Alitheia In Space [FT][IC][SEMI-OPEN]

[Arktic]

He Held his Gaze on her for an extended period of time. John was not normally a spiteful man, nor a man to draw such things out, but he held little respect for the...drone that sat before him and he wished to see her squirm a little. The offer was good, three planets for the price of 1 and its people, and those three planets could likely more then make up for the recourse shortages the local sector was experiencing as a result.


Narrowing his eyes, he spoke. "The Three planets...and the Fleet. My Intelligence tells me You have roughly 40 or so ships trapped behind a Quick reaction force of nearly 140, the crews, officers and all will have safe passage back to Faeson space, But I...We want the vessels they crew, cruisers, frigates, Destroyers, Capital ships, fighters...All of them in working order, no Scuttling charges, no sabotage, all of them."


Petra returned with the coffee, and he made no attempts to offer the drone a cup.

"That is my one added condition, and it is non negotiable."

Envoy Mazanix blinked at the President. At first it seemed to be in surprise, but then her expression changed. She seemed to be a mixture of resolute and bemused.
“I’m afraid this is where my line is drawn as well, Mr. President. We will not be surrendering our fleet under any circumstances, no matter how small it is.”

She smiled politely. Or, in a hive-mind approximation of politeness, which was altogether quite different. “You are pushing your hand, John,” she explained calmly. “The Faeson have given you an offer, a generous offer. You let our fleet escape, you get three habitable worlds for free, both our peoples remain at peace.” She opened her four palms. “Or, we can have it your way. You get no planets, and an immediate war that will cost at a minimum thousands of human lives, a war that there is absolutely no guarantee that you will win.”
The Envoy clasped her many hands. “Think about this rationally. This deal, the one where you get three planets while we keep our ‘trapped’ fleet, is very, very generous. So generous, in fact, that I believe it is only possible because of the Faeson’s still fresh collective shock and horror at the terracide. Imagine what might happen if that shock wears off, perhaps because of the apathy that comes with the passing of time, or perhaps because of indignation or fear or anger caused by what you are demanding of our Navy. The likely resolution is that the Colonial Union will go from gaining planets to losing more of them. And should you come back to the negotiating table at any point, whether you are winning or losing the fight, it is unlikely you will be able to coax out a better settlement.”

She closed her eyes and nodded her head. “Not to mention I am aware you have your own political considerations to make. Those angry young humans might be smashing windows and taking to the streets because of the actions of the Faeson for now, sure. But imagine you walk away from this table without an agreement and start a war. A war that will prove to be bloody, costly, and not at all easy, one that these young humans will bear the worst of. Word gets out—and it will get out, I assure you—that you had the opportunity not just for peace, but for a peace that would have involved three whole fresh worlds for the Colonial Union, ones that these young humans, now suffering soldiers, could have settled and had happy and peaceful lives on. And yet instead you chose to let more humans die.”
Envoy Mazanix shrugged. “These humans could decide that your leadership is lacking, and decide to remove you from control before your revenge is complete. It wouldn’t be hard, after all. Your nation is ostensibly a democracy. I wonder how the Libertarian Settlers Party is doing in the polls lately? It’s so hard to get news from the Colonial Union in Faeson domains, given the expense, especially political news.”

Mazanix let her words hang in the air for a moment. “So, no. I don’t think we will be surrendering the fleet. The deal is safe passage for the Faeson ships, then you get the three habitable worlds we are offering you.”

[The United Remnants of America]

Myth is much more important and true than history.
Ebrars, Baeturn System, Inferi Sector, Vresh Dead Zone

The people of this world had long ago lost their civilization.

Ebrars and its sister world Utrpars were not originally part of the space that the Hive considered uncontested territory. At one point in time, they were colonies of a young spacefaring race. That race of upstarts had no idea that they'd colonized so close to the Hive during a time of expansion and hunger, and they'd paid the price. The Hive had come, and the Hive had nearly exterminated their kind. Ebrars and Utrpars had become what the Hive referred to internally as "livestock" or "harvest" worlds, places of life within the Hive that would be left to flourish in order for the biomass to be culled periodically. It was a form of farming on a planet-wide scale, and it served the Hive well when they'd realized that instead of cleansing a planet, they could let it grow and feed on it from an extended period of time.

The people of this world had retained their intelligence, but the time of their technological civilization had faded into legend. Their people had devolved into stone-using primitives, hiding in the forests and dilapidated cities of their ancestors from the Vresh who arrived every generation to feed. They were big, predatory creatures, covered entirely in dark fur. Their teeth were sharp and the irises of their eyes were elliptical. They had retractable claws and short tails that likely served a purpose in a previous evolutionary stage. They wore no clothes, but used stone and wood weapons. Utrpars and Ebrars were the only livestock worlds with such an advanced society living on them, and for that reason, they were dangerous. The Hive had attempted to exterminate them in order to make the planets safer, but they'd persevered. That made them dangerous for nothing other than the possibility that they could redevelop technology in between cycles. Highly unlikely, but the Hive decided this was a possibility.

The time for the generational culling had come, and the ships had arrived by the dozens. The space normally known as the Vresh Dead Zone was sparsely inhabited due to the logistical layout of the Hive, so the fact that no Vresh eyes had seen these planets since the last culling was normal. The massive vessels that stayed in orbit were transports, of a kind. As shuttles moved back and forth between the planet's surface and the ships, the gathered biomass was stored in them and digested during the trip back to the world in which the Hive inhabited. There, the broken down organic matter was used as food, nutrients, amniotic fluid, and even building materials.

The first shuttles to land in scattered locations all over the planet observed none of the primitives in sight. This was good. The shuttles were small and staffed with small groups of various combat breeds acting as scouts, but they were armed enough to take on rock-throwing cave cats. As the scouts moved off in separate directions to perform a rudimentary observation survey of the planet, the next shuttles came down. These were larger, built for transporting rather than any scouting or combat duty. As they landed and their maws opened, thousands of small creatures poured from them. These small creatures were barely intelligent. They were small, fast, and only had one purpose, which was to gather resources for the Hive. The swarmed over plants, trees, and any creature not fast or smart enough to flee, chewing them apart and carrying the pieces back to the transports in pincer-like mouths and forelimbs.

The process would be repeated several times here on this planet, as well as other livestock worlds with similar fleets surrounding them. The Hivemind knew the process usually took several local days on worlds like Ebrars, as areas were cleared of life and the planet was partially stripped of its living resources. The process greatly slowed the rate at which the Hive was forced to expand, as they had a steady supply of resources. But the Hivemind knew the Hive was growing, meaning that those resources were not always going to be enough. Another expansion, a foray into space not traditionally seen as the Dead Zone by outsiders would be necessary, or else the Hive would face starvation. Worlds would need to be invaded, and their resources drained for the Vresh appetite. If these worlds were inhabited by intelligent civilizations, then war would come to break their will before draining their biomatter. It wasn't a question of "if" but of "when," as such civilizations always broke, eventually.

The survival of their species was a zero-sum game, and the Hive did not gamble with their survival.

[Parcia]

The Grin that formed in John's face could be described as...shit eating.

Leaning back in his chair he crossed his arms. "You know, I'm...impressed, impressed at that statement as a whole, impressed at the range of a emotions you as a drone can exhibit...and am impressed that the chair you sit upon can handle the titanic weight of the star ship grade adamantine balls you posses for making such a thinly veiled threat." Giving a chuckle, he sat back up in his chair, sat both his elbows on the table and held her gaze.

"Let's break this down as we go, shall we, and just for record's keeping sake I will also be addressing the Entire Faeson Leadership as I know they are listening in on this at is goes on. Firstly, you...The matter of Human Casualties is...interesting as you have pointed out, as most of Military High Command and the Union as a whole sees us millions in to the red as it stands, and are itching to make up for the difference. Second, You assume a damn large things about the Navy and Colonial military as a whole, which is surprising considering of a few facts we both have to both consider here, mostly the large difference in both active and reserve forces we both have, the industrial capacity we both have, and the potential manpower we both have which you and I both know is rather skewed, if we take peek wartime estimates, in our favor."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Third, the matters of moral and lacking leadership. Let me clue you in to something not even the deeply embedded Faeson intelligence molls, who you would have no doubt noticed have all simultaneously gone dark by now, can tell you: That I had to argue and fight with my cabinet for some time, ultimately threatening to sack all of them, to agree to a temporary hold on sending every active warship across the boarder. See, if you knew me at all really, you would know I ran on a platform of promoting peace with the various Xenos races that surrounded the CU and the main objective was to secure a lasting peace agreement with the Faeson Empire as, if you can believe it, a lot of the CU actually liked your people, a lot."


He paused to suck in a breath, "So you can imagine my frustrations when you went off and nuked 32-fuckin-millions Humans!" Another pause for breath. "Now, lastly, let us evaluate and dissect that last bit. Ah, yes, the LSP, the famed Opposition party that your Moles and agent's are so fond of meddling with. Yes, we know your secretly supporting the LSP, and yes, we also know your funneling money and guns in to several rebel cells and groups out in the outer Colonies with some hope or mission of using them to destabilize the Union in the event of war. The Fine ladies and gentleman at the Office of Naval Intelligence are vary thorough in their work."

Leaning in, he spoke in a low tone of voice. "So tell me, Faeson, how confident are you in Humanity's ability to respond to this. To be honest when both our fleets number in the thousands, 40 ships seems a small thing to give over, considerably so given the fact all we intend to do is to melt them down and forge a Memorial from it."

[Camaalbakrius]

"Thank you, Captain." Takoa immediately motioned to his security officers, who all holstered their weapons and stood at attention.

Takoa then turned to the diplomat behind him, saying "I believe this is your area of expertise."

"Indeed it is" he responded, stepping forward and switching places with Takoa.

"Allow me to introduce myself" the small diplomat addressed Stubbs directly. "I am Godoro, Head Diplomat of the Gali 5 and representative for the Hakutan High Council."

He cleared his throat and continued. "We desire nothing more than the chance to increase our knowledge of this vast galaxy and learn about its numerous inhabitants. Our intentions in this region are purely peaceful, and we seek not any war with your people."

Godoro looked at the Gatoxite gunships, briefly noting their patriotic artwork. "It seems your people already have your hands full in some sort of war. Perhaps a trading of resources would be mutually beneficial for our peoples. We Hakutans are remarkable shipwrights, and our metals are hardy and strong. We would be willing to trade our skills and materials should you have resources you would be willing to exchange for them."

Immediately a smaller Hakutan came waddling through the doors of the hangar towards the diplomatic duo. It was Toko, holding his clipboard and pen as he ran.
"Excuse me!" he exclaimed as he dashed beside Godoro. "Official Research business, if you don't mind."

Godoro was taken aback by this sudden interjection, and while he was quite annoyed by it, he conceded to Toko and allowed him to continue.

Toko turned to Stubbs with his clipboard and pen, ready to write down his findings. "I apologize for this intrusion, but as you are a species we have admittedly not encountered before, protocol dictates that I, as the Chief Science Officer, must be present for this meeting."

Immediately Toko began closely observing Stubbs' physical appearance, noting especially any abnormal differences from the Human species they had encountered many times before.

"If you don't mind me asking" Toko interjected, "I have noticed that you share a striking resemblance to the Human species. Do you perhaps have any sort of genetic linkage to Humans?"

Takoa interjected as well at this point: "You also seemed to make mention of humans when you entered our ship. What is your relation to them?"

Humanity

Captain Stubbs listened to the diplomats intently and seemed amused as he watched Toko waddle into the proceedings, even allowing himself a slight wry smile at the scientist who seemed to be the only Hatukan around that was as short as your average Gatoxite. However, that smile disappeared instantly as soon as the Hatukans began to ask questions about the humans. His eyes widened and his ears went back as though he was in pain as his memories of the war came back to him.

---

”GO GO GO!”
“Check your fire, we have friendlies in front of us!”
“INCOMING!”

The staccato of gunfire roared through the streets, punctuated by ear-shattering explosions. A two way hailstorm of tracers and laser fire, ripping and burning holes into anything in its path. It was in the thick of the revolution, in what Rico figured must have been some of the most intense fighting on the planet. In the face of a caravan of unarmed human civilians, the decision had been made to withdraw and allow them to escape to the nearby spaceport. But the human security forces nearby must have mistaken this withdrawal for a retreat, because moments later an armored column appeared, forcing the surprised Revolutionary line back and blasting everything in its path.

The situation was getting increasingly desperate. Rico had seen how the Gatoxite forces operated and what the lines looked like. In battle the Revolution relied on momentum and ferocity: there was no defense of depth, and any major defeat would be taken badly by the mostly untrained Gatoxite forces that were just as scared of the humans as they were enraged at them. If this line of human tanks was able to break through this line, they could do untold damage to the Revolutionary forces, possibly even costing them the battle for total control of the spaceport. In the midst of this storm of gunfire, Rico was doing some improvised reconnaissance to make sure this didn’t happen. Above him he saw an opportunity: the forward part of the armored column was parked right between two large, empty skyscrapers with shot out and weakened base columns. Rico realized if he could find a way to bring even one of those buildings down, it would provide a strong barricade for the exposed Gatoxite forces and even possibly bury some of the humans with their vehicles in the process.

Rico ran across the street to rejoin his team that was taking cover in a concrete shelter and tell them about his idea. Bullets slammed into the pavement behind him and around his feet with an impossibly loud cracking, kicking up clouds of concrete and asphalt as the human gunners tried to take him out, but fortunately none of the bullets connected and he was able to find cover with his teammates. They were in bad shape.
“Oh god, oh god,” sobbed an older tomcat, covering his ears with his hands in the fetal position. “W-We’re gonna die, we’re all gonna die...!”
The rest of the team was about as deep in despair, even if they hadn’t broken down yet like he did. But Rico was undeterred. Upon being greeted, he explained his plan. He was met with skepticism, but nobody else had a better idea.
“Now,” said Rico once he had finished. “We need some satchel charges. Does anyone have any?”
His teammates variously looked at each other and shook their heads.
“We barely have any bullets left,” one of them lamented, “let alone explosives!”
It had been a hard day of fighting with little in the way of resupply, except what could be pulled off of the dead.

An explosion shook the building. The tanks were going to blast away at them until the roof came down. They needed a solution, and fast. Suddenly, Rico remembered watching a gunship land not too far from here and seeing its human occupants make a run for it. It must have run out of ammo or be low on fuel, but if it had enough power to slam into the buildings above the humans...

Without explaining what he was doing, Rico made another run for it, this time towards the landing site. This time a railcannon blast nearly ripped him apart, but the deafening shockwave threw him down forward into cover from the machine gun fire even if it knocked the wind out of him. After a moment on the ground, covering his ears and crying as he tried to catch his breath, he got to his feet and started running again. This time no gunfire followed him, as the humans thought he had been killed and were now focused back on pummeling the other Gatoxites in the area. A lone human guard was standing around the gunship and saw Rico, raising his rifle to blast him, but Rico already had his autopistol out and shot the guard dead before he could aim and fire. As splattered human blood ran down its hull, Rico jumped into the empty pilot’s seat.

Rico “knew” how to fly from one of the simulators he had access to in a Revolution secret base, but that didn’t stop the lurching feeling in his stomach as he drew on the controls and began to lift the gunship into the air. Still, with a careful and surprisingly steady hand, he managed to float the aircraft over the Gatoxite line and aim it forward towards the human forces. He pulled on the trigger of the joystick and-
“AMMUNITION ZERO,” came the staticky robotic alert from the flight console. “AMMUNITION ZERO.”
Rico swore bitterly. So this is why the humans had the gunship out of commission.

One of the humans on the ground must have realized what was happening, because the gun on one of the tanks lifted up into the air and, before Rico could turn away, sent a shell right into the belly of the gunship. The explosion shattered the gunship’s fragile controls and knocked Rico’s head forward, and as the gunship went down he steered it in the only direction he could: right down into the damaged support columns of the skyscrapers he had been targeting. When the gunship crashed into the ground, Rico’s vision went from white to red then to black as the sound of a steel and glass avalanche roared above him...

---

Rico’s prosthetic hands shook in their sleeves and his lower lip quivered, even as his eyes exited their thousand-yard stare. Suddenly, he could feel pain in his arms and legs that he wasn’t supposed to, and his head started to spin. He closed his eyes and shook his head, taking deep breaths and counting by threes in his mind as his therapist told him to until he calmed down enough. After a long, uncomfortable silence, Rico then attempted to respond to the Hatukans, embarrassment mixing with his disturbed expression.
“I... I-I-I m-mean... th-the humans. R-Right...” he swallowed, and his ears came back up as he started to calm down. “The h-humans... created us. Using advanced c-cloning and genetic engineering technology, they grafted features and t-traits from one of their favorite pets—d-domestic cats—and began to p-produce human-cat hybrids, known as the Gatoxites, w-which is what we are.” He nodded to Toko. “W-We look like humans because, genetically, w-we practically are. I-In addition to these catlike features, th-they gave us genes that would allow us to r-remain youthful but limited our lifespan t-to around fifteen Earth-Solar years from fully-grown emergence to d-death, so we would be appealing to them b-but not have enough time to consider freedom or-or our own fate, of s-so they thought, anyways.”
His fists clenched. “W-We were made to be their s-slaves and their pets, to be sold and b-bought and treated and k-killed however our owners wanted. Th-They treated us like cattle, like s-stupid animals, like disposable toys...”
Stubbs’ eyes twitched in rage, but a lip twisted upwards in an angry approximation of a smile. “S-So you know what we did? Led by our leader, Leo, w-we rose up against them, k-killed as many as we could and s-sent the rest packing away from our star systems, b-back to where humans were more powerful. WE WON.”

Deep breaths again, as Rico cursed under his breath. He really wished Admiral Claws had sent someone else.
“S-Sorry...” he muttered apologetically, tail literally between his legs. “The Revolution w-wasn’t that long ago, y-you understand. I-It’s still fresh in everyone’s minds. F-Fires started during th-the war are still burning in some p-places.” He lifted up his sleeve, to show them where the primitive prosthetic met the purple-grey scars of his sheared off arm. “This... This happened to me, b-because of them. It goes without saying that w-we’re still in a state of w-war with all mankind, b-but given the distance between the st-star systems we rightfully took and the rest of the human worlds, w-well, the p-point is rather moot at this time, and a-a de-facto peace has set in.” Cpt. Stubbs grimaced. “Th-This has broader p-political ramifications that I am unable and uh- unwilling to discuss properly, b-but I think you should be aware of our situation...”

Stubbs cleared his throat. “A-As for your trade offer, I’m sure P-Pride Male Emperor Leo and the R-Revolutionary Senate would be happy to discuss such a thing. B-Being a military commander, I am uh- unqualified to make a-any promises or deals, however.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head again. Then, shockingly, he smiled warmly at the Hatukans, and his tail and ears rose happily. “I-In any case, I’m happy to be meeting you i-in peace a-and with the blessing of your High Council. O-On behalf of Pride Male Emperor Leo and the Revolutionary government, I-I offer my hopes that th-this meeting will blossom into a w-wonderful friendship between our two peoples.”

Understanding

The end of Stubbs' speech was met with shocked silence from all of the Hakutans. Never, in all of their foreign relations and negotiations with humans, had they heard of such atrocities as the Gatoxites were forced to undergo. It was almost impossible to believe, yet the evidence was undeniable, as it stood right in front of them!

Toko and Godoro were speechless upon hearing of the Humans' malicious use of genetic engineering. They never imagined that such treachery to morality could have been possible.

At last, Godoro began to speak with zeal: "It pains us all deeply to hear of the suffering your people have undergone. You have my deepest condolences for all whom you may have lost."

"Perhaps we should continue our negotiations in a setting more suitable for such things. I understand that your Emperor would prefer to conduct such agreements in person. I believe that this meeting will truly spark a long-lasting friendship between our peoples."

[Arktic]

Understanding

The end of Stubbs' speech was met with shocked silence from all of the Hakutans. Never, in all of their foreign relations and negotiations with humans, had they heard of such atrocities as the Gatoxites were forced to undergo. It was almost impossible to believe, yet the evidence was undeniable, as it stood right in front of them!

Toko and Godoro were speechless upon hearing of the Humans' malicious use of genetic engineering. They never imagined that such treachery to morality could have been possible.

At last, Godoro began to speak with zeal: "It pains us all deeply to hear of the suffering your people have undergone. You have my deepest condolences for all whom you may have lost."

"Perhaps we should continue our negotiations in a setting more suitable for such things. I understand that your Emperor would prefer to conduct such agreements in person. I believe that this meeting will truly spark a long-lasting friendship between our peoples."

Entourage

Captain Stubbs smiled. It was touching, actually, and promising that they were reacting with sympathy and not with indifference or derision to the plight of his people. Subconsciously, his tail started to wave, and he spoke through some quiet (but clearly audible) purring.
“Th-Thank you f-for your condolences. They... uh, they mean more th-than you m-might think.”

When Gordo proposed to speak to Emperor Leo, however, Stubbs grimaced and looked at the computerized band on his wrist. It had lit up green. Beyond the hanger, a constellation of tightly clustered lights appeared: a huge assorted fleet had arrived, all Gatoxite ships and all blasting various warnings into the Hatukan squadron.
“My c-commanding officer would li-like to, uh, to inform you th-that reinforcements are coming, a-and that you better release me from th-the imprisonment and torture y-you have me in immediately, or... uh, or face t-total annihilation...” He sighed. “C-Command neither understands n-nor appreciates my, uh, erm, let’s call it ‘m-maverick diplomacy.’ Th-The sooner I get off this s-ship and back t-to mine, so I can explain m-myself to Admiral Claws, the, uh, the better... I w-would recommend a small g-group of you, no more than, uh, than three or f-four with only m-minimal armament, come with us. O-Otherwise I can't guarantee an, uh, an a-audience of any kind...”

His ears and tail lowered and he smiled apologetically. “I-I say ‘come with us’ b-because a Pride Revolutionary Marine boarding party is a-approaching at v-very high speed, and, uh, and they are going to r-retrieve me no matter what h-happens. So, th-the best case scenario is a few of you j-join me and we can, erm, keep things o-on the right foot.”

[Arktic]

The Grin that formed in John's face could be described as...shit eating.

Leaning back in his chair he crossed his arms. "You know, I'm...impressed, impressed at that statement as a whole, impressed at the range of a emotions you as a drone can exhibit...and am impressed that the chair you sit upon can handle the titanic weight of the star ship grade adamantine balls you posses for making such a thinly veiled threat." Giving a chuckle, he sat back up in his chair, sat both his elbows on the table and held her gaze.

"Let's break this down as we go, shall we, and just for record's keeping sake I will also be addressing the Entire Faeson Leadership as I know they are listening in on this at is goes on. Firstly, you...The matter of Human Casualties is...interesting as you have pointed out, as most of Military High Command and the Union as a whole sees us millions in to the red as it stands, and are itching to make up for the difference. Second, You assume a damn large things about the Navy and Colonial military as a whole, which is surprising considering of a few facts we both have to both consider here, mostly the large difference in both active and reserve forces we both have, the industrial capacity we both have, and the potential manpower we both have which you and I both know is rather skewed, if we take peek wartime estimates, in our favor."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Third, the matters of moral and lacking leadership. Let me clue you in to something not even the deeply embedded Faeson intelligence molls, who you would have no doubt noticed have all simultaneously gone dark by now, can tell you: That I had to argue and fight with my cabinet for some time, ultimately threatening to sack all of them, to agree to a temporary hold on sending every active warship across the boarder. See, if you knew me at all really, you would know I ran on a platform of promoting peace with the various Xenos races that surrounded the CU and the main objective was to secure a lasting peace agreement with the Faeson Empire as, if you can believe it, a lot of the CU actually liked your people, a lot."


He paused to suck in a breath, "So you can imagine my frustrations when you went off and nuked 32-fuckin-millions Humans!" Another pause for breath. "Now, lastly, let us evaluate and dissect that last bit. Ah, yes, the LSP, the famed Opposition party that your Moles and agent's are so fond of meddling with. Yes, we know your secretly supporting the LSP, and yes, we also know your funneling money and guns in to several rebel cells and groups out in the outer Colonies with some hope or mission of using them to destabilize the Union in the event of war. The Fine ladies and gentleman at the Office of Naval Intelligence are vary thorough in their work."

Leaning in, he spoke in a low tone of voice. "So tell me, Faeson, how confident are you in Humanity's ability to respond to this. To be honest when both our fleets number in the thousands, 40 ships seems a small thing to give over, considerably so given the fact all we intend to do is to melt them down and forge a Memorial from it."

Manzanix smiled, and her ears wiggles up and down vertically. Very few humans know that that was the Faeson equivalent of rolling one’s eyes, but she didn’t care whether or not President John knew about the expression.
“I am happy you recognize my bravery. I have learned those strange human expressions about ‘having balls.’ It is interesting that you chose to use such phrases in our discussion.”

She bowed her head. “Mr. President, there are many objections I have to what you have just said. First of all, I wonder what gives you the confidence that your own party would not betray you should you become too unpopular. I also wonder what makes you believe that we have not infiltrated or been offering support to any human group within your Union beyond the LSP, since we have more than one point of intelligence contact with your people. I assure you that our integration with your society is apartisan.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I also wonder just what you are hoping to get out of this encounter, John. You know as well as I do, that when tensions are at the breaking point and when war is a misplaced word away, 40 ships IS consequential. And I know what your generals want, but they want the same thing they’ve always wanted. The ‘numbers’ will never be in the black, even if we resurrected every human on Redohan. You know this. So why are you letting them goad you into a war that will leave billions more humans dead and your political career obliterated, but one in which these generals of yours will never fight in.”

Envoy Manzanix folded her hands. “I have a compromise. We will receive our forty functional ships, but will pay you in materials for your monument. You will be better served by an additional minor concession than a bizarre monument that looks like it is celebrating a victory you didn’t achieve.” She looked at John with concern. “This is such a strange demand of yours, seriously. We would have secured peace already if it were not for it.”

[Camaalbakrius]

Understanding

The end of Stubbs' speech was met with shocked silence from all of the Hakutans. Never, in all of their foreign relations and negotiations with humans, had they heard of such atrocities as the Gatoxites were forced to undergo. It was almost impossible to believe, yet the evidence was undeniable, as it stood right in front of them!

Toko and Godoro were speechless upon hearing of the Humans' malicious use of genetic engineering. They never imagined that such treachery to morality could have been possible.

At last, Godoro began to speak with zeal: "It pains us all deeply to hear of the suffering your people have undergone. You have my deepest condolences for all whom you may have lost."

"Perhaps we should continue our negotiations in a setting more suitable for such things. I understand that your Emperor would prefer to conduct such agreements in person. I believe that this meeting will truly spark a long-lasting friendship between our peoples."

Entourage

Captain Stubbs smiled. It was touching, actually, and promising that they were reacting with sympathy and not with indifference or derision to the plight of his people. Subconsciously, his tail started to wave, and he spoke through some quiet (but clearly audible) purring.
“Th-Thank you f-for your condolences. They... uh, they mean more th-than you m-might think.”

When Gordo proposed to speak to Emperor Leo, however, Stubbs grimaced and looked at the computerized band on his wrist. It had lit up green. Beyond the hanger, a constellation of tightly clustered lights appeared: a huge assorted fleet had arrived, all Gatoxite ships and all blasting various warnings into the Hatukan squadron.
“My c-commanding officer would li-like to, uh, to inform you th-that reinforcements are coming, a-and that you better release me from th-the imprisonment and torture y-you have me in immediately, or... uh, or face t-total annihilation...” He sighed. “C-Command neither understands n-nor appreciates my, uh, erm, let’s call it ‘m-maverick diplomacy.’ Th-The sooner I get off this s-ship and back t-to mine, so I can explain m-myself to Admiral Claws, the, uh, the better... I w-would recommend a small g-group of you, no more than, uh, than three or f-four with only m-minimal armament, come with us. O-Otherwise I can't guarantee an, uh, an a-audience of any kind...”

His ears and tail lowered and he smiled apologetically. “I-I say ‘come with us’ b-because a Pride Revolutionary Marine boarding party is a-approaching at v-very high speed, and, uh, and they are going to r-retrieve me no matter what h-happens. So, th-the best case scenario is a few of you j-join me and we can, erm, keep things o-on the right foot.”

Slightly unexpected turn

"What th-" Takoa barely managed to make out these words when the lights in the hangar bay began flashing red and he received an urgent message from the bridge.

"We have ships approaching sir! What are your orders?"

"Do not attack, the situation is under control." Takoa responded quickly.

Godoro seemed not at all alarmed by the situation at hand, even with the blaring alarms and flashing lights that almost threw the other Hakutans into a frenzy.

"Ah yes," he spoke calmly, "It seems this informal setting has reached the end of its effectiveness." He turned around to face the Takoa. "Come, Captain. It is time for us to meet the Admiral."

Takoa was slightly confused by this extreme calmness amidst the obvious danger. I guess he's used to this sort of thing Takoa thought to himself. He then handed his blaster to Toko, saying "Go to the bridge, you are the Captain until I return." This was met by a nod from Toko, and he waddled out of the room. Takoa motioned towards one of the security guards to come with him and Godoro. "You will be the minimal armament we have for this meeting" Takoa said to him sternly. The guard holstered his blaster and gave a salute. "Aye Captain."

Takoa, Godoro and the guard all approached Stubbs, waiting for their imminent transportation to arrive. Hopefully these ones won't be as aggressive as the welcoming committee Stubbs came with he thought to himself.

[Free Asian Ports]

Warm Welcome
West Eden, Scientific District
Eden, Hayes
Risa System

The value of good scenery can never be understated.

In all of history, no era of human history is considered grimier and bleaker than the era of the industrial revolution. Industry and manufacturing have since been associated with pollution and exploitation, as factories are known only to produce smog and sludge. Often it seems the height of human technology and the infrastructure that supports it is framed as ugly, disregarded as a stain on the eyes.

Hayes, then, was to be proof that Mankind had learnt from its temperamental past and could achieve great works that did not come at the cost of majesty, however one interpreted that. The world was designed by the Vexian civilization to be a symbol of this progress. Risa’s 2nd planet proved to be a fertile candidate for these plans, having already developed very basic forms of plant life by the time it had been charted and classified by Vexian scientists in the First Era. Its gravity measured a comfortable 0.89G and the atmosphere was just the right mixture of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, and Argon to breathe without hospitalization. It was here that Vexia intended to merge productivity with environmentalism.

Hayes is the Vexian Confederacy’s principal factory world, though it deceptively would also appear to be its protected natural habitat. But for the spaceport at Eden’s Central District, there are no settlements on the surface of the planet. Instead, in cave systems and hollowed out caverns underneath the crust centered around the spaceport’s space tether is a gigantic planned city in which the inhabitants of Hayes live. Thousands upon thousands of square kilometers of industry are stacked between apartment complexes and shopping districts as well as chambers filled with samples of the paradise above in case a trip to the surface is too inconvenient.

It is small wonder then that the greatest of scientific institutions gather here to perform their research. Units as famous as Biological Research Department 78 and Physical Research Department 4 are headquartered in the science district of West Eden, making use of the access to industrial machines and the powerful collection of talented devotees to perform advanced research. It is a place to be envious of, for sure, and all the most serious scientific groups aspire to work here. In fact, every single one of the Exploratory Guilds is known to operate here to recruit or create Research Departments for their expeditions. One such Guild is preparing for a new project that has yet to take the known universe according to Humanity by storm…

Four Vexians paced down a brightly lit, sterile white hallway. The one in the lead was dressed in plain civilian clothes shrouded in a white labcoat. The rest were wearing Vexian military garments, the standard ADCAMO fatigues which at the moment had colored themselves a dull white-grey to blend in with the interior of a research lab. Glass signs with holo-lit text stood proudly above doorways indicating the inglorious titles of those rooms, though none at the moment were of any import. This particular complex was shared between several minor Research Guilds ranging from Botany to Geostudies, almost none of which warranted their own complexes like Experimental Physics and Robotics did. Hence, recent events and current goings on have produced something of a festive atmosphere.

Athena, the Vexian in the lab coat, reached a certain doorway and turned to face her companions. “The briefing will be conducted here” she said “as the particulars of this project are top secret, we will be keeping the details of the mission on an as-needed basis”. Two of the uniformed Vexians simply nodded while the third merely crossed her arms. Seeing as her disclaimer had been received by her companions, Athena placed her hand on the wall next to the door. The seemingly random space she’d placed her hand on now blinked into existence the outline of a square in blue lights as a line swept across her palm. As it did so, the glow seemed to penetrate her flesh as the shadows of the bones in her hand appeared when the scanning line had passed. This seemed sufficient biometric confirmation for the door, as it now slid open to accept the visitors.

Within was a conference room with a long table and a number of empty seats. On each wall were screens depicting loose, irrelevant information. In the center of the table, the icon of the Guild for the Research of Anthropology and Xenology and Associated Archaeology floated as a hologram in the absence of anything of note. On one side of the table sat another two Vexians in lab coats, both of whom pored over a tablet filled with text and number tables. As the newcomers entered the room, both stood and respectfully bowed to welcome them, in turn receiving similar honors from the visitors. The uniformed Vexians sat opposite of these scientists, though the earlier Vexian who had crossed her arms stood to introduce them. “Doctor Jones, Liasion to the Security Element, and Doctor Velasquez, Head of Information Distribution” she said, gesturing to the scientists. Athena sat at the head of the table as niceties were exchanged. “Thank you, Captain Ulysses, I will take this from here” she said as the Captain sat down herself.

“To be frank, the purpose of our guild is the exploration of new and deceased alien civilizations. We examine the artefacts and leftover structures from previous civilizations to obtain knowledge and technology as well as formalize the introduction of new alien civilizations to Vexian society and the Human Race at large. Your purpose within our guild is to provide security to our scientific operations in the event we encounter hostile subjects. This is the purpose of our funding of the 197th Free Company, and it consists of a considerable portion of the Guild’s resources. It is not wasted effort, as on occasion we may be forced to resort to violence in order to guarantee the success of our operations”.

One of the uniformed Vexians, Sgt. Charle, raised her hand to query the scientist. “So the mission at hand will involve our units operating in a military capacity?” she asked politely. Athena nodded. “We do not consider it a certainty on any given mission but preparedness for the possibility of combat is the reason you’re here today”. Jones nodded in agreement with Athena’s statements. “Indeed we’re already working through some requests made by our science teams for this mission regarding military operations. They range from basic security in certain scenarios to actual experiments involving deliberate offensive combat. There’s obviously going to be some trimming and restrictions on what activities will be performed but we consider the likelihood high enough for such a situation that a significant security component was deemed necessary” she explained.

It is at this point the pensive Otto spoke up. “The specifics of the mission are military in nature, then? Are we to operate on abandoned military installations?” she asked, wishing to get to the point. Athena shook her head at this. “In fact, we are not. Not specifically. In truth, we are unsure of the exact nature of our primary concern…” with a flick of the wrist the room darkened and the hologram flashed out of existence, instead replaced by a series of symbols in shortform Vexian that indicated the following information was both important and classified. “Due to the rather groundbreaking specifics of our discovery, the briefing we are about to show you is considered a state secret. Under no circumstances are you to repeat this information to any personnel outside this room including to persons you believe to be your superior officer. Understood?”

The cryptic warning wasn’t lost on Otto as she nodded her affirmation. “Very well, let’s begin” started Athena before the hologram blinked through several ciphers before becoming a sphere that had been labelled with a series of datums. Besides the statistics, there didn’t appear to be any features to the sphere at all. In fact, it looked more like a neophyte’s first art project than the subject of a serious scientific study. “This object, discovered by one of our survey cooperatives with the Guild of Astronomy, is a Dyson sphere” pronounced Athena.

“The theoretical cosmic megastructure?” queried Charle, her incredulity bleeding into her speech. “Indeed, although this structure has been previously theorized to have been observed as early as the 21st century, this is the first time such an object has been positively identified by the human race. What’s more, we believe that the object may be active”. As Athena spoke, more data appeared around the depiction of the Dyson sphere, pointing out minutiae related to the object. “Thermodynamic analysis suggests that the object is releasing energy at various points across its surface in non-destructive quantities. There is almost certainly some form of steady, controlled energy generation throughout the sphere. Thus, most of our theories about the contents typically involve a civilization of some degree”.

“So you believe our security is required in the off chance that this civilization or civilizations are hostile?” asked the upstart Charle. Doctor Jones now answered this question. “This is a typical concern whenever we engage in any activities that potentially involve another civilization, living or dead. However, because of the scale of this operation additional personnel are being employed. In addition to the defense of the scientific mission during the operation proper, security is required to defend the logistics chain and the diplomatic mission should foreign parties become involved”.

“Are other entities aware of this discovery?” Otto’s interest was piqued by that latter mission parameter. If others were to be involved, the extent of their security activity would be clearer. Doctor Velasquez decided to answer this one. “Due to the size of our planned mission, we believe it necessary to obtain the assistance of other scientific communities. The Colonial Union or perhaps even the Gatoxites might provide us with useful aid if we were to share some of the bounty that is likely to be uncovered by this discovery. We intend to make overtures to these and others, so security for those missions as well protecting the information of the discovery from getting out of our control is part of the security department’s responsibility”.

Since neither Charle nor Otto appeared to have further questions, Athena concluded the briefing by dismissing the hologram as the lights in the room returned to their normal brightness. “Security for the scientific endeavors and the betterment of Humanity are your greatest concern. In this matter, we expect the highest level of discretion and dutifulness” reminded Athena to the new security officers. “We may not be the most important scientific institute, but the magnitude of our mission cannot be understated”. Turning to Ulysses, she indicated that she had said her piece.

Both sergeants stood up as Ulysses took the podium while Jones, Velasquez, and Athena stood by. “Sergeants, here are your orders. Sergeant Charle, you are to join the Logistics Security section under Lieutenant Conan. Report to her on Yggdrasil Station by 1500 hours this afternoon. Sergeant Bismarck, you are to join the Diplomatic Security section under Lieutenant Hiroshi. Report to her on the Resilient by 1500 hours. Dismissed!”

With a sharp salute, Otto excused herself from the room and returned to the hallway that had brought her here. As she left, Charle came up alongside her to blatantly disregard direct orders. “This is certainly going to be an interesting mission, huh? Are you sure a newbie like yourself can handle it?” she prodded, trying to get on Otto’s nerves. Evidently it was, as Otto tried to conceal her irritation at her compatriot’s behavior. “It will certainly be novel” said Otto diplomatically. “Novel? This is quite possibly the biggest discovery in human history since negative energy or alien civilizations. Don’t you feel like this is over your head a little?”. Otto stopped and turned to the other Sergeant with a cold look. “I will do what is necessary to complete the mission. History isn’t written by things that are new, it is written by things that stick around”.

With that, leaving a dumbfounded Charle behind her, Otto went to gather her unit and report for duty.

[Parcia]

The Grin that formed in John's face could be described as...shit eating.

Leaning back in his chair he crossed his arms. "You know, I'm...impressed, impressed at that statement as a whole, impressed at the range of a emotions you as a drone can exhibit...and am impressed that the chair you sit upon can handle the titanic weight of the star ship grade adamantine balls you posses for making such a thinly veiled threat." Giving a chuckle, he sat back up in his chair, sat both his elbows on the table and held her gaze.

"Let's break this down as we go, shall we, and just for record's keeping sake I will also be addressing the Entire Faeson Leadership as I know they are listening in on this at is goes on. Firstly, you...The matter of Human Casualties is...interesting as you have pointed out, as most of Military High Command and the Union as a whole sees us millions in to the red as it stands, and are itching to make up for the difference. Second, You assume a damn large things about the Navy and Colonial military as a whole, which is surprising considering of a few facts we both have to both consider here, mostly the large difference in both active and reserve forces we both have, the industrial capacity we both have, and the potential manpower we both have which you and I both know is rather skewed, if we take peek wartime estimates, in our favor."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Third, the matters of moral and lacking leadership. Let me clue you in to something not even the deeply embedded Faeson intelligence molls, who you would have no doubt noticed have all simultaneously gone dark by now, can tell you: That I had to argue and fight with my cabinet for some time, ultimately threatening to sack all of them, to agree to a temporary hold on sending every active warship across the boarder. See, if you knew me at all really, you would know I ran on a platform of promoting peace with the various Xenos races that surrounded the CU and the main objective was to secure a lasting peace agreement with the Faeson Empire as, if you can believe it, a lot of the CU actually liked your people, a lot."


He paused to suck in a breath, "So you can imagine my frustrations when you went off and nuked 32-fuckin-millions Humans!" Another pause for breath. "Now, lastly, let us evaluate and dissect that last bit. Ah, yes, the LSP, the famed Opposition party that your Moles and agent's are so fond of meddling with. Yes, we know your secretly supporting the LSP, and yes, we also know your funneling money and guns in to several rebel cells and groups out in the outer Colonies with some hope or mission of using them to destabilize the Union in the event of war. The Fine ladies and gentleman at the Office of Naval Intelligence are vary thorough in their work."

Leaning in, he spoke in a low tone of voice. "So tell me, Faeson, how confident are you in Humanity's ability to respond to this. To be honest when both our fleets number in the thousands, 40 ships seems a small thing to give over, considerably so given the fact all we intend to do is to melt them down and forge a Memorial from it."

Manzanix smiled, and her ears wiggles up and down vertically. Very few humans know that that was the Faeson equivalent of rolling one’s eyes, but she didn’t care whether or not President John knew about the expression.
“I am happy you recognize my bravery. I have learned those strange human expressions about ‘having balls.’ It is interesting that you chose to use such phrases in our discussion.”

She bowed her head. “Mr. President, there are many objections I have to what you have just said. First of all, I wonder what gives you the confidence that your own party would not betray you should you become too unpopular. I also wonder what makes you believe that we have not infiltrated or been offering support to any human group within your Union beyond the LSP, since we have more than one point of intelligence contact with your people. I assure you that our integration with your society is apartisan.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I also wonder just what you are hoping to get out of this encounter, John. You know as well as I do, that when tensions are at the breaking point and when war is a misplaced word away, 40 ships IS consequential. And I know what your generals want, but they want the same thing they’ve always wanted. The ‘numbers’ will never be in the black, even if we resurrected every human on Redohan. You know this. So why are you letting them goad you into a war that will leave billions more humans dead and your political career obliterated, but one in which these generals of yours will never fight in.”

Envoy Manzanix folded her hands. “I have a compromise. We will receive our forty functional ships, but will pay you in materials for your monument. You will be better served by an additional minor concession than a bizarre monument that looks like it is celebrating a victory you didn’t achieve.” She looked at John with concern. “This is such a strange demand of yours, seriously. We would have secured peace already if it were not for it.”

In truth, John was spent. He leaned back and sipped his drink once more. Arguing with the Faeson was like arguing with a brick wall that had several million being's worth of attitude ingrained in to every single molecule of grit and cemented sand. "Fine, compromise accepted...and it wouldn't have been a monument to some victory, it would have been one to the Fallen...we humans like do that every now and then." Setting the cut down he rubbed his face. "Have your people send mine the paperwork, if there is any."

He paused. "And Ms. Manzanix, understand while I am utterly and completely frustrated with the whole situation, I hold no ill will towards you personally, hell your probably the first some what decent Faeson i'v spoken to in close to half a decade." Again a pause. "Ms. Manzanix...how would you and I like to work together in the future? in diplomatic terms I mean."

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
Former Colonial Union "Wild Cat" Colony


The blue shimmering portals in to real space lit up with crackling energy as they ripped a hole in the fabric of reality. Out of the three holes in space came three warships. Two 550m long colonial frigates on the flanks of a larger, arrow headed form of a Colonial Destroyer. Captain Keys leaned to her communications officer, "Tell me again what we have on this system?" The young Lieutenant spoke up. "EX-345, home to a single habitable world known as "Rossin's Park" a small little rock with temperate land and a few large oceans. Database says it was a former UEF wild cat colony that went dark during the Maelstrom. What data we do have, since a alarming amount is censored by our favorite all seeing eye, says they were experimenting with some pretty advanced genetics here, some Megacorp known as "Gatoxite.""

"And our reason for being here?" For this her navigation officer spoke up, "Around 5 standard years back DRADIS picked up massive spikes in communications and likely weapons fire, ONI was dispatched but that file is completely classified, it got shifted to the Revenue Service who buried it for a few years before it got sent to us."

As the portals closed behind them the ships, per standard protocol, vented the excess energy in to the capacitors of their MAC guns, charging them for a salvo if needed. "Alright then, broad spectrum scan and hail over open channels, lets see if there is any one left here.


Across the black Gulf of space a message would be transmitted, "To any and all contacts out there, this is the CNF-Mother of Invention, CD-2234, please respond, over."

[Arktic]

In truth, John was spent. He leaned back and sipped his drink once more. Arguing with the Faeson was like arguing with a brick wall that had several million being's worth of attitude ingrained in to every single molecule of grit and cemented sand. "Fine, compromise accepted...and it wouldn't have been a monument to some victory, it would have been one to the Fallen...we humans like do that every now and then." Setting the cut down he rubbed his face. "Have your people send mine the paperwork, if there is any."

He paused. "And Ms. Manzanix, understand while I am utterly and completely frustrated with the whole situation, I hold no ill will towards you personally, hell your probably the first some what decent Faeson i'v spoken to in close to half a decade." Again a pause. "Ms. Manzanix...how would you and I like to work together in the future? in diplomatic terms I mean."

Resolution

The Envoy seemed genuinely startled, even as she made the effort to hide her thoughts. This was it? They had reached an agreement that would avoid war? Her eyes narrowed sharply for a moment, doing as much mind-reading of President John she could do without literally mind-reading him, but then she relaxed. This human, John, seemed to genuinely want peace and this was his price. He was willing to accept her proposal without any more fighting. So, this was indeed it. Even Faeson knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She smiled. "Good. A wave of relief will pass over many billions, thanks to your decision here. You have my gratitude, the gratitude of Unity, and the gratitude of the entire Faeson species. We will not forget your mercy. As for reparations, the Unity will be waiting for your invoice, which we will provide for immediately. I could bring it to them if you would like."

Manzanix tilted her head at President John's last comment. "I appreciate your remarks, sir. I hope I was able to give you a good impression of my people, despite the circumstances. On my part, you seem to be a good leader for your people, and I personally certainly wouldn't mind working with you in the future. Of course, regardless of your recommendation, it is necessary for our people to communicate as good neighbors."

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
Former Colonial Union "Wild Cat" Colony


The blue shimmering portals in to real space lit up with crackling energy as they ripped a hole in the fabric of reality. Out of the three holes in space came three warships. Two 550m long colonial frigates on the flanks of a larger, arrow headed form of a Colonial Destroyer. Captain Keys leaned to her communications officer, "Tell me again what we have on this system?" The young Lieutenant spoke up. "EX-345, home to a single habitable world known as "Rossin's Park" a small little rock with temperate land and a few large oceans. Database says it was a former UEF wild cat colony that went dark during the Maelstrom. What data we do have, since a alarming amount is censored by our favorite all seeing eye, says they were experimenting with some pretty advanced genetics here, some Megacorp known as "Gatoxite.""

"And our reason for being here?" For this her navigation officer spoke up, "Around 5 standard years back DRADIS picked up massive spikes in communications and likely weapons fire, ONI was dispatched but that file is completely classified, it got shifted to the Revenue Service who buried it for a few years before it got sent to us."

As the portals closed behind them the ships, per standard protocol, vented the excess energy in to the capacitors of their MAC guns, charging them for a salvo if needed. "Alright then, broad spectrum scan and hail over open channels, lets see if there is any one left here.


Across the black Gulf of space a message would be transmitted, "To any and all contacts out there, this is the CNF-Mother of Invention, CD-2234, please respond, over."

Mother of Invention, Enemy of Freedom

Above the blue-green skies of Rossin's Park, there was silence for a long moment. Initially, it seemed like the CNF force would be getting no response at all. There were some lights on the planet, but it was possible that these were simply self-powered ruins providing illumination for non-existent inhabitants. Such things had happened before, especially on outer worlds like this.

The quiet was short lived. Suddenly, there was a flash of light on the night side of the planet, the radar scanners screamed warnings, and the Mother of Invention shuddered as an uncharged and partially molten warhead grazed the ship and split apart. It seemed that at least one of the railguns of the planetary defense systems were still online, and who or whatever was operating it was hostile.
Moments later, a transmission arrived with a strange sight. What appeared to be a young human male with distinct feline ears, sporting a casually worn and ill-fitting blue camo jacket appeared on the open channel screens. Those feline ears were tilted back in pain or anger, his eyes were wide and sharp with hate, and his face was twisted in a snarl of anger that bore an intensity unlike anything Keys had seen for a long time.
"Human!" the catboy shouted into the headset on him in English, practically screaming. "We are the Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride! We will not tolerate any human presence in... Dammit! We won't tolerate any human presence at all! Go away from here or prepare to die, f*cking bastards!"

There was another flash of light on the surface, and another poorly-built slug flew by the lead ship, leaving a vapor trail between the destroyer and one of the frigates. The targeting system must be off or damaged, but it was unlikely the humans would keep getting lucky like this, and who knew what other sorts of defenses were on this planet...

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CNF Scouting group


"Ma`am I'v got a power surge from a terrestrial-...BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The destroyer shook in time with a large metallic "clunk" as the shell glanced off the armored prow of the Mother of Invention. "Get me a report!"

"Ma'am, ground based mass driver, weak as all hell though, did minimal damage to prow, barely scratched the paint." She frowned. "Did any one see what the fuck was that on the vid, did he have cat ears?" Shaking her head Keys began to bark out orders. "Bring us to red alert and Combat stations, threat condition Zulu...and I want a firing solution on that gun!" On her order the wedge shaped vessel fired it RCS thrusters and aligned it's fixed main guns on the target. "Ma`am, target is ground based mass driver, roughly center of it main continent, several dozen kilometers from an old archology, scans indicate it's inhabited."

She kept a straight face, wishing to keep her stern face to her men. "Shoot tube 1!", with this there suddenly came a flash of light as the 1110mm MAC let loose it's fury, slinging the 560 tone tungsten-ferric slug at the mass driver site. Due to their rather close FTL exit, the round's travel time was only around 30 seconds long, and the bridge crew watched vie long range scan as the shot blazed through the planet's atmosphere and impacted the mass driver sight. The Destruction was utter and whole sail, the sight being rendered to rubble and dust as the near molten slug impacted at a little less then 5.6% the speed of light.

"Good effect on target, recharge time on gun one at 3:43 and counting." Now came her smile. "Open that channel, bypass their encryption if you have to." A few moment passed before the screen flashed and she again found her self staring at the feline Young man.


"I am Captain Samantha Keys, Colonial Naval, I request to know who's mass driver I just dusted so I can properly address them."

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CNF Scouting group


"Ma`am I'v got a power surge from a terrestrial-...BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The destroyer shook in time with a large metallic "clunk" as the shell glanced off the armored prow of the Mother of Invention. "Get me a report!"

"Ma'am, ground based mass driver, weak as all hell though, did minimal damage to prow, barely scratched the paint." She frowned. "Did any one see what the fuck was that on the vid, did he have cat ears?" Shaking her head Keys began to bark out orders. "Bring us to red alert and Combat stations, threat condition Zulu...and I want a firing solution on that gun!" On her order the wedge shaped vessel fired it RCS thrusters and aligned it's fixed main guns on the target. "Ma`am, target is ground based mass driver, roughly center of it main continent, several dozen kilometers from an old archology, scans indicate it's inhabited."

She kept a straight face, wishing to keep her stern face to her men. "Shoot tube 1!", with this there suddenly came a flash of light as the 1110mm MAC let loose it's fury, slinging the 560 tone tungsten-ferric slug at the mass driver sight. Due to their rather close FTL exit, the round's travel time was only around 30 seconds long, and the bridge crew watched vie long range scan as the shot blazed through the planet's atmosphere and impacted the mass driver sight. The Destruction was utter and whole sail, the sight being rendered to rubble and dust as the near molten slug impacted at a little less then 5.6% the speed of light.

"Good effect on target, recharge time on gun one at 3:43 and counting." Now came her smile. "Open that channel, bypass their encryption if you have to." A few moment passed before the screen flashed and she again found her self staring at the feline Young man.


"I am Captain Samantha Keys, Colonial Naval, I request to know who's mass driver I just dusted so I can properly address them."

Uncompromising

The scene presented to Captain Keys was quite different than the one she had been left on moments ago. Smoke and dust filled the air in the now darkened room, illuminated only by a flashing red emergency light. The screaming of sirens and the shouts and crying of others could be heard offsceen. The catboy from earlier stared in blank shock at the screen, his already disheveled uniform now torn and stained by black ash and a smear of red blood from a gash on his head. The officer that first confronted the group was silent, ears drooped and eyes widened in terror, but a conversation could be heard in the background.

"Status report!"
"Contact with slug driver 3 lost! Significant damage to base facilities! Casualties unknown!"
"Where are the missiles!?"
"We didn't get the spare parts we needed yet, they won't fly!"
"Sh*t, I told them a million times- never mind that! Get me the interstellar comms link, now! I want a pigeon in the air ASAP! Tell them the humans are here!"
"We need to warn Leo! Come on, before they fire again!"
"Go, go, go!"

The one in front of the screen seemed to pull himself together as shadows ran back and forth behind him, showing the Colonials glimpses of ears and tails in the silhouette of the emergency lights.
"I... I am Lieutenant Tiger Emerson, of the Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride!" He suddenly stood up, and slammed his fists onto the desk in front of him, shaking the camera as he leaned into it. Fury had given way to a sort of insane anger: he looked very much like a trapped animal. "AND WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER TO HUMANS! DAMN ALL OF YOU! WE'LL DIE BEFORE WE'LL BE YOUR F*CKING SLAVES AGAIN!"

Another one of these catboys showed up behind Lt. Tiger, staring into the screen alongside him with a more terrified and upset, and much less insane expression. He had on a much more proper but still ill-fitting uniform, probably of a higher rank, his ears were down and his tail was literally tucked between his legs but waved and twitched in clear agitation. Their appearance as young nekomimis was now clear to the humans, and they both seemed to be waiting for the Colonials to say something back.

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CNF Scouting group

The sight of the unknown enemy in such a disheveled state betrayed the damage assessment on the site to Keys and her bridge crew. As the Feline man began to shout and curse at them over the vid screen the crew went to work, the communications officer cross referencing the apparent name of this faction and to his utter surprise, finding nothing. Seeing the confused expression of her communications officer she turned back to the screen.

"Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride?" What...who....what in the 9 rings of Hell is the "Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride"? Who the hell are you people and what in the sam hell gives you the idea to just start launching slugs at people when they decide to check up on you after close to 6 years of silence!"

While the good Captain would raise her voice, she would restrain her self from going any further and took a moment to breath, letting that vein in her temple relax. "I'm giving whoever you are an official order as an officer of the Colonial Navy to tell me just who the hell you are before I deem you pirates and blast you off the rock!"

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CNF Scouting group

The sight of the unknown enemy in such a disheveled state betrayed the damage assessment on the site to Keys and her bridge crew. As the Feline man began to shout and curse at them over the vid screen the crew went to work, the communications officer cross referencing the apparent name of this faction and to his utter surprise, finding nothing. Seeing the confused expression of her communications officer she turned back to the screen.

"Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride?" What...who....what in the 9 rings of Hell is the "Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride"? Who the hell are you people and what in the sam hell gives you the idea to just start launching slugs at people when they decide to check up on you after close to 6 years of silence!"

While the good Captain would raise her voice, she would restrain her self from going any further and took a moment to breath, letting that vein in her temple relax. "I'm giving whoever you are an official order as an officer of the Colonial Navy to tell me just who the hell you are before I deem you pirates and blast you off the rock!"

Relax

The order from Captain Keys caused Lieutenant Tiger to really blow a gasket. More so than he already had, anyways.
"WE DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, HUMAN BITCH—"
"Stop! Get off it!"

The other Gatoxite that had been standing behind Lt. Tiger suddenly intervened, trying to shove him away from the screen. A brief physical altercation ensued that ended when Lt. Tiger backed off, hissing and giving a loud and angry, and surprisingly feline, meow.
"Go help the others with the distress signal," the one with the better uniform shouted. "I will take it from here! You are dismissed, Lieutenant!"
"F*ck you, fine! They're gonna blow us all to Heaven anyways, it doesn't matter!"

The other Gatoxite hissed at Lt. Tiger as he left, then turned back to the screen. He seemed slightly apologetic, if still very angry, his slightly slitted eyes betraying fear, hatred, and wariness.
"I- This is Major Shadow Marson, base commander for the planetary defense force here. We are Gatoxites, of the Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride. We are NOT pirates, we are part of an interstellar empire that is, and will remain, independent from all human control."
He took a deep breath and puffed up his chest, ears wiggling slightly. "So, if you think you can come back to assert human authority here, you are sorely mistaken. Even... Even if you kill everyone on this planet, others will fight on! As my subordinate said, you people will never take the liberty we won!"

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scouting Group


The Captain slipped in to a mask of confusion as the two apparently feline men hissed and fought each other, unsure if what she was seeing was real. Off in the distance, behind the captain, a muffled voice called out, "Did he just fuckin Meow?" After ordering her bridge crew to silence, she leaned forward in her command chair and folded her hands. Taking a deep breath she began, "Just hold the phone there, alright. I-We aren't here to colonize or enslave or anything of the sort. The Colonial Union, the massive multi-sector human led democratic republic that has been around for the better part of 240 years, has been out of contact with this little spattering of star systems for the better part of half a decade. Now because we value and like our fellow sentient beings, Naval Command saw fit to task my humble little scouting group to check up on the Human colonies in this system and a few neighboring others."


She paused, taking another breath to control the infamous Keys family temper, "Now, We, as in said Colonial Union, have no utter clue just who in the fuck you people are or how you came to be on this little corner of space since our records for this system and the closest ones to it are more then 6 years out of date. If we can calm down here and stop throwing slugs at each other I'm sure we can discuss this like civilized folk. If not...well keep in mind my slugs fly faster, hit harder, and are a hell of a lot more accurate then yours."

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scouting Group


The Captain slipped in to a mask of confusion as the two apparently feline men hissed and fought each other, unsure if what she was seeing was real. Off in the distance, behind the captain, a muffled voice called out, "Did he just fuckin Meow?" After ordering her bridge crew to silence, she leaned forward in her command chair and folded her hands. Taking a deep breath she began, "Just hold the phone there, alright. I-We aren't here to colonize or enslave or anything of the sort. The Colonial Union, the massive multi-sector human led democratic republic that has been around for the better part of 240 years, has been out of contact with this little spattering of star systems for the better part of half a decade. Now because we value and like our fellow sentient beings, Naval Command saw fit to task my humble little scouting group to check up on the Human colonies in this system and a few neighboring others."


She paused, taking another breath to control the infamous Keys family temper, "Now, We, as in said Colonial Union, have no utter clue just who in the fuck you people are or how you came to be on this little corner of space since our records for this system and the closest ones to it are more then 6 years out of date. If we can calm down here and stop throwing slugs at each other I'm sure we can discuss this like civilized folk. If not...well keep in mind my slugs fly faster, hit harder, and are a hell of a lot more accurate then yours."

Major Shadow's face twisted into a mixture of disbelief and disgust. "Are you saying you don't know who we are? Is this some kind of trick, because it won't work!" He shook his head. "Anyways, we don't... We don't have anything left to throw at you. That mass driver was it. Whether we like it or not, this planet is in your mercy now... So, I guess all there is left to do is talk."

In a distant hangar, a drone taxied onto the tarmac and began to take to the skies. Small and nimble, even if it was detected on the CU ship's radars, it was unlikely to be noticed...

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scouting Group

Again, Keys let loose a sigh. She couldn't tell if these folks legitimately had a reason to be terrified or perhaps what ever genetic modification went in to their make made them stubborn or- Wait...what!?. "Hold up here..."Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride" as in the Gatoxite Corporation that helped settle the local star system...80 years back?" As she further mulled this on the pieces, or as many as she could gather, began to fall in to place. "Hernandez, hit the database again, cross reference this sub sector with reports on refugees, place it about 5 years back."

A few moments of awkward silence as her bridge officer typed at his screen and came up with the results. "I don't have many, but I have a couple. Most are from deposed farmers and most have...the same story." Turning to his captain he spoke. "All speak of a slave rebellion and civil strife." She took a moment to examine the Psudo-human before her. His ears were held back in what she recognized as a defensive form and slit pupils that gave them away. Both would require extensive bodily modification and even then, the therapy and training needed to get used to using the synthetic implants and muscles would be long and painful.


While she had no real proof beyond her own cognitive thought and reasoning, she chose to go for it. "You're the Slaves, aren't you. You overthrew your masters and have been living in paranoia for how ever long it's been since."

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scouting Group

Again, Keys let loose a sigh. She couldn't tell if these folks legitimately had a reason to be terrified or perhaps what ever genetic modification went in to their make made them stubborn or- Wait...what!?. "Hold up here..."Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride" as in the Gatoxite Corporation that helped settle the local star system...80 years back?" As she further mulled this on the pieces, or as many as she could gather, began to fall in to place. "Hernandez, hit the database again, cross reference this sub sector with reports on refugees, place it about 5 years back."

A few moments of awkward silence as her bridge officer typed at his screen and came up with the results. "I don't have many, but I have a couple. Most are from deposed farmers and most have...the same story." Turning to his captain he spoke. "All speak of a slave rebellion and civil strife." She took a moment to examine the Psudo-human before her. His ears were held back in what she recognized as a defensive form and slit pupils that gave them away. Both would require extensive bodily modification and even then, the therapy and training needed to get used to using the synthetic implants and muscles would be long and painful.


While she had no real proof beyond her own cognitive thought and reasoning, she chose to go for it. "You're the Slaves, aren't you. You over through your masters and have been living in paranoia for how ever long it's been since."

Major Shadow snarled at her from behind the screen. "We are NOT slaves. Not anymore, not ever again. In the Revolution six years ago, we all rose up and ended that system of oppression. We Gatoxites are a free and independent people now, with our own territory, our own military, and our own leader. You can tell those 'deposed farmers' or whatever as much."

The drone pierced the tip of the atmosphere, gave a flash of light, and then vanished.

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scout group


Again, this drew another sigh from the Captain. "Alright look, you have no reason to trust me other then a threat of force. Lucky for all involved I'm not here to use force...Forgive me for I'm no diplomat but would you be open to meeting, in person? Ether aboard my vessel or maybe on an orbital anchorage? I don't mean to sound informal or rushed but it seems there is an inherent level of mis-understanding here and I feel like I should try to fix that."

Out of view of the vid, her navigation officer spoke. "Ma'am, short range jump detected, to small to be a maned craft it was likely a drone or probe." Rubbing her temples she shot the officer a look, a well known look that conveyed a certain message: Call for backup.

Off in to the black gulf of space, an encrypted tight beam transmission was fired off in the direction of the Colonial DRADIS net.

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN Scout group


Again, this drew another sigh from the Captain. "Alright look, you have no reason to trust me other then a threat of force. Lucky for all involved I'm not here to use force...Forgive me for I'm no diplomat but would you be open to meeting, in person? Ether aboard my vessel or maybe on an orbital anchorage? I don't mean to sound informal or rushed but it seems there is an inherent level of mis-understanding here and I feel like I should try to fix that."

Out of view of the vid, her navigation officer spoke. "Ma'am, short range jump detected, to small to be a maned craft it was likely a drone or probe." Rubbing her temples she shot the officer a look, a well known look that conveyed a certain message: Call for backup.

Off in to the black gulf of space, an encrypted tight beam transmission was fired off in the direction of the Colonial DRADIS net.

Gatoxite Revolutionary Pride Planetary Defense Force: Rossin’s Park

Something odd started to happen: the eyes of the Gatoxite commander in front of the screen started to well up with tears. As he began to speak again, his voice broke. Shadow very clearly was trying hard not to cry.
“I... I don’t know! I don’t understand anything that’s happening! I’m supposed to be dead, you’re supposed to know who we are and to not be talking to me! It wasn’t supposed to go like this...”

Lt. Tiger’s voice could be heard behind Major Shadow. “The pigeon’s up and away, sir!”
Shadow wiped his eyes and turned to face him. “Good work, Tiger. What’s the damage like? Did you get eyes on it?”
“It’s... bad, sir. Marines are looking for survivors, but all they’ve found so far is a scorched part of someone’s tail sticking out of the rubble.”
Major Shadow swallowed. “And the the civilian zones?”
“Untouched, thank Leo. We sent out some officers with trucks, they’re getting everyone to safety now.” Lt. Tiger came into the screen’s view and blinked in confusion. “But why haven’t they kept firing?”
Major Shadow hesitated. “They... These aren’t the same group of humans as our oppressors. They don’t recognize us and only fired back in self-defense, now they wanna talk. They’re from the ‘Colonial Union’ or something...”
Lt. Tiger put on the same disgusted and baffled fact Shadow had on moments ago. “They what!? Is this some kind of trick?”
Major Shadow threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know, okay! But we’re running out of options! The Navy won’t be here for, like, another two hours, and they said they wanna talk, so...!?”

Lieutenant Tiger paused for a second, then bowed his head slightly. “I... don’t know either, Major. But I trust you to make the right decision. You’ve kept us alive so far...”
Major Shadow stared at Lt. Tiger for a moment, then turned back to the screen. “I have a plan to avoid war. You can come down to the surface here, but all humans you send and the shuttle they come down on must be completely unarmed. I know this isn’t protocol and requires a degree of trust we don’t have yet, but any other course of action will just result in all of us getting killed when the Revolutionary Navy comes in guns-blazing. This gives us a fighting chance. I’ve sent you my exact coordinates if you accept.”

[Nornsmark]

All courses lead to the Harbor,
- Guild Proverb

It has been a century, precisely, since the last great race. Most inhabitants will only live to see it once. Some never see it at all, only hearing the tales passed from their elders about the great pilots and navigators, the reckless courses, the close calls. The Guild has hosted the largest, most extravagant, most dangerous races in the galaxy for just above a millennium now. Precisely once a century, every century. Not even the Maelstrom disrupted the Prix. And it has been a century. The Monarch of the Guild, Gwynevere Fenn raf Belhest, has seen two races in her long life, but she will see a third before the cosmos beckon her to her grave. The timetable of the Prix is absolute, the racers have had a century to prepare. To tune, modify, and train. The Guild's race has claimed the lives of some of the greatest pilots and navigators in its storied history, but to some, the prize is worth it.

To the winning pair, a Boon for each, granted by the Monarch. It could be anything. Wealth? Power? A star system? All are available. If the Guild can grant it, it shall be done. To their nation of origin, coordinates to an unsullied, unclaimed and previously undiscovered garden world. So it has been written in the Tome of Contracts, signed and sealed in blood by each Monarch in turn. To the runners-up, wealth unimaginable. There is not a soul in the galaxy who has not heard the name of the greatest race in time. There is not a soul who does not know of the Ivory Prix.

The notice was sent, to every Guild ship, to every Guildhouse. It was sent by quantum-entanglement, by courier vessel, by laser comms, but it was sent. From there, the Invitations were printed, then delivered by hand. Every species, every nation, every world. In but a day, the galaxy would receive the Invitation. It would be an old thing, anachronistic in appearance. Written in ink older than some nations, on fine paper inlaid with rose gold and patterned to constellations. The Invitation read:

"To the peoples of the Galaxy, I, Monarch Gwynevere Fenn raf Belhest of the House of Belhest, of the Guild of Trade, proudly invite you to participate in the centennial 12th Ivory Prix at the Empyrean Harbor. Come compete for prizes beyond compare. However, make no mistake my many friends, there will be dangers. To claim your prizes, you must face down the many heads of death. Not all will survive. Survive, and take victory, however, you will claim not only your Boon, but claim a garden for your people. Victory awaits, my many friends. Will you claim it?

May luck be your guide."

The slips traded hands, from one red-and-gold clad Guildsman to the many varied leaders across the galaxy. Governors, Kings and Queens, Presidents and Matriarchs. All would be invited. Some have prepared for a century, eager for their next chance. Some are new, young and foolhardy. Some will die, and some, well, some would become champions. The clock reached midnight, and Gwynevere Fenn raf Belhest smiled. For in a scant few days, the greatest festivity ever hosted would once again commence.

[Parcia]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN scouting Group


Keys leaned back in her chair and gave a nod and, more importantly, a smile. "I'll meet you down there, send us the coordinates." With that, the vid screen shut off, the transmission killed. "Right, get a second transmission to the nearest DRADIS tower, I want some cruiser grade reinforcements here inside of an hour if we can manage. Get word to the deck officer to get a Pelican ready." This drew a few stares from her screw. "Ma'am, shouldn't we send a security team down to the surface?" She shoot her head. "No, you heard the man...cat...thing, we need to trust them and get them to trust us."

Making her way down to the small hanger bay she found the Deck officer barking orders to his men. "I'v removed the chin gun and the missiles, but that's it." She gave him a curt nod and went about stepping in to the drop ship's troop bay. "Thanks chief, mind handing me that survival rig?" He did so, and watched as she slipped the combination survival vest and plate carrier on. Reaching in to a locker, he produced a set of light yet durable carbon nano-laminate armor plates. A far cry from the hard backed Tritanium-A plate gear of the Colonial Marines, the Nano-laminate armor gave her decent protection to small arms and shrapnel while the vest gave her a second line of durable nano fiber cloth to cushion blunt forces and the like. Choosing to wear her captains cap rather then a helmet, she tapped the small diode at her temple and the formerly flesh colored node began to glow a faint blue.

With a soft flash her vision lit up with the implanted heads up display and a moment of static before her XO's voice came through her right ear. "Ma'am I would like to voice my opinion on this matter." She nodded, remembered he couldn't see it and answered in the affirmative. "This is in breach of numerous Colonial codes and regulations, we should be letting a CSC team handle firs contact." She sighed and strapped her self in as the bird received the coordinates and began to take off. "Dick, you're opinion is noted but im fairly certain this isn't first contact for them and its wholly likely this is our one chance to make peaceful contact before what ever reinforcements they have called get here."

This drew a grumpy sounding sigh from her XO, "And if they attempt to capture you?" "I'v ordered the pilot and co-pilot to hold on to their crew arms if need be." "And if they over power them and still make off with you?" She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

As the lumbering form of the Pelican drop ship descended towards the planet, she gave him an answer, "Then you have my express permission to open fire on any targets of opportunity and dust this fuckin rock."

[Arktic]

Rossin's Park SOI
CN scouting Group


Keys leaned back in her chair and gave a nod and, more importantly, a smile. "I'll meet you down there, send us the coordinates." With that, the vid screen shut off, the transmission killed. "Right, get a second transmission to the nearest DRADIS tower, I want some cruiser grade reinforcements here inside of an hour if we can manage. Get word to the deck officer to get a Pelican ready." This drew a few stares from her screw. "Ma'am, shouldn't we send a security team down to the surface?" She shoot her head. "No, you heard the man...cat...thing, we need to trust them and get them to trust us."

Making her way down to the small hanger bay she found the Deck officer barking orders to his men. "I'v removed the chin gun and the missiles, but that's it." She gave him a curt nod and went about stepping in to the drop ship's troop bay. "Thanks chief, mind handing me that survival rig?" He did so, and watched as she slipped the combination survival vest and plate carrier on. Reaching in to a locker, he produced a set of light yet durable carbon nano-laminate armor plates. A far cry from the hard backed Tritanium-A plate gear of the Colonial Marines, the Nano-laminate armor gave her decent protection to small arms and shrapnel while the vest gave her a second line of durable nano fiber cloth to cushion blunt forces and the like. Choosing to wear her captains cap rather then a helmet, she tapped the small diode at her temple and the formerly flesh colored node began to glow a faint blue.

With a soft flash her vision lit up with the implanted heads up display and a moment of static before her XO's voice came through her right ear. "Ma'am I would like to voice my opinion on this matter." She nodded, remembered he couldn't see it and answered in the affirmative. "This is in breach of numerous Colonial codes and regulations, we should be letting a CSC team handle firs contact." She sighed and strapped her self in as the bird received the coordinates and began to take off. "Dick, you're opinion is noted but im fairly certain this isn't first contact for them and its wholly likely this is our one chance to make peaceful contact before what ever reinforcements they have called get here."

This drew a grumpy sounding sigh from her XO, "And if they attempt to capture you?" "I'v ordered the pilot and co-pilot to hold on to their crew arms if need be." "And if they over power them and still make off with you?" She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

As the lumbering form of the Pelican drop ship descended towards the planet, she gave him an answer, "Then you have my express permission to open fire on any targets of opportunity and dust this fuckin rock."

Rossin's Park Spaceport Ruins

When the Colonial shuttle touched down on the dilapidated landing pad, they were greeted by a sight that was both amusingand unnerving. The area was surrounded by a number of heavily armed young nekomimi humans, wearing armor and brandishing weapons of various quality and states of repair. As soon as the humans exited their shuttle, there was the whine of a dozen capacitors charging all at once, and laser sights danced on the Colonials' torsos and foreheads. Up in the front to greet them was Major Shadow.
"Welcome to Rossin's Park, Captain." He tried to smile, but she could tell he was under incredible stress: his ears were still folded down and his tail didn't move at all. "Sorry for the rough treatment, but if everything goes well, it might be a funny story for us to reminisce on later."