APP Conference Part 2:

Celefra System: Capitol Space

Despite arriving at the station earlier than most, Carron, led by a very exasperated guide, only just now entered the room that would host the conference. He was carrying some poor female menial who looked very uncomfortable with the situation. As he whispered in her ear she made a face like she forced to watch her husband’s execution again. He glanced around as if just noticing his surroundings.
“This is my stop. Later toots.” He dropped her and she dashed out of the room as quickly as her feet could carry her. He meanwhile took in the room, briefly glancing at the assembling ships above him. It was a grand sight, but he was used to grand sights, what drew his attention was the blood.
With his arms held out he took three bounding steps before leaping, adding a diagonal spin as he did. He landed and kicked off on one hand, flipping backwards several times before landing one handed on his chair’s backrest. He hauled the chair up as he pulled himself to the floor, sending the chair high. He leapt, delivering a roundhouse kick that caught the chair on its edge, spinning it like a top. He leapt again, preforming a front flip while also matching the spin of the chair. He landed, seated perfectly in his chair, his foot coming down on the table to arrest his spin.
He had an ever so smug look on his face as he shouted, “SUP FEMALE OTTERS? What’d I miss?”

with no clear space of their own the three draconian priests moved about the room silently, gliding across the floor without any form of visible effort and taking a place near the silent ones' representatives, all except for one, the priest with the mask of the wide carnivorous smile, who slipped past the other representatives, unnoticed, drifted over to where the corpses lay, still unmoved by Inara's order to her subordinates. while the mask's features remained unchanged, there was a sense that it whatever was behind its golden face had its eyes fixed upon the lifeless bodies.

Inara seemed to notice the bodies of the Justicars disappear as she turned her attention away from Carron, amused and somewhat annoyed by his antics she looked around for where the bodies had gone, noticing one of the CDG preists in the vicinity, she narrowed her eyes as she then turned away. Noting that despite everything the Axioms had still not arrived yet.

The third priest quietly made its way back to its brethren near the silent ones. the trio waited and watched silently behind their masks for the conference to progress, acknowledging their surroundings and Inara with their masks affixed on her position.

the constructs representing the silent ones had, by that point. had already made their way to the conference room from their drone-like shuttles in the hanger bay. making their way to the seats that had likely been designated for them. The humanoid-like construct of silvery metal illuminated within by a greenish sort of light, forming an impressively advanced design, even compaired to the other factions present in its intircacies and systems. its build clearly denoting it of a high importance to the Entities, or had simply been built as the best form of representation they cared to give.

The drones following it were less impressive, but still equally as dangerous. resembling miniture versions of the silent ones frigate classes of drones, of black metal and green illuminations on their sleek hulls, but seemingly unarmed, or possibly posessing concealed weapons systems.
The constructs following the main representing figure, resembled insect-like things, 8 manipulating limbs or weapons of some odd design hanging down from Hovering main bodies, 2 of notible size and posessing suitible armor to form a shield over their fronts should they need to, small spheres of a flickering darkness seemingly suspended under the joints of each limb. complex arrays of optics turning as they looked at each of the members of the room, the entitiy groups within then arranging their profiles based on what they knew of each of the races or factions present.

The figure sat, regarding the information as the drone constructs, ignoring carrons entrance entirely, its robe of segmented metal plating shifting as it turned to regard the Priests as they stood near it and its supporting constructs. giving them a nod in acknowledgement. one of the Two smaller drones going to observe the area where the bodies had lain.

From the hangar bays of the station a tesselation surged, covering the surfaces of the walls and the shuttles that had landed as if it was an image projected into the environments. It was subtle at first, mere glimpses of lines and movements, small artifacts that seemed to appear on the edges of the crew's field of view. The pattern began to shift slightly towards the corridors of the station, passing underneath the unwary crewmembers that stepped on it, oblivious to their shoes being covered with faint traces of the same geometric patterns. However, the closer they got to the conference room the less the geometries limited themselves to something that blended in with the imperfections and details of the ship. Gradually the pattern began to gain detail: what were just faint and disconnected lines began completing each other, describing repeating, triangular arrangements of sharp vertices and subtle curves. Movement was what came next, at first only sketches and timid twitches but eventually they developped into spectacular, kaleidoscopic entities that rotated, turned inside-out and pulsed with something that would have been recognizable as life, as if breathing. The mass of shapes grew ever sharper, gaining definition and fluidity and becoming obviously blade-like in appearance. By now the entity was causing most of the crewmembers that found themselves on its path to bolt out of the way and triggered several alarms, as strange as the previous arrivals were it was hard to not simply get out as fast as possible when a mass of rotating bouquets made of scalpels, forcepses, dilators, retractors and clamping devices made its way to the corridor, leaving the corridors seemingly breathing. The deeper these breaths became, the more the surgical blades and implements became three-dimensional, jutting out of the walls, roof and even some of the crewmembers, who found their bodies warp and blossom into fractal arrangements of the blades and tools. Following the entity and walking beside the extremely stunned but still living Capitol crewmembers was a procession of creatures wearing hospital gowns and carrying a variety of musical implements whose cacophony announced and celebrated the arrival of Shifting Mirror's Master Surgeon. Only at the very closest of inspection were these amorphous creatures mummified in gauze and covered in medical bandages reveal to have once been human, their bodies modified into unthinkable, non-euclidean masses of flesh by the hand of the Master Surgeon. The tallest ones flanked the procession, looking like hunchbacked, walking trees made of IV bags with fleshy armored trunks and small heads covered in clusters of bespectacled eyeballs, carrying rifles tipped by bayonet-like protrusions of scalpels and bonesaws. By the time it entered the conference hall, the Master Surgeon's fractal forms were protruding out so much from the walls that going through the doorframe caused them all to merge into a single, floating creature whose body was a cylindrical set of monomolecular blades surrounding a mass of interlocked cutting edges, manipulators, needles and scissors. It effortlessly passed through the table to assume its position in the conference, passing through Inara and a few others and causing their bodies to momentarily form part of the pulsing fractal mass of knives that composed it. Following in its wake, only when the fractals started to disappear, were the representatives of EPA, its two founders, now reduced to several Stonehenge-like formations of organs in flasks connected by thick, torturously heavy bundles of cables with vestigial arms and manipulators growing out of them.

Inara gave a small smile at the sight of the Axiom arrival, she knew it would be positively repulsive yet grand in its own way. However she knew that dwelling on such would both do her sanity no good and delay this meeting. She nodded to each of them in turn.

"Now that all of you are here. I would like to begin this conference. By first congratulating all those involved in our initial strikes. Histirion has been a success despite unforeseen circumstances. And Mirach is a swamp ground for the allied forces to dump their fleets into. Meanwhile the invasion and capture of Alpha Ceti is garunteed, now that we have the help and support from Harkins here. We shall have the technology and weapons in no time. And the viral attack on the Federation has taken the allies off guard in that region. and the secondary invasion of the Unions northern systems by Eos has drawn away more forces. Well done everyone" She grinned.

"However now that phase 1 is nearing completion we shall move onto Phase 2" Her eyes narrowed "Now that we have shown the allies what we are capable of we cannot count on surprise and underestimation anymore. We will have to hit hard and fast. The plans I set out see that strategic locations such as Tau Volaris be retaken, as well as much more wider attacks on various allied forces, split their fleets as far as we can while others of us then use our force to punch through and destroy key targets, such as shipyards, research stations and even capital worlds. However I would wish to ask, who will be backing phase 2, and be intresting in joining the APP against the allied forces" She asked, her eyes shifting towards the forms of the Accordite particularly.

Carron slammed his hand on the table several times before yelling, "I suggest we surrender! They'll never see it coming; take them by surprise it will. That or we should intentionlly lose battle after battle. Get them to see us as incompetent fools. And then after many years of spreading their forces thin, we take them by surprise and surrender!"

Horus stood against a podium, his talon-like fingers resting softly against the rough metal surface.

He watched Inara carefully, completely disregarding Carron's ridiculous jest. After taking a moment to absorb her words, he spoke up, his booming voice a stark contrast to his gentle features, "It would be safe to assume that every person here has some semblance of interest in backing the APP, but it can also be safe to assume that it's not why we're here." He continued, "Hukte in particular, is interested in what shall happen after these victories come to fruition. What can the APP offer in return for the allegiance of several colossal factions?"

Inara merely curled her lip in a subtle smile at Carron, before turning to Horus "That's a very good question Justicar. And I will be happy to awnser. The AGA and the CAE see that for the galaxy to progress all peoples regardless of origin must accede to a specific set of rules, managing borders, only entitled to so much space. Only set military sizes and more. Such rules stifle the advancement and evolution of the galaxy, and dosent take into account those that may well be native here" She looked around the room "The APP will rid the galaxy of these 'rules' and replace them with nothing. The APP offers the same combined efforts as the allied forces such as resource sharing and joint technological advancement but with none of the restrictions, any member may advance however they wish, and may do what they wish. Essentially I wish to rid the galaxy of the restrictive and useless rules of the allies and their prejudice towards those empires which wish to expand"

Carron snorted derisively, “No good. No good. No good at all. Excellent points they may be, but the Immortal Empire gains nothing we didn’t already have. The nations of the AGA and CAE are both so painfully passive, much more reactionary than many of us here. Without provocation would they have attacked us just because we weren't following rules we never agreed to? I think not. I think. I THINK!… I think I want an ice cream.”

As the one of the Emerald Swords turned to go fetch the madman’s treat, Carron continued, “Now, I don’t know about the others, but I need something… more, before I commit anything more than some token forces.  Freedom from a restrictive regime is all well and good, but hardly worthy of galactic genocide. That and the Immortal Empire doesn’t WANT to declare war on the AGA or CAE if we can help it, or so I’m told. Actually, Carnaith in particular I’d rather not fight. They seem like such a jolly people, and I just can’t kill happy people. Well, I could, but it’s so much less satisfying than killing a bunch of 'Nancy McNoLaughs' like you lot.”

"I like the way that one thinks..." The entity with the mask of a screaming woman said to her bretheren who turned to look at her then to Carron. a muffled, calm chuckle came from behind the mask of the ravenous grinning man.
"Yes....We recquire more incentive. something we cannot simply take." He said.
The third entity, with the mask of the smiling scarred man, spoke this time. "Im sure something can be arranged to make this proposal even more generous for the lot of us than simple freedoms. freedoms which some of us can already claim are ours....we can surely come to a beneficial agreement that will sate our hunger, both yours and mine." He said to Inara.

"Perhaps the Immortal Empire's most honored delegate's sensibilities played a role in their kin's quick and precise excision from Tenebrae territories, however advanced their benefactors were." Spoke up one of the two cyborgs- if they could even be considered that at this point they were still cyborgs and not just simply racks of servers implanted with the arbitrary memory that they were once Klchn'r-Ngth and Nrzrqrz-Lll, the two revolutionaries who established the order and took it from a couple of rioters to an ecumenic church with an armed wing far larger than the forgotten oppressors. "If that is the case then a moment of quietness would probably grant you enlightenment."

Master Surgeon remained silent, at least outwardly, but remained clearly influent, spreading onto the details of the room and making everything from the pompous decorations in the hall to the laurel etched into Inara's medals acquire a sort of fluid sharpness, small details morphing into surgical knives.

Beyond the perception of the other beings he began engaging in several powerful databursts with the Silent Ones representatives. The databursts were interpreted by the EPA twins, which appeared to serve as proxies to relay far more complex data to the Silent Ones. Their conversations and arguments quickly escaped anything ennunciable by normal humans as the prepositions became branching, self-recurrent, looped or fractal, then each of the arguments would be retroactively juxtaposed onto the entire conversation, which looped incessantly in every possible permutation. It was then that the Silent Ones took notice of just how much of the information density was dedicated to discussing the Master Surgeon's personal artistic tastes, with actual pragmatic talk being an almost afterthought.

"Underestimate not the benefit of our relations going beyond mutual self-defense" The other machine said. "For we have nothing to envy from organizations who have become a means for the weak to parasite on the enlightened with all manners of mandatory scientific and financial integration programs."

Shadow jerked his head away momentarily, the unexpected bursts of data effecting his implant. Listening in on the new points being brought up, he brought his own voice to the front.

"Quite honestly, without allies, we would be at a disadvantage to the AGA and CAE, two networks of nations... yes, this disadvantage would be lessened by us all allying amongst each other, but that still does not allow us the advantages of a clear command network, which immediately lets us take hold of the shock value of surprise. Without these vital communications, the strength of desperation combined with the slower movements of void combat may allow them to turn the tide to their favor. Nonetheless, I personally don't know why it was needed to start a war, though that may well be the viewpoint from my training." He said, looking about.

"Also, I would like to know the advantages of not entering into an alliance amongst ourselves, surely people aren't afraid of being social, yes?" He finished with a grin on his face, his seemingly aged eyes out of place with his youthful features elsewhere on his head.

“Pffft. Honored? Honored it says. I’m not honored.” Carron leaned back to address the Emerald Sword, “I’m not honored am I?”
”No.”
“See? Maybe you should make a little effort to know who you’re talking too. And quit chatting with beetleborgs over there. It’s distracting.”
Carron chuckled lightly at the obvious irony before he turned to address Shadow with a sing song voice, “Well Shades, I’m sure you must realize that it isn’t wise to make with the friendly just because you have a similar goal with another. I’m sure some here have goals that conflict with others. This would of course lead to many nasty, although admittedly hilarious events in the future. So of course we’re going to be a little… reserved.”

"Do not let the fact that the exchange of information with our most respected peers is the main subject of this meeting remain above your conscience, most graciously honored and dearly revered delegate, may you and those alike you be blessed for a thousand years." The EPA computer rack said, suspended above its seat on the table. The many interconnected modules drifted somewhat freely, intermingling and connecting with each other, blurring the separation between the twins. "So it is only natural for the divinely-guided acumen of His most highly venerated intellect to contact the other dear delegates as he sees fit, a task which we will facilitate as far as our capacities will allow."

"As for your subsequent argument, let us free you of the burden of an uncorrected mistake and enlighten you, honored guest." It continued, its manipulator hands gesturing and twitching more to keep the mechanisms running properly than to give more depth to his decorous words. "For contrary to your words it is indeed wise to form alliances with those that shareth your most wise objectives so that not only the coming of their achievement can be hastened but that were our different peoples to ever diverge and perhaps contradict in their goals we would have the framework of a diplomatic organization to arbitrate any disputes without us having to force our view into fruition, which would be a most unfortunate occurrence."

While it spoke it continued to databurst with the Silent Ones, apparently balancing the CPU usage between his verbal rethoric and his relaying of Master Surgeon's information.

"That is the essence of an organization such as the APP, the limits of which must be strictly adhered to, which our most decorous host Her Radiant Majesty Empress Inara of Capitol appears to have wisely foreseen."

Meanwhile a torrent of ethereal information was being exchanged between the mechanical entities. The Silent Ones representatives were sent a long, linear chemical formula of thousands of atoms. Upon quick computing the Silent Ones' representatives could find out it was the chemical formula for DNA Ligase IV in humans, a protein that repaired breaks in DNA strands. The common molecule was the Master Surgeon's calling card and identification: the extremely complex being was very similar to it, as he too was tasked with overseeing and finding mistakes in the informational flow of Shifting Mirrors, then correct them via surgery.

Inara nodded to the Axiom representative "My honoured guest of the EPA here understands well. The benefits of standing alone against the allies are few, together we can make a stand. While you may believe that the CAE and the AGA were content to leave us alone I can safely say that is and was not the case. I have evidence to suggest the Union itself was lobbying for action to be taken against my people, as well as the CDG here and even the Axioms if nessecary" She paused before turning to the CDG "Do you really think the allies would allow religions such as yours to flourish in this galaxy? Or perhaps do you think Eos strict religious standings would fair any better? Or that the Justicars here would be anything more than hemmed in by the kalaedans and the USM? Independantly we would of been picked off, one by one, slowly but surely by the allied forces. Together we have a chance to make a stand, pool resources and technology if you so wish. We have already made a point that the allies can be stood up to. Alpha Ceti is turning into a victory and Histirion inflicted heavy losses on the allied fleet. This is just the tip of the spear. And while some factions may after this war is over wish to act against one another in their bid for power and space they can be free to leave the APP and work to their own adgendas. But for this war. We must work as one, and if nessecary we can work to establish areas of this galaxy for each other to take. So that such wishes to take riches and populations and technology can be sated without bloodshed between us" Inara replied.

The man with the suit and suitcase was the next to speak up "While I represent Sir Triarch himself in these proceedings Inara herself will attest that while Triarch is not willing to spoil its trade networks with official affiliation with the APP we will be offering intensive pacts to any member nations who joins. For example our company provides the Axioms with nearly their entire logistics network. And that we also sell weaponry and more to the Separatist Union, USM and more here. Any willing to join the APP will get heavy bonuses from us indeed"

Shadow piqued an eyebrow.

"Evidence? What sort of evidence, madam Inara?" He asked, putting his elbows on the table and propping his chin up with his index fingers. He then turned to the man from Triarch.

"I may send a delegate to speak to you or another under sir Triarch's allegiance, but first, I ask what makes the APP so special to a corporation that we get bonuses when nations with a more active economic atmosphere could provide a better biosphere for any further growth? My nation may not practice trade on a regular basis, but by no means does this not interest me." He spoke. His implant had blocked the frequency the silent ones and EPA were broadcasting on, and he had sent notice to an envoy to check into any history of Triarch that could be dug up.

"More than once their admiral Hargun has referenced the need to eliminate Capitol and others present here from the face of the galaxy, a notion that was well received by many of the allied forces. I even have video evidence of such" She smiled "It will be provided for you privately if you so wish"

Orion merely smiled "Then we can arrange such a meeting soon enough, and special? My benefactor favours those who are to be the next power in the galaxy. Judging by our projections the allies time is over. The APP will be the next major trade block, we would like to establish links with out services now rather than later. After all helping that become a reality would only strengthen ourselves as well"

"Very well. Send it my way at your convenience, Ma'am." he said to Inara, before again replying to Orion.

"A fair assumption. Though Shadowblade is very computerized, rarely do I rely on a mathematical simulation... but I will let you be the judge of your own processes. I look forward to working with you, sir." He said, now leaning back in his chair.