May 5, 11,958 CE

Jackass Tower in New Wydnna Settlement, Geonosis, Geonosis System, Midgard Sector, Arcturus Stream...

Director Jackass of the Union Research and Development Consortium looked up rather laconically from her desk as she heard a knock at her door. "Come in…"

Her assistant, a new Android named Fibonacci-3, peeked in nervously.

"What is it?"

"Um… er… one of our archaeological teams surveying the alien ruins near equatorial region C-3 reported evidence of… recent activity. They fear the ruins are not as derelict as they seem, and alien survivors may still live in the remains of their civilization."

"Or it could just be some looters and pirates," Jackass scoffed.

"Either way, Chief Lenin-81 wants to bolster security, and has also requested permission to begin exploring the southern continent."

"Isn't this Goddard's project?" Jackass drawled. "Why are you asking me?"

"Er… Goddard wanted to clear it with you before producing new Androids and Machines. And requisitioning necessary resources."

"Tell him he can have what he wants," Jackass waved dismissively. "If he wants more security, more archaeologists, more first contact teams, tell him he's free to use our Android and Machine factories. Now leave me alone, I still have to prepare for my meeting with the High Admiral."

"Yes, ma'am!" Fibonacci slipped out of the office again.

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May 6, 11,958 CE

URDC Shuttle Pallatinos Five exiting Wydnna Station, in orbit around Geonosis, Geonosis System, Midgard Sector, Arcturus Stream...

High Admiral Victoria shifted in her seat as she faced Director Jackass. "I have to say, despite your… troubling reputation, this world appears well-managed. I can't say the same for Vermilion Station these days…"

Vermilion Station, the original headquarters of the URDC, had increasingly been sidelined as more and more resources and facilities were moved out to the URDC's new holdings on Geonosis, Pallatinos Fault, and Colla IV. Heck, even the URDC outpost in the Beta Canis Majoris System was larger than Vermilion. Vermilion Station was increasingly reduced to a glorified storage facility, with the hangar area open to tourists who wanted to see where the Research and Development Consortium first developed FTL travel.

Vermilion Station, Jackass could understand. However, the jab against her reputation was something that had irked her to no end. Despite playing a fundamental role in the creation of the Union, other Union leaders frequently didn't acknowledge her existence at all, and she'd even been refused a seat on the Union Council- not that politics interested Jackass much at all though. Now someone like Victoria, who wasn't even built until after the Machine Wars, was talking down to her.

"What did you say about my reputation, Vicky?" Jackass growled furiously, clenching her hands into fists to restrain herself from shooting something.

"I said- hey, wait! Don't call me Vicky!"

"Oh? That wasn't what you told Commodore Sievert when you were screwing him-" Jackass taunted.

"What the hell? How do you know about that?!" The High Admiral's face turned red.

Jackass held up her personal holoprojector, and showed a few seconds of what was a rather explicit video. "I don't need to show the rest of this, do I? Or is it protocol to bang subordinate officers these days?"

"That- that was just an indiscretion!" Victoria protested, beginning to hyperventilate, her tone higher than usual. "How do you have that?!

"Don't worry, I'll keep it secret… if you cooperate. Call me names, and make jabs about my reputation again, and this video will be plastered all over the Stellar Net. Are we clear?"

"Very," High Admiral Victoria glared furiously.

"Good, now let's get down to actual business, shall we?" Jackass stood up and walked to the shuttle window.

"What" Victoria snapped, still smarting from her wounded pride. She walked over to the side of the shuttle that Jackass was. "What did you summon me all the way out here for-"

She froze in mid-stride. "By Humanity, what the hell is that?! It has to be… over a kilometer long at this range…"

"A Behemoth-class Battlecruiser," Jackass presented triumphantly. "The Hephaestus X, 1,200 meters long, armed with GARDIAN point-defense lasers, Archer missiles, Javelin torpedoes, a ship-scaled mass accelerator cannon, and a half dozen Shiva tactical nuclear warheads. And a hangar that can house a decent two or three fighter squadrons. It has both Mass Effect kinetic barriers and heavy armor for defense."

"What?! How could I not know about a project like this?!" High Admiral Victoria was practically salivating at the sight.

"It's a closely-guarded Consortium secret," Jackass grinned smugly. "This one may be under construction, but it is the third battlecruiser of its class, by the way- two have already been completed."

"This is a sales pitch, right?" Victoria raised an eyebrow. "What's your price?"

"Hold your horses, let's finish examining the wares first," Jackass gestured to another vessel some distance away. "The Hawking-class carrier Einstein VII, second ship in her class- 1,200 meters long, it can house six to seven fighter squadrons, has GARDIAN lasers, Archer missiles, Javelin torpedoes, plus kinetic barriers and armor like the battlecruisers."

"Again, what's your price?" An agitated Victoria was having trouble concealing her excitement.

"I'll give the Navy the three battlecruisers- including Hephaestus X once it's completed- and the carrier Hawking II… in exchange for control over the Ideon System."

"What?!"

"I know Ideon is one of your eezo mining systems," Jackass narrowed her eyes. "And the URDC needs more Element Zero. A lot more."

"But-"

"The Navy will continue to receive Battlecruisers and Carriers at half the price it'll cost other entities. We'll also produce the appropriate Android and Machine crews."

Victoria sighed in resignation. "Fine. You drive a hard bargain. But how will you harvest the Element Zero in the Ideon System?"

"That won't be a problem." Jackass called out to the shuttle pilot. "Okello-32, take us to Black Forge Seven!"

The shuttle made a precise intra-orbital FTL jump, warping space to the far side of Geonosis.

"What, how?!" Victoria gaped again. "How can you make such a precise FTL jump so close to a major gravity well? And was that a curved path?"

"Behold the Abbas Engine Mark II!" Jackass chuckled. "It's still largely experimental and we've only done it successfully on small ships though."

"That's still… really amazing…"

"Abbas analyzed the engine on the Rachni ship that Intelligence discovered. Apparently, it can make very precise FTL jumps relatively close to a major gravity well, and even use the gravity well to slingshot it on a curved course, providing a phenomenal advantage over the Jacqueline Engine or the original Abbas Drive in orbital engagements," Jackass let her voice drop a little at the mention of "Jacqueline". "However, it does suffer from the significant drawback of only being able to make short jumps in deep space. That may be why said Rachni ship ended up stranded in interstellar space."

Jackass now gestured to the window. "And now, what I wanted to bring you over to see: a Black Forge."

A huge, hulking black space station was latched onto a small asteroid, as if devouring it, even as space tugs dragged more asteroids around it.

"What… is that and what is it doing?"

"A Black Forge is a mobile space station used for strip-mining asteroids for all useful mineral ore. It's in large part due to the Black Forges that we've had success in procuring materials to build huge ships like the Behemoth Battlecruisers and Hawking Carriers. Plus, Geonosis is a system with a huge asteroid field, all the more convenient for our operations. Once you hand over Ideon to us, Black Forces will be dispatched to scour the system for Element Zero ore."

High Admiral Victoria fell to her knees. "I've been… completely outclassed…" She muttered to no one in particular.

"Soo… what about our deal?" Jackass raised an eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, of course…" High Admiral Victoria hastily scrambled back to her feet. "And I apologize for my earlier… untoward remarks to you. The… video will remain under wraps, yes?"

"As long as you quit with the snide commentary."

Victoria nodded. "Then I'll send my assistants to work out the details of this procurement deal."

A quick FTL jump later, the Pallatinos Five pulled up to Wydnna Station, and Jackass sent the High Admiral off on her way, before returning to her own office on the station.

Once she was alone, Jackass typed a message onto her datapad. A moment later, a call came through in reciprocation.

"Sooo… boss, how did it go?" Amenhotep questioned.

"Just as well as I expected," Jackass chuckled, clearly pleased. "Thanks, by the way, for the video of Victoria. Feels good to finally have some dirt on the prissy bitch." Then she frowned. "But… you wouldn't happen to have any compromising videos of me, would you?"

Amenhotep chuckled. "Who knows?"

"Answer that again, and you'll find explosives mysteriously appearing in your room," Jackass growled threateningly.

"Fine, no. My… associates were actually surveilling Victoria for completely different reasons, and accidentally caught that little scene on camera…"

"I see…"

"That's pretty much all I know," Amenhotep insisted. "The details are above my pay grade."

"Fine, fine," Jackass grumbled. "So, did you take care of the other business?"

"I leaked information about our new battlecruisers and carriers to the Artemis Republic, the Independist Space Force, and the Deneb Federal Navy. I daresay we may soon receive more orders. I'm also looking into reaching my contacts on the Machine Council and in the Church of Humanity Navy. I'm sure no one wants to be left out when it comes to the new toys, and seeing other factions have our new warships will inspire others to come to us as well."

"And when the new shipyards around Pallatinos are finished, we will be able to double production," Jackass smirked. "And you are serious about Project Starfall?"

"Absolutely, though that's later on the schedule. Every major colony's planetary defense force should have at least one battlecruiser or carrier class-" He paused at the sound of beeping. "Oh darn, I think that's Corona calling for me, got to go, sorry!"

"Wait-"

The transmission cut off abruptly and Jackass sighed, walking over to the station window to watch the Hephaestus under construction. 'Well… everything here is going smoothly.' She thought. 'I should probably head out to Pallatinos soon- I haven't been there in quite a while. And since 2B, 9S and their family is stationed there, it'll be a great chance to catch up. Way better than hashing deals with some admiral.'

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Union Navy Charon-class light frigate, UEASN Aegis Fate, departing the Geonosis System...

When High Admiral Victoria's shuttle landed in the hangar of the Aegis Fate, Commodore Yanukovych of the Midgard Sector Flotilla was already waiting there with an honor guard of Union Marines.

"How was your meeting, High Admiral?"

"Surprisingly productive," Victoria replied curtly. "I need you to prepare a transmission to Commodore Ponta, commander of the Caerleon Sector Flotilla. Tell him to immediately modify plans for the shipyards and refit dockyards under construction around Caerleon. I need them to be able to accomodate ships 1,200 meters in length."

"Twelve hundred meters? Ma'am, you don't mean to say-"

"See for yourself," Victoria shoved a clipped recording to him.

Yanukovych skimmed through the recordings, wide-eyed. "But- but… isn't this something better handled by Vice Admiral Lanner? With the full resources of the Third Defense Fleet…"

"I'll tell Vice Admiral Lanner and Admiral Dyson personally, but Commodore Ponta should get started. I plan on more than just refitting these behemoths the URDC provides us- I will build more of them. For that, I'll need all the resources of the Third Defense Fleet and the Third Expeditionary Fleet for that.

After you tell Ponta, tell the same to Commodore Govorov of the Hellespont Sector Flotilla regarding our nascent shipyards around Smolensk."

"U-Understood, ma'am… but… you aren't… planning to double-cross Director Jackass, are you?"

"No, of course not," Victoria let her lips curl into a smile. "But nowhere in our contract does it say I can't build battlecruisers and carriers of my own."

"But you're going to still buy ships from the Consortium?"

"Of course- I may have... misjudged Jackass. Her weapons are as spectacular as always, and I'm sure she'll have new toys before we know it. No, we need to keep procuring whatever new technologies the URDC has to offer, if only so we can reverse-engineer, and produce them on a larger scale." Victoria reached a ship lounge and sat down to face Yanukovych. "From what I've witnessed today… I know the Navy can't afford to make an enemy of Jackass… but I'm not dumb enough to let us be too beholden to her and the URDC."

Yanukovych swallowed. "Yes. Of course, ma'am."