Z
Zack
ON> Ragna-City Library
General Lewis looked displeased... this meeting of the rebellion was being held in the same place as before, books surounding them in what used to be Osman City's library. The normally unhappy man exuding waves of unhappiness upon anyone who could see his outline. With barely contained rage, he would carefully speak... doing his best to act civillized infront of the others.
"Reginald Braith is still alive."
"Calm yourself down, General." Assured the Procurer. "I'm sure whatever Solder has planned needs sometime or whatever. It's not like she's hunting some low-life scumbag, this is a very important collaborator she's going after." He mused.
Grant was sitting across from the General staring at Rubi's last message in his hands. He sighed and scratched at his chin. "Tht isn't the outcome I'd hoped for but perhaps it could work in our favor to have a spy in the invader camp. We just need to make sure she isn't changing sides." He looked around the room at the others. "We need to send someone to watch her. If she fails to act, we need someone to do it for her."
General Lewis did his best to take a calming breath, looking from one member of the group, to the next...
"Braith..."
The general would grind his teeth together, bone scraping against bone nearly audible.
"... is ALIVE."
The general would lift his hands up, as if strangling some imaginary attacker,
"WE ARE SITTING HERE IMPOTENT... LETTING THOSE ALIENS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS JUST DO WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT TO OUR CITY!... WE MUST ACT NOW. EVERY SECOND THAT WE LEFT BRAITH LIVE IS A SIGNAL THAT THE ALIENS ARE BEYOND OUR REACH!!"
The Procurer jumped a little in his seat as the General went off on his little tagent. "For fuck sakes man, get a hold of yourself! Remember we wanted to stay as secret as possible? If we just out right kill them man, we'll have those fuckers down our necks before we know it. Quit your yelling and give her few more days." He looked over pleadingly to Grant, hoping to he'd have something would calm the General.
The General's disappointment was understandable but Grant was pretty confident that Rubi was still with them. He was willing to give her more time. He considered his options for calming the General down. Sending a spy like he had mentioned could alienate Rubi, but also killing a spy might help her gain the new government's trust. It would also possibly confirm their existence. He could also offer the general the chance to use Ned's armor and kill Braith himself, but considering the General hated him that might be a fatal error.
The first option sounded much better. Grant cleared his throat before speaking. "General, I will have to agree with the Procurer here. It's possible she hasn't had a chance to kill Braith yet, or she thinks she can get to someone more important than him. If you question Rubi's loyalty then sending one of your men to watch her is my advice."
"Do you think we have a few more days before this little rebellion dies in its cradle? If we can't show that there is some resistance, then we don't exsist." He snarled. "I'll send men to watch Rubi... Hell, I'll send men to fucking kill Braith myself."
"General, please do not do anything rash." The scientist said, "We are only just starting to understand who and what we are dealing with."
"I agree. This process will take time." The merchant added.
"I will run this damn rebellion myself if you wimpering cowards can't do it yourself." The general was still fuming, turning away from the council for a moment to harshly whisper to one of his own associates.
Grant glared at the General across the room. He could barely contain his frustration. In his mind he imagined slitting the General's throat or shooting him in the head. The only thing keeping him from doing it was the knowledge they needed the General, as frustrating and belligerent as he may be. "General. I would appreciate it if you refrain from calling us cowards. If we engaged these invaders in open combat we would be utterly destroyed. I know someone who can help us even the odds, if you will be patient. Give Rubi a few more days. I was wrong to doubt her before." He said as calmly as he could, despite being enraged to the point of violence.
"Two days is how long I need to take action. You have that long," He snapped, without diverting focus from his associate.
The Rebel nodded in response. "Thank you General. Now that we've resolved that matter, I would like to discuss the armor that Ned and I recovered." He turned towards the scientist. "Have you had a chance to look at it?"
"Yes.... but. Well... your friend has been helpful...... but.... well... this is all a bit beyond me at the moment. It will take months before I get the gist of it." The scientist admitted sheepishly.
He had expected as much although he had hoped maybe there was some sort of weakness they could exploit. "I understand. Is there anything you require to continue or speed up your research? This would be a good time to discuss your needs with the Procurer." Grant replied.
"It isn't the materials that we're dealing with... I mean... well it is." The scientist had the air of someone who was overwhelmed, trying to squeeze the knowledge he had into a reasonable amount of words, "Building and reproducing something like this is impossible with what we have. I... There may be some things we can do to upgrade our weapons.... and... with what I'm learning we could build better communication devices... but..." He sighed a bit, "It, it is just a lot right now and I will need more time to digest it all. ... Really the best I can offer right now would be to use some of the metal alloy scrapings in our shot-guns. I think it will hurt them.... maybe."
He listened to the scientist, a little disappointed that they didn't really have much progress to speak of. Finally he nodded. "Very well then. Try to work on communication first. What we have is clearly not working in our favor. Do you need more manpower? I plan to recruit more people to our cause, and I will make sure anyone with any scientific background is brought to you. If that would help ease the burden on you." He said, taking note of the scientist's obvious weariness.
"We're dealing with entirely new fields of science here. A lot of this stuff we would need to make new words for if Ned didn't already have them. I... Yes, please send me anyone you can," The scientist replied.
"The Weapons, how soon can they be ready?" General Lewis snapped.
"Uh... maybe... a day or two? We just need to..."
"Good. I'll have my men come by to discuss how to get them into production." Lewis said dismissively, turning and immidiately leaving the room afterward.
The Procurer relaxed his position in his chair as Lewis left, wipping some seat off his brow. "So, will anyone need me to do what I do best for them? Doc? Reb?" He questioned, looking over at the two of them.
Grant relaxed visibly as the General left as well. He shook his head and sighed. "If we didn't need him, he would be dead right now." He muttered before turning to the Procurer. "I do have a few requests.." He trailed off suddenly, looking around the room with a frown. "Where is the Merchant?"
"I am here." Came a grumble from deeper inside the Library, "It is just a lot harder to merchant when everyone is too terrified to step out-doors."
Grant was relieved to hear the Merchant was still among them. "Good to know you're still with us. You may be able to help with this as well. We need to recruit more people to our side. I would start with anyone that was with me before the invasion. Celest will know who is trustworthy. We also need high quality metals, some horses, and supplies to support the new recruits. An accurate map of the tunnels and mines nearby would also be helpful." He said, not really directng the request to either one of them. "I will go out to the nearby villages and see what's happening elsewhere. We need to get contacts in the smaller cities."
"Maps I can get. Metals..." The merchant trailed off.
"We have some alien materials from the equipment that Ned brought. But we need more. We can't get that material from this world." The scientist added.
He nodded at the scientist, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I understand. Until we can acquire some we'll have to make do with what we do have. We need someone skilled in the forging of metal, at any rate. Someone who can make guns. I believe Ned could teach them a thing or two that may benefit us. He can also teach them how to make electricity using water in a way we never thought of and to purify saltwater. Algaeia is great but it makes water taste different. This would help you out, Merchant. Selling such devices should bring in money that we can use to buy equipment and pay our recruits. The Procurer can help you do this without drawing attention."
"You're asking for quite a bit but I'm sure I can get it done." The Procurer said with a grin. "I should let Rubi know what the stakes are for her first so she can start putting some more urgency in to this."
Grant smiled at the procurement specialist. "Excelent. I want you all to know that if we win, I guarantee you will be rich and powerful. If we lose I will request that you are spared. The General and I will take full responsibility for the resistance." He said with complete sincerity. His face turned serious again. "Now, does anyone have any information on what the invaders are actually doing, or do I need to go speak to the General about that?"
"Taking all my alcohol," The merchant said, sounding a bit dejected.
"And visiting other worlds it seems... " The scientist added, "I mean, we've seen then gathering large groups of soldiers sure. But we also saw their flying transport depart for a day. We were able to observe it heading into space... rather than over to one of the nearby cities... but we quickly lost sight of it. When it returned it brought with it two empty containers attached to its hull."
"Two empty containers, eh?" The Procurer chimed in. "Seems kind of strange to bring in two empty containers for supplies. Unless they're not supplies and they're looting the place. I haven't it sound it directly but it seems like it's a possibility seeing as how the government had some nice riches inside their palace."
Grant nodded. "Yes, I assume they came here to exploit our resources. If they wanted to occupy the planet I think they would have brought more men with them. I wonder what they want to take with them. If there was something valuable here, why haven't we already found it?" He suspected the answer may be that they were too far behind technically to make use of whatever the aliens wanted.
"Uh... Well...." The scientist's was quite unsure of himself at this point, "I can speculate. These metals are abundant everywhere in the universe. With the right technology you could extract the material from the ground. Precious metals may also be easier to come by in space... not that they couldn't get them here as well... Maybe they want us? The most complex and rarest material is the organic kind after all. Plants. People. Animals. All of that is something you would have to come here for. I mean... maybe they have a planet worth of flowers somewhere, but flowers don't grow easily.... Sorry, does that make sense?"
The scientist's explanation made a lot of sense to him. There was also the possibility that they needed workers. Although one of those armors could probably do the work of a hundred men. Grant started thinking out loud. "No matter what they want from us, this clearly isn't a full-scale invasion. Maybe whoever leads these guys is just some kind of raider. There must be laws out there. So maybe we could somehow use their equipment to send a message to whatever passes for the law out there."
The Procurer nodded his head for a moment before stopping with a thought popping up. "What if you end up calling something worse? I mean, sure we're getting invaded by what might equal a tiny force but you might end up signaling some evil omnipotent race of... cats or something." The Procurer let that sink in for moment before realizing how stupid he just sounded. "J-Just saying hypothetically is all, not that I'm disagreeing with the plan of us maybe trying reach out to something stronger and not a race of god-cats."
"Maybe your friend Ned could help enlighten us on who is out there?" The scientist asked.
Aaron, unsure of exactly what his friend "Ned" would be comfortable with him sharing, took a few seconds to think. He tried to figure out what he could say without giving away Ned's secret. Finally he came up with a response. "Ned.. well, you may have guessed he's not a local. I will leave it to him what he is willing to reveal. We did discuss what sort of beings are out there.." He struggled to recall the names Ned/Azariel had mentioned. "The uh, NMX he called them, seem to be the worst of what's out there. They are the horrible tentacle monstrosities I feared would show up. There is also a race of cat-hybrid soldiers called Knee.. Nicko.. Nekovalkyrja from the Yammy-tie Empire. He mentioned winged people called Elysians who sound like a proud warrior race. These Elysians are vassals to the cat people now. Fortunately since Ned is so knowledgeable we would most likely be able to direct the message to a specific species."
There was a soft murmer from the gathered leaders,
"You make it sound as if subjugation is all that is out there." The scientist replied.
"Perhaps we would be better off with one of the others...." The merchant said, "Empires need trade. These thugs just want to take."
"This may not be so simple. We... Even if we win. We are no longer alone in the universe. Others will come eventually, either by chance or by intent. We need to consider our place in the universe, not just our place on this planet." The stress and emphasis in the scientists voice was all over the place. The flood of new discoveries drowning his mind in the new.
"Well met, good sirs," came a voice that echoed through the library as the tall figure of Azariel walked into the meeting in progress. His many years of public speaking seemed to know just how to use the chamber to his advantage, creating a dramatic entrance for the much bespoke Elysian ally of the resistance. His silken white and purple robes followed his methodical footsteps, as the former senator hung the drab brown coat and walking stick of the one known as 'Ned' carefully on a rack in the vestibule. There was no more reason to hide the white and blue wings that sprouted almost regally from the elder Patrician's back, as he assumed a respectful debate position alongside of Aaron. "What faces you is a struggle for identity, not unlike a bird thrust into the world prematurely out of its nest before it has found its wings. But perhaps that is why I was brought here... to lend you my own in this time of crisis."
Ned's dramatic entrance didn't surprise Aaron. He was quickly getting used to the "old man" making use of such theatrics, and the revelation that he was a Senator made a lot of sense. He calmly addressed the other leaders. "I suppose it isn't quite a shock to some of you. Ned, or Azariel as he was known, is one of the Elysians I mentioned." Aaron cleared his throat again, which he usually did before changing directions. "Ned is easier to say so I will go with that for the sake of convenience unless you object. Ned, do you believe it's in our best interest to try and contact one of the species you told me about? I would prefer not to have anyone else die, and I worry that sending a signal could lead to more deaths. I hate to say it but I think it may be better for our world to work with the invaders."
The Elysian fluttered his feathery appendages once as he was introduced. "While I would of course suggest to contact my former countrymen who once discovered this world, I fear that with them being under the sway of the Yamatai Empire that help would not be very forthcoming." There was a pause, then he continued. "There is however, another option to us. There is an interstellar nation called Nepleslia, comprised of many varied peoples that are much closer to yourselves.... Genetically human, with only minimal enhancements. They won their independence from Yamatai several years ago... a rugged, freedom loving bunch well at home colonizing many frontier worlds."
Ned pointed in the general direction of the seat of power that was now occupied, some distance outside the library's walls. "More importantly, I have a good idea of who our self-styled conqueror actually is. And if so, then the crimes she has once committed against this nation's leaders, the Greens, may be enough to spur them to aid us in bringing her to justice for her transgressions."
Grant considered the options silently. "No matter who we contact, I believe we should try to come to an agreement with the invaders before we do something that may cause more conflict. Bringing more foreign powers to our world should be our last resort." He said sincerely. "I have discussed this with Azariel already. If anyone has anything they believe we should request of the invaders, please speak up now. I didn't bring this up with General Jackboot present because I thought he would be completely against it. He's still worried about revenge. I like to think the rest of us are more sensible than that."
Azariel hardened his expression a moment, as Grant seemed adamant in his former position. "Hmm... building bridges is better than burning them, and would protect the people of this world if we collaborated... but I fear that Uso Tasuki cannot be trusted with any deals we may make. She is more than able to kill those who do no agree with her, and has backstabbed many in the past." The elder then stroked his wispy beard in thought. "But... how about the conduct of her associates? I have no knowledge of them, other than an Elysian being a leader among them and being primarily mercenaries. I understand that they have conducted themselves well, and not killed unnecessarily. Perhaps it is they can be negotiated with in good faith? Their bond with their 'boss' may not be as strong as we think, either."
"Actually... we may be uncovering a bit about her associates." The merchant said, waiting for a moment before attention would turn to him, "They have taken one of the vacation homes on the island to the east, and seem to have converted it into a pleasure house for their pilot... which is the name for the one they have that flies the triangle. She seems interested in the finer things, dresses and gold. Sighruss seems to have a romantic intrest in her, and so far seems to be overpaying the local staff. He may also fancy himself a bit of a crime fighter.
There are also more of their kind arriving... some seem to wander around the city and drink. Others have been whipping together groups of men to work in rebuilding some of the city's assets that were destroyed by fire."
From what the merchant said, this Cyrus sounded trustworthy, but it could be an act to get people on their side. Grant was unsure of the right course of action. Azariel knew this Uso, so his judgment was probably sound. "If you say we can't trust her, I believe you. This Cyrus sounds trustworthy, even if he is a mercenary. We should wait until he's alone to contact him. We shouldn't send someone we know." Grant said as he turned to the Procurer. "I will leave it to you to hire someone to deliver Cyrus a message, Procurer. Tell him we would negotiate with them if they can guarantee no reprisal from Uso. What we have to offer them is a way to end this before it begins. We offer them our services in ruling this world. We also have information about her that he might find interesting. This information may be worth more to certain people than she's offering for this job."
"Or you'll just get us all killed by showing our hand." The Procurer said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Not like we can confirm they're all thinking like we do but worth a shot I guess. Shoud I give word to our resident 'assassin' about the plans before she ends up causing some sort of crisis with the negotiations or should she just off her target before General Dickhead loses his mind and probably offs all of us?"
Grant shook his head. "We won't give them anything useful unless they can offer us more than just their word. Whoever does eventually meet with them will be wearing the armor Ned and I recovered. We choose the meeting place. Set up a distraction in case things go south, so our guy in the armor can get away." He considered the matter of Rubi. "Inform her of our plans and that Braith is angry. Tell her I tried to get him to wait two more days, but be careful just in case he acts before then.".
General Lewis looked displeased... this meeting of the rebellion was being held in the same place as before, books surounding them in what used to be Osman City's library. The normally unhappy man exuding waves of unhappiness upon anyone who could see his outline. With barely contained rage, he would carefully speak... doing his best to act civillized infront of the others.
"Reginald Braith is still alive."
"Calm yourself down, General." Assured the Procurer. "I'm sure whatever Solder has planned needs sometime or whatever. It's not like she's hunting some low-life scumbag, this is a very important collaborator she's going after." He mused.
Grant was sitting across from the General staring at Rubi's last message in his hands. He sighed and scratched at his chin. "Tht isn't the outcome I'd hoped for but perhaps it could work in our favor to have a spy in the invader camp. We just need to make sure she isn't changing sides." He looked around the room at the others. "We need to send someone to watch her. If she fails to act, we need someone to do it for her."
General Lewis did his best to take a calming breath, looking from one member of the group, to the next...
"Braith..."
The general would grind his teeth together, bone scraping against bone nearly audible.
"... is ALIVE."
The general would lift his hands up, as if strangling some imaginary attacker,
"WE ARE SITTING HERE IMPOTENT... LETTING THOSE ALIENS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS JUST DO WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT TO OUR CITY!... WE MUST ACT NOW. EVERY SECOND THAT WE LEFT BRAITH LIVE IS A SIGNAL THAT THE ALIENS ARE BEYOND OUR REACH!!"
The Procurer jumped a little in his seat as the General went off on his little tagent. "For fuck sakes man, get a hold of yourself! Remember we wanted to stay as secret as possible? If we just out right kill them man, we'll have those fuckers down our necks before we know it. Quit your yelling and give her few more days." He looked over pleadingly to Grant, hoping to he'd have something would calm the General.
The General's disappointment was understandable but Grant was pretty confident that Rubi was still with them. He was willing to give her more time. He considered his options for calming the General down. Sending a spy like he had mentioned could alienate Rubi, but also killing a spy might help her gain the new government's trust. It would also possibly confirm their existence. He could also offer the general the chance to use Ned's armor and kill Braith himself, but considering the General hated him that might be a fatal error.
The first option sounded much better. Grant cleared his throat before speaking. "General, I will have to agree with the Procurer here. It's possible she hasn't had a chance to kill Braith yet, or she thinks she can get to someone more important than him. If you question Rubi's loyalty then sending one of your men to watch her is my advice."
"Do you think we have a few more days before this little rebellion dies in its cradle? If we can't show that there is some resistance, then we don't exsist." He snarled. "I'll send men to watch Rubi... Hell, I'll send men to fucking kill Braith myself."
"General, please do not do anything rash." The scientist said, "We are only just starting to understand who and what we are dealing with."
"I agree. This process will take time." The merchant added.
"I will run this damn rebellion myself if you wimpering cowards can't do it yourself." The general was still fuming, turning away from the council for a moment to harshly whisper to one of his own associates.
Grant glared at the General across the room. He could barely contain his frustration. In his mind he imagined slitting the General's throat or shooting him in the head. The only thing keeping him from doing it was the knowledge they needed the General, as frustrating and belligerent as he may be. "General. I would appreciate it if you refrain from calling us cowards. If we engaged these invaders in open combat we would be utterly destroyed. I know someone who can help us even the odds, if you will be patient. Give Rubi a few more days. I was wrong to doubt her before." He said as calmly as he could, despite being enraged to the point of violence.
"Two days is how long I need to take action. You have that long," He snapped, without diverting focus from his associate.
The Rebel nodded in response. "Thank you General. Now that we've resolved that matter, I would like to discuss the armor that Ned and I recovered." He turned towards the scientist. "Have you had a chance to look at it?"
"Yes.... but. Well... your friend has been helpful...... but.... well... this is all a bit beyond me at the moment. It will take months before I get the gist of it." The scientist admitted sheepishly.
He had expected as much although he had hoped maybe there was some sort of weakness they could exploit. "I understand. Is there anything you require to continue or speed up your research? This would be a good time to discuss your needs with the Procurer." Grant replied.
"It isn't the materials that we're dealing with... I mean... well it is." The scientist had the air of someone who was overwhelmed, trying to squeeze the knowledge he had into a reasonable amount of words, "Building and reproducing something like this is impossible with what we have. I... There may be some things we can do to upgrade our weapons.... and... with what I'm learning we could build better communication devices... but..." He sighed a bit, "It, it is just a lot right now and I will need more time to digest it all. ... Really the best I can offer right now would be to use some of the metal alloy scrapings in our shot-guns. I think it will hurt them.... maybe."
He listened to the scientist, a little disappointed that they didn't really have much progress to speak of. Finally he nodded. "Very well then. Try to work on communication first. What we have is clearly not working in our favor. Do you need more manpower? I plan to recruit more people to our cause, and I will make sure anyone with any scientific background is brought to you. If that would help ease the burden on you." He said, taking note of the scientist's obvious weariness.
"We're dealing with entirely new fields of science here. A lot of this stuff we would need to make new words for if Ned didn't already have them. I... Yes, please send me anyone you can," The scientist replied.
"The Weapons, how soon can they be ready?" General Lewis snapped.
"Uh... maybe... a day or two? We just need to..."
"Good. I'll have my men come by to discuss how to get them into production." Lewis said dismissively, turning and immidiately leaving the room afterward.
The Procurer relaxed his position in his chair as Lewis left, wipping some seat off his brow. "So, will anyone need me to do what I do best for them? Doc? Reb?" He questioned, looking over at the two of them.
Grant relaxed visibly as the General left as well. He shook his head and sighed. "If we didn't need him, he would be dead right now." He muttered before turning to the Procurer. "I do have a few requests.." He trailed off suddenly, looking around the room with a frown. "Where is the Merchant?"
"I am here." Came a grumble from deeper inside the Library, "It is just a lot harder to merchant when everyone is too terrified to step out-doors."
Grant was relieved to hear the Merchant was still among them. "Good to know you're still with us. You may be able to help with this as well. We need to recruit more people to our side. I would start with anyone that was with me before the invasion. Celest will know who is trustworthy. We also need high quality metals, some horses, and supplies to support the new recruits. An accurate map of the tunnels and mines nearby would also be helpful." He said, not really directng the request to either one of them. "I will go out to the nearby villages and see what's happening elsewhere. We need to get contacts in the smaller cities."
"Maps I can get. Metals..." The merchant trailed off.
"We have some alien materials from the equipment that Ned brought. But we need more. We can't get that material from this world." The scientist added.
He nodded at the scientist, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I understand. Until we can acquire some we'll have to make do with what we do have. We need someone skilled in the forging of metal, at any rate. Someone who can make guns. I believe Ned could teach them a thing or two that may benefit us. He can also teach them how to make electricity using water in a way we never thought of and to purify saltwater. Algaeia is great but it makes water taste different. This would help you out, Merchant. Selling such devices should bring in money that we can use to buy equipment and pay our recruits. The Procurer can help you do this without drawing attention."
"You're asking for quite a bit but I'm sure I can get it done." The Procurer said with a grin. "I should let Rubi know what the stakes are for her first so she can start putting some more urgency in to this."
Grant smiled at the procurement specialist. "Excelent. I want you all to know that if we win, I guarantee you will be rich and powerful. If we lose I will request that you are spared. The General and I will take full responsibility for the resistance." He said with complete sincerity. His face turned serious again. "Now, does anyone have any information on what the invaders are actually doing, or do I need to go speak to the General about that?"
"Taking all my alcohol," The merchant said, sounding a bit dejected.
"And visiting other worlds it seems... " The scientist added, "I mean, we've seen then gathering large groups of soldiers sure. But we also saw their flying transport depart for a day. We were able to observe it heading into space... rather than over to one of the nearby cities... but we quickly lost sight of it. When it returned it brought with it two empty containers attached to its hull."
"Two empty containers, eh?" The Procurer chimed in. "Seems kind of strange to bring in two empty containers for supplies. Unless they're not supplies and they're looting the place. I haven't it sound it directly but it seems like it's a possibility seeing as how the government had some nice riches inside their palace."
Grant nodded. "Yes, I assume they came here to exploit our resources. If they wanted to occupy the planet I think they would have brought more men with them. I wonder what they want to take with them. If there was something valuable here, why haven't we already found it?" He suspected the answer may be that they were too far behind technically to make use of whatever the aliens wanted.
"Uh... Well...." The scientist's was quite unsure of himself at this point, "I can speculate. These metals are abundant everywhere in the universe. With the right technology you could extract the material from the ground. Precious metals may also be easier to come by in space... not that they couldn't get them here as well... Maybe they want us? The most complex and rarest material is the organic kind after all. Plants. People. Animals. All of that is something you would have to come here for. I mean... maybe they have a planet worth of flowers somewhere, but flowers don't grow easily.... Sorry, does that make sense?"
The scientist's explanation made a lot of sense to him. There was also the possibility that they needed workers. Although one of those armors could probably do the work of a hundred men. Grant started thinking out loud. "No matter what they want from us, this clearly isn't a full-scale invasion. Maybe whoever leads these guys is just some kind of raider. There must be laws out there. So maybe we could somehow use their equipment to send a message to whatever passes for the law out there."
The Procurer nodded his head for a moment before stopping with a thought popping up. "What if you end up calling something worse? I mean, sure we're getting invaded by what might equal a tiny force but you might end up signaling some evil omnipotent race of... cats or something." The Procurer let that sink in for moment before realizing how stupid he just sounded. "J-Just saying hypothetically is all, not that I'm disagreeing with the plan of us maybe trying reach out to something stronger and not a race of god-cats."
"Maybe your friend Ned could help enlighten us on who is out there?" The scientist asked.
Aaron, unsure of exactly what his friend "Ned" would be comfortable with him sharing, took a few seconds to think. He tried to figure out what he could say without giving away Ned's secret. Finally he came up with a response. "Ned.. well, you may have guessed he's not a local. I will leave it to him what he is willing to reveal. We did discuss what sort of beings are out there.." He struggled to recall the names Ned/Azariel had mentioned. "The uh, NMX he called them, seem to be the worst of what's out there. They are the horrible tentacle monstrosities I feared would show up. There is also a race of cat-hybrid soldiers called Knee.. Nicko.. Nekovalkyrja from the Yammy-tie Empire. He mentioned winged people called Elysians who sound like a proud warrior race. These Elysians are vassals to the cat people now. Fortunately since Ned is so knowledgeable we would most likely be able to direct the message to a specific species."
There was a soft murmer from the gathered leaders,
"You make it sound as if subjugation is all that is out there." The scientist replied.
"Perhaps we would be better off with one of the others...." The merchant said, "Empires need trade. These thugs just want to take."
"This may not be so simple. We... Even if we win. We are no longer alone in the universe. Others will come eventually, either by chance or by intent. We need to consider our place in the universe, not just our place on this planet." The stress and emphasis in the scientists voice was all over the place. The flood of new discoveries drowning his mind in the new.
"Well met, good sirs," came a voice that echoed through the library as the tall figure of Azariel walked into the meeting in progress. His many years of public speaking seemed to know just how to use the chamber to his advantage, creating a dramatic entrance for the much bespoke Elysian ally of the resistance. His silken white and purple robes followed his methodical footsteps, as the former senator hung the drab brown coat and walking stick of the one known as 'Ned' carefully on a rack in the vestibule. There was no more reason to hide the white and blue wings that sprouted almost regally from the elder Patrician's back, as he assumed a respectful debate position alongside of Aaron. "What faces you is a struggle for identity, not unlike a bird thrust into the world prematurely out of its nest before it has found its wings. But perhaps that is why I was brought here... to lend you my own in this time of crisis."
Ned's dramatic entrance didn't surprise Aaron. He was quickly getting used to the "old man" making use of such theatrics, and the revelation that he was a Senator made a lot of sense. He calmly addressed the other leaders. "I suppose it isn't quite a shock to some of you. Ned, or Azariel as he was known, is one of the Elysians I mentioned." Aaron cleared his throat again, which he usually did before changing directions. "Ned is easier to say so I will go with that for the sake of convenience unless you object. Ned, do you believe it's in our best interest to try and contact one of the species you told me about? I would prefer not to have anyone else die, and I worry that sending a signal could lead to more deaths. I hate to say it but I think it may be better for our world to work with the invaders."
The Elysian fluttered his feathery appendages once as he was introduced. "While I would of course suggest to contact my former countrymen who once discovered this world, I fear that with them being under the sway of the Yamatai Empire that help would not be very forthcoming." There was a pause, then he continued. "There is however, another option to us. There is an interstellar nation called Nepleslia, comprised of many varied peoples that are much closer to yourselves.... Genetically human, with only minimal enhancements. They won their independence from Yamatai several years ago... a rugged, freedom loving bunch well at home colonizing many frontier worlds."
Ned pointed in the general direction of the seat of power that was now occupied, some distance outside the library's walls. "More importantly, I have a good idea of who our self-styled conqueror actually is. And if so, then the crimes she has once committed against this nation's leaders, the Greens, may be enough to spur them to aid us in bringing her to justice for her transgressions."
Grant considered the options silently. "No matter who we contact, I believe we should try to come to an agreement with the invaders before we do something that may cause more conflict. Bringing more foreign powers to our world should be our last resort." He said sincerely. "I have discussed this with Azariel already. If anyone has anything they believe we should request of the invaders, please speak up now. I didn't bring this up with General Jackboot present because I thought he would be completely against it. He's still worried about revenge. I like to think the rest of us are more sensible than that."
Azariel hardened his expression a moment, as Grant seemed adamant in his former position. "Hmm... building bridges is better than burning them, and would protect the people of this world if we collaborated... but I fear that Uso Tasuki cannot be trusted with any deals we may make. She is more than able to kill those who do no agree with her, and has backstabbed many in the past." The elder then stroked his wispy beard in thought. "But... how about the conduct of her associates? I have no knowledge of them, other than an Elysian being a leader among them and being primarily mercenaries. I understand that they have conducted themselves well, and not killed unnecessarily. Perhaps it is they can be negotiated with in good faith? Their bond with their 'boss' may not be as strong as we think, either."
"Actually... we may be uncovering a bit about her associates." The merchant said, waiting for a moment before attention would turn to him, "They have taken one of the vacation homes on the island to the east, and seem to have converted it into a pleasure house for their pilot... which is the name for the one they have that flies the triangle. She seems interested in the finer things, dresses and gold. Sighruss seems to have a romantic intrest in her, and so far seems to be overpaying the local staff. He may also fancy himself a bit of a crime fighter.
There are also more of their kind arriving... some seem to wander around the city and drink. Others have been whipping together groups of men to work in rebuilding some of the city's assets that were destroyed by fire."
From what the merchant said, this Cyrus sounded trustworthy, but it could be an act to get people on their side. Grant was unsure of the right course of action. Azariel knew this Uso, so his judgment was probably sound. "If you say we can't trust her, I believe you. This Cyrus sounds trustworthy, even if he is a mercenary. We should wait until he's alone to contact him. We shouldn't send someone we know." Grant said as he turned to the Procurer. "I will leave it to you to hire someone to deliver Cyrus a message, Procurer. Tell him we would negotiate with them if they can guarantee no reprisal from Uso. What we have to offer them is a way to end this before it begins. We offer them our services in ruling this world. We also have information about her that he might find interesting. This information may be worth more to certain people than she's offering for this job."
"Or you'll just get us all killed by showing our hand." The Procurer said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Not like we can confirm they're all thinking like we do but worth a shot I guess. Shoud I give word to our resident 'assassin' about the plans before she ends up causing some sort of crisis with the negotiations or should she just off her target before General Dickhead loses his mind and probably offs all of us?"
Grant shook his head. "We won't give them anything useful unless they can offer us more than just their word. Whoever does eventually meet with them will be wearing the armor Ned and I recovered. We choose the meeting place. Set up a distraction in case things go south, so our guy in the armor can get away." He considered the matter of Rubi. "Inform her of our plans and that Braith is angry. Tell her I tried to get him to wait two more days, but be careful just in case he acts before then.".
