Kim
スター軍の司書
--//188604// Section 6// Conference room// [time redacted]--
The board room was very ornate as its center focus was a rather large onyx table with intricate carvings, a top glass layer with the emblem of Section 6 and Saber visible clearly underneath. A large crimson sword downward pointing with very large black wings detailed in white. The walls were a dark shade of gray, with wall mounted glass pane display screens. Nice comfortable chairs are arranged around the table with an integrated keypad in front of each built into the table as the glass layer was another display.
Jack sat at the head of the table with a quite serious expression on his face as this meeting was very important and was to be held in absolute confidentiality. Even Corgan was to participate given their recent connections made with outside groups of other governments. Neera sat to his right in formal clothing with a datapad in hand a stylus at the read to take notes and sort documents that would be used in the meeting. He waited for the others to arrive.
Aster lingered behind Jack, unsure of what she was supposed to do. She had fussed her hair into a more professional looking braid instead of her twin tails for this meeting and had taken the time to press her new S6 uniform. But as she wore it, it still wrinkled and she smoothed the fabric as she fidgeted. "Do you need me to get coffee, Mr. Pine?" She watched him with curious violet eyes, uncertain of what he wanted her to do for this meeting.
Jay walked into the conference room right on time, as usual. "Who's this? he asked, referring to Aster.
Brinjor Kimiya, IIS sub-CEO and official liaison to Section 6, had taken a seat to the left side of the table facing towards the door. As everyone entered he would offer a polite nod and a smile from where he sat in the middle of the left side, not at all in a position where he would stand out amongst those he considered his peers.
The others would have seen or at least heard of Brinjor while working with the IIS engineers helping with Section 6 affairs such as refitting the Eye. While most of the time he had to do office work, the salt-and-pepper haired 188-local man enjoyed getting out and amongst his workers and had a reputation for doing so. A small tablet was set to one side of his keypad, a nice but not flashy suit and tie making him appear presentable to the meeting Director Pine had called.
Rose slipped past Aster with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Just stay and watch. You might need this experience." Taking a seat across from Brinjor, she gave a sweet smile across the table, and a polite nod. "That young lady, Jay, is one of my favorite interns. Aster Blake helped in the development of a few of our projects. I have high hopes of her one day taking my place."
Brinjor smiled as Rose spoke about Jay, giving the spritely woman a polite wave, "Good to meet you, Jay. Oh, excellent! We can't have enough bright minds around here, can we?" He smiled with a fatherly sort of expression.
Of course, Beaumont was the last to arrive. The shiny humanoid would step through the doors with a huff, having run through the hallways in an attempt to reach the meeting on time. He had completely forgotten about the meeting today. He distinctly recalls the memo appearing in the corner of his vision, but simply casting it to the side. It was when his internal schedule system had reminded him that he was forced to drop everything and get moving back to the Section 6 headquarters. A shame. It was his beer run, too. Guess that'd have to wait. "Sorry, folks. I was a little busy. I'll admit I did forget about the meeting."
Beaumont let the doors fall shut behind him as he sauntered over to one of the seats, propping himself in, and letting all of his weight sink into its fabric. A sigh escaped him while he scanned the room. "Let's see... Edgy, techie, wolfy, bossman and... girl I don't know standing behind the bossman...." He scooted his seat closer to Jack and raised his hand to the side of his mask. "Pssst. Don't freak out, but there's a girl standing behind you and I think she's an assassin."
Ambassador Corgan walked in next wearing his Ragnarok uniform. He looked around the room slowly to see who he recognized. Most of the faces were new but his built-in HUD displayed the names when he looked at them. “Hello everyone. For those of you that don’t know me I’m the Ambassador, Corgan Garret. Brigadier General of Ragnarok, High Sheriff of Usotzka, etc.” Corgan said. The cyborgized half ID-SOL took a seat not far from Jack.
"Beaumont, that's Aster our new intern. She's been helping out around the lab." Jack whispered back.
Jack straightened his leather jacket before speaking, "As all of you know me, Jack Pine, Director of Section 6. I have called this meeting to address some issues, discuss ideas for new projects, and to make a very important announcement later. This meeting is to be held with the utmost confidentiality as it will deal with sensitive information which is why everyone here has signed a document saying they are aware of this. We will first address project ideas. Corgan, you can participate in this as well, and I encourage you to do so. As it's important to know what kind of things we could be doing for the people, Ragnarok, or the USO in general. Anyone may speak when ready."
Aster smiled shyly at Jay, seemingly embarrassed by Rose's praise and found a chair behind Jack to sit in, her earlier question about getting coffee not answered so she sat down. She fiddled with the hem of her S6 uniform skirt as Jack started to speak. Her assistance in Rose's lab had been mostly being on the receiving end of the armor development so she wasn't sure how she would be able to contribute. She was paid well in cookies and parts so she didn't mind it. It was strange to be one of the youngest in the room, although, she wasn't sure how old Neera was. Did her boss's adopted daughter age in dog years or human years? It was certainly something to consider.
Jay quickly broke eye contact with Aster. "Ok, I suppose I'll go first. Mr. Pine and I recently discussed expanding SABER to include multiple teams, meaning we will require more equipment. In particular, secure long-range communications and specialized transport craft. Although the expansion hasn't yet begun, I must ensure we have a source before we expand."
"If SABER needs some of the equipment from the external market I'm sure I can help with that, at least until we here develop equipment of our own to fill the job." Brinjor nodded in assent to Jay, then cleared his throat a little. "So, following our refit of the Eye, Thorn has decided to give IIS rights to improve upon it and produce more so we're going to be building them for sale if the fleet wants any at all."
Beaumont sat to the side and watch with his hand on his chin. As far as he could tell, this was boring stuff for the R&D team to focus on. Unless there's somebody hurt or someone planning to build something to melt the faces of everybody within a twelve-mile radius, none of this is really his business.
Rose sat ramrod straight at the mention of her former ship. "The Eye was a powerful scanning ship capable of orbital combat support, for those who don't know. Initially designed as a research vessel, it does have the capability to be a potent asset for Saber. Though I must ask... When did my sister hand over the rights to that?"
Brinjor nodded, as though to say, "We can talk regarding your sister later."
"Anyway, that's far from the most interesting project on the roster. Revenant continues to improve, thanks to the diligent efforts of Miss Blake, and we are developing several forms of firearm for Saber use, alongside civilian technologies, of course."
Corgan listened to the conversation. He wasn’t exactly sure he had anything to add. So far no one had mentioned anything relating to his job. “If anyone needs combat training or security I’m sure Ragnarok would be interested. Other than that, I don’t know how to help here.”
"Saber doesn't need training, or third-party security. To be honest Corgan, I have nothing against Rag, but giving your security to a PMC doesn't sit well with me when it's a government. Granted, I can't change that. Also, I can't speak for IIS, but I'm sure if they need it, they can rely on Rag. I can at least help by providing your boys with new kit. Like the Revenant." Jack said listening to suggestions as they were given.
Neera cleared her throat, "Um, hey dad, didn't you mention something about a new offensive fighter or something?"
"What, oh yes, I've been thinking and I figured since we have a fleet now. Eleven ships are great, but small craft are just as important in the strategic mix of fleet unit tactics. I love the U-1, but being available on the open market takes away whatever edge we had by having them." Jack said remembering that he had been considering talking to advanced R&D as well as Fleet Development on the matter.
"Any other suggestions for projects?" Jack asked looking around.
“I don’t mind letting you mess around with the Sand Demon design or the Minotaur. I’m a little disappointed they don’t get used that much.” Corgan added.
"Well - if I can interject again - IIS is currently developing a line of autonomous drones for a special project in Yamatai. They're small but we've run the sims for the dimensions and they could be scaled up so if you need a head start on the aerodynamics of any new fighters? We can give you the numbers?" Brinjor offered, folding his hands on the table as he looked to Jack. "Oh, IIS is actually looking for some private security, if you want to discuss that in private, Corgan?"
Beaumont lowered his head onto the table, a low hum escaping him - though it sounded more like a grumble. Under the voices of those speaking, it would be hardly noticeable - if noticed at all.
Aster pressed her fingers together, a faint blush on her face. "I heard that half-elf Asterian mention something about using a hook and line to climb trees. I thought it would be cool to develop more sophisticated equipment to clear vertical heights in heavily forested or dense urban environments that wouldn't be loud and would be stealthy," she suggested sheepishly from her spot behind Jack.
Rose turned and pointed at Aster. "Yes! We have gravitic beam rifles, we can use a modified version to produce a nonrelative tractor point at the shoulders of the Revenant. Beaumont, you want to help with the program? Aster, you get a cookie when we finish this up."
"I think I saw something like that in a TV show I pirated from Yamatai once." He lifted his head to look to the rest of the room. "I'd be more than happy to participate in the development project. I'll help figure out ways it could be applicable for people with cybernetic augmentation. If it's something involving bioelectrical responses, we may have a problem unless we either make the system universal or make specific versions for augmented folks. Kinda like what we did with my Revenant."
Aster's expression brightened at the mention of a cookie. The intern was easily appeased. She realised that she might have looked lame and blushed a deeper shade of pink, staring back down at her hands in her lap again. "I think I heard of that show," she added quietly.
The Ambassador blinked at the mention of Aster getting paid with a cookie. “That is a pretty cool idea, Aster. I would love to help test that. Actually, I’m sure the police could use some new gear, now that I think about it. Last time I was down here they still used muskets and clubs.”
"Universality would be an interesting technical challenge. But I think using a modified codeline for the targeting assist module would fix that. Basically look, blink, and grapple. We'd need some development testing. I suggest Ragnarok units for the initial tests. And we can also start work on some of the sonic nonlethal weapons we've been hearing about coming out of Yamatai. Aster, no need to be shy. This is your idea." Rose looked around excitedly, paying special note to Aster's blush and her looking into her lap. "Don't let us take it away from you."
"I'm still learning the specifics of the science beyond the idea," Aster fidgeted in her chair as her eyes moved back up at the adults looking at her. The blush deepened. "So like a ship tractor beam tether in a personnel sized unit with anti-gravimetric capabilities? Something that small might run rather hot depending on the power source, right?" She pressed her fingers together again trying to think of how to describe it.
"Mechanical is still an option. Some kind of projectile used for the grapple." Beaumont jammed his index fingers towards the wall to represent this. "Maybe a conveyor system involving a few sets of grapples that each allow for movement through an environment. Maybe they could be electromagnetic grips of sorts. Got something that could mag to more than just metal? That could be the tip of these projectiles."
"Well, short range mag'd be a problem, especially to nonmetal, but if I remember, graviton beam is exponential, subject to inverse square, right Aster? So the closer we can get those projectors, the less power they'd need. I think we might have something, here." Rose added.
"Right!" Aster said enthusiastically. "But wouldn't a projectile grappling system require a tremendous amount of varying force to penetrate different surfaces? In close distance, it would need to be almost explosive, right?" She looked to Rose, uncertain, the blush lessened from her cheeks for a moment as she sought confirmation.
Beaumont scratched his chin. "My main worry is that a system like a graviton beam could potentially draw in unwanted debris towards the user, or lock onto something with less mass than the user, pulling it towards the system instead of the other way around." His hands move to and from in an attempt to sort of visualize the situation. "Like grabbing a leaf to pull yourself up a branch as opposed to grabbing the branch itself."
"Or the dirt on a brick as opposed to a cluster of bricks. We could do a wide angle non-targeted beam. Grab the whole goddamn tree," Rose speculated.
"Couldn't we just program the beam to only grab something of a mass greater than or equal to the user?" Aster started toying with the hem of her uniform skirt again. "That would still have some problems if there was a pile of loose bricks or something nearby... but something like that could also be weaponized? Like grabbing an opponent and pulling them across the battlefield to you?"
"Good idea. But that's a sword as double-edged as it gets." Beaumont tapped the table. "I've never been a fan of tractor beam tech, myself. Too much to take into account. I just worry what would happen if a stray animal or some debris is on the target gets caught in the field."
"Definitely a lot of kinks to hammer out, but kinetics and cables are a bit on the unreliable side and have a lot of collateral damage risk. Not great for stealth power armor." Rose pointed out, motioning for Aster to come sit with the adults. "That's two I owe you."
Aster moved awkwardly out her chair in the safety of the area behind Jack and moved to the empty chair near Rose. Sitting stiffly at the table, unsure of herself again. "That's why I thought if it only grabbed things of a particular mass, it might be safer for other things in the way... like if I wanted to fight Mr. Beaumont, his mass is more than mine but if Ms. Ironhart was in the way, it wouldn't grab her since she has less mass than me?"
"Guess you could have a switched safety field of sorts. My question is how we can get it to only target and create a pull between specific masses without tugging stuff that's in the way or locking onto things in the way." Beaumont paused before snapping his fingers. "I got it. A deployed unit that creates the graviton field but has some kind of force-based connection to the user!"
"That'll work." Rose's lips pursed, wondering if she needed to start buying cookies for Beaumont, too. "We could use a battery operated gravitic drive to have it move between targets. A simple force field beam would give better leverage and control than a graviton tractor beam. Bonus, lower power requirement."
"That's a lot better than what I was going to suggest, I was thinking of a spider web silk like compound that stuck to objects shot at. then just retracted and reconstituted into whatever components it's generated from." Jack said the majority of the science going over his head.
"Isn't that also from a show, Mr. Pine?" Aster commented shyly. She fiddled with her hands again as she tried to think through the issues of her proposal. "For stealth, anything with a high heat output from energy expenditure would also be prohibitive unless we covered it in the same sort of material that is used on stealth ships. Or something else to hide a high heat signature from an infrared scan but then there are the other near infrared spectrums to consider as well but I don't think they are as common in regular scans as refined imagery analysis for penetration of camouflauge signatures."
"To be fair, I got the unit idea from some Yamataian anime I watched while drifting through space a few months back." Beaumont grunted, racking his fingers against the table just shy of his head. "The main issue with this concept is that the more we need to slap onto it, the heavier it gets, right? And the more power its gonna take. I don't get why we don't just make some kind of stealth jetpack or something." There's an audible clunk as his head tipped to the side. He'd rather be in his lab right about now. He was spouting stuff he's pulling out of his ass just to participate a little bit. "That's pretty much all I can think of in the engineering department. That's neither my job nor can I really think of anything else."
"Keep it stupid simple. Just a gravitic drive to augment maneuvering thrusters and you get a jump pack capable of putting you up two or three stories. Concept I need to remember some times. Still, we nerds have completely hijacked the meeting," Rose commented.
Jay, having watched the exchange with interest, now responded to Rose. "Yes, I suppose this topic has just about run its course. These are all good ideas, and SABER would certainly be interested in all of these designs to a certain extent."
Jay then addressed Jack. "Also, make sure you're not intimidating the new girl too much. She has good ideas, but she seems pretty nervous. How long has she been working here?"
"Well Jay she's been here several months. You need to socialize more." Jack said with a smirk, "But again, these all sound like great ideas, though we also need more armor configurations to work with."
Aster blushed again, staring back down at her lap. "Ano... Watashi wa gakusei no intān desu," she said awkwardly slipping into Yamataigo.
Rose's brow furrowed, before she calmly stood up and walked to the door. Opening it and poking her head out, she shouted for Sarah with an unintelligible string of cursing in Trade Language and some Lorath, with mentions of translating something she called "moonspeak."
The cyborg watched the conversation as it steadily devolved into a series of foreign languages tennis balling across the room. All he knew was trade. He never bothered to learn much else besides it. "If we're gonna speak, at least try and keep it in something we all can understand. I've yet to attach a translator to my head, so this could get old rather fast."
The blush on Aster's face deepened again as she squeaked, "Gomen nasai."
Taking a moment to switch to Yamataigo, Jay responded slowly but calmly. "Rirakkusu, kore wa anata no sekininde wa arimasen."
A quick switch into what broken Lorath Rose could speak, and she said "I called... wife... Soon... Soon wife. I called soon wife."
Sarah entered a few moments later, "Someone needs translating? 誰かが山形を話す？"
"Yes Sarah, not everyone here understands Yamataigo. If you would please translate for the rest of us." Jack asked waving to his sister.
Aster nodded and took a deep breath. "Sorry, sorry. Spent most of my life on a Yamataian space station. It slips sometimes."
Beaumont raised his hand to rest his head on it once more, his gaze turning to the intern. "You're really uptight right now, aren't you. Not like we're gonna bite. I mean..." He jammed his free thumb towards Rose. "I dunno if I can say the same about her, but just because you work for us doesn't mean you have to be so nervous."
"I bite when asked to." Rose motioned for Aster to repeat herself. She had a pretty good idea of what was said, but could use confirmation. "But we also have a problem with our patrol fleet ranges. We have Wahoos, which put out a lot of extra power. Any chance we can run miniaturized CDDs off the wingtip hardpoints?"
"I was just telling Jay-sensei that I was a student intern." Aster paused to elaborate, "I hadn't suggested an idea for something to build before.. though... I've testing things. It's a little nerve wracking to talk designs with the professionals. Who do complex mathematical equations for fun."
"Not for fun, let me assure you." Rose thought of saying something to out her relationship, but thought better of it for the moment. "Anyhow, we have three Yamatigo speakers here, let's translate for each other. Sarah, hon, I've just learned that the cute intern speaks the same beautiful and musical language you do. Care to tell me when something less than polite is said?"
Brinjor silently listened, tapping away at his little tablet as he took notes. He nodded in assent occasionally and now scooped up a pen, twirling it between his fingers.
Jay now moved on to another topic. "Mr. Garret, you were saying before about combat training? I was, in fact, considering sending the new SABER units over for some training with Ragnarok. What would you say to that? I mean, it certainly wouldn't be their only training, or their first. But they could certainly benefit from some experienced training."
"Just be advised that ideologies may differ, just as I have told Mr. Nagato. They would be going to Rag for some combat experience, but they are still our people. They may disagree with some things, and if needed for an operation they will be recalled," Jack stated.
Aster sat quietly again, listening to the others speak. She leaned back in her chair and watched each speaker in turn. Her eyes lingered on Jay's ice blue eyes, fascinated by the eye augmentations of the man she didn't really know. She returned her attention to Jack as he spoke. Her eyes drifted back to Jay again and she watched him for a little while longer, wondering just how old he was since he didn't really look much older than her. Senpai might be appropriate than sensei then?
Corgan, who had started to snore quite loudly, sat up straight and saluted Jay. He awkwardly lowered his hand and cleared his throat. “I would have to talk to Cyrus, but I am sure that would be fine. If anyone else would like training, let me know now so I can make a list.”
"Now, if we'd like to continue, Mad'c ku!" Rose gestured for the nerdier of the groups to move over to the other side of the table to let the military and policy men talk, pushing her chair firmly away from the table and her feet bouncing her off the wall.
Just as things were getting vaguely interesting, leave it to the pilot to steer things back down the boring route. Beaumont pushed back in his seat, wheeling it towards the wall. He uses his tiptoes to bring it over towards the side of the table where Rose is located in hopes of this idea reigning true. He needs some sort of conversation to keep himself from seeing how many pencils he can stuff in his mouth before achieving some sort of mechanical response akin to gagging.
Aster's gaze shifted to Rose as the scientist moved away. She slowly rose from her chair and walked to the other side of the table to sit with her and the others to continue their discussion of her proposal. She knew that the chairs had wheels but she wanted to look mature in front of board members.
Looking mature was obviously not on Rose's mind as she slid into the corner of the table and grabbed a firm hold to stop herself. "So, I've been playing with hyperspace fold physics, and I might be able to install an HFD like what was on the Eye on something like a broadsword or a C5, maybe even a Wahoo."
Jay now turned his attention to Rose, clearly intrigued by the idea. "Do you think you could integrate it into a small to medium-sized stealth dropship? SABER has been operating off U1s up to this point, and a dedicated dropship would go a long way to expand our capabilities."
Intrigued as he was, Jay couldn't help but notice a certain restraint in Aster's demeanor. I wonder what she's holding back... He thought as he tried to keep his focus on both lines of thought.
"The Eye was eight meters," Rose commented.
Aster seemed to consider the specs. "An HFD on a Broadsword would make sense. I think most Yamataian ships use one if not an FTL. I would think that installing an HFD drive on something as small as a U1 would make travel speeds incredibly fast, but would a small ship be able to hold against that type of stress?" She seemed a bit distracted, "You know, I wonder... what would happen if we put an active camouflage system on something like a DR-1? Then someone could use a Revenant with an active camouflage system but then there's the issue of the engine of the DR-1.
"Well, you're not gonna hide that thermal flare, but most of our shitfights are with raiders, anyway. I think we should focus on non-lethals and welfare systems to try and keep from having to kill people. Though camouflaging a DR1... Aster, love, I already lose my bike twice a week," Rose commented with a frown.
"You wouldn't turn it on if you were parking on it. I know there are some types of paint that will chromatically shift depending on temperature but I mean, like, if you want to quickly deploy into an area. I think I remember hearing things from the Kennewes veterans about the Reds using Crooked Demons with some sort of underwater power armor motorcycle," Aster chewed her lower lip as she tried to think the idea through. "Or would that be redundant with the Revenant’s onboard capabilities?" Her eyes looked between Jay and Rose for confirmation. "What do you think, Nagato-senpai?"
Jay jerked his head suddenly in the intern's direction at the mention of his name, flustered. "Oh! Uh... well... the thrusters on the Revenant aren't specifically designed for underwater use, nor are they designed for sustained flight. I must admit, it would be nice..."
Aster beamed at Jay, a light flush on her cheeks, pleased with his response. "I don't think many power armors are. It might be something to consider since you never know where you might need to go and in a pinch, you might need to do underwater construction or something."
"Or an underwater invasion. There are dozens of unexplored systems on the frontier, and chances are there are a few aquatic planets out there." Jay responded, returning to his normal calm demeanor as he returned his focus to the conversation at hand.
"Right, Nagato-senpai! Would it really take too much reworking to make a power armor that can function in space to work under water?" Aster looked to Rose, tilting her head to one side at the scientist. "I think the Nepleslians used Warhawks and.. the AIR elemental armors during that conflict?"
"Of course! It's already airtight, so that wouldn't be much of an issue. The only thing that'd have to be redone is propulsion." Jay was getting more feverish by the minute. "That'd be a cinch anyway..."
Aster looked imploringly at Rose, "What would also work in an aquatic environment for propulsion? I'm not familiar with underwater environments... I've spent my life on space stations. I think they used fossil fuels for underwater vessels before they went to a nuclear propulsion, steam cycle?"
Rose flashed a teasing smirk. "You guys might want to write that down, preferably before the make-out session."
Jay's expression hardened quickly. "Ms. Ironhart I am your commanding officer and you will treat me with respect. More to the point, you will treat others with respect. Especially on official business. You are an elite soldier, and you will act as such."
Aster's violet eyes got large and she blushed furiously at Rose's comment. "Anoooo.. demo... nani desu ka?" Her gaze moved between Jay and Rose before it went down to the table again. She fiddled with the fabric of her skirt again, her excitement crushed.
"Sorry, sir. It was a terrible joke that was inappropriate. Aster, we can put an ECS capable shell on the DR 1s, but there's a thermal shielding problem. Due to the fusion reactor power plant, it does produce some superheated offgass. I can try to redesign the reactor, but without some serious efficiency tweaks that Aster's the only one talented enough to do, it just ain't gonna happen," Rose apologized.
Aster's eyes darted up again as Rose complimented her and smiled again. "I can play with the fusion reactor?"
"Just don't blow yourself up. Beaumont's already pissed at me for dying once. I'd really rather not explain to your mother that we had to resurrect you." Rose commented.
"I'm pretty sure she'd fly here from Hades to talk to you about it," Aster commented with a light, awkward chuckle, smoothing a hand over her hair. "ONI keeps her pretty busy these days though."
"Yes, armor ideas for the system of the Revenant armor is what we should definitely focus a portion of our efforts on. As for the DR1 I approve it, but under supervision by me. To be honest, I built and designed that bike out of boredom, and well, gunsmithing isn't really a viable hobby when you have two kids and twins on the way. Speaking of on the way, my wife seems to be running late, Sarah, can you go call and see if she needs a pickup? Also Jay, she's not Saber, not technically. Therefore, she doesn't actually fall under your command." Jack said addressing some of the important topics while addressing some of the off-topic stuff.
"I actually have a couple things in mind for armor. I would like to have a combat armor set that is compatible with the Revenant undersuite worked on. The undersuite is the perfect base for whatever armor system we design here from now and forward. It as the protection of body armor, temperature controlled, self patching, and still has strength augmentation even without a power pack. Also a EXO armor suite should be considered for for more hostile situations. The propulsion system of the Revenant is plasma based, so an Ion propulsion variation of that system might solve the problem of underwater mobility, or even something like the gravitic drives used on the U-1's and some of our other ships. I actually have experience with combat in water, kinda, not under an ocean mind you but in rivers and lakes. The dropship is definitely something to look into, and for the time being until that is developed I would like to maybe get a Sand Demon, or two, if Corgan here can get us access to them." Jack continued moving his gaze to each person involved in each topic discussed respectively...
"These have all been outstanding ideas, especially from you Aster. But we need to move on to more serious topics. Recently there have been some incidents involving FSC. Ever since IIS has arrived, they have been harassing both IIS and us. The most disturbing fact that has come to light about this is the fact that Mr. Candon is a SAINT agent. The fact that he has pull with Uso personally troubles me as well. This one way, or another needs to be addressed, and I felt that you all should be informed on this. They have even gone so far to stage an 'accident' that could have killed IIS crew aboard the freighter they hit with a drone wreck. Which brings me to the important point that this has brought to my attention. It has made it clear that to avoid the risk of FSC reducing our capabilities and from blocking interactions with our partners at IIS, Section 6 needs to consider new off-world sites. We will still remain here, while we build up a new main operation in the star system neighboring ours. Rohini is mostly uncharted, and is entirely unclaimed. From what little data we have on it, it boasts four uncharted worlds. A rock planet, a terrestrial planet that is prime real estate for a new colony, and two ice planets that would provide secure areas at temperatures for some of the more dangerous aspects of our fields of research that can't be pursued in our current climate here on 188604. We'll will be doing this with IIS, and Asterian backing who we have formed a merchant charter with. Any questions?" Jack finished knowing he was dropping a lot at once as he waited for reactions.
Aster beamed as Jack complimented her. She sat up straighter in her chair. She tilted her head at the mention of a SAINT agent and the corporate war. "Are we becoming a new government, the republic of Section 6?"
Up to now the IIS employee in the meeting had been fairly quiet, electing to simply follow the proceedings, occasionally jotting something down. As Jack mentioned that Candon was SAINT, the pen stopped writing. He looked up from the ruled paper with a raised eyebrow then just as quickly continued writing as if nothing had happened.
"Jack's covered everything from our standpoint. I wouldn't say FSC will be able to stop us much longer, since we are currently building several hundred ships worth of fleet but yes, colonization is the best solution." Brinjor added, finishing his sentence with a flick of the pen.
"It'll give us opportunities to develop more rapid acting terraforming methods that will allow more rapid colonization. Perhaps an orbital dispersal seed spreader? Grasses and deciduous arboreals, perhaps some evergreens, algae and fish, minor wildlife like basic non-pest insects and arachnids. Basically just dump an ecosystem into place because nobody'll get hurt." Rose mused, her head turning. Any who had been observing her for some time would probably have noted an air of stressed flippance about her, but as soon as Sarah had entered the room, her shoulders had stiffened and drawn back. Her head slipped down and she had been avoiding eye contact. "The fact that there's SAINT here makes me think things are gonna get real interesting in this corner of space. Also, Jay, Oui'na hud kuhhy tasuda sa. E yeh'd kud y vilgeh' nyhg, E aqecd yc Lryuc."
Aster noted the change in Rose's posture and tilted her head. Did something happen? "When are we going to start the Lorath lessons, Rose?" She pondered over the planet terraforming question. "Should be easy to disperse seed in an aircraft. It's changing the atmosphere through aerial seeding that might take the longest part but there are terraforming machines to do that sort of thing already."
"Good, because we start fairly soon. I plan to meet with Uso later to discuss this. Half our fleet is already preparing to make way to secure the way. We will be exploring unexplored lands, therefore there is no telling what we might encounter. The terrestrial planet offers a prime chance of habitation as far as we can tell, and the ice planets provide to have secure bases, FOBs, and facilities where our more hazardous research can be perused at a safe distance from the colony. This will be Section 6's largest undertaking yet, and therefore, we will need extra support. That is why I wish to open negotiations to PACT, the I'ee, the Union maybe, and USO, if Uso can be persuaded. It is also why IIS has started construction on two of the Albion class super carriers, Alex Tasuki, and our boys in Fleet Development designed. The USV-Hammer and USV-Anvil." Jack added as he eyed the sudden change in Rose's posture at Sarah's entrance, and he would note to talk to her later. He activated a projector in the center of the table to display a hologram of the ship discussed.
Jay now returned to the conversation, mildly concerned. "And no other factions are interested in this? I mean, we can't be sure that no one else is going to care what we're doing..."
"Rohini's not far away, but we're way the fuck out in the boonies, so unless Uso has a claim on it, it's ours," Rose added.
Aster leaned forward on her elbows as she watched the adults speak. "I believe to interact with the Valmet Self Governing Colonial Region of the Colonial Pact in this sector you are supposed to go through Oshima National Industries to coordinate trade and training agreements. ONI are supposed to be acting on their behalf for now," She commented casually. "Did you need me to talk to my mother about setting something up?"
Jack leaned back slightly to make sure he could be heard over the current conversation, "If you would please, as it would be very helpful to our efforts."
"That is correct, so unless Uso has a disagreement on the matter, we are unopposed to claim the system. Cross your fingers for that meeting. So, we need to plan some of the details on how we are going to be setting up our new government. My rough ideas are that the people decide all local matters, while a counsel of the various districts that may develop, representatives from the supporting groups aiding us, and S6 at the head of the table as the colony founders will collectively decide all major matters other than military actions. That will fall solely under our decision as the defense of the colony will be our main responsibility. Saber of course being the main force to do this. We are pushing 200 troops so far, so our force has become sizeable." Jack stated leaning forward again as he now addressed the current conversation as he had the projector show data related to what he spoke of along with the still present holo of the Albion super carrier.
The intern nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll call mom after this and see what they are willing to do so I can arrange a meeting between you. She's not really the negotiation meeting type though," she added.
"The only problem I can see is that of those 200 troops, only a small portion are trained." Jay added. "Even so, we should have more than enough once the expansion program is complete."
"Two hundred military colonists is a good start, but we're gonna need more people to start a healthy population. I mean, don't colony efforts start at about two thousand? Also, Aster, don't tell your mom about the barrier tests," Rose commented.
"I think she'd be interested in it. I think she'd call it character development," Aster shrugged. "I'll send her a request after this meeting."
Beaumont nodded off halfway through it all. Everything around him was black while he set his internal microphones to "record" in case of any important info he may have missed - as boring as it may be, at least a recording is something he can listen to while he multitasks. Besides that, he had needed the sleep anyways. Last night had been brutal on the cyborg, having him remain up through till morning working on a request. The beer run earlier was just an excuse so as to not say he had slept in far beyond the break of dawn and the strike of noon.
"You're right, and that is why anyone backing our efforts are receiving land as compensation, as well as resources. This will not consist of just our people. We are not going to be stingy, and will be more than glad to share. It helps ensure faster growth of the population, and that we have no shortage of man power. So, does anyone have questions on this, because now is the time to ask. Doesn't matter how stupid you might think the question is, as they say, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"" Jack said sweeping his gaze across those in attendance, "That means you as well Corgan, and Mr. Brinjor!"
The IIS CEO shook his head a few times, then offered a reply in his native 188 accent. "You've explained it very well, Director Pine. If you find yourself in need of hiring more fleet power, we're not far away - we can't station our ships in Yamatai so they're fairly close by. We'll be sure to invest in the colony as much as you are comfortable with."
"I'll forward the data on to Oshima National Industries. Would I be able to get an unclassified dossier on the proposed planet to send them as well? Mom is all about having details before saying she'll consider something. I don't know what the PACT will require either, so I might need to get more information to forward along, if that'd be okay, Mr. Pine?" Aster said thoughtfully, leaning forward on her hand again, looking at Jack with questioning violet eyes.
"Yeah, if I can get... My sister stole my ship." Rose gave a forced smile, her eye twitching momentarily. "I'll see if I can get a couple of probes together and compile a quick report in the meantime."
"Thank you Rose, and granted Aster. We need all the help we can get. This could change everything. With the resources that are ready for processing in that system, they can help us, Asteria, IIS, PACT, and USO. With them we can build, design, and improve more. With them we can improve lives, make a better home." Jack said pausing for a moment, "With hope we can bring a lot of groups together on this, or at the least build a good relationship with them. Uso once told me that the we survive because we are useful, well I don't want to just be useful. I don't want us to just survive, because I want us to thrive."
