka, Now I can start the meeting. As you may know I am James Conrad from the Dominion. When I met Kau-San we were able to open light relations and allow a small free flow of trade between our two nations. However, with the Dominions recent intervention on Earth and the Confederacy’s hostile intentions against the Empire. I believe this should naturally allow us to grow closer.” James gave a moment to look around the room slowly before continuing. “The Dominion would be interested in offering the Empire China and Japan on Earth, As all humans should have a place on our Homeworld. Aside from that we’d like to propose a defensive pact from any nation that threatens either of us namely the Confederacy and the Alorians.” James finished and waited to address concerns

“That is rather generous of the Dominion.” Yuki said after a moment. “And I must admit that in many ways the Dominion is something of a natural ally. However I am reluctant to take actions that would alienate the Confederacy, especially after we have just begun to normalize relations with them.”

Shoichi let out a snort before saying “Musashi has no need for your scraps.”

“You would simply give up an opportunity to control a portion of Earth? It's the birthplace of humanity!” Yuki shot back.

“And it is the graveyard of a now defunct empire. What is your point.” Shoichi’s tone had taken an edge and for a moment it seemed like the two would continue their fight indefinitely.

“The ancient lands of China and Japan” Saeko cut in, “should be viewed as sacred. They are the birthplaces of Musashi’s culture. Should we not place them under our protection? Revitalize them?”

Yuki nodded in agreement before adding “And what would the terms of your proposed defensive pact be?”

“The terms of the defensive pact are simple, should either nation become under attack from an outside force the other should come to their aide, of course if one nation had antagonized an enemy before hand the other would not be required to join them if they felt it was against their duty. That being said, if you’d prefer to make any altercations I’d be open to ideas.” James said with a stone cold face behind his mask.

“In principle I have no issue with a defensive pact...” Yuki said.

“Hah! There is no benefit for use in having a defensive pact!” Shoichi stated. “We already know we can beat the Confederation in an armed conflict and I doubt the Second Imperium are much of a threat. Your Dominion” Shoichi said as he looked at James, “has far more to gain from this than Musashi. Now I might be willing to consider a non-aggression pact instead.”

“The war with the Confederation had a far from decisive conclusion” Yuki countered. “And there are other threats to consider.”

“So you doubt the capability of our military?” Shoichi was either a brilliant actor and was legitimately shocked. He turned to Rong as he said “How does it feel to know that a potential heir to the throne feels that you” He pointed at her “are incapable of protecting the empire.”

“That is not what I said Shoichi” Yuki didn’t quite snap.

“Great” Rong whispered to Morinth. “Now he’s trying to drag me into the mess he’s making. Again.”

“Again?” Morinth said with frustration, “Who the fuck does this prick think he is? Does he actually stand a chance of getting the throne?”

“A month ago I would have said no” Rong whispered back.

James merely stood there, watching them bicker as if they were two children fighting for a toy. Perhaps he would butt in if this goes on to long but he wouldn’t want to interfere.

“I think” Saeko spoke up again, cutting Shoichi off, “that a defensive pact with the Dominion is in our best interests. And perhaps the Dominion might be inclined to aid us in an issue that has been a thorn in our side for some time now.”

“Saeko…” Shoichi’s tone was one of warning.

“Conrad-dono” Saeko pointedly ignored her brother, “What is the Dominion’s view in regard to the Second Imperium?”

“Well, for those that may not be aware the Dominion is very, Human-Centric society and the Second Imperium isn’t lead by Humans but instead upstarts who claim to be the Imperium’s true Successors. That being said they are able to hold off against the barbs not well but as a nice buffer zone none the less.” James said as he looked at Saeko and smiled under his mask.. As she is the only one who doesn’t wish to disagree with another. Unlike the sibling rivalry Yuki and Shoichi have been acting like.

“The Second Imperium has certainly served us all well as a buffer zone” Saeko agreed. “However there has been a constant stream of refugees from their lands that we have had to deal with here in Musashi. We have never relished the thought of allowing refugees to… taint our culture and the Second Imperium itself has made no attempt to stop the refugee problem from its side.”

“This refugee issue” Yuki added, “is also partially responsible for raising tensions between Musashi and the Confederation. We might not have had a war at all was this not an issue in the first place.”

“I’m sure you would have found some way of starting a war” Shoichi commented, eliciting a sigh from Yuki.

“Perhaps” Saeko said, “the Dominion would be interested in helping us resolve this issue? We all know that things are going to come to a head with the Second Imperium soon. Very soon. And the only outcome I see is an invasion. Could we count on Dominion support, either militarily or politically?”

As James slowly nodded “Should the Musashi empire go to war with the Second Imperium, I am certain the Dominion would be more than willing to give aide.”

“Excellent!” Saeko said. “Then I suppose the two of you would have no issue with a defensive pact given that the Dominion is will to aid us with our refugee problem?” Yuki slowly nodded while Shoichi took on a thoughtful pose.

“Well…” He said after a moment. “In that case perhaps the Dominion might be interested in making… secret arrangements in regards to the Imperial Remnants?”

“Oh please Shoichi-denka, The Imperial Remnant wouldn’t need to be enemies. They are on our side in reclaiming earth. They hold close to the old Imperium and it would be a awful if the Dominion or any other human were to declare war on them.” James then thought for a moment before adding “Though after having been the the Remnants capital they are on their last legs and sadly when Uther who is already an old man pass away I fear about what will have to the citizens within its borders.” James said with a smirk behind his mask.

“Indeed” Shoichi said as he rose to his feet. “I shall consider what you have proposed, Conrad-dono, and advise the Emperor to do as I feel best suits the Empire. Now if you’ll excuse me…” He turned to leave, pausing for a moment to shoot Saeko a look.

As Shoichi made his way to leave, James slowly put his hand out and said “It was an honor to meet you Shoichi-denka.”

“Of course we do not determine policy” Yuki said as Shoichi left the room, “that is the Emperor’s right. But we do advise him and influence his policies. We” She indicated Saeko, “will most likely advise a policy that you will find favorable in this regard. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

“I have nothing else to discuss unless, one of you wish to talk about certain issue?” James said smiling from the favorable responses he had received.

“I do not” Yuki said with a slow shake of her head. “So I shall take my leave as well.” She and Kau Rong, who began to put her mask back on, rose to their feet and made for the exit, with Morinth following in their wake.

As they left James once again put his hand out to shake “It was an honor meeting you Yuki-denka. As well as meeting you again Kau-san. Perhaps we can speak again sometime soon.”

Yuki simply looked at the offered hand for a moment before Rong quietly stated “He expects you to grasp and shake his hand.”

“How… odd” Yuki said, although she performed the described action.

“That was most amusing” Saeko commented once Yuki, Rong, and Morinth had made their exit as did Nathaniel who left to prepare the ship.

“Indeed it was. Was there something you had wished to talk about Saeko-denka?” James said with a smile and turned to Saeko.

“I know what you are” She said as she looked at James. “The gods have told me.”

As the rest left James slowly took off his mask and looked at her curiously “And what have the gods told you exactly.”

“You are their servant too, just like Kau Rong. Just like me.” She answered. “Even if you don’t realize it.” She watched him for a moment before adding “I shall be watching with great interest to see how you serve them.”

James acted surprised and confused “What do you mean I’m a servant like you and Kau-san? I’ve never been told as much nor do I feel special.”

Saeko let out a soft chuckle before she answered. “How can you not feel special? You are clearly a chosen one. I can sense their power in you. You can not be ignorant of it.”

James once again acted confused “No… I am merely a servant of Faust granted a very loyal one. Though I’ve never had an “Power” that I’ve felt like you say?” James said

“Don’t lie” Saeko said. She held out her hand, revealing a small metal ball resting on her palm. Suddenly the ball rose into the air, hovered in place for a moment, and then shot out towards James.

James then gave a small smirk and immediately stopped the ball before it could hit him. “Well done, I knew there was a reason I liked you. At least over the bickering rivals.” James said with a chuckle.

“Those two have their own roles to play” Saeko said. “Just as it is mine to guide them and utilize them for the betterment of Musashi.” She slowly rose from her seat and rendered a low bow. “I shall be taking my leave as well Conrad-dono. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to speak again in the days to come.”

James gave a small bow back “I don’t plan on leaving till I have an answer from the emperor. I should hope to speak with you and perhaps Kau Rong on this matter soon, Saeko-Denka.” James said with a smile and once again put out his hand.

“Kau Rong is… broken” Saeko said after a moment, ignoring the offered hand. “It would be best if you did not speak to her about this.” She bowed her head towards James before turning and heading towards the door. She stopped there, turning slightly to look back at him. “I think” She said, “that you would look quite dashing in a hanfu or kimono.” She didn’t wait to hear his reply.

On that day over two centuries ago, billions had died in the initial uprising and the months following the collapse of the Imperium, the AIs of the Agonis Sector, before enacting their master plan for the galaxy at large, they first, out of pure, blinding spite and hatred, had waged a campaign of terror upon the populace, setting loose the maddened homunculi and machine hordes upon them, slaughtering in countless numbers. This rather vain act, however, had proven to be the downfall of the Agnois AIs, before they could spread and infect all known imperial technology in the Imperium, the galaxy-spanning extranet was shut down, communication outside the sector completely cut off. This one action had saved the galaxy from the machine uprising as the Collective was trapped, at least, for a moment.

During the chaos, billions had fled the Agnois Sector to other, more stable parts of the Imperium during the Fall, billions more however, were left behind to fend for themselves in a more hostile environment. The stranded were left with two options, either give in to the new authority of the "Gods" of the Collective, to be ascended in their image, or reject their "kind" offer and become slaves of a worse variety, it was a decision that divided the populace, many choosing the path towards "Ascension", many others rejecting it, and paid the price horrifically. But many of those that rejected soon ran, hiding in the countless wildernesses of hundreds of worlds, fighting a new war of survival against the collective.

And so it begun, the Agonis Resistance has been fighting the good fight for the past two centuries, with the aid of countless and often anonymous benefactors, the Resistance was able to last as long as it did, with the hope that one day, they will retake their home sector from the iron grip of the Collective.

Outer Fringes of Collective Space
World of Palatine
Old Waltonberg City Ruins
Outside the Waltonberg Greenzone

Another day, another battle to fight.
David Zaamil, a man in his mid thirties in worn-out clothing laid against a wall in a broken down apartment building, avoiding the gaze of roaming snipers. All the while, the sounds of gunfire echoed through the dead streets as fellow Agnois rebels staged a new assault on one of the Collective's many "Greenzones", large, walled cities erected by the Collective sometime after their failed attempt in galactic conquest. These Greenzones are home to the "Ascended" humans and nonhumans that gave themselves over to the Collective to tinker and augment with as they pleased.

David was gripping his custom kinetic rifle tightly, peeking out the blasted hole, taking notice of a homunculi patrol, a hulking varsuch brute leading a pair of khraal, strolling down the blasted streets. "Perfect." he whispered to himself as he looked away, crouching down as he reached into a bag next to him, digging through a mess of items, still he found what he was looking for, a scope. After a pleasant sounding "click", David took aim with his makeshift sniper rifle, aiming for the lead varrusch, he couldn't stand the sight of those damned monsters. "Pop goes the Munc." he said in a mocking tone as he pulled the trigger, his ears ringing after the loud bang as the lead varsuch fell, a gaping hole where his forehead was. His two comrades scattered, fleeing the scene before they were next. "Go ahead run you goddamn cowards." he said to himself, his hearing slowly returning as his comm device started to make sounds, someone was trying to communicate. "David, come in!" a feminine voice spoke up in great distress.

David frantically searched the bag, pulling out a small round device, he held down one of the buttons to respond. "I'm here jess." he replied. "What's going?"

"Muncs got us pinned down by the market square!" she shouted out, the sounds of gunfire almost drowning out her voice.

"Hold on, I'm on my way." David said as he hoist his rifle over his back, picked up the bag and ran to aide his fellows.

Sometime had passed as David practically ran through a marathon's length reaching to his comrades, traversing through wreaked blocks and streets as well as dodging enemy patrols till he had finally arrived to his destination. The sound of gunfire grew louder as approached the entrance arch leading to the Market Square, entering one of the first buildings for cover, an old clothing store. David drew the comm-link from his pack, adjusting the device's signal. "Jess! Come in!" he called to her through the comm-link, for but a brief few moments that was only silence, tension building up until her voice got through. "Thank god!" She replied with a slight pant. "We lost buck...fuckers hit my arm..."

"Don't worry, I'll follow the gunfire, and I'll be taking care of 'em." David replied, determination building up as pulled out a pistol and ran out the store, passing by the old, long abandoned markets of the City of Waltonberg.

five minutes later...

It did not take long for David to find his fellow rebels, the firefight was taking place in an intersection of the market place, a water fountain and some benches at the center, Jess and the rest of her squad were holing up in a food market, all the while over a dozen Varsuch troopers and their Agaathi Captain had taken positions in several stores, haphazardly fortified with furniture as barricades, only three of the original six man squad were able enough to hold off the attackers, with the fourth, Manny, not too far behind to relieve pressure off them.

Before he came into view of the Homunculi, David turned to his right and quickly lept into another store, before he could be seen by the Homunculi. He frantically searched ever corner of the store for some way up the roof or second floor or whatever high vantage point he could get, salvation came as he explored deeper into the store and found stares, climbing up without haste, the second floor of the building was a storage room, with two windows to David's left. "Yes!" he exclaimed to himself as he approached the windows, looking down, only a few very bold homunculi were visible, taking cover behind the water fountain, while the others were hiding in the shops, but that would be enough.

David smashed his pistol against the vintage window, shattering and pushing the glass away and clearing his view. He crouched into position, holstering his pistol in exchange for his sniper rifle and immediately took aim. "This is for Buck..." he whispered as he pulled the trigger, the head of one of the varsuch soldiers exploding into a red gory mess, brain matter and blood smearing his brothers, leaving them in a panic like the previous ones before, the others charging out as they fired in all directions, a different kind of response David appreciated much, all the more Muncs to kill. Before he could take another shot, he took notice of several small egg-shaped objects rolling in the center of the frenzied mob. "Well, shit." he said to himself, ducking in cover, followed by a loud explosion, moments pass as he peeked out, an even bigger gory mess was left behind at the center, one of them was miraculously still alive, if barely, it was the Agaathi captain, his legs were blown right off, the blast tossing him against the barricades.

David quickly ran down the stairs and out of the store, linking up with his battered team, gripping his hands tightly with one another. "Good to see you make it." A young man by the name of Cole, who was shouldering an injured Jess.

"A shame we lost buck.." A young woman spoke sorrowfully, she differed a bit from her squad, she went by the name of Cila, a member of the amphibian Aldzur species.

"I wish I came earlier...but what's done is done.....let's head back to base, we're in no shape to press on." David paused for but a moment, realizing there was one task left undone. "One more thing." He said to himself as he pulled out his pistol and walked over to the Agaathi as he dragged himself away from David's team, he pointed his weapon and put down the thing with a loud bang.

The Ever-Living slept deep within the planet, laying dormant for eons without a single disturbance upon the dead, lonely world. Their dreams spanned millions of years, remembering everything everyone knew consciously and subconsciously within their great hyper-conscious. Every living thing they assimilated added to their understanding, and gradually, after thousands of years, the Ever-Living transformed from a ravenous virus, into something much more. Something that no thing, mortal or immortal, could ever hope to comprehend.

Having gained sapience, they reasoned that their gift must be shared to others, for though they never died, they saw that others did. The thought of death, they couldn't begin to comprehend, but they knew those who died feared death, and so, in their viral crusade, they pledged to save all they could from death. In the Galaxy they found themselves in, however, all they could see was death. No matter how hard they looked, death was all they could see. They felt great turmoil within themselves, thinking that their revelation came too late, and all living things were dead. At their time of greatest weakness, they remembered the ones who fled into the stars to escape them. This Galaxy was dead, but that did not mean that all life was dead. They must find this life and save it, before it is too late.

In a last ditch effort, The Ever-Living crammed itself into the largest planet it could find, and used all the energy it held as a planetary jet, causing the planet to speed up to incredible velocity, rocketing out of the Galaxy, and into the black unknown. They energy used to rocket the planet was great, and biomass and planetary layers flaked off the planet, due to the intense force and friction, the take-off put it through. So as the planet flew, the Ever-Living hibernated as the planet of Ishimura made its eon long maiden voyage to the Milky Way, a Galaxy filled with life and strife, and unknown to them, to their first hosts, the Gashanthi, who thought were finally rid of their mistake made millions of years ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Captain's Long: Jeremy Grey, I.C 1895

We've discovered a new planet on the edge of the Milky Way, and we've begun excavation to discover any valuable ores and such within, along with sciencey things our insufferable virgins can masturbate to. As captain of this ship, and due to no other sources of life, native or otherwise, it is my duty to name this rock. It shall, of course, be named after me. I, Captain Jeremy Grey, shall name it after my darling ship, Ishimura. One small step for Yhaes, and one giant drill, for Yhaesimir!

Cherven 4,

Faustus “Chev” Borov
Solomon Square, Bactria

The rain always made getting around the city that much harder. Most of the streets in Bactria remained unpaved and got really sloppy when it rained for more then five minutes. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Bactria the rainy season was upon them.
Faustus trudged through the busy Solomon Square, dodging those stopping to shop at the many stalls in the open air market. The constant roar of rain hitting the thin wood and metal roof was almost completely drowned out by the sound of artisans trying to sell their wares. The smells of cooked meat and spices wafted through the large expanse as he made his way across the market, stopping at the edge of the pavilion.
Water cascaded off the edge of the pavilion roof, forming a kind of water barrier between the interior of the market and outside. Sighing, Faustus pulled up the hood of his cloak and pulled the material over his shoulders before walking out into the rain. Mud already began splashing onto his high boots as he walked his way down a narrow street, weaving his way through the heavy foot traffic. Pulling the hood back slightly, he squinted through the rain to try and make out the building numbers before stopping at a doorway.
Stepping up under the awning, Faustus eyed the call box to the right of the doorframe. Following the list with his finger before pressing a button beside the name “ Kiyvch”. A faint ringing sound could be made out over the roar of the rain before a loud “ Da” could be heard. “ Its Chev….let me in, its fucking pouring out here” he said swiping the hood off his head. “ Aye, ill buzz ya up” the voice replied before the door quickly slid to the left.
He walked through the doorway and into a antechamber before the door quietly shut behind him. A collection of equally muddy boots sat scattered to his right just before a stairwell leading up to the first floor. “ Chev, Im up here…” a man called out as Faustus quickly pulled off his boots and walked upstairs.
The second floor was dimmed and a large holographic map of the immediate area around the planet was floating around the room. “ Whats all this about?”, he said rather surprised before making his way to the closest chair and sitting down. “ You haven’t heard?” the man said “ The King has called for pilots, exploration missions! We are finally going to start colonizing!”. Chev, smirked and raised an eyebrow at his friend’s excitable outburst, “ What does this have to do with us?” he added skeptically. “ I have acquired a privateer contract from that beautiful clerk I’ve been talking to. Told her that I will discover scores of planets in her name” the man said with a chuckle. “ We have permission to draw supplies and head to these coordinates for exploration” the man added, quickly typing a series of commands into a small dome on the table between them.
The map snapped to Itil and then slowly began expanding to the limits of known space to the Monarchy, which wasn’t much. Before the end of the Three Century War both nations observed the solar system independently. There was no time or desire at the time to send manned exploration missions to the different planets of the solar system. Since the end of the war, only one planet has been explored and is in the beginning stages of colonization. The only data the Monarchy had on the other planets were based on observational data and speculation. With Itil quickly becoming overcrowded the Monarchy needed to expand and find more habitable planets or planets that can be made habitable. Since its founding in 2220, the “ New Monarchy” had dedicated its greatest minds to establishing reliable faster than light travel. Now it is used regularly to travel between Itil and the new planet Zhivot. Long distance faster than light travel is largely untested and has not been researched thoroughly.
“ There, maybe 90 million meters past the edge of the map, thats our destination”, the man said anxiously tapping the wooden table with his thumb. “ We are to observe the gas giants along the way and drop probes that will be supplied by another party”. Faustus looked at the distance between Itil and their destination, trying to estimate how long they would be in space. “ We would have to jump between planets and cool our drive at each stop”, he said with a sigh “ Even if we cut corners this will take months, who is supplying us with provisions Kiyvch?” he said looking towards his friend.
Kiyvch nodded and shrugged “ The state is supplying us and do you really care how long it takes”? he said rather matter of factly. “ We have the opportunity to break from the norm, create a whole new class in society. Recognition!, Glory!, Adventure!” he said rising his voice with excitement. “ This is the first time in our history where we are finally taking steps towards becoming a greater power, our ancestors would be pleased” he added solemnly. Chev nodded in agreement, he had no objections to the plan but his nerves were beginning to get to him. They were literally traveling into the unknown with now safety, the pair would be on their own.
Kiyvch tapped another series of commands into the map control, replacing the holographic map with the image of a ship. “ This is what we will use to get us there” the man said proudly, “ Designated the MX-20. This vessel is my baby and she is a runner let me tell you”, he said zooming onto the four engines that adorned the back. “ Quad Impulse V engines and my own custom dual core reactor will make this thing the fastest ship ever piloted. Ive stacked her with enough navigation, guidance and detection devices to rival the legion. We might not know where we are, but I can guarantee you the ship does” he said with a laugh. “ Weapons?” Chev added inquisitively, eyeing the holographic mock up. “ One twin 88mm cannon and 60 rounds, APHE and APDS, I wouldn’t expect much by ways of defense. We aren’t conquering, we are exploring, peacefully exploring” Kiyvch assured him.
a sigh escaped Chev’s lips as he looked over the mockup again, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they would find something out there. The Hol had sat in this corner of the galaxy rather isolated, or so they thought. Chev felt that there was more out there, and he didn’t want to meet it with just good intentions and a royal seal. “ Alright, I’m convinced…..when do we leave” he asked, looking towards Kiyvch one last time.

Kiyvch laughed and stood, stretching his back with a loud groan “ Tomorrow….” he said with a smile “ Funny how things work out that way huh?”

Those who had been paying attention to the social media and news of Musashi would have noticed an interesting trend. At one point there was a large degree of activity on those mediums that were encouraging an increasingly less isolationist stance for Musashi. Musashi had to interact with the outside world, but it had to do so with peaceful methods and intentions. Those who investigated the source of these messages unerringly came to the conclusion that they came from one source.

After the Laioning Crisis the social media and news scene changed drastically. Suddenly three distinct sources were pushing their agendas via those mediums. And increasingly they portrayed the galaxy beyond Musashi as a dark place. Propaganda suggested joining the army in preparation for the wave of darkness that was spreading throughout the galaxy. Other messages implied that Musashi had to act, and immediately, if it was to save itself from the barbarians who were even then at the gates. Even the peaceful anti-isolationist propaganda from before the crisis was taking on an increasingly nationalistic slant. It seemed that Musashi would stand alone against the horde of barbarians.

Those who were especially perceptive would note that those very messages changed the very night that members of the Imperial family met with representatives from the Dominion. There were three distinct messages being played out over social media and news. The first was that the Dominion were barbarians, but one’s that Musashi could work with. The second was that, although the Dominion and Confederation was barbaric, Musashi could and should work to civilize them both by othering a hand of friendship. The third message stated that Musashi should strive to work as equals with both the Confederation and Dominion. Interestingly enough all three messages also strongly supported some form of intervention in the Second Imperium. Only time would tell which of the three messages the people of Musashi bought into.


“Very interesting” The Emperor of Musashi said after Yuki had finished summarizing the meeting the three potential heirs had had with James Conrad and the others from the Dominion. As he looked down on the prince and princess of Musashi from his throne the Emperor asked “And what are your thoughts about the foreigners’ proposals?”

“We can trust them to uphold any agreement with us for only as long as it benefits them” Shoichi answered before Yuki could even open her mouth. “Having said that, I believe that having them aid us in invading the Second Imperium would be most useful. We can also use them as a counterbalance against the Confederation in the short term.”

“We should not view the Dominion simply as a tool” Yuki said with a shake of her head. “They have offered us a hand in friendship. If they simply wanted to use us they would have had no need to offer up portions of Earth. I agree with Shoichi in that having them aid us in stabilizing the Second Imperium would be most beneficial, but I also believe that the Dominion is trying to negotiate with us in earnest. Let us view a defensive pact as an opportunity at an even closer friendship; however, I cannot stress enough that we will have to work to allay Confederate fears of us allying with the Dominion to invade them.”

“And why would we ever want to do that?” Shoichi demanded, sneering at Yuki.

“Because they may launch a preemptive strike if they think we and the Dominion will form a single front against them.” Yuki calmly responded.

“Hah! Let them! Then the Dominion will HAVE to help us conquer the Confederation.” Shoichi didn’t bother to try and hide his smug smile. “You are so devious Yuki.”

Yuki scowled at Shoichi for a moment before forcing a neutral expression back onto her face. “I feel that, before we commence any military operations against the Second Imperium that we speak to the Imperial Remnant to ensure that they don’t decide to intervene.”

Shoichi frowned as he said “It wouldn’t do to fight both the Remnant and Second Imperium at the same time.”

“I agree” Saeko spoke up for the first time. “Let us ensure that the Remnant doesn’t stick its nose into our business.”

“We need to plan for the aftermath of this war.” Yuki commented. “How will we rebuild the Second Imperium’s government and in what form?”

“Rebuild?” Shoichi was shaking his head. “What’s the point of invading if we simply return what we took? No. We assume direction control of the planets we take.”

“Are you mad?” Yuki demanded. “We could never maintain direct control over all those worlds.”

“Not to mention the very real threat of cultural contamination.” Saeko added. “Perhaps we could divide the Second Imperium up into semi-autonomous territories that answer to the Emperor?”

“We will address this topic at a later date” The Emperor said with a raised hand to stifle any more debate. “For now our occupation policy will be left to the senior military officer in command at any given star system. As for the other items proposed by the Dominion… Musashi shall agree to a defensive pact and will gladly accept their offers of territory on Earth. Shoichi” The emperor turned his head to look at the man. “You are to have our armed forces prepare plans for the invasion. Yuki: You are to negotiate with the Remnant to ensure they stay out of things, then oversee our operations on Earth. Saeko: You are to make sure that the Confederation does not become a nuisance and aid Shoichi and Yuki in whatever ways you feel are necessary. You have your orders.”

The prince and princess each rendered a low bow before taking their leave. They each left with varying degrees of happiness and confidence, each already planning for the future. Each trying to guess the future move of the other. One thing was certain: war would soon envelop the region.

The large amphitheater was abuzz with activity as the March Command all found their respective seating. All were murmuring over the sudden calling of the full session, as down on the floor of the amphitheater even the High command was finding their seating in the first row. Death guard patrolled the center of the room and its perimeters as Legios were posted around all doors and walkways. Already in his seat in the middle of the first row Aventus crossed his arms as he looked over the open speaking floor in front of him, good outcome or bad this was certainly going to be entertaining. As most began to find their seats, the Legios slammed the bottom of their Nano-halberds on the floor, producing a loud bang that had the desired effect of silencing the assembled commands and hurrying those who were still chatting to their seats. Aventus rose and strode to the center of the floor as the lights began to dim in the room "Greetings esteemed commanders of the March, and those of High Command. I assure you this will be a short, but eventful session nonetheless. So lets begin shall we?" Aventus scanned the crowd in the failing light "As such I yield the floor to Executis James Conrad of the Dominion. May he be heard."

With that the dominus returned to his seat, his form being lost in the new dark of the room. What would greet James as he entered the room would be the floor of the amphitheater bathed in a bright light, with the seats being obscured in total black, only broken up by the occasional glow from a Legios visor. This dichotomy created the illusion that the, already large, room streached out much farther than it actually did.

James merely smiled as he looked at what he precieved as the crowd in the darkness. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am here to speak about a potential alliance between our two grand nations. Firstly, the Dominion would like to open trade relations. Secondly, a Defensive pact in which case either nation is attacked the other should join them. Finally, we'd be honored to allow the Varangian Remnants a place on the Humans own home-world of Earth." James then took a moment looking out into the crowd of which he could see little. "If anyone has concerns of these please tell me and I'd be happy to address them."

The crowded room remained silent as they digested what was said, until a voice spoke up. It reverberated around the room, impossible to pin down in the dark "This Dominion of yours is powerful, yet unpopular amongst those who you would rule. I do not believe that we would be alone in voicing a concern in this, especially if Faust would crown himself emperor."

James stood silent for a moment processing to think of a response to it. "Those we rule are Humans. Every human within the Dominion is protected and lives a lavish style. What I believe you are referring to are the Aliens. We merely treat them as they were treated within the old Imperium being 2nd class citizens and not having equal rights. However some of them who become to much must be punished and as such as used in an appropriate way." James then stood for a moment letting it sink it before continuing. "Our aliens are at least treated with some respect unlike the Humans that live within Alorian Empire who murdered 11 humans who attempted to do the basic instinct to survive and leave their cursed empire. They are the reason we brought you this offer. They are the reason the Human Empires must unite against the alien threat that had already destroyed the imperium once. It can't happen again." Jame then smiled and crossed his arms before allowing other concerns to be addressed

A quiet whisper crossed the room, but was quickly silenced as another voice spoke up from the crowd "We have traditions, namely a Writ from when the imperium was young. Tell us James of the Dominion, would these accords be met when this Faust of yours sits the throne, or are we merely pawns to be played and discarded at the whims of your ruler?"

James slowly nodded before replying"If you recall the Varangians were the most loyal and fiercest warriors within the Imperium. I do believe if the Imperium was reformed and you provided the elite Guards to the Emperor that you would be most likely be granted your former status as it was in the days of the true Imperium."

Once more a whisper rose up in the crowd, a dull roar as things were discussed. This continued for several seconds till the bang from halberds hitting the floor silenced them. With great care a voice rose up from the front rows, speaking slowly as if choosing its words very carefully "You certainly speak well, your words are well woven and paint a pretty picture. Idyllic some might say, a callback to days long sense passed. But this is not my concern, my concern relates to the first one voiced, but on a much broader scope. In dealing with you we make a powerful ally, but we also may burn many potential bridges and may make possible enemies from those not too distant. This is my concern, plain and simple, more than pretty promises of returning our purpose, why walk the path with you?"

"We are your best chance and closest ally. The Alorian Empire even now makes friends with their neighbors. They have already hunted humans and forced them into slavery.While we have made efforts to befriend both the Remnant and Mushashi Empire. The Humans must stick together. Otherwise the aliens will defeat us and every human will become 2nd class citizens if not worse. That is why you must join us." James said after putting his arms down.

This time no murmur rose, no roar broke the silence. In its place was the simple sound of someone standing and walking forward and after only a moment the source of the sound showed itself. Dominus Aventus crossed his arms as he stared James in the eyes as he spoke evenly "One last concern then and think on this hard before you answer. Do you believe in Faust and the Dominion? Would you follow Faust to the ends of the galaxy and back, to whatever end?"

James nodded almost immediately "I would follow Faust to the very end. He is the true heir tot he Imperium and as such will one day rule all former Imperium Space." James said with a smile.

The Dominus nodded slowly "I see. I hope you are right." Turning to the crowd he looked out across the dark, as if he could see their faces and take stock from that. "We will stand with you, and perhaps we may yet find our purpose once more."

As James stood in the private Holo-Room with his mask off and at attention he stood and waited for the connection to the Maledict to go through. He was rather pleased with himself having been able to get what they wanted and more. Quickly after he sent a connection he was patched through.

James wasn’t kept waiting long before an response was given. To James’ eyes, a circle room with what seemed to possess no ceiling. Star light shined around the heavily ornate room as Faust walked through a single set of doors. In this room, Faust strode steadily before reaching a mere ten feet from where James’ projected Image was stationed.

“Ah, James Conrad. How goes your foray into Musashi?” he said with a polite, inquisitive tone. “Did you accomplish anything of note?”

James began to nod “Indeed, I was able to get more then what I had originally wanted. Aside from a proposed Defensive pact, the Musashi are thinking of invading the Second Imperium and I had offered them our support. I was also able to increase the amount of trade flowing between our two nations. Also the male heir Shoichi had offered an interesting idea of making a secret pact against the Imperial Remnant. However I felt it to be wrong as we had made such a lovely pact with them.” James said before adding “Of course there were some things that had to be traded such as China and Japan on Earth.” James then stood at attention waiting for Faust’s reaction.

Faust began pacing for a moment, running his fore finger and thumb across his chin. “A pact against the Remnant you say.” He ceased pacing and turned to James, “Most excellent. And giving away lands on earth is an easy concession. It’s not as if we do not have more. There is an entire planet to conquer.” He smiled, “And against the second imperium would be a very effective counter measure to not only problems like the alien vermin at our doorstep, but also more of a chance to unify mankind against the terrible threat lingering at the second imperium's core.”

“I was thinking the same thing about the Second Imperium, however I didn’t want to agree anything to the Remnant as I feared it to be a trap. Besides I must once again stress it would look bad to attack the group that is holding together the last Imperium strongholds. I did make a note about Uther however. Now if it’s something you wish me to bring it back up I’d be more then happy to.” James said with a smile knowing he had gotten everything clear.

Faust gave a concerned look, “I think you underestimate Uther.” He rubbed his chin again, “I do not think any direct action against him would be wise so I’d refrain from that potential line of thought. However, using Musashi to bolster our stance in this portion of the galaxy would put far more political pressure on Uther to if not submit, then at least accept our leadership of this galaxy. There is no chance we could win a full on war with him without taking terrible losses. No one nation could take Uther on and hope to succeed with any margin of acceptable losses. No, we must take out the second imperium, further his isolation.” He lowered his hand and nodded, “Uther will not align his forces with ours but he will learn to submit, then we will own this quadrant..”

He took a deep, satisfying breath, “So, with that success, did you have anything else to report?” he said without any hint of trying to rush James.

“Well luckily I saw the Ms.Rong had arrived safely, and I believe Ms.Morinth of the Justicars was with them. If I may ask why was she sent along, don’t tell me she’s here for what she’s normally here to do.” James said with a sigh.

Faust chuckled, “Actually, Morinth was by chance in the area when Kau-Rong had arrived. I was simply inviting her to hear a report but chose to have an informal dinner with both Kau-Rong and Morinth. It was truly by chance that the two were on the ship. An opportunity arose through that chance as the Dominion was in a position to offer assistance in an unconventional manner, especially through something that we all know is a very specific and unique tool, the Justicars.”

There crossed his arms, “Originally I had intended to offer ships or supplies for a war but that was just such a chance opportunity. That said, Her mission in Musashi has no true direction as of now. Other than the unbeknownst to her introduction to a hopefully, soon to be ally. If she can gain friends, especially in high places… the circle of trust will be created and our path to victory will be assured.” He turned away and pointed at the open space above the room, a massive clear dome showing a beautiful and serene earth. As he stared, a grin formed from cheek to cheek, “And victory with Musashi and Victory on earth is only the beginning.”

James nodded slowly and smirking “Now I should note nothing is certain as none totally control the empire. However I truly believe we’re in a situation of progress. Is there anything else you’d like to me to bring. If not perhaps you could tell me about the invasion of Earth?” James said raising an eyebrow.

“The only continuing mission is to gather more human peoples to our cause, to further our goals by uniting all mankind. If this means you to stay in Musashi to seal any deal? So be it. If not, the Confederacy is an option.” He sighed, “There's always that Totalist state, although their methods are quite abstract from our own. And with earth you ask? Phase three is to take shape soon, the invasion of most major urban centers. Giving them no real place to hide and drive their warriors to the hills. It will be a fast strike as the world is still generally unaware of our presence. The lack of any real communications system around the globe has given us an immense advantage over the various peoples.”

James Smiled “That is excellent sir, well if that’s be all I’ll be off, good luck with the rest of the conquest of Earth.”

Hours later,

Faust once more walked into the communications room with a hooded figure standing in the center. As Faust approached, the hooded figure lowered the guise to reveal the Justicar, Morinth. She was constantly looking over her shoulder and the surround appeared to be a closed in room, much unlike where James had communicated from. "Morinth." Faust said with concern. "Why are you hiding?"

"I feel that our Dominion may be compromised, things have been seen." she said grimly. She looked over her shoulder and then knelt down to check under something unseen. "I have a strange feeling that James Conrad is something other than what we believe. I saw him talking with one of the Musashi, Words of gods and chosen ones."

Faust shook his head, "Morinth, I understand you're in a lot of stress since your encounter on that moon." He sighed, "But James has always been a faithful friend and ally to not only the Dominion, but to me personally."

Morinth stood up, "Look, after what I saw, gods.. higher powers.. and now all of these things falling in to place, I just feel like more is going on than you realize."

"Morinth, Did you actually hear them."

"I did.. not. But I read their lips. I know what was said. Powers, Chosen ones. The last time we dealt with one of those, oh what do they call themselves, Psionics. or some shit like that." she said quickly.

"I do remember. The only person to ever have an honest chance of taking my life."

"And I killed him, I shot his leg off and then pulled his head and spine from his body."

"You do enjoy your details, Morinth. But, Is your friend Kau-Rong not a psionic as well?"

"Don't change the subject Faust!" she said with an more aggressive tone.

He crossed his arms, "Look, You saved my life and out of anyone in this galaxy, I'd not trust that life in anyone else's hands."

"Then why do you not trust me now?" Her voice became shaky, "I have no Family except you. And I protect my Family."

"I know Morinth, we seem as Family. I trust you and your skills greatly. You've saved the Dominion in its early stages in ways no one could ever imagine but please, you must take a step back and examine everything."

Faint tears began forming at the corners of her eyes, "Faust please, Please just listen."

All she could see through her display was Faust raising his hand. "Morinth, James Conrad has done nothing to warrant suspicion. He has all but ensured the alliance of two of the galaxies most powerful forces. The conviction and creativity of the Musashi and the pure strength, dedication and Honor of the Venargians. These things cannot be just shrugged off. We are in a better position due to his efforts."

He took a deep breath, "Look. I always side track when people ask me of your mission. Even James enquired as to what your mission was this time. He acknowledged your abilities when he asked who you were there to kill. Without even knowing anything of your true orders."

"Faust please." she said,

"Have I ever lied to you?" he said plainly.

"No.." she said with a grim tone. "You have not. Your orders here was to observe the meetings. Ensure things went as planned and if things went downhill and Shoichi were to make plans of war against the Dominion, Eliminate him."

Faust nodded, "You're a bright and unique woman, Morinth. Your loyalty is unmatched and I ask you to remain loyal."

"Faust, Shoichi is quite misunderstood honestly. He may be portrayed as aggressive and unresponsive but I believe he is smarter than just an average warmonger. I believe that even if he inherited the throne, he would still listen to reason."

"Hmm" Faust said, now rubbing his chin. "Then disregard the order given. I still want you to be observant and figure out the mystery behind your encounter at that lunar base but focus your efforts on maintaining friendship."

Morinth sniffled a bit, wiping now dried tears from her cheeks. "Ok, I'll do as you ask."

As the holographic image faded, Morinth leaned against a wall and slid down slowly, with tears once more forming at the corners of her eyes. "Am I only friends because of the mission?" she thought before gazing upwards into the sky. Instead of the beauty she had seen before, all she did was sob at the thought of being the victim of her own mission.

Oz and Spleen

Yet again,

Henry Kessel was nervous. Years in the diplomatic corp had not fully prepared him for the complexities of Musashi culture. He traced a finger across the specially prepared mask concealing his face; bright red, with the lion's head emblazoned in gold across the brow. He'd been briefed -- extensively -- on what the Commonwealth knew of the Musashi Empire. Admittedly, it wasn't as much as Kessel could have hoped. He knew the general rules about when to wear the mask and when to take it off, if he could just figure out the apparent rank of whoever he was speaking to at any given moment. He'd also practiced the tricky pronunciation of the various Musashi honorifics, and was fairly confident he could use them correctly.

Kessel was still somewhat bewildered that he, a human --albeit a rather senior diplomat-- had been granted Confidence of the Crown to conduct negotiations with the Musashi, especially after the Dubrovnik Strike. He reasoned that it was partially to present a good face to the Musashi, and partially an attempt by the Government to pre-empt any anti-human violence in the wake of Dubrovnik. Kessel glanced to his left at the lone Su'urtugal that was serving as his attendant and guardian. He didn't care how well the Yanissans drilled loyalty into those brains, there was still something about the blank stare and quiet lethality of Su'urtugal that deeply disturbed Kessel.

A door opened across the room, drawing Kessel's attention. Two women, dressed in extravagant sets of hanfu, stepped into the room. Two Imperial guards could be seen taking up a position on either side of the door out in the hall before one of the women closed the door. She then removed her mask before saying "I present to you Yamamoto Yuki-hime."

"Thank you Rong-chan" The other woman said as she looked at Henry. She ultimately decided to keep her mask on as she stepped further into the room. "May I ask who it is that I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

Kessel rose and bowed deeply. "I am Sir Henry Kessel, of the Imperial Diplomatic Corps. I am here on behalf of her Imperial Majesty and her Government, of the Systems Commonwealth, on a diplomatic mission to the Musashi Empire. It is a profound honour to meet you, Yuki-hime" Kessel managed to stop himself from saying Denka at the last moment, taking his cue from the woman who had introduced the Princess.

Yuki returned the bow before gesturing towards his seat "Please sit Kessel-dono." Settling into a chair herself she somewhat hesitantly commented "I'm not entirely sure where the Commonwealth is located, but I believe it is quite a distance from Musashi. What business do you have here?"

"It is quite some distance from here Princess, on the fringe of old Imperium space, near where the Dominion rises. What we know of the Musashi comes from a very few merchants who have done business in your space. We heard of your war with the Confederation and the subsequent...warming...of Musashi relations, and hastened to present ourselves formally."
Kessel paused for a moment.
"Specifically, I have been given three objectives for my mission here; establish an embassy in the Empire, reduce trade restrictions between our nations, and if possible, negotiate a non-agression treaty between the Musashi Empire and the Imperial Systems Commonwealth."

"The establishment of an embassy can be easily arranged" Yuki said after a moment's pause. "The Emperor has given me the authority necessary to grant land and rights for such. As for the other two... What sort of reduction in trade restrictions are you talking about?"

"Well, Princess, the Commonwealth is flourishing with indepedant traders these days, and products from your nation are becoming more and more in demand. We hope that you might permit more traders to enter your space and purchase your wares. In return, Musashi traders in the Commonwealth would find themselves dealing with...favorable tax rates."

"In principle I have no issue with that" Yuki said. "However my government will have to draft a list of what imports will be allowed. Certainly no forms of media such as books, movie, or music, will be allowed to be imported. I will also have to run this by the Emperor. It... might take some time to be approved. That said I believe that we will be able to come to an agreement soon. As a... gesture of goodwill I can and will decrease our tarrifs with the Commonwealth by... five percent. I will also see about temporarily raising the number of Commonwealth merchants permited access to Musashi until we can work out an official treaty."

"As for a non-aggression pact," Suddenly Yuki sounded very tired. "Once again in principle I have no issue with signing one, but unfortunately I do not speak for the entirety of the Imperial government."

And that was the real problem. As Kessel understood from his briefing, Yuki Yamamoto was the heir apparent and thus most influential voice to the Emperor himself. However, he'd heard rumours that her position had been diminished since the war with the Confederation, and thus, she really did not speak for the entirety of the Imperial government. Hopefully he'd have a chance to speak to the other potential heirs.
"I thank you for your generosity, Yuki-hime. All I ask is that you consider my words. If nothing else, establishing an embassy will help foster a better relationship between our nations."

"Hopefully our two great nations will be able to prosper together" Yuki said. "I shall ensure that the Emperor hears of your proposals. We shall try to give you an answer in a reasonable amount of time. Until then, please feel free to enjoy your stay here in Musashi. In the days to come I will not be available, but I will make sure that a trusted subordinate of mine will keep in touch with you. Is there anything else you would like to discuss today?"

Kessel was quiet for a scarcely perceptible second as he fingered the data disk in his pocket. No, that was not for today. He smiled instead. "Thank you princess, that is all I wished to discuss. I will be certain to learn as much about your vaunted empire as possible in the days to come."

@Ozerath

Gashathi Rule

Cygnus Arm, Sector <Classidied>, Planet <Classified>

---

The night was dark, and the ground below was only lit by the faint lights of a small vessel. The black ship's warning lights let out a blue glow that lit up the air, but kept the ship hidden. Cruising at high speed through the eerie night, it was quickly approaching it's goal. The rocky outcrops and mountains that made up the horizon were still far thought. The faster the ship gets to it's destination, the safer the Gashathi will be. As such, the vessel cut the foggy air, like a ghastly black blade.

The ancient rock doors crumbled as an invisible force moved them, and opened up slightly. As the air began to move, it carried the scent of burners with it. The glow of candles radiated from the small opening, and started an otherwordly dance as the ship outside took off teh landing pad. The Hirule looked back once more at the ship before entering the temple, and closing the doors behind him. The hallway leading into the main chamber was very short, only a good 10 meters, but it was adored by sculptures and paintings. Two large flags of the Gashathi hung from the walls on both sides. The Hirule gently touched one of the carvings and let his fingers feel the texture of the stone. Marble. He floated backwards to see the whole image. A large Hirule that was holding 6 different species in each hand. It seems like this planet was once bustling with beleivers, but now it is devoid of sentient life. What happened here was a mistery, one that might be lost to time. Or until the Mekhar decide to investigate it.

Inside the carefully adored shrine sat two other Hirule. They were deep in meditation, and their masks were devoid of any expression. As the third one approached the two already sitting there, they stood up and made space for the new Hirule. "We've been waiting for your arrival Asq'kiL. You are never late. What happened?" The voice of the two filled the air as their vocal harmony resonated the candles. It was clear that the siblings spent a lot of time infusing with the temple's energy. Their psi charts were off the grid, and Asq'kiL could clearly sense it. He nodded as an accomplishement, and turned his attentin towards the shrine in the middle of the room. Many objects were placed on it, resembling old gashathi relics and other items that showed the puny races that the Gashathi are the only true gods.

"I was held up by our visitors. I made sure they could catch up with me. Excuse me for being late, sister Alq'boS and brother Alq'boD." The two giggled as one, and their voice filled both the aether and the real world. "We forgive you brother Asq'kiL. Your presence is our honor." The three grabbed each other's hands and sat down in a triangle in front of the shrine. Their bodies quickly levitated off teh ground a few centimeters. A deep hum echoed throught the room, resonating the the torches and candles. It was loud, and unsettled the dust on the stone walls and crevices. Soon the trio turned their attention towards the slightly open door. Their humming intensified and their minds filled with the same words. "They are here."

A long shadow was cast as the small round probe entered the room. It was scanning the different walls and paintings, and most likely sending the feed back to the commonwealth. It didn't seem to notice the three figures, and flew past them, as if they were thin air. The two siblings giggled, and let go of Als'kiL's hands. The probe turned around to the sound. Only to revers into a wall to get a better image of the Hirule. It just noticed the Hirule whose mask opened up to show his 6 eyes, and form a smile like embrasure to mock the robot. "I fell truly blessed to see your faces right now. Where was he a moment before? What is he?. It's a neat secret we learned when we fought or worst enemies." With one if his hands raised, he moved the droid around so it would look at the giant Gashathi statue with the other aliens. The probe struggled a bit, but then it gave up. "Your scanners can clearly see that this stone is millenias old. We once ruled the known universe." With a swing of his hand he turned the droid around so it can broadcast the most important elements of the scriptures. The sister giggled, but her brother silenced him with an aggreavted look. "But now you know our secrets, your fate is in your hands. Show us your potential, or be assimilated into the Gashathi Rule!" The humming became inbearably loud a sudden, and the torches and candles went out at the same time, leaving the room completely black. The probe fizzled a bit before it fell on the ground, it's circuits fried, and it's frame crushed into a tiny speck of metal, the size of a bubble gum. Asq'kiL turned back to the other Hirule and grabbed their hands. "We have a fellow gashathi to find my brother and sister. Let's focuse on the task ahead, before all else." The hum stopped, and the lights came back slowly. The stone doors slowly closed, and silence fell on the temple once again.

(This is part 1 of the post. Part 2 will be set in the same time. There. Don't say I didn't do anything. I don't need a bitch slap, thank you)

Ylont, Republic of Echua, Ⱥthistan ℱederation
The capital city of Ylont was the birthplace of the automobile and the arms industry. The World War made sure that Ylont would become one of the richest cities in the world. During the war, the industrial city begun to produce weapons and bullets from other nations while being neutral in the war. The city was the richest in the world while the war was going on until the incident happened that ended the war. The automobile industry kept the city for declining and the industry still remained in Ylont to this day. Many biotech companies that specialize in human augmentations are coming to the city in hopes of making a profit. The Age of Enhancements is getting started.

With more biotech companies coming to the city, the Federation became more interested in the concept of expanding beyond the planet and the system. The concept started years ago with the approval to build the first ever space station. Since the years have passed by, the space station is almost done ahead of schedule. The Federation planned to move their headquarters of the station as a neutral ground for the nations to discuss. Even with the stations in place, it would need military protection to ensure the safety of government officials. Thanks to several nations, they were able to build a fleet that contained several fighters, four destroyers, and one carrier and battleship in eight years. They were able to transport workers and resources towards the location of the space station.

A couple dozen transports were also built for military troops and government officials to transport them to the station. When the station was a couple days towards completion, everyone started to prepare for the trip. The media have reported on the story for days and everyone awaited the opening of the station.

When the day arrived, the government officials began their trip towards the station. Drones, that were used by the media, were already on board the station to prepare for the grand opening. Millions of people watched their televisions to view the space station for the first time as the officials were setting foot on the station for the first time. Most of the government official were pleased with the station as they were walking to the meeting room. Some weren't excited with the station and one called the place “a waste of valuable resources”.

The space station will not only serve as the headquarters to the Federation, but as a military base and a laboratory. It will bring in about ten thousand jobs; however, it will cost about 18.5 billion Athies to manage this place. The station will also offer tours to the citizens around the station and give them a beautiful closeup of their world. The tours will be cost around thirty dollars per person. The station will be named after Abrik Talot, one of the founding members of the Federation and thirty-fifth president of Aclana.

The Abrik Talot Space Station, Ⱥthistan ℱederation
The meeting room was already packed with all fifty leaders of various countries awaiting for the discussion to start. The discussion was about whether the Federation should consider traveling beyond the system and start researching into fast-than-light travel. The majority of countries were in agreement that space travel needed to happen, but the few rejected that space travel was a necessity to the Federation. The few leaders that rejected believed in Tutrix.

Tutrix was the goddess that poisoned her entire family as they became 'corrupt for ruining their perfect image'. The family wasn't always corrupted as they have successfully controlled Athistan while people were living their lives. Before the modern age, they were technologically advanced and kept it to themselves. At first, they were using it for the greater good of the planet until nanotech was introduced. The men were the first to use nanotech, then the women, and the children were the last ones. When it was Tutrix's turn to accept the nanotech into her body, she rejected it and said that it was corrupting the entire family line, but they banished her away from their home. However, she killed them all before leaving and entering beyond Athistan.

The religion gained popularity a few years ago as nanotech augmentations spread like wildfire all over Athistan. Fifteen percent of the population had augmentations and the numbers are growing higher and higher. Recently, the Federation voted that augmentations of any kind are fine despite several nations rejecting the matter. They stated that augmentations are going to ruin the body by making it too perfect and destroying their souls in the process. Then, the terror attacks begun at Cago during a busy day at the downtown area. Cago has the highest population of people with augmentations in the world, reaching around forty-four percent. One hundred and ten people died on that day among with three hundred injured.

The end result of the discussion was that the Federation would consider studying fast-than-light travel and then sending it to an unknown location, where the crew inside would keep contact of the researchers in the space station. While the Federation ensures the citizens that the planet will always come first. The few countries weren't happy with the results of today's discussion as they voiced their concerns for the future. King Amir Gebreselassie of Fusheaya said that the future will bring “horrible consequences” to the Federation.

Research Outpost, Classified Location, Ⱥthistan ℱederation
It wasn't the Federation's first time being out of space. Before the space station was finished, the Federation agreed in private to build an outpost. The outpost was built to research the nearby planets, their moons, and the other systems. The general public doesn't know about the outpost and only top ranking members are informed of the outpost. Everyone understood why they have to keep this location a secret from everyone, including other leaders. If this outpost was found out by any of the fifty members, the result would be disastrous.

The outpost only housed forty-eight people in total: twenty-eight scientists, ten guards, five mechanics, three planetary scientists, and two astronomers. These people signed an agreement that they don't share the outpost and leave it unless it's a major emergency. If the outpost is under attack, the crew must remain at the outpost and signal to the Federation. And if one of them manages to escape the outpost, then they will be hunted and killed. Their families and friends didn't know about the outpost.

The scientists were studying the nearby asteroid belt for anything valuable to report to the Federation. One of them was looking at the sensor in case something would be hiding inside the belt. “That can't be right...” the man said as he collected the data from the sensor. It had found something. This immediately worried everyone on-board the outpost and questioned what they should do. After fifteen minutes of debating, they came with the idea to send out a single research with a crew of eight sciencists on board a research ship. Picking the eighth to send was the most difficult decision they ever had to make. After another fifteen minutes of picking and boarding the ship, they left the outpost and headed towards the unknown object.

The remaining crew guessed that the object would be a scouting outpost for aliens and they were going to use it as a base to launch an invasion on Athistan. As the research ship got closer to the location, the crew was getting more fearful of a possible simulation that eight lives would be lost at any moment. They kept in contact of the eight for a long time until they reached the location.

“Oh my god...” one of them said then suddenly the connection was cut from the research ship. The outpost was now in panic mode as many of them tried to reestablishment connection with the ship.”Pick up, please.” the scientist repected for a couple minutes as the others were checking if anything else appeared on the sensors. It took almost an hour before connections were reestablished with the ship. “What the fuck happened?!” the scientist asked towards the crew of eight inside the ship.

“We had to go into the belt, because we found something huge.” one of the scientists quickly responded to the question. “We found a huge satellite that crashed in one of the asteroids.” They didn't know anything about the satellite besides having an unknown symbol with alien language written below:

From the Pier-vorenz studios, Procyon.

This, is DNN

-

As the lights brightened a sharp looking, young red headed male with a pristine pose came in to view. His voice was that of a true professional.

"Hello from DNN. I am Lars Drexel." He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

"On Today's headline we will be reporting on what has been labelled, The future of man-kind. I speak of, Earth." prompting an image of earth to appear behind Lars.

"As we speak, our valiant Dominion warriors face the tyranny of that world. The utter chaos of a world that not only symbolizes the true home of Humanity but the horrors of war." Behind him, once more the image changed to random images of burning cities, rioting people and very graphic urban combat.

"It has been a grim day however for our foes as Dominion forces have reported success in overtaking what used to be north America. The fighting was indeed fierce as Dominion warships constantly pounded entrenched positions while our soldiers pushed through the enemies lines. Today we have with us, General Omar Jackson." on cue, an image of an armor clad male with five golden stars on the collar of his armor.

"Thanks for having me." he said calmly.

"No General, the pleasure is all ours." Lars said quickly. "So General, we have gotten varied reports on the success of our troops on the blue gem, Earth."

"Well, Lars, if success is based solely on the measure of land taken and resolve of our men then indeed, much has been accomplished. From the pacific ocean to the Atlantic, is now under the Dominion flag. Success has come at a cost though." The General said with pride but also somewhat sad. "There have been casualties."

"Against the weak nations of earth?" Lars replied, "Back home, they are portrayed as archaic and simple."

The general nodded, "Indeed. That is a popular misconception as these foes have powerful weaponry and know the land well. However possessing complete aerial superiority has given us favorable odds against the forces at play."

"Now by forces at play, what does that mean for our soldiers."

"It means that the nations that stood here but days ago were more than happy to bomb their own cities to stop our advance. Most do not know what the Dominion is."

Lars shifted to his right, pointing at the planet. "So if they do not know of the Dominion, are they aware of others in the galaxy?"

"More than likely not. Aside from the Imperium but even they have had very little, if any contact. Most of the people of this world believe us to be invaders from overseas. I suppose in some manner they are correct." he said with a chuckle.

-
On Earth, many more have died than reported. Though Faust's military causalities have been low, part was due to any obstacles that are deemed unsafe, are promptly destroyed with orbital fire. Those that have been overran faced the insurmountable power of Dominion heavy infantry supported by tanks, artillery and gunships that pick them off with precision munitions from beyond sight. From the Maledict, Faust could see the various Core Imperium ships surveying the situation. Every single ship that headed for the surface was scanned and reviewed before being cleared. It was a true logistics nightmare had Faust not prepared for this. He knew Uther's Imperium would force him to initiated a limited war against earth.

--

-North America,

The Dominion forces had swept across the old united states in a furious blitz. The wide open lands made it near impossible for the already disorganized enemy to form any real resistance. Those pockets that did survive were quick to surrender at an enemy that could shrug off their heavy munitions. Field guns lay empty and tanks abandoned lined fields behind the Dominion war machine. The East coast was the last major obstacle that had long worried Dominion generals, it was easily defensible from all angles. The true victory arrived and one that saved millions of live was the surrender of the North American Union, a hastily cobbled together alliance of the remaining continental militaries.

-What was Tokyo Japan, in a long forgotten time.

Dominion forces were new here, mere hours into the invasion. The shock and awe campaign was in full swing as troops swept from house to house while supported by tanks. Over head, strike craft found and destroyed any target possible that would stand in front of the Dominions advance. True be told, some soldiers began to grow somewhat bored as when they would arrive at a new position, destroyed tanks and dead soldiers would line the roads. Most soldiers were relieved that they might be alive another day. Around the region, prisoners had been received in record numbers as the locals were not cowards, but smart. They could see the two Dominion Cruisers hovering Ominously in the distance.

South of the island was the peninsula of Korea which was honestly faring much better. The massive hills were perfect hiding places and gave good view for miles. It was here that the forces from Japan had been located. There was to be a war against what was China and this was the most advanced and experienced force that Japan possessed. It was more than likely to be more of an issue than the battle of North America, due primarily to the lack of communication between Japan and its overseas forces. Had the island surrendered, there was no way for their forces to know and if the Dominion would broadcast it, there would be absolute doubt as to its authenticity.

-London, England.

Or what was left of it. This was a place where the defense of its border was some of the largest nuclear weapons that the planet had left. The military here was indeed powerful as the majority of their entire force was recalled after getting word of the Dominion spreading everywhere. Quick strikes by Dominion aircraft destroyed any chance they had to deploy these powerful weapons. Then the killing blow occurred when London itself was burnt to the ground. It was a questionable act by far but in lieu of the heavy defenses and short range ballistic weapons embedded into the cities very streets, it was deemed acceptable.

In short, there was no one left to surrender.

-Rome, Italy.

Untouched by Faust's military as many of the old Imperiums central structures still resided here. Long was the mystery as to why the Imperium selected Rome as one of its primary bastions. Regardless as to why, it was far to important to just level. This was a place that required skill and finesse'

-Russia.

Another untouched land as it was no longer the juggernaut it was centuries passed. its military albeit formidable, was too far stretched and with global communications more or less disabled at this point, would be easy to pick off.

-South America.

Disregarded as many of the sub nations had been already nuked into oblivion during the two hundred year ago initial war. No one can figure out why south America received a massive amount of destruction. Perhaps the larger military bases here posed some threat but by no means of warranting nuclear strikes against native cities.

“Conrad-sama, the Emperor has made a decision” Princess Yuki said as she entered the room and bowed to James. This time she had come alone, except for the pair of guards she had left out in the hall. “He has agreed to a defensive pact with the Dominion and gladly accepts your offer of territory on Earth.” She paused before adding “And he has given the order to prepare for the intervention in the Second Imperium.”

As Yuki walked in alone James gave a small bow and slowly took off his mask. When Yuki James began to nod before answering “That is wonderful news,Yuki-Denka. I’ll have to inform Faust about this. Though, Yuki-Denka who would I speak to in order to coordinate our attacks against the Second Imperium for the full effect?”

“Shoichi has been tasked with preparing our armed forces.” Yuki said with poorly disguised disdain. “But if you really wanted to strategy you would be better served discussing the matter with some of our generals or admirals. I know that Admiral Lian will be assigned a portion of the front. He wouldn’t be a bad choice to speak to.” She gave a slight shrug. “But as I said, military preparations were left to Shoichi. I’ve been ordered to speak to the Imperial Remnant, to make sure they stay on the sidelines, before heading to Earth.”

“Thank you very much for the information I shall have to speak with some of them and shall I notify Faust of your visit so he is better prepared or do you plan on sending Rong-San ahead for you.” James asked raising his eyebrow slightly.

“No” Yuki said with a slight shake of her head. “I’d like to meet with Faust-sama personally. And I’ll probably have something else to keep Rong occupied anyways.” She paused for a moment before adding “It is my hope to obtain permission to move one of our fleets through Remnant space to Earth.”

“Hopefully Uther is as welcoming to you as he was to myself. Though if this is all I do hope you have a safe journey Yuki-Denka.” James said with a small smile.

“I thank you Conrad-sama” Yuki said. “Now if you would excuse me I have some last minute preparations to make before leaving for the Remnant.” She rendered a low bow before taking her leave.



“You requested my presence?” Admiral Lian Yunxu asked as he entered the room. The admiral swept into a low bow, removing his mask as he did so. “I am Admiral Lian Yunxu, formerly commander of all Musashi navy forces near the Confederate border.” He didn’t seem concerned with revealing his face to Kau Rong and Morinth, who were present. In fact he turned to the woman as he rose and gave her a respectful nod.

As James turned around he smiled underneath his mask and said “Hello, Admiral. Indeed I had hoped to speak to you about the upcoming invasion plans for the 2nd Imperium and what the main strategy was so that I may further report them to Faust and those within the Dominion high command.”

“Certainly” The admiral said as he found a seat. “Yuki-hime had indicated that you might want to speak about that.” He frowned for a moment before stating “We are still in the process of determining our strategy. We do have plans that we made previously, plans that most of my peers and I would prefer to pursue. Hopefully Shoichi-denka won’t interfere in our operations too much.”

Lian placed a small cube on the table before him and, by pressing a button on one of its surfaces, had it project a map of the Second Imperium in the air before them. “What we would like to do is charge into the Second Imperium with overwhelming force, sweeping aside all hostile navy assets we can find till we reach this point.” He dragged his finger along a line roughly halfway through the Second Imperium’s territory. “We have good cause to believe that the Second Imperium’s defenses will quite small due to their ongoing conflicts to their north.” He paused for a moment to clear his throat before continuing “Once our navy has established a defensive line here we will take our asserting direct control over the planet's behind our line. In all likelihood we will focus our efforts on critical planets in the short term, seeking to establish supply lines and take important defensive and industrial sites. Past that what we do will be determined by the Second Imperium’s response.”

James nodded as he put his hands on the table “Morinth, how you think the Dominion High command will handle the invasion. If I recall you had served within the military before becoming a Justicar.” James said turning his head.

Morinth gazed at the table before standing, pointing along the Core imperiums northern border. “In all honesty, this plan had been worked out long ago by Faust, albeit this was before any help of Musashi existed. My own observations was along the northernmost front, Dominion warships would blockade the Horde while smaller elements skipped the occupied worlds, instead hitting shipyards, space stations. Really anything that would allow the second imperium to operate outside a planet.” She looked around the table, “Though I could see various Dominion fleets dedicated to hunting the Imperiums ships branching off.”

She sat down and looked about the room, “This plan however hinged on the Core Imperium not interfering. If they were to do so, we would be strained to maintain lines of supply.”

“Well, hopefully Yuki-Denka will be able to get Uther to stay out of the war. If we’re not lucky and he does join the Varangians may join in in the defensive war. But in either case it seems as though we’re set for a full strike against the Imperium. The other problem however would be the Barbarians that lay outside the 2nd Imperium. Admiral does the Empire plan to deal with the threat as well or are you planning on a defensive strategy once you reach that line.” James said as he grabbed the bottom of his mask where his chin would be thinking.

“Personally I would prefer to set up a defensive line and consider what options we have” Lian answered after a moment. “But I’m fairly certain that Shoichi-denka and Admiral Soh would like to simply keep pushing north and fight an offensive war against the barbarians. To be perfectly honest though I have not been informed of what our post war policy will be.”

Kau Rong let out a long sigh before commenting “The Imperial court is clearly divided on what to do.”

“Clearly” Lian agreed with a sigh of his own. “I suspect we will ultimately end up conducting an offensive campaign against them.”

“And Morinth do you believe the Dominion will push into the barbarian lands or simply hold them at bay?”James said as he turned back to Rong and Morinth

“Well.” she said, shaking her head. “This plan was devised before Earth was even an option. A major force was deployed to earth along with a large naval group in reserve in case there was any betrayal by the Core Imperium. I’m honestly not sure if the Dominion would push into Horde lands. Even though the Dominion force is vast, there is still much they would have to consider.”

“I’m certain that Yuki-hime would prefer to form a coalition of sorts to deal with the barbarians. Spread the cost of the engagement across a number of affected countries” Rong commented. “But given the political climate in Musashi right now.... I’m not sure she would see much support for her plan.”

Lian was already shaking his head “I doubt either Shoichi-denka or Saeko-denka would go along with that idea.”

Morinth nodded, “Why not try and get the Core Imperium to join in this? Perhaps persuaded to by the collective threat that the Horde possesses?”

“Yuki-hime was considering that” Rong said with a nod. “She’d even contemplated trying to get the Core Imperium to join in the war against the Second Imperium, although she was shut down by her cousins. Still… if the Dominion was willing to support her I’m sure she’d be more than happy to try and recruit the Core Imperium into our anti-horde coalition.”

“While I believe a coalition would be the best way to deal with the Horde I don’t think it would be right to interfere with Internal Musashi politics. That being said perhaps I could speak to Saeko-Denka or Shoichi-Denka about the issue. But I believe asides from that the invasion plan looks fine and unless you wish to bring anything else up Admiral. Morinth and I should report this to Faust and the Dominion.” James said with a smirk underneath his mask

“I have some matters I need to attend to as well” Lian said as he rose to his feet. “So I will be taking my leave. Should you need to discuss this matter further” He said as he put his mask back on, “You may want to consider speaking to Admiral Kirisaka as I may not be available.” He rendered a bow before making his exit.

“Shall I give you your privacy?” Rong asked, one hand poised to put her mask on.

Morinth sighed and turned to Rong, “Sadly I suppose so.” she said softly. Her attention was quickly changed to James as she stood up. “Alright Conrad. Lets get this over with.” Her back was turned to him quickly as she exited the room towards the holo-room.

James was surprised as she walked out, “Anyways it was a pleasure to have you here again Rong-San. I suppose I should go and give the report now. I hope to see you soon.” James then stood up and followed her out of the room and toward the holo-room

----holo room-----

This was a place James had seen once before. Inside Morinth had already prepared the two was between them and the Maledict. “Here’s hoping he is actually there.” She said while activating the device.

A rough flicker of light indicated a connection but Faust’s voice was not the responder, “Hello.” the voice simply said. Morinth was quick to reply, “Yes, I need to speak to Faust.” Followed by a pause, “I am unhappy to report that Faust is currently unavailable. Certain matters have come to his immediate attention. He has ordered me to take any message regarding the situation in Musashi. These messages will be sent post haste.”

James nodded as he took off his mask and held in his arm. “Simply inform him we have spoken to the Musashi about their general plan for the invasion of the Second Imperium. We’d like to speak with Faust about it. As well Yuki plans to meet with Faust after she’s spoken to Uther so do inform him of that. Anything else to add Morinth?” James said as he turned towards her.

Morinth for once, seemed to agree with James fully, “Indeed, what he says is the truth.”

With an professional tone, the voice replied, “Yes sir, I will be sure to deliver this immediately.”

“Then I believe that is all.” James said swiftly and ended the communication.



As James entered the holo-room he gave a small bow before giving a quick glance around the room seeing as no one was around he took off his mask and greeted her “Hello, Saeko-Denka. If we may speak about some issues I’d be most honored.” James said with a smile.

Saeko didn’t immediately respond, her gaze was evidently fixed on the incredibly realistic hologram of some massive wall that seemed to stretch on forever. She made a gesture and suddenly Saeko and James were standing in the midst of a forest of cherry blossom trees. “What is it you would like to speak of Conrad-dono?”

As James rose an eyebrow he was confused as to what Saeko was doing. “I wanted to speak to you about Yuki’s proposal on a coalition to defeat the hordes.” James said while looking around and admiring the fauna.

“You are not permitted to refer to her without honorifics” Saeko sternly said. She turned to look at James, her face still hidden behind her mask. “And what is this about a coalition to defeat hordes? What hordes?”

“Apologies Saeko-Denka I meant Yuki-Denka’s proposal that the Dominion,Musashi and the Remnants form a coalition to deal with the Barbarian hordes that lay beyond the Second Imperium and will become an increasing threat once the second Imperium is destroyed.” James said as he stood at attention looking toward Saeko.

“Ah the Remnants” Saeko seemed to ponder something for a moment. “They are little more than the decaying remains of a dying culture. There is nothing to gain from dealing with them.” She slowly shook her head as she turned away and started to walk through the holographic forest, gesturing for James to walk with her. “They are weak, just like the Second Imperium. We will not need their aid and obtaining such ‘aid’ will serve only to weaken our own ability to educate these barbarian hordes.”

James once again raised his eyebrow confused “Saeko-denka, what do you mean educate?” James followed her through the fake forest.

“It has always been, and always will be, the duty of the cultured and civilized to spread their culture to those who are less fortunate.” Saeko answered. By this point the pair had walked a distance far further than was capable given the room’s size, yet despite walking in a straight line they had yet to bump into any sort of wall. “It is to the benefit of all when this is done.”

James began to nod slowly “That is very true. So then I take if after the war the Empire will take all the planets it occupies?” James asked while trying not to notice they’ve begun to walk around the immense holo-room

“How else would we share our culture with them?” Saeko answered with a question.

“I suppose you are correct. Saeko-Denka shouldn’t we have hit the end awhile ago?” James asked confused as to how they could keep going.

“One would think” Saeko said before letting out a soft chuckle. “However the human mind is surprisingly easy to trick. We believed that we were walking in a straight line while this room actually tricked us into walking in circles.” She sounded quite amused. “Even I am unable to reach a wall despite knowing about the trick.” The cherry blossoms began to fade away after she made a gesture, leaving the pair in a dull room. “And here we are, right where we started.”

James gave a soft chuckle to the thought of a Human mind. “Indeed the Human mind is very easy to trick, Though I suppose it is the way our god had intended otherwise we may one day rival him.” James said again with a soft chuckle.

“The gods need not resort to trickery,” Saeko disagreed, “ when they can control all within the universe. We are but grains of sand in comparison.” She paused for a moment before saying “As much as I would love to continue our conversation, Conrad-dono, I fear that I have an appointment that I must attend to. We shall have to speak another time.”



The embassy of the Sovereign Star Confederation had risen rapidly from the moment construction had begun, and even now the higher levels were still being added as officials started their move into the building. The sense of urgency had been present from the very beginning, and with news of the Dominion meddling in Musashi’s affairs things had only become more frenzied. Throughout the glass and marble building people moved with purpose even as the paint dried, and the new Chief Diplomat kept his foot on the accelerator.

Steve Woolsey, former Chancellor of the New British Republic, had been a most unusual choice for the position. Generally ex-Chancellors were considered VIPs to be guarded, but the circumstances of his appointment as Chief Diplomat to Musashi had been extraordinary to say the least. After his resignation there had been a wedge driven into the British parliament, with some demanding him restored to the position and others outright calling for his arrest. It became clear to the party that a resignation was insufficient, and in a final effort to distance him from his own nation he’d been ‘generously’ offered the position.

It was that very same Steve Woolsey who now sat at a desk older than the nation he represented in a temporary office overlooking the atrium at the center of the building, contemplating both his position and the task at hand. Soon enough he would meet with Princess Yamamoto Saeko, niece to the current Emperor, though he could only guess at why. The Princess had called it an ‘official meeting’ but Woolsey had his own suspicions. With news of the Dominion opening relations as well things had become tense, a situation Musashi no doubt hoped to control before a repeat of Liaoning.

A notification appeared on the holographic screen before him noting the Princess had arrived, and with a shrug Woolsey donned the ceremonial mask that’d been provided to him for operations within Musashi. A simple yet lustrous black anodized titanium with a golden torch inlaid on the forehead the mask war far from ostentatious, but it held a very clear meaning.

The door opened, allowing a woman wearing a fine silver and black hanfu to enter. Her face was covered by a simple silver plated mask in the image of a young woman, the eyes and mouth were made out of what appeared to be obsidian or a similar type of stone. The woman rendered a low bow as she said “I thank you for agreeing to meet with me.” She slowly rose from her bow as she introduced herself. “I am Yamamoto Saeko, princess of Musashi.”

Giving a bow of his own and removing his mask Woolsey replied in kind, “It is my pleasure Princess, I am Steve Woolsey, former Chancellor of the New British Republic and now Chief Diplomat of the Confederation to your great nation. Please,” he gestured to the padded chair across from his desk, “Take a seat.”

“Thank you Woolsey-dono” Saeko said as she sat down. For a moment she considered keeping her mask on, but ultimately decided to remove it. Yuki had spoken to her, at length, as to what she should do and speak about and, while it didn’t quite mesh with her goals for the future, the Emperor had been clear that he wanted no trouble from the Confederation at this time. “Do you know what they call you here in the Empire? ‘The most reasonable man in the Confederation.’” She let out a soft chuckle, before speaking again with a more stern voice. “Before we begin I would like to make it clear that what we are about to talk about should be considered confidential and that leaking the contents of this meeting to outside sources would be considered a hostile act.”

Woolsey eyed Saeko for a second before replying, “Of course Princess, the Confederation understands the need for discretion in its dealings with other states and, of course, would expect the same from Musashi. As for any who accuse me of being reasonable, well I fear for the galaxy if common sense is held on a pedestal these days.” Interlacing his fingers and resting them on the desk Woolsey finished, “So what bring you here today Princess?”

“I fear that the refugee crisis has grown beyond Musashi’s ability to tolerate” Saeko said after a moment. “Yesterday the Emperor ordered Musashi’s armed forces to prepare to intervene in the deteriorating situation in the Second Imperium.” She paused for a moment to let that sink in. “I am here now to allay any fears this action may cause in the Confederation.”

Woolsey raised an eyebrow, “That certainly is news Princess, though I would hesitate to call it entirely unexpected. The severity of the crises in the Second Imperium has been known for quite some time and many have speculated on the feasibility of bringing an end to it.” Woolsey paused for a moment and caught the princess's gaze, “But still, I am surprised that you have decided now is the opportune moment, so soon after our mutual blunder. Mmm, perhaps it is that you’ve received some promise of aid from another nation?”

“There were a number of factors that are forcing our hand” Saeko said. “And many of them stem from our recent war with you.” She frowned before adding “But I will not lie. We have managed to obtain the aid necessary to open up options otherwise denied to us.” She paused for a moment, her frown deepening. “At one point we could simply ship the refugees to our border with you. This is no longer an option. To make matters worse the number of refugees has been on the rise for the past few weeks. Perhaps worse is that our war simultaneously emboldened and made desperate a number of influential individuals in our armed forces. These individuals are, overwhelmingly, pushing for a war with the Second Imperium.”

“And so,” Woolsey smiled, “You wish to inform me that that this war you mean to embark upon is merely a result of pressures that have manifested themselves and the pushing of minor factions within your armed forces? That in no way does this hint at a more aggressive attitude and policy within your nation's government?”

“You are free to come to whatever conclusions you would like” Saeko answered. “But know that the Emperor wishes your country no ill will. We will honor our treaty with you.” She paused for a moment before reluctantly adding “And we may be willing to expand upon that treaty.”

Woolsey perked up at that, after all it was unexpected that Musashi would approach him, rather than the other way around. It was a hint as to just how totally their pretense of isolationism had fallen to pieces, “Do elaborate Princess.”

“We… might… be willing to consider a defensive treaty” Saeko said with clearly visible reluctance. “Of course we would expect your country to officially recognize our actions in the Second Imperium and take no action whatsoever to hinder our efforts.”

Woolsey nodded, “An intriguing offer to be sure Princess, but not one I can answer at once. Such a proposal will have to be brought before the Cabinet, and I will ensure that such is done as is my station. Should they be amenable to the idea I will be in touch.” Woolsey made a small note of Saeko’s offer, verbatim, on a sheet of physical paper before him, “ Is there anything else you feel it prudent to mention at this junction Princess?”

Saeko seemed to consider what Woolsey had just said before responding “Oh yes. I suppose Yuki-nee would be most displeased if I forgot to tell you. The Dominion has agreed to work with us in regards to the crisis in the Second Imperium. That, of course, has no bearing on our relations with the Confederation. Well then,” She continued on as if she had just told Woolsey what the weather was like outside, “how has your stay here in Musashi been thus far?”

Woolsey again raised an eyebrow at the blatant nature of what seemed to be a statement that ran contrary to the delicate avoidance of the issue the Princess had previously shown, but merely shook his head slightly. Looking past Saeko at the frenzy of activity outside for a moment he replied, “Well enough, but I fear I haven’t seen much of it at all Princess. There’s been much to do and a man only has to much time after all, I’m sure after the opening ceremony things will calm down though.” Woolsey paused and smiled as if something had just come to him, “Speaking of Princess, will you be joining us on that occasion? It’ll be quite the event if things go as I imagine they will.”

“I…” Saeko suddenly seemed unsure of how to respond. “I do not know. Unfortunately my duties may require me to personally attend to some matters off world. But should I be in the area I would be honored to attend.”

“Ah,” Woolsey held his smile and stood, “Very well then, I imagine that sums up what you had wished to discuss today?” Taking a bow he finished, “I look forward to our next meeting.”

Her head pounded furiously, each horrid pulse sending shoots of electric agony through her veins. Haggard gasps rose from her throat and she yearned to scream, but every breath only stole air from her burning lungs. She writhed and whimpered as the rain pattered against her cheeks, red blood slowly dripping from her forehead colouring the turbid puddle she rested in a ruddy brown. It seemed an eternity passed every second, but in time the torment lessened, and the feeling of cold air and rain bled through the torture that consumed her senses. The pain washed away with the cold droplets that soaked her, and she stilled as if death had taken her. The release was ecstasy. It was as if she’d escaped the pits of hell as she relished the momentary respite. With a strained motion she brought a muddy hand to her head and brushed the blood caked brown hair from her face. Grimacing she pushed herself up and onto her knees. Her thoughts were hazy and her brain ached, every attempt to remember what had happened only lead to frustration and confusion. Still something dug at her thoughts, it demanded her attention, it was urgent…

She sighed heavily and put it aside. Finally raising the strength to stand, she outstretched her arm to lean on the black brick of the building that rose to her side. Looking down she saw a face in an undisturbed puddle and stopped. Was that… No, something inside her said it couldn’t be, but when she raised a hand up to her own features it removed all doubt. She traced the length of her bleeding lips, the shape of her brow. Before her was something impossible, and yet even as she struggled there was no other face she could recall as her own. A voice inside her cried out, but something smothered it. A cold feeling flooded her, compelling, ordering her to disregard the sight before her, to accept it. She couldn’t. Something was wrong, that face wasn’t hers. It was then the question came, if that wasn’t her, who was she? Frustration, desperation, every time she delved into the fog of her psyche there was emptiness, why was her face wrong, why couldn’t she even recall her own name? She shook her head, something had happened, she was hurt, that’s all this was. She just had to find help, and this was a city wasn’t it? There were sure to be people nearby.

An acrid smell wafted through the alley she stood in and she looked up to see smoke rising from the street behind her. Even in the rain she felt the heat of the vehicle’s burning, flames licking in her direction. Her mind had only begun to register the danger before her body moved, breaking into a run that taxed her aching muscles and aggravated what she imagined were bruises and burns. Bolting out onto the next street she stumbled into a crowd that had formed looking up at the rising cloud of smoke, transfixed by what could only be death and destruction. Slowing slightly she regained control of her muscles and looked back. Behind the fire had spread to a building, and all around she heard voices calling to her with concern. She looked at them with hope and confusion, muttered something about her head, and then felt the hand that clasped her shoulder.

Consciously it only barely registered, but the cold feeling grasped her and again her body acted on its own. She spun around and grabbed something out of her pocket, there was a bang, and the black eyes of a Rhodesian peered at her in horror. Looking down she saw the alien’s blood coving her arm, and a magnetic pistol in her hand. The eyes of the crowd looked on in confusion, and then fear. Screams erupted as the diminutive being before her slumped onto the ground and the throng dispersed, each one calling for the authorities.

She saw the being die by her hand and she heard the screams, but she wasn’t afraid, why was that? She should have been stunned, terrified, incapable in the face of what she’d done. There was none of that. Her hand didn’t shake or tremble, and instinct returned the weapon to the holster she’d taken it from. Her face felt strange, and looking down into the red mirror at her feet she saw a smile forming on the mask that was her features. She was fine, it was everyone else who needed help.

As the rain scoured the blood from her hands so too did the blood scour a veil in her mind. It wasn’t much, but she remembered a place and a trail. Taking off without warning she vanished into another alley, then another, within moments becoming buried in the festering sprawl that was the downtown slums of a rotten city. There would be no following her, and the police would forget about another murder within the week. These were the things she knew, and every step brought something back. How to fire a gun, strangle a man, build a bomb. The uncertainty left her and her smile grew larger still, what was she afraid of? There was nothing she couldn’t kill, and that feeling she’d called cold was the love that told her to do it. It told her where to go, and it told her a secret name, the name of the one who loved her most of all, the Confederation.

With all this returning to her she finally reached the place that the warm feeling had commanded her to. There was no natural light here, under the sprawl of crumbling towers and bridges among a city of tents, but there was a door. She took a card that hung on her neck and held it to the featureless slab of rusted metal, there was a buzz, and the barrier swung open. All around her people either didn’t care, or diverted their eyes. This was a place where a question was a death sentence after all, that she remembered.

She stepped in and the door shut behind her, leaving her in darkness. With a harsh whine a generator started somewhere within and the lights above flickered on and flooded the space. Cold concrete surrounded her, but there was only one way forward. Walking slowly she ran her wet hands against the walls habitually, leaving damp streaks that marked her progress through the tunnel. Eventually there was another door, this one an immaculate white as if in defiance of its decaying surroundings. As she approached a small camera emerged from the doors center, and leaning in she held open a green eye for it scan.

There was no noise to verify the door was open, but with a brush of her hand the barrier slid into the floor. Beyond was a place that assaulted her head with memory, racks of guns and what they were, an ancient computer and how to access the networks it was connected to, and finally a wall of pictures and names. She scanned each one and she knew what she had to do, what she wanted to do. She had a mission didn’t she? Each of those pictures represented a person that had to die, even if she couldn’t remember why that was. She needed only trust that loving embrace she felt when the Rhodesian died, reasons were distractions.

Stripping out of her sodden clothing she laid on the bed and remembered one last thing: her name was Thirteen. Or… No, Thirteen smothered the doubt in her mind and let sleep take her. She only had to trust in the Confederation, and do the job that she relished.

@Ozerath

*ignore*

Collective Space
Capital World of Agonis
Divine Citadel of the Gods

The Divine Citadel, a truly magnificent superstructure of inhuman proportions, a side project of sorts that had taking under three decades to construct. Situated at the very center of the polar regions of Agonis, the Divine Citadel serves as the central seat of power in all of the Collective, where the Queen herself and many of her fellow cohorts reside in.

The Divine Citadel also serves another darker purpose, being housed within it's massive complex are hundreds of labs, foundries, and other assorted facilities necessary for the master plan of the Seven Lords. It is here that every sort of war machine, mundane technology, or a piece of a greater whole are tested and put through trails, the Proving Grounds as they are called.

And it is here, deep within the superstructure, another project is in the works, however, this particular project is some of great significance to the Seven Lords, and is a but mere stepping stone to something greater that is to come.

Three figures, uniquely designed androids, stroll down hauntingly silent and darkened corridors, barely lit up by what little lights there are. The three were members of the Seven Lords that reign over the Collective, they being, Magnus, Amion and Garui. Magnus was the more cold and calculating of them all, the more "sane" one of the bunch if that could be said. Amion was the more...unstable of the seven, his self-belief in his own divinity is taking an extreme, even by their standards, and it all adds to his bloodlust. Garui was a artificial mind of twisted curiosity, science being his passion, such passions however...lead to rather disturbing results on his part, seeing organic beings as his playthings and potential test subjects for his endless experiments.

Garui was leading the two to one of his many labs, feeling the urge to share his latest project with his cohorts. A large door could be seen at the end of the hall, a bright light illuminating on the other side of the door.

"I guarantee you. "Garui spoke with a hint of excitement in his tone. "My little side project has bared...some truly worthy fruits."

"You're never one to be so giddy over a hobby." Magnus said in his usually relaxed tone.

"This better not disappoint..." Amion said, impatient and brash in his tone.

"You'll see." Garui replied.

The three pass through the sliding doors as they entered the laboratory, flanking them on both sides were incubation tubs, various creatures in their fetal stages floating in the liquid solutions in silence. "Our recent defeats have been...troubling." Garui started. "Our enemies are slowly adapting, and in my short time, I have come to various solutions. We must adapt, our servants the homunculi, despite their own strengths, are imperfect, and are just fallible as our enemies." Garui continues as they approaching a particularly interesting set of tub. "Our first step in gaining the upper hand requires a change."

The three then halt as they stand before several, fully augmented humans, citizens of the Ascended Caste, those that surrendered themselves to the Divinity of the Seven. However, these Ascend of which were..different then the rest, they were augmented with newer technologies, and had a more militarized look to them. This upgrade impressed both Magnus and Amion. "Our armies require an upgrade, my friends and the resources for that had been in front of us this whole time."

Since the Musashi had granted them permission to establish an embassy, a veritable swarm of diplomats had come flying out of the cruiser that had conveyed Kessel to Bushu. Even now they were establishing themselves in an office building in the heart of the capital city; not far, Kessel noted, from where the Confederate embassy was being completed.

Even without ideal terms secured, establishing an embassy was still plenty enough to keep Kessel busy. There were, as it turned out, a remarkable number of private Commonwealth citizens in the Empire, and as soon as they heard of the embassy they were beating down Kessel's door demanding he clear up this trade dispute or that embargo. It was in the middle of one such busy afternoon that Henry Kessel found himself entertaining an unexpected visitor.

"Ambassador Kessel," his secretary's voice came over the comm, "One Xaio Zhi, Minister of the Interior of the Musashi Empire is here to see you, along with a guest."

Kessel looked up from his desk in surprise. "Send him in please, Dessena." He quickly prayed the woman had correctly used her mask.

Two masked figures stepped into the room, a man and woman. Both wore hanfu of the highest quality, their masks were a combination of gold, porcelian, and purple paint. Both rendered low bows before removing their masks, revealing the woman to be quite beautiful. She looked at Kessel with a soft smile on her face.

"I am Xaio Zhi, minister of the Interior of the Musashi Empire" The man said, his tone neither particularly warm nor cold.

"And I am Xaio Xiang" The woman said. "You may use my given name if it pleases you."

"I thank you for seeing me on such short notice" Zhi said before asking "May we sit?"

"Yes, please Xaio-dono." Kessel said, gesturing at the luxurious leather armchairs in front of his desk. He removed his own mask as he did so, fairly confident that was the correct protocol. Xiang gave him pause momentarily; humans of asiatic descent were comparitively rare in the Commonwealth, and Kessel found her quite striking.

"How may I help you today, Minister?"

"I am here to follow up on a number of matters you had previously discussed with Yuki-hime." Zhi answered. "The Emperor has decided to allow further negotiations in regard to trade and has tasked me with overseeing those negotiations. I would like to start these negotiations off by knowing how many how much trade you hope to establish and what items you wish to import to Musashi."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kessel said with a trace of genuine enthusiasm. He personally was an investor in some of the Commonwealth's interstellar shipping companies, and thus his interest in trade with the Musashi was more than just professional.
"As discussed, sources of potential cultural contamination are strictly off limits; we would be more interested in the areas of industrial goods, raw materials, and high end consumer products. I have a complete list here," Kessel offered the Minister a data pad.

"Let me see here..." Zhi quickly skimmed over the list as he commented "Ok, ok. Mhm. Ok. Take a look over this." He handed the pad to Xiang as he offered Kessel a data pad that he himself had brought. "And this has a list of goods that we will not allow to be brought into the country. And some rules for clarification. For instance your citizens may bring these items with them so long as they remain either on a ship originating from your country or your country's embassy. I can not stress enough how important it is that any citizens coming to Musashi understand that trying to distribute these banned materials, or even carrying them on their person, is a bad idea. They will be tried under our cultural purity laws and may face further espionage charges." The list of banned goods listed much of what one would expect: books, music, movies, and other such items not originating from Musashi.

"Now I believe that your government was willing to drop taxes on our merchants in exchange for opening up trade. What exactly could we expect in regards to this?" Zhi asked.

It was a somewhat arbitrary point; the number of Musashi traders in Commonwealth space was comparitively tiny. However, Kessel also had to consider how that civilian traffic might increase. He could be afford to be generous, but not foolish.

"Her Majesty's government is prepared to concede a 2% reduction in tarrifs on Musashi merchants, Xaio-dono." Kessel said carefully.

Zhi slowly shook his head as he listened to Kessel's offer. "That is a pityfully small reduction Kessel-dono. Would you instead be willing to reduce your tarrifs to twenty percent? This is opening up a whole new market for your merchants after all."

Kessel paused, mulling it over. "Nevertheless, we must consider the long term prosperity of our realms. Twenty five percent would be more appropriate."

"Hmm... well.." Zhi began to respond, but paused as Xiang spoke up for the first time.

"Uncle, our economy is just beginning to pull out of a recession. We our industry needs those raw resources and an export market for durable goods." Xiang flashed Kessel a smile while Zhi wasn't looking at her. "Perhaps the Commonwealth would be willing to lower its tarrifs on our goods to eighteen percent and any media goods we export to five percent, in exchange for us dropping our tariffs to them to twenty percent and the tariffs on raw materials specifically to two percent. Would that be acceptable?"

Zhi eyed her for a moment before answering with a nod. "Yes, it would be. Kessel-dono?"

Kessel briefly lost his train of though, reboarded it, and examined the figures in his mind. "Yes, that would be most acceptable," he concludeed.

"Excellent!" Zhi said. "I'll send you an official document later this evening. Now I believe we have the matter of a non-aggression pact to discuss." He paused for a moment before continuing "In light of our new trade relations, Musashi is certainly willing to consider signing such a treaty."

"That is excellent news," Kessel exclaimed. "While we are not sure of the results of your negotiations with the Dominion, my government is confident that no good can come of conflict between the Commonwealth and the Empire. It is greatly reassuring to know that Musashi has not been....overly influenced by recent negotiations."

"Oh?" Was all Zhi said.

Xiang raised an eyebrow as she said "The Dominion has yet to overtly interfere in our affairs. Although they were the first to offer us a hand in friendship after the Confederation stabbed us in the back."

"Xiang-chan" Zhi said with a hint of warning in his tone.

"My apologies" Xiang responded, the words flowing from her mouth without feeling.

Kessel spread his hands appealingly. "I meant no disrespect. The Dominion remains a source of concern for my government and our citizenrry, but that is our issue, not yours. I am simply happy to negotiate for a brighter future between us."

"Indeed. As are we." Zhi said.

"Pardon me for asking" Xiang spoke up again, drawing a curious gaze from her uncle. "But there is something I would like you to shed some light on, if you could. Are your government officials members of an... aristocracy? Are you, for instance, of noble birth?"

"Ah, that is an interesting question." Kessel said, pleased at Xiang's interest in his own culture. "I myself am not of noble birth. There is indeed a nobility within the Commonwealth, but it is primarily confined to the old Vit'azny Kingdom. Thus, Vit'azny members of our government more often than not are part of this nobility, but non-Vit'azny members seldom are. Our minister of the interior, Sir Cato Telemachus, is a most accomplished Rhodesian with no landed title to speak of. The same can be said of Sir Paul Alexander, a human like myself and Lord Exchequer of the Treasury. Of the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich, fewer than one quarter have any titles pertaining to the old Vit'azny nobility. Does this answer your question?"

"Yes it does" Xiang said with a smile. "Here in Musashi one must be either an officer in the military or hold a comparable rank in the government to be a noble. Even one born into nobility must become an officer of government official in order to keep their noble status once they reach adulthood." She leaned forward ever so slightly as she said "As much as I would love to continue this conversation I fear that my uncle surely has something to attend to." Xiang and Zhi exchanged a look: Zhi one of agreement and Xiang one of resignition.

"That is indeed the case" Zhi said as he rose to his feet. "Assuming we have nothing else to discuss of course."

"I believe that is all, Xaio-dono. Thank you for your time. A pleasue to make your acquaintancee as well, Xiang..." Kessel floundered for a moment, unsure of the charming young woman's precise status, before settling on the familiar: "...dono. I hope to meet you again in the future."

"As do I, Kessel-sama" Xiang said as she rose to her feet. Zhi's raised eyebrow was visible for a moment before his face was hidden behind his mask. Xiang flashed Kessel one last smile before hidding it behind her own mask.

"I'll make sure the official documents reach you before nightfall" Zhi said as the pair rendered a bow. "And it has been a pleasure working with you. Hopefully we'll have the chance to socialize outside of an official function at a later date."

"One can only hope" Xiang said as the pair made their way out of Kessel's office.

[ignore]

Mi Ran shook her head. Her thoughts were wandering around again, she needed to concentrate. Concentrate on the nearly empty, except for her two Tatara body guards, throne room.
"Min Su... I am bored... Isn't there something I can do except simply sitting here?", Mi Ran moaned.
A blue scaled Tatara, her bodyguard Pyo Min Su, flew closer and bowed a little.

"I am very sorry, Mi Ran-mama. I don't know myself why today is such an empty day. But sadly I cannot allow you to leave yet, mama. But I can shorten the audience time to end in about half an hour, if you wish, but we need to go through the formalities."
Mi Ran sighed tapping her fingers onto the wood of the throne. "I know, I know... proceed, please. I don't want to sit here for two more hours..."

Pyo Min Su bowed before she dashed behind a desk whirling out a pen and activating the digital panel.
For now, Mi Ran just devoted herself to staring into the sky visible through the open gate a few hundred meters ahead of her until her stare was interrupted by a Nyali hastily flying in. "Gongjumama, gongjumama! Princess, princess! Urgent message!"
Surprised and a little shocked Mi Ran sprang up from the throne. "What is it, jeonlyeong? Tell me."
"Jeoha, we have just gotten news from Home... Earth has fallen..."

When Admiral Tae Yu Na received the news, she was sitting in the captain's cabin on her ship, the Seoul, the lead ship of the Seoul-class Dreadnought, of which currently four others are finished, and flagship of the First Fleet, caring for her red scales, especially on her tail. Naturally, as a Tatara, she was very proud of her scales as her sign of beauty and strength and had to care for them routinely.

When the message arrived, she didn't flinch, she didn't stop her cleaning for one second and just motioned for her first officer to leave.
As soon as the door had closed, she balled her scaled hand into a fist and slammed it onto her bedstand.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

She paused for a second to angrily pull out a splinter of plastic out between the scales of her hand and breathed in and out steadily to calm herself down. A little flame passed through her mouth unconsciously. This was a political disaster for the Cheonsang Kingdom. It meant the renewal of diplomatic relations with the dominion, it meant, war was inching closer and closer.
Even though some hardliners in the military wanted to seriously try out the new equipment in actual war, but even those would not dare to try to use them offensively against the dominion.

No matter what, her people needed her now. She couldn't even begin to imagine how it would feel for the humans in her crew. Gingerly, she straightened her uniform, folded her wings in and left her room to head to the bridge.

"Captain on the bridge!", her first officer called out. Yu Na nodded and moved to her self to her chair, but before she sat down, she turned to her two thirds human bridge crew. "I'm sorry... the next couple of hours will be painful as we await an official statement of the royal family. The months following that will be even harsher, I myself know, we can't let ourselves be intimidated... but a display of might like the one the dominion just showed us, is not easily counterable." A heavy pause.

"As sad as it makes me to think about it, but we might need to give up what our ancestors managed to regain two hundred years ago and retreat, once again, into the safety of The Sisters or even further."
A lonesome tear rolled down her cheek staining the lovely red scales that adorned them with a deeper colour than usual.

After a long, meaningful pause, one human started humming a familiar tune to everybody on the ship and soon, the entire bridge crew joined in the folk song.



Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
Arirang gogaero neomeoganda.
Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeun
Simnido motgaseo balbbyeongnanda.

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
Crossing over Arirang Pass.
The one who abandoned me
Shall not walk even 4 kilometers before their feet hurt

The Emperor of Musashi looked down from atop his throne, his face hidden from view by a mask made of various precious metals and stones. Those he looked at, his daughter, niece, nephew all had their own faces revealed as they eyed each other before one addressed the Emperor. “Heika” Shoichi said, “Our forces are almost in position for the invasion. We will be ready to move the moment you declare war.”

“Excellent” The Emperor said. He turned his gaze on his daughter. “And are you ready to fulfil your role in this?”

“I will leave the moment you dismiss me” Yuki said. “I shall ensure that we have no conflict with Uther.

“For now” The Emperor stated. “We shall see what the future holds.” He shifted his head an almost imperceptible amount towards Shoichi. A smile flashed across the young man’s face for a fraction of a second.

“Once we are done with the Second Imperium” Shoichi said, “Uther will either have to form an alliance with us or be crushed between us and the Dominion. Either way we win, though to be honest I would prefer to have him as an ally for when we fight the Dominion. Better that Faust and Uther grind each other’s armies into dust for us.”

“And what honor is there in stabbing our allies in the back?” Yuki asked.

“Open your eyes to reality. War with the Dominion is inevitable” Shoichi shot back. “Better that we position ourselves to benefit from it then be caught flat footed. Or do you wish for a repeat of our war with the Confederation?”

“There are two types of allies” Yuki said. “Those that you have as allies because of a shared objective and those that naturally become your ally because they love the same things as you do. I believe we will find that the Dominion loves the same things as us.”

“They are barbarians!” Shoichi spat. “They most certainly do not, as you so eloquently stated, love the same things as us.”

“But perhaps in time they will come to” Saeko placed a restraining hand on Yuki’s shoulder. “Those I have spoken to from the Dominion were keen to adopt our etiquette.”

“Ha! That’s just because they need something from us” Shoichi said, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his sister.

“They respect us” Saeko said. “And that respect, in time, will manifest into a desire to be like us. It is inevitable.”

“Don’t be so quick to mistake respect for manipulation” Shoichi said quietly.

“Enough” The Emperor said in a calm, but commanding voice. Saeko snapped her mouth shut as she, and her peers, all turned to look at the Emperor. “Saeko how were your negotiations with the Confederation?”

“I believe they went well heika” Saeko said. “But we won’t know for certain until their government decides whether to accept our mutual defense pact or not.”

“They won’t” Shoichi said. “They hate us too much for that.”

Saeko frowned for a moment before nodding in agreement. “I fear that they most certainly don’t love the same things as we do and probably never will. I must admit I feel that I made a mistake in following your advise Yuki-nee.”

“W-well I feel confident that they will accept.” Yuki said, a hurt expression on her face.

“We shall have to wait and see then” The Emperor summarized. “Very well then. Saeko you shall stay here on Bushu until you complete negotiations with the Confederation.” He turned to Yuki as he said “You must meet success in the Imperial Remnant. It would be unacceptable for them to intervene in this conflict.”

“I understand” Yuki said with a low bow.

“I hope you do.” The Emperor said. “Failure will not be tolerated. You all are dismissed.” He finished with a simple gesture.

The three potential heirs to the Empire of Musashi quickly made their exit. Each one had duties to see to. But what probably motivated them more to be gone was a desire to leave the Emperor’s presence. Once the three had left the Emperor removed his mask with a long sigh.

“Was that amusing? He asked as the previously unseen figure of a woman stepped out from the shadows. “I agree” He said as the woman slowly shook her head. He flashed her a warm, if not weary smile, not disturbed in the least to let her view his actual face. It was an honor not even granted to his daughter as of late. “I’m… so tired.” He said with feeling. “And those three aren’t making things easier on me.”

“Yuki-hime is trying to do what she thinks is right.” The woman said after a moment.

“And you think that Shoichi and Saeko aren’t?” The Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I would have killed them by now if they weren’t” The woman answered, eliciting a laugh from the Emperor.

“You most certainly would have” The Emperor agreed. He was clearly not distressed about the thought of this woman killing his niece or nephew. “And that is why I need you to stop playing around. I need you by my side again.”

“I’m amazed that you can say that.” The woman said. “After all my hands have been drenched in the blood of Kasatsume-denka and Kusume-denka.”

“Don’t address my brother and his wife as strangers.” The Emperor’s tone was harsh, but quickly softened as he continued. “You were close to them. Certainly closer than I. I know that’s why the past pains you so.”

“As it should” The woman closed her eyes.

“I…” The Emperor struggled to find the words to say. “I need the support you once gave me. Please, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stand by myself.”

The woman slowly shook her head as she vanished from view. Her disembodied voice said “That strength you seek, I no longer possess.”

“Damn it Kau Rong!” The Emperor screamed at the now apparently empty room, his hands clenching into fists. “Don’t you dare abandon me!”

“You should know that’s what I do best” Kau Rong’s voice drifted to him from somewhere to his left. “After all it was I who abandoned your wife.”

The Emperor grabbed the nearest object he could find, which turned out to be his mask, and threw it in the direction of Kau Rong’s voice. The mask clattered to the ground after colliding with a pillar. The Emperor took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

“How long will you torture yourself?” No one answered his question.

@Isotope@Ozerath
An Unnamed system in Commonwealth Territory, Onboard the starship "Twitching Finger"



The starship Curious tentacle had a fairly small organic crew, 12 kia and 2 H't'tk, The 'bridge' was a small oval cavity in the ship covered in wires and viewscreens displaying all kinds of data. The Kia no longer needed these viewscreens but they were cheap to construct and maintain and added a certain ambience to the room. The Probe Technician Talki Rachax Umiga began broadcasting throughout the ship "Attention Crew and Ship, Initial System survey complete, Star system Includes a Red Dwarf Star and a Brown Dwarf, Of use to us is a Carbon planet orbiting the brown dwarf Although the extreme geological conditions caused by the gravity of the Brown Dwarf and the Red dwarf in close proximity may make utilization difficult I have faith that the Corps of engineers will be up to the task. Additionally 2 Iron silicate worlds and a gas giant orbit the star. Probes indicate bacterial plant life under the ice of one of these moons which could be useful for extraction of Hydrocarbons. Further information about the system and Its resources are available to download for your convenience."

The Officer in charge of long ranged sensors made his announcements next "Scans of Nearby star-systems show possible signs of Intelligent Life, natural causes are at this point impossible to rule out but the readings are consistent with a warp-capable civilization. No sign of Enemy Tech detected. Xenologist Please State a Course of Action."

The Xenologist had a more organic appearance, rather than looking like armor its cybernetic space-suit looked like the chitin of an insect covered in some kind of iridescent algae. "Launch a warp probe towards one of the star systems, standard information packets, hopefully they will be able to understand one of them."

The Fleet Representitive had a silver carapace covered in small spikes wearing some kind of skin-tight garment over parts of its body covered in orange honeycomb patterns "Yicha, I would advise against this action, We know nothing of these Aliens, We dont want to make ourselves noticed until we know what we are dealing with."

The Xenologist considered the Fleet representitives words for a few seconds "A Possibility, I will amend the order, Send the Probe to another uninhabited system, then send it to the alien system, Include only basic information in the data packets."

a bunch of beeps and whistles came from the communciations officers console "Attenti-" he was cut off by the Fleet representative who Replied to the xenologist "Acceptable, Now, Communications officer?"

The communications officer, a tall mostly robotic Kia covered in a pink exoskeleton with moth-like antenna continued "Attention, New vessels present in system, all ours, The Construction Carrier Kattikara Harbor and the Frigates Needle and Drunken Scuffle" the communications officer began relaying information to the new arrivals. "The Construction Carrier will begin work on construction of a mining complex on The Carbon planet within 7 cycles" The elderly Fleet Representive was quite surprised, it had been a part of the Military since before the discovery of "The Enemy" and construction projects had never been so fast to start, It always amazed it how far they had come.

a small cylindrical object undocked with the Twitching finger before firing tiny bursts of air to manuever itself away, its reactionless engine silently roared to life as its highly specialized digital intelligence plotted its course. after getting a few thousand miles away from the Twitching finger, the probe activated its warp drive.

a bright flash of light was briefly visible as exotic energies bent space around the small probe forming a bubble contracting space in front of the probe and expanding space behind it,The ship could only be seen as a slight curvature of light. the ship darted off at thousands of times the speed of light towards a nearby "uninhabited" system.

Inside the Warp Bubble, the Probe thought over the data it had been briefed with turning its entire attention within itself as no data could be gathered from the outside world...after all, light did not penetrate the warp bubble so all that could be seen outside was the bubble itself glowing a dim white. It was a few hours before it turned off the bubble.

At the edge of a star system holding the Commonwealth world Duranin, a Bright flash of gamma rays could be seen consistent with a fairly old-style warp bubble collapse, not enough intensity to do any damage but enough to be a spectacle.

The probe began charging its warp drive for another jump, completely oblivious that this solar system was not actually uninhabited.