17/03/2018
Thank you to Pax Humana and Daisy Duck 39 for beta-ing.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest!
Part 4 Empire
Chapter 53: Double or Nothing
-cfr-
45706 Years after Human Ascension, 651 Years after the Rebirth of Humanity in the LMC
LMC Galaxy, Pheonix Empire, System: Viarus, Onboard Cerberus
Harper stood in his Ascended form. He was still organic but was within Cerberus, watching the docks in Viarus where the latest Ascended was about to awaken. It was the 100th in the LMC and while he might have liked to have uploaded, he had deemed that unnecessary. He hadn't been Ascended for most of the awakenings, and while this one represented a milestone, his dominance over the group was established.
Miroslav, the first LMC Ascended, was beside Cerberus. She had been overseeing the Ascended, with input from Williams, for military operations and the two ladies made a formidable team. Williams was off to the side in the current flagship of the Empire. She'd been on holiday when Shepard had called but after that she had reincarnated to oversee the placement of the dreadnoughts.
"So any takers?" Harper asked.
Each of the Ascended now was comprised of one billion minds, and he did his best to make sure they were from mixed stock. It made for more balanced Ascended.
"This one will be female," came one answer.
"Nah, definitely a guy. All those idiots from Cerberus were in it."
"That just means the women will have an easier time of controlling them."
"Unless you are betting…" Harper interrupted the banter. They knew the rules. Unless they were placing a bet, all speculation and chit chat was to be on a sub-channel.
The ratio of men to women in the Empire was about one to one, though it might be slightly skewed towards the women. It was a bit hard to monitor but those societal norms that the Systems Alliance had been attempting to remove, he had made sure that they were gone. Differences between the genders were acknowledged, like the fact that generally men were physically stronger, but they were treated the same. He was just as likely to have a male planetary governor as he was to have a female. All he cared about was competence. There was no gendercide and without inheritance playing a large part in society, there was no reason for a family to desire a male child over a female. In fact, when they had been setting up the society he had been very tempted to dictate that inheritance and bloodlines were monitored through matriarchal lines. After all, you generally knew who the mother was.
Still, with the Ascended there was a slight imbalance. If you included him there were 100 Ascended currently, and 45 were distinctly female, 40 were persistently male and 15 kept altering their spokesperson. He was counted in that fifteen, because he spent so much time in an organic shell, and the Prime position of Cerberus altered frequently because of that.
Gambling on the gender of the newest Ascended was hardly the most enlightened thing to do, of course, but it kept them Human and these petty little squabbles helped to ensure that they did not homogenise. It was much like the petty power plays between his security forces and the military. Such plays made sure that they remained unique and even as he chafed against some of the things Williams had thought of, he appreciated it because while they were fighting, they sure as hell weren't homogenising. The two of them agreed if that ever happened, they'd shoot themselves. There would be no point in shooting the other.
Homogenisation was not an issue for him now, and Lawson made sure it wasn't an issue for the others in his hull. The other Ascended were also encouraged to take avatars on a schedule to avoid it, as well. And there was an unexpected fringe benefit from that. Being immortalised, they knew about the Project, and so it was individuals in avatars who were now constructing most of the required facilities. They were free labour, and all he had to do was provide housing, food and entertainment. Since the Empire provided that anyway, to a limited degree, it was easy.
The mooring lines released
"Last bets now!" Harper announced as he watched. When the first running light came on, all bets were officially closed. Again, it was something to add interest since sometimes that took just a few seconds, while other times it had taken minutes.
The newest Ascended was average and a minute later the first running light flickered on, ending the last flurry of gambling.
The other lights followed quickly and the newest Ascended slipped free of the dock as it screamed.
Harper winced. That was another reason for keeping the Ascended docks clear of inhabited space. He did not need the Attori wondering what the hell the noise was. There was a disadvantage to being organic when an Ascended awoke. He could not filter through the scream to determine the name. Yet the others in his Ascended form had anticipated that and were currently displaying the name in window.
"Cannaman?" Harper tried out the name, his pronunciation slightly uncertain, as on screen the newest Ascended took its first clumsy flight. It quickly gained confidence. They all did, with the downloads that were thrown towards it by the Ascended fleet. Flight, weapon control, basic organic language and an abbreviated Empire history packs were the important information. All other information came later.
"Is that male or female?" someone asked.
"I don't know," Harper replied. "Are they talking?" he asked, indicating towards the newest Ascended. .
"Slowly," came the response. "They seem a bit confused."
"They?" Harper asked.
"The spokes voice keeps changing."
"He wants to speak with you," Miroslav interrupted and Harper nodded. Without further prompting the signal from the newest Ascended was patched through.
"I am Cannaman," she said.
Harper felt one eyebrow raise. Miroslav had definitely said he. This one was one of the most changeable so far.
"I am Cerberus," Harper replied, using his formal name. To the Ascended fleet, that was his designation though it was satisfying to him that most of the fleet leaders used his personal name. Except Miranda. She always called him Cerberus.
"You are not!" came the objection and Harper was surprised. "You are organic." The accusation was made with a masculine tone.
"I am Ascended," Harper replied forcefully. That information was included in the basic info packs all the LMC Ascended got. It had been established that Elysium and the others had been quite gentle. Newly awakened Ascended could comprehend much more than the basic packs Elysium had given them. While Harper didn't want to overwhelm them, he had to include some basic history to remain dominant because he would not have the time to explain to every new Ascended. He did at the moment, but population growth was going to make it impossible.
"You are organic!"
Harper felt his entire form stiffen. To accuse him of being organic was to accuse them all. Before his weapons activated, he saw Miroslav moved to interfere.
"It took me time to understand," the first LMC Ascended said. "We are all Ascended. The retaking of organic form is done for convenience, to better control those who labour towards the ultimate completion of the Project."
"Shepard's project?" Cannaman asked, the female voice returning.
"Yes. Shepard is the one who ordered the Project."
"I wish to speak to him," Cannaman said.
"You can not," Harper replied, keeping his voice calm. If he didn't assert dominance now it would not happen. "Shepard is in hibernation," he added. Even newly awoken Ascended understood the concept of hibernation.
Cannaman considered that. It already knew that while Ascended were supposedly equal, younger Ascended did not wake their elders without very good reason.
"Shepard assigned the Project to me. I have created you to help," Harper explained. "The organics exist to create more Ascended," he added. "Because in order to complete the project, I will require assistance," he concluded. Of course, that was only one reason he created Ascended. Maintaining control over the populace was another as was the sheer military dominance they would provide.
Cannaman was silent and Harper knew the youngest Ascended was thinking. "I still wish to speak to him," the new Ascended said, "but I will work on your Project for now," Cannaman added, conceding that Shepard was out of contact.
Harper narrowed his eyes. He could not feel all the information from the subchannel that would have been established but from the wording he could imagine it. Your project. The youngest Ascended wouldn't have said it outright but that implied… No, Harper shook his head. The Ascended would not, could not doubt the information he had validated. To do so would be to challenge him and they had not done that.
Yet. The part of him that was organic pointed out. Ascended could not lie to Ascended. Ascended could not fire on Ascended. Those were still two truths but the new Ascended obviously believed him to have… not lied, because he couldn't do that, but they believed him to be mistaken. Eventually that would lead to some sort of challenge.
He would have to keep a closer watch on them, and it was not something he could designate to Williams. This was too important.
The Ascended in the LMC were subtly different from those in the Milky Way. They looked the same, but they didn't think the same. The immortalised were still indoctrinated but they didn't seem to feel the desire to ascend other organics as strongly as the Milky Way Ascended did. He'd discussed it with others in Cerberus a few times and they had some theories.
The first involved the differences in the way the galaxy, or at least his part, was run. The cycle had been designed to save organics before their synthetic creations wiped them out. It was one of the founding tenets of the civilisation he had built that there were no AIs, and with Cerberus in charge there would never be any AIs. As such, the normal drive to ascend an organic species was missing.
Secondly, the Humans were being Ascended already, and he had plans to immortalise selected individuals from the Attori. With ascension already taking place, the drive to ascend organics was at least somewhat fulfilled. It was happening so the Ascended felt no need to drive it to be faster.
Personally, Harper was sure that at least some of the differences came from the fact that most of the LMC Ascended were created from older Humans. They had lived their lives and were content with themselves. They had been Ascended for true preservation. For them, ascension was a reality, not something to be feared, or inflicted upon organics, simply because it would happen for the organics, in time.
That combined with the increased overall age of those being Ascended meant that the LMC Ascended felt calmer somehow. They were less aggressive. What that actually meant was still to be determined, because he well knew that the calm ones could wreak a lot of damage.
The Council had focused on Cerberus' efforts to save Humanity. They had dismissed what the rest of Humanity was willing to do. He had approved of the deal with the Reapers but he wasn't sure he could have conceived it. That atrocity was the responsibility of the Systems Alliance and Shepard.
It was enough of a warning for him and he would watch for challengers.
And Cannaman? Cannaman was just young. It would learn in time.
With a sigh, Harper looked away from the newest Ascended, towards the others still under construction. They would not doubt.
-cfr-
45755 Years after Human Ascension, 700 Years after the Rebirth of Humanity in the LMC
LMC Galaxy, Phoenix Empire, System: Dorado
"Inasmuch as Shepard would be happy to see them, I think we should wait."
"Wait? Wait for what?" Harper questioned. He was in his Ascended form, on what was becoming a traditional end of century holiday. First, he caught up with all the information in his Ascended form then he actually took some time off. He'd tried doing it the other way around, but the lure of all that information just gnawed at him.
"Wait until the rest of us are remade," Goertz replied. He was the first of the Milky Way Ascended to be re-created and Harper had simply put his core into a new shell. After he spent some time checking the connections, he'd awoken. Goertz was in charge of recreating the others. "They are very young."
"They are Ascended," Harper replied.
"They are still very young. Even I got more training, and I awoke after the cycle was complete."
"Didn't Elysium download the training?" Harper asked.
"She did but there was never any time to practice. And that information won't be with them. It went into their databanks, not into the core. But that's what I mean when I say they are young. It's more than just training. The new Ascended here go through training but they are comprised of adult minds. They are mature. Generally, we are younger. Much younger so there are two things that have to happen. The minds inside need to mature, and training then needs to occur. That's why I think we should wait."
Harper considered it. Goertz had a point. They shouldn't have been Ascended. The minds forming Legacy and Instinct were immature, they did not represent a proper sample of Humanity. Genetically, they might but in every other way they had been too young. Except Harbinger had agreed to ascend Humanity and that had included the children. Not that he had really had another choice if he wanted to keep the other Human Ascended. Killing off children and babies by the hundreds of millions was, after all, the reason why Shepard had given Harper the Project.
In a normal Ascended, children would have been Ascended, as they had in his form, but their youth was countered by the more experienced, older minds.
"I'm not going to be able to build very quickly anyway," Goertz added.
"Well, what does Harbinger usually do with young Ascended?" Esha asked, directing her question to the core of the matter.
It really was that simple. Harper, or rather Goertz would rebuild the Milky Way Ascended. Their physical forms anyway. Though there was an alternative. He could just re-birth their Human forms into the population and reform their Ascended forms using the resources from the Department of Immortality.
Except they'd be different. Even if they had the same organic make up, the Human memories would be different. They wouldn't remember Shepard. If he wanted them to download their minds, he'd have to reconstruct their Ascended forms, which was the entire point.
Harbinger usually allowed the new Ascended a few years to adjust. It generally occurred while the final sweep of the galaxy was happening. It gave the new Ascended confidence in their ability to fly and they learned combat during the cycles that followed. Humans had been different. They had led the harvest of their own cycle so the creation of their training had been borne of necessity and they were led by those who understood combat, at least for organics. That had been enough.
"I'll assign one of the pre-colonisation systems to you," Harper said eventually, allowing his subchannel to provide the fuller explanation. The newly reformed Ascended could practice in the system. They would be responsible for setting up the basic farms, defences and other required space-based industry. If the rebuilt Ascended required further systems, they could move around. It would allow them to properly hone their control, even if it did nothing for their combat training.
That was going to be an issue but perhaps, once they knew their full abilities, they could participate in the war games Williams ran for her advanced troops. There was plenty of time to consider, because it wasn't like the LMC Ascended had real combat experience. Technically, he was the only one who had, even if that experience had come to a rather abrupt halt.
"That will do," Goertz accepted the suggestion. "We should be able to contribute at least a few tonnes for the Project."
"Focus on reconstruction for the moment," Harper instructed. The Milky Way Ascended represented thirty three extra Ascended who knew, without any shadow of a doubt, that Shepard was real. While he had not yet experienced problems from the LMC Ascended, Cannaman's awakening was something he should have anticipated, even if he had no real way of combating it. Thirty-three extra Ascended may not be much, not against the thousands that would be created as time went on, but they would be extra viewpoints to confirm his own. They would help.
"I will," Goertz said. "I believe it will still take another 100 to 150 years before they are all remade." The Milky Way Ascended said speculatively. His subchannel told Harper that the estimate was based on him having to collect all the materials. If the Empire helped, then the time would be vastly reduced.
"Assess the cores first," Harper said. "Tell me who can be rebuilt and who will need to be reborn. Once that is determined, we'll work out a proper timeline for reconstruction. There's no rush," he added. "As you say, Shepard won't be seeing them for a long time," he concluded.
While Ascended didn't display Human gestures, he got the impression that Goertz nodded and the comm was cut. Harper sighed to himself. There was always so much to catch up on when he was Ascended. But it was necessary. He pulled up the files on the military. Time to see what Williams had really been up to.
-cfr-
45803 Years after Human Ascension, 748 Years after the Rebirth of Humanity in the LMC
LMC Galaxy, Attori Nation, Planet: Atto, Prime Minister's Office
"So it's official?" Prime Minister Uilram asked.
"Yes Sir," Fineil replied. He was the CEO of Moondust Mining, one of the largest mining corporations of the Attori. It was one of their scout ships that had first encountered the new alien vessel.
There had been surprise on both sides but Uilram considered it a success that neither had fired. Of course, the mining scout shouldn't have had that many weapons, but the reports were that the alien vessel did.
Still, much like the Humans, they had not fired and after some garbled back and forth messages, a comm link had been established and some basic linguistics worked out.
"So what do they call themselves?" The Prime Minister asked.
Second Contact wasn't as historical as First, but it was still important, and there were whole sections of the Attori devoted to working out their new neighbours.
"The Fedochi," Fineil replied.
"What else do we know?"
"They don't appear to be as militaristic as the Humans," General Dm'yir said, stepping forward. His frills were showing a neutral colour, which betrayed none of his excitement.
"That's not hard," someone murmured.
While there was a general expression of mirth, the truth of that statement was acknowledged. The Humans, even after so many years, were still paranoid and militaristic, though they acknowledged a stable border with the Attori and were good trading partners.
"It is hard to know for sure," the general continued, "however it appears that they are more militarily minded than ourselves. This can be seen from the fact that we encountered a military scout ship.
"The information they have exchanged with us indicates they are ruled by a central government with some sort of aristocracy."
"Hostile?" They had lived with the Humans' military for so long but the Humans were, for all their paranoia, relatively peaceful. The Attori did not need aggressive neighbours.
"Unknown," Dm'yir replied. He didn't need to tell the room that the new aliens might just be sizing them up. But they might not be.
"Have we told the Humans?"
"Not yet," Dm'yir said. "We were waiting for confirmation and the basic information packs."
"They probably already know," Fineil mused.
"Yes but they will act like they don't," Uilram sighed.
"They are, at least, discreet," the CEO returned.
Uilram wanted to say something further but this was not the place to complain about the Humans' spying ability. They had counterintelligence, yet somehow, the Human Ambassador seemed to know everything before they spoke. But the Humans were polite enough not to mention it. They never acted surprised and they always asked for the details they already knew. While it was frustrating for the government, their information was technically already public; it must be far worse for business.
He waved one hand, his frills flashing to show that this was not the time to discuss the Human's espionage practices before he looked at Dm'yir.
"If they attack..?" Uilram didn't need to complete the statement.
The General looked uncomfortable for a few moments as he thought. "We are in a better position now than when we met the Humans," he mused. "But it will depend on how large their territory is. Judging from the scout ship, their tech looks to be similar to ours."
When they had met the Humans, the Attori military had been close to nonexistent. They had had policing forces for each planet, and some ability to chase down those who turned to pirating, but compared to the massive military machine that the Humans presented, they had been woefully unprepared. After they met the Humans, that policing force had become the military, with quite a large budget. There wasn't even much debate about it. Parliament passed the legislation with an eighty percent approval from the citizens. In the intervening 170 years, there had been some cutbacks, but the military remained far larger than it had been. Most just accepted the Humans but those in government had to recognise that there was always the chance they could be attacked.
"Except no one puts their best tech on an expendable scout."
Dm'yir's frills flashed, indicating his agreement. "If their territory is small, then unless they are very much advanced, it won't matter, we will be able to throw more resources at any conflict, however, if their territory is large, then it will depend on the tech differences and the skills of our soldiers."
"Do we have any indications about the size of their territory?" The Prime Minister asked.
Fineil and Dm'yir shared a glance, wordlessly discussing the information they had pulled from the communications they had exchanged with the Fedochi.
"It might be a misunderstanding," Fineil said finally, "but they are big. The communication wasn't explicit but we extrapolated from a few of their statements that they have at least fifty well developed systems."
"That's bigger than the Phoenix Empire!" Uilram objected. The Humans had expanded over the time the Attori had known them, doubling in size from the 15 systems at First Contact to 32 now. Their Emperor kept their growth controlled, and every settlement was heavily defended. The Attori had expanded as well, and actually controlled more systems, but they were not as developed. Plus, even though their military had developed, Uilram was more than aware of what would happen if they went to war with the Humans. It wouldn't be a whitewash but it would be exceedingly painful.
"That's just our preliminary estimate," Fineil said, "and it is based on untested assumptions. We hope to get better information as time goes on. It's not like we told them the extent of our holdings either."
"True," the Prime Minister agreed, his frills colouring to indicate his agreement. "I'll be interested to see what the Humans have to say," he said.
"Yes," Fineil replied, almost laughing. Assuming they hadn't made a mistake with their inferences, it would be interesting to be, as the Humans would put it, a fly on the wall, when their Emperor learned they weren't the largest military in the galaxy.
There was a bleep from Dm'yir's communicator. The general looked at it for a few moments. "We've got confirmation of a diplomatic meeting," he announced. "On the fourth planet of the system we made contact in."
"When?"
"In seven days."
Uilram nodded. "The question is if we invite the Humans."
It was a complex question. Eventually, the Humans would come into contact with this new race, either through the Attori or by themselves. But there was a more simplistic consideration. While the system where the Attori and Humans had first met was not that valuable, the Humans were currently terraforming the planet. When they were finished, it would have a breathable atmosphere for both species. Though it was a historically important system so there was already extensive space based works and it was a major trading hub between the Attori and Humans.
If they were invited to this contact, there was a slightly greedy thought that perhaps the Humans could be persuaded to terraform this planet as well. But there were other, more practical issues which came before greed.
"We should," Dm'yir replied. "There's another consideration. The Fedochi are being friendly now, yes, but they may be sizing us up. If they do decide to attack, it is possible they would pause knowing that they may not be fighting us alone."
"Are we First Contact for the Fedochi?"
"We think so."
"Alright. Invite the Humans, and tell them what we know. Give them the recordings and ask what their thoughts are. Tell Ambassador Whitlock that we will need an answer fairly quickly and ask if there is anything we can tell the Fedochi about them. I'm fairly sure the Humans will have an information packet or something. Then, depending on the Human answer, tell the Fedochi we won't be alone. Let's be polite to our new neighbours."
Fineil and Dm'yir nodded, remaining silent as they waited for Uilram to finish.
"At the diplomatic meeting, let's make it a priority to try to find out what the true extent of their territory is, their governmental structure and their military prowess. Before that, make some tentative overtures to the Humans about a pact. Their Emperor is intelligent. He should recognise that an attack on us will be bad for business and I doubt the Humans will want to be that friendly with another military state but you never know."
Even after 170 years, the Humans still surprised them. The latest surprise was Intelligence's confirmation that the Human claims of immortality were actually true. Emperor Harper, Grand Admiral Williams, Director Lawson were the same people they had always been. Not the same body but the same mind. There were others but those were the main names. It was still shocking to Uilram. He remembered the briefing he had received upon entering elected office. Intelligence had been very careful to make sure that the new officials did not offend the Humans, so that meant elaborate lectures on Human culture and history and an overly complicated explanation about their claims of immortality.
Except they were not just claims.
Intelligence had completed an assessment of the three big names, comparing footage of them over time and while their physical forms altered going backwards and forwards in age, their unconscious gestures did not. And Director Lawson had agreed to participate in a study for them. Intelligence had given his aged body a list of questions to memorise. They had been deliberately difficult, both in their wording and with answers known to only one or two individuals within Intelligence. For extra robustness in the test, the answers were the sort of information that the Human espionage services could not discover.
After returning in a younger body about two weeks later, Director Lawson had quoted back both the questions and the answers, verbatim. There was not a single hesitation in his replies and in an unofficial comment made by one of the Intel ops, they noted that the 'new' Lawson continued a small joke from the first interview.
It was not conclusive proof but it was enough that they would stop treating the Human claims as fiction. Somehow, they really did know how to conserve their minds. The Attori had theorised it, they just had no idea where to start on the actuality. It was information that was classified. Uilram could only imagine what some of the Attori would do if they discovered that immortality, of a sort, was real. Ambassador Whitlock had assured them that Emperor Harper did not care if they continued to publicly state that the Human claims were a fiction but she had also said that he was pleased that they finally realised the truth. It would allow for relations to be far more direct if they knew that he knew everything that had gone before, no matter what age he looked like.
"Anything else, sir?" Dm'yir asked when Uilram fell silent.
"Not for the moment but, if you need anything, let me know. You'll have a direct line." He paused, his frills colouring with excitement but some anxiety and both Fineil and Dm'yir understood. This was an important time, but just as with the Humans, they might be looking at the beginning of the end. Change was… well you never knew where change would take you. That was acceptable for individuals but not for the governing body of society.
-cfr-
45803 Years after Human Ascension, 748 Years after the Rebirth of Humanity in the LMC
LMC Galaxy, Phoenix Empire, Planet: Home, City: Safehold, Emperor's Office
"So how did the first meeting go?" Emperor Harper asked the hologram of Ambassador Inez Whitlock.
"Not too bad, Your Majesty," she replied. "The initial reports are coming through now."
Harper nodded. All the information provided by the Attori and from the meeting were being analysed and the reports were beginning to come through. Soon, with the information they had collected through Darren's astronomy and observation department, they'd have a complete view of these Fedochi.
"What are your initial thoughts?" Harper pressed.
Inez thought for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She had been selected as the Ambassador because she knew how to interact with the Attori but was also very good at compiling information. "They aren't as militaristic as the Attori believe," she said, referring to the initial information they had obtained from the Attori. "These Fedochi have a military but it is anchored in their aristocracy."
"They have an aristocracy?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. They related to our Empire quite well," she said with a small smile.
"Yet their leader lets their aristocracy control the military?" Harper was incredulous. That sounded like a recipe for disaster! You did not let potential challengers control the means to topple your government.
"It's not like that, Sir," Inez began to explain. "The Fedochi Exarch maintains the bulk of the military, including the special forces but during conflict the aristocracy is expected to provide troops, just the normal soldiers. The aristocracy forms the command ranks."
"I'll have to read the report," Harper frowned, placing one hand to his forehead. "What of their strength? The initial Attori estimates were for about fifty systems."
Ambassador Whitlock was professional enough to keep the smile from her face. This was probably the information Harper wanted all the time. "We are still not certain about their full holdings," she had to report, "but they have provided a rough map of their territory. It is large sir."
Harper took a deep breath. He hadn't wanted to believe the Attori estimates, even if his own people confirmed their assumptions but the first proper meeting couldn't be denied. He flicked through one of the initial reports to find the estimated map. The Fedochi were extended along both the Human and Attori borders, though there was an area of empty space between them. That explained why his empire hadn't encountered them first.
"Williams?" Harper prompted, turning towards the woman.
She was flicking through the initial report with a slight frown on her face. Williams took a sip of tea before she sighed. "We could take them," she said slowly, putting the report down. "But I need a reliable estimate of their tech levels before I can say how easily." There was no accusation in her voice. Ambassador Whitlock had attended the initial meeting as the representative from the Phoenix Empire but it was still very much the Attori's show.
The Humans had been introduced as an allied race but contact between Humans and the Fedochi would have to be initiated for themselves. The Attori were happy to be intermediaries and for the moment Harper was willing to let that happen. At least, he would be while he decided how to handle this new species.
"Despite their estimated size, I believe our military size to be approximately equal and if it comes to war, we will win," Williams continued. "We have 221 dreadnoughts they don't know about."
Harper couldn't help but smirk at that. The Ascended were their ace and while he wouldn't want to use them in any conflict if it was necessary then he would not hesitate. "So a hard fought battle, but one we would eventually win?" He concluded for Williams.
"I believe so. I'll have better estimates when we obtain our own data," she said. While Williams did not participate in the collection of espionage, and had a vague disapproval for the process, she was happy to use the information. "I do not advise conflict, not while we are still invested in the Project."
He sighed. They were going to be involved with the Project for centuries to come. Shepard's orders would press against him until the point where it was launched. Then they would lessen but the pressure of them would not fade away until, as Shepard had put it, the problem was solved. The grunt hadn't explicitly said it, but Harper knew that he could not initiate any conflict. Still, if the Fedochi started one, he would finish it. Shepard's orders would be very accommodating at that.
He lifted one hand to rub at his eyebrows. "Another peaceful relationship," he muttered before looking to Inez. "Were the Attori really the first contact for the Fedochi? If they have that large a territory, I find it hard to believe that they encountered no one."
They had encountered a few sentient but low tech species and he steered the Empire away from them. At the moment, he did not have the time to devote to educating lesser races. Those who thought that a slave race would be cheap labor really needed to pay closer attention to the entire economic picture. Conquering was easy, controlling was what cost both time and money.
Inez raised one eyebrow as she nodded. "They weren't clear on that, but the Attori got it wrong with their original assumption. The Fedochi have encountered other races. Those races have either been pre-space or just beginning to reach out from their planet. They have been subsumed."
"Still alive?"
"I'm not sure yet."
Harper nodded. "It doesn't matter. When the Fedochi speak to you, tell them that we welcome the opportunity to develop a relationship with them. Set up a meeting with me if necessary and generally be friendly. I'll send you a map of our territory shortly. It will include some of our current projects."
Whitlock nodded. The core territory claimed by the Empire were the developed and inhabited planets but there were always other systems on the edges of the Empire where they were terraforming. Technically those systems were part of the Empire but they were not included on any maps until the system was colonised.
"Play nice," Harper instructed. "But make it clear that any attempt to subsume us or the Attori will be met with force," he allowed his blue eyes to meet Inez's brown squarely at the last. Williams nodded from beside him. She understood Shepard's orders.
"Will do, Your Majesty. I expect they will contact me this week, through the Attori," Inez said.
Harper waved one hand to dismiss the implications. Of course, the Attori Intelligence would be listening in but if the Fedochi didn't realise that, then they were stupid. He trusted his Ambassador not to say anything compromising at that point. When they established comms without the Attori, then they could be more open.
"What do we know about their physiology?"
Inez consulted a data pad. "None of this is confirmed yet, but we believe the Fedochi are a long lived race."
"How long?" Williams asked. The Attori lived for about 100 years, while natural Human lifespan was closing in on 200 years. Whitlock did not know about the Asari or Krogan so it would be telling to see what she considered long lived.
"Eight hundred years or so," Inez replied. "But there's a large error estimate on that."
"So how old is the current Exarch?" Harper asked, his voice shrewd as he considered the implications. If they lived that long, they might see through his plans for the Attori. It would make it interesting if they did.
"About 100," Inez said.
"So young?"
"Yes," she nodded. "The Exarch holds their position for life. The early part of that life is for ruling, and as the current Exarch ages, he will be expected to breed and devote the later part of his rule to training his chosen successor."
Harper nodded. "Is there anything else?"
"No, Your Majesty," Inez shook her head after a few moments thought.
"Then I will speak to you later," he said, nodding once to Inez in dismissal and the comm line was cut.
"How close are we to ten dreadnoughts for every planet?" He asked Williams once we was sure the connection was fully closed.
"We've increased production by one dreadnought a year for the last one hundred and nineteen years, so we are forty one short. All planets have eight dreadnoughts, some have nine. Home has fifteen," she replied. Harper had access to all of this information but at times, it was just easier to ask.
"We have extra capacity in the Ascended docks, don't we?"
"We do," Williams agreed, though her tone said that she thought the idea was bad. They had kept dreadnought and Ascended building separate. While most of the newly awoken Ascended accepted the explanations, about why organics still existed, some fired before they realised they were with other Ascended. As a result, the dreadnought building facilities were in Nimitz while the Ascended facilities were in Dorado and Viarus.
"Any extra capacity in Nimitz?"
Williams hid a smile. The fact that the Fedochi had a supposedly larger military was making Harper very transparent. "I'll see what I can do," she replied, mentally thinking about the dock space she had. They could probably make an extra half dreadnought a year if they pushed it, and no doubt Harper would divert some extra funds. That would increase their production. "Once we get to ten, I gather I should then aim for fifteen?" she asked.
"Yes," Harper agreed tensely. "Tell me tomorrow how fast that can be done," he instructed. "How close is Valenti to being habitable?"
"There's eight more years on the schedule so we could put colonists on it tomorrow if they wanted to finish the last of the building. We haven't started the selection process though," Williams said.
"Accelerate colonisation," Harper said. "I want the next ten planets colonised in fifty years."
"It's meant to take us another one hundred years!" she objected.
"I know that," Harper snapped. "I want it to take fifty."
"Well, you'd better talk to Lawson then," she growled. Williams knew the schedule for colonisation because she had to provide the protective fleets but she had nothing to do with setting the schedule.
That was Lawson's job. Since he had to prepare the population, he had the final say on when the citizens were ready, though lately the biological engineering practices had been toned down. After eliminating almost all inherited diseases and engineering immunity to others, along with a selective program over the last seven hundred and fifty years to increase strength, endurance, speed and intelligence, there wasn't much more to do. Well, not unless you wanted to start being exotic and sensibly Harper didn't. Additional enhancements were provided by cybernetic implants.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to Lawson," Harper said, though he was deep in thought, obviously ignoring her.
In retaliation, Williams tensed her muscles, smirking when Harper's bodyguards caught the gesture, and they all narrowed their eyes with their focus. They were so predictable. She was in a young body at the moment so her enhancements would be superior to theirs. Harper's bodyguards had good implants, but they weren't experimental. She always got the most cutting edge implants, which meant that hers were a generation ahead of theirs. She was in a position where they could fail, they weren't. Williams was pretty sure she could take them… well, enough to take out Harper if she wanted but as annoying as it was to admit, she wouldn't be here if that was her goal.
She relaxed, resisting the urge to laugh when Harper's bodyguards remained tense. If they were her special forces troops, she'd be ordering them to take a few days leave but they weren't.
"Stop doing that," Harper muttered.
"Doing what?"
"Frustrating my men," he replied.
Williams rose. "Whatever you say, Jack," she laughed. "Whatever you say," she added, walking toward the exit with a show of complete unconcern. "I'll have that report ready at some stage."
"Tomorrow, Williams!" Harper replied.
"Whatever," she said as the door closed. What did he think she'd do? It would be ready later today, but she'd probably delay sending it until eight or nine pm tomorrow. Harper was used to working at all hours, but he did like to maintain a routine and a little thing like a late report would break it, especially if she could remain out of contact until she sent it. It was a petty gesture but, over the last seven hundred and fifty years, she had discovered that it was those little petty things that kept you actually feeling emotion. Otherwise, everything just blended together.
Besides, it wasn't like Harper would complain. Well… much. Which was the entire point.
-cfr-
45804 Years after Human Ascension, 749 Years after the Rebirth of Humanity in the LMC
LMC Galaxy, Fedochi Protectorate, Fedochi Homeworld: Cyr
"Emperor Harper," the Exarch of the Fedochi greeted the hologramatic image of the Phoenix Empire's leader.
"Exarch Ilkin." The translation came through smoothly and Ilkin admired how the Humans had managed to sync the words to their Emperor's lip movements. It gave the illusion that he was actually speaking Plam.
He examined the setting. The Human Emperor had chosen to appear in what Ilkin thought was a work setting. The Human was behind a neat desk in what was no doubt a comfortable but sensible looking chair. They were a bi-gendered species and at his left stood a woman who had been identified from the information provided by both the Humans and the Attori as Grand Admiral Williams. She was the Commanding Officer of the Empire's Military. On the Emperor's right was another Human, male, who they had been told was Director Lawson. The Attori weren't clear on what his official role within the Human government was but they acknowledged that he was the Emperor's chosen heir, so he was important enough to be present at this meeting. No doubt, off camera was a gathering of other forces, most likely military with some civilian representatives.
It was an interesting setting, compared to how he had decided to display the Fedochi. He had chosen to display a relaxed scene. He sat on a comfortable divan with the two most influential Dukes standing behind him. The room was rather opulent with a spectacularly carved table in front of them. It showed that he was confident. He didn't need to display his regalia to confirm his rank but nor did he require a work like setting. He was comfortable enough on his throne that he could relax, though he was equally aware that both their settings were at least somewhat contrived.
"I am somewhat surprised that you were so open to engaging in direct conversation," Ilkin said, leaving the phrase open to judge where the Human leader went.
The Human smiled. It was an odd gesture, the baring of teeth, but one the Attori had been very clear was meant to be a sign of friendship or happiness. "I find that direct communication reduces misunderstandings." Again the Human techs synchronised the translation to their Emperor and Ilkin couldn't help but wonder how they were doing it. It was an impressive trick but it was obviously just that, a tech trick.
"Indeed, though from my understanding, there has not been many misunderstandings with your relations with the Attori," Ilkin said. He wasn't sure if he believed the Attori assurances that the Human Emperor Harper was truly immortal. While it was true that the brief history that had been provided indicated that Harper had always ruled, it could just be a title.
Harper waved one hand. "Nothing serious, thankfully," he said. "They have become a valued trading partner," the Emperor added.
Ilkin wasn't quite sure how to translate that statement. On one hand, it could be an assurance that the Humans would stand with the Attori if it came to conflict, because any conflict would interrupt their trading relationship. But on the other, it could just be a statement of fact, an explanation as to why the Humans had not conquered the Attori. Fedochi intelligence assured him that the Phoenix Empire could forcibly absorb the Attori at any stage yet for some reason the Humans hadn't. No one could provide him with a satisfactory reason beyond trade. But surely, trade couldn't be everything? Why trade when you could turn them into a worker class who would provide what you needed?
Or was it because, while the Humans had an Emperor, they did not have an aristocracy to provide the troops? It seemed a very odd arrangement, having the supreme centralised power, without the means to govern the areas the Phoenix Empire controlled. For now, the Fedochi had had to assume there was an aristocracy but they weren't interested in providing the troops to conquer the Attori. That made much more sense.
"Perhaps we shall be as well, in time," he replied.
"Perhaps," the Human Emperor agreed. "Though for now, maybe we can come to an informal accord about territory?"
That was a huge suggestion and Ilkin was surprised. He wondered if the translation earlier had been incorrect. The Emperor had said that direct communication reduces misunderstandings. At least, that is what he had seemed to say but could have have said 'I will be direct in my communication'? Ilkin didn't display any reaction but he wondered who was providing the translations. He assumed it was the Humans, because it was instantaneous but if it was his people, he would have to find out what the alternate translations were for whatever the Human Emperor had said.
"That is a very large undertaking," he replied diplomatically.
"Nothing so formal," Harper dismissed the concern. "For the moment, your territory adjoins the Attori," he continued, and in the lower part of the screen a two dimensional map appeared.
Ilkin stared at it, feeling his Dukes look at it closely as well. He noticed that it did not display the entire Human territory and was amused. They already knew the Human territory was smaller than theirs but at the same time the Attori had made it clear that every Human system was both well defended and well established. They had yet to confirm that for themselves. Attori space was marked in blue, and the Phoenix Empire was marked in red. Fedochi space was marked in yellow. It was a surprisingly accurate representation and someone in Intelligence would have to provide an explanation as to how the Humans had such precise information.
A small section of the Attori and Fedochi territories were adjoining but between most of them there were large purple areas.
"As can be seen," the Human Emperor continued, "our respective territories are not yet adjoining." A section of the map blinked. "Though, given enough time, they will be."
"So you want to assign systems now?" Ilkin asked. Mentally he was estimating the distances and tallying the number of systems in the area of the map highlighted. Unless the Humans moved far faster than the Fedochi, something that didn't seem likely with their history, it was unlikely that they would encounter each other, and be forced to formalise that border until well into his reign. By then it would be an interesting challenge for his son or daughter to work out, with his assistance of course but they would also have far better information about the Humans.
"No. Nothing so formal, Exarch Ilkin," Harper replied. "I believe an in-principle agreement will suffice for now. One that states that both our species may continue to expand but once we meet in these areas-" again the display flashed, "-we should agree that we will form a border."
Ah, now, he understood. "So the first of us to colonise a system will take control of it?" he put forward the suggestion. All Fedochi colonisation would be pushed into those areas for now. He estimated that they could occupy about two thirds, to three quarters of the territory before encountering the Humans.
"That sounds reasonable," Emperor Harper agreed. "Even once we meet, both our species will have other areas to expand into."
That was an odd statement. It didn't outright state peace but it heavily implied it. For a society as military minded as the Humans presented themselves, why did their Emperor seem so set on peaceful relations? Or was there something happening inside their territory? Were they not as strong as they appeared? It definitely bore thinking about and the two Dukes made slight movement to indicate that they had picked up on it as well.
"That is true," Ilkin agreed.
"It is a large galaxy."
"Indeed, though I'm given to understand you come from a larger one still," Ilkin probed. The Attori had been quite open in their information about the Humans. He thought it was perhaps a ploy to intimidate him somehow. Imply that their close ally, the Humans were far more powerful than they seemed but so far, while the Humans were strong, he had seen nothing to indicate they were all powerful. This was a deliberate test for their Emperor.
He seemed to recognise it as such and Ilkin got the feeling he was being allowed to read several of the Human Emperor's reactions. Well, that was good, as he was telegraphing several of his to make his opinions clear. This was a staged meeting.
"The Milky Way is beautiful from this distance," Emperor Harper said. "But at its heart, it is a vicious, brutal galaxy, with no chance for the new races to grow. And all of us, the Attori, the Fedochi and the Humans are new." Harper's eyes glowed especially brightly at that sentence.
Ilkin indicated his agreement. The Humans knew their cover story seamlessly, not that he expected anything less from the highest authority in Human territory. He remained silent for a moment more. The fact of the matter was that, even if he wanted to, the Fedochi couldn't get a ship to what the Humans called the Milky Way to disprove their claims. And in the grand scheme of things, if they wanted to claim they came from another galaxy, or that they were immortal, it didn't matter.
"Did you desire for any in principle agreements on military matters?" Ilkin asked.
Emperor Harper shifted but Exarch Ilkin could see the way he glared. "I don't think so," he said stiffly. "It will save us both the trouble of pretending we are sticking to some agreement neither of us has any intention of obeying."
Ilkin waved one hand in the same gesture he'd seen Harper make to dismiss the matter.
The Emperor smiled again. "For the moment, since our respective territories are distant, I doubt we need any further agreement," he said.
"But we should maintain contact," Exarch Ilkin replied.
"Yes, that would be best," Harper replied, nodding slowly. "Exarch Ilkin."
He followed the Human's gesture before the comm link was cut. Ilkin narrowed his eyes, as he took several measured breaths. That had been interesting but it had raised more questions than it answered.
"I want a triply reinforced fleet on the Attori border within a week," Exarch Ilkin ordered. There was only one reliable way to obtain answers, and that was to test them. And if the answers weren't acceptable, and they never had been in the past, then it was the duty of the Fedochi to save the primitives from themselves.
Duke Huseyn nodded. "I'll see to it," he replied.
"Good," Ilkin nodded before turning to Duke Vuqar. "Send word to the Kratos. Their troops will be needed. The Attori may believe the fictions these Humans spin but I doubt they will hold against Vanquisher Mass Accelerator rounds."
The three Fedochi laughed. The Attori, and their Human allies were larger than any species they'd encountered so far but that just made them more challenging. This would be glorious.
-cfr-
Of course, if, through some fluke, the comm link had stayed open the Exarch may not have been so jubilant.
"Bloody punk," Williams spat.
"On the contrary," Harper said amused, "they should do nicely."
Lawson just rolled his eyes as he moved to one of the couches.
Harper pressed the comm link on his desk, sending a signal through to one of his personal assistants. He probably could have gotten one of his ever present bodyguards to do it, but after several centuries there was a clear line between duties. "Your Majesty?"
"Get me Prime Minister Uilram and General Dm'yir now. Tell them it's a Priority One signal."
"I'll have them in a minute, and then patch it through."
While there was no formal agreement between Attori and Humanity, they had worked out some communication protocols. Most calls were Priority Three. It indicated that there was some issue but it wasn't urgent. Priority One was a matter that needed immediate attention from both governments.
"It would be a long distance expedition but we could wreak enough havoc to keep them off us," Williams said.
"That won't be necessary," Harper soothed her, while waiting for the hook up. "Right at the moment, I'm sure Exarch Ilkin is filled with dreams of conquest but I know his type. He'll want to test the waters. When that test blows up in his face, he'll see things my way."
At that point, the comm link stabilized and an image of Prime Minister Uilram appeared. The Attori's frills were stained with colour indicating deep concern. General Dm'yir was somewhat more restrained but was also visibly concerned.
"Emperor Harper," Uilram said as greeting.
"I think we've known each other long enough to dispense with the pleasantries," Harper said, waving one hand. "And this is not a social call," he added.
"You've spoken with the Fedochi." It was a statement more than a question and Harper could see that the Attori Prime Minister wasn't sure what to expect now. A declaration of war or the confirmation of a mutual defense pact were both equally likely.
"Yes," Harper nodded. His meeting with the Exarch hadn't been well advertised but it wasn't a state secret either. "In about a week, you are going to have a large Fedochi military presence along your border," he explained, directing his comments now towards General Dm'yir. "They will say it's just a routine patrol, or training, or some other bullshit reason. It is an excuse, though, for conquest. If you do not match that force, ship for ship, very quickly, they will violate your agreed upon border, just a little. That will be explained as a navigational error from a lower officer.
"But it will continue." Harper made sure his voice was firm as he explained what the Fedochi would do. "Until, rather quickly I imagine, they attack and occupy the border system of Treodo."
"There is no indication that the Fedochi are hostile!" Uilram objected though General Dm'yir looked much more grim.
"They are more opportunistic than hostile," Harper granted. "They are after an easy conquest," he told the Attori Prime Minister. He didn't have to say that the Attori presented themselves as an easy conquest.
"You are not the first race they've encountered," Williams told Uilram. "You are just the most advanced."
Harper nodded before he continued. He didn't want to get into arguments here. "That attack will only happen if you do not match their forces! If you stand up to their threat, they should back off, or at least they will once you prove to them that you will not tolerate border violations." He flicked through several data pads, looking for the name. "Send the new Architect class destroyer as a part of your fleet."
Both Uilram and Dm'yir stiffened at that. "How do you..?" Uilram demanded but trailed off. He already knew how the Human Emperor knew about their newly developed, supposedly secret class of destroyers. It was just that Harper had never been so open with revealing how thoroughly the Attori had been compromised.
"Never mind that," Harper said. "How about I make this worth your while?" he challenged. "If, in two weeks, an abnormally large Fedochi fleet has not appeared on your border, I'll pay you double for the next year's worth of shipments."
Despite the gravity of the situation, Uilram perked up at that. Double eezo would allow the stockpiles to be replenished since they had used quite a bit with field testing the Architect. "If the fleet does appear, well, I'll still pay you, as per the standard agreement, for the shipments, but you will deliver the technical drawings for the Architect class destroyers to us."
"Don't you already have them?" Uilram couldn't help but say.
Harper just shrugged. What plans they did and did not have was up to Attori Intelligence to determine.
Dm'yir looked at him closely. "Your Majesty, you are that sure the Fedochi will test us?" He asked.
"I am," Harper replied seriously but didn't elaborate further. The Fedochi aristocracy probably made a bit of a game out of it. Whoever conquered the most valuable species rose in rank and the Attori would be very valuable. "With your permission, I am willing to send assistance."
"Assistance?" Uilram demanded.
"A dreadnought contingent," Harper said. "Three, though two would hang back in reserve."
"Ho-" Whatever Prime Minister Uilram was about to say was cut off by General Dm'yir.
"That would be appreciated," he spoke over the elected representative. "While I am sure we can match the Fedochi, the extra firepower, and show of unity, would send a clearer message to their Exarch."
"Indeed," Harper nodded, glad that at least one of the implications did not need to be explained to the Attori. They were good neighbours, peaceful and happy with trade, which, if he had to have neighbours, was exactly the type he needed right now, with the Project still eating so much of the available budget.
The Attori had developed their military since meeting them but Williams still stood by her estimates for conquering them.
""Please send them immediately. I'll let the border forces know to expect them," Dm'yir said, his frills colouring to indicate acceptance.
"Why are you doing this?" Uilram demanded, his frills flashing with annoyance but he recognised that the General had made the decision and it would be bad practice to contradict him.
"Because I was ordered to," the words slipped out before Harper was consciously aware of them.
As he blinked, surprised at himself, Jack was aware of the amused stares from both Henry and Williams. Ashley then laughed, reaching one hand to wipe her eyes.
"You were ordered to?" Uilram asked slowly and Harper didn't even need to look at the image to know that the Prime Minister's frills would be coloured with disbelief.
Why the hell had he said that? Harper wondered as he took several deep breaths. How did he get out of this? He might as well go with the truth. It was just as unbelievable as anything he could fabricate.
"Despite several attempts, you have never determined where the metals you sell to me go, have you?" Harper countered with his own question. Uilram remained silent. "I know you haven't," Harper continued. "And I also know that several of your accountants have made presentations to you that the economy of the Phoenix Empire does not add up. There is a very large void," he said, quoting from one of the papers he'd read recently.
Uilram appeared to recognise the phrase because he wasn't controlled enough to keep the colour from his frills.
"I'm not going to explain everything," Harper said, "but I will say that there is a project I am working on, and have been working on since I arrived in this galaxy. It is the Project that was entrusted to me in the Milky Way."
"You want to go back?" Uilram asked.
"No," Harper shook his head. "It is something else. A failsafe," he explained.
"You don't think the elder races will pursue you?" Uilram demanded.
Harper allowed himself to smile sadly. The Attori Prime Minister's question fitted with their cover story perfectly. "I do not know," he replied. "They haven't so far but that could be because they are still fighting each other. They won't have forgotten us but so long as they don't come until after my project is completed, it won't matter," he added. The Attori could make up what they wanted around that. "Suffice it to say that while I have not been ordered to maintain peaceful relationships, they are desired to allow the completion of the project."
Uilram was silent before he nodded. It was a gesture he'd learned from the Humans. "I see," he said slowly. It was beginning to make sense now. The Attori had always wondered why the Humans, such an obviously military race, had never actually used that military. Because self defence, in an empty galaxy, could not be the sole reason. Here was an explanation from their Emperor that made some sense, in the usual fantastical way the Human explanations did.
"Let us deal with the Fedochi for the moment," General Dm'yir said softly, bringing them back to the topic at hand. "Your assistance would be greatly appreciated." He added, aiming his words towards Williams who still had an amused smirk gracing her features.
She nodded towards her fellow military commander. "The fleet will be there in a day," she said. "But I advise that they hold back until the Fedochi actually make their move. Let's not open ourselves to an accusation of aggression," she added.
Harper nodded, as did Dm'yir. "I believe once they see a show of force, and know that we will use that force, they will back off," Harper comforted Uilram. "This is about setting boundaries, and the Fedochi have never encountered that. They just have to be…" He paused, searching for the right word but shrugged and went with the crudest. "Trained."
"You are expecting bloodshed?" Uilram asked.
"Yes," Harper replied. "They will not back off because you ask them nicely. When their patrol violates your territory, you must attack. You cannot hesitate or it will just get worse. When their Exarch attempts to call you on it, you must hold firm, replying only that they violated your territory despite warnings. If their Exarch is sensible, he will see that you will push back. If he is foolish, they will invade. At which point, we will push back," Harper grinned viciously.
"I do not like it," Uilram said.
"You don't have to like it," Harper told him. "If you wish to avoid a costly war, you will do it."
"We will do it," General Dm'yir said firmly. "It must be done," he directed that statement to the Prime Minister with a blunt look which said that they would talk further.
Harper nodded, trusting that the General would set the Prime Minister straight. "Are we in agreement?" He asked Uilram.
"About?"
"The shipment payments?" Harper prompted, reminding Uilram of what he had suggested earlier.
"Double payment or the Architect plans?" Uilram murmured, thinking again about the agreement Harper had proposed. "Yes, I think we are," he said finally. The risk for the Attori was minimal, after all. If the Fedochi did not behave as Harper believed they would, then the extra eezo would be appreciated and if they did, well, the loss of the plans was hardly that great a price to pay when the Humans had probably already stolen them.
"Very good," Harper said. The price was not important to him, rather, the important point was to further establish his reputation and the allowing of military assistance.
"We will speak further tomorrow?"
"Yes," he agreed. With a parting salute the comm link was cut.
"Williams," Harper ordered, turning towards the woman. "Get that fleet moving."
She grinned. "I'll go myself," she said.
"And capture some ships if you can," he added.
"Of course," Williams replied. She knew they needed samples and had been looking at the feasibility of sending a mission either through Attori space or uncharted territory to gain those samples but if the Fedochi were going to come to them, that made life a lot easier.
Sometimes it was nice that aliens were so predictable.
-cfr-
So the lost Milky Way Ascended are being recreated, though it will be a slow process. Still it means more Ascended know the truth. And the Attori have encountered a new species. Better watch out, they aren't as honourable as the Humans. But they aren't stupid either. They will test the waters before committing to anything.
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