Snippet #2435792

Reclining in the chair slightly, Petros Zhirayr stubbed away the cigarette in the ashtray and planted his hands in front of him. The table stretched out in front of him, and his disgruntled appearance seemed to have an effect on several of the younger men seated on either side of him.

Gingerly, he leaned forward with one elbow on the table as his free hand made a simple gesture to the young Terran at the far end of the table, a brown-haired young lad at the helm of a holographic console. “Sorry for the bullshit son, go on, go on.”

“Surely, Minister Zhirayr -- “

“Call me Petros, kid.” With another gesture Petros laid his hands back onto the table together. In front of him a series of images projected into the air. A world spun in the inky cosmos, other images juxtaposed alongside it. A military convoy rolled through a dense, sprawling city and vehicles sat in a motorpool beside an image of food lines: a parent stood with a blanket around an emaciated child and took a small plate of food, it if could pass for that.

“ -- the consideration the Federal government is facing now is a … double-edged sword so to speak. While aid and funding to the Terran government has continued we’ve seen no improvement in the human development of the planet, instead … “ The young Terran folded his hands as an image of the TAF overwhelmed the others. “The Terran military has been quickly modernizing, without the same considerable advancements in the civilian sector. Foreign military forces, extragalactics, like the Varden have been safeguarding the infrastructure of the government and insulating them.”

“We poured billions into aid that’s been squandered on a military, with the express request modernization be forgone to focus precisely on the situations the Terrans have been neglecting since they gained independence. Other foreign actors have stepped into our former position, when the Terrans realized we wouldn’t arm them for a vengeance strike against the Aschen and Taiyou.” Chairman Kalimos was only a few seats away from Minister Zhirayr, fingers clutched to a cigar while he looked up from the tablet device on the table in front of him.

“Because we wouldn’t give the Terrans their shot at blood-for-blood, a less amiable group has. Now, we all know beyond the Garden things are less black and white but, simply walking on the condition that we assume these other actors will act with the same restraint as we did won’t serve us very well.” Kalimos continued as he set the cigar down to raise a glass to his lips.

“The Chairman is correct,” The Terran remarked quietly as the images disappeared and a readout of countless report filings filled a holographic box in the air. “Of course the Federal government has acted under the auspice that, legitimately, the government in Sol has a true right to build a military and coordinate with non-Coalition states for its mutual defense.”

“An extragalactic has no suitable reason to intervene simply ‘for the sake of helping Terra’.” The Chairman interjected as he finished the glass of scotch and placed it on the table in front of him. “If we’re to be held in contempt for garrisoning the planet when the Sol government has a military capable of defending its territory, the other state actors can be held for empowering the Terrans to utilize their aid in contradiction to what it was provided for -- rebuilding infrastructure and sustaining their civilian population, not arming and equipping a military for a tit-for-tat war of reprisals.”

“Regardless of their wrong-doing though, the Terran military may only be used for what the Terran government decides.” The young man stepped away from the command prompt at the far end of the table. “To quantify, it’s the Federal government’s obligation to suggest the Terrans use the aid they are being provided correctly.”

“Since independence, the Terrans have made it well known they will only cooperate when it suits them -- and specifically, at the expense of the Aschen or Taiyou. Unless we can convince them, in some way, it hurts the Aschen or Taiyou, the TNG doesn’t buy it.” Zhirayr said with a curt shrug, before looking more intently at one of the files on display in front of him. “You can’t be angry at someone who feels disenfranchised because we haven’t provided them the means to ‘level the playing field’.”

“We can be angry that they didn’t rise to their elected duties, however.” The Terrans remark made a few of the other Scatterrans in the room perk at the brass words of the nameless adjutant.

“True kid, very true -- they had the opportunity to take the highroad and instead they choose to get even. What does this mean to us, though?” Zhirayr met with a dry statement of his own. Eyes narrowed politely and a hand dismissed the report from in front of him.

“The Empire, plainly. As a guarded protectorate of the Coalition, and the largest UCON memberstate beyond the Garden, the consideration of Terran reprisals is a legitimate, clear and present threat.” The Terran replied.

“Affirmative, but the Empire isn’t one lonely planet like Sol. They can take care of themselves, without the Apparatus even, if need be.” Zhirayr knew what the adjutant would likely say next, however.

“Of course, but when the Terrans launch a vengeance campaign and the Empire is left high and dry the Federal government will be facing an outcry from the Garden nations. No matter how far away, we protect our own.”

“I like this one, where’d you find him Marsa?” A uniformed Lieutenant General blew smoke from his nose as he killed the cigarette into another ashtray just inches from him. “They had balls like this back in Sol maybe the TNG would be a lot better off.”

“So now the TNG has a crack military, falling on their obligations to the non-government sector, and isn’t hiding that they’ve not buried the hatchet. What … exactly are we trying to discuss here?”

As Zhirayr inquired several of the men exchanged glances with one another. Kalimos was seen rubbing the bridge of his nose before the uniformed Scatterran rose from his chair and gave the adjutant a gesture to be seated.

“What we would like to discuss, Minister, is the possible … ‘motivation’ of the TNG to back down from their aggression against not only Coalition memberstates, but states on the planet of Terra itself.”