The Iron Giant

[TheGrandTriskelionEmpire]

Tlaloc 22

One by one the star destroyers appeared from the darkness of space, their blue engines were bright in the black, pushing the ships forward at an ever-faster pace towards their target. The space station sat in front of formation spanning out many kilometres in every direction, the destroyers were ants compared to the giant which lurked in front of them. Spawning from the rear of the station there was a tower which reached up into space, along either side of the tower were bright lights which illuminated the dark side while the local star which sat behind the station illuminated everything else giving anyone looking at the station and awe inspiring vision of the giant, maybe to spire fear, maybe to inspire a sense of power, only time would tell.

 

The Captain’s personal hangar was quite small, much smaller than most Imperial hangars which were capable of fitting hundreds of fighters in and thousands of armoured Imperials. Sitting on the edge of the hangar was Lancer’s personal transport, it was smaller than most of the Empire’s shuttles but it was just as fast and as agile in combat. Though this time Lancer wouldn’t need those kinds of attributes for this mission, she had been sent personally by the Empress for a trade deal and a large one at that.

 

Jumping onto the armoured wing the cockpit hissed back and she took her seat. Tapping at holocontrols the engines roared to life and the craft lifted off of the deck and into space. In seconds the formation of star destroyers had been left behind and the station grew only larger in size, around her there were many craft going and coming, none of which he recognised personally from her experience. As she was approaching he was greeted by the stations crew and told to where she should be landing.

 

Pulling the stick back on the craft she was roaring up towards the centre of the station where the embassy hangar bay would be waiting for her. She felt the craft shake as the tractor beam pulled her craft towards the station. Taking a few seconds as she passed through the hangar bay door shields she admired the structure of the building work around her. The hangar was mostly empty she noted as her fighter touched down and the cockpit cover rolled off with its usual his. Now she waited for her contacts.

[Governess Ariel]

Tlaloc 22

Embassy Hangar Wing D

 

As the ship landed, a pair of black robed figures seemingly escorted a golden robed figure towards the ship. All around the hangar was white, save for the opening into the void, which had a silvery sheen to it as the nanites floated in their plasma fields sealing the hangar from the void of space. As they get closer the Kel'ein stop and hold their ground allowing the Sen to walk and greet their guest. The Sen is one of the castes that many Yin Mri still follow. It is the equivalent of the diplomats, priests, and scientists. This one wears several medals, not quite as many as her Kel'ein guards, but an impressive display for a non-warrior. Her face is hid behind a veil as she approaches. She bows her head before saying, "Welcome to Tlaloc Defense Installation 22. We are expecting you in Congressional Chamber 31. If you are planning on staying longer than the meeting, I can also show you to your nation's quarters. Refreshments and entertainment are free for all peoples aboard the Tlaloc Station, so please feel free to request either if you are staying with us longer."

 

With that, the woman turns and begins to walk the direction she came, clearly meaning for Captain Lancer to follow. As they are guided down the corridors by the Kel'ein, the Sen says, "I am Sen'en Rhya s'Kesrith. I do believe I was briefed on your experiences Captain. However, it does seem our data files are missing... several years of your early life. If you would be so kind as to fill them in while you are here, that would be most beneficial." She talks as she directs the warriors to make another turn. They come to a door in which she puts her hand to the wall. A series of panels seem to respond to her touch as a wall opens into another corridor. Eventually, she leads Captain Lancer to a small room in which they stand and she again, places a hand on the wall before silvery energy washes over the group. "Do not worry Captain. Just a small rift gate. The Tlaloc Station is far too large to simply walk you to your destinations."

 

They arrive moments later and a wall panel next to the captain opens revealing a large room with a large U-Shaped table at the center of it. Behind the head of the table, Rhya seemingly waves open a series of panels to reveal an amazing view. They are near the top of the Tower and can look down into the swirling mass of energy below them. Glimpses of different Universes flash by as ships use the Tlaloc stations and Rift Gates scattered across the Multi-verse to come here. Beneath all of it, the star of the Orbis System glows.  A small stream of energy was being pulled from it into the base of the tower seemingly tethering the station to the star.

 

"Please take your seat. Governess Ariel and Agent Niri s'Kutath will be here in short order."

[Schwieger]

Tlaloc 22

 

A small convoy plies the sickly domain with alacrity, seemingly eager to be within the horrendous and tumultuous energies and putrid particulates of the rift. For them the realm is generous and graces their starving hulls and greedy reactors with with a flood of power. Their shields protect and their systems accept. But the realm does not share in their sentiment and, with much vigor, attempts extermination. Though her attempts are thwarted with vim the convoy is not deaf to the grand hatred of the rift. It soon begins to free itself from the emerald realm; within the System Orbis a rend begins to form. The tear in reality expands and grows and soon it becomes apparent that from it a number of vessels are beginning to emerge - craft still coated with energies and particulates that are slow to divorce themselves from the LNS and Array coatings of the VRZ-vessel exteriors. The convoy is small - perhaps a half dozen transports and freighters (each exceeding no more than thirty kilometers in length: a rather paltry host) escorted by a litany of much smaller rift cruisers which shepherd and guide them. The rear of the formation, however, disgorges a pair of battleships which slide into coherent space-time appropriately and signal to the Tlaloc above Orbis Prime:

 

We request clearance for shuttle landing, the message states curtly.

 

In the void the two vessels, dwarfing moons, set course for the Tlaloc; their massive funnels belch horrendous torrents into the void as their reactors begin to push them through reality and closer to the parent star of the Obis System. 

Edited November 14, 2016 by Schwieger

[TheGrandTriskelionEmpire]

The Hangar Bay-Tlaloc 22

 

Lancer removed her helmet and placed it beneath her right arm, she shook her head gently to free her hair. Never have been on such a diplomatic mission, this felt odd for her, normally she was at the helm of a star destroyer leading a battle formation or on the ground with her fellow troops, this was different however, though in what way she wasn’t sure quite yet. Neural implants started tracking the figures who were fast approaching her, normally information about the target would be fed to Lancer’s brain so she knew a little about them, instead, this time they came up with a blank, the Triskeli intelligence had no information on these people at all. This made Lancer feel quite uncomfortable, she was used to knowing nearly everything about those she met. The figure had just bowed in the few seconds that had passed “Sen'en, I thank you very much for your warm welcome, I do plan on staying at the station for a while, even after our business is done as I will need to fill out a few reports. I will have my men bring across my personal belongings to the station while we do our businessâ€.

 

 

The long corridors reminded Lancer of her visits to the Death Stars, when she visited those it felt like the corridors would never end, it must have been hell for those who were permanently stationed on them. All of a sudden she had the woman who had greeted her at the hangar asking about her life when she was a lot younger. Not many people knew her real name or even what she did before becoming Lancer. The Triskeli Intelligence agencies had made sure that her former self had be removed from existence, no trace was left of her former self…bar her grieving family who believed that she was long dead “There is very little interesting about my younger self, I grew up the daughter of a Stormtrooper, traveling from planet to planet. When I was old enough I went to the Imperial academy and here I am. I rose through the ranks due to my ability and skill as a commander of men. That’s all there is to know I’m afraid. I’ll have my office send over all the records for youâ€. She smirked as they continued to walk.

 

They passed through the rift gate and she felt weird, never having used one before this was her first time, something to add to the list she guessed, her eyes fell upon the U-shaped table and the view that was sat behind it. She blinked several times which caused her neural implants to save the image for future viewing, the idea that she would pay someone to paint that image and have it hanging behind her desk mused her mind.  Taking her seat, she awaited the arrival of others from the UMS, in the mean time she placed three holo platforms on the table and activated each one with a wave of her hand. The first was the image of an Imperator star destroyer, though in an exploded view showing all its inner workings. The second was the image of a clone trooper, also in an exploded view, with text bubbles explaining what each part of the armour was made of and what its role was. The last hologram was of a new ship design that not many others had seen. Little did others know that Triskel would soon be ordering nearly one hundred million ships and a new clone army of a trillion troopers to guard the new colony.

[Oncaro]

Tlaloc 22

 

In contrast to the ships of the Triskeli and Pords, the next UMS member state to make for Tlaloc 22 was decidedly much humbler, by human standards: A sleek ship that looked as though it was designed by an artisan, less than a kilometer in length and possessing no weaponry of its own. This was the Branimira, the personal yacht and diplomatic transport of Supreme Leader Danica Ambrozije of Kressnia, and it glided through space in an almost leisurely manner.

 

This trip to Orbis had gone on a little longer than Danica had expected, but she couldn't say that she was displeased. To finally set foot on Earth, or at least a version of it, had been quite a happy experience to the Supreme Leader, and though she knew this would probably be her last meeting attended in PW-1 for a while as she needed to get back to her duties in NS-1, she couldn't help but feel pride in just how quickly the Kressnian colonists had won over their Balkan "kin". The PW-1 Colony was a resounding success, and trade between it and the Turanov system was already flourishing; even some of the natives had opted to see Kressnia itself, and by all accounts they were quite pleased at how stable the republic was, considering that Orbis was in a continuous flux of nations and their holdings.

 

As the Branimira entered Tlaloc 22 and docked after receiving permission, Danica exited the ship-- alone, with not even her bodyguards present. She had no fears of her personal safety, not here. The Mri were lukewarm to the UMS at best, but she knew they meant her or her people no harm, as the Kressnians were very careful to avoid offending them-- or any of the other species they had encountered.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Oncaro

[Governess Ariel]

Meeting Room

Tlaloc 22, Orbis System

 

While Captain Lancer was waiting in the room, several small, 4mm diameter, probes appeared and spun in a back corner of the room. Conversation was being held as two figures stepped out of the rift gate that seemingly opened out of no where. "..New Nika's colony will have to be cancelled. The local tribal peoples of this system are far too savage for large Mri populations." The two figures were both Mri, one Yin and one Zahe. The Zahe Mri had just finished speaking. "Don't worry the KOF has plans to bypass these primitives. Business must continue even in this savage 'verse." The Yin Mri responded. They both took seats near the head of the table. "Welcome Captain Lancer, I am Governess Ariel, this is Niri s'Kutath, Agent of the Kutathi Orbital Fabricators." The Agent looked very pleased to see the Triskeli Captain here. "Captain, your Empire has been most generous with its contracts in the past. I look forward to continuing our great partnership here today. I am not sure, but I believe you wanted something in the area of 100 million ships this time. I do hope that we can come to an agreement by the end of all of this. Already my agents have been moving on sights in this Galaxy and other nearby Galaxies. We will have the fabricators up and running very soon."
 
The Governess seemed to look past Lancer as she was sending commands to her various officers. She looks annoyed, "Well, that does it then doesn't it. FTLi is up. We need the fleets fully mobilized here." She seemed focused elsewhere. "Yes, bring up all of the guests we have. I would like this meeting to take place soon. We have much to discuss and very little time before the locals think they are capable of attacking our stations." She looked as the Rift Gate remained open. "It is fortunate we had this gate already open. We just can't close it or we won't be able to get it back open until FTIi is dropped."
 
Niri leans over to Captain Lancer. "Before everyone gets in here. I heard rumor of another project your nation was wishing to ask about. If you could send the blueprints to my implant, I can get a team working on it immediately. I already have teams in Tau Ceti and the Small Magellanic Cloud of this universe. We shouldn't have a problem with any systems you wish to add."
 
They eagerly await the arrival of the other guests.
 

---

 

Embassy Hangars, Tlaloc 22

 

The Pords are given landing instructions and a guide to bring them to the meeting room. Likewise, a delegation of Mri in traditional dress arrive to bring Danica up to the room. Danica is offered a place to rest after the meeting should she need it. The Guide's implants gives notification to Governess Ariel the minute Danica is about to enter the Conference room and she is greeted upon the door being opened. "Welcome Supreme Leader Danica Ambrozije. We are expecting at least one more guest before we begin."

[Oncaro]

Tlaloc 22

 

Danica had never been inside a Mri station before-- or any ship of theirs for that matter-- so she took the time to admire the architecture inside as she was walked to the meeting room. Along the way, she received a message in her combead-- an earpiece that was small enough to fit into her inner ear without obstructing her hearing. From it the voice of the Branimira's captain, Anastasija Cravic, spoke to her.

 

"Your Excellency, things in-system seem to be heating up. There's something going on around Mars, and the Pords have set up an FTLi interdiction field covering thirty AU."

 

"Understood, captain... We may have to delay my heading back to Turanov then. Keep me updated," Danica said softly, pressing a fingertip to her ear to communicate.

 

"Understood, Supreme Leader."

 

Passing through the miniature rift gate and shuddering at the odd feeling of it against her form, she blinked. After a shake of her head, she looked to Governess Ariel and smiled.

 

"It's a pleasure to be here," she said, before taking her seat. "Even with the... unpleasantness that has just erupted in the system. Hopefully things can be finished quickly."

Edited November 16, 2016 by Oncaro

[Schwieger]

Nalydian Relations

 

The lead ship powers forward with clearance from the Mri. It does not take it long to find a suitable anchorage position not terribly far from the Tlaloc, and when it does, the vast and cavernous hangars are revealed to the void and from them a trio of shuttles emerge. These shuttles course through the myriad fabrics of space and time as they set course for the Tlaloc; upon nearing it they circle and land in the appropriate fashion. The Tlaloc's own hangar (understandably) is similarly vast and unremarkable, but its construction is familiar to the Pords. It is good to have friends in verses both near and far. The shuttles touch down with chorus of echoing thwumpfs! and from them are disgorged a single High Hunter and what appears to be a small entourage. The High Hunter is first off the craft though, and - after seeing the others in the entourage - is quick to wave the other Pords back. This meeting does not call for pomp or flair, thus it is only proper that such frivolous things be avoided. The standard-bearers and musicians file back into their shuttles leaving only the High Hunter and her aide. They accept the Mri guide and are soon brought to the meeting chamber with the other waiting guests.

 

This place looks like another shithole, High Hunter Tylaq Balnook tells her aid.

 

These places usually are, Rytek observes. 

 

Leave it to the Triskeli to be cryptic when you don't want them to be, she replies. 

 

Rytek nods; realizes they are among company. Tylaq turns to the Mri and bows and then does the same with the other leaders assembled. 

 

We do appreciate the invitation to come out here today, she says. As per special request I am here to represent the Zhükozh Jloknamän-Rekazhnarän. I do hope that Triskel and the Imperial Nalydian Army can reach an amicable accord, she finishes. Then, turning to the Mri: Admiral Panük sends his regards. His brigade will be maintaining FTLi in this system for until hostilities die down. Never can be too careful among... Tylaq searches for the right word, but none are quick to come to her. savages, she mutters.

 

Tylaq sits.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Schwieger

[Governess Ariel]

Tlaloc 22

Orbis System

 

With the arrival of Tylaq and Danica, the meeting could begin. Governess Ariel stood up and addressed the assembled delegates. "Dear friends of the Mri Empire. We have all made this new Universe our home. As such, security of our citizens is our first priority. Because of that, I have invited the Kutathi Orbital Fabricators to set up shop in this Universe. They are the most effective arms company in the multiverse, additionally, they have other services which they can bring to our various colonies. Agent Niri s'Kutath is here to explain."

 

The KOF agent stood upon the governess recognizing her. She waved her hand and the grand view behind her was replaced by images of weapons, starships, armored vehicles, medical supplies, and a list of implants they can give to aliens. "These are but the minimal services we can provide. My company has served the Mri Empire for thousands of years and have built some of the most iconic warships that have been sent to the frontlines in the past. More recently, we have served the people of the Empire in the fields of medicine and engineering. Our foundries built on the island of Eire on Orbis are already improving the lives of the Mri living there. I understand that Triskel is interested in a large contract with us and I hoped to work out contracts with as many others as we can. The current situation in this System shows that we have come to a volatile place. Our observations of the natives here place them at the same level of the Mri nearly two thousand years ago. At that time, the Mri were just expanding into their own system and had fought off the invasion from an alien species from a nearby system.

 

"Now, lets see if we can work something out. I know my company has something for everyone assembled here. Ships, Implants, weaponry, medicine; the Kutathi Orbital Fabricators can provide it all."

 

The image that took over the window vanishes and a full list of products and services appears on a holo-board at each seat. There are various sections, but it clearly is trying to steer users towards the military tech, which is the most expensive. However, there is an extensive list of implants and medical procedures that can be done on individuals.

[Oncaro]

Danica pursed her lips as she listened to Niri s'Kutath's introduction, and her brow furrowed as she looked at the services offered by the holo-board. In truth, the republic wasn't in need of medical supplies or any sort of augmentations, and the production of most military equipment for the KSDF was going at a steady pace, as the KSDF initiative had proven more successful than Danica had ever expected. While total active and reserve members of both the KSDF Army and Navy still numbered less than one percent of Kressnia's population of ten billion people, the population had taken to the idea of it surprisingly well, which pleased Danica as she had had to market the idea to them, and if it were not for public approval of the idea, it would not have gone through.

 

Her musings, however, were interrupted by a buzzing in her pocket; she took out a device not dissimilar to a 21st century smartphone, but with far expanded communication abilities; apparently Kressnian ships had picked something up and the Branimira relayed this to her in an... informal manner.

 

CONFLICT ALREADY OVER

 

CHERNIGOV SURRENDERED; TRISKEL OFFERED SANCTUARY FOR LEADER WE THINK

 

TONINA GOT INVOLVED, PRINCE B'ALAM OFFERED VASSALHOOD TO CHERNIGOV; HARSH BY OUR STANDARDS, OFFER RUDELY REJECTED

 

CHERNIGOV PISSED. TONINA PISSED. PRETTY SURE TRISKEL PISSED; INTER-UMS WAR LOOKS IMMINENT

 

WHAT DO

 

 

Oh dear God in Heaven, really?! Danica thought, and she replied quickly, saying she'd make a statement of her own. And because she was capable of multitasking, this statement was typed up even as she spoke to the Mri.

 

"The Kressnian Self-Defense Force's naval branch is doing well, but part of my plans when I pitched this initiative was the creation of larger, more properly standardized warships over a set period of time. The issue is, recruitment is much higher than I initially expected, and so the timetables will need to be sped up. I trust that an organization with the resources and experience like yours is more than up to the task of assisting in this regard," Danica said, looking up to the Mri as she typed. The message to the Maya, Triskeli, and Chernigovian governments didn't take long to finish and send.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Oncaro

[Governess Ariel]

Niri listened to Danica and nodded, "I do understand. We can work with your own manufacturers so that we can produce ships to your specifications. Additionally, we already have in system fabricators ready for production of starships as well as foundries on Orbis and Niun, not to mention aboard this station, to construct weaponry. We can also offer defensive emplacements to supplement your own defenses including Anti-Orbital emplacements, ground fortifications and limited Heavy Artillery. Anything your people need, we have a way to provide it." 

 

She used her implant to look through other various services the KOF could provide. The product list was ever expanding, even their own catalog didn't have the full extent of their operations. She turned her attention to Governess Ariel for a moment as news flashed across their implants. Ariel nodded before Niri said, "It seems the local war has already concluded. However, that does not exclude the need to defend our citizenry."

[TheGrandTriskelionEmpire]

With a rapid but subtle movement from her right arm she tapped several keys on her left arm plate and instantly transmitted the data for the Empire’s latest secret project. “I thank you for your hospitality, Governess. The Triskeli are always open to trade partners and with the reputation of the Kutathi Orbital Fabricators, I have no fear that the men and women of the Triskeli armed forces will be receiving the best in new and upgraded weapon systems.

 

She continued You are correct in thinking that the Triskeli fleet will be expanding by a further 100 million star destroyers. We are also seeking upgrades in the form of weapon systems and shielding systems as current ones are slightly falling behind in the technology race, though they are able to handle in system primitives as they stand.  One issue that was highlighted in a previous Imperial Fleet Review was the amount of personnel used on each ship, we have recently removed all hangars from ships and in their place added in more armour and more shielding to cut down further. Currently around 50,000 men are stationed aboard a normal star destroyer, we would like to cut that down to around 20,000 or even less than that, which would hopefully allow for more armour and shielding.

 

However, I do have some other orders we’d like to place with other nations in the room. As well as our increase in ship production we will be producing one trillion clone troopers to secure our hold in this galaxy, in this system and beyond. The armour of these troopers and the weapon systems that they carry will also be built in this galaxy. For the support equipment, we would like to place an order with the people of Kressnia and for the training of this army we feel that our Nalydian friends are more than qualified. These orders are all multibillion Tricredit transactions and if accepted we will dispatch the funds within minutesâ€

Edited November 19, 2016 by TheGrandTriskelionEmpire

[Schwieger]

The High Hunter, Tylaq Balnook

 

Tylaq's attention is taken by Rytek who takes her ear to relay new tidbits of information. He speaks quickly and quietly and Tylaq can be seen nodding after every few words. There isn't much that he relays, though, and so soon she turns her attention back to the gathered just in time to catch part of Lancer's commentary. For a brief moment thoughts of shock overtake her form as crew counts in the tens of thousands are mentioned; visibly she makes no indication of his opinion (she did, after all, decide to forgo wearing a Torc at this meeting) however, and takes the opportunity to speak once the Triskeli finishes:

 

It appears that Admiral Panük will be maintaining his FTLi fields, she says. 

 

Rytek takes her ear again to mention something to which she shakes her head before continuing:

 

Captain Lancer, the High Hunter's Army will be more than happy to assist your infantry in training, she says. I will bring my personal detachment of Yamsi'an Guard here... They're the best in the army, she says, beaming. 

 

Rytek stifles a chuckle but makes a note of Tylaq's declaration. He notes it first on a scroll and then hides it away before taking out a datapad and noting here as well. He doesn't bother with anything fancy, just simple notification to Tylaq's brigade commanders that they may be needed in PW-1 soon and to be prepared should official orders come through. 

[Governess Ariel]

Niri received the plans for the Triskeli weapons. She had just the place for this weapon to be built. She would just need the proper security team there. "That is quite the large order Captain, but of course, the KOF will accept your contract. I will have my engineers start drawing up plans for your new ships as well as armor for the infantry. I will also order several more expeditions to begin setting up foundries and fabricators in the surrounding star systems. We will send you options for the ships as soon as the engineers have finished the first outline of them."

 

She entered several things into the KOF registry through her implant and inquired, "As for the infantry, we have implants and packages which would greatly improve the avarage clone soldier your nation employs. Our Enhanced Package comes with the standard Athletics package along with immuno boosters to fight off biological agents. We could also easily engineer a symbiote for them. As they are all of nearly identical genetic makeup, it should be quite simple to give them these Symbiotes in at least a limited fashion. The Symbiote will increase their metabolism, faster reaction times, self-closing and healing wounds, as well as keep them alive for a week without food or water should they fall unconscious due to wounds. It has been a life saver for many Mri across the centuries."

[Oncaro]

As the others talked, Danica was busy thumbing through her smartphone (as that was essentially what it was), but she froze as Captain Lancer made her offer and looked to the other woman.

 

"Supplies for a trillion soldiers," she repeated, slightly aghast. "I don't know if Kressnia can supply that much hardware, but we'll certainly try. As for my end..."

 

She sent a number of highly detailed schematics to Niri, showing a number of designs for militarized star ships. None were particularly huge by the standards of the UMS founders the largest being just below 1200 meters. The smaller ones had a rather boxy, utilitarian design to them, much like the usual Kressnian vessels. The larger ones, designated as cruisers and battleships, actually looked not-dissimilar to Star Destroyers.

 

"These are the sorts of vessels my people are planning to create. You'll be pleased to know our orders are not quite as large as Triskel's. We're taking our militarization somewhat slowly, working in stages. Our current benchmark is to have around twenty more thousand vessels within two years. Certainly doable for you, I'm sure," she said, smiling. "Granted, when I say twenty-thousand in two years I'm going off the timetables of my own people. For all I know this could be a serious lowball figure from your perspective."

Edited November 22, 2016 by Oncaro

[Cheonsa]

Little did they know that secretly, an Amenrian shinobi hides among them, recording their conversation and sending it live to the High Council of Amenria. Lee Minho, head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, breaks the silence in the council chamber with a stern face as he looks at the Emperor, saying, "So, what do you suggest we do now, Your  Supreme Imperial Highness?"

 

"We listen and observe. We are not here to make enemies, we are here to learn our place here, and perhaps find mighty nations to aid us in the fight against Incursean imperialism. If these people are preparing for war, then we should do so too. Let's keep listening to them for a while."

 

"Your Supreme Imperial Highness, with all due respect, I think this is not the time to be making friends." responded Ling Aoyun, leader of the Imperial Guard. "Their forces are getting stronger by the minute and would wipe us out the moment they realized our position.", she continued, emphasizing her statement with the wave of a hand.

 

"Are you mad!? Look around you! Do you think it's wise to attack a nation of that strength in our current condition!?" yelled Kim Junmyeon, Minister of Economic Affairs, as he stood up and slammed his hand on the table. "With this crisis still affecting our nation, how do you suppose we win!? With stones and harsh words? I think not!"

 

"You know what's mad? Wasting money on space mining programs while our people are struggling to survive. Do your job, and I'll do mine. It's as simple as that, really." replied Aoyun, brushing the fringe of her long, red hair with an expression of annoyance on her face.

 

"Enough, both of you!" bellowed the Supreme Heavenly Emperor. "My decision if final. We keep listening to them, and wait in silence."

 

The council members stood up and bowed, "Yes, your Supreme Imperial Highness", before taking their seats again and continue to patiently listen to the shinobi's transmission.