[img]http://puu.sh/FZqht/2644cfd542.jpg[/img]
[b]Olympus Mons, Mars[/b]
[b]The Olympic Palace[/b]

[i]The Presidium of the All-Martian Congress of Soviets[/i]
[i]Sol Lunae, Mina 9, 1186 ATO[/i]

Unlike the freewheeling debates - and excessive commentary - that characterized meetings of the Soviets both high and low, the Presidium met in person and retained the right to do so privately. It was one rarely exercised, but considering the news reports of the past few hours the Martian people frankly expected that they would confer without the live chats and cameras. Which did [i]not[/i] stop the chattering Communists from discussing what [i]they[/i] would do if they were in control, VR and plaintext forums filled with the thoughts of the Red Planet's 1.6 billion souls. And beneath it all was the unspoken promise, the unspoken [i]threat[/i], that if the Presidium's response erred too far from what that churning mass of panhumanity eventually decided on as appropriate every single member of that esteemed body would have to find a real job.

Ivanova smirked at that thought, finally freed from her wandering mind as she took in the room. It was long ago, longer than any living Panhuman had lived, the grand audience chamber of the Prince of Mars, but draped now in the red banner. Here, a Prince had declared himself Emperor, never to return from his demented quest. But that was the past, and there was history being made now.

"Comrade Keqiang? I couldn't quite catch that," a soft voice said, a baseline human man physically taking notes. Such was the secrecy of the session that automated recorders had been forbidden, and a Presidium member duly elected to serve as Secretary for the duration.

"My apologies, Comrade Langenbach," she replied after a deep sigh. "As I'm sure you are all aware, history is marching ever onward, and once more the volksgeist is made manifest. The Ustran proletariat calls out, the mistakes made with the Belt shall not occur again. This time, history will unfold as it ought and neither reactionary nor liberal shall stand in the way. Not this time. Our comrades in the Socialist Ustraian Party but await the hour, and we shall rush to their aid. Before such an hour occurs however.... 'Sometimes, history needs a push'," she quoted, to nods from the other members of the Presidium. "Comrade Camus?"

"Of course, Comrade Keqiang. Our contacts in Ustra have made significant advances arming those possessed of sufficient revolutionary potential, and our cadres in training are advancing smoothly. Additionally, we are exploring the possibility of providing munitions to the lumpenproletariat, a recommendation shall be made to the Presidium after we've discerned the extent of that particular class's reactionary tendencies within the Ustran context," she said in a gravelly voice. Camus was an orc, the Jovian creations having found their way to Mars in due time. For her, the liberation of the Ustran working class was as much a matter of history as self pride.

"Very well. Let us forestall any further discussion until we receive news from Ustra or Comrade Camus. Moving on, I have already been briefed by the Committee of State Security in the ministerial meeting prior to this on the Lunar affair, I trust you all have been similarly informed. Comrade Langenbach, add the report to the record if you would. Presently, the Technate appears to be reinforcing their zone of control in orbit of Luna, but we have reason to believe they do not intend to stop there. Presently, we are not entirely certain of their goals, but the Committee finds it doubtful they will be harmful to the Republic. Therefore, I propose that we invite the Technate ambassador to explain the situation. All in favor?" Ivanova pronounced, a chorus of ayes answering her. "Opposed?" To which there was only the sound of silence.

"Comrade Keqiang, on the matter of the Technate, we have been mulling a proposal," another man spoke up, a thin Red. Receiving the Premier's silent nod, he duly continued. "It concerns Sol Security. I have worked with the Special Committee, and I believe we are nearing the fullest extent of our understanding of its systems. At least, as far as we may without further examination of its network ourselves. The Technate however ought to have a sounder basis, and we see no reason why they would not wish to collaborate with us on this matter."

"In favor?" Yet another chorus of ayes. "Opposed?" And again, silence.

"Very well, Comrade Eisen. You shall discuss the matter with the Technate's ambassador [i]after[/i] we have resolved the present matter. Comrade Langenbach, record the end of the meeting, we are adjourned," Ivanova pronounced. The Secretary made the final notes on his minutes before stowing them away. Not a single member of the Presidium made to leave the room.

"Our formal business has concluded. What I speak of now shall go in no record, and if nothing comes of it, shall be nothing but sound lost in the wind. If we do decide to pursue this course of action, the record shall be sufficiently accurate for posterity. Am I understood?"

A tense silence filled the room at her statement, but none of the Presidium members were surprised. Private sessions of their meetings were rare in the extreme, and such unrecorded 'after meetings' were expected. Only now could the concerns of perception and politics be thrown aside, and the doctrinally unsound be massaged into an acceptable form.

"The Legion is a threat to all Panhumanity, that much I hope we all agree upon. Talus must be dealt with, and sooner rather than later. If possible, remedying its defective codebase would be the ideal solution, but we may be forced to turn to military means." A deep intake of breath, not just from the Premier, but the entire Presidium as they all braced for the other shoe to drop.

"I am proposing we send a diplomatic mission to Venus to entreat the Empress for an alliance against the Legion."

The resulting uproar would no doubt have made fantastic entertainment, almost as certainly as it would have toppled the entire Presidium. When the dust finally settled, the vote was narrow, but in favor. As consolation, the mission would be conducted in secret, and a rough proposal was sketched out for the mission to conduct itself on Earth where only the Mediterranean separated their borders. A missive was quickly prepared for transmission to Venus, encrypted with the most intensive of ciphers, to the Martian mission in the heart of the Empire. Naturally, a hardcopy was made for their matching number on Venus, the delivery deliberately delayed so that the Venusian representative on Mars would receive the message at the same time that the Martian representative on Venus was delivering it to the imperial palace.


[hider=A tightbeam message to Venus]
Veturia Belletor-Gordian IV,

We have little in common, and less to talk of. But the current threat to all Panhumanity demands that even differences such as ours be set aside for the good of all.

It is clear to us that little of value can be gained by the passing of messages, but we will be blunt as to our goal. We wish to form a front in common cause against the Legion.

If such is to your liking, we would recommend a meeting on the island of Malta between your agents and our own to begin discussions.

The Presidium of the All-Martian Congress of Soviets[/hider]