[b] The Royal Palace
Itil, Laum
Prince Cato Aurelia Castus Anzac [/b]

The throne room was full of people, advisors, generals and other high ranking officials fervently discussing the latest round of information from their explorers.

“ We have about 50 habitable worlds in this region, all of them have signs of intelligent life” A general said as he walked through the holographic map. “ Past our borders to the north, we have a large alien militarized presence and to the west we have the remains of a pretty advanced civilization. With all due respect young prince, I would focus on these smaller worlds before trying to contact bigger fish” he finished, before the throne room exploded in an uproar

Prince Cato nodded, standing from the high backed throne to address the gathering “ Thank You General, I understand you served my father with honor during the war, your knowledge is invaluable. However; the planets that reside within our borders are inhabited by primitive civilizations….right”? he said looking towards one of his advisors 

“ They are a lot like us my prince, limited to one world but showing signs of growing intelligence. Two crews report friendly populations while others have only observed from afar. We are not too different” he finished with a short nod

“ Would you consider them a threat”? the prince added

The advisor was about the confidently shake his head but stopped, shrugging. “ I would consider our civilizations equal, are they a threat to Itil? No, would they be a threat if we tried to colonize the planet? Maybe”.

Cato nodded again and looked towards his senior military staff “ Why can’t we do both?” he said in a questioning tone “ Diplomatic missions to these planets would be advisable, we must find out where these worlds stand.” 

“ But!…..my good prince” another senior officer interjected “ We have already sent a company to aid the MX-20, we are not even sure if the crew is still alive. We only have 800 men left, plus the reserve element and no reconnaissance specialists. We do not have the man power or equipment for such a wide area” 

“ Have your considered recruiting”? the prince said raising an eyebrow

“ Yes my prince, we are recruiting crews for the navy as we speak” the same officer answered before being abruptly cut off by the prince

“ Not for the Navy general…for the Legion” he finished rather flatly

“ Th….the Legion hasn’t recruited in centuries….men come to the Legion, we don’t go to them” The general said nervously. “ Under the De-armement treaty of the new monarchy, we cannot exceed a thousand souls for our military. Your own father wrot——“

“  I know what he wrote” the prince interjected, cutting the general off mid sentence. “ Times have changed and we need to change with them. Begin recruiting for the legion and send diplomatic missions to those friendly planets. Advise crews to make contact if they haven’t already done so.”

With a polite nod, the general stepped back into the crowd of officers, leaning in to whisper to the man next to him “ Overturning policy, making brash decisions, This child doesn’t know what he’s doing” he quipped, receiving a quiet nod for an answer. 


[b] Palatine
Cpl. Gio Easton
[/b]

“ Clear” a man said over the radio as he emptied the duffle bag of its gear before joining the security perimeter. The four men laid in the middle of the square facing outwards, scanning the broken buildings for any sign of movement. The night was perfect for their night vision, with the moon further illuminating what the device did.

“ Whats the move East?” another man quipped over the radio

“ We need to get up somewhere high” the corporal said as he looked around the square. “ There…..” he whispered, pointing towards the exposed roof of an apartment block.

The man facing the clothing store slowly rose to a knee before slowly trotting towards a bit of rubble in the street, Laying down next to it to cover the teams advance.

“ Set” he said, prompting the corporal and another soldier to quickly rise to their feet. 

“ Moving” Gio said quietly as they made a fast but quiet trot across the square and up to the store wall. “ were set” he quipped before turning around the cover the last two members of his team.