For The Empire

[Lythrilux]

At the highest point of Durban Station, is a secretive and highly secure boardroom where the highest ranking personnel of The Core and the most important men and women of AP Manufacturing convene for discussions related to their operations in the Edgeworlds and across Sirius.

Seven individuals sat at the circular table, illuminated by the hologram being displayed at the center of the table. The attendees were dressed in suits, the correct attire for a business meeting of this much importance. However, in contrast they were relaxed as they sat around the table. Several individuals even had their feet up upon the desk, whilst leaning back in their chairs, watching the blue orb of light at the center of the table rotate.

"Behold, ladies and gentlemen, Planet Nauru" said James Clarke, CEO of APM, standing up from his seat and pointing towards the hologram. "Currently, we already have a sizable hold on the planet in the form of Athenia. The only obstacle in the way of us completely securing our influence in Delta is Freeport 11 and Yaren Base" James closes his sentence with a sip of his wine, before Erik Nodtviet, Guildmaster of The Core. sitting across from him gets up and starts to speak.

"Plans are already underway for us to completely wipe out Corsair influence within this system. Once we take Yaren, we can begin to look at turning Yaren into an Outpost in the orbit of Nauru or perhaps the construction of a docking ring. However I'd imagine the latter would be very expensive, and in our current position we'll either need to drop that idea or hope we can find a means of securing considerable financial aid. In regards to Freeport 11, we can leave it alone for now without stepping on the Zoners toes. Annexation isn't a terrible idea on the other hand, if things become that extreme". He takes his seat again, before resuming his speech "On the subject of financial aid, we need to look into gaining some more willing donators who would be interested in funding our operations out here. Do not get me wrong, ladies and gentlemen, we are not in a critical position right now however if we wish to expand our operations we will need to look into this area. Ensuring our operations cover both the Omicrons and the Omegas is slightly straining, fortunately none of our enemies nor the Zoners seem to recognize that we may or may not be able to back up our claims and therefore we are still able to influence the amount of fear and worry within their hearts". He paused. "And fear is a good way to instill control".

Erik takes out a remote from his pocket and points it towards the blue orb of Nauru. He presses a button, the image changes to display information of relevant bounty boards in Sirius. "As you all know, The Core currently operates within Baffin off the back of a contract with TAZ - we ensure that the Order doesn't hurt them and we gain some funds in return. Therefore, it may be a good idea for us to operate within select houses as a means of acquiring funds to fund our operations within the Omicrons and Omegas. The usefulness of such a tactic does not end there however. By operating within the houses we gain a lead on our enemies - namely The Order and of course the alien forces of the Nomads. Their influence does not end at the Omicrons and Omegas, thus if we want to obtain more advanced technology and cripple The Order we need to maintain a presence everywhere. Finally, such a presence within the houses would give us good ground for spying on them. No, not The Order and the Nomads, the Houses themselves". Erik takes a moment to look into the eyes of everyone in the room. "You, the most powerful and influential within The Core and APM, will know of the ultimate goal. Once we have fully established our influence in the eastern and south-eastern part of Sirius, our attention will be diverted to the rest of Sirius. In preparation for this, it would be a good idea to gain a good understand of what we may be up against when that day comes. Do not worry though, it is a very long way off. That is all". Nodtviet throws the remote over to James, giving him back the control of the meeting.

James catches the remote in his hand, then takes another sip of wine. "Thank you, Nodtviet". He adjusts his tie slightly. "There's not much else to discuss. As you all know we are trying to break into the Gallic market, as futile as that may seem. If we can get Gallia on board for the purchase of our vessels, then we may be able to gain their favor towards the operations we do out here and how they may benefit from them. Currently, I am just waiting for a response". James finishes off his wine before placing the remote into his pocket. "The meeting has ended, you may now resume your previous duties".

The attendees broke out in moderate applause, before getting up from their seats and walking out the door towards the elevator that would take them back to the rest of Durban.

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[Lythrilux]

At the highest point of Durban Station, is a secretive and highly secure boardroom where the highest ranking personnel of The Core and the most important men and women of AP Manufacturing convene for discussions related to their operations in the Edgeworlds and across Sirius.

The Board all convene together in the same room as last time. Each individual sits at the table - various members from APM and Core high command - and watch CEO James Clarke intently. James points a remote at the hologram in the center of the table. A document flashes up titled 'PROJECT JUSTICIAR'. "Ladies, Gentlemen..." James says slowly, as he shows the board members his personal project of dark and twisted science. "As you all know, project justiciar has launched. Only those in here as well as the personnel working on this project know if it. Although you have already been briefed on this, it's crucial that we keep this a company secret. I can't stress the importance of what we have here and why we cannot allow anyone else to know what we're doing" James says, a slight nervousness resonating in his voice. He points the remote at the hologram once again. This time a suspended human body appears. "Hopefully our little super soldiers can prove their use. Remember, they are not people, merely tools of our will. You don't need to worry about silly things such as morals and ethics. What we do has a good cause: our cause".

He presses a button on the remote and the hologram cuts to a storage facility. "Of course, to maintain these things costs us quite the bit of money. The process isn't 100% perfect, though we're getting better at it. However the Cardamine that gives the Justiciars their strength is in short supply. Fortunately for us, the scrap rats known as the Junker Marauders and the Junkers Congress have use in this area. They've already proven themselves with their delivery of human organs - which will go towards project Inquisitor, by the way - thus I believe we can depend on them to fulfill another order".

"Finally, there is one last matter which I need to address. The Temporary Autonomous Zoners have asked us to construct a maintenance unit for them..."
The board suddenly breaks out in quiet laughter.
A man speaks up. "They honestly think we're a robotics company? Robotics is our weakest field!"
James nods "Indeed, strangely. Regardless, as I instructed Miss Holland this isn't something I want us to pass up so easily. I believe with some... shadier alternatives to construction we may still be able to pull this off. I've allowed Miss Holland to act independently regarding this, a huge responsibility given her ranking within the company though I believe she can do it".

James presses one last button on the remote and the hologram switches off. "That's all for this meeting. There is nothing more to discuss - resume your duties".

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