In the eternal debate between the material determinists and those who propose that there is some kind of unifying force or deity shaping the events of the galaxy, one thing united both of them. Cause and effect-the simple question was whether or not these were molded out of sheer chance, random chaos or the hands of some supernatural power, benevolent or not. Aculia was still unsure where she fell on the side of that particular debate, but what could definitely be said was that the events that led her and elements of her XIII Battlegroup to Panatha that faithful day were anything but simple, and that fate had skillfully woven multiple threads into one to ensure that they would be placed there.
The reasons were many and intertwined in curious ways. Things were changing in the Elysium Empire and the wider galaxy, and as she had learned, one bends to the winds of change unless one wish to be snapped by them. First, political developments within her and her forces home at the end of the galaxy were developing in unexpected ways. New movements were making their voices heard, such as the Nomadic People's Coalition her former boss
Grand Shepherd Burtch
apparently was involved with, there were rumors of a massive reform of the Senate, many of the Dobsons were being taken down, and of course the shakeup in the Sakuran Empire due to
Kimiko Taiyou
's death at the hands of the Mawites at Tython. She and her faction of the Refugee bloc needed to gain more leverage to expand their influence at home to make sure things developed the way she wished them to. And that meant greater independence for the men and women she had sworn to protect, and large amounts of credits to sway those who did not share their views.
Militarily, the Battle of Tython had shown the critical importance of continued fleet modernization and the need for more experience against and in alliance with the major military powers of the galaxy. There was only so much they could learn and develop from crushing the local Outer Rim tyrants and pirates. New technologies and tactics would have to be invented and perfected in order to ensure that the precious Imperial Core could be protected, so that the displaced men and women of the XIII would never have to worry about being forced to flee from their homes like dogs once again.
Thus, she had begun to merge the XIII Battlegroup and her own company, Voland Military Enterprises, together as a paramilitary organization that served the Elysium Empire, but could also serve as a private mercenary contractor to the other powers of the galaxy, provided they were not in active hostilities against their home. This was presented as a way to save on the costs of territorial and military expansion for the increasingly cash-strapped Elysians, given that their economy had no notable, unique exports to fund Rex’s imperialistic ambitions and the people were already being as taxed as much as could be expected. Thus, by exporting military personnel and expertise, she could accomplish both of her above goals: modernize and strengthen her forces to be on par with the other galactic powers, acquire the credits necessary to run them without being wholly dependent on Rex, and increase the sway and influence of the Refugee Bloc within the Empire.
As part of this new policy and reorganization, following the Battle of Tython where she had worked together with Eternal Empire forces to repel the Mawite invasion and destroy the menacing Super Star Destroyer
Fatalis, she had applied for and had been granted permission to meet with the Eternal leadership at Panatha to hammer out a contractual agreement in exchange for credits and certain essential technology that she had concluded would be far easier to acquire in the sufficient amounts for her plans than the long and difficult process of reverse engineering or the extremely expensive ways of illicitly acquiring it through third parties. Thus it was that she and a smaller element of her forces would be there that dreadful day.
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Aculia rubbed her forehead vigorously and took a sip of fine Sakuran tea as she, her XO Captain Severin, and an assortment of company officials held a meeting on the bridge of her command ship, the Aspis-class Pocket Carrier
HMS Valiant. She had been so busy since Tython that she had scarcely had a moment to breathe. Keeping an eye on the political machinations, running the fleet, running her company, trying to keep up at least a little bit of her own personal combat skills. It was exhausting, but such was life when she was effectively the “mother” of all those under her command.
“With the recent shipment finally arriving from HPI, we can now begin work on Projects S-150, S-237, S-239, which should be able to substantially bolster our ability to carry out various naval and groundstrike capabilities that we have hitherto been lacking. Of course, due to their nature, only a comparatively small amount can be produced, but our simulations have indicated that the strike package capabilities enabled by them will more than compensate for the costs of their production.”
She nodded her head thoughtfully as she listened to Severin’s report on the various engineering projects that were under development to broaden the capabilities of her forces since Tython. Already, some modernization efforts had paid off, but with recent subsidized acquisition of the critical stealth technology from HPI, more would be on the way soon. They would have to inevitably pay for it in blood, the price of which she was here to negotiate, but such was a necessary sacrifice.
“And the progress of the rest of the fleet not with us presently?” She inquired, finishing up her cup. They had brought a comparatively small fleet here today, less than 1/4th of the size assembled by the Elysium forces at Tython.
“As per your instructions, they are conducting exercises and war games in the neighboring systems, and becoming acquainted with our new… ‘partners’. Per your orders, they have been keeping detailed records.”
“Good. We should be learning as much as we can with this opportunity.”
What she had learned so far had confirmed her earlier fears, that they still had a long way to go to achieve parity with the other galactic powers. They were strong enough in their own corner of their neighborhood, but she could see why the Eternals had treated
Rex Valhoun
as if he were minor nobility rather than on an equal level to their Empress. The sheer scale of the Empire, its economy, and its forces were astounding, from what she had seen the math she had done in her head, they dwarfed what the Elysians could muster by a count of nine to one. It was clear what they had sent to Belsavis was only a fraction of what they could have deployed if they had so truly desired.
That’s not to say that such a large empire does not have its weaknesses or problems, but I hope
Loreena Arenais-Valhoun
can convince her husband to accept a smaller share of the galaxy and acquire more friends for now. We would be hard pressed to fight even a limited defensive war against such a power, let alone an offensive one.
As her task force came out of hyperspace over Panatha’s space, she concluded the meeting and began issuing orders to her forces. A few defensive CAPs were launched around her forces, composed mostly of Howling Harriers, Flying Falcons, and Strike Eagles, and a few squadrons of ARGUS SAWAC craft to distribute out command and control capabilities, but the majority of the strikecraft remained docked. After all, she was not expecting any hostilities, they were well within Eternal territory and she was here to negotiate with the Eternal leadership. She was not quite sure who she was to meet-she doubted it would be the Empress herself given that she had not even deigned to meet Rex, likely some mid to high level naval official or some of the Empire’s own minor nobility.
“Send word to Panatha along the prescribed channel that we have arrived in accordance with our agreement and have kept our force to the appropriate size prescribed to indicate our goodwill and sincerity. We await further instructions from their designated representative and look forward to meeting with them soon.”
She took a moment to glance at herself in the mirror, adjusting her black and gold military uniform properly. She longed for the days of the past when she could simply wear her nice, comfortable, tailored robes, but when doing business, one dressed for it.
A brief sense of unease fluttered through her stomach and along her spine for a moment, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling up. She paused, furrowing her brow for a moment. Why? Was it just her nerves? Or was the Force trying to tell her something?
There’s no danger here today, not this far into Eternal territory and I doubt they would have invited me all the way out here just to snuff me out. I’m not that important to Rex. It’s probably just my nerves.
Anashja Tal
Silhana Cadera
Khamul Kryze
Kralmus Orr
