Rye Apis's Story

As the Shuttle made it's way towards the Esteem, the AI provided guidance, tracking and landing signalling into the esteem's hangar bay.

Blast doors retracted, and a forcefield engaged to keep the hangar pressurized and allow incoming and outgoing traffic. The field itself shimmered like the surface tension on water, rippling about as the shuttle passed through it.

The Esteem's Executive officer was standing in silence as he waited to greet the ambassador from the shuttle, while Admiral Hanley, and Admiral McGregor were setting up in a conference room, which was a short tram ride away from the hangar bay.

When the CONCORD delegate arrived, he would be greeted by stares in the Hangar bay; technicians and crewman stopped what they were doing and the entire bay was bathed in a dead silence as all eyes fell on the CONCORD Representative.

The Executive officer turned and gestured for him to board the Tram. "Admiral Hanley is waiting." He said, stepping towards the tram, which would be a short ride to the Conference block.

---

The pair of Aschen Admirals found their seats, and waited for the CONCORD representative, glasses of water were poured for the pair of Aschen officers, while they watched a holographic display.

Vanessa would also be escorted with Raphael to the conference hall, and the Marine that escorted her gestured for her to stand behind him.

Raphael turned to the pitcher of water, and then he turned to Vanessa.

"I'm thirsty." The Aschen Admiral remarked.

Vanessa's lips pressed firmly together at Raphael's words. She picked up on the implication clearly enough and she bit back the words she wanted to say as she poured the water.

Calling the man a pig right here and now wouldn't accomplish anything.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Some for the Admiral." Raphael said, gesturing to Hanley, before he leaned back in his seat.

"And try to look like you belong... make sure the drinks are topped off and the food is served in a timely manner. And stick behind me." Raphael said.

Meanwhile, the AI flickered into view and turned to Admiral Hanley.

"The UDW Contingent and security is en route, shall I have additional security assigned to this conference hall?" The AI Inquired, while Hanley nodded.

"Make it so.."

Now it would be time to wait until both parties found the designated conference hall, and ultimately their seats.

The shuttle's lift elevator lowered and a single man stepped out into the hanger. A personal defense system encompassed his body. He was armed to the teeth but he was the only one on the shuttle. Locked to the plate upon his back were two weapons, one slightly smaller than the other. Upon his right thigh was a holster and in that holster resided a sidearm. Upon his left breast was sheathed a knife.

There was one thing out of place for Aaric was not a knight of a centuries long passed away. There upon his left hip was a sword in its scabbard. A blue sheen graced the surface of the hilt and a intricate weave of rich leather encircled the grip. The scabbard was well tended, the leather oiled. The lines of the ancient belt did not betray its true age. This was the same sword and scabbard that Warden Falls had carried before entering into the Imperial Palace of Nobuo Tatsu Takayama, Emperor of the Taiyou Empire of Greater Niihama. This was a Valorium blade and though it was only a reproduction and meant to be a badge of station it was still a peerless weapon. The value of the blade quite possibly dwarfed every single vessel in the local region.

He stood alone. His helmet collapsed around his head and folded into the high collar around his neck. His eyes shone a bright steel instead of their normal brown and were lit vibrantly from behind as if a small star resided in his head. A mop of messy brown hair sat upon the top of his head. Aaric looked to the executive officer, nodded, and then stepped onto the tram without saying a word.

Guided in by the Esteem’s AI to an assigned bay, the Owl pilot set the troop transport down with practiced ease, Jester and his retinue barely noticing the touchdown bump. A bail out door cycled aside, the small group striding out of the craft. Jester’s appearance was average, the most apparent thing his suit. The Midnight man was, of the mediation delegation, the most heavily armed, ironically. Knives, small pistols, and the various other tools of his trade secreted about his person as was proper in the UDW. The Wolf team retained their more modest armaments, but that they were elite troopers was evident enough in their builds, their strides, and their mannerisms.

Following the escort, Jester breathed easy, ready to operate the center of yet another arrangement between two parties.

Tenna mulled over the words for a moment, then frowned. Even as he thought over the options before him, his ship had picked up a shuttle signature moving across the void to the Reverence II nearby. Diplomacy at work. Inwardly, the mercenary scoffed at whoever would be so foolish as to try their luck on board an Aschen ship of any size, but then an idea came to him. Opening his comms response channel, he spoke back, a few scant words to bind their terms.

"Apophis, consider me hired. We'll work out the numbers a little later, but as of now, I've got work to do. Give me a bio-signature on the shuttle's passengers an..." He paused, noting a second signature leaving the UDW vessel. "Make that two vessels, and give them the word that I'll be joining shortly. Tenna out.

He smirked as he flipped the channel off, letting it receive only, and opened up the Solitude's throttles. As he nudged his way across space towards the landing dock that the first shuttle had already entered. With an almost lithe grace, the mercenary brought his ship in parallel to the second craft the Apophis had released., matching its speed and course.

With the final approach locked into the computer, he began to check his gear. Pistol, check. Rifle, check. Armor condition, fully operational. He had a scan done rapidly over himself, and the ship reported that his heart-rate was sitting at a comfortable 48 bpm.

"Always wanted to see the inside of one of these things," Tenna muttered as the Solitude touched down, cockpit sliding forward and up slightly to allow him to exit. As he got his feet on the deckplates, he looked to his side, seeing the contingent of men leaving the other craft.

Vanessa did as she was instructed, and rather well under the circumstances. The instruction to blend in was made all the easier by her years of waitressing and bartending at The Den. The ability to put on a friendly mask even under stressful circumstances was an art she had long mastered, and it was with practiced ease that she filled glasses of water. Though on one occasion she threw Raphael a look that spoke of her distaste for the situation.

'Happy?' the look said.

As more people began filling into the room, she moved to keep behind Raphael as told, but she studied the arriving parties intently enough. Her own clothes had been replaced with those that had been scrounged up from among the crews and as long as she kept quiet she did for the most part look as if she belonged.

Though she wouldn't likely be passable as military, many likely would simply overlook her as an attendant of some nature or another. Only her Lutetian accent was liable to mark her out as an outsider among the Aschen crew - but for the time being she remained silent and observant.

Despite the full combat suit, Aarlan was escorted to the conference room without too much problem, or too much fanfare. His combat suit managed to garner strange looks, as many on the Aschen Reverence were not accustomed to having armed individuals aboard the ship, let alone that of a perceived enemy.

Various crewmen whispered about him in their native languages, and not a single common word was spoken.

The Tram ride was roughly five minutes, as it sped along it's track from the Hangar Bay to the conference block. Once the tram came to a stop, the Executive officer gestured for Aarlan to follow him, a pair of large doors opening up to reveal the Conference room. There was a round table in the center, with Raphael sitting on the far side with Vanessa positioned behind him, and Hanley directly to his right.

Flanking both corners of the room were marines in security gear, their Disruptor rifles hanging from shoulder straps, and the men were positioned in a non threatening manner, they watched Aarlan as he entered, but did not make any moves.

Hanley on the other hand gave him a strange look, pursing her lips before extending her hand.

"I'm glad you could join us.. have a seat Admiral." Hanley said, nodding to the chair across from her.

It was roughly at this time the AI Flickered into view. "Attention... there is a security breach in the Hangar Bay, the Mercenary we noted earlier has entered our hangar bay on the UDW ship's Vector. I'll have him apprehended and detained."

Hanley nodded, and sighed. "Excuse me a moment, Admiral..." She said, entering a few commands. "Someone snuck onto my ship." She said with a scowl.

----

Jester and his contingent would find their entrance into the Aschen hangar bay relatively uneventful, it wasn't until Tenna's ship careened through the hangar force-field and touched down that there was a hostile response.

Alarms began to blare and Marines quickly moved into position, the AI's voice calling out on the Reverence's PA System.

"Intruder alert; intruder alert; all security personnel prepare to repel boarders... this is not a drill."

As Tenna's cockpit opened up, roughly a dozen heavily armed Marines swarmed around the ship, with weapons trained on the lone vessel, while several men with heavy guns positioned against the Solitude from several balconies up.

As men positioned themselves behind hard light cover, and physical cover, a Marine sergeant shouted towards Tenna.

"Hands in the air! Now! Drop your weapons and surrender! We will use lethal force!" Tenna would only be given one warning before they opened fire.

Jester would be given a front row seat to the showdown between the Esteem's security crew, and the lone mercenary. As Marines positioned themselves, special reaction forces were suiting up in Combat skins and preparing to depart towards the hangar Bay.

A lone Marine sergeant quickly approached Jester and his crew.

"Is he with you?" The Sergeant said, gesturing to Tenna's ship, and the men surrounding him. "Because your friend is in a whole lot of trouble. He did not have permission to board this ship." The Sergeant added, while the Hangar's blast doors began to close, alarms continuing to blare.

"Let's get you to the tram, so we can secure the hangar." The Sergeant added, gesturing to the trams, while a pair of Power armor clad marines ran past them.

Under Aschen Imperial law, Boarding a military vessel without permission was punished by summary execution at the discretion of the ship's commander, and considered piracy under international law. This meant that by boarding the Reverence without Permission, Tenna would find himself even more at odds than previously, as more and more men surrounded him, and his ship.

He did not speak or acknowledge the whispers as he made his way to the conference room though he heard them and could comprehend much of what was said either through his own memory and recent studies or through direct translation by EGO.

Aarlan had worn the same combat suit when he met with the UDW. The only difference between what he wore then and what he wore now was the sword upon his left hip and the smaller weapon upon his back. His eyes were still radiating ever so slightly when he reached for her hand. He gripped it firmly and shook it as was custom in many of the civilizations in the Milky Way. He locked eyes with Hanley briefly. “Thank you.”

Aaric then released her hand, a hand he could have just as easily crushed which was attached to an arm he could have just as easily torn off in a fraction of a blink of an eye. He would not have needed the combat suit to have done that. The terrible truth of the matter was that the combat suit actually slowed him down and restricted his movement. Of all the weapons and gear that this man had brought with him, he was the most deadly followed closely by the sword upon his left hip.

He sat down at the table where he had been directed to sit and proceeded to study the others at the table. This included Raphael and the woman seated behind him. His brow furrowed then as he waited for them to deal with the security breach.

With a sigh, Jester tapped his implant, scowling. "Yes, the mercenary Tenna just accepted contract from us, electing to follow our contingent into the vessel. A foolhardy choice, done without orders, but as he is now officially on our books, would you be kind enough to not harm him more than possibly necessary? We'll handle the negotiations for his final fate at the conclusion of our business here."

Following the sergeant from the hangar, the man left without a backwards glance, though one of his trailing Wolves gave a back cast sneer.

Tenna closed his eyes and listened to the blaring klaxons and the shuffle of feet and armored men. The cacophony of it all reminded him of his days in training with the UCON military, and it was bittersweet to think on. Yet, he couldn't help but smile at the disgust from both the UDW men he was technically allied with as well as from the Aschen units surrounding him.

He raised his hands, as ordered, leaving his weapons firmly attached to his sides, and acted more like he was stretching, rather than surrendering. Sure, small arms fire was lethal, but after so many brushes with the Aschen, he'd gotten a general feel for how they acted. The real unfortunate thing that they'd managed this time? Locking him in. Contract or no, he wasn't going to let the Aschen rip his head off if it could be helped.

"Gimme a sec, boys. Just gonna lock up my ship." He touched his right forefinger and thumb tips together, and the canopy of the Solitude sealed itself once more, making it impossible for the Aschen to search his ship while he was gone. If they chose to dismantle it, then the information within was automatically set to wipe itself to keep Tenna's security, and that would quickly become the least of their worries.

As Jester mentioned that Tenna's contract was in fact correct and through, he relaxed a bit, lowering his arms only slightly.

"Mind if I drop my arms? I've got a job to be doing, and I'm not so sure I can be held up." Cocky and confident, Tenna opened his eyes and smirked at the Marine Sergeant. He began to follow after the Wolves, though slowly to gauge the potential lethality of the situation.

Hanley finished entering her brief set of commands before she turned her attention back to the guest before her.

"Our guests with the UDW Should be here soon, so we can probably go ahead and get started." She said, looking up to the ceiling. "AI, start recording and open a data-link to the Ministry of Defense." She ordered, and a crystalline chime signalled the AI's response.

"Alright then..." She said, bringing up a holographic display detailing the events that led to the initial declaration of war. "As I understand it, during the previous Imperial administration, during the invasion of the Local Region, Terran rogues made contact with CONCORD and pled for their assistance against the Aschen Empire. CONCORD granted this assistance and began a military campaign against the Empire, which lead to a de facto armistice following the withdrawal from Terra and the drafting of the Aschen-Scatter Concordat that ended the war. However, other than an attack against a damaged Aschen fleet from a previous Taiyou engagement..."

Hanley's expression darkened slightly. "Contact that resulted in an unprovoked attack on Aschen assets by CONCORD vessels... there's been no formal contact between our two nations other than this summit which we both are present at." Hanley explained.

"Is this summation of events accurate from your perspective? Care to elaborate on the attack against the... I believe it was the Psalm Every Day... commanded by then Rear Admiral Nagala?" Hanley asked. "Quorum's been wondering about that." She said, turning another screen showing what looked like a chatroom with the various Quorum delegates.

"Other than that, do you have any terms to propose for this peace accord?" Hanley asked, while Raphael remained mostly silent, watching Aarlan with a piercing blue eyed gaze, the Alteran Admiral keeping to his own thoughts for now, but letting his mind occasionally wander, searching the fabric of time and space to glean a faint glimmer of precognition. He was trying to stay a step ahead of the game.


----


Inside the Hangar Bay

Jester and his Wolves would find the same tram that Admiral Aarlan had taken just a few minutes prior, Tenna on the other hand would find the Marine stepping in front of him, and shoving his hand against Tenna's chest.

"You're not going anywhere other than the Brig. You're in some hot water buddy." The Marine said flatly, while a pair of Security officers moved to grab each of Tenna's arms, one on each arm, while the rest kept their weapons trained. If Tenna tried to overpower of fight the men, no doubt the other Aschen would open fire without hesitation.

As the security officers moved to grab Tenna, they also moved to remove his weapons, and also attempt to bind his hands behind his back, while the Sergeant stood on watch.

"You're not going anywhere but the Brig until the Admiral has a chat with your friends, and then decides what to do with you. Boarding a ship without permission is a gross violation of International Law. Your friends are in no position to help you. Compliance will likely beget leniency." The Sergeant explained.

"Secure his ship and his belongings, and escort him to the Brig, we won't mess with anything until the Admiral has decided what to do with him."

The Sergeant turned back towards Tenna, the ball now in the Mercenary's court. He could fight the Aschen, and risk the UDW's ire, or comply, and perhaps be granted leniency, or even released.

Afterall, the UDW had money, and money talked with the Aschen.

Aaric's eyes continue to glow with a slight radiance. "I will make a statement and answer your questions as soon as the UDW mediator gets to the table. I will say now that my goal in coming aboard your ship is to promote peace."

---

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. - Terran Poet

Time is ever moving forward and yet each and every choice that is made cleaves the path in twain. Forks split the roots and the boughs of Yggdrasil. The multiverse expands unto infinity. The gift of precognition opens up endless possibilities. You can garner facts through observations not made and ask questions without asking them. You can hold entire conversations without speaking or even thinking, no one else the wiser.

In one possible future Aaric turned to look at Raphael. The instant Raphael peered forward he would discover that he was not alone. Raphael was not the only precog in the room. Observing what could come to pass can change what may come to pass just as easily as setting a different course. So the game set down as they all waited for the UDW to arrive at the table. Let us hope the cards did not stack too high or what was and what could be could get awfully confusing.

A short while later, Jester entered the room, offering a courteous bow to both Aschen and Ayen parties, choosing a point on the table between the represented states. His entourage simply took up positions behind him, coming to parade rest. Smiling faintly, his eyes slid from side to side, measuring the men and women within.

"Well then. Shall we begin?"

As the security forces went to get a hold of Tenna, his suit kicked into action. Actuators and circuitry laced throughout the suit began firing, causing a magnetic repulsion field to surround him, staving off the gripping hands coming towards him.

"I'll go, but I'm keeping all my stuff with me. And don't worry about Solitude. She's not gonna be going anywhere." He chuckled and relaxed a bit, confident that the tech within his suit was enough to keep him more or less safe from anything less than a high-end, fairly specialized rifle.

"So, how about we take a little tour," he said to the sergeant, "And once we find a nice place to sit down and chat like considerate professionals, or even people if I wanted to stretch things, we can wait for your CO to make his choice there. Plus, considering I own my own ship, I would technically outrank you." He chuckled softly, sighing.

"Plus, I'm under contract with the UDW. I've got the markers and everything splattered all across my comms and instrumentation, so if your precious admiral decides to keep me on board, he'll have hell to pay politically. I mean, holding a working member of your allies hostage when he was simply doing his job? Doesn't look too good on paper or screen, 'specially when that news hits from here to the near side of the next galaxy."

The Sergeant was starting to grow visibly frustrated with Tenna's rather Laissez-faire attitude, but he was keeping his composure.

When the two men were repulsed by the Magnetic field, patience had finally began to run out, the Sergeant made a face, and listened to Tenna's speech, before rebuking with his own.

"You're going to take a grand tour to the Brig, and we'll pry you out of that frakking suit with a can opener if we have too." He said flatly, gesturing to a pair of Marines, whom were reaching for their weapons, a few more hand signals followed.

"I don't care if you're the CEO of Tech Con, you boarded this ship illegally, and are being detained until the Admiral can dispense justice. I will not warn you again." The Sergeant said, taking two steps back, as they began preparing for something.

A few minutes of pensive silence went by, as the Sergeant's nonverbal order was carried out, a flash following in an adjacent room, as the doors to the Ring Room slid open, and a pair of Power Armor clad individuals began making their way towards Tenna. Each of them carrying LAERs, a specialized Aschen weapon designed to disable power armor with a combination of concentrated Electromagnetic blast, and 500 Million volts of electricity, which would likely disable electronics and servos in power armor, and severely incapacitate the individual inside.

"You can either comply, or deal with my friends over there." He said, gesturing to the men across from him.

"Your choice... but this isn't helping any arguement the UDW will use to secure your release." The Sergeant said. "You're under arrest for piracy, and your talk is wasting time. You will disarm now, or we will use force."

This was likely the last warning, as the pair of power armored men prepared their LAERs

----

Inside the Conference Room

As Hanley went over everything, she looked up to Jester, and she made a face. "Your new recruit is making an ass out of himself in our hangar bay." She said, shaking her head.

"Anyways.. now that everyone's here..."

She brought up a holographic transcript, bringing the last words spoken by her onto the record, for Jester to read.

"Let's see here... As I understand it this whole mess started when Austin Marshall, without the knowledge or request of the Terran National Government, approached your government to seek assistance in driving our forces from Terra during Great War One, as I understand it. Following pleas from our administration at the time to stay out of it, your government ultimately interceded, further inflaming an already unstable situation, by deploying after the war had concluded, and a peace accord signed with the Terran and UCON Governments... your Military attacked our vessel, resulting in minor damage on both sides, and tensions continue fortwith." Hanley said.

"If CONCORD Meddles in the affairs of other sovereign nations... outside it's own galaxy... I cannot foresee this peace lasting unless some concrete rules are negotiated... Admiral Aaric do you have the full faith and authority of your Government? Or should we make arrangements for future contact between higher ranking representatives of both our governments?"

Raphael continued to let his mind wander for just a moment, before snapping out of it and anchoring himself back into the present, he leaned back only slightly, guarding his own thoughts as he seemed to be plotting something. As the Precognitive branches expanded ever more, Raphael's own concentration would waver, and so he anchored himself back into the present, the here and now, yet watchful eyes still remained on Aaric.

Tenna lifted an eyebrow as the Sergeant stepped back, then nodded slightly as the door to his side opened. He suppressed a smile and a laugh at the fact that the men wielding the LAER systems were wearing the style of armor the weapons were built to disable. The sheer irony of that was nearly too much to bear. He managed, however, and kept his expression neutral, shifting his feet to be a bit more comfortable.

Well, that was what it was meant to appear as. The shift of his feet had actually redistributed not only his weight, but the strength of the magnetic field lines, concentrating them near the lower half of his legs. A preventative measure should his next words be disregarded, despite their importance. At least, he thought they'd be pretty important.

"Sergeant, before we go anywhere, I need to inform and remind you of certain things. First off, I'm not a pirate. Mercenary work is honest and we get paid for what we do, no stealing. Second, and infinitely more importantly, please tell me you know that electricity fired at this suit would simply strike the field lines and follow them to a ground point. That would be the deck beneath me, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not saying it's not gonna work, but don't expect the...what are those, LAER Mk. VI models? Doesn't matter. Don't expect them to function perfectly against me. Physics is, after all, physics." He shrugged.

"Regardless, none of that's really important, just reminders. What you do need to know is that I'm going to come with you, on my honor, no issues given. Do not attempt to remove my weapons, though. This is not me telling you so that I can pop shots at you later, it's for the safety of your men. Each weapon you can see me bearing is imprinted to me, and the technology used to do so hurts. Like a bitch. When they get stolen, they have a tendency to heat up rather quickly." He paused, looking at the two younger marines to either side of him.

"And by heat up, I'm talking in the neighborhood of a toasty 1700 or so degrees centigrade." He sighed, then shook his head a bit. "So, if it's alright with you, I'm going to go ahead and lock my weapons' discharge capabilities so they don't fire unless I re-arm them, and we'll head off, shall we?"

Just as Jester entered the room white fire engulfed them all. The kinetic shockwave killed everyone as jagged bolts of electricity and a dimensional shockwave tore them all apart at the subatomic level. This all happened just before Raphael anchored himself back in the present.

---

The following is bits of a video displayed in the scene. The actual video would run a number of pages so I cut it to portions commented on. If you are interested in the original post you just need to contact me. I will be glad to sent the full set of posts to anyone interested. A copy of the Dlíthe Cogaidh and CONCORD's Conditional Declaration of War can be provided upon request.

This is not your war, and if you interfere, we'll utilize every every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to our own eye teeth to defend ourselves from your incursion! You will have to kill every last one of us, because I promise you, future Generations will exact vengeance, no. This Galaxy will be under the veil of Law and Order, and those who resist will be swept aside. - Gina Inviere

What is and could be can get awfully confusing. Jester entered the room and so as he bowed to the Aschen party and to Aaric. Aaric nodded thoughtfully to him in return.

"I can speak for my government but let's get everyone caught up. EGO." A holographic video displayed and then shot the center of the conference table. A perfectly proportioned, albeit small, blue, female stood upon the table. The video of the council meeting was displayed for all to see.

During the video EGO occasionally interrupted and commented.

---

"The Terran representative is present, honorable councilman," Austin spoke up, his youthful voice carrying well across the magnificent corridors of CONCORD's chambers.

The video paused. The small female that stood upon the table spoke. "As of the time of this video's creation a large part of the Terran National Government had either been killed during the conflict, abducted, or were in hiding. As a member of a recognized organization created, supported, and funded by the Terran National Government the Terran Intelligence Bureau and its members are officers of the Terran National Government and can speak for the Terran National Government when no designated leaders are available."

---

Gina Inviere cleared her throat. "Terra has long harbored instability, sanctioned terrorists, and aided the enemies of the Empire in their every endeavor. Their inaction has jeopardized the lives, and stability of the Aschen people, and her colonies. Several instances I would like to elucidate upon... let's see." She said, checking through her papers. "Terra was originally under the Administration of Aschen Outer Territories Governor Veloram under the Tripartite Treaty with the Coalition and the Taiyou decades ago, However the Terrans fostered rebellion on their world, and sought to overthrow the stability of our Administration on the planet, they did overthrow our administration on the planet." Inviere explained, going over another set of paperwork.

"But it didn't stop there, Terra willingly, aided, and provided comfort to terrorists and insurrectionists, funding and allowing these terrorists to attack our home worlds, in an attack that destabilized the orbit of our home planet, and jeopardized our entire population. We demanded recourse but the Terrans refused." Inviere explained. "Instead, they send assassins to end the lives of several key government figures, including the Current Emperor." Inviere commented.

"And Lastly, the Terrans openly aided and collaborated in the smuggling of Aschen weapons technology capable of threatening the security of not just the Aschen, but the entire Galaxy, so the executive decision was made to curtail Terra's sovereignty, and end it's instability... permanently by bringing it entirely under our administration."

The video paused. The small female spoke again. "It is found that claims of an attack or attacks made by Terran separatists or terrorist may be true but this attack did not destabilized the orbit of Langara, chief homeworld of The Aschen Confederation of Planets. There is also no evidence that states that any sovereign nation, state, or city of Terra is directly responsible for the attack. There is no evidence that the Terrans, through their inaction allowed a criminal organizations to infiltrate and attack Langara.

It is determined that the orbit of Langara is stable two days after such claims were made. It is determined then that the Aschen representative knowingly falsified evidence brought before the inner circle or was given false information to deliver by a superior." The video began again.

---

"Anyway, EVERY SINGLE terrorist the Aschen wanted, WE wanted too." Austin bowed his head, a dark gloom covering his face. "...maybe they didn't understand that. Because no how much we assured them that we weren't against them... no matter how hard we tried to be their friends... the Aschen STILL spit on us and massacred our people like livestock.

"In perhaps the single most infamous in Terran history, the Aschen Confederation sent a fleet to our homeworld and glassed 70% of its surface. Millions of innocent lives were lost. It is a blow we never fully recovered from."

The video paused. "It was determined that the The Aschen Confederation of Planets military under orders assaulted the biosphere of the planet, Terra and damaged a large portion of the planet’s surface while killing a large number of civilians on the continent of Aslund. This was done through a process known as ‘glassing’. Though it must be stated that the total effected portion of Terra’s combined landmass was not seventy-percent as was stated by the Terran representative."

---

"I would have appeared myself, but I had other duties to attend."

Raphael McGregor cleared his throat. "May I speak, Your eminences?"

The video paused. "Through voice matching this man has been identified as Raphael McGregor who is currently sitting in this conference room." The video continued on.

---

"By the rules of Engagement, the CONCORD have no right to interfere with our conflict, and if they choose to do so, they will be met with the wrath of a people hardened by war, do not underestimate our Technology, I don't think you are willing to send your people to their deaths over a war you know little about. But out of my divine grace, I have come, rather than sweeping your sovereignty aside and removing you from this Galaxy like the cancer it truly is."

"I planned to provide for Terra, an endless bounty of gifts, but their government conspired against us, and even now, their Rebellion conspires.. I have learned much about Terra's secrets from Arianne Drulovic."

The video paused. "It has been determined that Arianne Drulovic was abducted by the Aschen. Raphael McGregor's statement supports the evidence." The video started again. The rest of it being shown to those present.

A copy of the Dlíthe Cogaidh and CONCORD's Conditional Declaration of War was provided to both the Aschen and the UDW. Aaric spoke then. "We can easily show the engagement you are referring to but instead we will just transfer a copy to those present. There was a state of war during that time. There is still is a state of war now. Nothing had changed. You still ignore Terran sovereign borders. You still abduct people from their planet. What are your terms Admiral?"

Hangar Bay...

"You might be a mercenary, but the fact remains that boarding a ship without permission is construed as piracy." Regardless of your intentions. He said, while he considered Tenna's plea, before he scoffed.

"So... let me get this straight... you want us to let you walk into the Brig, weapons and all... and if the Admiral decides to levy execution because you committed a violation of international Maritime law... you're going to let us levy your punishement, and not shoot your way out? Because you have Honor?" The Sergeant asked, while the AI Chimed into his earpiece.

"Sergeant, my sensors have finished a preliminary readout of the suit, it's magnetic shield based systems will overpower all but our heaviest weapons. I'm attempting to get a readout on the armor composition... Additionally, Prince has arrived via Bifrost from Isiria, to assist in the prisoner's capture and interrogation..."

As the AI Spoke, a voice rang from behind the pair of Soldiers, a man clad in a bluish violet robe, hands clasped in front of him as he bore a grin on his face. There was a lip piercing and short, spiky blonde hair, and all was adorned by piercing blue eyes.

"I'll take it from here, Sergeant." The figure said, as he waved his hand and let his mind concentrate, aiming to use his abilities to attempt to literally de-magnetize Tenna's suit, and with the flick of his hand, the gravity immediately around Tenna would then increase drastically, from 9.78 m/s², to a staggering 70m/s², which was twice the surface gravity of jupiter, and would result in a 150 pound man weighing 600 pounds, likely enough weight and pressure to cause the suit to fail, or take it's toll on the man within as it was like Tenna was standing on the surface of a small star.

Prince maintained this while his mind started searching for weak points in the suit, psychokinetic energy dancing and scintillating about, before his hand flicked again, and would let his mind first wrap around the weapons themselves.

"I'll have fun prying you out of your suit like a can of fish, and then I'm going to have a little fun with you. You should have taken the easy way, instead of making me take time to come here and pry you out of your suit" Prince said with a grin.

---

Inside the Conference Room.

Both Hanley and Raphael were silently wathing the video as it played, Hanley was quietly scribbling notes in Anquietas every time the small figure commented in the video. As she was scribbling notes she was considering her replies, calculating each one carefully while Raphael sat in silence.

"Terms.. I'll get to that in a moment.. the Quorum is digesting this video." She said, the video EGO was displaying to Jester and Hanley, was likewise being displayed to an Assembled Quorum, and an assembled Parliament back on Langara.

"I wanted to address a few discrepancies though... Trust needs to be built if this peace is to last." Hanley said, keying in a few notes to the Quorum.

"Clarify for me... CONCORD... Your Orgnization is dedicated to protecting the weak and promoting peace across all peoples, using it's power to defend those who face insurmountable odds? Correct me if I'm wrong, Admiral." She said, waving her hand across a holographic display.

"Your Organization interceded against the then Confederation because the Confederation presented an overwhelmingly superior military, an that the outcome of the war with Terra would be less desirable than if we had succeeded?" Hanley asked, shaking her head.

"Your group seems to have a fairly sizeable affinity for Terra... It's interesting because we didn't get the help terra did when the Taiyou were slaughtering our people in the streets." Hanley commented.

"Didn't see any evidence of CONCORD holding hearings or making demands when the Taiyou Empire's 300 Trillion Man army had it's eyes on our little corner of space. Did you decide to pick a fight with us because your Military analysts percieved us as weaker?" Hanley asked. "At least Aschen soldiers weren't pulling Terrans Civilians from their homes, gutting them, and leaving them to die in the streets, like our friends the Taiyou did to my people."

She made a face a moment, before she pulled up a log and footage from a different video, the engagement with the Fleet of Inner Knowledge.

The Video was highlighted by the voice of Warden Apis. “You are free to leave. Do not enter Sol system.”

Hanley made a face, but that face inevitably turned into a snarl.

"That Fleet had just escaped an ambush from a Taiyou armada, and was being sent to Sol to evacuate Aschen civilians from Terra to protect them from the Aschen Genocide you were turning a blind eye to. Millions of lives could have been saved, but CONCORD acted against it. The blood of those civilians is on Warden Apis' hands." Hanley added. "I lost my Family in that Genocide, only reason I'm still here is because that warrior's sword didn't strike a vital organ. I watched helpless while Imperial Warriors massacred our enclave, and left everyone to die in the streets." Hanley said the words firmly, and any empath could detect the spike in emotional and subconscious energy. Hanley was traumatized by the event, but she tried to mask it.

It was then she pulled up the text from the Declaration of war, briefly reading over it. "As I understand it... CONCORD was to terminate all military operations once the conditions of this declaration were satisfied... Which they were; though the Concordat with Terra, and the Aschen's admission into UCON. All hostilities against the TNG had effectively ended at that point.. it was six months later your forces attacked our ship. That kind of capriciousness is the reason I'm reluctant to trust anything you say. If you can't follow your own decrees, what makes you think you'd follow anything we set?"

Hanley swept her hand across another block of Anquietas text. "Indeed... there is a state of Defacto war, but we're also in a state of Armistice, Ceasefire, a state that I was under the impression, started when the war with Terra ended." Hanley added, listening to Aaric's statements further.


"The Empire recognizes the Terran Government, it recognizes Terran's Sovereignty. We cooperate fully with the Terran Government where applicable. What we don't recognize is arbitrary borders drawn far out beyond Terra's capability to colonize or grow, given it's Technological state, as for Abducting Terrans? You'll have to substantiate that claim because frankly I find it absurd." Hanley quipped, before she checked her notes.

"The first term is the termination of all hostilities, and the immediate repatriation of all prisoners of war to their respective nations, more a formality than anything since I don't believe either state has prisoners, and there hasn't been a Military engagement for some time."

Tenna nodded as the sergeant spoke. He hadn't intended on violence, not unless it had been absolutely needed, at least. He hated when people figured that he, being a mercenary, had no sense of decency and that he'd just as soon murder as he would be polite. Sure, his track record wasn't the greatest, but neither was any other merc's. Each and every last one of them was bound to have dirt on them somewhere.

"You'd be perfectly correct, Sergeant." He noticed the blue-clad man come closer. "It's unfortunate that you won't be allowed to see me prove my intentions." He sighed and looked Prince eye to eye, not lowering his gaze. As he was about to speak, those ice-blue orbs closed and the strain on his body became incredible. He squatted for just a moment, as if bearing the load of his own weight on his shoulders, keeping from smashing to the floor face first because the fibrous material of his suit hardened and contracted like muscle as he moved.

"Pleasure to meet you in person as well, Prince. I thought I warranted someone more important though. Guess I was wrong." He smirked and opened his eyes, having shut them when he crouched. As he dropped a knee tot he deck, bracing himself more soundly but feeling the pressure more painfully as it spread in different way, he noticed that there were particles of dust flying towards him through the air. His smirk grew as his mind did a double take.

"Sergeant, you may want your men to hold on to something. I don't think yo-" He stopped, wincing in pain. He felt his knee pop, and he let himself drop to the floor, accepting the new displacement of his weight. Although he could tell nothing was too terribly damaged, it was obvious to him that his knee had bent in a way it wasn't meant to and one of the tendons had torn partially. He grimaced and groaned slightly.

The thought of reaching for his weapons crossed his mind quickly, the desire to put as many high-velocity ferromagnetic pellets into Prince's pretty face as he could threatening to overwhelm him. But another thought, more a memory, flashed through his consciousness. His father telling him something when he was young.

"Don't let any man control you, Tenna. Your freedom is the most important thing you can have. That, and your word. A man must always keep his word, especially in these times where crooked men rule with iron fists."

The memory faded into the pain in his knee and he struggled to raise a hand, the suit aiding him for much of the motion.

"Give me a fuckin' chance, will ya? I'm not going to shoot anybody, and if I get chosen for execution, I refuse to respond with violence. On the honor of a man who knows well enough that his life is on the line." As his hand dropped once more, he took a deep breath and tensed his body, forcing himself to have the ability to breathe.

Even as he lay there, and the psychic energy caressed his weapons, they remained dormant and bonded without issue to his back and thigh. The Solitude however shifted in small increments, fully autonomous. A small antenna, no more than a few inches in length, emerged from the aft top of the craft's hull and began transmitting to any nearby vagabonds and wastrels of an enormous score: a derelict hulk of an Aschen trade freighter. It was calling for help.

Arlan remained calm during Hanley's outburst. "There existed at that time a state of war. Not only did the Fleet of Inner Knowledge lock and show aggressive intent to the single Redeemer class battleship, the Aschen were the first to fire their weapons." He could have easily added that the combined fleet of Inner Knowledge faired extremely poorly against the lone black operations battleship, something they had called a 'frigate' at the time. "When Warden Apis gave Admiral Nagala that ultimatum it was to her benefit and with some amount of mercy." He paused and the small blue figure spoke while displaying a navigational route. "The Fleet of Inner Knowledge returned to SOL in the following hours and re-engaged Taiyou Forces in the system." Arlan had already known that and he nodded.

"I detest wordplay. I detest deception but at every interaction with the Aschen we have encountered only deception. CONCORD's conditional declaration of war covers the whole of Terra and her sovereignty. Sovereignty we currently reside in now. It does not just cover a single Terran government. It covers all governments native to Terra, all people's native to Terra, and all groups who have adopted Terra as their permanent home to include those of Aschen and Taiyou decent identified as citizens of a Terran government. It includes all of Terran sovereignty. That sovereignty and those borders need to be honored just as you expect your borders and your sovereignty to be honored."

He turned then from Hanley to stare at Vanessa over the shoulder of Raphael. His eyes remained focused on the werewolf for a moment before turning back to Hanley. His left eyebrow perked.

"You say that your empire recognizes the Terran Government, that it recognizes Terran Sovereignty, that you fully cooperate with the Terran Government where applicable. Applicable? That sums it up perfectly." He shook his head and sighed. A short video displayed. It was a video of the Terran glassing both at ground level and in orbit.

He turned to Raphael McGregor and then back to Hanley. "The first term being that there is the termination of all hostilities, and the immediate repatriation of all prisoners of war to their respective nations is agreed to provided the rest of the terms are met."

The confessor grinned some more as he twitched his hand slightly, using his abilities to attempt to force Tenna on to the ground, and the Marines made their own move.

The Sergeant nodded, and his men quickly moved forward to try and handcuff Tenna. These were specialized mechanically locking handcuffs with a specialized locking mechanism. The cuffs themselves were crafted from reinforced and hardened trinnium, which made them roughly 100 times lighter and stronger than steel. Once the Binders were secure, the Marines would attempt to remove his weapons, while the Confessor stood there with a wicked grin.

"Secure him in the brig, I will perform the cleansing on him, and then he will be disposed of once the Admiral has made a decision."

The Marines nodded, and should Tenna be brought to his feet, he would be taken back to the tramway, with the Confessor in tow.

A long torture session was being planned for the lone mercenary.

----

While Aarlan was speaking, Raphael's expression seemed to not change, while Hanley was holding her head up with her right hand, making a face while taking notations.

"Are we discussing peace or are we pointing fingers? Admiral?" Hanley said, looking up to the video. "The Administration that gave that order was purged when the Empire came to power, they got their justice." Hanley said, looking up to Aarlan with a hint of frustration.

"The United Aschen Empire recognizes the sovereignty of the Terran National Government, and the sovereignty of the nations of the Greater Shintenchi Co Prosperity Sphere, nations and organizations we have been made aware exist." Hanley said, huffing in amusement.

"We can't recognize the legitimacy of a nation we don't know exists, let alone come into contact with, so my previous statement stands, we cooperate with the Terran National Government where applicable. You may twist those words however you see fit, the meaning I intended still stands." Hanley explained.

"We obviously wouldn't cooperate with neither the Terran national Government, or any entity for that matter if they called for things like disbanding our military or even our Empire, but in matters that don't contradict the interests of this Empire, We will cooperate fully."

"All this though..." She said, gesturing to the videos. "Water under the bridge, we're not getting anywhere; so I'm going to put this very simply." Hanley said, taking some more notations.

"Unless the Empire threatens the livelihood of the Terran National Government through Military means, CONCORD stays out of our affairs. Shintenchi can go without saying, not that CONCORD'd help them anyway, being Taiyou puppets and all.." Hanley added, before she nodded to the AI, in which the Reverence's AI brought up a star map, and offered a copy for EGO to download.

"These are the territories, jurisdictions, borders, and all claimed holdings of the United Aschen Empire, following the ratification of peace, CONCORD will be permitted to enter the territories and holdings of the Government of Tal'dor for the purpose of diplomacy only. Warships, weapons other than defensive weapons for security purposes, and all non-essential diplomatic personnel will be prohibited from entering the United Aschen Empire unless special circumstances arise. All diplomatic contact will be arranged in advance through remote communications with the Ministry of Defense, or the Quorum, or the Emperor." Hanley explained. As she explained, the map displayed, showing the core and outer territories of the original Empire, the Isirian puppet government, and claimed future holdings in sections of the Perseus arm, and finally, the Epsilon Eridani holdings.

"CONCORD is prohibited from traveling within one light year of the Epsilon Eridani system unless special arrangements have been made." Hanley added.

"CONCORD will be prohibited from interfering in all Imperial affairs that do not impact Terra, or CONCORD's interests. If the Empire declares an Exterminatus on a planet, we're going to exterminatus that damn planet as long as it's not Terra or a world claimed by CONCORD or it's respective nation-states."

"A Diplomatic meeting will be arranged every six months, alternating between Langara, and the CONCORD Capital, alternatively, a neutral Diplomatic outpost can be constructed in unclaimed territory, staffed by security personnel from both Organizations." Hanley explained after taking some more notations.

"And lastly, CONCORD Shall contact the Empire diplomatically and attempt to resolve any grievance peacefully and mutually before taking any hostile action. Likewise the Empire shall contact CONCORD in the same fashion I have described."

Hanley finally sat up straight, and took a few more notations.

"Does your government find these terms agreeable?"