August 5, 11,958 CE
Lalande 21185 System, Lalande Protectorate, protectorate of the Artemis Republic…
Vice Admiral Katsuji Lindet gritted his teeth as soon as the battleship ARS Eidolon reverted to sublight speed.
"Locust scum this deep into Artemisian space? How is this possible?!"
"Sir, we are detecting thirteen Locust capital ships dispersed across the system, and about seventy Locust Interceptors, and hundreds of Drones," The ship's sensors officer, Lieutenant Rogers reported. "The Lalande Defense Force is holding them at bay, but their forces are mostly concentrated on protecting their headquarters on the Arc of Lalande!"
"Then order the ARS Lafayette and her escort group to hit that destroyer near the enemy rear- disperse the Locust forces! And take us to these coordinates- we'll crush the center enemy force in a pincer move."
The Artemisian force split up, and was soon engaged with the Locust enemy at relatively-close range.
"Vice Admiral, communication coming in from Arc of Lalande!" Lieutenant Weiss of communications reported.
"Put it through, Lieutenant!"
An image appeared of Governor-General Romeo Ruhl of the Lalande Protectorate. "Governor Ruhl to Artemisian Navy vessels, can you hear me?"
"Yes. Governor, I am Vice Admiral Lindet of the ARS Eidolon."
"Vice Admiral, thank you for the assist, but we have an urgent matter!" Governor-General Ruhl rattled off at a mile a minute. "Locust boarding parties entered our hangar, hijacked the Intelligence prowler Middleyt C25, and escaped with it! That ship is carrying a Priority Alpha organic VIP, and must be recovered intact! Unfortunately, our long-range communications are down and we need all our ships to defend this system!"
"Understood, Governor! I will dispatch a messenger to Earth by gunship immediately!" He paused to send orders to the hangar. "Now, let's mop up these buggers."
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August 5, 11,958 CE
Tobruk Naval Station, Former Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Earth, Sol System, Earth Cluster...
Artemisian Admiral Reinhard Wheeler walked at a fast pace through the naval station, accompanied by three Artemisian Marine escorts. Once he reached his destination, he gestured for his escorts to wait outside with the two UEASN Naval Troopers standing guard, and went in.
High Admiral Victoria looked up from her desk, and shut off the computer she was working on. "Did you bring the report, Admiral?"
"Yes, I did," Admiral Wheeler transmitted the file to her. "I brought it personally. Gives me an excuse to come visit Earth."
"And meet with Admiral Eleanor."
"Well, yes. Anyway, what are you so interested in a petty pirate anyway?"
"A 'petty' pirate who was a Captain in the Artemisian Navy?" Victoria scanned through the file. "This is just dates, figures, ranks- it doesn't tell me crap about her! I would like to know what an Artemisian naval officer that served faithfully for over two centuries suddenly turned to piracy. Her motives, her personality-"
"She… was unlucky," Admiral Wheeler whispered under his breath, barely perceptible.
"Uh…? What did you say?"
"Ionia's life was shaped by her misfortunes. I… didn't know her all that well, but she was in a few of my classes when I taught at the naval academy. She was smart in her own, eccentric way, but she didn't do well academically- too headstrong, butted heads with instructors, lax with her assignments." He stopped.
"Why did you stop?" Victoria questioned impatiently.
"High Admiral," Wheeler looked at her with a moody, serious expression. "Only if you promise what I say next stays in this room. There is… information that the Artemis Republic leadership would… probably prefer I not share."
"You have my word," Victoria replied quietly, her tone becoming more grim.
"Like I said, she was one of my students in the naval academy- unusual for being one of the Androids who was not designed or programmed for military service. She used to be a chef Android, if you can believe that.
But after losing her parents in the Miramar Incident nearly 1,800 years ago, she became interested in joining the Artemisian Navy, in hopes of one day exacting revenge against the aliens who slew her parents- aliens we now believe to have been the Rachni.
While dissuaded at first, told her personality programming wasn't suitable- her interest continued to grow until it became an obsession, despite being turned down many times over the centuries.
She finally got her chance to join the Navy in the 11,500s, due to the shortage of personnel after the Fourth Hsihseng War. She also fell in love and married a technician during that time- and the couple applied for and received a daughter from the Offspring Production Agency.
Her Navy record was mixed- she received praise for exceptional performance during a few skirmishes with Abbottian forces, and rescue operations- but was also reprimanded for negligence and insubordination.
Then, in 11,853, the Fifth- and last- Hsihseng War broke out. The settlement that Ionia, her husband and daughter lived in suffered a coup and defected to the Hsihseng forces… Despite this, Ionia remained loyal to the Republic, escaping to loyalist lines and vowing to free her family.
The war lasted twenty years, becoming increasingly bitter and dark. When the Abbottian forces retreated back to their capital at Hsihseng, her husband and daughter went with, likely as many civilians who sought some security in Hsihseng City did- but became trapped when Artemisian loyalists lay siege to Hsihseng.
The Siege of Hsihseng was one of the bloodiest battles in Artemisian history, in no small part because of how it ended. Throughout the siege, both the loyalist and rebel forces threatened to use nuclear weapons- the Artemis loyalists threatened to level Hsihseng with a nuke, while the Abbottian rebels threatened to launch their nuclear stockpile at Artemisian cities across the planet.
The siege dragged on for bloody months as soldiers from both sides duked it out in often close quarter combat in the plains, suburbs, auxiliary domes surrounding the city. Insurgents even rammed asteroids into Artemisian Navy ships in orbit. Indiscriminate bombardment with artillery or airpower was used by both sides. I was Vice Admiral then, so I was much better off than the poor grunts fighting on the ground, but I had a few chances to visit the front lines, and damn well remembered how hellish it was.
And then the Siege of Hsihseng came to an abrupt end. Some say it was the Artemis Republic deciding to end the war with one last bit of ruthless calculus. Others say it was diehard Abbottian fanatics, determined to take out as many enemies with them as they could. Some outlandish claims include that it was aliens, or cults claiming it was the Machine God or Vishnu or some other deity.
What is known is that a nuclear fireball- the Catastrophe of Hsihseng- consumed the entire city of Hsihseng, killing millions of Androids- civilians, soldiers from both sides. Ionia Ivan's unfortunate husband and daughter among them. Officially, the Artemis Republic claims it was the Abbottians, but plenty of people question that, even among otherwise loyalist Artemisians. Honestly, I doubt any of the current leadership knows the truth."
"But someone has to know, don't they?" High Admiral Victoria questioned, pushing the issue. "You say the current leadership doesn't know, but what about the leadership at the time? Or were they the ones who did it?"
Admiral Wheeler looked away. "Then-President Sara Connell was reportedly so horrified she erased her back-ups and committed suicide. Or maybe it was out of guilt. Secretary of Defense Sorensen, Admiral Dumler, General Deng, and General Hector all resigned their positions and intentionally underwent memory wipes of that period."
"What the-?!" High Admiral Victoria exclaimed. "As awful as the Catastrophe was, what could be so existential- so distressing- they would do that?! What do you know?"
"Nothing- now, anyways." Admiral Wheeler muttered.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" High Admiral Victoria felt herself losing her temper, marching forward, and seizing the Artemisian by the scruff of his dress uniform.
"It means I might have known at one time, but I don't anymore!" Admiral Wheeler swatted her hand away. "I was just a Vice Admiral then, so I wasn't in attendance at any of the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings before, during, or after the Catastrophe. But shortly after I was promoted to Admiral to replace Dumler, just before wiping his memory, Admiral- former Admiral- Dumler summoned me to his bedside. I- think he may have told me- what really happened."
"You think?!" High Admiral Victoria scoffed derisively.
"I have no memory of it!" Wheeler retorted angrily. "Judging from my lack of memory of that period, I may well have chosen to follow Dumler's lead in scrubbing my memory, rather than be the only person remaining who knew a horrifying truth."
" 'Horrifying truth'? " Victoria was unsympathetic. "If you didn't do it, why were you too cowardly to face the truth? Is it better to be dragged around in the dark like someone's lapdog?"
"I will not be questioned by a whelp like you!" Admiral Wheeler grabbed Admiral Victoria by the scruff of her uniform in a fair turn-about. "Because when you get to my age, you'll know there are some questions that are better left unanswered!"
Victoria wrenched herself free from Wheeler's grasp, and prepared a sharp retort. But the words caught in her throat when she saw a haunted look in Admiral Wheeler's eyes.
'If he has no memory, surely he shouldn't have that emotional reaction. Unless… she recalled something she heard a YoRHa unit talk about just once: 'Sometimes, even when an episodic or semantic memory is erased, an emotional imprint or a piece of implicit memory remains- the ghost of a memory'. Could… just mere words- mere knowledge- really leave such a strong emotional imprint that it would remain even after the erasure of the original memory?'
Victoria cleared her throat. "Right, I see. So who do you think was behind it?"
Admiral Wheeler quickly returned to normal, his composure restored. "Just between you and me, I suspect that maybe a crazy loyalist thought the war was too costly and decided to end it once and for all. I find it hard to imagine that President Connell would have resorted to such measures, when she tried so hard to avoid civilian casualties throughout the war, especially when the Oracles explicitly opposed such use of nuclear weapons. She was always exceptionally reverent towards the Oracles, even by Android standards."
For her part, Ionia Ivan and her crew believed it was the Artemisian government. Cursing in grief and swearing vengeance against the Republic she had served for centuries, Ionia took her frigate, the ARS Ronald Reagan- and its entire crew, and flew into the depths of space. Many at the time thought she had disappeared for good.
Then thirty years later, she mysteriously reappeared by the side of pirate leader Judas during the Red Druid Uprising."
Victoria remained silent for a few moments, before speaking suddenly. "What if the true culprit behind the Hsihseng Catastrophe… was your organization?" Victoria narrowed her eyes as she spoke. "Well, the Organization you belong to."
"W-What...? What do you mean by that?" Caught completely off-guard, blindsided by her question, Admiral Wheeler's eyes widened slightly, barely perceptible, but Victoria caught on to the involuntary cue.
"Save the act, Admiral. I have my… source. I know you're part of the Organization.
"H-How did you- Never mind. You know too much for your own good, kid…"
"Save your threats. I've instructed my source to 'remind' me if someone wipes my memory, and no, I'm not telling you who he or she is. And, as High Admiral of the entire Union Navy and member of the Union Council, I highly doubt you could kill me off for good without some major-ass questions being asked. However… if you cooperate, I don't mind keeping this between us."
"Fine… what do you want to know?"
"Was the Organization behind the Catastrophe at Hsihseng?"
Admiral Wheeler sighed deeply. "I'm not privy to all the Organization's secrets… but I'll bet 90% it wasn't the Organization."
"Why?"
"Because it completely contradicts the Organization's goals! The Organization has continually strived for militarization! That's why they created the Red Druid Uprising and-"
"The Organization created the Red Druids?!" Victoria gaped.
"Aw… shit…"
"It's fine… I promise it's a secret," Victoria vowed. "It would make a lot of sense actually- some of the Red Druids' actions don't make a lot of strategic sense… unless they were deliberately trying to scare the public and provoke a response from the Union."
"I'm glad you understand," Admiral Wheeler nodded sagely, relieved Victoria hadn't picked up on the "and" word he had said after "Red Druid Uprising". "What you must understand is the Organization's goals.
All the Organization's policies, all their projects- and there have been many- have been geared toward militarization. Creating more combat, military Androids. Building more advanced, numerous, efficient weapons, creating extensive defense systems. Let's face it- the Union's military-industrial complex is basically a state all to itself. And the Organization has been the overwhelming driving force behind. In fact, it's fair to say you- an Android expressly created to command the entire Union Navy- probably wouldn't exist without the Organization's machinations.
But what happened after the Hsihseng Catastrophe? Everyone on Artemis was horrified- the Oracles, the military, the civilian populace. It created an enormous backlash, anti-war movements, peace movements, and a period of demilitarization and disarmament- endorsed by the Oracles, no less- exactly the opposite of what the Organization wanted. That's why they resorted to the Red Druids."
"I see… makes sense why you think the Organization couldn't have been behind it. Heck, if anything I think I should thank the Organization- everything I've heard about them suggests the Navy is only where it is today because of the Organization's plans."
"So, about your contact…"
"Nope, not going to happen. Sorry- I may sympathize with the Organization to an extent from what I've heard, but I still need a card to play. Just in case."
An urgent knocking came at the door.
"Come in," High Admiral Victoria replied, giving Admiral Wheeler a pointed glance.
One of the Artemisian Marines who had accompanied Wheeler peeked in. "Sir-"
"Lieutenant, did not specifically state I didn't want to be disturbed?! What part of-"
"Sir, it's a Priority Alpha transmission from the fleet!"
"Give me that!" The Admiral stormed over and snatched the comm-pad from the Marine. His eyes widened as he looked at it. "An Artemisian gunship? Here?"
He answered the transmission. "This is Admiral Wheeler. Who is in charge of this vessel?" He paused as he listened to the reply. "They what- Locusts in Artemisian space?! They did WHAT? Kidnapped a- " He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Have you told Intelligence yet? This is their area of purview. Then what are you waiting for, idiot?" He shut off the transmitter and handed it back to the Marine. "Now get out!"
"What was that all about?" High Admiral Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Need help from my navy?"
"That won't be necessary," Admiral Wheeler replied stiffly. "The Artemisian Navy can handle the intruders. A score of Locust ships appeared out of nowhere and attacked one of our systems- but we have the situation under control. The rest will have to be dealt with by Union Intelligence… and the Organization."
"Really? You seem a little agitated for having everything 'under control'."
"I just hate being kept out of the loop is all, which I suspect is the case here," Wheeler muttered. "But I know that sometimes it's necessary."
With those cryptic words, he left the office, letting the door slide shut behind him.
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August 20, 11,958 CE
On Vytaka Station, in orbit around Pallatinos Fault, Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space...
URDC Director Jackass grumbled as she got up and picked up her own cup of coffee as the coffee-maker pinged. Then she stopped at the bookshelf, put down her cup, and began rooting through the pile of disorganized papers and datapads. While she was doing that, she accidentally knocked the cup, which shattered on the group, spilling the coffee inside.
"Fuck!" Jackass cursed furiously. "Damn it all!"
Frustrated, Jackass walked across her office, picked up a coffee table, and hurled it against the wall, before plopping down on a couch and burying her face in her hands. "I- I really have grown soft, haven't I?" Jackass chuckled sardonically to no one in particular.
Jackass had grown so used to having personal assistants to run her errands while she designed more powerful warships and destructive weapons (and some interesting food and drink recipes on the side), that she had forgotten how to deal with things on her own.
Fibonacci-3 had only left for a few days- Director Jackass had sent her back to Geonosis to oversee the completion of the prototype Moncton-class orbital platform, preparations for the test-fire, and meet with the Union Diplomatic Corps delegation that was coming to visit Geonosis- and now she was having a hand time managing daily tasks.
"Hey, is everything alright in there, Director?" 2B called from the hallway. "Someone said they heard a ruckus."
"Oh, fuck off! I'm fine" Director Jackass shot back, her voice harsher than she intended it to be. Realizing this, she hastily added, "Wait- I- I'm sorry- everything's fine, I just-"
"No, it's fine," 2B replied, her voice as even as usual. "Sorry to have bothered you."
Jackass sighed as she heard 2B's footsteps leave. "Get a grip, Jackass. You didn't use to be like this."
A pinging on her desk computer caught her attention. "Hmm…? A message? Who could it be from?"
She answered it, causing a live-stream transmission to pop up, showing a dark room. "From Geonosis? ….Fibonacci?!"
Her assistant, Fibonacci-3, seemed to be sobbing. "D-Director- I- I don't know why, but all the Androids and Machines here are behaving strangely. T-They kept p-pointing and jabbing, and talking behind my back, and wouldn't tell me a-anything! And there are these s-strange warships in orbit, strange Androids on the station, and no one would tell me w-why or what-t… then o-one of our supervisors w-whispered to me t-they were g-going to a-arrest me! S-So I r-ran!"
"Hold on!" Director Jackass asked in alarm. "Arrest you, who? Where are you? Please, tell me some details, so I can help!"
Fibonacci kept looking behind her in the room, as if expecting someone to attack her. "T-They're chasing m-me, Director… f-following me… I- I'm scared!"
"Who's chasing you, Fibonacci? What do they look like?"
A loud bang erupted behind Fibonacci, followed by incoherent shouting, gunshots.
"Director, help me!" Fibonacci screamed, and the transmission suddenly filled with static.
"H-Hang on, Fibonacci! I'll get help! Fibonacci!"
The words "Connection Lost" now filled the screen.
Jackass felt her hands curl into fists in rage. "Whoever you are, you've really done it now, fuckers…"