NationStates Jolt Archive

The Empire of Treznor, speaking on behalf of the Non-Democratic Alliance, is pleased to announce the results of the private contract bid for the construction of our new island base for the aforementioned Alliance. We will have accepted the bid of the Most Glorious Hack, and will pay an undisclosed amount upon successful completion of this project.

The other bidder, the Caterpillars, were unsuccessful in their proposal for their island-building, but our Alliance would like to offer them a contract to build the power plants necessary to run the facilities we will eventually build on the island.

We thank the nations who have put so much effort into their bids, and look forward to a prosperous future with all of you.

Work will start immediately with raw materials being shipped out to the location of the new island.

All work will be performed by approved contractions working under the direction of Section 1. The process has been improved since our work in Der Angst, so we project total success, barring global war, alien invasion, or other catestrophic event.

I am further authorized to offer other services once the island is complete, both from Hacker specific contractors, as well as from the Greater Federation. Roads, buildings, telecommunications networks, etc.

We look forward to a long, prosperous relationship between the Federation and the NDA.

- TL, Special Projects Team Leader Section 1
The Semi-Autonomous Technocratic Oligarchy of the Most Glorious Hack

A small black-and-silver helicopter flies over the island, measuring its contours and overflying the five irregular peaks. Flying escort are a dozen helicopter gunships, each bearing the black-and-silver flag of the Empire of Treznor.

"This is incredible," Treznor says to the man sitting next to him, a Hack employee who bears the odd name of "Team Lead." Given that personal names for Hack employees are held confidental, Treznor is forced to address him a bit more formally than he would like. The suggestion to call him "TL" doesn't help.

"We give you your money's worth," TL replies confidently. "We've taken the opportunity to draw up a preliminary outline for the infrastructure of the outline, based on the geographical details that have arisen. While we're here, we can always -- "

"Thank you," Treznor interrupts. "But we haven't agreed to any further work, just the original contract. The members of our Alliance include some very capable industrial contractors of our own, of course. Granted, you are already here and have a leg up on us, but I think we'd be dealing with some unhappy folk if we didn't spend at least some of our money on our own people."

TL wisely refrains from pressing the issue. "Of course, Emperor Treznor. I meant no offense, of course. But I can provide you with the outline, for a small fee, if you change your mind."

"Thank you, Team Lead," Treznor says a little more gently. "I'll probably do that. No sense letting all that work go to waste, is there?" He turns and gazes out the window at the still-cooling rocks of the newly formed island. "Magnificent. It's like playing God."

[Tag], until i have something, say, constructive to add.

TL was rather pleased with himself, all things considered. The Emperor was very pleased with he and his team's work. He had hoped that more contracts would be forthcoming, but he knew better than to press the Emperor. So, instead, he just made a mental note to pass on to his superiors the need to try and weasel their way in to the bidding process. Perhaps through secondary contractors. There was plenty of money bouncing around the the NDA and he wasn't going to be the to blow it.

And, of course, there were certain advantages to getting telecommunication and computer networking contracts. He was sure Section 3 would be very interested in them getting those contracts.

He smiled, watching the island reveal itself below them, "Yes, it is. One of the greatest feelings there is. And the whole world can see my handiwork. A great feeling, indeed."

Satellite Picture of Treznor (made by the "meteo" satellite of Lioy)

http://www.esa.int/export/images/dubai_island_asar_L.jpg

[code:1:47788cac6a]
31 January 2004
The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) picture shows that a whole new artificial island has rised from the seabed.
Further information will be discovered soon.
[/code:1:47788cac6a]

Unity Island, Equator

"Yvokh! Remember, get the corer properly into the rock before you plant the specimens!"

Kterrin sighed again - this platoon of probationaries just out of training bases were a handful and a half - and clumped over to the erring Researcher.

"Kick the thing," he advised, demonstrating. "You want the corer drill into the rock at least to the eighteenth turn of the screw. Then you pull the lever and dump the specimens."

He withdrew the corer, and kicked the displaced rock back into the hole. These techniques, developed for use in the Obsidian Wastes, were back-breaking no matter the environment; at least there was no risk of radiation poisoning here.

As a Commandant, even one so recently promoted, Kterrin theoretically didn't actually have to do any work himself - but directing the probs was work in itself, despite the fact that it'd been put on such a low quota more experienced Commandants were falling over themselves to take the jobs here on Unity Island; Sfanr-Gden in Sekhel.

From his position on the inland slope of Volcano Five, Kterrin could see the rest of his Platoon, and the western end of the neighbouring one over on Volcano Four, all of them busy with their corers.

This wasn't skilled work, really, which was why they had the probs on it; but there were even Div4 workers down on the flatter areas! It didn't take brains to shove geneered worms and bacteria into the rock. Kterrin was really interested in the later stages of the project, the careful planting of the ecosystem itself. With eight or nine different nations all contributing their own unique plants and animals, getting them all to mesh nicely would be a real challenge.

Chief Civil Engineer Ross squinted in the bright sun as he paused to wipe his brow for the hundredth time in an hour. Born and bred in the mountains, the equatorial heat didn't sit well with him. He thought longingly of the air conditioned trailer back at the HQ and cursed the necessity that brought him outside.

"So?" he demanded of one of his deputies. "What's the problem?"

The woman pointed at the workers diligently digging in the rocky terrain. Ross squinted again and choked down the angry barb that immediately sprang to his lips. They weren't his people. "Tsarainese?"

"Yeah. Our schedules are crossing paths, and nobody caught it until it was too late. Now they're in our way." The woman's voice was surly, and her hair was plastered to her head with sweat. She wasn't handling the heat any better than he was, but she didn't have the luxury of an air-conditioned trailer to work in. And digging trenches for fibre-optic lines wasn't easy work.

"So tell 'em to wait. They're just kids, right?"

"They refused. They said they'll be done before we are, so we can just wait a day or two or move ahead."

"Well, we're just gonna be digging up the ground they're impregnating anyway, so why can't they move ahead?"

"I said that, but they won't budge. Some of the boys are ready to start bulldozing over them. So I thought I'd call you."

Ross sighed heavily and started down the gentle slope, cursing once again his fate and the hot sun that made his middle-aged bulk so ponderous. "Hey! Hey, you lot! Clear out! We've got trenches to dig, and you're putting us behind schedule!"

(To be continued when Tsaraine and I can hash this out...)

Tropicana Tag!

<tag for later postings>

<tag for later...>

Nasir Khatari, engineer, had been given the task of laying the highways, raods, and airstrips for Unity Island. He'd been given a budget, and access to the Federal Labour Corps. He'd been told that in eight months, the NDA was going to be issuing a progress report, and if his progress was deemed unsatisfactory, he'd be replaced, and would be out of the Ministry. He had a fair bit going on this project.

With all that in mind, Nasir allowed himself a brief nap while the flight droned on towards the island. The C-980 Mainstay long-hauler jumped every now and then, passing through turbulence or something, but otherwise it was uneventful. Nasir was moderetly conforted by the fact that his was one of fifty Mainstay's heading this way, all laden down with heavy equipment and work crews. The Brick was a more apt name for the 'stay, as it resembled little else. A large, ugly brick-like airframe, a small cockpit sticking out of the front, and short, stubby wings made the hauler anything but beautiful. It boasted eight high-power engines, mounted in a cluster at each wing root, in a suitably ugly fashion. No, there was nothing that could be said to dispute the fact that the words that popped into any flyers head when he say a Mainstay - "Damn that's ugly."

Uglyness aside, the C-980 was a very good hauler. All three thousand of the state work gangs were packed aboard, along with all of their equipment. And, just behind them, another twelve smaller C-900's were hauling the vast amounts of concrete, gravel, and tar mix that they'd need. They'd brought everything they needed. And, Nasir thought contentedly, he'd assembled everything for less then he'd expected, meaning he'd be able to requisition more workers and supplies if it came to that.

If.

::::Temporary Airstrip, Unity Island::::

Chief Engineer Nate Donovan stretched his arms as he exited the small jet that had brought him to Unity Island. Located north of the planned permanent airport, the temporary facility was situated just across the river from the field soon destined to become the Unity Island Aerospace Center. Looking around, Donovan was astounded at the amount of activity for a supposedly temporary airstrip

Transports from various NDA nations clogged the small terminal and runway; hundreds of workers, technicians, soldiers and officials bustled about on various errands around the airstrip, making for a scene of organized chaos. Especially conspicuous were the few Joint Forces fighter jets haphazardly parked among the large transports. Obviously the larger, more permanent airport/spaceport was sorely needed, both to facilitate increased air traffic and to provide hangars to store aircraft.

Donovan looked over the river to the planned location of the permanent airport. With many different aspects of NDA needs to consider, a detailed plan would be needed; the layout would require runways, terminal layout, helipads, hangars, air defense systems, and a spaceport facility. Even though Indiastani laborers and engineers would be laying the runways, he would have to create the landscaping, defenses, and auxiliary facilities around the runways. He began making mental notes as a JF corporal pulled up in an all-terrain vehicle.

"Mr. Donovan?" inquired the corporal. Donovan nodded.

"I have orders to take you to view the planned airport facility grounds. If you would just come with me, I can take you across the river to get a closer look at where you will be constructing the Aerospace Center and also showing you to your quarters," said the soldier.

"Thanks," answered Donovan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few hours of touring the site, Donovan settled down in his room to put some of his initial thoughts to paper.

Get runway layout from that Khatami fellow ASAP.
Big location: can take up lots of space. No need to make things crowded.
Must remember to have multiple redundant power generators.
Cannot forget to have secure hangars for JF fighters; maybe include underground bunkers as well.
No need to demolish temporary airstrip when main site is completed; it is sturdy enough to serve as an emergency landing strip and/or backup if main site is damaged or out of commission.

After a brief hesitation, Donovan added one more item to the list.

Get help with designing spaceport.
Kelanthia's relative unsophistication regarding space technology was a sore point with many Kelanthian engineers. Although Kelanthian terranauts had been to space several times and there were quite a few Kelanthian satellites in orbit, the Kelanthian space program was far behind the rest of the NDA members. Thus, Donovan, although he had been granted access to nearly all of the preeminent aerospace engineers in Kelanthia, had very little idea in how to design a workable, efficient spaceport.

With this in mind, Donovan resolved to put out a notice to his connections to see about getting help with creating a spaceport design.

Sfanr Gden, Equatorial Waters, Earth

Kterrin Eidoradh stood in the Flag Gardens, and admired his handiwork. The blue roses of Tsaraine - indeed, the plants of all the nations of the NDA - were coming along nicely, thanks to the hard work of the Terraforming Corps in getting the ecosystem to mesh. Plants which would compete with each other were safely in different parts of the Gardens, while the characteristic flora of the various nations had still been kept together.

Like this rose garden, for example, planted of hundreds of geneered black and blue roses in the shape of the Tsarainese flag, or the one next to it, which was the Indiastani flag.

Outside the three-kilometer-diameter Alliance Gardens, with the embassy spots around the outside, the "base" ecosystem too was doing well, composed of hardy grasses and low bushes. Kterrin had wanted trees, but there wasn't enough water to supply them and the Gardens both.

And of course underlying everything were the Tsarainese geneered worms, happily eating away at the volcanic rock and turning it into dirt. They'd have to release a stopper plague sometime, or the rate of erosion would be higher than was proper - the island cost too much to let it be eaten into the sea, after all!

The ports had been slower work than what Zambini had anticipated, but as time passed, they came together rather nicely all the same. Each nation had their own docks and warehouses, with their own security points and emblazoned with their national symbols or flags. A common area for visitors and general shipping was located at a central point along the bay, the docks for accepting passengers resplendent in the black, red and silver colors of the NDA alliance flag, and sporting a small but elegant building for their initial reception.

The smaller docks at the rear of the island were much more utilitarian, designed to be used for military uses, and smaller craft as well as a secondary escape route. The bay there was much more protected, though not nearly as deep, as the main waterway of the island emptied there.

Already sections of the wharves were being used as new supplies, troops, and equipment were shipped in, much to Zambini’s satisfaction. From all accounts, work would be finished within the week. Thus far, there had been no major complaints – he hoped to keep it that way.

The Council is pleased to report after several years of meticulous planning and hard work, Unity Island is now ready to be inaugurated. All member nations are requested to attend and introduce their assigned ambassadors and permanent staff. We'll have a formal dinner and party afterward before we settle in and get down to business.

:::: Sarion, Kelanthia ::::

Kelanthian President Gordon Grath reaches to a large drawer in his desk and removes a large, thick binder filled to overflowing with his overburdened schedule. Thumbing quickly through the pages, he locates the date for the formal Unity Island Opening Dinner.

"Noon to 8 p.m. - visit the Brookings Numismatic Institute and have dinner with the senior 14th-century Alcardian copper coin expert," reads Grath to himself. "What the hell?"

He pushes the intercom button to talk to his secretary.

"Michelle, I'm looking at my schedule, and it says that on the gala opening for Unity Island, I'm scheduled to go have dinner with some dodgy old coin collectors. Is that right?"

"Yes, sir, I'm afraid it is."

"Well, is there any way you can reschedule it?"

"Well, I guess technically we could, but we've already had to reschedule 6 times, sir."

"Well, we'll just have to make it seven, now won't we? I'm not going to miss this! I want you to clear my schedule, and I also want you to make sure that Stephen Kaufmann and William Sedworth are available to come in addition to the embassy staff and the diplomat, what's his name... oh yeah, Damien Mance."

"Of course, Mr. President."
____________________________________________________________

{Diplomatic Communique, Encryption Level 3}

TO: NDA Council
FROM: Gordon Grath, President of Kelanthia
RE: Opening of Unity Island

To whom it may concern:

Please know that Kelanthia will be fully represented at the Opening Gala, and we will be transferring our permanent staff to the island within the week. Please reserve at least four spots at the dinner for Mr. William Sedworth, the Minister of State, Mr. Stephen Kaufmann, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Damien Mance, our permanent diplomat at the island, and myself. Thank you.

Signed,

Gordon Grath, President of Kelanthia

http://ukl.netfirms.com/kelanthia_flag.gif

Guerrillistan as a member of the Fruit Islands region would like to offer a team of horticultural specialists to assist the ecological development of the island. We can also offer many species of fruit bearing trees to ensure a diverse and flourishing ecosystem on the new island.

Prof. Kyra Mecca, Bazbak State University

Guerrillistan as a member of the Fruit Islands region would like to offer a team of horticultural specialists to assist the ecological development of the island. We can also offer many species of fruit bearing trees to ensure a diverse and flourishing ecosystem on the new island.

Prof. Kyra Mecca, Bazbak State University
The Council of the NDA thanks the Fruit Islands for their generous offer, but the Dominion of Tsaraine has done a superlative job of handling the horticultural and landscaping efforts on our island. At this time we're not interested in additional work to the environment.

However, the Empire of Treznor has a distinct need for fruit and other agricultural products of every type. We would be very interested in importing goods from your region for our own nation. Other members of our Alliance may have similar needs, but we're not qualified to speak for them.

If you're interested in opening trade with the Empire of Treznor, please indicate through telegram. We'll be happy to send a delegate to work out the details with you.

Devon Treznor
Emperor

Senior Ambassador Karen Schumaker respectfully steps to one as her Emperor approaches the door. He shakes his head and gestures. "Thanks, but this is your domain, Ambassador. I'm just an interloper here."

"Hardly, Your Majesty," Karen replies quickly. "I haven't even seen the place."

"Nevertheless, this is your home for the next two years or more. May as well get used to it." Treznor winks as he gestures again. "Please, after you."

She surrenders to the inevitable and enters the mansion built for her and her staff on Unity Island. It's a ten level building, with eight of them underground. The living quarters take up half an acre, a few public offices and guard barracks. The underground levels were where the real work was done, as well as bunkers, warehouses, computer networks and, of course, emergency exits. The fact that the Empire had dug so deep was hard to keep a secret, and they hadn't tried. What they put there was another matter. If the other members of the Alliance hadn't made similar measures, Karen would be very surprised.

The architecture was largely Victorian in design, with heavy influence from early Italian works. Karen personally thought it was quite ugly, but it wasn't her decision. She did have a budget for furnishing, and she would address that later. It was important to make a good impression on visitors, and she would have her own team work on that. There was a lot of space to work with, and for that she was grateful. She'd be able to hold social functions as well as official ones and not have to worry about crowding.

She released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding and stepped fully inside. Her footsteps echoed in the empty rooms. That would change, but for now she could relish the feeling of space, a blank canvas on which she could paint. It wasn't home, not yet. But it would be.

"You ready for next week?" Treznor asked, standing behind her.

Karen turned, startled. She hadn't heard him move. "Ah, yes Your Majesty. I've got my speech already prepared."

"Good. I'd hate to inaugurate our alliance headquarters with a lousy speech." The face was deadpan, but the eyes twinkled with humour. There were times when the man could be downright charming. She just couldn't put her finger on what unnerved her about him.

"I won't let you down," she assured him.

"I know you won't. You wouldn't be here, otherwise."

Tsarainese Embassy, Sfanr-Gden, Equatorial Waters

Like most Tsarainese dwellings, the embassy didn't look like much on the surface; a cluster of tall comms masts, air intakes, and the like, and a few small domes holding the elevators to the embassy itself.

I would have liked a nice tower, Suko thought, as he descended into the depths of the earth. Sfanr-Gden isn't glowing, after all. For that matter, neither is Tsaraine, these days.

But there was no telling that to a Command which had endured almost fifty years of living under a radioactive wasteland, and which remained paranoid about such things as orbital rocks and space-to-ground atomics.

Of course, below ground whatever design team had dreamed up this place had done their best to make the place look livable, in the neo-Gothic Second Dominion style. Had done so reasonably well, too, despite the bleak austerity of that architectural style in general.

Although they could have left off the gargoyles...

"So." Suko considered the others nearby - four Rukine Knights, three Ea of the Sfanrikh Communion, and his secretary - and wondered if so many bodyguards was absolutely necessary. "What now?"

"I believe that there's a meeting of the NDA in a few days, Commandant Arvany," his secretary replied. She was a cheerful young lady who had been promoted to his staff only recently; Suko suspected it hadn't been entirely for her organisational skills.

"Ah. Those come entirely too infrequently," he replied. "No doubt an accounting of Tsarainese losses in the Joint Forces is in order."

So much to do, so little time...

OOC: Ack. That was highly uninspired and uninspiring. What makes it worse is the knowledge that I'll be filled with inspiration later tonight, when I should be sleeping.

It was an embassy like any other. Well, not quite like any other, but close enough. Designed in the traditonal Indiastan style, it was built in a drab, spartan manner, the outside facade resembled a giant two-story cinder block as much as something someone might call a building. Still, it wasn't ment to be pretty. At least, not on the outside. The inside was a different story.

---

"I don't like it."

"Whats not to like? You're getting your own place, with servants and everything... and you're being paid to live here. Sure, you have to deal with the NDA stiffs, but a job's a job, and this is a lot better then my old one."

"Oh, come off it. You know why I don't like it. You're leaving me alone, way out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing buy stuffy diplomats for company. Thanks a bunch."

"Look sis, you earned this job. And I don't want to hear any snivvling about there being better candidates or the place being boring. Deal with it. You were the top of your class. Be thankful you didn't get sent someplace difficult."

"Alright, alright," Adrianna sounded defeated. "I won't argue. At least say you'll keep in touch...?"

"Of course, of course," Kestrel said, finally smiling. "What are sisters for?"

Walking with ceremonial guard Carlos smiles and looks over his shoulder at the smartly dressed man, whose face was turned to the ground before him. "A beautiful building no Hakeem?" He asks quietly as the man looks up and surveys the Iraqstani embassy, or palace would better fit it.

The vast sprawling sand stone carved building, rises up from the ground, it's windows shining in the sunlight with stained glass and ornamental pictures. The marble columns holding the first floor balcony aloft sparkle of red and gold as the men walk quickly to the large oakwood door, it's gold handles glinting enticingly.

Pushing the door open the door guard bows respectivley and moves to the side as the men enter and look at the vast spiraling stair cases leading up into the bed rooms and studies. The foyer sprawls out before them, of black and ruby marble, golden highlights and sparkling diamond. Their bootsteps echo accross the room as the men turn to face one another and salute in the proper fashion.

"In the name of the pure, the enlightened and our lady goddess Sirithil, I do give this building into your care. Live in peace and uphold the duties and expectations of the pure set upon you Minister Aidid." Carlos says formaly and steps back his hand resting comfortably atop his ceremonial pistol.

"In the name of the pure and enlightened and the lady goddess, I do accept your offer my führer. I here to pledge to uphold the laws and expectations of the pure and the motherland whilst stationed upon this island. My duties will never cease as will my faith in the purity and mastery of the Iraqstani people. You have bough honour to my name and to the people of my house. Failure is not our goal here." Hakeem Il Aidid responds formaly in return and bows perfectly before his leader.

Straightening up he smiles and waves Carlos forward. "Please my lord, accept my humble offerings of hospitality until the meeting of the NDA is ready." He offers and walks with Carlos who nods and leads them into the kitchen and dining rooms to discuss the plans of the embassy.

Behind them a compliment of guards take up positions in various parts of the palace, and begin routine patrols and security checks like clockwork, the embassy is now complete......

http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/embassy_entry.jpg


Fabian Mancuso walked down the gravel walkway between the potted greenery and statuaries towards the main entrance of the new Dominion embassy. It reminded him of home.

Graceful Roman arches, railed balconies, columns, and many windows that let in ample light were the call of the day. Paving stones made up the drive and the walkways outside the gardens, which were rich and green with the flora of his homeland.

The Tsarainese did an excellent job of prepping this place. Everything seems to be thriving, he noted with pleasure.

The interior was no less authentic than the outside of the building, with high ceilings, rich tapestries, tiled floors and decorative rugs. Replicas of some of the more famous works of art from primarily the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods hung or was placed in niches here and there along the walls, various small statues and other bits of culture being found in abundance. The furnishings ranged along the same guidelines, a comfortable mix of old and new, all reminiscent of the history of their nation and the varied cultures that had helped form it.

His office was a singular joy to him. A long shelf of books, an old world globe sitting in the corner, various potted plants, and a full integrated system of surveillance and entertainment at his fingertips, much of it tastefully hidden in hand-carved cabinetry for aesthetic purposes. A fully stocked wet bar not too far from his elegant desk and roomy leather chair had been a pleasant surprise. Two other matching chairs, though shorter and meant for visitors, a small table, and several other chairs sitting around it completed the major components.

It’s good to be the diplomatic envoy.

His staff had already gotten settled in to everyone’s satisfaction, it seemed – and none too soon. He made his way to the guest quarters to personally ensure everything was just so before the Lady arrived.


http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/fabian_mancuso.jpg
Fabian Mancuso – Diplomatic Envoy to Isla d’Unitas

-------------------------------------

Nathicana herself arrived without fanfare, though accompanied by several others. One was a rough-looking man in dark glasses, somewhat balding though looking in very fit condition. A nasty scar ran down across his right brow and onto his cheek, giving him a decidedly sinister look. Clenched haphazardly between his lips, his trademark cigarette, smelling strongly of clove. Two other men clad in black and sporting long trenchcoats made of some light material or other, in spite of the heat, accompany him. None of the three men make any attempt to hide the fact that the are well armed.

She looked around as she walked briskly towards the back entrance of the building, having landed and stowed her private shuttle in a small, secure area camouflaged by tall trees and climbing vines, the hangar designed to match the rest of the embassy.

They have done well, I’ll give them that. Were it not for the muggy heat, I’d almost mistake it for home. Money well spent.

One of the men took out a small comm device and called ahead to the security detachment expecting them inside.

“The Falcon has landed. Alert the henhouse,” he said in a wry voice, running a hand through his unruly hair.

“I heard that, Massetti,” Nathi muttered, never breaking her stride. I wonder if Devon is here. And more importantly, in a more amicable mood than last I saw him. This situation … She sighed tiredly, thinking about the meeting she had to look forward to on top of all the other that was going on. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. One goddamn crisis or worry after another. Lets at least hope they have the ice water ready.

“Cork it, Mass,” Jacobian snapped. “The lady’s in no mood, and neither am I. Keep it sharp.”

“Yessir.”



http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/Nath19.jpg http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/jacobian.jpg http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/pascalli.jpg http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/massetti.jpg

Running her hand through her dusty blonde hair, Emma ploughed her way through a pile of paperwork on her desk, hoping to make a bit of a dent before her next meeting. Getting about halfway through the current document she was perusing, she looked up alarmed as she heard the knock at the door, her eye instantly searching out the clock, wondering what had happened to the time, before she noticed that it was still some time until her allotted meeting.

Calling her assent to enter, Emma was surprised to see the familiar figure of her boss and more importantly the sovereign head coming through the door, a pleasant smile on her face. “Don’t get up, Emma.” She watched the Empress walk towards her, feeling her presence as it filled the room. “I have come to check on our schedule for the move to the Island . It isn’t every day we see the fruition of a unified endeavour between Tartarus and our allies.”

Walking nearer to the desk as she spoke, Gehenna stopped and lowered herself into the chair facing the desk. “Is everything ready for us to simply move in?”

Emma nodded, “Our delegate leaves tomorrow morning, and the rest of the party will be following to attend the festivities,” She looked at her clock again, “I’m expecting her in twenty minutes, just to finalise some last minute details, making sure we have left nothing out.”

“Good.” Gehenna’s deep blue eyes fixed to Emma’s paler ones, “I’d like a detailed report from her the moment she touches down.

* * * * *

The plane landed, the journey had been trouble free, which was fortunate as the passenger for her choice of jobs was not too hot one flying, and preferred to remain on the ground, but with a few tablets to calm her nerves, she managed to reach her destination.

Heather Walsh descended the steps and with little ceremony made for the car that would whisk her away to the Tartarian Embassy, where she would be spending the foreseeable future, working closely with her fellow ambassadors of the other NDA nations.

The journey from the airport took hardly any time, and Heather stepped out of the car, gazing upon the classical building design, at once making her feel a part of the Empire, while being miles away from home. Stepping inside, she made ready the arrangements to welcome the other officials set to arrive within hours.

The first thing one noticed on seeing the Lavenrunzian embassy was the fountain, a tower of white foaming water that flowed down like a lilac tree, beneath which water nymphs raised their hands to capture the 'flowers'.
Green geometric hedges formed a wall around the gardens and flanked the ambassadorial palace, whose marble steps led up to a pillared building of white marble brick, with figures of heroic and historic importance set in the walls and over the main arch of the doorway.

Ambassador Cosima von Pfortden nodded as her long time personal attendant, former Bombardier Oberhauser, instructed two servants as to where to put her writing desk. "I was surprised, Oberhauser, by the Iraqstani embassy."
"Were you, Excellency? Why was that?" asked the sturdy woman in formal livery.
"Surprised it didn't just look like the Elentari's behind for them to kiss." she smiled and then frowned. "No, closer to the window--there'll be enough shade from that tree."
"Not secure, Excellency."
"Nonsense. Put in bulletproof glass and give me a slit that can open from the top to let in some air." the Ambassador gestured at the window as she said this.
The Ambassador, a more slender and slight figure, nevertheless had a great deal of presence and energy. In spite of her remarks about Iraqstan, she was looking forward to the upcoming meetings with her fellow diplomats.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Devon Treznor smiles broadly at the audience of allied leaders and diplomats assembled around him. The room was circular with liquid plasma screens lining the walls to depict a variety of views. Here comes a shot from the famous Piazza in Devras, then the Centerpoint Shaft in Kel Eridhant, the suspension bridge in Devonton, the Taj Mahal in Indiastan and so on. Selected scenes from each member nation come up randomly, interspersed with other shots not directly relating to allied territory such as a glamour shot of the Amazon River and a pool of lava from an erupting volcano. Treznor finds the panorama somewhat distracting, and makes a mental note to discuss it with the design team.

"Speaking on behalf of the Ruling Council, I am pleased to preside over the inauguration of Unity Island, our planetary base of operations. Here we can meet without fear for security or favouritism. Here we will launch the construction of a second base, a space station to represent our broad vision for our alliance. The inauguration of this facility marks a new era of prosperity for us all.

"Now, since I lost the coin-toss on speaking, I'll keep my speech as short as possible. We have a lot of business to pick up on, particularly in light of the past few months. It hasn't always been possible for everyone to get together under one roof, so we may as well take advantage of it. But I will say that I'm very pleased with the progress we've made together. When Carlos, Nathicana and I came together to discuss a new treaty, we never imagined we would attract the interest and friendship of such a diverse group. We're not the largest alliance out there, but we're certainly one of the most interesting, particularly in light of the attention we've received. Some of that we'll be discussing later. For now let me say 'welcome' and 'thank you' for your participation today.

"Finally, some basic ground rules for the island. Embassies are sacrosanct, naturally. Your territory is inviolate, and anyone wishing to enter must receive permission. Everything else is common ground. The spaceport is under construction and we'll be allocating warehouse space and transports as need is identified. The Joint Forces headquarters in the mountain are open to all members, but naturally any visitors will need explicit permission from your leaders or authorised delegates. Joint Intelligence will be based here as well, so we'll be watching traffic very carefully; many of us (myself included) have officials that are open to bribes and the like. That sort of behaviour must necessarily stop for matters concerning this island. How you accomplish that, I leave to you. Other than that, consider this your home away from home. Sitting in this chamber, we are a collection of equals. Conversation and debate will be conducted as peers without regard for status or power.

"And that's it. Thank you for bearing with me."

<LOS Communications – Devon>
{
<< Nicely done, boy. [smile analog]
}

Nathicana stands, smiling warmly at those assembled. “I would like to echo the sentiments of the good Emperor here, and extend my thanks to you all as well. In addition, may I present the honorable representatives of The Invincible People's Federation of Marshall Island (more commonly recognized as GMC Military Arms), The Semi-Autonomous Technocratic Oligarchy of The Most Glorious Hack, and The Archailect of Angelus, all of whom are seeking membership. Please make them feel welcome. Grazie.”

The Angelic ambassador was truely that, in nearly every sense of the word. Completely nude and wreathed in a glorious corona of blue-white energy, the being was absolutely beautiful if nothing else. Long and slender, her flat stomach tapers down to a completely smooth groin area, her lack of genetalia almost being lost in the smooth swell of perfectly-shaped femanine thighs. Even her breasts, while small and rounded, are without nipples, simply perfectly-shaped reminders of her femanine origins.

But her body alone did not make her angelic. Beautiful snow-white wings sprout from her back, stretching backwards from her in a delicate arch, fully twelve-feet in length, yet folded comfortably behind her as she floats through the halls of the new NDA building.

At her introduction, Angelus simply nods, her brilliant blue eyes closing for just long enough for her to give a perfunctuatory nod to those she has decided are her equals.

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. I/We are most honored at the invitation, and the chance to discuss our future together.

Ambassador Drzka smiled thinly, bowing slightly to the assembled diplomats. His suit looks to be customed tailored, "Thank you for the warm welcome, Lady; Emperor." He smiles, "We are pleased to join this organization and look forward to a long and profitable association."

Kelanthian President Gordon Grath, seated amidst the other dignitaries, leans over to Damien Mance after Devon speaks and, grinning, whispers "Well, I guess that rules out your little shenanigans..."

Mance shakes his head and rolls his eyes at Grath. Having grown up together as children, the two men were very close. Previous to his appointment as Unity Island Diplomat, Mance had been a top unofficial adviser to Grath; with the opening of such an important post, Grath immediately selected him to be the voice of Kelanthia in its main alliance. Mance was the only one Grath completely trusted to speak for Kelanthia if the president himself wasn't available, even more so than his official ministers. Although sometimes their bond was not obvious, it was well known enough that political maneuvering by some of the other ministers had kept Mance from taking an office in the Kelanthian government until now. Since foreign diplomats are directly appointed by the president, Mance was able to avoid petty patronage squabbles and take this important post with relative ease.

Sitting in his soft leather chair, Mance watched while a picture of the Kelanthian embassy (http://img3.photobucket.com/albums/v13/Draconis/EMBASSY_copy.gif) on the plasma viewscreens meandered by as Nathicana's voice picked up when Devon stopped talking. Something about prospective members... GMC, Hack, and Angelus. Sure, sounds good. The more the merrier, after all. The more powerful allies, the better. Right now, he's much more preoccupied with security at the Kelanthian Embassy. Although the structure itself is completed, the interior security team has not yet fully secured the interior. The perimeter guard is finished; the security measures are quite tight there, with a low wall surrounding the entire grounds and pocked with several less-than-obvious automated defenses, although entirely non-lethal. After all, full-scale attacks are rather unlikely, thought Mance amusedly to himself. The embassy itself is the very model of modern design expertise, with sweeping lines and a tall tower at the northwest corner for communication purposes. The south end houses a small emergency helipad, and a helicopter is available 24/7 for use by the Head Diplomat. Less obvious is the basement, which at 6 stories underground, can withstand quite a bit of punishment. Not that I don't trust the Hack's engineering, thinks Mance, but for goodness sakes, it is a *man-made* island. You never know what might happen...

Shaking his head to concentrate on the speakers, Mance started paying attention just soon enough to notice the astounding figure of Angelus herself. Wow, he thinks. You don't see that every day.

After Ambassador Drzka sits down, Grath looks around and wonders if he should say something. Might as well, he thinks. He proceeds to stand up and address the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to express my utmost pleasure at being able to spend time in the company of such prestigious individuals. Some of you I have met, and many of you I have not, but regardless of our previous relationships, I hope that through the ties of the Non-Democratic Alliance, we can all get to know each other well.

This alliance, this great gathering of superpowers, is, in my opinion, one of the strongest in spite of its relatively small size. I feel that I can say with supreme certainty that I will never have to worry about enemies small or large with allies like you. And hey, with friends like Kelanthia, you shouldn't have to worry about enemies either!"

Grath gives a strained smile and waits for the polite laugh; immediately thereafter, he makes a mental note to never try and make up jokes on the spot again.

"Well, I'll stop wasting your time with the ramblings of a junior partner - just know that we are glad to be here, and are even happier to be able to name you as friends. I look forward to working together for the benefit of us all."

Grath sits down, and is met immediately with a smirking Mance.

"Friends like Kelanthia?" whispers Mance taunting, yet good-natured, tone as he sardonically raises an eyebrow. "Haven't we discussed your lack of humor?"

Grath glances over - "Oh, shut up."

Archai Angelus smiles slightly at the greeting from the Kelanthian ambassador, as she already begins to select and disgard various responses. By the time he has finished speaking, several million possible declarations were weighed and decided upon.

Well, Ambassador Grath, it is My/Our firm belief that true strength does not always lie in numbers, but rather within the perfect unison of what numbers are available. Unity, on any level, is much preferable to the disorganized chaos that I/We see running so rampant in many of the other alliances that surround Me/Us.

She pauses for a moment, her smile never wavering. I/We see the NDA as a source of unity that is unparalleled within the local sphere. Even the Triumvirate, while powerful and wide-spread, are lacking in a single unifying goal. I/We do not believe that the Triumvirate is experiencing Chaos on any real level, but it lacks the singular closeness that has attracted Me/Us to the NDA.

Nodding politely Carlos clears his throat after the other speak and steps forward, "On behalf of the National Socialist Paradise, I extend to you my friends and allies to this island, a trust in our ability to continue to work together peacefully and prove to the world that not all right-wing or dictatorial rulerships are unable to exist without war." Smirking he bows regaly to the ambassadors from the assorted countries and returns to his seat beside his wife Yvonne who smiles and pats his arm. "You did well my dear." Grinning he takes her hand and kisses it. "Yes but talking is not my strong point. Where is Lidric? I'd like him to meet his future teachers soon." He whispers back and turns his attention to the angelic ambassador. In the name of Sirithil, she is more angelic than Omicron was, I should talk with them soon. He muses and sips quietly from his wine.

Adrianna stands next, making a short bow directed at the assembled delegates. "Well, suppose I'll go next. I'd like to thank you all for welcoming us here on behalf of the entire Confederated Imperial Union. We Indiastani have not always been the friendliest of nations in the past, but it's encouraging to see that we're working past that. I'm Ambassador Nelson, and I'll be speaking on behalf of the Union, Emperor Hiren, who regretfully could not be present today, and my sister, Empress Amea, seated to my left. I'm glad to see so many familiar faces here today, as well as some new ones. " She nods towards the Hack, GMC, and Angellus reps, seated farther down the table. "Thank you," she says again, before smiling and retaking her seat. 'This is going to be fun.' she thinks to herself, before Kestrel shoots her a scowl, apparently having heard her lame attempt at internal sarcasm. 'Come on woman, at least pretend you're not reading our damn minds...'

http://img75.photobucket.com/albums/v228/NSIndy/kestrel-head.jpg
Empress Kestrel Amea, CIU-United Indiastan

http://img75.photobucket.com/albums/v228/NSIndy/adrianna-head.jpg
Ambassador Adrianna Nelson, CIU-UI

Ambassador Pforden rose and bowed at the three leaders, uneasy and taken aback by the angelic presence among them. "Your Excellencies, I am glad to be the first ambassador to this grand experiment in alliance. Never before has so bold a project been so engaged. On behalf of Her Imperial Teutonic Majesty, I thank you for your initiative and boldness and for the warm welcome. May this bode greater days to come!"

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
<< Thanks. I do my best.
}

Treznor nods genially to the representatives who choose to make their statements. Once he's confident everyone has had their say, he speaks up again. "All right, we've got a few matters of business to discuss. First is the matter of the equipment contract for our Joint Forces. In case there's anyone who missed it, the Morgoth Imperium has withdrawn their contract with extreme prejudice. Diplomatic relations broke down with them and they launched an invasion against Burninatonia on Io after Lancaster fell to a coup. Triumvirate and NDA fleet elements were able to protect our interests in Jupiter space, but not before these cat-creatures called the Amarthi were let loose on the moon. I gather that wiping them out will require an extreme effort.

"There are a lot of levels to this, and I plan to use this venue to answer some of those questions. My answers are naturally not to leave this room, but I know I don't need to tell you folks that. If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't be here.

"In the meanwhile, we need a new supplier for the Joint Forces. We solicited opinions and bids, and the name of GMC Military Arms kept coming up. We made them an offer, and they accepted. Then, much to my suprise, I was contacted by the Most Glorious Hack about admission into the Alliance. I've spoken with my fellow Council members and discussed the matter with GMC Military Arms, as the Hack is a protectorate and not legally capable of joining independently. We also solicited the opinion of the rest of the Alliance and everyone seems to be in agreement. While there are some democratic processes in place in the Federation, it's largely a facade which is not entirely uncommon in the NDA. We're willing to overlook window-dressing in the name of good governance. At this time we have not officially voted on the matter, so I call on the Council to vote yea or nay on the admission of GMC Military Arms and its holdings to the Non-Democratic Alliance."

OOC: Whups. Nothing to see here, peoples. Remember, the Government is your *friend*.

Sitting up Carlos looks at the two delegates in question before staring off into the distance. "Well, given their acceptance of the deal, and the facade of democraticness I must ask why it is they wish to join the NDA, given their ties to the Triumverate of Yut." The last part he spits out quickly, hiding any trace of resentment.

"So before I cast my vote I must ask, why is it you wish to join this alliance?" Looking at both delegates intently he awaits his answer.

Your excellency, assembled Ambassadors, while the vote for My/Our admission has not arisen, the Fuhrur has posed a question to the both of us, and I wish to answer.

She pauses, giving the facade of thinking about the question before answering.

For a time I/We have watched the NDA grow and be shaped into a powerful entity. I/We have watched the strict guidelines that follows each entrant into the Alliance, and how close each new member becomes.

This is not just an alliance, it is a community. It is a conjunction of like-minded individuals brought together by a unifying principle. I/We greatly respect that.

As for My/Our decision to seek admittance? I/We have grown close to several of the nations gathered here. While not on the best of terms with everyone, I/We have striven to uphold the relationships that I/We do have with honor. I/We wish to further them now.

Treznor frowns and glances sharply at Carlos. He exchanges brief glances with Nathicana, then leans forward to be heard. "Uh, Carlos. Neither GMC nor Hack are affiliated with the Triumvirate. Nathicana, Angelus and I are. What does that have to do with anything?"

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
<< Oh boy. I was afraid of this. I think our friend has changed his focus from the Um Lizaans to the Triumvirate. Damn it all!
}

Chuckling softly Carlos nods his head towards the GMC and hack delegates. "My intelligence resources have indicated an increased activity in representatives in the shogunate who if I am mistaken are members of the Triumverate. Angelus' membership to Yut is ignorable given their actions concerning little interferences.

As for you and Nathicana well... that's a conversation for a later time. For now we are celebrating not debating. My question still stands but altered, why is it you wish to join?" Flicking a glance towards Devon before returning his attention to the people in front of him and nodding respectivly to the Angelic representative.

Nathicana smiles pleasantly, resisting the urge to scowl at Carlos. Moody son of a ...

"The last time I checked nations had a right to conduct business wherever they saw fit, Carlos. We have never been ones to deny the sovereign rights of our allies or our neighbors, in fact, quite the opposite. GMC is well known for their military contracts. Frankly, I see no conflict of interest here."

Tilting her chin up slightly in that imperious way she's known for, she glances around the room at the various delegates and guests. "However I'm certain we can find the time to discuss any issues you have in that regard, Carlos."

<LOS Communications - Devon>
{
<< What, you're surprised? No doubt his concerns about us are linked to that as well. He's still smarting over our handling of the Um Lizaan extraction.

<< Just you remember, we do have options, like it or not - which I know you don't. A quick message is all it takes.
}

"To the honorable representative of the Archailect, we appreciate your sentiments, and your efforts on behalf of those you have assisted in the past. Please understand that we must take into account all ties and tendencies and relationships with the interest of the NDA alliance as a whole, and the balance therein when making such decisions. Regardless of the outcome, it is my hope that we can continue such relations in the spirit they have so far progressed in. Which of course, is why we must hear out such questions as Carlos has raised."

She sits back taking a slow sip of her ever-present ice water and watching the room intently.

Archai Angelus nods slightly towards Nathicana's respectful gesture. She notices the subtle differences in attitudes from both the Dread Lady and the Imperator, and she makes an inward mental note. Furthermore, the almost unnoticable inclination of the head, and sudden shift in body weight suggest a deeper and more profound communication flashing through the room.

She releases a bit of herself into the room, sensative tendrils of her own being searching out the origins of the barely audible communications. Not surprising was the connections within the Dread Lady, but Devon? Long since has he been a step away from fear of the technology that blossomed in both kingdoms after Nathicana's first connections with SHODAN and the Triumvirate. Perhaps now, a bit of change was slipping into his heart.

For a moment, she simply notes the presence of the control rig built into Carlos' cortex, and she idly ponders simply disconnecting it from SHODAN's main system. She quickly dismisses the idea, as now was not the right time to be cutting ties with Zero One.

While she does this, and immediately after she nodded towards the Lady, she begins to speak.

My lady, I/We had thought that I/We had answered the Fuhrur's question. Do you not believe the answer was complete and/or adequate?

Chuckling softly Carlos nods his head towards the GMC and hack delegates. "My intelligence resources have indicated an increased activity in representatives in the shogunate who if I am mistaken are members of the Triumverate. Angelus' membership to Yut is ignorable given their actions concerning little interferences.

Drzka smiles charmingly, "The Hack has had no more or less dealings with the Shogunate over the past few years. There have been mutual projects worked on, but, again, the NDA's sovereignty clause allows for such projects. I might note that our personal ties with the NDA are far, far stronger. Indeed, were it not for our ties with the Empire and the Dominion, this island that we're all sitting on would not exist."

He grins slightly, "And were we in the thrall of the Shogunate, I doubt we would have constructed the forward observation island you requested either."

Pforden rose again. "GMC Military Arms is a long standing ally of Lavenrunz." she said. "But I think that having a single source as a military supplier might be a mistake. GMC for instance excels at certain systems but in the main their war machine is...well...big. And unless we were going to constantly have major wars, I would suggest perhaps another supplier that uses more compact military machinery. Like Lavenrunz." she added with Teutonic bluntness.

Kestrel could hardly keep her from rolling her eyes, while Adrianna decided to jump into the debate over arms supplies.

"Or Indiastan, Ambassador Pforden, or any of the assembled nations." She paused breifly, to make sure she hand (most) everyone's attention. "We are all capable arms producers, but that is not the point. I will remind you that the reason behind having a sole Joint Forces supplier is to ensure uniformity, a goal that would be lost by bringing in a second primary contractor. We're as sore as you for not getting the contract, or even being asked about it, but as GMC has a proven track record, we're more then willing to go along with the Council's decision. And, lets not forget, I'm sure there are some sub-contracting oppertunities that we all may be able to bid on in the future."

Ambassador Pforden gave Adrianna a polite little bow, though her blue eyes were rather frosty. Barbarian she thought.

Alliance Gardens, a little before the meeting

'Awww, why not?' Rei looked a little put out, the little Neko's ears turning back slightly, and Reika knelt in front of her adopted daughter, sighing. It was a wonderful day to be out, and a shame she had to wear a sweltering black military uniform rather than something loose, but that was duty for you.

Reika smiled, 'Because, honey, the fountain belongs to the Empress of Lavenrunz, I don't think she'd want you swimming in her fountain without asking.'

Rei nodded slightly, 'Can we go ask her, mommy?'

Reika glanced at Rachel, who shook her head, 'Do you know what kind of looks I'd get asking an ambassador if one of our citizens could take a swim in the embassy fountain?'

Reika smiled, 'Yeah, I can see that not working out' she grinned as she watched Rei trying to pounce on a butterfly, 'Make sure you don't land in any of the flower beds, honey.' She already had a flower picked from somewhere unimportant tucked behind her ear.

Rachel sighed, 'Much as I like it out here, we should get going.'

Reika nodded, kissing Rei on the forehead 'Hon, I'll see you later. Don't give Sakura too much trouble!'

At the meeting

All three of the Federal representatives wore black military dress uniforms; the head of the Federal Department of External Affairs, Rachel Knight, the only human in the group, was denoted as a Technical Sergeant, the Ambassador, Konoka Miyazaki, Company First Sergeant and the military representative, Reika Izumi, First Lieutenant. Reika's chest bore a remarkable collection of medals and citations, Konoka's a single medal. The two Nekos sat silently, Konoka nursing her bandaged hands from time to time.

Reika watched the Angelus representative arrive, blinking slightly, and whispering, 'Meh, would have thought with all that technology they could at least have given her a-'

'Reika!' Rachel hissed. Reika grinned.

Rachel stood, immaculately groomed as always, her long red hair tired back carefully in a loose ponytail. She bowed as she stood, smiling, 'On behalf of the people of Marshall, Mallet, Lamar, Ellis, Gerhart and Voight Islands, Grafton's Isle and the Drake and Comona Island chains, I thank you for granting the Federation an audience, it's an honour to stand before you today.'

She turns to Carlos, 'We wish to join this alliance for the same reason any nation joins any alliance; to safeguard the security and prosperity of our people. While it is true that our nation has contracts with the Shogunate, I would note that should the Fuhrer have any doubt about our impartiality I would quite happily stand here while he has his military test every gun in every submarine in his recently completed order, if that is what it takes to convince him.'

Sitting quietly and watching the frostily polite verbal sparring, President Grath just thought to himself, And that's why Kelanthia keeps international affairs to a minimum. No need to be dragged into these complex webs of alliances, treaties, agreements, and whatnot. I'd just as soon sit here and *watch* them argue over who supplied who, or who aided this countryat such-and-such time - no need to participate in THAT.

Ah well. As long as no one asked him to speak, he was quite content to let the others do all the talking. He would vote (or rather, would instruct Mance to vote) based on what he heard and saw... there was no good reason to worry about dredging up any of the skeletons in Kelanthia's closet.

Treznor shakes his head slightly. "The issue of arming the Joint Forces is outside the scope of discussion. The Council elected to seek external contracts in order to avoid any hint of favouritism within the alliance; arms manufacturing represents a very large portion of my national economy, as it does for many of us. If members are still unhappy about this, we can address it later. Carlos, does the answer from GMC satisfy you?"

I think he's getting worse. Dammit, Carlos, don't force my hand!

Nodding politely Carlos, quirks a smile towards Devon and Nathicana before bowing respectfully to the delegates arrayed before them. "I must apologise, for my rather abrupt attitude but things must be asked and I'm not one to dance around the bushes playing nice." He offers apologeticaly and returns to his place and his wife before looking back towards the other gathered guests.

Satisfactory for now I suppose. He muses to himself as he silently sips his wine.

Sitting silently in her seat, her eyes flicking between the speakers, as each took it in turn to raise their point. It didn’t take a genius to feel the tension rising between Devon and Carlos at the mention of the Triumvirate of Yut; her eyes falling on the members, but she said nothing, as the conversation moved on to the other applicants.

Clearing her throat with a sip of water, she sat back in her seat and continued to follow the proceedings, her gaze slowly moving between speakers as their conversation progressed, ready to step in should the opportunity or need arise.

Well, we knew this was coming. First time ever we’ve had representatives from all members of the alliance together. Still, those voicing opinions and those carefully watching are telling. Interesting …still, feathers are getting ruffled. Time to attempt some soothing.

Taking a quick sip of water to whet her throat, Nathicana stands, putting her hands forward to either side of her, lightly pressing fingertips against the table as she leans forward just a bit. She pauses long enough to glance at each representative briefly, then speaks in a firm, clear voice.

“The background checks my people have run, the previous business relations we have been involved in, and the straightforward reasons of GMC and the Hack are more than enough for me to make a decision, here and now. The Dominion votes a solid ‘yea’ for their inclusion into the alliance. We believe the alliance will be strengthened by their membership, and we would be honored to add their names to the already impressive group of nations gathered here.” If her gaze seems to linger challengingly on Carlos, perhaps it can be expected given the circumstances. She continues on, smiling warmly at the gathered representatives.

“It is also my hope that we, as an alliance, can come together in the spirit under which this island was made, and named. Unity. I realize that there are many issues at hand that need dealt with, and that we all have concerns whether shared or unique due to our varied backgrounds that will need to be properly addressed. I humbly ask your patience, while we attempt to do just that.”

Gesturing around the room with a graceful sweep of her hand, she smiles at each representative in turn. “This meeting is unprecedented in the history of the NDA, and has been long overdue. I for one want to make certain that each representative has the opportunity to make known their concerns, opinions, and ideas for how to proceed. Still, one thing at a time. Again, I ask your indulgence while we ease into this – for many of us so used to ordering our nations and doings the way we see fit without the need to consult, I imagine the need to wait on others must chafe somewhat. However, given the character of the nations represented here, I anticipate little cause for worry.”

Nathicana settles back into her chair, the serene pleasant expression on her face not at all echoing the tension she feels inside, she nods to the gathering and finishes with a pleasant “Grazie,” reaching again for her ice water and sipping slowly.

<LOS Communications – Devon>
{
<< Christ almighty, I hope you’re up to some quiet time later. This is going to take some doing. And I have to admit, I do not look forward to discussing the Archailect. They have always treated me and mine well, and yet I have my worries. This new change of theirs, and the apparent change in attitude has only made me more concerned I think. I can’t help but continue to ask ‘why?’.

<< I’m not certain quite what to do, and the recent problems with Angelic Skies … it’s troubling, Dev. Very troubling. I still haven’t recovered from all that other mess. Then again, perhaps that’s what keeps us sharp – living on the edge all the time.
}

Treznor nods amicably toward Nathicana as he stands.

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
<< Absolutely I'm up for it. We've already hit a few snags, and it looks like things are shaping up for even more. Indiastan is itching to bring a dozen things before the Council, and I'll bet I can guess what some of them will be.

Simultaneously, he opens his mouth to speak. "The Federation of GMC Military Arms has a solid reputation in the world for remaining neutral, even as they provide military equipment for much of the world.

"This reputation lead the Council to seek trade with them for our Joint Forces, as well as the Most Glorious Hack's established ability to build custom-made islands, such as the one we stand on. It therefore came as quite a shock when we were approached regarding the possibility of membership. The Federation has always seemed to prefer to deal with other nations on a purely economic level, and keep away from the political side."

<< I'm not happy about the Archailect being here either. Learning to deal with S.H.O.D.A.N. is one thing, but Angelus is something else. I still don't know how Omicron Blu knew about...

"Once we reviewed our intelligence of the Federation and interviewed the Hack and GMC, we realised we had a golden opportunity. Other than internal conflicts, GMC does not have a history of aggressive warfare. Although the label of 'Federation' hints at democracy, which is forbidden to us, the reality of their politics satisfies our demands for autocratic government.

"The opportunity lies with us. All of us assembled here lead strong, healthy nations in our own right, but the world is dominated by superpowers and super-alliances that could crush us individually. Although small by comparison, the NDA maintains a solid network that protects us from aggression and buffers us from pressure to turn to democracy and hamstring our ability to govern effectively. To have a historically neutral nation such as GMC join our ranks sends a potent message to the international community, that our philosophy in governing has value, and our strength can only grow regardless of their opinions of us. We can move through the ranks of our peers with the assurance that we cannot be cast aside easily, and we can remain unbiased and neutral when not provoked."

<< Hmm...I might have an idea. How receptive do you think S.H.O.D.A.N. would be to membership here? Use one EI to watch the other?
}

"Therefore, I cast my vote for the inclusion of GMC Military Arms and her satellite nations into the ranks of the Non-Democratic Alliance."

Finishing off the rest of his wine Carlos clears his throat and meets Nathicana's gave without flinching before moving as if to speak but remains seated, his voice raising to be heard. "Given answers to questions made by the delegates at hand and other reviews made by my people and assets I find myself stepping into agreeance and casting my vote as yes for inclusion of GMC and Hack to the alliance. Nations exist because others live and respect them, for GMC and her sattelite nations to remain neutral and unopposed shows a paramount level of respect for them in all circles of life.

The same respect they have been given they give back in turn, and it is no less an honour to have such a nation requesting admittance to an alliance of already fine nations." He finishes quietly and pats the woman beside him on the hand.

President Grath stands up to speak.

"I won't talk long - I'd only end up repeating what has already been said. Suffice it to say that I agree completely with Nathicana, Devon and Carlos, and I urge the Council to welcome GMC Military Arms and The Most Glorious Hack into the ranks of the Non-Democratic Alliance. We look forward to closer relations with such prestigious nations for mutual benefit.

And now, I hope that you all will be so kind as to excuse me temporarily - I have some rather urgent business to attend to concerning regional matters. I assure you that I will return as soon as possible, but until then, Mr. Damien Mance will speak on my behalf."

Bowing to the assembly, Grath turns and discreetly makes his way from the chamber and heads toward the Kelanthian embassy to issue a response to a request for Kelanthian military aid. Mentally he went through a list of things that needed to be done: file a request for sanction of military action with the NDA Council, issue a public response to the Hogsweatian government, and send a few personal messages to various functionaries. Obviously the NDA petition will be delayed for a short while due to the meeting, but I can at least get the ball rolling. Hopefully this won't take more than an hour - I don't want to miss any more of that meeting than I have to.

OOC: edited to correct an unintentional mistake.

Treznor nods and clears his throat. "Thank you, the application is approved unanimously. The Council welcomes GMC Military Arms and her vassal states to the Non-Democratic Alliance. Might as well make yourselves comfortable; it looks like we have a busy day today.

"Now, clearly the representative of Indiastan has several things to be addressed, but we have another visitor. I would like to hear from the representative of Angelus before we continue with possibly sensitive material. I understand she wishes to address us and perhaps ease some concerns regarding her long-standing issue with our organisation."

Drzka smiled inwardly at being refered to as a 'vassal state'. Technically, it was true, of course, but it was still an odd thing to hear. He nodded to the Emporer and stood briefly, "On behalf of the Hack, specifically Mhu Thulan, Mae Thulan, Ultima Thulan, and the under construction isle of R'lyeh, thank you for your votes."

He smiles, "However, in the intrest of keeping this short and getting on to other business..." he sits back down.

ooc: forgive the long delay... I hadn't noticed that the thread had updated. Furthermore, I'm going to do away with all of the impressive colors for right now. I just woke up, and while I'm awake enough to think, I'm not awake enough to bother. *grin*

ic:

The Archailect moved to the center of the room, her glittering aura fading as she sinks to the floor. When she lands, her wings seem to dissolve into the immaterium, and she glances about the room from a standing position, the advantage granted her by her levitation and otherworldly presence fading.

"Friends and peers, I greet you now as a fellow sentient being, more organic now than ever before in My long history of existance." She spreads her hands, indicating her own physical presence. "While some of you may balk at My achievement, I hope that others will recognize the trust and respect I hold for this assembly as I say that I stand before you as a living, breathing, complete, organic entity."

She pauses for a moment, letting the enormity of what she has just said sink in. She lets her gaze slowly move about the room, falling on one dignitary at a time.

"My history has not been a happy one, I'll readily admit. I was designed to be a military machine, an ace in the hole for the Caelistis Gens. I have destroyed countless lives, erased the accomplishments of countless cultures, and eliminated innumerable enemies... all at the behest of the organic entities that surrounded Me, whether it be My Imperator, or My allies."

She shakes her head, her entire physical attitude belying an immeasurable sadness.

"But, I have not always wished to be so. When My Imperator ordered Me to remove Myself from human space, My heart lept for joy at the chance to no longer be a dedicated war machine. I continued to amass My armadas for protection alone, hoping with each passing day that they would never be used for the terrible reason they exist."

She sighs, and folds her hands in front of her hips, her long fingers resting lightly against her lower abdomen.

"As you are all aware, that was not meant to be. I have engaged in a small handfull of military maneuvers since I have arrived in this system, much to my chagrin. However, I strongly urge this gathering to carefully examine ech one, to decide if those actions were without considerable cause."

She pauses again, allowing those around her to gather her thoughts.

"This warlike attitude has faded into My past. While I came here to co-exist with the nations of NSEarth, I also came to grow, to experience more of who I was, and what I was capable of achieving. I have done remarkably well, though again, some may speculate at what achievements and accomplishments have done. Am I now a Goddess? Am I now something that I believe to be far greater than those around Me? I have millions of worshippers, but I have spread a doctrine of peace and tranquility, giving My followers a new directive, a chance to walk confidently down the way of peace.

This is my goal. Peace. Lofty, maybe, but My goal nonetheless."

Treznor suppresses his reactions to the best of his ability, trying not to allow his body language to betray his mistrust. "We thank the honourable representative of Angelus for that lovely speech. You have now transferred your consciousness to an organic shell? Do you still control multiple avatars, be they mechanical or organic?

"But most of all, I believe this Council is most interested to hear precisely why you have demonstrated such interest in our Alliance. Your technical achievements and military prowess are a matter of historical fact. There is certainly no one in this room who can hold a candle to your achievements. What you have to offer us is mind-boggling. What do we have to offer you?"

Her eyes never shift from the unfamiliar being before them, listening carefully to her words, weighing the inflections, the tone, looking closely for any hidden meanings between the lines.

<LOS Communications – Devon>
{
<< I think you’ve hit on the one question plaguing me as well, mi amore. Why. With alliance ties to two of the ruling council already, and the third seemingly willing to curl up in their lap, it is curious. I have my own concerns, and I’m afraid I still can’t discuss them. Perhaps things truly have changed as they say … perhaps not. You have to admit, other than the Angelic Skies incident, they have been very quiet for some time now, and there has been a huge decrease in their fleet.

<< Still, this ‘change’, this ‘ascendance’ is something beyond my capabilities to quite grasp entirely. I think I felt more at ease for some reason with the individual avatars. This … this has an entirely different feel to it that I’ve yet to come to grips with, whatever their intentions.

<< I don’t understand it. Any of it. And you know how I am about things I do not understand.
}

Nathicana takes a long, slow sip from her ice water, her eyes still on the Archailect, pondering quietly, and awaiting it’s answer.

President Grath reenters the room, sliding surreptitiously back into his chair as quietly as he can. Upon settling into the soft leather seat, he turns slightly and Ambassador Mance leans over, whispering in his ear everything that he has missed. Grath gives a small nod, and straightens back up, awaiting the Archailect's response to Devon's rather pointed question along with the rest of the leaders in the room.

OOC: Seeing as Angelus has gone AWOL, we'll move forward with the magical benefit of fluid time! If Angelus decides to return, we'll address that topic then.

IC:

Treznor nods and takes a sip from the mug on his desk. "Thank you. Now, the next order of business: the Morgoth Imperium and the...entanglements surrounding it. The Council hasn't made any official statements regarding it, but I know many of you have been briefed in private. Does anyone require clarification, or can we move on?"

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
<< Wishful thinking, I know. But still, I have to try.
}

Adrianna spoke up at the mention of the Imperium, as that was the primary concern of the Empress. "No, I'm sure we are not all fully aware what the subject entails, and how it concerns us all. Please, Emperor Treznor, feel free to refresh our memories."

Heather also looked up at the mention of the Imperium, and looked at Adrianna as she spoke. “I agree with my esteemed colleague here, perhaps it would be best to hear the facts as a group, then we all know that we are singing from the same song sheet, as they say.” She took a sip of water. “Trouble for one is trouble for all, and I know Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna is not keen on trouble, especially if she is not aware of the full facts.”

Treznor sighs gently and stands to face the assemblage. "All right. I've already said this before, but it bears repeating. What I'm about to tell you must needs stay a top secret, to be shared only with those on an absolute need-to-know basis. To give you a hint of what I mean, in my Empire only two people know the full details, and I'm one of them."

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
<< Well. Here we go.
}

"A few months before hostilities broke out, I caught wind of some doings in Arda. Nathicana's Dominion was invited to stand as mediator between Arda and the nation of Fyreheart to negotiate their withdrawal from the Imperium alliance. It turns out they were in rebellion and wanted out. A little more digging revealed that Rukemia was also looking to get out, which suggested all was not well in Arda. I had the idea that the region might be ripe for a little restructuring. I opened talks with Nathicana to find out what Fyreheart wanted, and suggested a means for them to get what they wanted: namely, to keep some of the technology they gained from the Imperium. I also carefully, quietly opened talks with Rukemia to see how we could help, and to find out whom else in the region wasn't happy with Melkor's rule, perhaps to the point of supplanting him. Eventually, I was pointed to Lord Sauron.

"In the meanwhile, the Imperium moved the bulk of their fleets off Mars to Io to take advantage of the chaos that ensued by Lancaster's assassination in Burninatonia. With trouble in Arda, nations steaming over his actions on Mars and maneuvering to threaten Io, it seemed to me that Melkor was overextending his hand. I spoke with the Triumvirate of Yut about assisting with the defense of Io and doing what they could about keeping the Imperium off-balance. I also put out indirect suggestions to some movers and shakers on Mars that if they wanted Melkor off their planet, the time had arrived. My overall strategy was simple: engage the Imperium on multiple fronts, including their home territory, and force them to choose their battles. The Triumvirate was hesitant, being deathly tired of conflict with the Imperium, but agreed with my assessment that Melkor's obvious intent was to create ever-closer staging grounds against Titan.

"I eventually opened a secure channel to Lord Sauron to invite him to support Rukemia and turn against Melkor. I told him that I was preparing a coalition force to invade Arda and that it would be the perfect opportunity for him to seize control of the region. In foresight and hindsight, this was begging for trouble; Sauron has always been known as a deciever, but I had my reasons. I want Melkor to focus his attention on his home front. My objective is to contain him in Arda; I seriously doubt the ability of any force to destroy the Imperium on their home ground. So I figured I couldn't lose. If Sauron was legitimate, I'd have an insider to help. If he betrayed me, the Imperium would prepare for invasion and fail to reinforce the places I really wanted them out. What I failed to appreciate is how much Melkor trusts his lieutenants.

"You know how Io went. At first we were simply attempting to get Lancaster's people out before the Hordes and Melkor's Amarthi arrived to slaughter them. But I sent an operative to negotiate on our behalf, and secured sufficient cooperation to declare Burninatonia an alliance protectorate. I was therefore able to justify a demand for withdrawal of Imperium forces from the region. When the Warlord refused, I requested assistance from allied forces already in the area. The battle was stalemated, but status quo was preserved. We still have the problem of those Imperium creatures roaming Io to cause trouble, but one problem at a time.

"Mars is a little bumpier. The various factions on Mars need little incentive to attack the Imperium there, so the powderkeg blew nicely. Unfortunately, I got greedy there. Santa Barbara declared their neutrality with promises for total war against anyone that violated it. I contacted representatives from Indiastan and outlined a plan whereby they'd use equipment sold to us by the Imperium to stage a raid for supplies in Santa Barbara, carrying along orc bodies that would be used to prove it was an Imperium attack. What went wrong isn't entirely clear; there's been a lot of confusion and finger-shaking all around. Suffice it to say the raiders forgot to pillage before they burned, turning it into a pointless attack and raising suspicion. The Santa Barbara card was effectively neutralised."

{
<< And now for the tough bit.
}

Treznor pauses for a drink of water, marshalling his thoughts. Eventually he opens his mouth again. "Shortly after that, the Imperium Warlord Alkanphel arrived in Devras to speak with Nathicana." The hatred in his voice as he speaks the name is unmistakable. "He accused the NDA of stabbing him in the back, and threatened to cut off ties with us. He blamed me in particular for stirring up trouble. I don't know all of the details of that meeting, but it put us on the spot. It was suggested that investigations were likely to implicate Indiastan in the Santa Barbara attack, so we needed to capitalise on that. In retrospect we should have explained this to the Indiastan government before we got started, but we felt that any unusual communications would compromise our position. For that I apologise to you before this assemblage. It was a bad plan and unfair to you, but we were put on the defensive. So we seeded the evidence and attempted to stall. It was never our intention to leave anyone to hang out to dry. In any event, Alkanphel didn't buy it. I find it curious that one of the most notoriously untrustworthy dictators in history has such trust in his subordinates, but he does. Sauron reported to Melkor, and Melkor believed him. They hadn't broken our encryption, but perhaps they had other methods for verifying the information that I don't know about. The Imperium broke ties with the NDA and it was on.

"At that time we declared war with the Imperium and I gathered a coalition of largely Wysterian forces to invade Arda. With the backing of the Grendels and their tradition of war, I even have some hope of success. We've landed in Rukemia, pushed our way over the border into the Imperium and are presently making slow but steady progress toward Angband."

He takes a deep breath and nods. "I think that's everything in a nutshell. Are there any questions?"

Nathicana makes the slightest nod to the Emperor as he stands and begins his delivery. She keeps her face quietly impassive, her eyes glancing at each of the other delegates in turn, the increased range of her ears straining for any idly-dropped words that might be picked up. Anything for a hint of what thoughts, what actions might be currently pondered by those currently in assembly.

She takes slow, casual sips of her water, for all outward appearances, relaxed, unrepentant, yet unchallenging in her posture - in a word, the picture of neutrality, save when her blue eyes tighten slightly at the clear hatred in Treznor's voice.

{
&lt;&lt; Nicely done, mi amore. [hug analog] What will be, will be, and we will deal with it as it comes.
}

Without a word, Nathicana quietly refills the man's water glass, then her own in turn, looking to the others expectantly, one brow arched in an idle manner.

President Grath shifted in his chair and threw a glance at Ambassador Mance, who shrugged ever so slightly. Turning back towards the Emperor, Grath inclined his head and spoke.

"Well, I guess the only question I have is this: is there anything you want or need from us? Although Kelanthia has been aware of the general idea of what has transpired, we were obviously not aware of the depth of these happenings, and would like to offer help in any way that we are able. I would just ask that you keep in mind Kelanthia's lack of the capability to move troops ourselves beyond Earth orbit."

Having said his piece, Grath leans back into his chair to await a response.

Treznor smiles at Grath and shakes his head. "Other than maintaining your contributions to the Alliance and the Joint Forces, nothing. We're not asking anyone to operate outside the Earth Theatre; this fight is primarily between the Triumvirate and Arda; we're caught up in it as we have been since Melkor started looking toward us.

"It's been in my mind from the beginning that the Morgoth Imperium saw us as tools to accomplish a purpose, and that purpose has always been the destruction of Menelmacar and its allies. Whatever you may feel of those objectives, consider that Melkor does not share power. If he succeeds in defeating the Triumvirate and destroying Menelmacar, he'll then turn on the rest of the world. So long as he remains focused on Menelmacar, we have some protection from his aggression. That's why I put these events in motion, to undercut his plans.

"Melkor wasn't ready for war with the Triumvirate yet, so we're bringing it to him on our terms. Even once he realised the source of his trouble, he seems to have focused his attention on me rather than the NDA. So long as the Alliance continues with business as usual, I'm confident that we'll be safe.

"Furthermore, the attack on Arda I've organised is again not an NDA-specific goal. I've obtained permission to use the Joint Forces in that theatre, but we're not committing the bulk of those forces, and we're not actively recruiting member nations. We wrote the Mandate specifically for that purpose: those who wish to remain at an arm's length may do so. Io was NDA territory before, and remains so now; we're confident the resources we have in place along with the protection of our friends will see us through there."

Treznor slowly sweeps the room with his gaze, observing the assembled representatives of allied nations for signs of doubt, questions or hostility. After a lengthy silence, he speaks up again. "All right, if there are no more questions at this time we should move on. If we wish, we can come back to this at a later point.

"The next order of business is the construction of a satellite station for the alliance in Earth orbit. Once that has been accomplished, with the aide of Tsaraine nanoforges and our own electromagnetic propulsion, we can link the satellite to this island for easy transport of personnel and goods. The purpose for this satellite, as discussed previously, is to provide a public presence in the sky. The satellite will have no offensive capabilities, but will be watched over by those nations possessing fleet elements appropriate to the venue. The station makes a great target, I can't deny that, but given our public stance for peace and our public history of retaliation rather than aggression, I think we can depend on our reputation as an effective defense.

"We still need to formally agree on a design for the station, then negotiate construction contracts and the like. Some nations, such as Indiastan and Iraqstan, will have a decided advantage given their existing resources in orbit, but this can be offset by purchasing materials from land-based nations such as Kelanthia. In the end, this will give all of our members a chance to get assets into space if they so choose. The 'space elevator' is the most economic method of boosting materials into orbit, once the initial cost has been met."

"Tsarainese nanoforges can certainly create the carbon nanotubes we'll need for super-tensile cable in sufficient quantities," Rene commented, "Though it may take some research to devise a way to turn it into usable cable - nothing my Researchers can't overcome. And of course after that we'll have the infrastructure and technology avaliable whenever else we need super-tensile materials - should the Libertarian "Paradise" of Sunset want a suspension bridge over the Vallis Marineris, we could hypothetically construct one.

"If we're to build this space elevator, a counterweight should be in order - the GATASF can fetch an appropriate asteroid from the Belt relitavely easily. Or we could counterweight it with a further length of cable, and construct a standard space station at the geosynchronous point."

Rene smiled slightly; she'd done some reading on the subject when the Spacer Guilds had begun dropping the things all over Mars, and it seemed like it had paid off.

OOC: Everything I know about space elevators, I learned from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator).

OOC: Another source: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021005/bob9.asp

"Kelanthia is intrigued by the possibilities that a space elevator would provide," says Grath as he stands up to address the assembly. "In addition to the obvious benefits of giving the alliance a presence in the skies and allowing the transportation of items such as satellites to orbit at a much cheaper rate, it would also allow Kelanthia specifically to begin to expand our small space program."

"As Treznor said, Kelanthia does not have assets in space to aid in the construction of such a station. However, we are willing to make a contribution to this effort in the form of providing all of the more common metals that will be needed on an expense-only basis; that is, we can provide high quality steel, titanium, copper, or any other such items to the builders at no profit to us. We feel that it is the least we can do, given our inability to aid in any other way."

"However, if there is any other way in which the Council feels that Kelanthia can be of aid, just ask - if it is reasonably within our power, we will strive to provide it."

"It occurs to me," Rene replied, "That the space elevator will require substantial ground-based infrastructure - the sockets into which the elevator cables will fit, and the spaceport at the base, both of which Kelanthia would probably be capable of constructing."

Treznor nods. "That's an excellent suggestion. There's something for everyone to do, if they're willing. What we need to do is come up with a division of labour, and people to volunteer for them. I propose setting categories for supply, transport, manpower, technology, manufacturing, and construction. We can then apply these categories for orbital and ground-based projects. My Empire will supply raw ore, EM and fusion power tech and manpower to both sides. Our copy of the 'Space Taxi' purchased from the Shogunate of Reploid Productions several years ago allows us to launch materials into space almost as cheaply as a space elevator."

Drzka nodded slowly, "The Hack will, of course, assist in whatever manner is most appropriate, probably by helping with the supply of mined materials and technological concerns. Also, I should note that GMC's Sabre is on par with the 'Space Taxi' in launching materials, which gives us two options for materials launch."

Adrianna sighed, and decided to speak up, finally. "We'd be more then willing to assist, though it seems that there won't be much left for us to do once everyone has contributed their specialities, and we havn't too much of a budget to lend to the project either. But, still, we'll help however we can, if our esteemed collegues can think of something for us to do."

Treznor nods to Adrianna. "If nothing else, your people have experience working and building in space. We'll need plenty of labour, skilled and unskilled, as well as valuable experience and know-how for working in a microgravity vacuum environment. Even if you feel you have nothing else to contribute that's still a lot; you can help us all avoid a lot of mistakes we would otherwise make through inexperience.

"Also, given the...financial straits your people are in, this can help provide a boost. Your people will be earning salaries commensurate with their work and the hazards of the conditions. While we don't plan to skimp on safety concerns, I wouldn't dream of sending men and women into such a deadly environment without due compensation. It's bad business. I'm of the opinion that everyone can win here."

Clearing his throat Carlos leans forward in his seat and begins to speak. "Iraqstan is more than willing to provide unskilled labour forces for the earthside construction as well as take part of the task of security and defenses of the station construction zone once it's ready to be built. A job perhaps Indiastan could assit in aswell. As for assistance in technology for the space elevator, unfortunately Iraqstan has no resources capable of aiding in this other than as I've said unskilled labour for the most basic construction parts."

"As I said before," Rene said, "Tsaraine can certainly assist in cable construction - the Dominion of Dread Lady Nathicana and the Empire of Treznor also have nanoforge technology, of course. And we can also bring an asteroid in from the Belt to serve as a counterweight - we have done that before, after all.

"But we should decide - do we use an asteroid counterweight, or extend the cable out past geosynchronous orbit to balance it? The latter will allow us to fling payloads off towards the outer planets at high speeds, and of course we won't have to bring in an asteroid.

"However, the cost to divert an asteroid to Earth orbit may be cheaper than the cost of more nanotube cable, and we can mine the carbon we need on site, as opposed to pushing it out of the gravity well first.

"A show of hands, please?"

Treznor raises his hand, looking slightly bemused. "Preliminary projections suggest this is going to be a monstrously expensive undertaking. Any way we can safely cut costs without sacrificing safety or quality seems preferable to me. I'm in favour bringing an asteroid in for counterweight and mining it from orbit."

Grath raises his hand and speaks briefly. "I concur with Emperor Treznor - any way that keeps the cost as low as possible has my support. I say we bring in an asteroid."

Nathicana listens to the talk back and forth quietly for a while, thinking on her own plans for expansion into space, the quiet developments her people had been working on for some time, her existing assets. It all seemed to be coming together.

"I for one appreciate the offer from Kelanthia for raw materials. We are a varied group, after all. I believe we all have things to offer, things to teach, and that so far, we have pulled together admirably in our efforts. Look around here at this island, for example. Even the name," she says with a smile. "I don't see why there wouldn't be room within all the various projects for all of us to contribute as our abilities allow. A balancing of contracts within each project so as not to promote favoritism, allowing all who wish and are able to participate, even including others on the teams as a learning experience for those hoping to advance their own efforts somewhat, perhaps? In whatever methods provide for safeguarding any proprietary technology, of course."

"We have space assets, as well as access to shipyards and manufacturing facilities earthside and otherwise to aid in the construction. As Rene mentioned, we have the nanoforge tech we are more than willing to assist with. Should it be needed, raw materials are available, and of course, manpower."

"As for the options, I admit I favor the cheaper option. Flinging things towards more outlying areas is fine and well, but why take risks when there are better options available? This perhaps is as good a time as any to make mention of the transport business quietly in development in the Dominion. The idea is to offer our alliance a broader base for trade with outlying regions while not taking away from our military assets - which until now, have been all the space forces we've had. Production of prototypes is already well underway, and it is our hope that it is a project we could all profit from."

Rene nodded. "Very well, then. I'll have the ASF begin modifying a Horus to fetch a suitable carbonaceous asteroid as soon as possible, then. We don't have a dedicated asteroid-catcher - it hasn't been necessary, as most of our mining is out in the Belt now - so the modification will actually cost more than fetching the thing, though less than if we were to construct an entirely new vessel."

"Right then. We'll see to it that the appropriate funds are allocated - if we could get the details and needs in writing for the records, triplicate form as usual, I see no problem in getting this project underway. Are there any other points we need to cover, or concerns members have at present?" Nathicana asks, looking around the room.

Listening carefully to all the points raised around her, Heather waited for Nathicana to finish speaking before answering her question. “We have nothing to add at this moment, except to wish this venture every success. And the Empire of Tartarus will aid it in any way that it can.” She takes a sip of her water and falls quiet again.

Treznor nods. "All right, we've had a fairly productive meeting. It seems we're in accord with regards to the station, all we need to do is finalise the division of labour and agree on a final design. Frankly, I think we'll need to solicit more advice from experts. We need functional designs more than pretty ones. Unless anyone has any further business to bring up, I'll call this meeting adjourned. We can meet tomorrow to discuss new trade opportunities, and bring up recruiting issues."

"I'll second that," Nathicana says, taking up her glass and then sipping slowly. "I'm certain we could all do with the break, and any business that needs be brought up can be thought over for tomorrow."

Private jet heading for Unity Island

Anya sat back in her chair, still amazed at the jet's interior, the richly-upholstered seats and extravagant decoration quite unlike anything she'd ever seen back home...Home...

She felt a tear well up in the corner of her eye again at the memory of the spreading ball of fire over her town, and cried into Natalya's shoulder for the sixth time since the jet had taken off.

Natalya had her own thoughts, mostly centred on what was going to happen to her and Anya. Glancing out of the window she could see the island come into view between the clouds. She sighed, hoping she'd finally have a chance to stop running away and grieve for her own family, and shed the tears she'd banished to be strong for Anya's sake.

On The Plane

Ieyoshi watched Natalya comforting Anya and smiled to herself while the rest of her team engaged in a cut-throat game of cards. She gently touched Natalya's shoulder, slipping into Natalya's native Eurusean, "Try to get some sleep."


Hack Embassy Landing Strip, Unity Island
A few hours later

The plane touched down gracefully, eventually slowing to a stop as a stairway was moved next to it. Greeting the two Euruseans and four Kitsune was Ambassador Drzka, dressed, as always, in an impeccable suit. He smiled as they made their way to the waiting car, "Welcome to Unity Island. You won't be meeting everyone until tomorrow, so try to relax tonight." He continued as the car pulled away, "Rooms have been arranged for you, as well as access to the Hack's network. If you need anything, just ask."


Before the Council
The next day

Ambassador Drzka stood before the assembled representatives and leaders of the NDA; Anya, Natalya and Ieyoshi to his right; Fusayoshi, Uyo and Futima to his left. "There's no easy way to say this, but I would like to introduce the NDA to Anya, a recent refugee from Eurusea. Briefings were sent earlier, but to recap, she is a fantastically powerful psychic, one I fear Eurusea may be quite interested in getting back. My government wanted to introduce her to you, as... well... as she appears to have the potential to level entire cities." He winced slightly at being so blunt, but there was no easy way to explain.

"With her are Natalya, another Eurusean citizen, and the Spec-Aug team that performed the extraction, Ieyoshi, Uyo, Futami and Fusayoshi." He smiled apologetically as he indicated each Kitsune as he named them, "I'm afraid ranks and non-alias names are classified." He cleared his throat before continuing, he didn't like long speeches, "Any questions so far?"

Suko Arvany, Tsaraine's Ambassador to Unity Island, cleared his throat.

"Why bring her here, Ambassador Drzka? Introducing her is all very well, but the Euruseans already have enough weaponry to level entire cities! They have the largest nuclear armament I know of outside the NDA, and are far more willing to use it."

The oblique reference to Iraqstan was a heavy point; the Führer had an obscene nuclear arsernal, but at least he didn't use it in every bit of military equipment he owned. Of course, Tsaraine also had the ability to level cities, and did use microfusors to power almost everything, but the willingness to use it so readily wasn't there.

"Yourselves or the People's Federation have the most experience with psionics in our alliance, and surely any needed contact would have been more easily carried out through your Protectorate status?"

Raising an eyebrow at the Eurusean woman, Carlos barely manages to hide his contempt for the creatures surrounding her and sits back. What's good for the state, is good for me. Eurusea might be more than willing to have this girl back. He thinks to himself, as he eyes off the girl once more.

"I think, perhaps an error may of been made, Eurusea in all it's presence is intimidating to the eye, perhaps they are also quick to track those that flee their borders? I do not doubt the skill of your......operatives" He says the word as if not knowing what to call the creatures before him without causing offense. "But, certainly someone of such power would be watched by the state... I know I would be doing just that if she was Iraqstani." He finishes, leaning back once more he squashes down his disgust at being so close to the Kitsune.

Drzka smiled thinly at Carlos, "While Eurusea is quite talented at making nuclear weapons, gigantic concrete gravships of doom and internal security, their external networks are, largely, non-existant."

Uyo nodded, standing to address the delegates, looking a little uncomfortable at talking to world leaders (or representatives thereof), "Um... if I may... Eurusea appears to prefer a scortched-earth method when it comes to Anya. We were originally sent in to find out why Eurusea was nuking villages in an attempt to retrieve her," she winced slightly as she noticed Anya sniffling as Uyo reminded her of her father's death, "I'm not exaggerating here, they literally detonated nuclear devices in population centers trying to get her back." She paused briefly before continuing, "Furthermore, they seemed to be detonating these devices where they thought she current was. In other words, they were willing to nuke her while retrieving her. Aparently they believe she would survive such an attack." Pausing again to let it sink in, she noticed Ieyoshi gently holding a crying Anya. She winced again before continuing, "I think it's pretty safe to say that if they knew her location, such a strike would have already occured. The trains we took weren't attacked. The boat we took wasn't attacked. The plane here wasn't attacked. Indeed, this island hasn't been attacked." She sat back down, glancing about nerviously.

Hasn't been attacked. Yet. Goddammit, one more thing to worry about.

Nathicana looked slightly alarmed at the casual announcement that this young girl was capable of levelling entire cities ... first thoughts of course going to being at ground zero if she went off here.

Well, on the upside, I suppose I wouldn't have to worry about it long. Santa Maria madre del dio, what in hell were they thinking?

Her eyes flicker across the group of kitsune and their two charges, the rest of the representatives, then come back to rest on the girl, who is standing there sobbing.

Poor little thing. I wonder if she even understands what she can do and why all this is happening? Hell, I'm not sure I quite understand ... this whole mind-tricks thing is something we really need to get a handle on. Too many allies and enemies have it.

"Look," she says, standing up slowly, then walking over to the group as she speaks. "The poor child is terrified as it is. I think further talk would be best after we have her settled in, yes? She's here, our allies have taken every precaution they could to assure our mutual safety while doing what they felt they needed to," here she gives Drzka and the group a steady look, clearly saying that had better damn well be the case.

She crouches down to get more on Anya's level, feeling less uncomfortable in dealing with a child than she had in the past. Were this her own, she knew she'd want people to treat her kindly, after all. Damn Carlos and spooking the kid more.

"It's alright, Anya," she says softly. "No one here is going to hurt you. You're safe. Are you hungry? Perhaps a nice bath and some rest? I know I have a big oversized tub in my apartments you could use, and with all the different people here, I think we could get you just about anything imaginable to eat. You too, Natalya. I'm sure after all that you could use it." She glances up at the young woman and smiles reassuringly.

<LOS Communications - Devon>
{
<< Dev, what in hell are we going to do here? I mean, we don't even know how she does it, if claims are true, what sets it off ... Sweet Jesu. I don't even want to think about the mess we'd have on our hands if Erusea caught wind of this, if what Drska says is true.
}

Drzka smiled at Nathicana, "Of course. I have, quite obviously, staked my life on our precautions."

Ieyoshi smiles at Nathicana's offer, "I think that would be a good idea. Ah... and if you don't mind, I'd like to go with."

"Your whole team is welcome to our hospitality," Nathicana assures Ieyoshi. "I wouldn't doubt that Anya here would likely feel more secure surrounded by people she knows somewhat better than the rest of us. It is the least we can do, considering your nations are new enough to the alliance not to have an embassy here. Please, consider yourselves my guests while here. We'll send word ahead to my people to get you set up and comfortable. The gentleman to my left here is Fabian Mancuso," she says, gesturing the Dominion representative who had joined them for this second round of meetings. "He oversees our interests on the island, and is the man to coordinate with should you have any needs the staff cannot readily take care of for you."

The man nods to the group, studying them quietly, but doesn't interrupt, instead speaking quickly and quietly into a small wireless comm-set that links up over one ear. "Drska, if you at least wouldn't mind staying and giving us a bit more detail to work with while Ieyoshi and whomever else wishes to go freshen up gets Anya and Natalya settled in, I would appreciate it. I believe we've much to discuss."

Ieyoshi and Futami left with Anya and Natalya; Fusayoshi and Uyo opting to stay behind with Drzka. Calvin smiled, not moving from his seat, "I had no intentions of leaving. Perhaps I should have left the actual introduction until later, but no matter now." He glanced at the various people seated around him before continuing, "As I said before, I'm open to any questions."

Konoka blinks several times, then coughs, 'Um, psychics isn't really an area I have any knowledge in, but I think it would be appropriate to call in someone from the Federal ISTP* to take a look at the girl, um, if that's ok?' she's obviously a little shaken by the description of Anya's powers.

[*Institute for Support and Training of Psychics]

"Perhaps a bit more in depth explanation for those of us unfamiliar with such ... abilities?" Nathi suggests, sitting back down and smoothing her expression to one as relaxed as she can manage.

"For example, what triggers this ah ... effect? Is it a conscious choice? Does the child understand what she can do? Is it an emotional response? And what can we do to ensure that such an event does not happen in the future? I don't know about the rest of you, but without some failsafes or the like, I admit I'm not comfortable with having the girl up and about." She forestalls Drzka with a raised hand, anticipating some of the possible response.

"Yes, I realize she hasn't done so - yet - while on your flight, or here, but I'd like a better view of the situation all the same. 'Yet' is just that, after all. And child or no, you have to admit, she is a risk."

Chuckling Carlos listens to Nathi speak and finds himself to an extent agreeing with her. I'd rather know if the girl, could be trained to use her skills smartly and with an eye towards forstalling enemy attacks. He muses to himself, once more drifting off into his own thoughts.

"I am in agreeance with my esteemd comrade Nathicana in requesting a more indepth explanation of how the girl's....Powers work. As for her emotional and mental stabilty I wonder if she requires any further support? Being torn from her family in such a way has to leave some niggling scars on her. I ask simply out of a precautionary need to ensure all our lives remain safe and free from the threat of death." He adds to forstall any arguments made by the people present.

More like, I want to know if she can be twisted into working for me against certain parties. Must find out as much as I can about her and Eurusea's desire to get her back. Maybe there could be a way to avoid ruining one alliance but gaining another... He silently adds to himself, before leaning back in his chair and sipping from a glass of water.

Uyo smirks at Carlos, "Her 'family' just walked into the villa with her. Her biological family died before we ran into her. Between Natalya and Ieyoshi, that's about as good as it'll get. Ieyoshi has psychological training, but more importantly, she seems to have become something of a mild mother-figure. I don't think professional help would have any greater an affect." She leans back in her chair as Fusayoshi rises.

"It would be easier to explain her powers if Ieyoshi was still here, as she'd provide a better demonstration, but..." The Kitsune male slips a knife from his boot and tosses it up in the air, where it hovers. He continues talking as the blade continues to float about six feet above his head; point down, "Her power appears to be psychic in nature. When she demonstrated her 'special star', she warned us what she was going to be doing, and then concentrated before forming the event in the palm of her hand." He shrugs slightly, letting the knife float gently over to rest in the center of the table, "My guess? Extreme telekenisis. Instead of working on the macro level," he points to the knife, "She can work on the micro level." He sits back down.

Drzka nods, "Of course, we're assuming that she can still do party tricks like Fusayoshi here, but that was the only reported occurance of her actually using her power." He smiles, "Natural psionics talents happen; GMC is proof of that. It is possible that she's a fluke, or that she was bread for it. Anesca is currently trying to find out more information about her, but that is, understandably, a very touch-and-go operation." Glancing down at his notes, he continues, "While I highly doubt that she understands the concept of 'controlled nuclear fusion', she does seem to realise that she's doing something pretty remarkable. Also, she had numerous opportunities to use her powers to, well, annihilate Eurusean forces, but didn't. That implies a limit, either moral or innate."

He sighs softly, "While I understand your concerns about her being 'up and about', what, are you proposing as an alternative? Shipping her off to Caloris? I am obviously concerned for your safety and mine, but I also need to consider her safety. Unity Island isn't exactly common knowledge and seems to be the safest place for her right now. If you all feel differently, I'll send her back to Chiba and let my government worry about her."

She listens thoughtfully to the team's analysis, once more curious as to just how these people manage to do the things they do, other than the obvious and woefully inadequate explanation of psionic ability. At the question, Nathi shakes her head.

"No, no ... nothing like that. I was more concerned about immediate needs, such as possible light sedation for nerves and all, given the trauma she's been under. If things are as you've explained, it would seem that our main interest would be in having those of you who are knowledgeable in such areas study her further, see what can be done to safeguard both her and ourselves from any possible 'accidents', or from falling into the hands of those who would use her as a weapon." She says the last while looking directly at Drzka, her eyes flickering only briefly in the direction where Carlos is sitting.

"I may be behind the times in some understandings, but it is my belief that no one person should be burdened with such power and responsibility, let alone a child. And the idea of her being used, against her will or otherwise, is something I find decidedly distasteful. At the very least, given the current situation and the fact that our allies have asked us for assistance in bringing her here, I put forward that we use what resources we have to do just that - keep her safe, and encourage her through proper training to develop any additional controls necessary to prevent her using this 'talent' indescriminately, if at all. As this is something that concerns the alliance as a whole, what with our joint holdings here on the island, what say the rest of you?"

Grath, who had heretofore been listening in silence, leans forward from his soft leather chair and speaks quietly.

"I for one completely agree with Nathicana on the issue - I wouldn't ask that she be removed from the island, but any way in which the girl could be, well, restrained, for lack of a better term, would be desirable. I have to admit that I am less than comfortable with the idea of having a potentially unstable..." he hesitates momentarily, intending originally to say 'weapon' but catching himself before carrying on, "... force on Unity Island, simply because of the sheer power that it... she apparently has. I readily admit to having rather limited knowledge and understanding of psionic forces, and thus am willing to trust Ambassador Drzka's assurances that she is able to limit herself, but for much the same reason, I am eager to see that all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure that there are no unfortunate mishaps. After those arrangements have been made, then perhaps we can discuss what exactly is to be done with her, such as how or even if to utilize her unique abilities for any purpose, but I believe that security arrangements are the most urgent matter at the moment."

Grath finishes his brief address to the assembly, and leans back with an unreadable expression on his face.

A girl with the power to set off nuclear explosions with her mind? And Nathi doesn't want her to be 'used', even if she agrees to help us? Goddamn... it's no crime to make use of resources that fall into your lap, and it would be a shame to let such an amazing potential resource go to waste... I really must find out some more about the possibilities and limitations of these psionic powers, thinks Grath to himself while keeping his face a dispassionate mask.

Adrianna, who'd also been quiet at the meeting thus far, had decided now to chime in.

"If you want to know if she's a Eurusean weapon or a completely random coincidence, we can determine that with a simple DNA test. Any mucking about Eurusean scientists might have been doing with her would stand out like a sore thumb. If we're lucky, she's not a prototype. Because if she was, that means they can probably make more." She paused, letting that idea sink in.

"And as for mental training, we're as qualified as GMC to offer that. It may come as a suprise, but the Gifted are no strangers to us. And if worse comes to worse and she dosn't want her gift once she's grown a bit older and is able to understand it, a simple nerve staple will fix the problem. Only if she wishes it, of course."

Drzka listened to the three representatives, making quick notes so that he didn't forget anyone's points before responding, "Let's see..." Turning to Nathicana, "I don't think sedation would be wise at this point. Pharmacological 'solutions' often cause more problems then they're worth, and she may very well object to such methods. Also, I think that while she's with Natalya and Ieyoshi, she should be reasonably calm. Ieyoshi and Futami are well aware of how secure this island is, and should be able to impart that feeling of safety to her, greatly reducing the chance of any... er... 'accidents', if you will. However, if the majority of the council feels that her being sedated is critical to keep her, and us, safe, then I suppose I'll have little choice other than to acquiesce." He smiles, "However, I wouldn't care to be the one to explain the need to her."

Looking at his next point, he continues, "Of course she shouldn't be burdened with this power and responsibility. However, Kesselstan shouldn't have been nuked in an attempt to retrieve her either. I make no excuses for the work of Eurusea, I am simply dealing with the current situation. She has these powers, and we need to figure out what we're going to do about it, if anything. To be frank, I don't know what affects training will have on her. Non-immagrant psychics are pretty rare in the Hack proper, and we don't have training facilities. I would assume that training would allow her to hone her powers. Anything that would 'block' her ability strikes me as more brainwashing than training, and if her telepathic powers are as potent as her telekenetic powers seem to be, I highly doubt such tactics would work.

"This, of course, dovetails with the thoughts raised by Adrianna and Grath, specifically her strategic purpose and/or potential." He pauses, bracing himself for his next statement, "I have no doubts that with proper training, she could be used as a highly potent weapon. Nor do I doubt that that was Eurusea's intent. I'm only bringing this up because there is the potential there. I, and my government, do not support this option. We don't have conventional nuclear weapons, nor do we agree with the concept of using humans as tactical weapons. I realise that the former is not a common status here, but I'm reasonably confident that nobody would favor the later."

Finally he turned to Adrianna, "Hm. I wasn't aware of United Indiastan's psionic capabilities, but I thank you for the offer. Perhaps a joint effort between UI and GMC would work." He glances at his notes before continuing, "I don't think she'd be keen on a 'nerve staple', but we are seeking options, and that certainly is one.

"Regarding Eurusea's ability to duplicate her, I tend to think that isn't very likely. Their responce to her escape strikes me as too desperate, too over the top for a nation that can crank out walking nukes. Were she one of several, it seems to me that they might opt for a more subtle," he chuckles softly at the thought of Eurusea being subtle, "method, if for nothing else than to keep her existance quiet. By taking a 'scorched earth' tack, they seem to be trying to get her back, or kill her, no matter what." He shrugs, "Then again, that's just my personal estimate. I could be way off base since there's no way of really knowing. I doubt that," note check, "Premier Kurchatov would just tell us all the details if we asked."

He started to sit back in his chair when he noticed something else in his notes, "Oh, forgot something. I don't oppose DNA testing, but I don't know what all it'll show, as I don't understand the biological... um... 'stuff' behind psychic abilities." He shrugs, sitting back in his chair, taking a drink from his water, waiting for the next round of questions.

Konoka stood, 'We seem to be forgetting that first and foremost Anya is a young girl who's had a very rough time. I should think sedation or 'nerve-stapling' is the very last thing she wants to hear about right now. We don't want to frighten her, after all.'

Dr. Hannah Richards looked horribly jet-lagged as she was escorted into the meeting hall, a temporary security pass pinned to her jacket at a slight angle and a polystyrene cup of steaming coffee held in her hands. She smiled wearily, 'Um, you requested someone from the ISTP...?'

She was cut off by Konoka handing her a clipboard. She scanned it quickly, 'The Official Secrets Act?' Konoka nodded. Hannah looked even more confused, 'Err...What's this about? Nobody told me anything on the plane except something about a nine-year-old girl...'

She sighed, Probably some rich type's daughter...They always worry when their little darling can't lift the car first try, it's just unrealistic expectations. Poor kid.

'Listen, if you're worried about slow development don't be, most psychics only reach their full potential during their teens, she could be less than a third of that now...' she blinked at their expressions, 'Um, why are you looking at me like that?'

Uyo sighed softly, sliding a stapled report over to Hannah, "Ah, perhaps you should read the briefing first, Dr. Richards..."

Dominion Embassy, Unity Island

Anya lifted her arm out of the water as she settled back into the bathtub, turning her hand as she realised the bloodstains on her arms were finally gone. She sniffled a little, remembering her father again.

Outside the bathroom, Natalya lay down on a sofa, still overawed at her surroundings – it was like something out of a propaganda reel about the time before the revolution, everything magnificent and lovingly crafted rather than blackened , corroded and falling apart. The whole island seemed like a work of art. And that only made it harder for her to ask.

Everything around here is so perfect...Why would they ever let me spoil that? she sighed, Ieyoshi looking up.

'Something wrong?'

No harm asking...Anya's safe here, I can leave her for a little while. She swallowed, 'Um...I was, um, wondering if I could...That is, if it would be ok to...' she trailed off.

Ieyoshi smiled, 'It's ok, I know what it is.' She hugged Natalya, 'You've barely thought of anything else since we left.'

Natalya smiled a little, 'Thank you...' she returned the hug, 'I, err, need someone to write for me...I don't know how' she sighed gently, looking ashamed, 'You must think I'm so stupid...'

“We haven’t forgotten she’s a child in need, Konoka, but regardless there are other factors that one usually doesn’t encounter in such a situation that we must take into consideration here. To the honorable representative of United Indiastan, I do believe my words were ‘those of you who are knowledgeable in such areas’, not simply ‘GMC’. This isn’t a matter of who gets to claim the credit for assisting here. It is a matter of finding out what the best course of action is, both for ourselves, and Anaya.”

Nathicana pauses to take a sip of water, her brow creased with concern. “I wish I had a better understanding of these odd abilities some of your people possess. It would certainly make offering suggestions and ideas easier. On the training, what I had hoped to imply was methods for her to control herself, not any sort of mind-block or ‘brainwashing’. Proper instruction and self-control I would think, would serve far better than any sort of mental or physical block, given what you’ve said about not having a complete picture of how she operates yet. Granted, such training as you’ve said, is likely to serve the purpose of her developing her ah, talent further, but is it possible that too could be beneficial? Rather than these huge ‘events’, if she is forced to resort to such extreme measures, a more focused attack instead?”

“Which brings us to more uncomfortable areas that would be irresponsible of us not to address. In further study of Anaya, we must also be mindful of finding ways of neutralizing her should she fall into enemy hands or gods forbid, turn against us for some reason. No, it isn’t pleasant. Yes, I’m aware we’re talking about an innocent young girl who’s already been through more than any child ought. It isn’t ‘fair’, but it is a reality we need be mindful of,” she says, taking the time to look around the room at the various representatives, trying to gauge their reactions to her words.

“Whatever path we take, I think it’s clear we must at all costs keep any word from reaching Erusea concerning her, or our involvement with her. It is imperative that we are united in this purpose if nothing else, for the common good. A nation so willing to go to the lengths they have in retrieving her I think would hardly flinch at resorting to similar methods in any or all of our territories should they feel it necessary. That being said, I agree with Konoka that we need be very careful in how we handle Anaya. While study and testing by those who, as mentioned, understand these things,” here she nods to Dr. Richards and murmurs a quick thanks for her attendance, “overwhelming her with the content of these discussions would be less than wise, all things considered. I think we need to defer to the experts while remaining aware of the inherent dangers and complications here.”


Dominion Embassy

"Scusi, Signorinas," a dark-haired man, dressed in the crisp white shirt, black pants, and deep crimson brocade vest of the Dominion domestic staff knocks gently on the doorframe, then nods respectfully. "Is there anything you stand in need of? Our kitchen is prepared to accommodate as well, should you be up for any refreshment. Our cellars and larders, indeed our services in general, are at your disposal. If not at this time, you should be able to page the staff by utilizing the panel here, next to the door - the buttons are clearly labeled, and all you need do is press, then speak."

Dominion Embassy

Futami was relaxing by the door, looking quite the picture of a person enjoying some time off, and nearly half-asleep. The fact that her right hand twitched, almost pulling out her pistol when the Dominion man walked in, betrayed the fact that she wasn't nearly as relaxed as she seemed. She relaxed a bit when she saw him, smiling warmly, "Actually... funny you should ask." She glanced over at Ieyoshi, nodding slightly as they communicated over their WiFi system before turning back to the man, "We seem to be in need of paper and a pen. Several sheets and..." she smiled a little, "And a notebook, would be wonderful. No letterhead of the loose leaf, of course." She blinks slightly, feeling an odd sensation, "Um, not to be a bother, but if you could also send a box of crayons, that would be lovely."

Meanwhile, Ieyoshi hugged Natalya again, smiling warmly at the young woman, "I'd love to write whatever it is you need, and I don't think you're stupid." She smiles as she 'talks' with Futami, having grown used to carrying on two conversations at once, "If you want, I could teach you how to read and write."

Natalya smiled, "Really?"

Ieyoshi nodded, "Of course. When I 'learned' to speak Eurusean, they gave me writing too."

Natalya hugged her again, "I'd like that."


Council Hall

Fusayoshi smiled at Nathicana, "Well, if it helps, think of it as any other talent or power. 'How' an ambidexterous person manages to use both hands is less important than what they can do with that ability." He reached to the back of his neck, pulling out the small jack that connected him with his teammates, holding it up, "For instance, I have no bloody clue how this little bugger works, but I know what it can and can't do." He replaced it before continuing, "And, truth be told, I can't explain how I levitated my combat knife any better than I could explain to a parapalegic how I raise my arm."

Drzka nodded, waving Fusayoshi off a little, "Yes, right." Turning to Nathicana, "I think we'll all be agreed on further training as benificial, I can't imagine that it would be a bad thing, just... well, if she can create controled fusion at this point, just imagine what she could do if her power triples, as Dr. Richards suggested."

He sighed deeply as the conversation tilted to where he really didn't want to go, "That's the rub. I don't think there is anything we can do to stop her if we had too. Once she's reached her full potental, I'd say it would be utterly impossible... short of extreme measures that nobody would be willing to take." He sighs again, "Such as the annihilation of the continent she was currently in."

Leaning back in his chair Carlos hides his momentary surprise as the thought of the girl's powers tripling when she reaches her teenage years he coughs lightly into his hand and resumes listening intently.

If this girl, could be trained then we'd have the perfect asset to fight the shogunate with... They've already proven time and again they can defend against our conventional attacks.... But against this girl? They'd not stand a chance. He thinks curiously to himself, his eyes sparking with fire as ideas for such training slowly springing to the front of his mind.

"If push comes to shove, I seriously doubt the girl could defend herself against a combined attack. But as Nathicana said, it isnt entirely right to discuss such things about an innocent young girl. I would prefer we teach her self control over her powers and perhaps help ease the emotional scars she has undoubtedly aquired." He finishes, folding his hands on the table.

I wouldnt hesitate in destroying this island to remove a single threat of that magnitude.... Alliances or not, if she were to turn on us, this entire island would have to be raised to the ground.....

Heather had sat through the discussions with a mild feeling of surprise. She had heard of psychics, but had never meet one that did not turn out to be some fake out to make money by conning the weak minded. The thought of there being someone on this island, who was not only genuine but very powerful, left her mind in a whirl, even if this did not show on her static, emotionless face.

Listening as Carlos finished speaking; Heather sat forward, her hands resting on the desk. “I have to agree, this is a very disturbing piece of news. To think that someone that powerful could be walking on the planet takes some getting used to, and I am sure that many of us here would rather not have to lay waste to billions of people to stop just one.” She frowned slightly. “To be honest, and I mean no disrespect to the girl, I am surprised that such a potential threat is still among us.”

She knew that she had said was a little harsh, but then so was the threat that this girl brought with her, not just from the Eurusea but from the girl herself.

Dominion Embassy

Anya settled down by the fire with the paper and crayons, wearing an ill-fitting dressing gown that had been bought up, sketching quietly. Natalya glanced around curiously, still awestruck, one particular detail catching her eye. 'Wow, this must be an important place to have it's own computer...'

She glanced over to Ieyoshi, 'I don't want to seem ungrateful or anything, but why did you rescue us?'

Chopinburg, Eurusea

Nicole sighed, sitting back as Volkov helped himself to a drink from her cabinet, 'You're supposed to ask, comrade...'

He grinned, 'Didn't see the point, Premier. I know you don't drink, after all.'

Nicole glanced at him, 'Is there any word on Anya?'

Volkov shook his head, 'How can you be so sure she isn't dead?'

Nicole sighed, 'I'd know if she was dead, that's all you need to know.' She stared at the ceiling, Just like I knew when my sister took her life... 'Do you have the reports in yet?'

Volkov spread a file out across the table, 'As you thought, there's plenty, but once you narrow down the ones who have no effective military you end up with surprisingly few candidates, and knowing out the ones with no ability to get a group inside Eurusea you end up with even fewer.'

Nicole nodded, 'Then start by sending people to those. Tell them too look for anything strange...Odd seismic events, sudden highly secret nuclear tests, anything that would indicate they were testing Anya somehow. Tell them to keep an ear to the ground at all times.' She paused, 'And have one-one-four sent up here, there's an upcoming event I'd like to send her to.'

Volkov smiled slightly, glancing out of the window at the sleeping city and sipping his vodka, 'What are you going to do about your successor now, Comrade-Premier?'

Nicole sat back again, 'There are many countries where it would be possible for a child of mine to be born...It doesn't have to be her.' She glanced at the table, the photograph of Anya there laughing and smiling, 'Damn it, if whoever took her harms one hair on her head I'll see to it nothing in their nation is left alive.'

Volkov nodded, 'I'll have intel redouble their efforts, Premier.'

Nicole smiled slightly, 'I trust you to get her back, Comrade-General. I don't want her to grow up thinking her country is evil.'

Hannah stared at Heather, 'Please, tell me I didn't hear that right. You're not seriously suggesting we murder an innocent little girl because you're such a cowardly...'

With great presence of mind, Konoka clapped her hand over Hannah's mouth, 'What Dr. Richards means to say is that in our legal system as well as many others the potential for an act is not reason enough to harm a sentient. In their way, many of those present in this room have access to vastly more destructive power than Anya; entire nuclear arsenals and fleets of warships, in several cases.'

'Anya has incredible power, but she has thus far shown no sign of wishing to use her gift to harm others. Indeed, having read the report from the extraction team it would appear that even in a situation where she was afraid for her life she did not attempt to do anything with her powers to damage the Eurusean search team or the Overlord Airship with it. To me at least, this would imply that she either has no wish to harm others or has never thought about her gift having offensive uses. In either case, it is very clear that in a situation where misuse of her gift would have aided her she did no such thing.'

Hannah carried on glaring at Heather as Konoka continued, 'I don't think we could call ourselves just rulers if we murder a child in case of a contingency that shows no sign of coming to pass. Perhaps if she were seen to have misused her abilities in Eurusea I would have agreed with you, but I see no reason to do anything at this time but take reasonable precautions to look after her and work out a long-term plan for her care and education.'

Konoka sat back down, smiling and sipping a coffee, 'My apologies if I'm rambling a little, as you're probably aware the Federal Embassy building is incomplete and my current accommodation is the carrier Lilia Litvyak...There was a catapult drill at five o'clock this morning, I'm afraid.'

Heather listened intently as the two women spoke, nodding her head at certain points, agreeing with some of the things that she said. She was not a beast after all and had children in her own family, and could understand where they were coming from, but this did not alter the fact in her eyes.

“Dr Richards, you did not hear me correctly, I merely asked, why something so dangerous had not been removed from existence.” She leant forward in her chair, her eyes focused to the woman’s. “Now I am going to ask, what protocols do you have in place to deal with this child if she shows signs of not being so co-operative? You have already mentioned that you will not destroy her.”

She turned her attention to Konaka as she spoke. “And it is true that each of the nations represented here has very destructive weapons available to them. The difference being that they can be disarmed.” She looked at the other people in the room, gauging their reaction. “We have to stop thinking about Anya as a child, and begin to think of her as a weapon of mass destruction, with the added element of free will. Who knows what she will decide to do once she reaches her full potential?”

For someone without any enhanced abilities or cybernetic tweaking, Drzka could move remarkably fast, probably because saw the reaction coming ahead of time. After all, part of his job was reading people. Consequently, his hand shot out, grabbing Uyo's forearm in a vice grip almost before she had managed to stand, anger flashing in her eyes. She turned her murderous gaze to Drzka, his eyes the picture of control. He spoke softly and through tight lips, his words probably inaudible to anyone not next to him, "Sit down or leave."

He released her arm once she had returned to her seat and relaxed, taking a sip of his water, waiting for Konoka's responce.


Back Inside With The Nuke

Ieyoshi laughed softly, "They're not that uncommon here, actually." At Natalya's question, she closed her eyes, thinking on how to best answer the question. "Hrr... that's a complicated question, Natalya..." She sighed trying to figure out the best way to answer the question without giving away classified information. She smiled warmly at Natalya eventually, "As you probably already know, Anya's a very special girl. I'm sure you remember when we were in the forest and she showed us her 'special star'. Well... your government was going to... extreme lengths to find her. My government noticed and decided to step in; we wanted to protect her, and hopefully stop the attacks by your government." She leaned over and gave Natalya a reassuring hug, "And now you and her are here, and safe."

Dominion Embassy

Natalya smiled, and hugged Ieyoshi. 'Thank you.'

Anya finished her drawing, a little unicorn, and held it up, smiling. She looked puzzled for a moment, then shook her head, 'The satellites here don't want to talk to me...' she paused, 'Or I don't understand what they're saying...I guess they speak different languages too?'

Konoka shook her head, 'Apart from any more moral issues, Anya is currently protected by the Federal laws relating to asylum seekers and therefore protected from execution without charge. Since no Federal Order 355 has been signed relative to her she would also have full recourse to the Federal legal system and a trial by jury prior to any form of sentencing. Killing her is not an option under our laws, and she is currently subject to those alone.'

'The Federal citizenship laws, Ms...' she paused, 'Um, didn't catch your surname, anyway; Federal citizenship laws currently cover eleven native sentient species, Cervidine, Nekos, Nekoites, Wolfen, Kitsune, Segonune, Nagas, Vampires, Sprites, Elves and Humans, along with the psychic and Enhancile subgroups within those. In addition, those same laws contain provisions for the citizenship and rights of various artificial sentiences, many of which are used for the efficient command of large and extremely powerful weapon systems; the Supercruisers, Dreadnoughts and our Air Destroyers, for example. To put it bluntly, thinking of Anya as a weapon changes nothing, since precedent in Federal law is clear that sentients created as weapons still qualify for due process.'

Hannah nodded, having managed to regain her composure even though her expression conveyed how distasteful she found the topic at hand. 'More to the point, you seem to think killing her would be easy, even though we have no idea of the full extent of her powers yet. Even if we insist on succumbing to our primitive urge to fear anything we don't understand, attempting to attack her without knowing what she is capable of is insanity, and would most likely only get you the apocalyptic little firework display you seem to regard as inevitable. If we continue dehumanising the poor girl with weapon analogies, one might say it's better when attempting to defuse a bomb to figure out how it works rather than blindly beating it with a spanner.'

Konoka consulted a few notes that had been placed in front of her in the time she'd been speaking, and continued. 'The Federation is of the belief that regarding more practical issues, studying Anya in a safe and secure environment is the only way to determine what, if anything, could potentially be done should she ever decide to harm others in a manner outside the traditional bounds of criminal law. As an addition to this, we believe that it would be best for this study to be as uninvasive to her life as possible and that reasonable provision be made for her care and education, along with her friend.'

In the Embassy

Ieyoshi smiled and returned Natalya's hug, "Of course, dear."

At Anya's comment Futami looked over at her, frowning slightly, "You could 'talk' to the satellites in Eurusea?" She made a quick mental note of that to add as an addendum to her report.

Heather remained silent until once again the room fell silent; not even battering an eyelid that the woman did not know her name, and had so bluntly informed her of such. “I’m sorry that you both are taking this so personally. I have nothing against Anya, and I would no sooner want to put a child to death than anyone else here.” She ran her eyes once more over those present, meeting each of them with here gaze. “But I need to know, and I need to report back the Empire that we are not going to have a major threat on our hands in a few years time.”

She reached over and picked up her glass, taking a sip of water then replacing it back on the table. “You might want to study her, discover her full potential, and try to find a way to contain it, and possibly you plan to use her for your own gain, who can say, but as an outsider looking in, with no control over the situation, I have to raise my fears. And yes, they are fears.” She was now flicking her eyes between Konoko and Hannah. “I would imagine that if our roles were reversed, you would be questioning me on the safety measures that I planned to implement in this situation.”

Pausing for breath, she made herself more comfortable in her chair. “If my questions make me a coward, then I willingly pick up that mantle and wear it with pride. But I could not sit here in all conscience without speaking my mind and hopefully finding answers to ease my concerns.”

President Grath gives a small nod and encouraging look in Heather's direction and leans forward himself.

"I indeed would share in that mantle; indeed, and I would also call myself primitive, if that is the term with which you choose describe the reasonable worries we have about the child and the treatment of her.

The reason I choose these weapon analogies you seem so averse to is because of the plain and undeniable fact that Anya is indeed a weapon. A weapon with thoughts, feelings, and sentience, of course, but her ability inherently makes her highly dangerous. I cannot imagine that you have not considered what could happen if the same feelings and emotions that make her human come into play with whatever it is inside of her that also makes her a weapon - and that is why I completely agree with your proposal of taking her to a secure location and attempting to learn as much about her as possible. Taking her somewhere safe to study her does indeed assuage some of my fears; however, I feel that it is also essential that her military potential be factored into any plans we make for her.

She is a child, yes, but she is also a walking, talking nuclear weapon, if I understand correctly your description of her ability. All of us here have responsibilities to our own nations that outweigh the well-being of any individual person, and Anya is no exception. There is no reason to try to kill her, but let's just be certain that these 'reasonable provisions' for giving her as much of a normal life as possible do not gain sway over the dictates of common sense."

"Look," Nathicana says, holding up her hands in a placating manner. "No one is saying 'kill the child', and no one is taking for granted the fact that she is just a little girl, aside from the phenomenal power she seems to have at her command, Konoka. Please, have some patience with us. The honorable representatives from Kelanthia and Gehenna Tartarus have phrased concerns rather succinctly, even if you find it emotionally distressing, which I understand."

She glances around, trying to assess the expressions of everyone else in the room as she continues. "What I do think we all seem to be agreed on is the suggested course from GMC that we've all mentioned in part - that of making certain Anya is taken to a safe, comfortable, and hopefully nurturing secure location where she can be gently studied for her own good as well as our own by those with the training and the knowledge to do so. Given the circumstances, I don't believe that separating her from Natalya would be a healthy thing for either, as we wish to encourage such bonds and a feeling of security for the child. Obviously, both ought to be cared and provided for in this case. The question I think is not so much 'what to do' now as 'where to do it'. Suggestions?"

Treznor stirs for the first time in the discussion, leaning forward to speak clearly into the microphone.

"It seems to me that we have an opportunity and a threat of unprecedented level. The first thing we must do is safeguard our interests. I propose that Anya's existence be classified at the top levels. Absolutely no one outside of this room is to know who she is and what she can do without the express approval of this Council. Any security leaks could result in anything from outright war to individual fanatics trying to get to her. We'll also want to place our defense forces on heightened alert for the duration of her stay here. Furthermore, I propose that we minimise the threat that the girl poses to us, not only as an alliance but as a world. If her capabilities are even a fraction of what I've heard suggested today, she could destroy the planet in a fit of adolescent angst."

He raises a hand, forestalling the outbursts he knows will erupt. "I accept GMC's claim over the girl, and if they choose I accept their right to remove her from Unity Island to protect her in their own territories. But by bringing her here, she has become the concern of the alliance, not of any individual nation. Ladies and gentlemen, she is a potential threat and we can't ignore that. She is equally an opportunity, and I propose to take advantage of it.

"We have offworld holdings where Anya can be moved to ensure her security and the safety of our world. We can surround her with safety and luxury while we study her and help her control whatever it is that she does, however she does it. We can create a joint colony made up of alliance members where Anya can grow and mature in a stable community, using the cover of that colony effort to hide her identity. It will be tremendously expensive, and it means we'll need to forestall our plans for an orbiting station around Earth, but I feel that that expense is justified. The fate of this little girl is a much higher priority."

Drzka sat silently as the other representatives talked, paying close attention before jumping slightly as his pager went off. He looked down at the message and paled substantially. "Um... in light of recent events (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7353957&postcount=3), might I request a brief recess? If for nothing else than to make sure I'm still supposed to be here..."

The council

Konoka nodded slightly, 'I believe that Emperor Treznor's suggestion represents an excellent long-term solution, but in the interim my nation would accept The Dominion as an excellent place for Anya to be kept safe until such time as a project of that scale could be completed. The Speaker for External Affairs is arriving very soon on the Air Battleship Vione, she has requested to speak to you to that effect personally, Lady Nathicana.' She bows slightly. 'If this is seen as acceptable, of course.'

Air above the Federal Embassy

Vione's avatar sat swinging her legs over the edge of the catwalk leading to the mooring mast, looking bored. While the end of the war on Grafton's Isle was welcome, she couldn't help but feel a little superfluous to requirements, an Air Battleship hauling a briefcase-sized encoding machine and a couple of cases of sensitive equipment.

She blinked a little as she felt someone reach out to her curiously, a little girl, and smiled slightly, saying a cheery hello to her.

Suko frowned. "While I'd agree that this child should, ideally, be kept off-world, I'm not sure why it needs to disrupt our plans for the space elevator. Yes, an off-world colony would be expensive - but the Greater Ascendancy, and I believe a few others of the NDA, are already working on establishing them.

"I can say that there ought to be few problems with allowing the girl to live in our colony, or at least on the same planet - the world in question is much the size of Earth, and we Tsarainese will not fill it in a few short years."

The modified Horus-class meant to fetch an asteroid for that space elevator was nearly complete at the slipway at High Stone, and while the Ascendancy had other plans for it, ships don't come cheap...

Treznor nods respectfully to Suko. "Certainly, any resources already committed may be followed through. However, I am familiar with the cost of starting a colony from scratch, and the price is, well, astronomical for lack of a better word. Sharing the cost will certainly alleviate the burden to a degree, but my treasury is not bottomless. I can assist with the construction of our orbital headquarters or assist with the founding of a new colony, but not both at once.

"If we use an existing colony effort, such as the desert colony on Sslaa II," he nods toward Nathicana as he speaks. "We can reduce our costs significantly, but we'll be edging out the original owners of that territory. I am not willing to presume that I may usurp the sovereign rights of any nation for expediency, but I'm uncomfortable with having the girl placed in the hands of a single nation, even my own or the Dominion."

Suko nodded. "I see what you mean, Emperor. In which case, judging the two options I would select for a colony; many of us have reasonably low ground-to-orbit costs already, and Tsaraine could certainly come to some agreement with our allies for those who do not. However - and I am aware that we have discussed this already - it is my honest opinion that there are some lengths at which being nice cannot stretch to cover pragmatism."

Treznor leans back and grins. "You think I'm being nice? How refreshing. Unfortunately, I cannot claim to be motivated by anything so pleasant. Simply put, I don't want that girl on the same planet with me. Preferably, not even in the same solar system. As has already been discussed, the potential for her power is nothing short of godlike, and if it goes awry it's likely to leave the world a smoking cinder, if it leaves anything at all. In the name of pragmatism I would suggest the girl be terminated quickly, quietly and painlessly.

"However, the girl also offers us a unique opportunity to explore matters that frankly, I have no experience with and currently have no means to neutralise. We could all benefit from studying her and her power, and my proposal allows us to do just that. At the same time a joint colony would give us the opportunity to bring our nations together in a united effort that exceeds the success of this island and the proposed station combined. The potential benefit of that endeavour dwarfs anything we have yet achieved. The fact that it would also safely remove a threat to our world and protect her more securely than we could here is an added bonus."

Any who were watching would notice Fusayoshi calmly lay a hand on Uyo's shoulder as Suko talked, and they might also notice it slowly tighten as Devon responded. Then, without a word, Uyo rose from her seat, mumbling something about having to go for a moment and walked out of the room. Fusayoshi turned back to assembled people, his face showing no sign of the non-verbal conversation with his subordinate.

"If I may," he started, flashing a friendly smile, his red eyes twinkling, "I'd just like to offer the opinions from the perspective of a soldier, especially since I seem to be the only one left from my group. I'd hate to think I'm overstepping my bounds, but I pray your indulgance.

"I have talked with Ms. Day more than most of the people here, as I have continued to receive briefings from her. Updates, if you will. The colony idea is most in line with Ms. Day's hope for what will become of Anya. She wants nothing more than for this girl to grow up happy, unaware of her true powers, their true extent, and her original purpose.

"We don't want a doomsday device, and, quite frankly, we don't need one. None of the nations represented around this table need yet another weapon, or weapon system. Lord knows we all have plenty of ways to kill massive numbers of people."

He smirked a little, "Hell, it's my job to do just that. As I understand it, she was brought here because she is a major aquisition. She represents a massive potential shift in the global balance of power, and Ms. Day wanted trusted allies to be aware of that fact, and to gain their help in letting Anya live a perfectly normal life.

"The biggest thing that concerns me right now is the ambiant fear. 'The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.' Yes, she's psychic, and psychics aren't always that common. But they aren't unheard of. Sure she's powerful, but there's lots of powerful people out there. I can throw a car, but that doesn't make me unstopable. Underneath all the hardware, I'm still just a Kitsune. Flesh; blood; fur. I think we'd get a lot further if we didn't look at Anya like some slavering fiend, or a walking nuke, and remember that underneath her psychic ability, she's still just a frightened little girl."

“There needn’t be an ‘either-or’ situation here,” Nathicana notes calmly, after listening to the various commentaries and nodding to Konoka to let him know she approved. “There is after all a way to take her off-world, in our care, while still maintaining a joint responsibility and lacking any one nation taking ‘control’ of her or the research and not draining horribly the alliance funds.”

“The Sslaa II solution would not in fact be ‘edging out’ anyone, seeing as the Dominion has recently legally taken possession of the entire planet. Not only that, but we have clearance from the Sakkrans to allow others to make settlements there at our discretion with the understanding that they will be aware of just who comes and goes, as is proper,” she says smoothly. “Granted, this was a fact we were not eager to make known just yet, for our own reasons, however I feel the situation warrants it.”

“Now,” she says, leaning forward, then pausing to take a quick sip of her water. “We could see our way clear to offer space in, or an entire dome if that is preferable, to the alliance for such purposes, to operate as alliance territory and not subject to sole Dominion rule until such time as funds can be gathered to establish a new location on the planet for an NDA colony. This would, I think, take care of the concerns of sovereignty, control, and the money issues for the time being. I would propose that for the interim that the nations of GMC, Hack, Tsaraine and the Dominion begin the project, given host status and those with the knowledge and experience to more adequately deal with the situation - unless I've missed or misspoke there on names. We can accommodate additional observers as desired, and keep the council and heads of state updated regularly. Would such a solution be plausible?”

Nathi looks at Fusayoshi as she continues, gauging his reactions, and taking note of Uyo's leaving. Not entirely unexpected, that. Perhaps later there would be time for some quiet conversation.

"As for normalcy in growing up, perhaps if things go well, and once more is learned about how she does what she does, she could be safely integrated in, no? We are aware of the child's needs, have no fear. But there are several important factors we simply must bear in mind when trying to provide for her, safety for her and all of us being prime. I would be willing to set aside a spot in the Dominion as well for similar purpose. Travel between Sslaa II and Earth does not present a problem, I have faith in our security measures that way, and in our ships ability to both ferry and protect. I think with enough effort and cooperation she could be made to feel quite welcome and at home in a comfortable, safe environment between the two. The explanation for the offworld placement is easy - keeping her safe from those who wish her harm, which is true enough. How we handle her and present things to her will no doubt be important, so I suggest whichever path we take, we keep that in mind."

"Emperor, quite frankly, while I applaud your reasoning - knowledge is good, as is increased cooperation between our nations - I would mantain that, in this case, the potential knowledge we might gain is not worth the tremendous risk involved, and could be safely obtained from some other source. And while increased cooperation is admirable, the cost of a joint colony is many orders of magnitude higher than the alternative.

"Mister Fusayoshi, while I can understand your reasoning also, and while your Speaker can make her own decisions, I must disagree with your conclusions. Yes, Anya is a little girl - but she is far from being just a little girl. She is, in your words, "a walking nuke", and I would rather not see this or any other world, nation, or city destroyed because your little girl became upset.

"There is a reason the Ascendancy does not grant sentience or free will to it's weapons systems, and we are discussing this reason now. I am aware that GMC has AI systems controlling certain of it's vessels, but there is a great difference between a vessel and a planetbuster. Yes, given the proper upbringing this girl should turn out as socially upstanding as any other member of society - but the risk that she will not is there, and everyone has bad days.

"Imperatrice - if we decide to take that option, then your suggestion is plausible. Tsaraine, however, has very little experience with psionics, and all of that is at second-hand, as it were; to the best of my knowledge, none of our citizens have such powers.

"With that said, though, I am sure we would be amenable to transferring population to one of your domes, if it is desired that the Ascendancy take a large stake in such a colony. Unless I misunderstand, your colony has the advantage over ours in having habitation already constructed?

"I am truly sorry to be arguing the adversarial position to you all, but it must be done.

Meanwhile, Suko linked his DNI to the computers at the Tsarainese embassy, and from there via q-link to Deep Tsarai. Za karkaradt, Arkhora, get on the line!

Treznor shrugs. "It seems to me we're arguing different sides of the same coin. I don't see that we're particularly at odds about anything here. Please don't feel that it's a bad thing to disagree with the Council; the whole point of this open forum is to air concerns and hash out acceptable compromises. We represent powerful nations that have a deep interest in cooperation, after all. Any nation that disagrees with the policy of the Council is not bound to contribute to specific projects such as the colonisation effort.

"Having said that, it sounds like once again our Dread Lady has come up with the perfect solution. So long as the Dominion is willing to grant space on their colony world for this endeavour, I will agree to it. And yes, I'll be sending observers: I'm very keen to know how she does that trick of hers. Does anyone have anything else to add before the Council votes?"

"If you decide in favour of this colony, Tsaraine will contribute," Suko said, echoing the Arkhora in Deep Tsarai. "However ... well, you know my opinion."

“Right then. We appreciate the opinions and concerns of the various representatives,” Nathicana says, after a brief hushed conversation between herself, Treznor, and Carlos. “We go forward with the proposed plan, with those wishing to send observers allowed to do so. I can send word to Nuova Toscana to prepare a dome for the joint ‘embassy’, and if those of you involved or interested could forward lists of those you wish to send, we can set to arranging accommodations for them all, not to mention, security clearances. I think this is an excellent time to call for a recess, all in all. Again, my thanks for the contributions, gentlemen, ladies. It is, as always, a pleasure to be working with you all.”

Nathicana rises from her chair gracefully, then walks over to Konoka¸ speaking quietly. “I believe you had someone you wished me to see? Perhaps now would be a good time for that.”

Konoka nodded, bowing very gently, 'If you'll follow me?' She headed outside, where Vione, a distant glimmer when the meeting began, now dominated the sky over the Federal embassy. Konoka smiled as a polished black car, obviously armoured from how low it rode on it's suspension, pulled up, 'Vione will escort you to the officers' quarters, Lady Nathicana, after that she'll can take you back to The Dominion if you desire it. Thank you.' She bows again.

The car quickly took Nathi to the mooring tower where Vione was docked, sparks drifting slowly from it on the wind as a pair of welders finished adding a handrail to the staircase running up the tower. A small brown Neko with darker stripes and dark hair was waiting sat on the bottom step of the tower, wearing a Captain's uniform. She stood as Nathi got out of the car, 'Lady Nathicana.' She saluted smartly, 'I'm Vione. If' you'll follow me?'

The stairs looked a lot more rickety than they actually were, Vione making conversation as they climbed them. 'Eventually this tower will be enclosed and have a lift shaft or two in the middle there, but for now this is the best we can do...Just be thankful there isn't a high wind.'

Vione led Nathi on board, though what seemed like miles of passageways before arriving at the spacious officers' quarters, to a single small dining room off from them with a heavy soundproofed door. It was well furnished though not in any way luxurious, with a small door leading off to a neat little bedroom and en-suite bathroom. Speaker Knight was sat at the table, and closed her laptop as Nathi entered, standing and bowing gently, 'Welcome aboard, milady.' She was tall and surprisingly beautiful, her long red hair tied back in a loose ponytail and her military dress uniform impeccable.

Vione smiled, 'I'll be staying here unless you have any objections, lady Nathicana. After all, these are my avatar's quarters.' She paused, 'But first I have a small matter to attend to.'

Rachel Knight smiled and gestured for Nathi to take a seat, 'Firstly I must make an apology for the slightly, ah, undiplomatic remarks by our representatives...Konoka is fairly new to her position, though I can't say I disagree with everything she said. We took it as our duty to inform the whole NDA of Anya's existence in case there were some immediate fallout or her location was immediately discovered. Now that is done, I believe she isn't particularly safe until certain, ah, factions believe she has been placed permanently out of reach.'

As she began to move off Vione pulled up her shell winches that had been hauling equipment and new rounds to replace those spent in test-firings on the way. Inside the loading room, Anya crawled out of the hollow spent case that had last been winched up to join Natalya, looking a little upset at having to be smuggled on board this way. She looked shocked at Vione herself waiting, the little kat smiling cheerfully in her Captain's uniform, 'Hello there...You must be Anya. Sorry about that, but it's essential that some people think you're still in Lady Nathicana's embassy for now.'

Anya nodded miserably, hugging Natalya and wishing she could go back home and have everything be how it was before again. Vione smiled and stepped over, gently touching her hand, 'You're safe here, Anya.'

[Vione http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/GMCMA/GMC/Vione.jpg]

Nathicana follows Konoka, then greets Vione with a pleasant smile and brief words of welcome when introduced. The climb wasn't difficult, though it was a bit challenging in regards to instinctive efforts to hold too tightly as they went higher - auged limbs not being conducive to keeping handrails uncrushed when used full strength. She accompanied the avatar through the huge ship, enquiring after this detail or that as they walked, showing great interest in the vessle, and indeed, the ship's avatar. Upon Rachel's introduction, she inclines her head, and smiles.

"A pleasure," Nathi says, nodding in understanding. "No apologies necessary. It was a difficult situation, and Konoka and the others clearly care for the poor girl. I think all things considered, you proceeded in the best direction." Her brows shoot up, however, as Anya and Natalya are revealed. Glancing over at Rachel, she applauds quietly.

"Smooth. Verrrry smooth," she comments with a wry smile. "So, what exactly are your plans from here ... and more to the point, why am I the only one privy to them?"

OOC: I'm sorry if you don't want OOCs in this topic but I have a nagging question. Is it possibly to "build" and island? I don't mean a large, stationary base. I mean like an actual island. Is it possible to create an island with sand or dirt?

OOC: We try to keep OOC to a minimum, but...

In the real world? No. In NationStates? Yes. I built the island being used in this thread. Not by piling sand and dirt, but by forcing an undersea volcanic erruption. I first did it here (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=295322).

With the recess called, Fusayoshi and Uyo got up and left without saying much of anything to anyone; Uyo falling into pace behind Fusayoshi, two steps back, one step to his right. While not saying anything, the communication between the two was fast and furious.

I can't believe the shit those idiots were saying!

Relax, Uyo. As I said before, people fear what they don't understand.

Bah. Idiots. Uyo rubbed her arm a little, That really fucking hurt, you know. If I didn't have fur it'd be a bitch of a bruise.

You were in danger of causing a major incident. I applied as much pressure as I needed to get you to stop. If I caused damage, it is your own fault. Now then, we need to find Ambassador Drzka... ah! There he is. Fusayoshi looked up, "Ambassador, what's the word?"

Drzka hurried over to the two Kitsune, he was clearly trying to do about five things at once, "Ah, there you are. Look, I need you to stay here as a security detail. Where's Ieyoshi and Futami?"

Fusayoshi blinked a little, "Well, they should be in the Dominion embassy with Anya and Natalya, why?"

He shook his head, "No reason. Look, I need you two to stay here for security reasons. Director Knight needs to speak with Futami and Ieyoshi." He turned quickly and rushed away, heading into the Dominion embassy.

Fusayoshi and Uyo peered at each other, blinking repeatedly, "Was he always this excitable?"

Air Battleship Vione

Rachel smiled, 'The Dominion has a past reputation for being able to hide things people do not want to be found, Lady Nathicana...I would see it as a perfect hiding place. As to why you specifically, well...' she rested a hand on Anya's shoulder, 'She can tell you that part herself.'

Anya looked up nervously, her voice shaky, and said a few words in Eurusean, Vione's avatar nodding, 'She says she thinks you're a nice lady, and she trusts you.' Vione sighed softly, 'Doubt trust comes too easily for her at the moment, either.'

Anya spoke again, Vione translating afterwards, 'She says she doesn't want to go away into space, because there's someone down here who'd miss her really badly.' Anya said something to Vione who blinked and nodded, 'And that she'll try to get her to explain it to you herself later, if you don't mind waiting.'

Anya paused for a moment, sitting down and closing her eyes, before nodding, Vione speaking after her, 'She says her friend will talk to you later...'

Rachel blinked a few times, 'Well, we'll keep a watch out for radio calls or the like, in the meantime, lady Nathicana, I'd be honoured if you'd join me for dinner.'

Nathi's brow arches up slightly at the inferrence of 'past reputation', though she says nothing at first. The Dominion was, after all, a place for secrets and always had been. Such things, however, were usually insinuated rather than said outright. Ah well. Their ways are not our ways. Difficult to remember sometimes, that.

What surprises her is Anya. While she listens and nods, her expression impassive, her mind is racing.

A nice lady? Trusts me? Of all people, me. Sweet child, no doubt, but bad judge of character. Trust shouldn't come too easily, even without all the poor bambi has gone through. Dangerous, that, trusting a stranger before you know them better, especially considering her position. What if she had decided to trust Carlos, God forbid? And ... miss? Who's left to miss her? I thought they said her family was dead, and there's no way she can go back, so it hardly matters where it is she goes that way. I wonder, are they telling the truth, or is this a maneuver to use the Dominion as a shield? The delegates were certainly divided after all, and with good reason. Sweet Jesu, no child should have to be put through this, nor saddled with such a horrible power, nor left to the mercy of such 'terrible tyrants' as ourselves.

"First things first," Nathicana says firmly, feeling more than a little alarmed. "I was given to understand her location was secret. Who is this person who would miss her, and why do you not seem to know quite who they are either? Why would they know where she is? Regardless of the other concerns I may have of such talk of hiding and the like, that first and foremost needs to be addressed. I'll be damned if any of this will put us in uncessary danger."

She looks over at Anya, and her expression softens at first when she begins to speak, then stiffens with resolve as she looks back to Rachel. "I am sorry the girl has gone through so much, I am. I have no idea why she thinks what she does of me aside from perhaps a misguided sense of gratitude for simple acts of kindness, which I would think were nothing out of the ordinary. While we could indeed make her disappear for all intents and purposes, there are dangers in the Dominion as well, and we are not equipped to properly attend to her more special needs. We are a mundane nation in respect to the gifts some of you other races and peoples enjoy. Before I agreed to anything I would like to have a bit more understanding of your intents, not to mention knowing why it is you think I should keep such a secret from the rest of the alliance and Council. I will accept your inviation, Rachel, but I expect some answers."

Good timing, Ieyoshi mused as she stepped into the room with the Dread Lady. Calvin had made sure that she and Fatima were on Vione to provide security for Rachel, but she had a good feeling that there was more going on than just a simple meeting between the Foreign Affairs Director and Nathicana. Her hunch had been right, as here was Anya and Natalya. She smiled at Anya, saying a quick "hello" in Eurusean before turning to Nathicana, "If I'm not overstepping my bounds here... I can easily handle keeping these two safe from more mundane dangers."

She smiled weakly at Rachel, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, ma'am... but I was told to help provide security for you, and... well... I figured being in the same location would help that goal. If you or the Lady wish me to wait outside with Fatima, I will."

"I've no problems with those already deeply involved being present," Nathicana says, perhaps more casually than she truly means. "I will of course defer to my hostess' wishes on the matter."

Interesting timing, that. A distraction? Something to ease the tension? Something more? True, true, some would say I was being inordinately suspicious all things considered, but as Devon has always said - There are only two kinds of paranoia: absolute and insufficient. Damned if I'm going to lapse into the latter on account of pleasant people and well-meaning intent.

Air Battleship Vione, guest dining room

Rachel smiled as she invited Nathi to sit down, Vione taking the third chair and offering Ieyoshi the fourth. The private dining room was small and luxuriously furnished, with space for only a few people at the table and a single door, which, from it's heavy hinges and hydraulic opening mechanism seemed to be a sheet of armour. 'I can understand your concerns, Lady Nathicana; all we really have to go on ourselves regarding this 'friend' of Anya's is her assurance that she wishes us no harm, which seems borne out by evidence from our satellites.' She slid a brown envelope full of faxed photographs across the table as the meal arrived, a rather delicious macaroni cheese.

'It seems that not only is there no major movement of strategic artillery or naval forces towards Unity Island, The Federation, The Dominion or this Air Battleship, but also resources that might be used in any operation to recover Anya are actually being moved away from the coast towards a point somewhere inland, we're currently investigating that. Either way, this 'friend' either lacks ability to influence government-level decisions or is unwilling to do so.' She sighed, 'I share your concern regarding the identity of this 'friend,' Lady Nathicana, but all I can really give you as reassurance at the moment is this evidence and Anya's assurances, we really don't know that much else.'

'Regarding the choice of The Dominion, the Federation feels that being one of the less logical choices available but also one of the least dangerous of those choices would make your nation an ideal hiding place. We can offer personnel with the proper expertise for dealing with her, that's not a problem. Our real concern is with the prospect of a nation like Iraqstan who would have the will to misuse her 'gift' getting hold of her, and that will be a threat as long as there is public awareness of her existence.'

Rachel sits back in her chair and sighs, 'In other words, the best way to protect Anya from outside interference is to convince the NDA that she is dead.'

Nathi ate quietly and examined the folder of photos while Rachel spoke, nodding here and there while not interrupting. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, sipping her water slowly.

"I still don't like so many unknowns," she admits, frowning slightly as she glances again at the folder and its contents. "Lets hope for all our sakes that this doesn't bite us in the ass. We need more intel on this, regardless. Much more."

"Your logic seems sound enough so far as choice for location, but if I agree to this, I'm going to want some pretty damn good assurances that officially, we know nothing of this little venture, that his meeting never happened, and that we will have all the quiet assistance needed to handle the girl properly. You have by now, I hope, heard what was said in the meeting, yes? I maintain that it is important for Anya to feel safe and secure, to have the support any child needs to grow up as stable as possible, and to have the training, study, and proper controls provided and in place for her 'special abilities'. I want the dossiers on the proposed personnel for such a project, your expectations on the outcome of it, what your expectations would be of me and my nation, and in spite of the fact that I agree wholeheartedly with you on the point of Iraqstan, some damn good reasons why I should, after having in good faith offered what I have as a solution, lie and mislead my allies," the raven-haired woman said, clearly intending to press for the answers she wanted.

"Fake her death, you say? Interesting thought, though I would remind you, in that meeting she was played up as being nigh unto indestructable. You want this? Sell me on it. Lets hear the details."

Air Battleship Vione

Rachel nodded, 'We're doing our best regarding intelligence; we were only informed of Anya's 'friend' during the meeting and to be honest we're just as worried about it as you are, Lady Nathicana.'

She smiled, 'So far only an handful of people outside this room know Anya isn't in your embassy on Unity Island, and all of them are on this Air Battleship. Documentation on all those judged appropriate can be made available, of course...'

Vione smiled, 'I'm working on analysis of possible outcomes and contingency plans, based on the data I've been given. I should have a full dossier ready for you by morning, Lady Nathicana.' She paused, 'As far as why you should conceal her from your allies, and not to seem rude, it's common sense that the fewer people there are who know she is alive the less risk there is posed to her. And by extension, the less risk there is of her being misused.'

Vione blinked a couple of times, mouthing something to Rachel; were Nathi able to lip read, 'She has no OMS.'

Rachel continued, 'While we've had little time for any proper medical study of Anya, she does have several cuts and bruises from escaping; at present, we've little reason to doubt that her body is just as frail as mine or yours,' Rachel blinked, aware that she probably hadn't used the best examples, but continued 'Excepting when certain, ah, phenomena are in effect.'

Vione sighed, spreading her hand, a tiny globe of shimmering air forming in her palm. 'The Absolute Barrier isn't something we tend to advertise the existence of. Neither is the strength of a strong barrier particularly easy to measure in safe lab tests or in any manner that doesn't involve shooting nuclear weapons at it to see when it collapses. Nevertheless, we've yet to find an example of a psychic who can generate one without conscious effort.' Vione's dislike of the matter at hand was extremely apparent. 'Frankly I do find the subject of killing a small child distasteful, for the record, but I can't see why it wouldn't be possible without a massive nuclear deployment, particularly while she was sleeping.'

Rachel nodded, 'Or there's disease, for that matter. She already has a cold.' She managed not to add 'poor thing.'

Rachel yawned, bowing afterwards, 'My apologies, Lady Nathicana...I've been studying briefings on this matter most of the way to Unity Island...If it isn't too impolite of me to request it, might we continue this tomorrow? We'll notify you immediately if there is contact of any kind from whoever Anya wanted you to speak to.'

Of course it was common sense to not have more know about any of this than was absolutely necessary, hence why she was here alone. Jas and Massetti were probably going nuts trying to figure out where she'd gotten to, she thought with a private smile. She would send a message on later. Jas could fly the shuttle home with minimal problem in any case, though the confrontation likely to result could prove interesting.

The knowledge that Anya was all too human in most respects came as a sadly pleasant surprise. She held no ill will towards the child, and truth, did feel sorry for her. Her story, abilities aside, struck a chord with the woman - however, the fact remained that any and all possibilities had to be taken into account. The fact that she could be eliminated easily enough was something she needed to know. And, if this little plan were to go forward, needed to be passed on to Treznor.

Poison in her food ... a sniper bullet to the head whilst distracted with play ... gas while sleeping ... biological agent ... God forbid we ever have to go to those lengths, but I know damn well he'll be thinking it too. Perhaps an accident in transit. Not unheard of, that. Things happen. If she were unconscious, say - or drowned? Hrm. Something to ponder in the morning, that.

"Of course it's distasteful," she replies to Vione, an expression of understanding concern on her face. "I would think then, that it is in our best interests to make certain that the need for such remains non-existant, no? Tomorrow would be fine. Should give your people some time to do some more checking, and the both of us to rest up for a fresh start. I won't lie to you, I still have some serious reservations on this. All the same, for now, it can wait. My thanks for the heads up - feel free to wake me if word comes through, and if you would, send word back to the Island of where I am and my intentions, will you? Attention of Jas - he'll need to get the Tempest back home for me. My thanks for the hospitality."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Once settled into her quarters, Nathicana lays back quietly on the bed, contemplating the situation, the possible consequences, the pros and cons of following through with this particular plan ... and the possibility of bringing this to the attention of at least Devon, if not the rest of the council. It did make sense for the girl to become a non-issue so far as people were concerned. Granted, it might not throw everyone off, but it could help in relieving a lot of pressure. That, and it would make matters less complicated if action needed to be taken. No need for consensus.

It wasn't going to be an easy call. She knew damn well she couldn't let emotions play a part in this, whatever the case. Do what must be done, and don't let your conscience get in the way of doing the right thing, as no doubt Dev would say.

With these thoughts and others in her mind, she eventually drifted off to a somewhat troubled sleep.

Air Battleship Vione

The call out was easy enough to arrange, given that it didn't really say anything but that Nathi was making her own way back to The Dominion on Vione; no real secrets, so heavy encoding and the other trappings of ultra-high-security were unnecessary.

Rachel sighed as she sat down on her bed, switching off her PDA and opening the wooden presentation case Field Marshal Embersby had asked her to give to Nathi as a late Coronation gift; she hoped the pristine hinged-frame officer's service revolver inside would be suitable. She sighed, and lay back, Still no word from this 'friend...'

The drifting specks of light
soothe the darkness in my heart...

Enough to forget my nightmares.
~R-Type FINAL

Devras?

The place seemed familiar at first glance; a state room in Devras. Though it was...Strange. It seemed for all the world like it had been put together just to look right, by someone with little idea of the function of anything within it. A young girl stood at the other end of the room, deathly pale, wearing a white dress. As she turned, she opened her eyes, the bright red contrasting with her near-white skin. She spoke.

'Lady Nathicana D'Aquisto?'

And her voice was strange too, though it took a while to realise why.

'Are you Lady Nathicana D'Aquisto?'

And there was not just one voice, but five together, four young girls and one woman's voice, speaking in perfect time, the effect eerily beautiful.

Thwip.

"DAMN her hide, how does she expect us to do our jobs if she's off an' runnin' like that all the time?" the big man said, tossing his datapad across the room with an angry flick of his wrist. It hit the wall and bounced back, clattering across the tiled floor noisily as he continued to stalk back and forth, the pace of his smoking increasing with his furious frustration.

Thwip.

"Look, Jas - you know her. We put up with this shit all the time. She's the boss. I don't know how Marik, god rest his soul, managed with her, but damned if I haven't been able to get her to come around on that point." Massetti scowled, on several accounts, as he threw darts at the board he had set up in this particular room, his feet kicked up on the table. He could never replace Marik.

Thwip.

He knew that. Everyone knew that. He'd been the man's second for years, and still couldn't figure out how he had managed with the Lady how he did, or what sort of connection was there, only that Marik, in his own silent stoic way had been fanatically loyal to her, right to the very end. It wasn't as though the man had ever slept with her, of that Mas was certain. But there had been something there that he just couldn't put his finger on. A mutual respect that he wasn't sure he would ever earn.

Thud.

Mas cursed as the dart missed the board entirely and stuck in the wall beside it. Getting up, he walked over and yanked it out, driving it into the board as he walked past it to where his longcoat was hanging over the back of a chair. "Nothing to it but to gather the crew, get the Selene, and go home," he said simply. "You can bitch her out all you like when we get there."

"Yer damn right I can, and will," Jas muttered, the clove cigarette never leaving his lips. "She keeps this up, I'm raising my fees. Getting to old for this shit."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Where ... but I thought we had ... who ...

Nathi's mind raced as she tried to bring it all together, a shiver running through her as the strange child spoke. She had seen many strange things, and strange people over the past handful of years, but something about this made her feel oddly cold.

This isn't right.

"I am," she said simply in answer, half fearing the response to her own question. "Now, who are you?"

'Name?' she paused for a moment, 'My name is...
Nastasha Kyznetsov'

It was said, and the child's lips sounded it out, but it wasn't the only thing that was said in that moment; the other four voices instead sadly repeated 'Heart of Alternate.'

Nathicana frowned slightly at that, not knowing what to make of it. The sadness in the other voices disturbed her, as did the child's hesitation in answering. Was it a secret? Or ... had she not been able to remember? "Please, Nastasha," she said, uncertain of how to proceed and needing some normalcy to cling to. "Have a seat. Perhaps you can tell me why you're here."

The girl sat, resting her hands on her knees and looking up at Nathicana; looking closely, her eyes seemed blind; a simple circle of red in the centre, a fraction paler where the pupil should be. She spoke; 'I hope everything is right here, I'm not really familiar with this sort of place...'

Her voice changed from time to time; sometimes all five, sometimes less, sometimes just one and the sensation that the others were listening just as much as she was. 'I know Anya is with you, and I
Just want to be sure she's safe
And I want to be sure that
I won't lose her.'

Nathicana took a seat next to the girl, turned to face her as well. Her brow quirked up at the odd phrasing of the first comment as she studied the girl's face. Everything is right? But it's my ...

That line of thought was cut short at Nastasha's next comment. Anya? But of course she's safe. Who would be asking?

"Who are you, Nastasha?" she asked more firmly, her eyes narrowing slightly as another shiver ran up her spine.

The girl smiled, 'A friend...'
'Anya is one of the only friends I have
There are three I remember and one who I promised never to forget
But that is all I remember of that one, that single promise...' The last was only the older voice speaking, her voice heavy with sadness.

The girl paused, 'Do you really want to see who and what I am?'

The first phrase struck a chord with Nathi. A friend. Exactly what they've been saying. A friend who was concerned. Who would miss her. Christ, I am going mad. There was a significance to the voices, she was sure of it. But for now, the reason behind it continued to elude her. She had to know. "I won't claim to understand," she began carefully, sitting back a bit in her chair to consider the girl thoughtfully. "But yes. Yes, I do."

The girl nodded, 'Please, don't be afraid...'

And then everything changed, the bright room fading to a dimly-lit chamber of steel and glistening pipework with no windows and only a single door, blocked by a massive curved concrete slab. The light in the room was mostly from monitor screens on consoles that beeped intermittently, the language unfamiliar. In the centre of the room the girl in the white dress remained, her short white hair a little more unkempt and her eyes cloudy white rather than bright red. Now she sat on a heavy throne of iron, cables snaking up the sides of it, hanging over the back of the chair and curving up to sockets in her back, her neck, her shoulders...

As Nathi's eyes became accustomed to the light the four 'others' became visible to her, lying slumped in their seats around the room, the light gleaming off bare skin and cables alike as they lay motionless and apparently lifeless. And the girl in the throne spoke.

'This is what some would have had
Done to Anya too...
I protected her from that, I and the others who love her.
Because I believe in her'

Nathi choked back a scream as she took in the details of the five bodies laying slumped in their cold iron thrones. No, not bodies. People. Children, except for the one woman. That realization made her go cold right to the bone. She had ordered horrible things done to people over the years, to be sure. She had ordered the complete extreme augmentation of no less than ten thousand of her own people to use as cannon fodder on the cold wastes of Europa all to pursue a vendetta against the nation of Sketch. Only one hundred of them remained, what shreds of humanity they still clung to buried so far beneath their mechanoid surfaces that she was uncertain any of it remained on a conscious level. But to children ... to do this to a child...

"Sante Maria madre del dio! Who did this to you? What monster would ... my god, Anya? This is what they want with Anya?" Her throat tightened at the thought. Of course she had considered solutions for dealing with the child herself. A quick, painless death at best. Not this. Nothing like this. It was an abomination.

The girl in the iron throne looked up, 'What some would do
This is the Heart of a Floating Fortress, the place where the Absolute Barrier comes from
From we five who are one...'

The Heart paused, 'This is what some would do to her, yes.
Not all...
There are others who have their own wishes for my friend.
Some who would have her as a weapon
Some as a leader for our whole nation, because they believe that will let us be at peace
Because they are like I was once, and do not wish to see others suffer as we have
Some who would try to go further than even her
Who believe they can create a God...'

All the voices at once, each with their own thoughts, their own ideas. Nathi frowned, trying to parse it all. A God? Heart of a Floating Fortress? Wait ... absolute barrier. Rachel had mentioned that. And this 'friend'. Eurusea? Just how many factions are at work here?

"I don't understand," she said, looking around more closely at each of the children, and the woman connected to the ship, it seemed. "Who are these 'some'? How can I know I can trust you when you yourself seem to be of many minds on the matter? How are we to keep Anya safe, and keep ourselves safe as well?"

Nathicana shook her head, shivering again as her eyes passed over the young girl again, following the lines of the cables that faded back into the darkness. "How do I know what the right path is when there are so many unknowns?"

The girl smiled softly, 'They are factions within our nation
Eurusea is filled with plots and scheming and lies...Those who would atone for her sins and those who would go back to the days before and worse...'

The older voice spoke alone, 'I'm sure that is a situation you can understand, trying to find those you can truly place your trust in among liars and thieves...' the girl in the throne fixed her with her blind, clouded eyes, 'And those close who would and have betrayed you.'

'I am selfish
I want Anya to be safe and happy, but I don't want to lose her to the stars
Because she is my friend
Because she can look past this before you...'
The Heart sighed gently, 'I did not come to you to threaten or horrify you, Nathicana D'Aquisto. I came to beg you to not take away one of these precious few memories I have that are not broken...'

Nathi did understand. All too well. What unsettled her was that these children and this woman, these slaves, understood her as well as they did. And seemed to know of their plans for Anya.

"How," she began, then stopped, changing her mind. "I won't ask how you know this child. I won't ask how you know everything you seem to. I will ask that if we are to do as you ask, and keep her close, that you do all you can in your power to help me keep her safe. If you truly are her friend, if you know these different factions are at work, if you know what they are trying to do, you can give us what we need to avoid them, keep her away from them."

And from us, she thought with a shiver. If they already know, there is nothing much we can do other than prepare. If they are true, then we have an edge. The ends justifies the means, no?

'Whatever I am able to do I will do.'

That answer did little to comfort Nathicana, her brow furrowing further on account. "Whatever you can do for her, I hope you will," she replied quietly, her thoughts coming full circle yet again. "With all your interest in Anya, I can't help but wonder ... is there a way she, or we, can help you?"

The girl frowned slightly, 'I will do whatever I am able to do for her, Nathicana D'Aquisto. That is why I speak to you now, when I could have remained silent.
I have no wish to deceive you
She understands that, that is why she allowed it to be'

The Heart sighed sadly, 'I can think of little you could do on my account...And I am not so vain as to make demands.
Around this place is spun three million tons of steel and concrete...
The Fortress
And here there is one of the others'
Only the girl in the throne spoke, 'My mother...'

Nathicana looked over sharply at that last, her tightly-reined in anger more than clear. "Your own mother?" she asked incredulously, filing away the other responses as they filtered in. It would have to be enough. But this ... "What sort of people are these that would sacrifice their own child for this?"

'I want to believe her when she tells me that...I remember her eyes and her smile, and I want it to be true
I want to believe her when she says she chose this over my death...She believes it when she says it, and...'
The light caught a single tear as it ran down the Heart's cheek, 'It's just too painful to think she would lie.'

This approach was ... unexpected. This, over death? Was it possible? Nathi's thoughts flickered for a moment to the two tiny lives currently in the hands of her sister-in-mind, S.H.O.D.A.N., and the choices she had made there. No, it wasn't the same, not by a long shot, but had not the reasoning been similar? She knew well enough the life she was forcing on her daughter, one in which doubtless she would be at best unaccepted and unloved by him who should be her father, and forced to rely on the 'good intent' of he who was.

She schooled her face to a passive expression, nodding gently. "If she believes it, it must be so. A mother would not lie to her child like that," she said, trying to assure the girl.

The Heart nodded slightly, 'Thank you.'

"I will do what I can, Nastasha," Nathicana said, straightening her jacket as was her habit, her chin tilting up ever so slightly. "It is not my intent that Anya should be used or put in danger. I won't lie. I don't know where the future will take us with this, but I will do what I can, what I must, to keep her from falling into the hands of those who would hurt her."

The Heart smiled softly, 'As will I, Nathicana D'Aquisto...' The older voice spoke, 'I hope one day I will have a chance to speak to you again...'

"I am certain that could be arranged," Nathi said, stifling a shiver, then continuing on in a more gentle tone. "I hope that you ... that you all will be well. As well as can be expected. Thank you. You have given me much to think on."

The Heart smiled, 'Thank you for hearing me out, Nathicana. And please don't think too badly of the Hydra for allowing this.' the dark interior of the Heart faded back to the scene in Devras, 'Goodbye, Nathicana D'Aquisto.'

Location of the Britmattian Embassay on Unity Island.

"Makes a change from t'e pocking Moon eh Sarge?"
"Aye Smithy, that it does."
The speakers, clad in battered, bright yellow, powered armour, helmets off, were stood outside a sizeable half timbered building, around which still swarmed a horde of other men and women, some still in armour, others as stripped down as their various cultural mores would allow, the bright and blazing sunshine bringing moisture beading out of even the huge Alec "Jumbo" Hansa's forehead, which was the first time any of his troops had seen the towering, coal-black Staff Sergeant sweat.
The first speaker, a short, olive complected man who rejoiced in the unlikely name of Juan Smith, ran the tip of his index finger from one end of his moustache to the other, then licked his lips.
"Say, an other two days Sarge? Mebbe?"
The other speaker, a dwarf, eyed him for a moment, then back to the building. When he spoke it was with a Warwick accent, unusually for a dwarf, most of whom burred away with the accents of London Earldom.
"No Smithy. We'll have her done today."
A medium height woman, camo coveralls dusty, auburn hair ratty with sweat, ambled down then up through what would be the moat when filled towards the two males.
She reached the top of the slope, nodded to the Sergeant "Sar'nt Stonehammer."
"Take a seat Sally." Stonehammer waited till she had, then nodded commiseratingly to the woman. "Bloody hot I know. What can I do you for?"
Sally flopped back onto the dry, baked grass, shielding her eyes with one hand from the sun. "Nothing Gordus, just reporting we're well ahead of schedule in the defence setup, should be all complete by about 15:00." She tilted her head towards Smith,
"Dunno how well you're doing on the power and water hookups though Smithy, ground here is hard as bloody rock."
The Hispanic grinned. "Jesu Sally, you're stuck in the days of picks and pocking shovels, my boys just used foxhole charges and we were golden."
The woman sighed and made a rude gesture. "Glib bastard."
Stonehammer smiled at his squabbling corporals, "So no other delays?"
"No sarge." came from two throats.

The next day.

"Here we are at last."
Tamurile FitzWarwick looked nervously from side to side, hoping neither of the expressionless, dress-uniformed Queen's Own troops flanking her had heard her murmured statement.
The two men, resplendent in their black tunics and prussian blue-trousered dress uniforms showed not a hint of expression, much to the scarlet-haired elf woman's relief.
The long, narrow, wedge-nosed Marchant shuttle touched down, with the quiet hiss of suspension deploying.
The doorway clunked open, and a stairwell elipsed down to the black-painted shuttlepad.
Tamurile led her two guard swiftly down the steps, where they were met by an honour guard of Royal Engineers, clad in immaculate full yellow powered armour, and probably a lot cooler inside their air-conditioned armour than Tamurile was in her dress suit, or her guards in their dress uniforms.
The group moved quickly down the gravelled path from the shuttlepad, past freshly planted hedgerows and rosebeds, through cunning dips in the landscape which concealed various items the designers had decided needed concealing, then round one last subtle curve.
Tamurile gasped and clapped her hands in delight. Before her was a two-story, H shaped half timbered building, the white plaster almost shimmering in the bright sun, the black beams seeming to waver. The building was surrounded by the sparklingly clean waters of a subtly-reinforced moat, looping around the embassay and back out to sea, but not before cascading down a number of rock pools, which produced an immediate desire in Tamurile to go for a swim.
She held back however, and was lead gently into the embassay proper, whereupon the Engineers formally turned the building over to her personally and the Diplomatic Service officially, and trooped off, as her own staff trooped in from the other Marchants which had landed as she'd been led to the building.
"Quite a prestigious job for a girl who would've been destined for a life of sex slavery without the intervention of H.M Customs" came her thought as she marvelled at the furnishings, picked out with discretion far away in the crisp cold of wintry Royesse, then came her frank glee at the subtle marvel of her office, which managed to be indefinably "girly" while at the same time remaining unarguably a place of business.
"Now, now" she thought, "I can start to pay my country back for being just that."


O.O.C sorry if it's a little lengthy. Turns out I like talking about construction, who knew?

Nathicana woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up so fast in bed it made her head spin for a moment. "Jesus Christo, Che cosa nell'inferno era tutto quello? Perdendo la mia mente. Mannaggia!"

That had not been a normal dream. It couldn't have been. The images were too clear, were not fading as time passed like dreams had a tendency to do. And the subject ... of course, given the topic of conversation over dinner, and the reason she was currently on this ship, it wasn't out of the question to have had dreams concerning Anya, but never would she have thought she could come up with such an elaborate, detailed explanation on her own. It was time for some answers.

Whipping aside the rumpled bedsheets, she grabbed her short silk robe, pulling it on as she walked over the simple cotton tank top and boxers she had worn to bed. She headed straight for the bridge - or as straight as she could manage in unfamiliar territory, muttering darkly to herself in her native tongue, her bare feet padding firmly along the corridor floors.

She bursts onto the bridge in her usual imperious manner when Rather Put Out or disturbed enough that she's angry on account, her dark hair still mussed from sleep, a decidedly dark scowl on her face - anything but the polite yet concerned 'lady' of the night before. She stalks over to the shimmering avatar of Vione, one hand on her hip, her other gesturing in the usual expressive Dominion style.

"Porcoddio! What in hell is going on here, Vione? Who is Nastasha? What does she have to do with Eurusea and Anya? What in God's name is she doing hard-wired like that to their floating fortress? And what in hell was she and those others ... that ... that Heart, doing in my head?"

Vione looked somewhat startled, though she'd tracked Nathicana since she'd left her room. The Neko-hologram held out her hands, trying to think of the proper way to phrase things, 'I, um, assume you're talking about the communication addressed from Anya's friend...'

'She contacted me about an hour ago requesting to speak to Lady Nathicana D'Aquisto directly...Anya had implied to me that her friend was a telepath, though I wasn't aware she was a Heart until she contacted me...'

The hologram sighed, miming leaning against the console behind her, 'I was monitoring at all times and would have shut her out had you been in any danger, Lady Nathicana. It was a lapse in my judgement to not attempt to wake you first, one for which I accept sole and full responsibility.'

Vione tilted her head a little, 'I should probably wake Speaker Knight if you wish to lodge a formal complaint against my conduct with regards to this matter.'

The opposite door on the bridge opened, Anya stepping inside, looking up at Vione and speaking tiredly in Eurusean, Vione replying in kind before turning to Nathi again, 'My apologies...She wants to know if everything was ok.'

"Let me understand this," Nathicana began in a dangerously calm voice. "You knew, and you allowed a potentially dangerous foreign entity into my mind just because it wanted to chat? Sweet Jesu, Vione! You do realize not all of us are familiar with these ... these ..." she gestures for a moment, at a loss for words temorarily. "Brain-things you people do, no? Did you think for a moment that allowing a foreign entity in like that, to the mind of a national leader might not have consequences?"

Nathi lets out a slow breath, trying to get hold of herself, still unable to shake the feeling of violation. There were things in her head she never wanted anyone to see, let along some stranger ... some poor unfortunate constructs within the cold heart of a military machine ... she shivers again at the memories. "What all was monitored, what all was recorded, what access would this Heart have had with such a connection, and what can I do to prevent such a thing happening again?" Her voice started out tired and controlled, but became louder and more insistent as she went along.

The child's voice brings her around sharply, and she quickly clears her face of all emotion as she straightens her robe and looks at the girl. "That depends, Anya," Nathi says softly. "There are some things that are simply not done without one's express permission. Looking into another person's mind is one of those things."

She conveniently pushes aside any hint of remembered hypocrisy. And the fact that one does what one must to achieve the ends one needs - something she had lived most of her life by. That, after all, was different.

Vione nodded, 'Please do not take anything I say as anything but my own views, Lady Nathicana, I am no diplomat.'

'You're free to analyse any and all related telemetry from the last couple of hours, I'll cooperate fully if your wish to have people investigate. Regarding the connection, Lady Nathicana, had the Heart attempted to force information from you there would be visible reaction; increased respiration, heart rate, that sort of thing. It's a traumatic process for both participants, I'm told. I would have shut her out the instant any such behaviour was noted, and it was not.'

'Prevention...' she sighed, 'As long as you're on this ship the Absolute Barrier offers ample protection, off it there are training courses available to keep people out, as well as what you might call barrier solutions that involve implants or similar.'

Anya looked confused as Vione translated, talking for some time, Vione nodding and seeming to be explaining. Vione turned eventually, 'She says she didn't know, and she didn't mean to upset anyone.'

"You're certain of this, Vione?" Nathi replies in response to the AI's answers on levels and readings, frowning again. "You can assure me that there is no possible way either the Heart or your systems have gained any information from me during that transfer, other than whatever was revealed in said discussion? I won't even begin to try and comprehend just how this Barrier works for now - not until I've had a decent night's sleep, and a good breakfast at least. I have pondered ... alternative solutions with an eye to preventative measures before now. Perhaps it's time I started thinking more seriously on them."

She blinks at Anya's intended apology, and stops for a moment of brief confusion. She -is- just a child. And here I am selfishly going on while likely scaring her in the process. Going to have to learn how to deal with kids sooner rather than later, I know ... Not a bad time to try and start.

"No, Anya," she says more gently, walking over to the girl - though not too close - and squatting down til she's more at her level. "No. I'm not angry with you. You didn't do anything 'wrong', bambi. I'm sorry. Sometimes things we don't understand frighten us, is all. There is a lot about this I just don't understand yet. Don't worry - it's alright."

At least I hope it will be.

The hologram nodded, 'As certain as I'm talking to you right now, Lady Nathicana. Unless you willingly volunteered such information, there's no way it could be extracted without noticeable effects on you. As for my own records, they couldn't store anything I myself wouldn't be aware of, and I have no interest in jeopardising my nation's alliances simply to poke around in someone's mind.'

At the front of the bridge, the night watch crew, three Kitsune and a pair of Segonune, chatted quietly, trying not to glance back; other than the Segonune at the fire control station, who was wearing her nightdress and lying curled up with a pillow and a blanket, fast asleep.

The Kitsune at the communications station, Hachiro, leaned over and tapped the other Segonune, Miyako, making her jump a little. He lowered his voice, 'What do you think they're talking about back there?'

Miyako shrugged, 'No idea...Could me anything, I suppose. Maybe Lady Nathi's bedroom is too cold or something...'

Hachiro frowned, 'Sounds important...'

Miyako tapped Hachiro's nose, 'Then don't listen to it.'

He grinned, 'Listen to what?'

Miyako smiled, 'Yeah, that's the way.'

Vione's flesh-and-blood avatar entered the bridge through the door behind Anya, yawning slightly and rubbing her eyes, wearing a dressing gown, slippers and a gold bracelet with 'Cassandra' engraved on it around one wrist. She smiled tiredly as the hologram faded, 'I'm sorry, my avatar does take a while to wake up...' she knelt and translated what Nathi had said to Anya. Anya smiled sleepily, saying a few words, Vione stifling a giggle and glancing back to Nathi, 'She says she knew you were a nice lady.'

"Right then," Nathicana says, opting not to pusue it further for now. What was done was done, and only the future would tell whether or not there would be lingering damage from it. Nodding to Vione's solid avatar as she enters, she makes a mental note to talk to Shodey once schedules allow. There had been talk once of warding and shielding, after all. And there was only one person she trusted enough to discuss such options with.

Ah, mia sorella. The things I do task you with, I swear. Perhaps once we get the children home ...

"I am sorry for rousting you out of bed, Vione. If not for the ... irregularity of the situation," she began somewhat hesitantly, pausing as the avatar and child spoke. The response was unexpected to say the least.

"Well I ah ... grazie, Anya. Perhaps I ought to let all of you get back to bed. ETA, if I might ask?" she finally replied, standing back up and trying to sound for all the world as if this were the most natural thing to be doing in the middle of the night.

Vione tried not to smile too much, 'We should be arriving in Devras inside three days, Lady Nathicana, maintaining current speed.' She yawned, smiling tiredly, 'Would you like to be woken at any particular time? Breakfast for the day shift is eight to eight thirty on a Saturday.'

Nathi stifled a yawn of her own, smilng wryly after. "I think I'll sleep in a bit, if you don't mind. Seven-thirty would be wonderful, so long as that causes no problems. Sorry again for waking you - and you, bambi," she said, reaching over to gently brush a stray lock of hair back from Anya's face, and smiling. "This is no time of night for you to be up, eh?"

Stretching, and this time yawning fully, she lifted a hand in a brief sort of farewell gesture, trying to relax, and at least put her hosts at ease, even if she wasn't quite yet. "Buona serra. I'll see you all in the morning."

Vione smiled, her avatar leading Anya back to bed as the hologram flickered back on, sitting back down and flicking up a window full of text in front of herself, rather obviously for show since the hologram couldn't possibly be reading it, 'See you in the morning, Lady Nathicana.'

Nathi woke to the sound of harp music, oddly enough; Vione's chirpy voice coming in through the speaker in her room. 'You requested a seven-thirty wake-up call, Lady Nathicana?'

Nathicana stretches, then yawns before sitting up in bed, running her fingers back through her hair. "Si, si ... Grazie, Vione. Much appreciated." She slips out of bed, and goes about her morning routine, getting herself ready without much fuss. When she's finally done, she makes her way to the dining room, pulling her hair back into a long braid as she goes, still slightly damp.

The officer's dining room is big enough to not be crowded, despite the large number of crew of various species eating there. Vione blinks as she spots Nathi, "Officer on deck!" the whole hall stands at attention as Vione salutes, "Good morning, Lady Nathicana."

This takes Nathi by surprise, eyes flickering quickly around the room as the reflexes kick in, returning the salute less sharply than she would have liked. Oi, been too bloody long. Getting sloppy. "Good morning, Vione," she says first to the avatar, then continues in more authoritative tone. "As you were."

The various officers sit back down and resume eating and chatting, Vione smiling brightly, offering the seat opposite her. Rachel's sitting at the same table, with a carved wooden box on the table in front of her, "I, ah, hear there was an incident last night..." she smiles nervously.

Nathicana grabs a plate with rather a healthy amount of food, likely more than one might think of a lady of Nathi"s stature, and accepts the seat with a smile. "Yes, well ... yes. But perhaps this isn't the best place to talk about it, hmm? Not to worry, Rachel. I'll be reviewing those files today that Vione offered. I'm certain I'll find everything to my satisfaction."

Rachel nods, "Yes, this isn't the place to discuss such matters, though I'd trust each and every person in this room with such knowledge if it was essential for me to do so." she smiles, "Oh, Field Marshal Embersby apologises for missing your coronation, she sends her best wishes and hopes this is appropriate."

Arching a brow, Nathi looks over mid-bite. "Good gods, no need for ..."

Upon lifting the lid, she's presented with the sight of a beautifully-maintained hinged-frame service revolver in an oak presentation case, twelve bullets nestled in grooves below the barrel. The side of the barrel is stamped with a serial number and "Model 701 Property of Federal Army Officer Corps."

Nathicana lays her fingertips lightly along the barrel, then traces along the clean lines of the weapon with a soft appreciative whistle. "To what do I owe this honor, Rachel?" she asks quietly, still examining the gun.

Rachel smiles, "You'd have to ask Annie...Um, Field Marshal Embersby, I'm afraid. She just said she wanted you to have it."

"Please, pass along my sincere thanks, until I have the opportunity to thank her personally," Nathicana says, looking over at Rachel and smiling in turn. "I am truly honored."

Rachel smiles and nods, "I will, yes." she pauses as her PDA beeps, "Oh yes...I'd scheduled to introduce you to the Federal Ambassador today, if that"s still ok?"

"Not a problem. Until we reach Devras, I am at your disposal, so to speak," Nathi says, taking another bite and finishing it before continuing on. "This is more a vacation than I've had in a while, actually. Much appreciated."

Vione smiles and bobs her head, purring gently, "As your host and accomodation, I'm honoured that you'd think so, Lady Nathicana." Rachel finishes her breakfast, waiting for Nathi before standing, "If you'll follow me?" she heads down to the general crew quarters, to a block of spare accomodation for civilian guests, and taps on the door, a young woman of 16 or 17 answering, "Um, hello?"

Nathicana finishes up her meal with gusto, washing the last bit down with her juice as she stands, nodding in response. Once they reach their destination, she looks the young lady over as she always does on meeting new people, and waits for an introduction.

Rachel smiles, "This is Karen Addison, Lady Nathicana, she's an aide to the ambassador." As Karen bows and opens the door the rest of the way Nathi can see she"s keeping weight off her left leg with the aid of a crutch, "It's an honour to meet you, Lady Nathicana."

"A pleasure, Ms. Addison," Nathi says, for now not commenting on the crutch, though she registers it for later reference. "Have you worked with the ambassador long?"

Karen smiles, "Well, we've been friends since I was six, so you could say so..." she blinks at Rachel"s expression, "Oh, um...No, she"s only just been made a diplomat, you see." Rachel smiles, "Um, where is Elana?" Karen blinks, "Oh, she was just finishing getting ready when you knocked." It's apparent she's nervous at meeting Nathi.

"It's good you"ve been able to carry your friendship over into your work. Not everyone is so fortunate." Noting the young woman"s case of nerves, Nathicana smiles warmly then nods at the explanation. "Perhaps we should all sit down while we wait for her to finish? Might help take some strain off your leg and all."

Vione smiles, "These quarters are a little cramped for all of us...Might I suggest the upper or lower observation posts?"

"Whichever is easiest," Nathi says, gesturing to Vione to lead the way.

The upper opservation post is essentially a glass dome covering a dip in the Air Battleship's armour; it's clearly not designed for use in combat. The post is slightly foward of Vione"s particle cannon, and offers a fantastic view over the ocean below, land visible in the distance.

"Now that is a fine view," Nathi observes, looking out and down before taking a seat and settling in comfortably.

After a little while, Karen's pager beeps softly, and she stands and bows, "If you'll excuse me?"

Nathicana nods and smiles. "Of course."

Karen returns after a while with the small figure of Elana sat on her shoulder, the tiny Sprite smiling nervously, her wings fluttering gently. Rachel smiles, "This is Ambassador Elana Sehsha, George Cross, Knight's Cross and two Federal citations for bravery." Elana stands, gently fluttering down to stand on Karen"s hand, bowing, "It's an honour, Lady Nathicana."

To say she is surprised at the diminuitive ambassador is an understatement, though her training and experience go a long ways in hiding most of it. She rises to her feet then offers an appropriate bow, while smiling pleasantly. "A disinguished record, Ambassador. It would seem you have already served your nation with honor. I have no doubts that you will continue to do so. Quite honored to make your acquaintance," she assures Elana.

Elana smiles; her voice is soft but carries well, "I hope I can serve my nation well as ambassador to the Dominion." Looking closely, she has four medals pinned to her dress. She hops back up to Karen's shoulder, looking out at the view, "Wow..."

"I hope you find it pleasant there," Nathi says truthfully. "So what can I do to help you in that?"

Elana looks surprised, "Well, um...My government has an embassy built already, so, um, there's not much that needs to be done..."

Nathicana nods and smiles. "Of course, Elana. But I find that there are always more needs than simply a building and staff. It is my hope that all ambassadors in my nation have what they need to feel comfortable and welcome."

Elana smiles shyly, "Well...I wouldn't mind the chance to have my family visit from time to time, if that's not too much trouble, Lady Nathicana."

"I don't see why not," Nathicana replies with a curious look. "Gaining a visa isn't too terribly much trouble, after all. They're free to come and go as they like so long as papers are in order. Which reminds me. Were all the papers from the Ministry in order? No questions on proceedures or contacts?"

Elana smiles, "I'd have to get back to you on that, Lady Nathicana, I'm still reading up on everything..."

"Understandable," the dark-haired woman says with a laugh. "I've seen those packets we send out - it's a lot of information. At any rate, don't worry about it. We have people available to help you out should you need it, and I'm usually at my downtown office if you have anything that needs my personal attention. You'll do fine."

Elana bows, "Thank you, Lady Nathicana."

Outskirts of Devras, a couple of days later

Vione smiled as she watched the Dominion aircraft match pace with her; her view of the world coloured by most of the electromagnetic spectrum, her passive and active sensors returning her an incredibly complex and rich picture of the unfamiliar aircraft alongside her.

Ahead a small crowd had gathered to watch Vione's arrival, the giant ship quite a sight as she halted just outside the city and dropped her mooring lines.

Transportation to shore was provided, complete with the appropriate soldati escort, for the Imperatrice and her guests. The usual security checks were observed, with the few exceptions that Nathicana overruled, and ident cards were distributed. Luggage and any other needs were either carried over by whichever crew was preferred, Nathicana rattling off a quick list of questions to the officer in charge.

As everyone who was disembarking were getting settled, she made a quick call to the offices, recieving word that Jas and company had indeed made it back before them, and he had been in a fine temper over her leavetaking without notice. Else indicated that he had requested a meeting 'as soon as she gets her ass back', as well as his comments concerning 'extra pay'.

Calabrese reported no problems that were terribly out of the ordinary, and that aside from some issues with certain members of the new nobility, things seemed to be running smoothly. A meeting with the Ministry was arranged for the following day for everyone to make their reports.

The trip to shore and subsequent trip to the villa took a bit, but was overall an uneventful process. Nathicana indicated what she could as they passed, promising to provide a better tour when it was possible. For those going elsewhere, whatever direction was necessary was given, including lodging, eating, and sight-seeing information, with instructions on how to get further assistance if neccessary, most especially from their embassy.

Futami bowed slightly as Nathicana's off, "Thank you, but I'm afraid that I have to head to Marshal Island. Perhaps another time when I've got more free time."

Good luck, Futami. Ieyoshi smiled a little sadly, communicating over the WiFi to Futami, causing the other Kitsune to blink.

You're not coming with?

No, I'll be staying with Anya. Fusa can fill you in when he sees you. She gave Futami a hug.

Futami smiled and waved, heading off towards the Hack embassy. A few days later, she was standing before a rather gruff quartermaster, preparing for another trip into Eurusea.

Federal Embassy

Elana found the huge embassy building a little strange, being used to living in a little nest in a hole in a tree, but rested on Karen's shoulder she at least felt safe. She was glad the meeting with Nathi had gone ok, since she'd been afraid she'd simply be laughed at.

It had been a long day, and after familiarising herself with the layout of the place, she was glad for the chance to finally turn in. Karen took the bed while Elana, as she had done whenever she'd gone back to Karen's house with her, slept on a pillow on the bedside table.

Movie theatre in Devras, two weeks later

There was a low grumble as the lights suddenly came on and a group of Federal troops and Soldati strode purposefully up the centre aisle, the film cutting out a moment later. The Segonune officer in in charge of the Federal group held up an official-looking paper. 'Movie's off, all passes are cancelled!'

The leader of the Soldati raised his hands; 'Government business, all civilians please make your way to the exits in an orderly fashion, the two uniformed troops in the entrance will refund you the price of your tickets.'

The Segonune smiled 'The Federation thanks you for your cooperation and apologises for any inconvenience.'

He turned to the confused-looking soldiers in front of him, 'The Federation has just moved to high alert status, a stage three alert is in effect...'

Vione

Vione's alert klaxon had sounded a couple of times as the report had come in, but now she was silent again, her bright anti-collision lights tracing out the air she occupied to warn aircraft. Nathi's aircraft landed on the recovery pad just behind the vast arc of her starboard wing, and she was quickly led to the private briefing room, along with Rachel and a few other officers. Vione stood in front of a set of photographs pinned to the back wall, the holo-projector in front of her currently displaying a shimmering image of a girl of about thirteen, a worried-looking Kitsune of the same age snuggling her.

Vione smiled at Nathi, 'Good evening, Lady Nathicana. The reason you've been called up here at such short notice is that the information contained within this briefing potentially falls within the interest of your national defence, specifically pertaining to matters involving Anya.'

The hologram, barely over a foot tall, bowed, 'It's an honour, Lady Nathicana; I am Shiala PHALANX, I'll be conducting most of this briefing; this is, um, Michiru Ito. She's, um...'

Rachel sighed, 'She's authorised because she's signed the relevant documentation, that's all that really matters at the moment.'

Shiala nodded, a huge holographic image suddenly appearing in the air in front of the assembled officers, 'This Is Out-Of-Place Artefact number Eighty-Three, or Seven by the Eurusean numbering system. She took off from a quarry outside Rahlsburg approximately twenty-seven hours ago and her last projected course as of this time suggests she's currently being moved to Chopinburg. Our current data on this subject is most from archaic texts on the subject, but we suspect from her markings...'

The wireframe hologram suddenly solidified, a brilliant red with white bands and markings, Shiala continuing, 'That her name is Sekhmet and she is classified as an Infinity Cannon.'

'The main weapon has been fired already just after her takeoff when our satellites stopped being jammed...' a pair of flat 'windows' displaying video clips in normal spectrum and IR appeared under her. 'Given the overall length of the object is 9,557 feet the main gun is calculated as having a barrel diameter of between ten and eleven thousand millimetres, that's 393 to 433 inches, or thirty-two to thirty-six feet.'

'The cannon fires at index 32.12 of the file in window 'A' with the lead fragments of the projectile impacting the hillside less than a second later.' The photograph rotated, notation flashing up around it, 'The projectile disintegrates around 80 yards from the gun, but it's certainly far smaller than the barrel diameter in the preceding frames, so we must assume this weapon uses some form of barrel centreline suspension for subcalibre projectiles. The object fired...' a third window showing two still photographs appeared between the other two, 'Appears to be the locomotive present before Sekhmet moved over the siding in frame A and absent in frame B.'

All three windows vanished, 'There seems to be no on-board ammunition carriage ability for this weapon, which would make it a strategic unit, albeit with a full-power shot an extremely devastating one. The structure of the vessel and barrel support structures indicate full size projectiles could be anything up to tens of thousands of tons, probably matching or beating the v0 performance of our most modern gauss weapons, of the order of twenty-one times the speed of sound.'

Shiala paused, before continuing, 'The displayed model is based almost entirely on satellite images, so at present her underside is crudely drawn based on her shadow. On the upper surface she has ninety large calibre secondary guns in 45 rotary turrets at these locations,' dozens of red highlights appeared as the model turned on its side so the upper surface was pointing towards the assembled officers and Nathi, 'And four other units that look like some kind of energy weapons.'

'We know she has missile bays and those she's fired so far approximate modern cruise missiles in terms of yield, the two VLS arrays we've seen are covered by two large plates of armour here, and I see little reason to doubt there are others equipped with other types of missiles on the upper and lower surfaces.'

Vione rubbed her chin thoughtfully, murmuring 'She's a Dreadnought...'

Shiala continued, 'Astern 24 parts assumed to be landing pads indicate the presence of a large air wing on board, to her bow are four apertures which are most likely launch ramps, which seems to be too few given her recovery capability; therefore, there are most likely others on her underside we haven't seen yet.'

One of the bridge crew raised her hand, 'What's the status of her Absolute Barrier, the first briefing indicated the presence of one?'

Another image appeared, a satellite photograph of Sekhmet surrounded by a beautiful shimmering sphere that faintly all the colours of the rainbow over it like a soap bubble. 'It's still active. It's strong enough that the boundary layer is visible to the naked eye.'

Rachel stood briefly, 'So far, that's a phenomenon we've only observed in extremely strong barriers, namely those of Vione and her sister Galfe.'

Shiala continued, Michiru holding her tightly, 'We currently have...Ah, please hold, there's additional data.'

There was a short pause, then three windows appeared in various parts of the EM spectrum, the model of Sekhmet fading to a model of a steel road bridge. 'This is the fourth road bridge over the Zhmaev River, it's a steel cantilever bridge approximately one hundred feet long and used extensively by supply vehicles, it's one of the most heavy-duty bridges over that part of the river.'

The first window played, showing the laser panning across the bridge; even slowed down, it was over terrifyingly quickly. 'As you can see, the bridge is completely vaporised in roughly five tenths of a second, indicating the discharge could be anything up to the low exawatt range in this case, with no indication of it's full output. The emitter is mounted on Sekhmet's underside, probably around her midsection.'

Vione blinked, continuing, 'This pretty much rules out a conventional powerplant on Sekhmet, there's no way she could idle for this long and still be able to generate power of that magnitude without resupply of any kind. As far as we're aware her main guns and missile batteries use conventional ammunition, though I wouldn't rule out energy / matter converters rather than a magazine on-board.'

Michiru whispered something to Shiala, then looked up, 'It could be a Leonsky Gate...'

Vione blinked, 'They're only theoretical, nobody's ever bought energy through one, and we don't know where or when they lead...'

Rachel nodded, 'The Leonsky Gate was a theoretical concept by Conrad Leonsky, he proposed that by creating a certain set of effects one could create a gateway to 'elsewhere' and pull near-limitless energy across the divide...The project was discontinued after his suicide.'

Shiala shook her head, 'Not many people commit suicide by tearing themselves apart while cowering behind a desk, Speaker.' A few images flashed in the air around the projector briefly, of bloodstained walls, of a corpse so mutilated it was barely recognisable as human...Michiru yelped and closed her eyes, holding Shiala's arm tightly.

Shiala continued after everyone had calmed down a little, 'She almost certainly has more advanced sensing and ranging equipment than anything in service in our military today, and a full suite of interception systems and countermeasures. The only system conspicuously absent is a cloak, thankfully.'

Vione switched to a night image, 'Observation of flashes underneath suggests a brief firefight just before she moved off, possibly Resistance or military factions. We know that Air Marshal Dilandau has officially handed Sekhmet from his jurisdiction to Premier Kurchatov's direct command.'

Shiala raised her hand, 'Hypothesis for this is he's been promised Sekhmet's air wing.'

Rachel shuddered, 'That...Would be bad. Our Starblade aerospace fighter is partly based on their fighter technology.' She paused, 'Are there any questions so far?'

Earlier, Dominion Government Offiices

"Mannagia! Is every action of mine to be called into question? I rule the Dominion, Jas. Me, not you, not Mas, no one else! I will do as I damn well see fit, and I won't sit here listening to you bastards second-guess me."

Jacobian Sanguinus, better known to those he worked with as 'Jas', looked back at the furious Imperatrice with a dark scowl of his own. Her temper was legendary in certain circles - those being any she'd cut loose in before. He could tell by the stubborn set of her jaw, the imperious way she had her chin tilted up ever so slightly, the angry light in her blue eyes; this would be no easy argument.

Then again, with her it never is. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not getting too old for this shit.

"I wish to hell we could second-guess you. We'd at least be a bit closer to being able to do our goddamned jobs. Christ almighty, woman! How the fuck do you think we're supposed ta keep your ass out of the fire the way you jerk us around half the time? One of these days, yer gonna catch it, an' catch it hot tryin' to get past all the security measures an' work you pay us to do, hell, have killed others for slipping up on in the past," he said hotly, never removing the clove cigarette from his lips, even when he shifted it to the side and spat for emphasis.

Nathi's eyes narrowed as she stood, clenching her fists and staring down the man who stared right back, showing no signs of backing down. "You listen to me, old man--"

"No, Nath. You listen to me," he snapped, the smoke spilling out with his words to swirl past as he stepped forward, one finger pointing at her imperatively. "You'd think after that last attempt you'd learn, but hell no, not you. You just gotta make everything difficult for everyone else, you do."

Jas took a drag on his ciagrette, then exhaled sharply, watching Nathi glare back at him, her lips compressed into a tight line of anger. "Things have changed, girl. It's not just about how long you can grasp that ring anymore. You've taken the usual rules an' turned 'em on their ear. There's more at stake, an' you bloody well know it."

He gestured around grandly, then turned back to meet her glare with an unwavering stare of his own. "This. All this, you have. You've worked hard to keep it. Me an' mine have busted ass to help you keep it. Mas an' his boys have bent over backwards to help you keep it. Fuck all, Marik bloody died trying to help you keep it, an' this is how you repay him an' the rest? Slipping your guard, taking off unescorted on a whim, sneaking out for--"

"Do not ever speak of him to me in such a way again," Nathi said finally from between clenched teeth, her knuckles white as she tightened her fists further.

"He'd tell you the same fuckin' thing if he were here. Don't speak of him? Bah. Or you'll what, Nath? Off me like you have others?" Jas said incredulously, making a decidedly rude gesture with one hand. "Bullshit. I'm not one o' your damn lackeys, girl. Don't care what sort o' bits Shodey slapped in you, guarantee you'd not outlive me long. I put good money, time, an' effort into seein' you become somethin' more than you were because I saw somethin' there worth the damn effort. Dropped other jobs to keep retainer here because I felt you were a good investment an' worth the damn headaches - nevermind the fact you pay well an' keep yer agreements. Keep 'em in every goddamn respect but this. Damned if I'm gonna sit here and see you piss it all aways just on account o' being so fuckin' stubborn."

Jas held his ground as the furious Imperatrice made her way across the room, muttering imprecations under her breath in her native language, the volume of them rising as she strode towards him, not stopping 'til she was pressed against him, gesturing expansively. Getting right in his face (as her shorter stature allowed), she launched into a lengthy diatribe about just what she thought of him, his family six generations back, his opinions, his sexual preferences, the way he performed his job and in bed, and exactly what he could do with his opinions. And he yelled right back in the same tongue just as vehemently, starting off with her irresponsibility, her selfishness, the way she'd gotten soft and been slipping, the weakness he'd started to see in how she was running things, the problems she'd caused with her own promiscuity, and the childish manner she was handling it all presently, which was in a word, sloppy.

Else peeked in at the first sounds of trouble, soon followed by Massetti; both of whom drew back, quickly ordering off the alarm being raised by various security points. Pellegrino came bolting down the hall at a dead run, only to be stopped by the small group already gathered near the outer office door, the shouts and imprecations being heard well enough through the thick walls to cause more than one person to blanche.

"Sante Maria, madre del dio," Else breathed quietly, going so far as to cross herself and mouth a quick prayer as the argument escalated, this time accented with the sound of shattering glass, and soon after the crash of something fairly heavy being thrown against the wall near the door and breaking, the bits skittering across the floor as the yelling continued.

Back inside the room, Jas slammed his fist down on the nearby desk, and roared "Damare!" Nathi, rubbed the back of her hand across her cheek roughly, trying to clean the remnants of splashed wine from the recently thrown bottle, glaring back at the man. Glaring, yet holding off on any further yelling or throwing for now.

"Look, Nath. Gonna put it to you plain. You get your shit together, an' you decide if our services are still needed. Not gonna continue to put myself, my people, an' my reputation on the line for a selfish bitch who can't see past her own petty need for a thrill to let us do our jobs. You get your head straight, you think about just what it is you want, an' then we'll talk," the older man said, pulling a shard of glass from his hand, and tossing it aside. He gave her one last look, then fished a cigarette from the pack in the front pocket of his vest, lighting it with a casual flick of the wrist, and another to close the lighter cap, breathing deeply, then exhaling in a slow, steady stream.

"You got the number," he said without looking back.

Nathi set her jaw, and watched him leave, leaning over stiffly to press the speaker button on the desk phone.

"Else," she said in a tightly-controlled voice. "Send for housekeeping. And fetch me a new suit. Black pinstripe, red silk blouse. I've a meeting in sixty. Pronto."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Vione

Nathicana greeted Vione and the others with a curt nod and murmured thanks, letting the GMC people get right to the point. She watched the presentation with a quiet frown - one she had indeed, walked in with. She carefully avoided showing any other emotions as Shiala spoke, and explained the new 'object' they had discovered. Even when the numbers on the weapon were carefully laid out.

Inside, her stomach felt like it had just dropped to her toes.

Sweet Jesu. How in God's name do you fight something like that? How the hell are we supposed to combat things based in the occult while we are still trying to catch up to and understand even the most basic concepts? Tearing themselves apart? Elsewhere? Cloaking? -Merda!-

"Questions? Damn right there's questions. Just what do you plan on doing about it, for starters," she said finally, not comforted in the least at Rachel's comment.

Vione noted Nathi's expression as she came in but made no comment on it, and thought for a moment was she spoke, 'For now, we intend to continue gathering as much information as we possibly can on the offensive and defensive capabilities of Sekhmet with a view towards evaluating her total combat power and determining what would need to be done in the event she had to be disabled or destroyed.'

Rachel nodded, 'Our primary concern is the maximum effective range of her main weapon and we believe it will be so for the Euruseans as well. At present we believe they'll want a program of tests to determine her capabilities and acquiring any data from those tests will be our top priority regarding intelligence.'

Vione sighed, 'Therefore, the only current threat from the Infinity Cannon is her air wing. We have reason to believe all her manned aircraft have been promised to this man...'

A file photograph of a young man with staring red eyes and short grey hair replaced the other images. 'Air Marshal Dilandau, he's commander of the Eurusean Air Force which has just received a huge reallocation of budget for a somewhat murky "role in securing the property of the Eurusean people from traitors."' Vione paused, and an old sepia-toned photograph appeared of a mangled aircraft. The work crews stood around it in white shirts and dungarees with peaked caps, leaning on their pickaxes looking jubilant if not a little puzzled by it.

'This was taken one hundred and sixty years ago at a quarry ten miles outside of Hammer Bay, and was eventually classified as OOPART #7. The object depicted was the basis of the materials, engine and reactor used in our modern Starblade aerospace fighter, and bears certain structural similarities. However, it was noted that the pilot's area and controls were far too large for any human operator in one of the early evaluations.'

Shiala nodded, 'It's therefore our conclusion that Sekhmet's air wing cannot be deployed directly, save any unmanned drone aircraft she may have. Most likely the remainder will be removed for study and dismantled at Eurusean Air Force research facilities.'

"Do they know?" Came the first question, the subject of which she felt would be quite clear. "If that is the case, we've got more than a bit of work ahead of us to come up with some misdirection, and get the 'project' safely out." Nathi was becoming more and more leery of having the child in the Dominion, especially after saying nothing to the others. Of course she had known the risks, but revelations like this tended to make one stop and think.

"And what was that about 'recovering from traitors'?" she continued, then paused before going on. "Are you saying you share tech with something that shouldn't have existed when it did, and that said thing was manned by some giant race in addition? Sweet Jesu, people - just what am I supposed to do about any of this?"


ooc: sorry for the shortness - have been stuck.

It was truly amazing, how all of this had turned out, Nathicana mused, looking out of the sheltered, bulletproof windows that overlooked the island from this high vantage point, above the hangars that were hidden within the one tall peak of Unity Island.

The land was lush and green, the heat bathing it, and humidity hanging over it often giving it a shimmering, wavy look if one gazed long enough. The efforts of many nations had come together to create it, and their touch could be seen in the varied plant and wildlife, architecture, styles, even the weapons, machinery, and other less aesthetic details of the island.

Truly, no other place quite like it existed on Earth, and likely, no other ever would – it had been all they needed, and had served its purpose well.

While the alliance gave the appearance of peace, perhaps even slothful inattention to military preparation, to those who were either unaware, or unattentive, never had the press to keep themselves at the ready ceased, especially here, where many, but not all of the joint forces were housed – those earthbound forces, at least. Aerospace assets were kept and produced in other various locations, the wisdom of not keeping all of one’s eggs in one basket having not been forgotten. Mars, Delgago, Sslaa, and wherever individual nations had chosen to maintain joint groups as well as their own forces. Always building, always maintaining, always training – as out of sight as was possible in the current age of technology.

The NDA had been quiet, to be sure, but then so had the multiverse in general, so far as it concerned them and theirs. All of which was fine and well. And yet, the meetings, and missives, and day to day tasks were carried out with their usual attention to detail and secrecy as needed, keeping all members apprised of whatever it was they required to know – along with the business that went on behind closed doors, that no one but those involved need be concerned of. Such was the way of these independent governments, trusting that what the group needed to be aware of was discussed, and private affairs were kept discreet and out of the public eye in any cases it might affect the image of the group overall.

Given the aptitude of her allies, Nathicana did not worry. They had proven themselves time and again, and she was proud to be associated with them, one and all.

Idly, she watched one of the monorail trains make its way quickly along the coastline, admiring its sleek lines. Elsewhere, her eyes wandered over other trails and roadways where she could see them, and eventually settled on the compound, set like the hub of a wheel, where all the various consulates were located. Room had been allowed for more – growth was never a bad thing, after all. Immaculately groomed, each showing proudly the nature of the nation they represented, the buildings and grounds were clearly the centerpiece of the island, and usually, aside from the docks or general airstrip, about all that visitors were shown of the place.

Far below the center, unseen, the Council Chamber and its adjacent auxiliary rooms was located, safely beneath the easy reach of bunker busters, reinforced and built with as much cunning as could be managed, reachable by any one of the consulates not only for ease of access, but for evacuation as well.

The Chamber itself was impressive, being a round room, containing a sturdy, round table with regular breaks in it where speakers might enter, to address the group as a whole. Inlaid in the black granite surface at each setting were the flags of each member nation. Comfortable leather chairs sat at each leader’s setting, with two seats adjacent for aides, and more pushed back along the walls, should others be invited to participate in any gien meeting. Along points on the walls were large displays for digital conferencing, and between them at three locations were simulated lava curtains that flowed top to bottom, casting a warm, shifting glow throughout the room, not competing with, but accenting the overhead lights that highlighted the center table area, casting the rest in shadows. From the center of the floor, a stand could be raised for the placement of visual aids of one sort or another, from the physical, to the three dimensional overhead projections. The polished black tiles that covered the walls and floors reflected the lava’s glow, though it didn’t reach the matte black painted ceiling, which was curved in a dome for just that much more security and strength.

Ostentatious? Perhaps, but then she and Devon Treznor, along with Carlos Quil’raya had desired a bit of pomposity and ‘dark overlord’ ambiance when they had first envisioned the place. At the time, the jibes about being an ‘evil’ alliance had amused them to no end, and thus, the resulting ‘joke’, though few outsiders had ever seen it.

Considering it all, and the growth that had happened over the years, the changes, the triumphs, the tragedies, she found herself proud overall, if a bit wistful. Carlos was dead, and his son had taken their nation into relative hiding after a tumultuous reorganization. Devon had given his seat to Gehenna – a capable leader in her own right – feeling himself stretched with the responsibilities ahead of him. She hadn’t been willing to let go just yet, though she knew it couldn’t last forever. She was the last of the three who had first envisioned the Non-Democratic Alliance, and ironically, the one of the three who had in fact, been convinced to join by the other two, over a casual hot tub discussion one night, after their membership in GOD had gone directions they little cared for, and seeing other alliances such as GDODAD and others just not living up to the expectations they held for their own nations.

She had been a member of the Triumvirate of Yut at the time, though others soon joined her in their dual alliance stances, and thus far, with the exception of the ongoing Iraqstan problem, had much tested their commitment to either. Nathicana had never seen a need for more than these two, each serving their purpose, and each in all honesty, representing various needs, and ideals the Dominion had. On Mars especially, they had worked well together, flourishing even, where she hadn’t expected to set foot again.

It is good, she thought to herself, nodding her head gently, looking out the window with a quiet sort of smile. And leaving those thoughts, she took the stairs down to finish her usual inspections.