[b]Five Years Before the Present Day
Perimeter of an Ashtar Sect Compound, Rural Tynaria
Kadathi Core World of Tynaria, 1:02am Local Time[/b]

The wind was frigidly cold. Despite not truly being [i]alive[/i], Nightingale could feel it. As an Engine Doll, she had no life processes, no complex series of chemical reactions fueled her form, thus she did not [i]feel[/i] the cold the same way a Saralai would. Her teeth did not chatter. Her limbs did not shiver. The only thing the cold did to her was bring about a sense of sluggishness, the components within her body slowing by a minuscule fraction. In the end, it was hardly of any consequence to her performance, and thus, was nothing she needed to worry about.

Her boots made light crunches as they strided through the snow. In this regard, she was not alone. Both ahead and behind her, the sounds of tens of boots were the only thing that resounded through the silent night. Including her, these eighty odd men and women constituted the Werewolf Company of the Ministry's [i]Special Action Division[/i], assigned to Tynaria to hunt down the remnants of a militant Ashtar sect that had for some reason, chosen not to escape towards the young Jalaryian Ascendancy. Werewolf Company had been trying to pinpoint the location of the sect for the better part of a year, infiltrating local cells, tapping communication lines and spying on suspected cultists. 

It was after eight months of work before they could finally track down the location of the sect's headquarters, a sort of commune built in the virgin forest of Tynaria's northern continent. Of course, by then, winter had already arrived, a snowstorm descending upon the forests and leading to the current state of affairs.  If anything, Nightingale thought, the storm would at least help mask their approach.  Another five minutes passed before the column came to a halt, and a voice rang through the communicators embedded in each agent's ear.

"All units at attention. Recon Teams have located the target. Split the formation into your respective fire teams, form an encirclement of the facility at a distance of 100 metres." 

The voice belonged to the commander of Werewolf, Lieutenant Nyklaus Sazan. Nightingale's assignment. Her Engine Doll model was not a combat form, but that of a fully sapient military adjutant. Ordinary dolls were shackled AIs, their processors strictly limited to ensure absolute obedience to their programming, and thus nullify any chance of rebellion. The fact that she had free will was the result of pragmatic utilitarianism, rather than idealistic generosity. The processing powers of an unshackled AI were vast, and as a result, real-time creation and adaptation of battlefield strategems, calculation of effective combat potential, analysis of past conflicts and much more were all within the scope of her abilities. 

Nightingale's "existence" began nearly a year ago when she was assembled in an automated plant somewhere in the core worlds as one of the first in a new line of androids. The memories stored within her analytical engines however, could only be traced back 9 months, when they began uploading a personality file, as well as entire archives of military data into her storage. Scarcely a month after that, she was placed on a shuttle headed to Tynaria, and assigned to her current post.

She served with Lieutenant Sazan for the entirety of her time here. Whilst initially skeptical at first, the man soon had to admit that Nightingale had her uses. The coordination of the entire Sect Hunt was her handiwork. Nyklaus however, was something even her analytical abilities could not quite pierce. The man himself was part enigma if nothing else. Ruthless ambition bounded by an exterior of self confidence and with a flair for verbose dramaticism. That was the least she could pin down. 

It took eleven minutes for all elements of Werewolf to take up position, using the cover of the snowstorm to mask their presence from the cultists standing guard from the compound's watchtowers. Nightingale linked up with Sazan's team, which had just finished setting up a heavy kinetic autocannon within the thicket. 

"Nightingale. Enhance the volume of your synthesizers and announce the presence of our encirclement around the sect's compound. Issue a demand for the immediate surrender of the entirety of the compound and all personnel within, with a time limit of ten minutes. " Nyklaus ordered. She could only recoil in utter shock as her "mind" repeatedly parsed the command again and again, as if denying what she just heard. Nevertheless, she heard correctly, and after a brief moment of silence, her processors came to terms with the irrationality of that order.

"Lieutenant, permission to speak freely?" She inquired as she looked directly into his eyes.
"Granted." came the reply.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing? Analysis of the current formation concludes that in addition to the element of surprise from our infiltration of the perimeter, our chances of victory, human element notwithstanding, is close to 97.1%. Furthermore, empirical evidence from previous skirmishes between Werewolf and Sect forces allows me to determine that the probability of militant surrender is 1.2763%, rounded up. That is to say, for all intents and purposes, the chances of surrender are practically zero."

Nyklaus did nothing but smile in response.

"I appreciate your counsel, Nightingale, I really do. But there are times when the threat of force must be tempered with the fleeting, but ever-attainable prospect of mercy. Observe." 

With a posture of bravado, Nyklaus began marching, alone, towards the compound's main gate. Once he emerged from the woodwork, Nightingale could see clearly the sentries hone their rifles at the lieutenant.

Arms outstretched in the most dramatic of poses, he amplified the speakers on his combat suit and began reciting his ultimatum.

"Armed militants of the Penitent Blade of Asha'Loqei; I speak with the authority vested in me as a defender of the Realm of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV of the House of Dzijmeter, 67th Emperor of Valusia, 13th Emperor of Kadath, its constituent member states and oth-"

His rather excessive declaration was cut short by the whine of a magnetic rifle, the afterimage of a kinetically accelerated slug momentarily flitting in the space between Nyklaus and the sentry towers. The shot, however, found itself impacting an invisible barrier of compressed gas about thirty centimetres from Nyklaus' face, deflecting the projectile harmlessly into the snowy ground. 

"Tsch, ingrates." He mumbled, before raising his voice. "All units, open fire, gun these terrorists down, all of them!"

On cue, the treeline surrounding the compound burst to life. From carefully established firing positions, the whirrs of kinetic slugs and the popping of grenade launchers broke the silence of the night sky. The autocannon's barrel spooled, revolving once, then twice, then thrice, faster and faster until a burst of tungsten darts erupted from the barrel, tearing through the reinforced plating of the main gate.

The high pitched shrill of an alarm pierced the night for a brief few seconds, before the wind picked up, drowning it. Nightingale pressed forth with the rest of her team, pistol in hand as snowflakes danced with greater fervour through the air. The snow would provide the perfect cover for the one-sided massacre that was about to occur, burying the fallen in its frigid grasp and locking away the secrets of tonight. Until spring came to Tynaria, and everything began anew.

================================

[b]19th Victor's Street, Office of the First Minister
Unity City, Matros[/b]

In the aftermath of the vote to withdraw from the Treaty of Madrigasa, the media, both domestic and foreign, erupted as yet another state abrogated the Treaty that had kept peace within the galaxy for two decades. On the homefront, most of the blame was being directed towards the Commonwealth as the first domino to fall, triggering a chain reaction. Whilst partly true, Arta couldn't see it as anything more than rabble rousing and nationalistic flag-waving, blaming the despised "other" for the actions the government was forced to take. Of course, Arta didn't hold any love for the Commonwealth either. Sure, they provided freedom, peace and security to their citizens, but their social order was built on the backs of hundreds, if not thousands of what amounted to exploited slave worlds.

Fear of being the Commonwealth's next target was the driving force behind three decades of pre-Ashtar foreign policy. When their ships disappeared, fear of the Commonwealth was what drove the Union into the Great War and fear pushed Kadath into taking steps to ensure their sovereignty, even if it technically meant violating the Detente. 

Her eyes glanced over the screen on her desk. The video she was about to play had been hand-delivered by courier first from a nebula on the edge of Kadathi core space to Khulda Point, before being loaded on a shuttle and delivered as a chip to her residence at Victor Street this morning. Courtesy of the Supreme General Staff, of course.

Within the cloudy expanse of the Gwyn Nebula, a massive capital ship, dwarfing any vessel currently in service to the Federal Navy, and perhaps the galaxy itself. The Imperial Superdreadnought [i]Triumphant[/i], constructed for half a decade whilst shrouded from outside view by the radiant colours of Gwyn. It's silver hull seemed to glisten, contrasting with the reddish hue of the nebula, as blue exhaust filtered out from the rear. As the angle of the recording shifted, she found herself staring down the barrel of a five and a half kilometre long magnetohydrodynamic cannon. Red filled the screen temporarily as the scene shifted to a side view, the barrel's light growing further in intensity.

An antiquated Valiant-class Battleship of Commonwealth manufacture came into view. During the Great War, Kadathi military planners experimented with the idea of boarding teams to assault and disable capital ships, enabling the Federal Navy to supplement its faltering fleets with captured enemy vessels. It was a flawed strategy. Whilst the plan proved to be successful in [i]capturing[/i] ships, repairing them without actual expertise on the vastly different technological systems employed by their opponents meant that in combat, the ships were ineffective at best and a liability at worst. Most captured during the war were lost in subsequent engagements, but a few did survive.

One of them was the RCNS Brandenburg, captured in the closing days of the war, around the time calls for peace were being sent out. Brandenburg was sent off to the Navy's R&D Department in an attempt to reverse-engineer Commonwealth tech, and when that failed, used as a training ship. Over the decades, the tech started to deteriorate, and with no ability to properly service her, Brandenburg was finally dispatched to the hidden drydocks of the Gwyn Nebula for one final mission.

A few more seconds passed before a crimson beam erupted from the Triumphant. Half cutting though, and half blending with the nebula's gas, the beam impacted the first layer of Brandenburg's defenses. The graviton shield buckled for a split second before the onslaught, before fizzling and cracking like the shell of an egg. Undeterred, the beam continued its path of destruction, smashing a gaping hole through the armor and hull and emerging from the other side, chunks of internal components slowly spilling out into vacuum.

Brandenburg's hull shuddered, groaned, the ship's superstructure warping and melting as the reactor went into critical meltdown. It only took a moment for it to reach the breaking point, engulfing the remains of the ship in an incandescent fireball. 

Arta repeated the video, again and again, etching every detail of the display of force into her mind. It provided a sense of assurance to her, that Kadath finally had something to even the power gap with the military and economic behemoth on its borders. 

After ten or so replays, she took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Time to get to work. With a flick of the screen she pulled up a dictation application, and got started. Arta had a lot to respond to. News took a while to get to Kadath, after all. Thanks to a certain group of humans attempting to blow up every PsiNet Beacon in the region, PsiNet communications had to be re-routed through Commonwealth or FedNat beacons space, significantly increasing the time it took for news to reach Matros.

"To the esteemed Chancellor Alanna Decroix..." she started, the software converting her words to text. She intended to send a missive to the Federation and what amounted to a diplomatic protest to the Commonwealth, which could be dispatched through the PsiNet. Next were the Lokoids and Utopians. Those would have to go by courier, by nature of the politically sensitive content they held.

[hider=FedNat Communique]
[@Taeryn]
To the esteemed Chancellor Alanna Decroix,

First, allow me to offer my congratulations for the outstanding ovation you last received at the podium. It is good to hear that at least some nations in this galaxy still stand up for the cause of freedom, peace and stability. I likewise echo your statement that the Treaty has come to lose meaning. If anything, the Treaty's limitations only ended up giving the galaxy the motivation it needed to refine the doctrines of modern warfare, evolving along paths that initially diverged, but ultimately converged to enhance the destructive capabilities of contemporary warships. Vessels which have had their restrictive chains hacked off by a simple speech and parliamentary vote on Corinthene.

You may be aware that the foreign policy of every successive Union government for the past century and a half has been based on a combination of fear and skepticism for the Imperial Systems Commonwealth. Under my tenure, that simple fact has not changed. Thus I write this letter, with the intent of securing closer ties with the Federation in economic matters. Simply put, rearmament is a resource-intensive endeavour, and Kadath would very much like to sign a bilateral trade agreement to secure the purchase of large sums of raw materials for ship construction. 

I've already informed both my ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Economy, and they have given Ambassador Jeralt at the Kadathi Embassy on Horizon the authority to hammer out the terms of such an agreement on behalf of my government, if the Federation is interested in reaching such an agreement.

In good faith,
Arta Smiljer, First Minister of the Government of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV.
[/hider]

[hider=Note to the Commonwealth Embassy on Matros]
[@Ozerath]
Honoured Representatives of the Imperial Systems Commonwealth,

This message has been composed by the Office of the First Minister on behalf of the Government of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV of the House of Dzijmeter, 13th Emperor of Kadath. Please relay the following with all due haste to the Lord Sir Clement Herzog von Metternich, Lord Chancellor of Her Imperial Majesty’s Government.

[quote]Your Excellency, Lord Chancellor Metternich,

I write this letter to you as both warning and plea, for with the vote conducted by the Commonwealth to withdraw from the Treaty of Detente, you have set in motion events with consequences both far reaching and wholly unpredictable. By the decision of the Low House, the delicate peace which has endured for two decades after the Great War is on a knife's edge, with the possibility of the galaxy descending once more into another era of barbarism and senseless destruction. 

Agdemnar notwithstanding, the most likely spark to light the next galactic conflagration lies on the Rolvian world of Manir. I trust that you, as head of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, will take the right steps to ensure the continued provision of peace throughout the galaxy.

Respectfully, 
Arta Smiljer, First Minister of the Government of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV.[/quote]

[/hider]

[hider=Letter for the Supreme Hierarch]
[@Liotrent]
To the Supreme Hierarch Araq,

I extend my greetings to the Council of the Lokoid Hierarchy, and its many castes as a whole. I will admit, that this is the first time in my Premiership that I have written to the Hierarchy, and I apologize for not taking the time to properly acquaint myself in the past three years since my conformation to office. 

Formalities aside, Kadath greatly appreciates the services the Hierarchy has provided the Union since the start of the Great War, a relation that has only since evolved in the conflict's aftermath to one of mutual economic and technological cooperation. Our engineers are still grateful for the programming support provided by members of the Academic Caste during the development of the Adjutant model Engine Doll.

As the relevance of the Treaty of Detente fades, the galaxy is finding itself closer and closer to the precipice of war. Rearmament becomes more of a necessity rather than a luxury with each passing day, as armies bleed on Agdemnar and fleets posture in and around Rolvian space. 

As you know of course, rearmament is both expensive and time-consuming. Building ships from scratch even more so. Thus my request to the Hierarchy is as follows. Kadath needs to secure the purchase of a large sum of raw materials for ship construction, and will pay a considerable sum for any the Lokoid Trade Group can provide; up to 10-20% above the current galactic rate. 

I've dispatched the Minister of Trade, Baronetess Lady Elia of Alphen to the Kadathi Embassy on Takar. She should arrive on the planet around the same time as this missive reaches you. Please speak with her if the Hierarchy is interested in discussing terms in greater detail.

Kind regards,
Arta Smiljer, First Minister of the Government of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV.
[/hider]

[hider=Missive to the Chosen of Utopia]
[@CrispyOctopus]
To the honourable Chosen,

I must first apologize for the contents of this missive, if they are outdated by the time they arrive at Utopia. The sensitive nature of the words contained within makes me loathe to deliver them through standard FTL communication channels.

As I am sure you are aware, the Commonwealth is on the move. They've seen fit to tear up the Treaty of Detente, relegating the peace of the past two decades into naught but an armistice for twenty years. 

Our states have had decent relations in the past, and we both fought against Commonwealth expansionism during the Great War. I write this now to ask if the Utopians would be interested in reviving that wartime alliance as a proper pact of defense against the renewed ambitions of the Commonwealth. Should Utopia find such a pact agreeable, Kadath would be willing to devote some of its resources to assisting rearmament and modernization of the Project's warships, that we may both put up a valiant defense if the Commonwealth once more places expansion as its primary goal.

The question of whether Utopia will continue to adhere to the Treaty of Detente is also a matter for discussion if military cooperation is on the cards, though I suppose by the time this message reaches you, Utopia will have already joined the rest of the galaxy in casting off its limitations.

Respectfully, 
Arta Smiljer, First Minister of the Government of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV.
[/hider]

================================

[b]Agdemnar System, Orbiting the Moon of Agdemnar VI
Aboard the Imperial Assault Carrier, Moran[/b]

Sleep was usually something unnecessary for synthetic constructs. They did not tire, nor did their mind begin to falter after long periods of activity. Nightingale however, did sleep, though it was not in the conventional sense of the word. Her mind operated in a manner similar to a storage drive. Through the course of a day, memories would be written into storage. The nature of the writing was however, inefficient. Memories tended to be stored as incoherent fragments, necessitating that she 'shut down' for two hour intervals roughly every week to organize them. She'd done this process about four times now, making this the first full standard month she'd spent here in Agdemnar. 

The buzz of her room's intercom roused her from the end of her torpor.

"Auxiliary Officer Nightingale, the Lieutenant-Colonel requests your presence in his office." came the voice of a communications officer.

"Yes, noted. I will be there at once." She replied, tersely.

Taking only a few seconds to get out the door, Nightingale proceeded at a rather brisk pace towards the main elevators. Moran's interior hull was divided into six decks, all accessible by maglifts placed at hundred metre intervals along the deck of the nine hundred metre vessel. Decks 1 and 6 were dedicated to the operation of the ship's maglev turrets, whilst Deck 2 housed the reactor, hangar bays and firing system for the Moran's main gun. Deck 3 was dedicated to quarters and recreational facilities for the crew, 4 to Medical, Research, Engineering and officer/VIP quarters. Lastly, Deck 5 housed both the Captain's quarters and the bridge.

It took a few minutes for her to reach Nyklaus's office, the maglifts were awfully crowded, though it was to be expected, given that she had been summoned around the start of the crew's shift change. She briefly considered taking the slower, but less popular route through the emergency staircase, but ultimately committed herself to the lifts. 

The doors to Captain's quarters swung open when she approached them. She peered quickly into the office, only to see Nyklaus at his desk, gesturing for her to enter. As protocol demanded, Nightingale went in and stood at attention, raising her right hand to a salute.

"My Lord, you summoned me?" She inquired.

Nyklaus was all smiles as he pointed at the seat opposite him. She sat down, leaning in closer to the table as the Lieutenant-Colonel brought out a datapad from one of the drawers on his desk, passing it to her.

'Report from ISF Blackjack'. The title stood out immediately. The long awaited scouting report from the stealth frigate dispatched three weeks ago. She began looking through the contents after a nod of affirmation from Nyklaus.

[quote]

For the eyes of the Lieutenant-Coloniel Nyklaus Sazan only,

Sir, as ordered, my crew and I have finished our survey of the current state of affairs within the Agdemnar system, in addition to scouting out  suitable sites for an FOB on the surface.

To put it lightly, and if you will excuse the breach of formal protocol, the situation is [b][redacted by profanity sensors][/b]. We have ships from every corner of the galaxy duking it out in skirmishes orbiting both the planet and its nearby moons. The surface isn't much better off either, rogue Jalayrian "knights" are launching suicidal mass charges against fortified Commonwealth lines, while the Taulron have camped near the shield at Point Jakurna, daring the galaxy to come evict them. To make matters worse, my men saw an Asrian capital ship off the port windows glass part of the planet, whilst their men engaged maggots on mobility scooters on the surface below.

To put it in as few words as possible, Agdemnar has become a battle royale for most of the galaxy, with the grand prize being whatever's under that shield.

You will find the full report in audio and holovid format, as well as a map of possible surface FOBs attached to this transmission, though granted that its an hour long and a terabyte in size, the written contents may act as an acceptable summary.

Respectfully,
Captain Jacob of the ISF Blackjack

[/quote]

"Well, Gale, what do you make of all this?" Nyklaus asked as she passed the datapad back across the table.
"I was thinking that an alliance of convenience may be in order here, though the identity of this ally is up for debate."

"One moment, my lord, initiating remote access of the ship's databanks.
Analyzing holovid footage..."

Nightingale's mind sped through the sea of information at the speed of light, her analytical engines rising in temperature by a few degrees as her body stood motionless, frozen as power was diverted to analysing the footage.

Analysing...
Analysing...
Searching...
Computing...

"Equation calculated, providing conclusion." She declared, her voice half-monotone and half-expressive.

"In accordance to standard Ministry operating protocol in the event of a conflict involving multiple parties obstructing a primary objective, I make the conclusion that your initial assessment was indeed accurate. An alliance of convenience between the Ministry's operating forces and one of the conflicting powers would be the most optimal solution, compensating for our numerical inferiority. In the skirmishes between the various powers, the tactical acumen of both the Jalayrian and Commonwealth Fleets stood out, indicating the presence of extremely competent leadership aboard the flagships of both fleets.

My final recommendation is approaching either fleet under flag of truce to discuss a temporary alliance." She concluded at the end of her long analysis.

"Very well then. The Director will not look kindly to me making deals with the nation that has threatened Kadath's independence for nearly two centuries, thus the Jalayrians, as much as it pains me, are the only option. Gale, issue an order to the Blackjack to have them track down the Ascendancy fleet and relay a request for parley. If they wish to open negotiations, we will meet in orbit of Agdemnar VII."

"Yes, my lord. I will proceed at once. Let us hope that they are unaware of the fate of the sect of Asha'Loqei." Nightingale said, saluting as she turned to leave. "If you'll excuse me..."

"One last thing. Please stop referring to me as 'my lord', military protocol be damned. I'm a common man by birth, and this pretense of nobility does not sit well with me. 'Sir' will do just fine, just like the old days."

"Yes, my lor-... Sir." She cast her head downward, legs making long strides as they carried her away, to the nearest maglift.