Chapter 5: Winds of Change

Admiral Pepper sighed as he seated himself in Corneria's Council Chamber. Usually, this large stone room would house fifty to eighty delegates and politicians from all over Lylat, now however there was only a fraction of that number though the individuals present were of a bit higher prominence. These individuals were here to begin the first official talks between the Lylat system and the ESA since the conflict known as the First Contact War that ended as quickly as it began two years ago.

From a purely military standpoint, the Corneria Military had been soundly defeated losing four battleships, ten cruisers, twenty-four frigates, eight corvettes, and two hundred and eighty-seven strike craft. All told they had sustained 8924 eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-four naval deaths, and ten thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven army deaths. This meant that the third fleet and all Corneria's ground forces had been nearly wiped out. Though much of the ground forces and a good chunk of the space forces were from Andross and not the human military forces.

The battle had ended after Andross had detonated his radiation device not only over Cerinia but also from devices all over the Lylat system. The devices had not only nearly wiped out Lylat's Military forces but also caused appalling civilian casualties. From what Lylat's scientist could determine the weapon targeted DNA and the internal organs of the affected organisms. In total the Lylat people had lost fifty-four percent of its entire population. Especially hard hit was the male population which had suffered eighty percent casualties as opposed to the female's twenty-eight percent. This loss of population had caused major social and cultural changes grief and anger had taken over the Cornerian people who took it out on their governments. Mass rioting and protests ran amok that had to be put down harshly by the governments with Macbeth being the standout by using their military to exile many protesters to Venom.

As for the main perpetrator Andross there was no sign as the ape had disappeared and even now his name was spoken in feared whispers amongst the citizenry. In addition to the rioting, government planners had desperate shortages of the population to recover and so had loosened labor laws and provide incentives for women to join a desperate workforce. They had also reinstated old laws like the Pack law and provided tax cuts to families with children to help bolster their populations though it would be decades for those numbers to get back to their previous levels. The drain this had caused to both politicians and military authorities had frayed many of their nerves. That above all else was why the meeting now was restricted to only the highest echelons of the governments of Lylat.

Pepper himself was here to represent the Corneria Military in the coming talks and so was dressed in his crimson red dress uniform with his rank and medals displayed prominently. Next to him in a professional-looking suit that still managed to hint at the curves contained within sat President Jessica Tabby representing the Corneria Government. The two had worked closely together since the end of the First Contact War to the point that they considered the other confidants and friends. Together they had restructured the entire command structure of the Cornerian Military as well as the redistribution of resources and assets to completely change their doctrine.

From a tactical standpoint, the First Contact War had shown crippling flaws in Lylat's ship design, most glaringly the exposed energy crystal that could destroy the whole ship if damaged by minimal incoming fire. Together with some of Corneria's best engineers, they had come up with new ship designs that encased the crystal inside the ship. Though it was cumbersome and required the ship to vent its heat sinks every other day or risk having a meltdown of the crystal's containment unit. Pepper than began the process of rebuilding the entirety of Corneria's fleets with most of the old designs being mothballed and sent to sector X for eventual disassembly. Thankfully Corneria's shipyard in sector Y was automated and so wasn't impacted heavily by the reduction in workforce. Thanks to the robots and Tabby's reallocation of materials Pepper had managed to construct a new Navy for Corneria in only two years. However, many could see that the process hadn't fully restored Corneria's military as three out of its four fleets were underequipped and many times crewed by fresh recruits.

President Tabby had known that many serious changes had to be made to the fleet with an experienced hand and so had promoted Admiral Pepper to Grand General giving him overall command and control of all Cornerian military forces. Pepper had used the newfound power to promote the right people and institute a meritocracy-based command structure. Along with this he reorganized the Navy into four fleets and lifted the ban on female recruitment for front line positions.

The 1st fleet commanded by General Pepper himself was stationed in Sector Y at the navel yard there to protect it and allow Pepper to oversee ship construction. The first fleet had the new full complement of 2 Battleships, 1 Carrier, 8 cruisers, 16 frigates, and 9 Corvettes. In addition, the 1st fleet was composed of some of the most experienced soldiers in the navy with many having fought against the humans in the First Contact War.

The 2nd fleet was commanded by Admiral Chester Nimitz a veteran admiral and brilliant strategist. Pepper knew that the old eagle was bold and willing to take risks if he could achieve a victory as well as willing to retreat if necessary or if the situation was too unattainable. His fleet was stationed at the Katina base and was only partially done with 1 Carrier, 3 cruisers, 16 frigates, and 9 Corvettes. One thing the fleet did have however was a plethora of former Army personnel that transitioned over to the Naval branch after the First Contact War. In addition, Nimitz was a brilliant mind at Naval fire support and so had a large complement of Marines along with some of Corneria's best army units.

The 3rd fleet was now commanded by Admiral Terrance Hood and was stationed near the DMZ. The fleet consisted of two battleships, a carrier, 8 cruisers, 16 frigates, and 9 corvettes. Admiral Hood himself was known as a stoic old bear that excelled at defensive strategy and was widely considered as Pepper's heir. Hood had a preference for bolstering his defenses with automated orbital defense platforms that he maintained near the DMZ.

The 4th fleet is brand new and just getting off the production line. It is commanded by newly promoted Admiral Rachel Halsey and is usually on patrol for pirate activity. It has only a single cruiser, 10 frigates, and three corvettes. Halsey is widely considered a radical in the military community not only being the first female Admiral ever she also has proposed numerous new ship designs and doctrines that haven't been accepted outside the 4th fleet. She, however, doesn't see her severely under-equipped force as a detriment however and instead sees it as a chance to build her fleet to her specifications. The ships in her command usually have the latest technology and are crewed by a mix of new recruits and old veterans of the Human/Lylatian war from her own frigate group. She usually now spent her time on Corneria seeking to recruit promising individuals, touring technology expos, and military academies.

Grand Admiral Pepper was broken from his musing by President Tabby's voice "Having deep thoughts Pepper?" Pepper looked over at the female tabby cat next to him who was giving him a small teasing smile but held a caring look in her eyes. Pepper knew that their friendship was bordering on something more but the two had managed to hold back their feelings since a romantic relationship between them would likely be seen by the council as favoritism and a conflict of interests. Still, in times like this where Pepper and Tabby felt the full weight of their positions and responsibilities, they had both taken and given the other comfort and the resolve to face their uncertain future.

Returning the smile Pepper replied "Just thinking of the coming talks Tabby. The only reason we have any room to negotiate with the humans is thanks to Queen Meridia signing an alliance treaty with us." Tabby nodded as the two gave each other's paws a comforting squeeze beneath the desk they sat behind.

The two knew that despite the death toll the people of Lylat had suffered they were still at their heart a caring people, so when the first reports of the fate of Cerinia hit Lylat there was widespread demand to send support. As a result of the conflict and Andross's machinations, the Cerinian's had lost 872 of their one thousand Guardians, their orbital station, and eighteen strike craft. However, the real loss was due to Andross's radiation hitting the planet. Because of their differing biology from Lylatians the Cerinian's death ratio was only in the male portion of the society with 118,000 deaths which equated to losing one in five of all male Cerinian's a ratio that showed that the Cerinian's differing biology had actually helped them fight off the radiation. In addition, the infostructure of the Capital city was in ruins as a direct result of the fighting and with a large portion of the planet's ecosystem was heavily affected by the radiation the decision was made to evacuate Cerinia before it became uninhabitable.

King Dolas, however, was not the one to make this decision however as unfortunately, the radiation had also claimed his life as well. In his stead his wife Queen Meridia had taken over as leader of the Lylat people and after she considered both the Lylat's offer and the humans had decided to make an alliance with the Lylatians. This move was largely governed by the overwhelming support the Lylatian people had given the Cerinian's in terms of medical supplies and food. The fact that Lylat officials had promised their aid in transporting the Cerinian people to a planet within Lylat space they could call their own, had promised to share their technology, had guaranteed to aid in construction of infrastructure on the new planet, and had promised the Cerinian's equal representation to any other people of Lylat had swayed the Queen to side with the Lylatians for the good of her people.

This move had not gone over well with the Cerinian people however who saw this as a betrayal of the soldiers who had fought and died alongside theirs in defense of their planet. Pepper had even heard rumors of the Queen's own daughter disproving of the move. However, the Queen was resolute in her decision and soon the Lylatian people were transported to the Dinosaur planet called Sauria were they built their civilization along the Eastern side of the planets mega continent with the aid of many of the planets native tribes and to avoid conflict with the native Sharp-Claw tribe who opposed the colonization.

The humans, on the other hand, got the short end of the stick in the immediate wake of the war. The humans had suffered 1,658 civilian deaths between the civilian transport destroyed in space and the deaths of all the civilians in the Cerinian bunker due to the radiation. They had also lost two frigates, four corvettes, and forty-seven strike craft. All told the humans had suffered 4,043 military deaths mostly on the ground and had nothing to show for it other than what they had managed to salvage from space. Immediately after combat had ended human salvage crews had combed over the wreckage in space both Cerinian and Lylatian. While outwardly they said this was to find survivors Pepper suspected that much of Lylatians tech and biology was being studied somewhere in human space.

As a result of Cerinia's alliance with Lylat the humans Emperor had set up the DMZ and placed an embargo on travel across the DMZ unless given permission by both governments. Though Pepper noted that Cerinia was on the human side of the DMZ and human military vessels consistently patrolled the border. Pepper suspected this was the human's way of spiting the Cerinian's though he was more relieved that the humans had allowed the Cerinian evacuation to go through unmolested and helped when needed along with returning any P.O.W.'s they had.

Pepper and the rest of the assembly stopped their conversation when the room's lights darkened indicating that the transmission from the humans was arriving and that they needed to take their seats. The assembly quickly took their positions and squared their shoulders in an attempt to look much more confident then they were in meeting the leader of the ESA for the first time. Soon the holoprojector in the center of the room sparked to life and the assembly was greeted by what could only be described as an emperor or god.

The male human had pale skin that highlighted his short wavy golden hair. His vivid purple eyes scanned the crowd judging all that dared match his gaze before they turned away unable to maintain contact with the man's soul-searing gaze. His pale lips quirked in a small smile as if he found their attempted courage amusing. He was clad in vibrant red and gold robes with small shoulder pauldrons etched with flowing designs that screamed nobility and elegance. The man's majesty was only highlighted by the large golden throne he sat in incrusted with precious gems that sparkled with awe-inspiring luster.

Many of the Lylatians saw the wealth and regality of the human before them but Pepper saw the look in the man's eyes and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man before them was a military leader. Someone who led armies at the front, calculating, intelligent, bold, and likely capable of being utterly ruthless. Pepper had seen many individuals with one or two of these traits but never had he seen a single being that had all of these traits to such a high degree. Pepper became nervous if he wasn't sure about fighting the humans before it was now cemented how bad an idea it was if they were led by this man.

"Greetings" Tabby welcomed after she regained her voice "I am President Tabby of the Cornerian Government. I and my fellows would like to thank you for your time speaking with us today. We hope this meeting will take steps toward a more stable and warm relationship with the ESA and Lylat. May I have your name, good sir?" Tabby asked after giving the prepared introduction.

The man remained silent for a couple of seconds as he gazed at the female tabby cat who was becoming more and more nervous at the man's gaze and silence before his lips parted and he began to respond.

"Greetings politicians of Lylat, I am Emperor Arthur Durham of the Earth Sphere Alliance. I would say it's a pleasure meeting you, but I won't bother lying to you. I am here to negotiate an official cease-fire as demanded by my station and pave the way for more stable relations to save me the hassle of deploying military forces to Lylat in retaliation for your attack on my people." The man said his words captivating them with the authority in every syllable but also quaking at their bite and thinly restrained disdain.

Tabby nodded shakily "Y-yes of course. We again send our deepest apologies to the human people of the death of the military personnel and civilians that perished as a result of our lack of foresight and the traitor Andross's machinations. I assure you, Emperor Durham, that the Lylatian people want nothing more than to have peaceful relations with Humanity and the Cornerian government will do everything in its power to make amends with the ESA and its people to achieve that brighter future."

Emperor Durham scoffed "The civil revolts on your worlds and the open talks of war with my people say otherwise about your people's intentions President, and there is nothing your government can do to replace what was lost that day to my species. What you can do is comply with my requests as a gesture of your intentions to make peace with my people."

Pepper and the rest of the assembly shot uneasy looks at each other both concerned that this negotiation was more looking like more a demand and that the ESA knew of the goings-on within Lylat space. Tabby nodded hesitantly "Then what are your demands?"

Emperor Durham leaned back in his chair seemingly now bored "I am going to be married in a little less than two years and as part of the ceremony was going to announce the opening of an embassy on Corneria as part of an effort to rebuild relations between our peoples. The first demand is that the Cornerian Government builds the embassy to our specifications within your capital city and prepares to give diplomatic status to two individuals that will be representing my government. The second demand is that both representatives will be added to the senior class of the Lylat Academy." The Emperor paused seeing Pepper stand up to get his attention "You have a question Admiral?"

Pepper nodded "Yes I wanted some clarification that the diplomats you are sending are students and you want them studying alongside our military students?"

The Emperor nodded "Yes both individuals have yet to graduate from an academic institute and both are students of warfare. I believe that the chance for them and your own students to learn from each other will benefit both parties. Of course, I would expect all the benefits of a foreign diplomat to be given to them in addition to their student materials. My people will handle all logistical and supply needs for them and the embassy once it's operational. To that end, my third demand is that a single ship is allowed access to the Lylat system and allowed to move freely through the DMZ. The ship will be only a corvette weight by your standards and armed with only defensive weaponry and the two individuals' personal craft in case of emergency."

Pepper decided to interrupt here "Personal craft, are your two diplomates prospective pilots?" The Emperor nodded and Pepper continued "That's understandable that they would want their own craft but as a forewarning, the Academy uses simulators programmed with the new Arwing schematics so they won't be able to use their craft unless deemed appropriate by the instructor."

The Emperor nodded "That is acceptable and should not be a problem, one of the individuals has volunteered to take your academies infantry course while the other is more than capable of learning to fly your 'Arwing'. We will send any additional details later, but do you agree to the terms as stated now?" the Emperor asked leaning forward to regard them with a piercing stare.

The Assembly looked between themselves and nodded before Tabby turned toward the Emperor and squared her shoulders "We find these terms agreeable and will accept them. I am sure that your delegates will enjoy their stay on Corneria and report back that we are sincere in our strives for peace between our species."

The Emperor nodded and replied "We will certainly see" before the transmission cut off and the holoprojector turned off. In the following silence, Tabby turned to Pepper and in a very business-like and demanding tone "Admiral I don't care who they are or their background but I want you to put the best and brightest we have in that class. This is our one chance to impress these delegates and I have no delusions that they will be assessing our military strength as we will be theirs. I'll get everything squared away on my end but you have to get that year's students and faculty ready for them. Our young will not only be under the eyes of our people but also the eyes of a potential enemy. They must not be found wanting by either."

Pepper nodded "Of course, I'll start preparations immediately."

: Earth Throne Room of the Emperor:

The emperor leaned back in his chair and turned to the elderly man next to him "Well that went about as expected, at least they know they didn't have the option of refusing our demands."

The elderly man next to him nodded from his mobile chair, his bearded weathered face steeped in wisdom and blank from emotion. "Indeed, my emperor, they know that they cannot win a conflict between us and likely are trying to buy time to continue rebuilding their military. I have no doubt that they want to utilize this opportunity to asses our strength against their new teaching and system. They will send their best and brightest against our representatives."

The Emperor nodded "Yes, but of course we will do the same" he said while bringing up four profiles on a small projector attached to his throne. Before the two men where pictures and information of four individuals that they would be sending to Lylat.

The elderly man spoke "Emanuel Sebastian a rising star in the engineering world and 3rd generation mechanic. He's a natural-born human from Earth and his skills will be a great asset as support and for analysis of any technology, our representative might 'acquire' while on Corneria. However, he tends to ramble when invested in a project and has issues with authority so he will likely be staying within the embassy itself and working in his lab." The Old man paused before swiping to the next individual. Bravo 190 affiliated with the IMC and classified as an altered human. He was genetically modified with various creatures DNA as part of a former GENTECH scientist working for the Conclave. He managed to escape years later and fell in with the IMC as an infiltration expert. While his physical capabilities are considerable his true calling is systems hacking and electronic warfare. Because of this and his rather disconcerting physical appearance, he will be also working at the embassy as security and electronic support for our delegates. We should likely keep his existence a secret for the larger Cornerian populace to avoid any awkward questions."

The emperor nodded "Ah yes, is he not my fiancé's pet project?"

The elderly man nodded "Yes lady Cinder has taken it upon herself to act as the boy psychologist and benefactor. She believes that this mission will help him learn to work with others and expand his horizons." The elderly man nodded before turning to the last two profiles "And here are our tow 'diplomates' to the Lylatians. First is Pilot Jacob Hunt of the Frontier Militia. He's our 'pilot' who 'volunteered' to take the infantry course. He is a Combat Clone created sixty-three years ago and fought in the founding war as a titan pilot and gained some recognition for his anti-piracy actions. As a Combat Clone, he's the group's muscle and has top tier physical prowess and a plethora of combat experience. His Titan is a Vanguard Sierra Class called Roxy and the pair callsign is War Dog. His only vice seems to be drinking but he also has been noted to have a rather defined personality for a clone."

The Emperor nodded "Good that will serve well for my goals. What of the other pilot?"

The Elderly man nodded "Yes Russ 713 part classification Combat Clone. He's part of the infamous Russel series of clone created and from what we can tell is the only remaining one still in active combat roles. He's a Raven's Loft mercenary and founding member. Ninety-three years of age and with the highest reflexes and combat experience of the group. He's seen combat during the Clone War as part of his majesty's own fleet and later work as a mercenary in the Founding wars. He flies a Dire Wolf fighter craft of the now-defunct Rosenthal corporation and goes by the call sign Fenrir."

The emperor nodded and turned to the elderly man "Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't the Dire Wolf the craft you designed personally Ray Leonard?"

The now identified elderly Ray Leonard scoffed "Of course it is and now that pitiful excuse of a megacorp that stole the design is gone and buried. Fitting that my design would be used by a member of the Russel series of clones."

The emperor nodded "The best-designed ship of the famous engineer and soldier Ray Leonard and the Clone series made by the man's own genetic blueprint. Quite the combination I must say, tell me he is your designated heir is he not?"

Ray Leonard nodded "Yes, he is of my blood and has passed the requirements I had for my chosen heir. Upon my death, he will inherit everything."

The emperor gave a smirk as he stared at the four individuals' pictures "Good, contact all four and send them a job offer make the pay… substantial. Then I would like to meet them."

Ray Leonard nodded "Of course my Emperor."

Aaaaaaannnnnnnnndddddd Chapter!

Well everyone this concludes the prelude to the start of the first school ark and gave a little background of our main characters Russ and Jacob along with supporting characters like Bravo and Emanuel. I hope you all had amazing holiday season and happy new year.

So until next time remember to stay frosty and don't forget to review!