Wheels Within Wheels pt III-I=II
09 Oct 2022User319792
This log is part of a continued collaboration with CMDR Bluecrash
When I came to, I was seated on the viewing deck of Nain One (V2L-45B). To the right of the flight deck was California Sector Nebula.
"Can the idiot that's not currently in the briefing room with everyone else report to the briefing room? I repeat, the idiot that is not currently in the briefing room with her Primis Aseptus is to report to the briefing room, immediately."
The din of Callie's crew, many who were seated on the viewing deck having meals carried from the vessel's mess, was stomped to death by a silence that swept from the PA speakers into the viewing deck. Some hazarded a glance from the corners of their eyes, some mid-chew, most looking away as I turned to them. I stood from my seat, pivoting on the ball of my right foot, and strode toward the bridge deck.
I'd received clearance to begin touching down, and tracked down a Supratech Artemis suit in Ehlanda. It was stiffer and heavier than my flight suit, restricting my movement to what the space between the exterior plates would permit. It also came with a helmet that fit far more snugly against my hair and I'd been considered cropping it. I carried a Kinematic Armaments Karma P-15 pistol, that fired kinetic rounds, and Taka TK Aphelion laser rifle, which burst-fired thermal rounds. Neither seemed particularly useful in their default load-outs and I'd resigned myself to spending more of my time trying to figure out how to fit my outfits over my Artemis suit without having to restitch them.
The man in the black suit set me to the task of procuring some occupied escape pods for our work with Imperial Senator Bluecrash's OO12 Fringe Science Lab. I asked what they'd need them for and mentioned that I could use some for myself in order to secure Etienne Dorn's support and he pursed his lips tightly and swallowed before speaking,
"Well,... IMPSEN Bluecrash and his lab are," he paused, his eyes never meeting mine, "currently exploring a relationship with an interdimensional being that has lived longer than the Milky Way galaxy." His eyes, still not meeting mine, were glassy and his voice seemed distant, as though he were talking to himself rather than to me. "Queen S'larr, as the IMPSEN has called her, is hoping to save the human race from an eschatological phenomena that IMPSEN Bluecrash has referred to as 'The Silence' and it is the IMPSEN's belief that she aims to repopulate a new galaxy with humans found in such OEPs. According to the Fringe Science Labs report, the new galaxy- which will be home to the new human population, holds twelve planets that are culturally equivalent and climatologically similar to a place called Florida, which was a sub-division of a country that existed on Earth, in the Sol system over a millenia ago." The final word left his mouth, and he looked down at the floor in front of him, seeing something that seemed to leave him feeling empty inside.
I blinked for a few seconds, unsure of what to make of this information.
"So I'm harvesting bodies for an interdimensional being that's lived longer than the galaxy that wants to take these bodies and move them to a different galaxy?"
The man in the black suit slowly lifted his head, looking through me, and nodded. I was no more sure of what to make of this information than I'd been before asking the question.
"So just bodies? Random, living bodies that were once... that are people, and I'm just gonna harvest them when I find them and take them aboard Nain One?"
The man in the black suit nodded.
"Isn't... wouldn't that make us slavers?"
He snapped out of his reverie and glared at me. I blinked and he barked out,
"No! What we are doing is procuring resources for a science lab as part of a business enterprise that The Zero has cleared us to undertake. Slavery has no part in this Cadence. Why would I make you, a former Imperial slave that we took into our care, do the work of a slaver?"
I watched him as he spoke, focusing more and more on the motion of his mouth as he began enunciating his words clearly, before responding,
"But, they're people." Then, I remembered Etienne Dorn and looked away from him. I pursed my lips to the left side of my face and decided to move on from the subject for the moment. "So I'll be looking for distress signals planetside and hoping to find OEPs. Anything else?"
The man in the black suit looked down at his pad, his eyes glazing over again, "Yes. A few other things, actually. OO12 is also currently conducting research on Thargoid hyperspace mechanics. IMPSEN said something about their mastery of certain natural elements that, when kajiggered in the right way, expand the naturally occurring wormholes all around us." I blinked again, and he continued, "OO12 scientists believe its a technique that they might be able to exploit if they collect enough data on thargoid technology, so you'll be reporting any interactions with thargoid sites, barnacles, tech, and hyperdictions as well. Make sure to fit yourself with at least a couple of tons of corrosive resistent cargo space. The Nebula seems to be a hotbed for xeno activity, at the moment, so we're in a good place to do this. It might also explain what it is that was going on with you the last time you were out here, so there's that.."
I thought about Coral and asked if the information IMPSEN Bluecrash was looking for might be related to the organization's use of the Nebula as a staging area for the final phase of Realignment and he shrugged his shoulders, looking toward Orion and Clara, who'd been occupying themselves with considerations of Coral's progress. "But, while we're on the topic, you've been cleared to track Coral's path through The Run for signs of life. This is a no contact protocol and in no way will you be authorized to provide any form of aide or support in the event that you do manage to find her. It seems unlikely that she'll be expecting anyone, so you probably won't need to cloak your activities, but if you do happen to come across her, and she and Keystone look to be in good shape, then you'll report here immediately before returning to your higher-priority tasking."
Callie entered the bridge deck, in a freshly cleaned flight suit, and the holofac screens immediately lit up, with galaxy maps highlighting the Alliance outposts and stations in the region. The man in the black suit turned away from me and toward the holofacs, before rising to his feet to walk toward the screens. Clara took note of Callie's entrance and she and Orion wrapped up their own discussion, joining us in front of the holofacs. The man in the black suit called up a couple of other charts and began,
"The Nebula was the site of a thargoid incursion in the middle of last year. Callie and Clara's work has focused mostly on the Archon Delaine, so I'll let them discuss any matters pertaining specifically to the pirate. The Office has requested I look into the Sirius-Alliance treaty and what may come of it, focusing now on any possible output from the Alliance's efforts in the nebula. They were the first one's here after the discovery of a series of Thargoid barnacles and they currently hold the strongest presence in the region. It can't be overlooked that their partnership with Sirius provides them with a far greater technological wellspring than either the Federation or the Empire," Callie coughed, and the man in the black suit shot her a questioning look, which she waved off, "so we'll be spending a lot of our time here looking into the network that they've set up. I've forgiven Callie the use of some of the information provided by Imperial Senator Bluecrash's office and she'll be providing a further in-depth look at what it is we're looking at, before submitting it to The Office."
I'd forgotten that, as a suit, the man in the black suit hadn't distinguished between the use of the name for Munus Nullus Ordo that I'd used and its proper title. Coral had always called them The Zero and I hadn't until recently pieced together that they were the same entity. The man in the black suit wrapped up his briefing with a short bullet-point about how I'd be contracting myself to Mic Turner Base, Mahon Research Base, and Darwin and Ford Research Facilities for the time being before shutting his presentation off the comms and making a space for Callie, who stood and tapped a few keys to open what looked to be a large concept map.
"With my focus on Archon Delaine's Kumo Crew, I was the natural choice to provide you three with carrier support for the remainder of Coral's Realignment. The Kumo Crew has maintained a steady presence in the region since 3305 and Delaine was openly vitriolic in his response to the Thargoid incursion that occurred last year.
Due to your work, The Zero has suggested we continue to look into possible connections between The Kumo Crew and Zachary Rackam. Both have been linked to Kavanaugh Spaceframes ltd. and The Zero believes that Mr. Rackham's bid for the presidency, currently stalled due to the Hudson Contravention delaying the elections until 3309, may provide each with the incentives to take each others' interests into account. Various parties, IMPSEN Bluecrash included, are convinced that Mr. Rackam's wealth is due in large part to his pirate activities at a young age and the ties that he's maintained since. Whether or not this rumor happens to be true, it may provide a helpful camoflage for any of the activities they may decide to involve themselves in.
Furthermore, the piracy channels produce a very specific connection that The Zero wants us to look into. IMPSEN Bluecrash herself has equally emphasized her interest in determining the legitimacy of the possible connections between Rackam and the Kumo crew due to her own belief that Rackam may be in league with the Rochesters."
I looked toward the man in the black suit, whose eyes squinted at the mention of the Federation's shadow vice president. Callie looked toward me, before returning to the briefing.
"Imperial Intelligence indicates that Federation Farragut-Class Battlecruisers are armed at the forecastle with two massive railguns. Railguns that The Zero agree may be increasingly useful in the event that the Thargoids resistance to Guardian-based weapons spreads through their population. Especially should such railguns be modified by Sirius-Alliance thargoid technology.
IMPSEN Bluecrash has been making inroads to attempt to determine if Mr. Rackham has aims to court former Federal Admiral Aden Tanner. The Zero has indications that such aims may very well be in the interest of both Federation and Imperial entities. The Zero believes that the decision to seize Novus Ordo Siderum (V2L-45B)," I flinched at the mention of my vessel, "may have been linked to a discussion between the IMPSEN and Princess Aisling, at an event attended by both Carl and Cadence.
The Zero believes that Princess Aisling may be attempting to broker a deal between the Empire and the former admiral to procure Farragut-Class armaments for use with Imperial Majestic-class vessels. IMPSEN Bluecrash has stated openly that such a deal would be in the Empire's interest, and The Zero believe the Princess' former relationship with Jordan Rochester, and the associations made within the Federation through this relationship, might provide the Empire with the necessary network through which to channel these arms.
The Zero also believe that Mr. Rackham's efforts to court the former Admiral might be equally aimed at securing arms of the like, possibly through and to the benefit of the Kumo Crew, which is believed to the candidate's main source of security for the time being. With the suspected ties between Kavanaugh Spaceframes ltd. and the Kumo Crew, The Zero believe that its in our best interest to determine the degree to which the Kumo Crew may be capable of penetrating Sirius-Alliance intelligence."
She paused, for dramatic effect.
"The Zero believe that Zachary Rackam aims to place himself in sole possession of the arms required to counter the continued thargoid threat, using the Kumo crew to procure Sirius-Alliance xeno-intelligence and to transfer Farragut-class arms with the aid of Admiral Aden Tanner, in order to position himself as the sole means by which to protect The Federation from threats domestic and intergalactic.
The main opposition to such an event, according to The Zero, would be a similar effort to court Admiral Aden Tanner by the Rochesters, currently occupying the position Shadow Vice President in Isoldé Rochester, in order to secure such weaponry away from President Hudson and in the hands of an allience between the Federation's current shadow government and Princess Aisling's constituents in the Empire. It may go without saying that, as Princess Aisling goes, so do the aims of Emperor Arissa, but The Zero is unclear on the matter.
In any event, that's why we're here in the California Nebula."
I looked away and squinted, letting The Office's conclusions settle in, before looking back at the man in the black suit, then back at Callie, who looked confused for a moment,
"Also, Coral's out there somewhere. So there's also that why we're here."
The man in the black suit shook his head, turning to Clara,
"Is The Office confident in this intelligence or are they just tin-foil hatting this?"
Clara looked toward Orion, who shrugged his shoulders, and then turned back to the man in the black suit,
"It's The Office, Carl. It's as confident as it needs to be. We'll work, we'll wait, and we'll see what comes next."