Chapter 37: Better the Devil you Know.

In the days following the meeting, things remained somewhat tense among the Draconian command structure. While everyone continued to work towards the same goal and the preparations for the coming war remained on track, the disagreement between Xapferey and Jason continued to overshadow much of the work. Much of the pleasant chatter and banter that had been present among the group had faded and even more telling, it was rare to see both the Emperor and the Lord Admiral in the same room, where before they had been often seen together when both were in the same vicinity. Although the details of the rift weren't widely known, the existence of said rift had began to spread through the population and, despite the string of victories and successes that had previously been won, the population reacted to the news, as well as that of what was now being called the "Judicator uprising", in ways that were to be expected. Morale plummeted from their previous dizzy heights and there was considerable tension within the population as they waited with baited breath to see how this issue would unfold.

While Jason didn't have Xapferey's mental connection to the entire population to be able to assess their mood on a whim, he and his friends had made considerable contacts among them, at all levels of society. So, as word swiftly reached him of the population's disquiet, he knew he had to consider his position carefully. While he knew that a large portion of the Koprulu refugees and inhabitants would likely back his own position, he also understood that they were a small part of the inhabitants of Forceria and much of the native population would undoubtedly side with the Emperor, as could only be expected. Continuing to publicly disagree with the Emperor, then, was not a move that would aid anyone other than Kardis. Even Jason's very limited understanding of her was enough to work out that she would take great delight in the division and dissent currently running through Draconia's military command and civilian population.

This left Jason with two, equally unpalatable options. The first was to withdraw the Koprulu forces from Draconia altogether, reform with the Dominion and Dark Templar and attempt to fight Kardis and her forces separately, either allied with Draconia or not, though he knew that without Draconia's aid, the chance of being able to defeat Kardis alone was virtually impossible. Just as they didn't completely understand Xapferey, they definitely didn't understand Kardis and her capabilities and, after Aiur, Jason certainly wasn't foolish enough to class her power as anything other than game-ending. Xapferey wasn't ever likely going to be hostile to Jason; the pair had been through too much together and both were equally committed to removing Kardis from the state of play. But that didn't mean he, or Draconia, would take the withdrawal of the Koprulu forces well, particularly after all that had been done to aid them in recent times.

That left the other option, to attempt to heal the breach between the two and try to reestablish the working relationship that the pair had possessed. That would be easier said than done; the sheer differences in culture and ideals between the two leaders could be classed as a chasm. While both had in many ways come from a similar position, Xapferey had learned to work within the system and use it to his advantage, while Jason had largely rejected it, choosing to build his status and reputation on his own merits rather than rely on his name and upbringing to give him a head start. Not that Jason could exactly fault Xapferey, he didn't doubt or discount his exhaustive efforts to raise himself and Draconia to their current level. What Jason objected to most, perhaps, was Xapferey's efforts to continue to push the limits beyond any expectations. With the Zerg experiments and the Confederacy's governing style, Jason had seen the results of pushing too far too fast and was far from comfortable with seeing a similar situation in Draconia. He knew well that it was largely due to Xapferey's future knowledge and power that Draconia could even be considered a power on the planet, let alone the true space-faring powerhouse.

One thing was certain, this wasn't a decision that he could, or should, make alone. He was too close to the problem at hand to be able to make the choice that was best for those he protected. With a sigh, he sent out a series of messages, gathering his closest friends and allies, for one of the most difficult discussions and decisions that they had ever had to make.

That same time…

Xapferey sighed quietly, he had sensed the rift with Jason growing wider for some time. The biggest problem was how the two led, Xapferey could freely admit there were enough surface similarities in how he ruled to Mengsk or the Old Families. In truth, he admired Jason for breaking away from that life and building himself up from scratch. He fought the system and won his freedom from it. One issue Xapferey had with Jason was that it seemed Jason was more hung up on the similarities and failed to look deeper, all rights and freedoms were protected by binding magics, preventing corruption and people trying to exploit the system. While no system was impervious, Xapferey hoped his job was done well enough to stymie all but the most determined. That in itself would be a trap as well, for if they succeeded in bypassing the system and he noticed, not only could he patch those holes, but he would weed out the most dangerous and disruptive members of his society.

The problem with their current situation though was the fractures between the two were affecting their professional and personal relationships. While the overwhelming might of the Draconian Empire would follow his will, losing Jason even to ally status would be a personal and professional blow. At the same time, among the Gods, letting a mortal get away with such blatant disrespect of one of the Greater Gods would put a rift between the Dragon God and his allies among the pantheon as well. Such a loss would cause his followers to question him, and diminish his overall power, thus risking onslaughts from Kardis or other Gods and Divine Spirits sensing weakness.

Xapferey had no problems with letting Jason go if he wanted to resign his Draconian commission, after all, Jason was from a different walk of life with different rules and expectations. Rubbing his snout, the Dragon God admitted in his mind they both needed space to clear their heads before the next crisis inevitably hit, Thus he came up with a mental compromise to offer to Jason. He would request Jason take the 12th fleet and garrison Mar Sara, sending him to a world he held dear, giving him the resources to protect it and the space to think things over without either being overbearing in some form or other. Plus no matter what happened in Starcraft, the shit always hit the fan at Mar Sara first and Xapferey wanted someone highly competent there if things held true.

With his decision made, he waited until Jason was ready to talk, to offer him his compromise and hopefully beginning a proper mend to their relationship.

Turning at the presence of his wife Xapferey waited for her to speak, only getting her silence.

"Go on, tell me I'm a fool," he said to Deedlit.

"What do you want me to say Xapferey? You and Jason are very different people from very different walks of life. He rejected the trappings of this society, you accept it. You also push the boundaries that he feels should be left well enough alone."

"I know, but he doesn't realize that it is quite literally my job. When I accepted the mantle as Lord of Technology, Creation and Spaceflight, I accepted a heavy burden. I hate that he just doesn't comprehend that this is what I am supposed to do. I have duties to the pantheon, I took up the mandate of technology, so I must expand it ever onwards. To get technology, you have to be innovative, the only way to get innovation is to experiment. To push the boundaries of what you know."

"That was the same mindset taken by the Kingdom of Sorcery and we know how that ended."

"True, but they took no safeguards, were overconfident and sought to tap the weave directly."

"Aren't you doing that with the subspace reactors?" Deedlit wondered.

"Not entirely. I do admit I kinda partly skipped the whole artificial universe in a bottle stage. The vacuum energy extractor batteries. But we aren't taking needless risks. We are being careful by using carbon neutronium as the reactor walls after treating them in a null coating."

"A null coating?"

"Basically we make it so that any reactions bounce off the plating rather than an energy field which can result in hard radiation which is inherently lethal to most humanoid life. Once trapped within we can create an artificial pocket of subspace which gives access to incredible power."

"So, advancing but carefully?"

"As carefully as I can manage."

"Well I suppose that's better than nothing."

"Indeed, so I'm going to give him the space he needs because we need him. He's a strong glue that can help hold this quadrant together."

"Probably a good idea."

The following day…

It had taken Jason the best part of 24 hours to gather his closest friends and allies from the Koprulu sector currently on Draconia and get them somewhere out of the way, in order for them to have the discussion that was so badly needed right now. Thankfully, it wasn't unheard of among the general population and even the wider military community for the Liberator to take off on unannounced flights and certainly the group themselves were rarely seen far apart. Jason had no doubt that Xapferey and his closest advisors were aware of what was happening, but he doubted that they'd risk drawing further anger by attempting to monitor or eavesdrop on the meeting. Both men were well aware of the thin ice that their relationship currently sat upon and Jason doubted that Xapferey would want to threaten that further.

As Jason's anger cooled somewhat, it also gave him reason to ponder alternatives that he had not yet considered. It hadn't escaped his attention that Kardis was interested not only in Xapferey, but also in his allies and commanders. While Jason knew that he was practically lacking any real knowledge of Kardis's limits of power, he couldn't discount the possibility of her attempting to inflame the tensions between the various factions that made up Xapferey's alliance. Some subtle mind-twisting on her part to turn senior commanders against each other wasn't something that he was prepared to discount, now that the idea had occurred to him. It sickened him to know that he might have potentially been influenced by her but it also gave him a reason to dig in with Xapferey.

Jason snorted to himself. The irony of going into the meeting as someone likely to argue for staying with the Dragon God after his semi-public clash with Xapferey was not lost on him.

As everyone took their places, Jason looked around the room, gauging everyone's feelings. Pretty much everyone had expressions that reflected the mood of the wider population. Morale was low and feelings and passions were running high. Of the group, Jim stood out, his mouth set in a firm line, eyebrows lowered. Sarah, beside him, wasn't easy to read, but she was unusually close to Jim, seeking her own comfort and drawing some of his anger away. Nova kept her own features neutral, but Jason felt her own turmoil. The Protoss, out of everyone, were obviously the lowest of the group. Jason hadn't forgotten that the survival of much of the Protoss race was due almost entirely to the Draconian forces and, with the Aldaris debacle, things were not well placed for them to upset the balance of affairs.

"Right, let's get on with this, shall we?" Jason called, settling the quiet conversation throughout the room. "I don't think any of us want to beat around the bush. Xapferey and Draconia. What's everyone's thoughts on them?"

Jim, somewhat unsurprisingly, was the first to speak. "I say we cut loose and be done with them. We've walked down this same damn path before, Jason. This is Arcturus all over again. You said we needed to watch him when we first joined up with him, well you're damn right. We've watched him and I don't much like what I see."

Sarah grimaced. "Much as I don't want to say it, Jim's got a point. Xapferey's consolidating power around his inner circle and I'm not sure that we're in that, or that we want to be. He's playing god with everyone's lives. It's like this is all a game to him"

Nova shifted uncertainly. "To be fair, Sarah, he actually is a god. In terms of sheer power and authority, he outclasses all of us. He probably could have us never leave his side with whatever tricks he has, but he obviously doesn't want to exert that kind of power. If we didn't have the free will to consider alternatives, we wouldn't even be having this discussion."

Sarah tilted her head considering, before she replied. "Unless he's more subtle in his methods. It may be harder to influence people to join you willingly and make them think that you have their best wishes in mind, but it's a more sure method of keeping people with you if they think they're joining you of their own free will."

Zeratul decided to enter the conversation at this point. "Sarah, you may be correct in that, but turn it around as well. Just as Xapferey may be influencing us to stay with him, Kardis may be influencing us to abandon him. It is far easier to subdue an enemy when they are already divided."

Tassadar nodded. "I must agree. Kardis is a player that must not be forgotten in this. And while she is clearly capable of great power, just as Xapferey is, she is also obviously capable of using subtler means to achieve her goals."

As the other spoke and commented back and forth, Jason was beginning to build a clearer picture of everyone's opinions. The Protoss, with the exception of Selendis and Fenix, were more in favour of staying with Xapferey, though at least part of their opinion had to be influenced by the sheer amount of Protoss currently enjoying Draconian protection. Even Selendis and Fenix were uncertain about breaking off from Xapferey but were more cautious than the rest of their race's commanders.

The Terrans, on the other hand, were far more in favour of breaking away as a separate faction, with only Nova truly opposed to the idea. None of them much liked the prospect, and they were all concerned about the idea of Kardis having an influence as well, but they felt that it was better to be at a distance from the whole mess until things settled.

Aside from Jason, two others had remained silent thus far; Raszagal and Louise. Jason met the gaze of the pair across the room and raised an eyebrow. Raszagal's expression tightened but she nodded, stepping forward to draw attention. As the arguing parties quietened, she spoke softly into the void. "The choice that we have to make is not as simple as it appears. We are choosing not merely to stay or go, but we are choosing the potential fate of the sector as well. I have seen the devastation that open rebellion can result in. It was worth the cost for the Dark Templar when we were forced to make the choice, but living with the decision and the consequences of it have not been easy. The circumstances here are not the same as what we faced a thousand years ago on Aiur. Our situation is perhaps even more dire than then, but the choice is easier." She nodded towards Jim as she continued. "I will not deny the truth in Friend Raynor's words; some of Xapferey's choices and actions have given me pause and I do not agree with much of what he has done. As a god, the mistakes he makes have a far larger effect on those around him than those of our own doing. But I think it is better for us to exercise a little faith, and see if these events and our reaction to them affects him. If he is capable of learning from his mistakes, then it is better to remain with him and guide him towards a better mindset for both his people and ours. If he fails to recognise his actions as mistakes, then we are better off removing ourselves from his influence, though our chances of survival would fall dramatically from where they now stand if we were to do so."

Louise didn't look happy either, but she also stepped up. "I think it's fair to say that everyone has a point. None of us much like what's happened and how Xapferey's reacted to it, but Raszagal raises a fair point. If we withdraw and decide later it's a mistake, we'll have a hell of a time trying to get back in and have enough of an effect on Draconia's war effort to be able to protect those that need protecting. Xapferey's an experienced commander with divine battles and ground combat, but Draconia is still relatively new at space combat. Even with his time acceleration magic, nothing teaches better than experience and he, and most of his commanders, haven't had that yet. Most of the battles they're presided over have been essentially one-sided. Regardless of how realistic the training is, they aren't used to fighting with the odds against them like we are. They need us, and I think that's starting to settle in their psyche. All of them, even Xapferey for all his experience, are used to fighting battles over comparatively small battlefields. They have a lot of tricks to pull and a lot of powerful weapons to use, but a lot of them you can only use once. Now that much of Draconia's hand has been revealed so early, Kardis can come up with ways to counter them. We've seen how well they managed to react when Aldaris launched his coup and it didn't work out so well for them. As Raszagal said, we can do more good for the sector as a whole by staying close and helping to close up any issues with their practices now. Their culture is something else that we have to be aware of, too. They've gone from a society that wasn't anything special to a major space-faring power so quickly, their society hasn't had a chance to catch up. If we lead by example, we can help them get past that issue."

The words of the two speakers had a lot of heads nodding. Jason pondered their words and found a lot of truth in them, they'd managed to put into words things that Jason had felt but couldn't formulate. Finally standing himself, he waited for everyone's attention. As silence fell, he spoke softly, but in the knowledge he had everyone watching him and waiting on his words.

"I think it's obvious that everyone has a pretty clear picture about this. Everyone, on both our side of the divide and Xapferey's, is running without a lot of information to make the right call. Xapferey may have a mostly clear feeling for the culture and society that we have, but the average Draconian doesn't. In exactly the same way that we don't have that good an idea on the intricacies of Draconian society. I think Louise put it best, there's essentially a culture clash issue between both societies and we have to work out whether we want to find the middle path between them both, or stand apart. The other thing to consider is that Xapferey's going to be continuing to make overtures to the other major factions in the sector. Breaking off now is going to be an obvious blow to the stability of the sector, because either a lot of them are going to follow suit, or we'll end up in another shooting war. Neither of which is going to help anyone other than Kardis." Jason looked at Jim apologetically. "I don't like it anymore than anyone else here, but Raszagal and Louise are right. We're better off toughing this out, and try to make sure that what Xapferey's trying to build is actually going to last and be stable in terms of the sector as a whole, rather than just Draconia. This isn't quite the same as what we had to deal with because of Mengsk. I'm not saying it won't end up there and if it does, then we'll do what we have to then. But we still have the chance to pull everyone back from the edge that we didn't have with Mengsk. Xapferey isn't beyond reason and I think he's realising how deep a hole he's dug himself."

"Dig in and try and hold on, huh?" Jim asked. "If we're going to play the long game like that, we need to be damn sure that it's worth the mess we could end up in."

"Agreed. I'm open to ideas and if people really think we'd be better off breaking off, then I want to hear it."

Over the course of the next few hours, a lot of heated discussion filled the Liberator's tactical room but the outcome was basically as it had been when Jason had finished speaking. The decision was reluctant, but unanimous. The Korpulu races would remain in association with Draconia, though a list of ideas, not quite worded as demands, would be presented to the Draconia Emperor with the expectation that he would give it significant consideration and, if any points were rejected, there would be a very good explanation as to why that would be acceptable to the assembled commanders.

Naturally, Jason was the poor schmuck charged by the group with delivering this to Xapferey. It was times like this, Jason reflected as the Liberator descended to its designated landing area, that Jason saw the appeal of not discussing decisions with anyone. But one thought ran though his mind as the Liberator powered down.

No one ever said democracy was easy.

A/N: Well it's been a LONG time coming. Between school, Warchief's work and so on, we've all had a rough bit of it, 2021 has been a horrible time for all.