Ivan Kal - Out of the Ashes

Adrian rubbed his eyes with his left hand for a moment, and then looked at Jusan. “And you? You obviously don’t agree with their way of doing things, and yet you are on the council.”

“I am on the council because of my family’s wealth. I had a lot of trade in the Consortium, so I spent most of my time away from Nelus. And even after I lost most of my fortune, my merchant fleet was still of use to the council. I have been selling my ships to the Fleet to retrofit. And I know how to keep my mouth shut.” Jusan said.

“Is there any chance that I can change the council’s mind? That they can see reason?” Adrian asked.

“I am afraid not. The council answers to Tavaar of House Nor Ral, and he will never accept your help. Doing so would tell everyone that he can’t protect Nelus by himself, it would erode his power. And he will never allow that to happen.” Jusan said.

“And what about Nuva? If my people leave the system, will they send ships to protect it?” Adrian asked.

“I doubt it. The council won’t leave Nelus weakened.”

“And if we don’t leave? They will what, Declare war?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them. But even if they do, they won’t send ships away from Nelus. But you will lose any hope of a trade agreement.” Jusan said.

“We don’t care about a trade agreement. We have all that we need. What we care about is the Sowir Dominion. They are a threat to all of us.” Adrian said firmly.

“Then there is nothing for you here. You will not get an Alliance. The families once allowed power to slip through their hands, when the Consortium was formed. They will not let it happen again.”

“Isani?” Adrian turned to Retsar.

“I didn’t believe that things have gotten this bad. But after what just happened with the other emissaries, I must agree with Sestar Jusan. We will not find what we want here.”

“Well… I guess that then we have no further interest here.” Adrian said.

“What will you do now?” Jusan asked.

“Go back to Nuva. My leaders have made a commitment to protect the people of Nuva. We will find another way to deal with the Sowir.”

“What will you tell the council?”

“I will inform them that I need to consult with my superiors and that I will be back with the response.”

“When will you leave?” Jusan asked.

“As soon as you leave the ship. There is no point in staying any longer, and my ships are needed elsewhere.” Adrian said.

Jusan got to his feet and moved towards the doors, he turned and bowed to Adrian. Then he paused, and looked at Adrian, his hand reached down to his pocket. But after a moment or two he pulled it back and hesitantly asked.

“I must ask. Our people look so much alike. Are you aware of any connection?”

Adrian looked at Jusan puzzled. “We have done a few tests. As far as I am aware, there is a distant connection between us, one which our scientists are unable to explain for now. But the tests are only in their beginning stage.”

Jusan sighed, not hearing what he wanted. Disappointed, Jusan bowed again and left the room.

May 2171 – Sanctuary

Tomas sat at the head of the table in the meeting room, on the one side of the table sat Elias Bakas the head of Olympus army and Linda Reiss Fleets Master, and by his side Hyeon Seo-yun Minister of Science. They were waiting for Nadia Wilson Minister of Civil Service before they started with their weekly meeting. Elias, Linda, and Seo-yun chatted away about insignificant things as they waited, while Tomas read the latest reports on his datapad. He still couldn’t make himself use his implant to read.

After another five minutes of waiting, Nadia entered the room in a hurry.

“Sorry I’m late. Jane’s appointment went a bit long.” Nadia said, referring to her wife.

“Everything okay with the baby?” Tomas asked worried, he knew how much they wanted a baby and how much they went through until they found a suitable donor.

“Yes, yes. Just a regular checkup.” Nadia responded as she took her seat at the table.

“Good.” Tomas said, putting his datapad aside, “Let’s start with you Laura. What are our chances against the Sowir should they decide to contest Nuva?”

“Well with the platforms we already have in place around the planet and the ones we plan on bringing online in the future, it will take a significantly bigger force to take the planet than what they sent last time. At least eighty ships. And sadly all our projections indicate that they have enough to spare should they decide it’s worth it to them.” Laura said.

“What are the chances of success for our plan B?” Elias asked.

Tomas grimaced, “They could be better. But we will go ahead with it, as soon as Fleet Commander returns from Nelus he will go to Tarsas system.”

“And if it goes badly? We don’t know what we will find there, we risk losing most of our ships.” Seo-yun said.

“There is no helping it. We need room to breathe. And with the failure at Nelus, this might be our only chance.” Tomas said.

“When does Fleet Commander Farkas arrive in Nuva?” Seo-yun asked Laura.

“In another five months.” Laura responded.

Seo-yun turned back to Tomas, “And you still insist on sending the Home Fleet as well?”

“Yes.” Tomas said adamantly. “If the plan is to work, we need to present a strong front. Nothing less will do.”

“And you leave Sanctuary unprotected.” Seo-yun added.

“By then we will have another two battleships finished. But in any case it is our location that is our greatest defense. Sowir don’t know where we are and are unlikely to find us on their own.”

Seo-yun sighed, “I just hope we are doing the right thing.”

“What about Nelus? What can we expect their response to be after Fleet Commander doesn’t return.” Elias asked.

“According to Retsar Isani there might not even be a response. He doubts that Nelus council will make true on their threat, they won’t dare sending ships away from Nelus, and he and Lanai Sumia both doubt that they will involve themselves in another war. Although they will no doubt continue to threaten and demand that we leave Nuva. But, we will see.” Tomas said, then turned to Laura, “What about the drone program? Any news?”

“The tests have been a success. The new FTL comms are performing better than anticipated.” Laura said.

“Drones are a lot cheaper to make, and we can build a lot more of them in a shorter period than regular ships…” Tomas said, then turned to Laura. “The question is can we use them? Will they be an adequate alternative to light and heavy cruisers?”

“Yes, they will be.” Laura said.

“So, do we start production?” Tomas asked.

“We planned for each drone team to operate a squadron of ten drones. Technically, one dreadnought could control up to sixty drones, and one battleship thirty. So let’s start with one squadron of ‘light cruiser’ drones, and then expand from there.” Laura said.

“Alright, that is decided.” Tomas said. “Nadia, how are things with the Nel? Are they fitting in well?”

“Oh yes. They are fitting in just fine, they started exploring the city, and there haven’t been any major problems. There have even been a few Mtural that ventured out into the city. The Guxcacul have sadly chosen to stay in their quarters, our atmosphere doesn’t really agree with them. They can survive in it, but it isn’t pleasant for them.” Nadia said.

“How did they live on Nuva then?” Elias asked.

“Much as they did here, they had a few facilities dedicated to them, and they stayed inside.” Nadia responded.

“Talk with them, see if there is anything we can do for them.” Tomas said.