October 5th, 0542 Standard Time, 2552
UNSC Dominion
Bridge
To Curie, the Dominion wasn't nearly as vast as it was to the rest of her crew. Moving between its various subsystems and terminals was made easy by the links that bound the vessel's systems together. Her only obstacle was the ship's cybersecurity suite, which she could quickly traverse as well. The immense processing power held by the ship also offered her some assistance in running through her tasks. To her, it was like operating a well-tuned machine, with intuitive and simple controls.
The ship had various programs dedicated to monitoring the ship's functions and alerting the crew if something was broken, meaning she was mostly free to her own devices whenever she wasn't actively working on something. She spent most of her time monitoring the crew through the ship's various cameras, as well as talking with them. Most of the crew were quite friendly, although some of them were quite standoffish at times. She had actually mastered the art of splitting her processing power between various terminals and holotanks at once, allowing her to effectively have several conversations with multiple people at once.
She also kept an eye on the ship's Elite prisoner, and made a note that he was writing something with the pens and paper he had been allowed to have. He was something of an enigma to her, so unlike his brethern, but yet the similarities were apparent when he spoke.
But ever since the Dominion had been connected to the CCTS, she had spent a considerable amount of effort on scouring the various "pages". She ruthlessly consumed any information she could find, processing and categorizing it for later usage. Most of the Dominion's crew had joined her, using their own devices to browse what the CCTS had to offer and learning about their rather unusual metaphorical cousins. And while their civilization was eerily similar, in spite of the seeming lack of contact with Earth-based society, it did have it's fair share of oddities.
But most of her effort was concentrated on cracking the matter of vocal communications. The security programs the Atlesian engineers had put in place were laughable, to the point where she could brute force her way past almost any firewall with a fraction of her own processing power. But the software regarding basic radio communications was dramatically different from the rest of the system. The bulk of the system relied on four "primary" relay towers, as well as a far larger number of "secondary" relay towers. The secondary towers seemed to serve mainly to boost signals and redirect laser-based data uplinks.
The problem she faced rested itself in her proxy system that she had so far used to operate the CCTS, it presented extreme difficulties with understanding the basic code language the software was made with. After running a brief simulation, she discovered it would simply be easier to freshly make a sort of "back door" in the CCTS that she could access it normally from, in essence making a translation kit for the CCTS software. Unfortunately that meant a substantial delay as she was converting all of the Atlesian code langauge into understandable terms. It took her nearly eight hours to finish the software, but when she was done she had created a tool with which she could effortlessly move through and manipulate the CCTS, with a far greater degree of efficiency.
Within several milliseconds she accomplished that which had been bothering her for the previous eight hours. After plugging in the contact information she'd previously acquired elsewhere, she now had a line of communication directly to Atlas Academy. The system was also extremely simple to operate and adapt, even to ordinary humans.
In a stroke of luck, the Commander had just woken up, and after a few minutes of waiting, he arrived on the bridge. With his arrival, Curie displayed her hologram. She did greatly enjoy her digital persona, even if she had an annoying habit of changing color during moments of intense emotion.
"Good morning monsieur, did you sleep well?" Curie asked, noting his higher than average blood pressure. It was well within healthy levels, but she would keep an eye on him.
"Good enough, although I do wish we packed some different coffee brands before we left." Richard said as he adjusted his officer's cap. "Have there been any developments with our objectives?"
Curie double checked her reports before speaking, something that took her less than a split second. "Indeed there have. Our technicians working on the Cross Continental Transmit System have stabilized our connection. We have also reopened communications for Menagerie citizens, they should be able to use the system."
"Good to hear. Although I assume that means our presence has been made public?" Richard assumed.
"In a manner of speaking." Curie said. "At the moment, our presence is generally considered a rumor amongst the average citizens of the other Kingdoms. The exception to this is the city of Kuo Kuana, whose average citizen has been made aware of our arrival. Panic seems minimal outside for a few outlying incidents, and we've accidentally caused a surge in conspiracy theories."
Richard gave a brief chuckle at her final statement. "I probably should have warned Ghira about that."
Curie nodded. "On that note, Chieftain Belladonna has declined to make an official comment, as well as sending a message requesting permission to announce that you indeed do exist to his citizens, and that diplomatic talks are underway."
"Give him our approval, and remind him that we have no hostile intentions." Richard said. "But inform him not to address the current crisis with the SDC, we don't want to antagonize them any further."
Curie quickly assembled a brief message relaying what Richard had said before beaming it to the Belladonna's official mailbox. "There have been other developments. In order to gain better access to the CCTS, I created a software translation kit that allows me to move through it normally. Using this, I was able to ensure we can now use the Dominion's communication systems to contact anyone connected to the CCTS."
"Can we contact General Ironwood?" Richard asked.
"Oui, at any time." Curie answered. "Would you like to review first-contact guidelines beforehand?"
"I already did that when we went down to Menagerie... but I suppose it couldn't hurt." Richard sighed, knowing the dry documents would do little but dull his senses. "Send them to my datapad, as well as anything you can find on the General."
"Of course, I have already compiled a number of dossiers on individuals of interest.." Curie said. "Politicians, scientists, as well as anyone of importance to the SDC." There was a momentary pause. "They have been sent to your datapad." Richard checked to make sure it had been sent before continuing. "General Ironwood was the next one on my list, his report will only take a moment."
Curie began a search of all of the information she had collected for anything mentioning the General or his occupation. She was quickly surprised to see that the vast majority of it focused on his role as the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, and not his military career.
Curious, perhaps it is an officer's academy? He certainly doesn't seem to have any scientific or educational qualifications. Curie thought. A coursey examination revealed the academy indeed trained some sort of international special forces called "Huntsmen" with the main goal of combatting Grimm. As well as a secondary goal of assisting law enforcement in dangerous situations.
I will make a note of that, I would like to review how they perform. Curie thought before starting a download of the School's archives.
He also had something of a media presence, and was fairly popular in the public eye. But the man was not without his critics, namely those decrying his support of the Schnee Dust Company, as well as usage of excessive force against certain terrorist organizations, although other, less universal complaints existed. Some claimed that he was using his position for personal gain, while others outright called him a tyrant, citing his two seats on the Council.
Curie forwarded everything she found to Richard's datapad. After several minutes of reading, he put the pad away and turned his attention out the front window of the Bridge, watching as Remnant slowly rotated before him.
"Before we commit to this, what time is it in Atlas?" Richard asked.
"0450." Curie recited. "Although it appears that General Ironwood has been awake for some time."
"Well then let's not delay any further, patch us through." Richard ordered.
"Aye sir." Curie said, making an effort to use the proper terminology. "I will route control to your datapad."
The Dominion
Bridge
It wasn't lost on Richard the importance of the upcoming meeting. Improperly handling this first contact could set one of the most powerful nations on Remnant against them, and avoiding a conflict was his top priority. His meeting with Ghira offered him an idea of what to expect and the UNSC's first contact protocols for an alien civilization offered some other bits of advice he could fall back on.
Despite the near silence of the bridge, it was apparent he could feel the sense of silent encouragement of his fellow officers. Whether it was from a sense of camaraderie or simply a desire to get home faster, it was appreciated nonetheless.
Only a few seconds after Curie was finished speaking, a new set of controls appeared on his datapad. Without delay he made a series of commands to begin the call.
"It's going to take a few seconds, I am still making sure that nothing gets in the way here." Curie said. Several seconds passed, and just as Curie said, the call worked. The fact that his datapad didn't change its screen gave the impression the video connection didn't work.
"This is Headmaster Ironwood's office, who am I speaking with?" The man asked. His voice sounded drab, tired, and oddly smooth despite the electronic tone. Curie gave Richard a nod, confirming he could speak back.
"Good morning General, my name is Commander Richard Miller." Richard spoke, doing his best to speak clearly above all else. "I'm calling in regard to an incident that took place between our nations three days ago, but I believe we have a more important matter to discuss first."
Richard could swear he heard a barely audible suppressed yawn coming from Ironwood's end before he spoke again. "My apologies, it's a bit early in the morning as you're no doubt aware. Which Kingdom do you represent?"
Moment of truth. Richard thought. "I represent United Nations Space Command. Just so there's no misunderstandings, no, we are not from Remnant."
Ironwood laughed, it sounded less genuine and more like a gesture of politeness. "Very funny. Although it's good to know my secretary isn't above helping with a few practical jokes."
Curie gave a confused look at that, before suddenly getting a look of understanding.
"I assure you General, I am very serious." Richard insisted. "Curie, can you get us a video connection?"
"I am doing my best, although it appears that the General's device isn't equipped with a compatible camera." Curie said.
"Now I do appreciate the good hearted gesture, but I'm a busy man, and I need to get back to work. Have a good day." Ironwood said, before hanging up.
"Transmission ended Sir." Curie reported. "What now?"
Richard had honestly expected that, thankfully he had a backup plan.
"Do you still have access to his office's power systems?" he asked, his more devious thinking showing itself.
"I have the ability to manipulate the cities entire power grid." Curie confirmed. "Which reminds me, there's something you should know about Atlas itself, once we are done with this."
"It will have to wait." Richard said. "Kill the lights, just his office."
"Aye Sir, done." Curie said. "The camera shows he's a bit confused, from what I can tell anyway, it dosen't have night vision."
"What else is in his office? Is there anything that could get us a video connection?" Richard asked, thinking more practically now that the General was distracted.
"His desk appears to have a built-in communications suite, which includes a compatible camera." Curie reported..
"Hail it from the Dominion, then force the system to accept the transmission from their end." Richard ordered. "And turn his lights back on."
"Aye, sir... done. Link established, putting it up onscreen now." Curie said.
The screen in front of Richard's command chair shimmered, before suddenly flashing and revealing the face of a very confused General Ironwood.
"Hello again General, but I'm afraid we weren't done speaking." Richard said, doing his best to stare directly into Ironwood's eyes. The video feed revealed he was still sharply dressed, despite his exhausted appearance. He very quickly realized the serious implications behind what had just happened, and straightened his posture, as well as adopting a more sour facial expression.
"Alright... Commander, you have my attention." The General spoke, keeping his face strictly neutral.
"Whether you believe we're aliens or not, it's true. We come from another planet, and three days ago we attempted to make first contact, and we were met with hostility." Richard said, keeping his own tone neutral. "We have no intentions of-"
"Just because you have impressive cyber-warfare doesn't mean I believe your claims. Although you do present a serious threat to Atlesian national security." Ironwood stated, his voice deepening into a more sour tone. "You recognize the seriousness of your actions, don't you?"
"One of my men was killed, General. One of your citizens was the culprit." Richard said, not backing down. "If we're discussing serious actions, I certainly hold the belief that your actions prove substantially moreso."
"Accusation of murder is a serious claim to make, especially with no backing that you're even who you say you are." Ironwood pointed out.
"Well then, by all means, allow me to present example one, the bridge of my starship." Richard said gesturing towards the room around him, the other people, and the terminals. "This is a whole lot of effort to put into a "practical joke" isn't it? The uniforms, the terminals, as well as the fact that we are in orbit in the first place!"
"This stopped being a joke when you started toying with Atlesian security." Ironwood retorted. "As for your ship, I've yet to see more beyond one room. You could be in a studio for all I know."
"Then by all means, have a look." Richard said. "Curie, launch one of our Clarion spy drones."
"Aye Sir, the drone is away." Curie reported after a moment. A dull thud reverberated throughout the hull of the ship.
"And swap General Ironwood's feed to one of our forward bow cameras. Let the man look at his own planet from our perspective." Richard said, well aware that Ironwood had not stopped listening.
"Camera feed switching, drone is coming about to match our orbit. It will fly formation with us around 230 meters off our starboard hull." Curie said.
Ironwood's facial expression changed slightly when he saw his own planet. It was one less of sour determination and more one of surprise. Nevertheless, he persisted with his skepticism.
"That could be a computer-generated model. You're not the only one who knows the potential of modern technology." Ironwood protested. "I have no guarantee it comes from an actual starship."
"Very well, show him our ship Curie." Richard ordered.
Ironwood's feed shifted again, this time to one of the cameras on the Clarion spy drone they had launched. Curie also displayed the feed he was seeing on another monitor on the Dominion's bridge, and Richard couldn't help but admire Curie's cinematography. Obviously he would expect the ship under his command to look good, but she did a damn good job making it look even better. She did a grand job with the lighting from Remnant's star, getting a good angle so that her nameplate was visible.
Again Ironwood's expression slightly faltered, but he retained his defiant posture. "That looks like footage from a sci-fi movie! You'll have to do better than that."
Richard was starting to get frustrated, a degree of disbelief and stubbornness was understandable and expected. But at some point, the General shifted towards being unreasonable.
"Alright General, let me try appealing to logic. What possible reason would he have to lie to you?" Richard asked. "Take a moment to think about this from my perspective, even if you don't believe me."
The general thought for a moment before answering. "I couldn't honestly say off the top of my head, but you could be attempting a form of deception. You yourself claim that one of your men were killed in a conflict with Atlas, that frankly, I doubt ever happened."
"Is that right?" Richard scowled. "Curie, how many casualties did we inflict on the SDC forces we encountered?"
Ironwood's expression shifted to a sharper scowl when he heard that, but remained silent.
"At least 18, of which I predict around 10 were killed." Curie said. "Keep in mind, that is a very rough estimate."
"On the contrary Commander, for the first time in this conversation, that sounds just about right." Ironwood narrowly said. "I received a very angry call from the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, claiming that several of his security staff were unjustifiably attacked by unknown forces that escaped on an airship."
"Unprovoked?" Richard asked, perhaps a bit more indignantly than he had intended. "He tried to arrest my entire force after they defused several improvised explosive devices that could have killed any one of them! And while we may have fired the first shot, we were certainly not unprovoked!"
"That doesn't line up with what I've been told." Ironwood said in an accusatory manner.
"Then maybe you were lied to General." Richard retorted. "We have video logs from the helmet cameras of everyone involved, I've seen them myself. I'd suspect this man cannot back his own nonsense claims."
"I would be quite interested in seeing that." Ironwood said, less coldly than his previous statements, but still with a sense of challenge. "I will concede that I didn't receive any evidence of the battle other images of the battleground and those killed. And I did find it odd that both of their cameras in the battle had malfunctioned..."
"Curie, send him the footage." Richard ordered.
"His storage device can't hold it all Sir." Curie said. Richard noted Ironwood look at her holographic form with an expression of curiosity for the first time.
"Then we'll view it live, play him the footage from Sergeant Benjamin's helmet camera, start from the point of contact." Richard said.
"Aye sir, playing it now." Curie said.
Richard watched the footage with Ironwood, explaining the various actions taken by his forces and why the mission had been undertaken in the first place. When it was all said and done Ironwood's defiant expression was gone, replaced with a look of grim acceptance.
"It seems like this is an instance of bad communication..." Ironwood began.
"Their leader threatened to gun down my squad while they were attempting to answer the question that he himself asked." Richard said unforgivingly. "And I think you've seen more than enough evidence that our claims are valid."
Ironwood sighed, now realizing he was on the defensive in this situation."I feel the need to mention that the Schnee Dust Company and it's private security force, do not represent the Kingdom of Atlas or its interests."
"I don't want a war, General." Richard reassured. "As a matter of fact that's just about the worst possible thing that could come from this."
"I'm certainly glad you agree." Ironwood said. Richard noted his shift in posture and expression towards a far more regal and professional appearance.
You don't see that kind of posture outside of an ONI operative, or someone who takes presentation very seriously. Richard thought before speaking. "I intend to speak with the man known as Jacques Schnee directly. However, I decided to contact a member of the Atlesian government first. After some deliberation you were selected, and I authorized a software intrusion to secure safe contact."
"About that." Ironwood said. "Under the circumstances I would and will argue your intrusion was justified, as it prevented another incident. But I would advise against committing cyber-attacks against both us or our allies in the future, we are obligated to respond accordingly."
"That is certainly reasonable." Richard said, knowing very well there wasn't much Atlas could do to them in a military or even strategic sense. "I certainly have more to discuss with you and your government, however, I would like to see this crisis resolved before then. With that in mind, I do have a list of demands for this SDC, which will involve your nation."
At first, Ironwood's facial expression swapped to one of anger and frustration, but it very quickly swapped to one of deeper thought. "I recognize you have little reason to trust me, but I do have a suggestion. Whatever your demands are, I would advise letting either myself or someone else from the Atlesian government deliver them. I know Jacques personally, and he's a stubborn man."
Richard thought, but quickly realized he would need more time to come to a conclusion. "I will take it under consideration. In the meantime, we have some other, less important matters to discuss."
Over the next half hour Ironwood and Richard discussed many things. Ironwood quickly made it apparent he couldn't take substantial government action on his own, explaining he would have to take most of Richard's offers to the rest of the council to be voted on. It was interesting to see just how much power was placed in the council, even diplomatic decisions required a vote.
A singular branch of government, responsible for all of that? That has the potential to go poorly. Richard thought.
Despite his lack of individual power in the government, his position in the military allowed the two of them to at least agree on a temporary truce. Ironwood also assisted him and Curie with getting a more official position on the CCTS, and formalized a line of communication between the Council and the Dominion.
Finally, they reached an agreement with how to deliver the UNSC's demands. Ironwood would deliver them personally, but would go to the Atlesian council first, before speaking with Jacques.
Richard had kept them intentionally short, only demanding funeral costs to be covered for Private Wilson, as well as the medical costs for Sergeant Meadows. All of the expenses were to be paid directly by the Schnee Dust Corporation in Remnant's currency. He was far more worried about his demand to conduct international trials against the surviving security staff.
His decision was rooted in the realization that a trial hosted by either UNSC or Atlas courts would be pointless and infeasible, especially given that the UNSC currently didn't have access to any sort of legal staff. He wagered an internationally held trial in a different nation would be more likely to be accepted while still offering a fair trial for the accused.
All the while we'll be quietly watching. A good chance to see if we can trust Ironwood, as well as Atlas as a whole. Richard thought.
"There, I have them." Ironwood said as he finished receiving the list of demands. "I can't honestly say how they'll be viewed by the council, or even myself once I read them, but I can make sure that at the least they're delivered."
"Thank you for your cooperation General." Richard said. "I do hope that in the future we can have future meetings under less bleak circumstances."
"Likewise Commander." Ironwood said with a nod. "Is that all?"
"For now." Richard said. "Best of luck General."
He gave a small hand gesture towards Curie, signaling to cut the signal, which she did.
"I believe that went fairly well, despite our rough start." Curie commented.
"Indeed, all we can do now is wait and watch." Richard said. "In the meantime, we should consider making our presence to the rest of Remnant's population known."
"Do you have an idea about how we do that?" Curie asked.
"None that are good, but I do have an idea of who might." Richard said, already thinking.
"I am afraid I do not understand." Curie admitted.
"On this entire ship, only one man has any substantial experience in public relations." Richard said. "Agent Thomas may be a part of ONI's Section 3, but his file lists him as being part of Section 2 for a decent amount of time."
ONI's Section 2 was the branch of ONI directly responsible for public relations with the citizens of the UEG, and by extension, propaganda. Richard didn't know what kind of experience Thomas had, but it was certainly more substantial than his, as he had been part of the far more notorious Section 3.
"Shall I alert him to come to the bridge when he is next available?" Curie asked.
"Yes." Richard said. "Wait, what is he doing anyway?"
"He and Sergeant Benjamin are attempting to make further progress with getting the Covenant prisoner to cooperate." Curie said. "Their progress is... mixed."
"They're not hurting him, are they?" Richard asked, mildly worried with her hesitation. Less for the elite's health, and more for the mental status of his men.
"No." Curie said. "On the contrary Sir, they've taken to discussing philosophy, well, Benjamin and Set have anyway."
"They... wait, what?" Richard asked, his question falling apart mid sentence. "Nevermind, just let me know when he's done. And get me Lieutenant Commander Bradford as well, I have an assignment for him."
"Aye Sir." Curie said, but Richard stopped her before she could dissolve her hologram
"One last thing, you said there was something about Atlas that needed mentioning, what was it?" Richard asked.
"Ah yes, Atlas." Curie said, with a rare tone of contempt. "Atlas is a floating city, propelled by a series of antigravity devices that are beyond my understanding. It presents a series strategic hazard, and I have attached images so that you may see for yourself."
Richard sighed, accepting the impossible as the truth. "Thank you Curie, that will be all."
As Curie's hologram disappeared, he looked back at his datapad, and quickly brought up an image of Atlas, which looked just as ridiculous as he expected.
Even in this mess of a situation, I still see the craziest things. Richard thought. This place is going to be one hell of a tourist trap once we get word back home.