12th of July, 829 AS, Planet Carlisle, Kingdom of Bretonia
Many months had passed since the Gallic onslaught in Sirius, yet the Bretonian Empire and Crayter Republic had survived the test of time and emerged as the victors. The vanquished, now lay in ruins... and the day of greatest importance for the young Coronado based Republic had yet to materialize. No longer faced with the prospect of rebuilding in their distant systems, the Republic put their hopes to come on an agreement with the Great House of Bretonia to further secure their holdings. A noble cause, yet certainly not without its' troubles.
The Bretonian representatives arrived first, on the 6th. Crayter's own delegation arrived only on the 8th, in the very same vessel that brought the refugees from the war-torn Vespucci system back to their homeland. Welcomed with a great fanfare, the Crayterian officials were set to meet within the following days, after some rest.
Representing Her Majesty's interests at the summit, the ever-ambitious Captain Horatio Bartholomew was set to convince the young Republic to accept the Kingdoms' demands and offer Bretonia's assistance with their grandiose plans to regain hegemony over the Taus. Assisting him was Director Victor Steiner, a figure as mysterious as he was charismatic, sharing much of the desire to strengthen Bretonia's position and come to better terms with the Crayterians.
Despite leading an important meeting, Horatio acted with tact and caution, in stark contrast to the majority of the officers in the Royal Navy, whom had much disregard for such state matters. Furthermore, being a relative of the Admiral and a faithful advisor to the Admiralty, he was able to use his personal connections as a tool to pursue goals benefitting Bretonia at the cost of her allies, something that was noticed as much by the Admiral himself since the change in power. Nevertheless, Horatio was to carry out only what he had been asked to propose, a sign of his everlasting loyalty to the Kingdom and to his superiors.
The spacious assembly hall of Stainton Palace, the imposing building in which the meeting took place, now held all the representatives and their staff. In antithesis to Tarbert Mansion, the room was decorated not with flowers, but with painting depicting Bretonia's past and countless victories against the Crowns' enemies. To the right side of the capacious halls, a large hologram projector was attached to the wall, and, at the opposite end of the room, two large windows with sight over Carlisle's developing cities allowed for a rare perspective of a flourishing society. Carefully selected by the government for such conventions, the palace was the ideal location to inspire awe into the Kingdom's devoted allies and pose as a reminder that Bretonia still held firm control over the region.
Ending the initial hours worth of rest and after several visits to locations adjacent to the palace, the representatives now gathered in the main hall to sit down and begin their conference in ernest. Once the Bretonians had assumed their seats, the Republic's own delegation was escorted to the meeting conference hall by a pair of Royal Guards, dressed in their symbolic red coats. The Bretonian delegation waited patiently as their guests footsteps grew louder and louder.
The Crayterian delegation entered the hall and made their way to the seats. Lily Ward moved with confidence and calmness. Ryo Kase comparatively walked sternly but rather reserved. He knew he was out of his element, even nervous when he heard an intelligence director was meeting them.
The delegates got to their seats. Gave the appropriate greetings to each other, shook hands, and sat down. "Every time I find myself visiting Bretonia I always admire the architecture. Truly none like it in Sirius."
Kase preferred to stay silent but nodded his head in agreement.
Once pleasantries were exchanged, Horatio took the initiative, rose from his decorated chair, and headed to the hologram projector. It all seemed like a deja-vu scenario for the ambitious officer, yet he kept to his goals.
With an ardent tone, he began addressing the Crayter delegates: "Ladies and gentlemen, it will be my honor to begin the talks. We have much to discuss and even more to debate." Taking a small break, he continued shortly after; "The first subject that I and Director Steiner would like to address is the security of the Inverness system. Indeed, it seems that the Technocracy taking refuge there has decided to openly welcome in a number of outlaws and steers further away from its initial noble cause."
Almost as soon as he ended the phrase, the hologram had opened and begun displaying a nav-map view of the Inverness system, with points of interest marked upon it. Now looking at the Crayterian delegation, Horatio set to ask them a number of questions. "As it is our priority to find a reasonable approach to dealing with these fugitives from justice, it is as important to know the area to strike first. Has the Crayter Navy assessed the situation, and if so, what can you tell us about the Technocracy's defences?"
But he did not stop there. With the Crayter delegates now preparing to answer, Bartholomew looked to the Intelligence representative and stated: "I believe Director Steiner is more acquainted with the situation at hand, as the Secret Service has long worked in the Independent Worlds." An indirect invitation to address the guests and to gain their trust onto the capabilities of the SIS, Horatio awaited answers from both the Minister and the Director.
Steiner was not well aquatinted with Captain Bartholomew, he knew very little about his career of his character and that bothered him. He was somehow expected to represent Bretonia with an unknown as far as he was concerned, how was he to know whether or not they would see eye to eye? Yet, like it or not, this was the hand that was delt to him so he didn't have a choice. What he did know a little about was of course Auxesia, or at least he thought he knew about them. No doubt his information was a little outdated but the general theme wouldn't have changed that much. He didn't bother standing, preferring to address the Craytarians from a seated position.
My lady, Sir. Before we begin, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Victor Steiner, I was once upon a time the director of the SIS, I resigned, went to abroad and have since returned to my old position at the behest of some rather well informed individuals. He paused for a moment, his head cocked slightly to the side, his eyes staring off into space while he tried to find the words. We have not met before, so I thought introductions were in order. Now, as far as Inverness is concerned, it does offer some opportunity for expansion however the system itself is rather remote and difficult to reach, not to mention its' proximity to Liberty. However, before we continue, I should very much like to know your own thoughts on Auxesia.
He gave a smile to the Crayterians, he did not know much about them or their culture, but they had often proven to be highly skilled individuals who were loyal enough to their friends, so he did not wish to antagonize them, nor to dictate. Frankly he didn't want to dictate to anyone if it could be helped but Craytarians seemed like reasonable people, and so he patiently awaited their response, along with any awkward questions.
Ryo waited for the Bretonian representative to finish talking and from the seated position, which he saw as an equal response to the Bretonian and the way he opened the conversation, he coughed to correct his voice and addressed the gathering.
Gentlemen, you are right, introductions are in order. I am Minister Ryo Kase, currently in charge of Defense Ministery. Please don't be alarmed by my Kusarian appearance, I am a loyal citizen of the Republic of Crayter. I hold different positions within the Republic and I think we might have exchanged memos between our offices in the past. *he smiled and bowed his head towards Lilly* If you allow, I would try to answer the question about Auxesia with a statement.
*Turning towards the Bretonians*As you know, we are governed by the mandate of an old organisation known in the past as UN or United Nations. As we have implemented those guidelines in our Constitution, both in Crayter and later on when we reached Sirius, making our nation, by law, to have a neutral stance against anyone who has not openly engaged civilian, allied military forces or our own unit. However, the Auxesia managed to break all of those protocols and they have openly engaged in direct combat operations against Crayterian and allied units, also they are not shy in engaging civilians. I must say that they seem to have evolved a hatred towards us, almost to the level of genocidal rage. Until recently, we had to worry about other fronts, which were more important, such as the Gallic war, the Kusari offensive, the Outcast menace and other pirates. As we do not have the manpower resources of the Bretonian navy we were unable to focus on this threat but, due to the recent stability and no open front against a major House, we are now looking into dealing with these issues, such as Auxesians and Outcasts. I think we can both agree that they are a threat to our civilians and corporations and that they must be dealt with. If you feel that is the case, I think we can discuss more for joint operations within the Inverness system. *looking at Lilly and Steiner and smiling* However, I think we should also discuss about the other possible threats to our borders and economies.
Ward stood and strode to the hologram to examine Inverness. She never studied it before now, mostly because she didn't think she'd ever have to go there for an assembly.
"Our own history with them is rather short. Few years ago was our first real contact with Auxesia, shortly after Bretonia lost Inverness as a territory."
"They immediately showed aggression with skirmishes and illegal activity. It quickly got worse and soon became an open conflict. They terrorized our civilians, we even tried peace talks just for the safety of our people. Talking to them in person was extremely uncomfortable. They didn't even seem human anymore with how they integrated robotics into themselves."
She looked back at Steiner with a cold expression and monotone voice. No longer wearing a cheerful mask.
"There I realized far too late, that peace was never an option. That they truly wanted us all dead."
Satisfied with the responses received from both the Crayterians and the Director, and with a slight smile, Horatio took several steps towards the delegation, and stated: "Indeed, we all consider them to be only mere outlaws and terrorists. Taking swift action against them would prove most beneficial to both our states, and more so to the people living on the Freeport in the system."
After ending the phrase, and with a sigh, he begun once more to speak. "Unfortunately, we must accept the reality that the Armed Forces are not able to directly assist in liberating the system. We are currently undergoing a vast reform that will see that older vessels are phased out and replaced, but it will take months before we are at a stable operational level. Still, despite that fact, the Armed Forces find themselves in possession of a multitude of ships that are capable of undergoing offensive operations with minimal required maintenance."
The hologram then changed to a view of the current tactical reserve of the Armed Forces, yet nevertheless only a fraction of the real amount was displayed, containing the best vessels put into the reserve, for operational security. Bartholomew did not lose much time and, whilst looking to Ryo Kase, informed: "Minister, do you believe that the Crayter Republic Navy, should it receive our material support, is able to perform a direct invasion of the Inverness sector?" Allowing for several minutes for everyone to understand the notion, he then continued. "Of course, that means that the Armed Forces will not be providing direct combat assistance, but instead vessels and a number of personnel to help train and command the Crayter forces. Not to forget, this task force, in the case of an agreement, will be able to assist in other campaigns just as much, further allowing for cooperation between our two militaries." Once he had changed his tone to a calmer one, and, now looking at Steiner, Horatio lastly stated: "Director, would the Intelligence Service be able to directly assist Crayter forces?"
With questions in place, the ambitious captain now returned to the hologram and awaited the Crayterians to answer first, followed by Director Victor.
Victor tapped his finger on the table in a slow and steady beat, his eyes locked on to Ward's own, before they glassed over and he looked through her, he became lost in his own thoughts for a moment. It was becoming ever more obvious that Auxesia was one problem of many, although normally they would not be able to challenge Bretonia in any serious manner, the weakened state of the House, the distance of Inverness and a general lack of knowledge about the organization and it's overall capabilities made them a greater threat than he previously thought. He also noted that the Crayterians wanted more from Bretonia than a simple security conference, now that Liberty had largely left Bretonia, the Crayterians were about the only local friends they had, whether Bretonia liked it or not, the House could not afford to expect their allies to act on their behalf alone.
He stopped his tapping and resumed a neutral expression, The Service will send whatever agents we can to support you, I will also try and pull some strings at the top to get a few heavy ships to support us. It won't be much, but I will do what I can. He didn't like Auxesia all that much, he considered their behaviour to be arrogant, acting as though they were the supreme authority on all matters technological with no academic oversight, no ethical framework and the only morals being those that suited them at the time. Auxesia would willingly commit genocide if they thought it to be in their interests. As far as Victor was concerned, they were all psychopaths with a narcissistic streak in them.
I would like to say that the Service believes that a simple all out assault on Auxesia would be met with failure in the long run. Not only is the system large, it is also fairly empty, a fleet would be detected quickly and we are unaware of what defences they have. More importantly, it is wholly likely that Inverness is just one enclave of their people, a large one to be certain, but certainly not their only one. We have no idea how spread out their people are, where they work or with whom. If we wish to destroy Auxesia as a threat, we must engage them on all fronts, not just the physical manifestations we see in space. The SIS will try to discover more about them and where they hide but...well, I don't think I need to say that it will take some time.
He did not like this idea that much, the Admiralty may think that this was a military operation, but he feared that they would underestimate Auxesia and what it could do. The organization was shrouded in secrecy, the reality was no one really knew how large or small they were, what allies they had, their technological advantages and disadvantages or where their agents and spies were located. Any action against them ought to be considered carefully, and his brow furrowed at the fact that no one seemed to have mentioned what might become of the system after Auxesia was destroyed.... if they were destroyed.
Ryo moved back in his seat and leaned forward. Putting his elbows on the table with hands joined together. He let out a sigh knowing everything he is about to say will annoy him.
"You are entirely right Mr. Steiner. We have plenty of our own intel on them. We've had few successful operations into the Inverness system, mostly due to how quickly we are met with harsh resistance. We've scouted Valravn Citadel, their main base of operation and home. Though it's outdated, we know it's overall structure and defenses."
Ryo then throws his hands up and scoffs.
"Then there's the thousand theories on who are their allies! We've learned that the Insurgency was once allied to them but broke ties over something. Rheinland warships sighted moving through Crayter space trying to avoid detection, and even engaged a border patrol at one point trying to keep their presence secret. Raising suspension there could be another cell in Rheinland space. Our merchant ships encountered them in the Omicron systems." Raising his voice he realized he was getting ahead of himself and took a moment to collect his thoughts. He stood and proceeded to the hologram staring intently. "It's impossible to wipe them out on all fronts, but if we can take out Valravn it'll crimple them and insure they don't remain a threat in the future. From what we've understood is that they've digitalized the conciseness. A drone get's blown up they just inject that mind into a new body, but if we take out their hub it can possibly stop the cycle."
Ryo saunters back to his seat but remains standing. Looking at the captain.
"I don't mean to insult you, but we don't need ships. We've taken significant loses over the past few years, but ships are replaceable, it's what we're good at. What we lack is manpower. Tau-44 is still crippled and we are making slow progress recouping from the orange hammer. That is our top priority is at the moment, once that is done we can shift our gaze outward of our borders."
Kase knew he was taking a big risk. He meditated over it as he sat back down, and awaited the Bretonians response.
While such a response was not entirely unanticipated, Horatio understood the raised point well, and not willing to lose the opportunity, brought forth another offer to the Minister.
"You have made it clear what Crayter desires. But I do not intend to refuse such a good opportunity to strengthen our cooperation. On the contrary, here is my proposal." Bartholomew then returned to the hologram, with it now displaying a sector view of much of Sirius. He lost no time and shortly after begun speaking once more, whist pointing to the areas of interest.
"The Armed Forces must be allowed to form a subdivision within your Naval Forces -- with only Bretonian personnel, but utilizing Crayter vessels -- to assist in protecting Crayter's holdings in the Taus and Coronado. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Bretonia will provide material support as well as limited financial aid to assist with the rebuilding efforts in Tau-Fourthy-Four. In return, our demands are simple." He then looked to miss Lily Ward, examining her briefly before stating: "The Kingdom requires of your Republic to cut off all remaining support for the Gallic State, and to initiate an invasion of Inverness at the earliest opportunity. As discussed prior, Bretonia strongly advocates for truly independent border systems, protected solely by our Royal Navy and her allies. But I believe you know the reasons behind our first demand."
Once the proposal was presented, the captain turned to Steiner, and inquired: "Director, do you have any other matters to present?"
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