Story Arc 2- The Conspiracy

[ACH0225]

My nations are verilously beautiful and brutally efficient.

And if war isn't the main point of this, then subterfuge and shadow wars are. This is not a 'happy peaceful, tolerate each other' thing. This is brutal and quick war and espionage. If you have come here to be friends with everyone and start some sort of peace corps, go away.

I want a new RP as well. One devoted to pure violence and decimation. That is the universe.

[Crash Override]

My nations are verilously beautiful and brutally efficient.

And if war isn't the main point of this, then subterfuge and shadow wars are. This is not a 'happy peaceful, tolerate each other' thing. This is brutal and quick war and espionage. If you have come here to be friends with everyone and start some sort of peace corps, go away.

I want a new RP as well. One devoted to pure violence and decimation. That is the universe.

Subterfuge and Shadow Wars FTW

[Ivan2006]

Okay, how about I talk to Fenway about finding a way to end the current war and go back to devious plotting and Conspirator talk?
Because, believe it or not, I got Fenway to sign something that allows me to edit his story ideas without asking him.
It´s called a "I give you material for a story if you handle the material as I want"-deal.

[Professor Fenway]

After many months, the war has winded down. The UGC, SDI, and EC are unable to bring themselves to a resolution, so they are stuck in a perpetual cold war. Not really attacking, but border disputes all the same.

NeoRome is recovering after two of it's major industrial worlds were completely leveled, along with the civilians on them. Everyone has drawn back to heal, but they still hate each other.

::ARK-42::

::Prime 42 ONLINE::
>_Orders Received
>_Scanning

-Network Fault Detected-
>_Awakening All remaining ARK's
>_Orders Sent
>_Signalling ARK-2
::Activating Contingency 2234GH::

[Ivan2006]

---public broadcast by the EE---
The EE would appreciate if, since this war is going nowhere, we would start negotiating.
there will just be more casualties and no achievements at this point, remember WW1 from old earth.
We don´t want that happening again.
---broadcast end---

[Crash Override]

It was a long time before Darkstar could be good again.Without any notice,some parts of the government vanished.
Stations were constructed,a more peacefull way of life was achieved after the war.

INTERNAL:

Investments in civillian tech.
Minor investments in sensor technology.

[Phalanx]

The UAC retracted its fleets, choosing to focus on internal affairs. Over about 2 years, the rebel movement had been completely destroyed, and the Andromeda Galaxy was once more a peaceful place.

[Chairman_Tiel]

There was tension in the air. A bit of a rusty smell; the delicate aroma emitted from potted plants blending with the scent of sweat beading on the skin of each of the uniformed Tiens seated within the small room. If it was found discomforting by any of the military commanders, they didn't show it, instead delving into the heated discussion taking place over the faux steel table.

Arxin glanced at the group assembled. There was Commander Fosh, Commander Ardeus, Admiral Fortus, Fleet Marshall Zander, even the de facto leader of the fleet itself, Grand Admiral Verdan, but ultimately he found himself looking at the blacksuited figure seated at the far end of the table. The female Equine had no insignia, nor a nameplate, leaving Arxin at a loss as to her identity, or even the branch she served. Why was an unknown quantity attending an emergency meeting?

So be it. All would be revealed in time, he mused, and returned his attention to the ongoing debate.

"...we deploy there, we lose everything." Fortus was saying, a dark complexioned Tien whose crest was raised in exclamation.

No sooner had he finished when another voice erupted from the other side of the table, that of Ardeus - a young straw-color feathered commander with an impressive military record.

"If we don't do anything we risk irrelevance-"

"Isn't that our goal?" Fosh interrupted, the modest collection of medals from successful border security actions on his ivory white uniform jingling as he leaned forward. "The day the galaxy at large forgets about the Sovereignty is the day we can rest knowing our people are safe."

"Protectorate." Ardeus corrected, to which Fosh's crest lowered slightly in acknowledgement of his error. "And why do we continue to delude ourselves that inaction will save us from conflict?"

"Calamity most often befalls those that attempt to avoid it." Zander, a recent addition to the command staff, agreed, his crest twitching thoughtfully.

The younger officer gave a succinct nod in thanks for the support before continuing, bringing his wing to the table and giving a small tap to activate the dormant holomap inlaid within its surface.

"With the recall of the 2nd, we now have more available divisions than ever to deploy on offensive operations. If we were to stage joint strikes with the Planetary Corps here and here," the straw colored Tien gestured at several points on the map, "our target would have little in the way of anything to fight back with, given their forces are tied up with NeoRome at their border. We can then use these as staging points for a campaign to neutralize their industrial capacity and tip the scales in favor of the SDI."

Ardeus looked expectantly at the officers gathered, his glimmering eyes seeking approval. Verdan was the first to speak, his voice commanding obedience even though he was past his prime.

"And what does the Protectorate gain from this?" He inquired, white tinged feathers ruffling in exasperation or curiosity, it was difficult to tell.

"Raw resources, better relations with the members of SDI-"

Arxin failed to suppress a chuckle at the last part, and his crest lowered in apology as all eyes fell on him for his inadvertent interruption. "My apologies, Commander. Please continue."

The officer cocked his head to the side in irritated query and said, "No, please. If you have concerns you are free to voice them."

Arxin glanced around the chamber and saw everyone attending the meeting looking at him expectantly. Seeing there was no way out of this, he sighed and spoke.

"Commander, it is not my intent to belittle your plan. However, does it account for the UGC? What you are proposing is open war on a member nation of the alliance, to which retribution will be swift. Our departure from the SDI was also a mandate by the Directorate; attempting to curry favor with members of it would be a moot and ultimately futile endeavor. While I agree that our resource coffers are running low in the wake of increased military production, I also agree with the Admiral that it would be ideal to consolidate our forces."

Satisfied with his contribution to the discussion, Arxin leaned back in his chair and prepared to retake a spectator role when he noticed the blacksuited Equine stand up.

"And how would you suggest we shore up our forces without supplies to build additional military assets?" she asked.

Before the Marshall could say anything, Fosh responded. "We can't shore up our forces period if we take heavy casualties on a fool's errand. There are also ways to obtain resources without pillaging other empires like some hapless thirtieth century brigand." He scrutinized her uniform, and said, "Just what branch are you, anyway?"

"Intelligence." The equine seemed to take a deep breath before responding to the commander's rebuttal. "And most of those alternative means consist of going to the Directorate like a child who's plaything has fallen apart. Naval Command has already exceeded its budget twice this fiscal quarter. I highly doubt there's any possibility of obtaining additional funding from them any time soon, and with the majority of your current reserve allocated to personnel wages that leaves next to nothing for raw materials." She seemed to consider this for a moment, and joked, "Enough for a frigate, perhaps."

Everyone else in the room seemed to process this for a moment, but the Grand Admiral was the first to speak again. "Very well. I apologize, Commander Ardeus, but we clearly can't risk that kind of fleet action at the moment. As acting commander-in-chief of the navy, I am issuing a directive to step up covert raids on merchant transports to target nations Foxtrot and Beta, under operating parameters B-112 - do not fire on enemy warships unless fired upon, and only attack freighters in neutral space." He stood up, gold piped uniform straightening as he did so. "And with that, this meeting is adjourned. You are all dismissed."

[Professor Fenway]

Fenway looked at the latest announcement from the EC from aboard the Aurora. Calling for peace. Of course, he knew the EC seemed to be pacifistic, but no matter. He may be willing to pursue peace with the EC, but not the UGC. There were still continually raids within NeoRoman territory, and until they stopped, nothing would be resolved. He then opened a Starmap of the contested territory. This stalemate was continually taking its toll on their forces, but at least nothing major was happening. One planet, which was agricultural, was highly contested. Ownership flipped daily as ships retreated and the fleets swapped places. Both sides had continually bombarded it, and it was probably very much uninhabitable. But he wasn't going to give up any ground.

He ordered one small fleet to attack a small asteroid belt where several supply caches were located, and then began arranging plans to visit a research station. New breakthrough in shield technology.

ELSEWHERE

::ARK-3::

::PRIME-3::
>_Prime-1 is unresponsive
>_Taking over chain of command
>_Outputting new orders
>_Awaiting valid situation to execute contingency 2234GH

[Crash Override]

Fenway looked at the latest announcement from the EC from aboard the Aurora. Calling for peace. Of course, he knew the EC seemed to be pacifistic, but no matter. He may be willing to pursue peace with the EC, but not the UGC. There were still continually raids within NeoRoman territory, and until they stopped, nothing would be resolved. He then opened a Starmap of the contested territory. This stalemate was continually taking its toll on their forces, but at least nothing major was happening. One planet, which was agricultural, was highly contested. Ownership flipped daily as ships retreated and the fleets swapped places. Both sides had continually bombarded it, and it was probably very much uninhabitable. But he wasn't going to give up any ground.

He ordered one small fleet to attack a small asteroid belt where several supply caches were located, and then began arranging plans to visit a research station. New breakthrough in shield technology.

ELSEWHERE

::ARK-3::

::PRIME-3::
>_Prime-1 is unresponsive
>_Taking over chain of command
>_Outputting new orders
>_Awaiting valid situation to execute contingency 2234GH

*Thats strange that in a highly contested territory,a diplomatic cruiser pass by,while the fleets slowly reatreat or power down the weapons,standing by.

Neoroman forces: We have 35 Fusion Coil Splicers at you. And DONT DARE TO STAND by the side of your cloak!
Diplomatic Ship [Tivra class]: This is the Voyager,Diplomatic envoy of the Darkstar Co. We wish to begin negotiations to a non-aggression pact.
Neoroman: Ha,you make me laugh,how can we trust you?
Diplomatic: You can trust us,or continue a vicious cycle of killing and destruction.Please,i ask for diplomatic protection,can you connect me with the authority of this system?
-------------------------------------------------------------
*When the NeoRoman ships appeared at the asteroid belt,several ships went under the cloack,powering down all the weapons and broadcasting a "NOT HOSTILE" message,leaving only the shields and the point defense anti missile systems online*

[Prototype]

:::ARK-1 DEEP CORE:::
:::CENTRAL CONTROL STATION:::
:::AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:::

Spoiler:

Omega: Sir, you're not going to like this

Theta: what is it?

Omega: it appears we sent out a huge broadcast signal

Theta: public? What does it say?

Omega: no, the energy reading match a type 3 psychic field

Theta: I'm starting to dislike these, but it can't be used for anything, and besides we have bigger problems

Omega: like what?

Theta: like the organics are very likely to flip their lids if they know what we did to Subject 46, or even if they know just what subject 46 was

Omega: They don't have to know anything about that

*Zero enters*

Zero: well, you see, we do still have a problem

Omega: what?

Zero: 46 is still alive, and it is broadcasting a ridiculous amount of information, via a type 2

Theta: you told be this already, have you been able to decipher what it's been sending?

Zero: I have some of it, but it is tricky to read, but from what I gather, it is sending its location, and its memories

Theta: who to?

Zero: at a guess I'd say the being we cloned the brain from, as it would still have some vague form of connection

Theta: the brain... The one we cloned from the Canvin diplomat?

Zero: yes, I beleive it is sending the memories, it wants revenge

Theta: I thought their diplomat was against violence

Zero: we caused it an incredible amount of pain, it is likely insane

Theta: could you stop it?

Zero: I was able to scramble it, they will be remembered by the recipient like fuzzy dreams, though if I am correct, and it is indeed transmitting to the original owner of the brain and mind, then it should go straight to Luna, which is very bad, but of course I could be wrong.

Theta: well.... Damn, we have a problem, provided you are right, if they sent huge fleets earlier, imagine what they'll do if they know we subjected an alternate version of their bloody prized pony to a total horror show, get one of the guards to kill 46 properly this time

Zero: 46 can't die, it retained that ability

Theta: well then try and shut it up, I don't want that thing screaming all the time

Omega: sir, we have another problem

Theta: what problem could be worse than, than an immortal freak, continuously screaming, to the stars, asking for our heads?

Omega: I can tell you, and I can tell you in one word

Theta: go on

Omega: Frestoria

Theta: ...

Theta: that's worse, much worse, I fear no organic, but those...

Omega: I'm afraid it's true, and if what this data is telling me is true, we have more to worry about than a few rouge Lamentors.

Theta: how bad?

Omega: 41 other ARK stations

Theta: Impossible, but... If that's true...

Theta: I hoped that I would never have to say this... Prepare to activate protocol 76

Omega: roger, orders transmitted

:::END:::

:::ARK-1:::
>_Protocol 76 active
>_All sectors on level 11 alert
>_All vessels on level 11 alert
>_All systems on level 11 alert
>_Beginning war production
:::END:::

[Professor Fenway]

The NeoRoman Admiral of the fleet looked skeptically at the Darkstar fleet below. They hadn't offered anything else before, but they weren't attacking. This could be a trap. "Alright, we'll trust you for now. I'll signal a higher commander." He turned and walked to a high-security section of the bridge. Truth be told, he was a bit tired of being on the front. His ship was damaged and the next maintenance wasn't for another few weeks. He reached the room, and prepared the high security room for the message when he felt a rumble through the ship. His first thoughts were that he was attacked, and apparently, so did the rest of the ship. In fact, a badly-repaired conduit had exploded and caused a power failure on the back of the destroyer. The turrets swiveled and immediately began firing on the Darkstar vessels, followed by the rest of the fleet.

[Crash Override]

The NeoRoman Admiral of the fleet looked skeptically at the Darkstar fleet below. They hadn't offered anything else before, but they weren't attacking. This could be a trap. "Alright, we'll trust you for now. I'll signal a higher commander." He turned and walked to a high-security section of the bridge. Truth be told, he was a bit tired of being on the front. His ship was damaged and the next maintenance wasn't for another few weeks. He reached the room, and prepared the high security room for the message when he felt a rumble through the ship. His first thoughts were that he was attacked, and apparently, so did the rest of the ship. In fact, a badly-repaired conduit had exploded and caused a power failure on the back of the destroyer. The turrets swiveled and immediately began firing on the Darkstar vessels, followed by the rest of the fleet.

Tivra: Dont shoot..ARGH! *The shield were holding and then the ship entered in cloack,trying to achieve a jump. Its was very badly damaged but it managed to jump off. The fleet,that was there holding,begin to withdraw while shooting back with EMP guns,trying to dissolve the incoming fire as they were entering in the cloacking state.*
BROADCAST to THE NEOROMAN BATTLE:

"Trust us! It was one of your ships that was damaged! We are not shooting back,as you see.Please,we are offering peace! "

[ACH0225]

The official war had ended. The Strigiforme military returned all industrial facilities to their original owners, and provided a medium sized check to pay for the use. The government, now increasingly xenophobic, began to withdraw from attacks and offensive strikes and large political meetings. Instead, they focused on drawing tight borders and strengthening the defenses.

[Ivan2006]

internal:
Kommissar: Sir, we got a psionic transmition from ARK-1
Ivan: The NCSD "homeworld"? I didn´t know they had psionics.
Kommissar: It appears to be adressed to Luna, Sir, and the sender signature matches her.
Ivan: Strange. What´s the content?
Kommissar: Memories. Starting at the point where Luna was "saved" by the NCSD, through torture to the current point in time.
Ivan: Transmit it to my psionic implant.
Kommissar: Are you sure...
Ivan: Just do it.
Kommissar: If you wish...
Ivan: ARGH- that´s enough!
Kommissar: So, what´s your opinion?
Ivan: That, if I could, I would kill THETA, ZERO and OMEGA personally.
Kommissar: That bad?
Ivan: Yes. But we can´t afford to go on war with them. There´s still the conflict with the SDI, altougb it has colled down, but we still can´t afford to send away any ships on that matter.
Kommissar: What do you propose?
Ivan: Convert it into an electronic video file and publicly broadcast it together with the information on how we obtained it. If we can´t stop them, we should at least make public what crimes they are guilty of.
Kommissar: Good Idea. I´ll handle it right away. anything else?
Ivan: Yes. Inform the Cavnin about this, I believe they want to know what is going on if Luna starts to behave strangely.
Kommissar: Yes, Sir.


(OOC: I can recieve the signal, because the EE has psionic engineering, including but not limited to psionic generators, implants, computers and communications.)


---public broadcast by the EE to everyone---
We have intercepted a psionic transmition from NCSD space which we have converted into a video file to allow you to view what is truly happening behind the gates of ARK-1.
However, since the file contains torture, violence and slavery, it is advised to not show the video to children.
The file has been directly converted from the memories sent in the psionic signal and thus have the credibility of actual memories.
We have also added an intorduction to give you some context.
---text end---
File: memories.avi
---transmition end---