Phoenix War III

[Destructionator XV]

Destructionator Command Ship
Genator II
Deep space

"Thirteen, they are in range." the Will Riker android said.

"Fire missiles and execute jump."

The missiles streak out of the seemingly dead ship at incredible speed. It would take mere seconds for them to impact the Trollish shuttles.

Shortly after the missiles clear the tubes, the ship comes back to life, its FTL jump drive spins up.

[Ra]

Galadriel glared at Dietrius as he left. This was not going well, especially with what had just happened.

"Fool of a troll! Why was it necessary to fling childish insults at Kerrigan?" Galadriel thought. "As much as I hate to admit it, the Empire and Trolls are acting very oddly toward the Zerg; they must have some bias agains them. Even I do not put trust in them, but that does not excuse their behavior. The Zerg are no worse than the Goa'uld, as Ra himself has proven quite conclusively."

With Dietrius' psi disruptor device gone now, Kerrigan would be able to read that train of thought perfectly fine, but Galadriel didn't care. It was quite unnecessary for Dietrius to have done that, and it angered the elf visibly. Everything was going wrong in that conference, and she could do nothing about it.

[Destructionator XV]

My lord and ladies, I must return to the Goliath, I am waiting for some information from one of my agents, I shall leave the device here.

He won't stick around to hear the response, then. Coward.

Why would we do this if we wanted to threaten everyone with overwelming fire power?

"The good sir of the Trolls assumes we are talking about him using overwhelming firepower. Of course, with the Imperial forces here, he need not use his own, does he."

Your lordship, I have to enquire why you only came to the conclusion that the super laser should be disabled recently?

Let's see. Ra is a coward, you are the Imperial lapdog, Kerrigan doesn't know what is going on. If only Robert Walper were still here. he felt a shiver go down his left arm, the arm Walper chopped off during their epic duel, Yes, Robert Walper had the courage and the strength to deal with this Empire, unlike these puny cowards. We may never have been on the same side during his time, but he was still a power to be respected, unlike these guys. But how to word that aloud?

But then he felt a tap on the side of his hand. He would not need to answer this one, he knew.

"M'Lord was not the only ruler to come to that conclusion," the Lady spoke matter-of-factly in her formal tone, calmly and softly, her voice also slightly muffled by her body shield, "and the question of timing is a red-herring at best, an appeal to motive fallacy at worst."

She said no more, as from a pure logical standpoint, she showed the Troll's claim to be wrong.



EDIT: if he was not talking about the psychic distrupter thing, pretend I didn't say the following </edit>:

It is coded to my seam type, so unless anyone else here happens to of a boulder like tendency, It wont respond. It is locked on for for the next few hours, I cannot change that

"I can," the old A'millian said, holding up his left hand from under his cape so the others could see the magical sparks jumping off his white glove, "if you desire it, Ms Kerrigan, and you permit it, Lady Galadriel."

[Dartzap]

Sonova bitch!

His shuttle swirves and jinks, as the missiles screach past

Nemsis, activate and deploy the grav mines! I don't give a flying dwarf shit how you do it ! Activate them in the tubes! That ship has to be stopped!

The voice of the captain crackles over the comm Yessir, we're trying everything! We've lost the last shuttle, I guess it got the missiles from your tailspins!

The Nemsis rises above the Genator in an ever increasing acclerated movement it's engines pulsing a sickly red colour , It starts spewing hundreds of mines from it's lower torpedo tubes, each one pulsing electric blue, the Nemisis matches the ever increasing speed of the target, it's sides opening up to reavel the tubes for the docking wires, generally used for connecting with space stations that didnt have docking ports, each one capables of taking hge amounts of stress The boarding shuttles staying behind their frigate, huddling behind it's sheilds as the the two ships speed up

They launch the wires towards the Genator , five in a go, two impacting upon the hull while the other three bounce of the sheilds which have come up to deflect them

'Commander, we have a hold, upon the ship, I'm unsure how long the wires will stay put though, their ships has better acceleration than us, I can keep trying the docking wires though, the mines will be be up to their maxmim power in fifteen secounds'

Understood, Lets try this again...

[Destructionator XV]

In the Combat Information Center, the voice of Riker is heard: "FTL jump in 3... 2... 1"

The massive Genator II simply disappears in a blink of light, dragging whatever was attached with it.

Reappearing some dozen light years away instantly, the unlucky bastards who were attached to it were now alone, staring down the barrels of the attack carrier's point defense cannons.

His shuttle swirves and jinks, as the missiles screach past

The missiles that did not hit anything turn around and reacquire their targets. The ship may have left, but the deadly guided ordnance remains.

[Ra]

OOC: My bad, assume my last post was after Adam's. I haven't had enough coffee today.
==============
"Yes, I indeed permit it," said Galadriel. "Turn that damned thing off, for it is making my head ache."

[Destructionator XV]

"Turn that damned thing off, for it is making my head ache."

He gently slides his right hand out of his wife's hand, and stands up.

A swirl of light forms at his mid section, and goes up to his raised left arm, spiralling randomly up into the air as individual dots of beautiful light.

In a fluid motion, he lowers his hand to point toward the device, palm up. A lightning bolt forms above the device and strikes down. Adam draws his arm in, closing his fist, causing the lightning to continue through it and burst out of it, completely frying its insides, disabling it, permanently.

The magical energies of the spell quickly dissipate, revealing no damage whatsoever to the surrounding room. Not even the slight hint of scorching.

Adam puts his left arm back inside his cape and sits down. He gently puts his right hand back together with his wife's hand, allowing the meeting to continue.

OOC: Yes, remember, he is a master wizard as seen a couple times in PW1 (most so during the battle with Walper) and also seen in his mirror universe counterpart. You just witnessed him cast Thundara with the skill of an old expert. He doesn't flaunt his power in infantile tests of will like many of the others (yes, looking at the Phoenix), but it is there, and is not psychic in origin at all, so it was not blocked by the device's operation. For more information on what this power can and cannot do, ask me in the OOC thread.

[Dartzap]

OOC: Adam, it's a frigging Frigate The Shuttles will be alone but the frigate is quite a well armed bastard

'Captain!'

'I see it! cut the lines and get us out of here!'

'I can't sir! The mines are fully powered!

'Bloody hell... Okay, we should have the advatage in maneuverability, we're a frigate, thats a carrier...'

'While that is true sir, they do have some rather large PDC pointed right at us'

'The lines have been disconnected sir!'

'Get us beneath them! we'll strike at their belly with our main guns!'

'Aye Aye captain!

The Nemsis, finally rid of it's tether, begins rolling away from the carrier, opening up with torpedoes and pulse lances, it's begins the stalling action.

---------------------------------

Where in the seven hells have they gone?!

The slayers tried keeping away from their commander, they knew what he was capable of in this kind of mood

'I don't know sir, they just... went'

See if any other of our ships are in the area, I think we need some help...

'Aye commander'

[Destructionator XV]

OOC: Adam, it's a frigging Frigate The Shuttles will be alone but the frigate is quite a well armed bastard

OOC: And the Genator II is a biolaser armed attack carrier (Galactica class battlestar, enhanced thanks to Khardem, and crewed by Destructionator androids who are immune to the biolaser side effects). Remember too that most A'millian capships have FTL jump drive, allowing them to withdraw instantly from a field of battle, just like seen in nBSG. I used this extensively in battles throughout PW1.



"Thirteen, they are trying to get under us."

"Launch the fighters, have the belly batteries commence fire, increase thrust to full combat speed, and begin lateral roll, one hundred eighty degrees.... also begin transmitting a distress call to the nearest outpost. Tell them we have come under surprise attack from trolls and request instructions and assistance."

Outside the ship, the laser (normal laser, not biolaser here) cannons on the ships underside take up aim and commence fire.

From the sides of the ships, fighters slowly were pushed past the shield, and moved at high speed to engage the Trollish ship all while the Genator itself pushed up to full thrust to open a gap.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Your lordship, I have to enquirewhy you only came to the conclusion that the super laser should be disabled recently? You have had a long time to make this known to all the leaders before now, so why? it can't have been fear, your empire even with it's outposts here is strong, so it cannot be the fear of miltary reprisals

He stands up and walks over to the Queen and bends down next to her and whispers in her ear, so no one else can hear Terran


My lord and ladies, I must return to the Goliath, I am waiting for some information from one of my agents, I shall leave the device here. It is coded to my seam type, so unless anyone else here happens to of a boulder like tendency, It wont respond. It is locked on for for the next few hours, I cannot change that

He picks up his datapad and heads for the door. With a quick dust explosion, he returns to his flagship.

Darth Kreshna too, felt the urge to walk out, as he was already sick of the A'millans false accusations. However, he chose to stay anyway.

"I could understand my ally's desire to leave. No offense, my good Lady Galadriel, but the entire meeting is pointless. Consider this: the Empire just suffered a terrorist attack, and the A'millans seems to eager to berate the Empire. Is that the point of this meeting?"

Took a deep breath, "have we done anything wrong so far, so we deserve such berating? Have we attacked other nations since the end of the Guardian War? Certain nations are complaining about the Trollish-Imperial joint fleet exercise," glanced at Lord Adam, "but allow me ask a question: which nation has been harmed by the joint exercise? None! We do not violate other nation's territory. We do NOT attack other nation! We merely conduct a joint wargame between us."

"Lord Adam said that the A'millan motives is irrelevant. On the contrary, I believe that it was the motives that we should discuss."

The Sith stood for an effect, "first, the Sol Charter imply that the Empire retains the full rights regarding to the Death Star's configuration, including the superlaser. Lord Adam also signed the charter, and he did NOT object at all at that time. Second, since the signing of the Sol Charter, the superlaser has not been harming anyone, especially since the station has been staying on Earth orbit. I'd also like to add that it was the Death Star that saved A'millan Prime from a mysterious being named 'Unicron' during the Guardian War!!"

"Thus," the Sith continued, "frankly we were surprised by the fact that the A'millan Star Empire suddenly ask us to disable the superlaser out of the blue, while also rejecting our offer for a disarmament treaty. Of course it is reasonable to QUESTION THE A'MILLAN MOTIVES NOW. Why they really want to get rid of the superlaser? Feel threatened? But threatened by what? By the Empire's peaceful stance since the end of the Guardian War? By the Empire's effort to promote peace and stability in Milky Way galaxy? As a note," he now glanced disappointedly at Ra "Lord Baal has been courting the Empire in his development of naquada facilities, but the Sol Charter honors Ra as the acknowledged Goa'uld System Lord. Allowing Baal to develop naquada facilities would violate the Sol Charter, dishonoring our alliance with Ra, as well as disrupting the stability around Milky Way. Thus, the Empire has acted accordingly. We have done our part to keep the peace around the region, but what do we get in return?" the Sith kept staring at Ra.

Considering for a moment, Kreshna continued his speech, "as much as I hate to mention this, I believe it's time to mention our findings regarding to the bombing investigation."

The audience held their breath as the Sith displayed a black-and-white photograph in the Holo-Projector.



"This is the bombing suspect. She came into the Death Star using forged documents. However, we just found more surprising fact : she is not a living being at all! Our Mark II Bioscanner log showed that she is an android, and his electronic pattern, albeit more complex, is consistent with that of Destructionator android series of the A'millan Star Empire." the Sith thrown a datapad to the table, "you can check it yourself. On the datapad, there are also electronic patterns of various androids from many android-producing nation --including the Empire, but only Destructionator series of android shows a disturbing similarity."

"Also," the Sith now spoke with stern voice, "our immigration log also show that the android suspect had boarded a ship that we identified as Genator II. As some of you already know, Genator II was quite a notable A'millan ship during the Guardian War, since it is the ship equipped with Guardian Biolaser." Kreshna put an extra emphasize in the word 'Guardian'.

After taking a breath, the Sith continued, "and like I have mentioned before, all A'millans aboard the Death Star conveniently left the station before the bombing. The bombing ensued around the Metro District, which is usually populated by Trollish, Goa'ulds, Imperial, and A'millan civilians. Strangely, just before the bombing, all A'millans already left the station. No A'millan casualties in the bombing, not at all, only Trolls, Goa'ulds, Imperials, and other nations like Asgardians and Zergs. Coincidence? I'm asking the same question too."

"And now," Kreshna's voice became stern again, "the A'millan Star Empire keep emphasizing that their motives is irrelevant. It keeps me asking: why? Why the A'millans needs to hide their motives in disarming the superlaser? Why the A'millans refuse the Empire's invitation for a disarmament treaty conference? Do they hold hidden hatred to the Galactic Empire? And why, instead of arranging a disarmaming conference, the A'millans simply pulled out all their personell from the Death Star, conveniently before the bombing. Why?"

Darth Kreshna sat down again, but he telepathically contacted Galadriel, frankly, I don't know what happen anymore. We just suffered a cowardly terrorist attack, and now everyone is so eager to blame us, including Ra. Could you please tell me what's going on, milady? Has the Empire done anything wrong lately?

[Destructionator XV]

"We merely conduct a joint wargame between us."

"A war game located next to Zerg space, after you harass them and levy false accusations against them. I must ask that you not insult our intelligence any further, sir. You have made your feeling toward them quite know."

"Second, since the signing of the Sol Charter, the superlaser has not been harming anyone, especially since the station has been staying on Earth orbit."

"If it is not being used, and you do not intend to use it, why are you maintaining its readiness, sir?"

"I'd also like to add that it was the Death Star that saved A'millan Prime from a mysterious being named 'Unicron' during the Guardian War!!"

"Red herring, or perhaps even appeal to emotion fallacy. You'll find such things do not work among my people, nor the Vulcans, sir."

Why they really want to get rid of the superlaser?

"Sir, it is a weapon of mass destruction, moreover a weapon of terror. Its presence is incompatible with a truly peaceful stance."

"Thus, the Empire has acted accordingly."

"This whole Ba'al tangent is irrelevant to the discussion at hand, sir."

However, we just found more surprising fact : she is not a living being at all!

"How primitive and racist of you, sir. In our nation, all sentient beings, organic or otherwise, are afforded exactly the same rights. We make no differentiation between artificial and organic life."

"but only Destructionator series of android shows a disturbing similarity."

"Once again, sir, artificial life forms are still life forms, and may choose their own path. Even if this person is shown to be guilty, which has not been established, it shows that an individual made a choice, nothing more."

"our immigration log also show that the android suspect had boarded a ship that we identified as Genator II."

Your immigration log shows a person leaving and boarding a starship? Must have been a translation error, Adam thought.

"Tell me, sir, how is it that you would know this, if it is true? The Genator II has not been in the Death Star sector for yahren. Are you spying on us, as you spy on Lord Ra?"

"As some of you already know, Genator II was quite a notable A'millan ship during the Guardian War, since it is the ship equipped with Guardian Biolaser."

"Your point, sir?"

"And since you are speaking of the Genator, do you remember what happened to the first starship named Genator? You suddenly attacked her while she was doing mapping and observation of the locals of the Terran system, destroying her as she tried to flee, brutally torturing the survivors of her crew on your Death Star."

"and like I have mentioned before, all A'millans aboard the Death Star conveniently left the station before the bombing."

"Or is it that the bombing conveniently took place after they left? Or is it the timing was pure coincidence? All these are possibilities, and there is insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion. However, it seems you already have drawn your conclusion, sir. Just as you did with the Zerg."

"Why the A'millans needs to hide their motives in disarming the superlaser?

"We have hidden nothing of the sort, sir. Our reason is simply that we do not believe that weapons of mass destruction and terror are those of a peaceful civilization. Perhaps the more applicable question is why you refuse to remove it, despite asserting again and again that you are committed to peace and have no intention to use it. We only ask you back this talk with actions, sir."

"Why the A'millans refuse the Empire's invitation for a disarmament treaty conference?"

"We refused nothing, sir. You stated you were not interesting in talking to our man Kruger, so he went back home to his wife and three children. If you were truly serious about talking, you would have spoke to our representive. Is that not the reason he was there?"

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"If it is not being used, and you do not intend to use it, why are you maintaining its readiness, sir?"

Darth Kreshna replied coldly, "by that logic, a nation doesn't have the right to maintain its own armed forces during the time of peace, he turned to others, "Lord Adam has made a logical fallacy here; of course no peace-loving nation intends to use their weapons and forces, but it doesn't mean that the said nation should not keep them. Alright, for the sake of the discussion, let's assume," and he put emphasize on the word 'assume' "that the A'millan Star Empire is a peace-loving nation with no intention to use their fleet, now what if I ask the A'millan to disarm their Starfleet? Doesn't it sound ridiculous? It should be noted that the Empire did not ask the A'millans to disarm its Guardian Biolaser on Genator II, so I really don't understand why the A'millans suddenly became zealous in disarming the Death Star."

"Even if this person is shown to be guilty, which has not been established, it shows that an individual made a choice, nothing more."

The Sith's jaw dropped, his eyed widened. He stared at Lord Adam with disbelief for quite a time for an effect, then repeated the words slowly. "'Even if this person is shown to be guilty, it shows that an individual made a choice, nothing more'"

Darth Kreshna paused for a moment, again, for an effect, then turned to others, "so in Lord Adam's views, a person commiting terrorism and killing innocent civilians is merely 'an individual making choice'." His voice boomed, "you all have heard that, Ladies and Gentlemen. An act of terrorism, and the honorable A'millan Lord merely calls that 'an individual making choice'!!"

[Ra]

"Appeal to emotion," Ra said, waving a hand. "At the most basic level, it is indeed someone making a choice, even if it's the wrong one. Nitpicking Lord Adam's statement in such a manner is rather petty of you. You made the false conclusion that Destructionator units are some mindless automatons, which as my own intelligence reports - and I expect yours as well - indicate, is certainly not the case. You can't blame the A'millian government for the actions of one android citizen, no matter how much you desire to.

Just like with the telepathic message I got - in hindsight, it was from Galadriel - after we first met Ambassador Namtaru, where you and Lord Dietritus tried to claim it was Namtaru influencing my mind, you once again are grasping for straws to justify potential conflict. Your continual hints that the A'millians aid, abet, and even order terrorist activity are all too obvious, and your continuing attempts to find your witch to burn only vindicate Lord Adam's desire to have your superlaser disarmed! You're a loose cannon, Darth Kreshna, and that is why we don't want you flaunting around that much power; since it simply wasn't obvious to you why we would dare raise any concern."

[Destructionator XV]

*snip*

"We are not asking you to disarm your starfleet, sir, only the weapon of mass destruction and terror on the Death Star, the superlaser itself."

It should be noted that the Empire did not ask the A'millans to disarm its Guardian Biolaser on Genator II, so I really don't understand why the A'millans suddenly became zealous in disarming the Death Star."

"False comparison. The biolasers, which are being used on one single ship, are at most anti-cap ship weapons, analogous to your turbolasers. By contrast, the superlaser is a planet killer, sir."

"you all have heard that, Ladies and Gentlemen. An act of terrorism, and the honorable A'millan Lord merely views that as 'an individual making choice'!!"

"Please sir, you must learn to control your passions. What else is any action a sentient makes than a choice? Here you are, accusing myself, my honourable queen, our proud nation of being terrorists, and with what evidence, sir? You accuse an individual of a crime, an accusation backed up by no objective evidence, only vague images, and from there go own to accuse us all?"

"after reviewing the security cam recordings, the ship was eventually identified as the infamous Genator II. "

"Would you care to provide these recordings for us all to peruse, sir?"

"Now, explain, Lord Adam, why the A'millans need to dock one of their ships using fake name?"

"First, I would like to see the evidence you used to come to this conclusion. And when we see it is bullshit, perhaps then, sir, you should explain to me why you need to manufacture evidence against us."

[Ra]

Darth Kreshna sat down again, but he telepathically contacted Galadriel, frankly, I don't know what happen anymore. We just suffered a cowardly terrorist attack, and now everyone is so eager to blame us, including Ra. Could you please tell me what's going on, milady? Has the Empire done anything wrong lately?

Galadriel glanced over, and replied, "He's afraid. Ra is infuriated by how you know everything about Tais II, including his Guardian slave, and considers your nation's massive publicity over what he tried to portray as a minor border skirmish a direct challenge to him. He feels insulted, and embarrassed because you knew everything, and made so much of it public knowledge.

He quietly acknowledges that you did refrain from making the Guardian public knowledge, but the entire purpose for his posession of the entity and other examples of Guardian technology were to level the playing field between the Goa'uld and the Empire. He was going to turn on you sooner or later, Darth Kreshna, for his heart is black and corrupted. Ra only thinks of himself, and how to advance his own power and influence. He wants the entire galaxy to himself; to forge a galactic empire of his own. That singular aim was obvious, even from the first day I met him.

And now, because his plan has failed, he is seeking the most unthinkable of partnerships; Ra has spoken with the Zerg, and wishes to ally himself with the Queen of Blades. Kerrigan knows this, but what she plans to do with his offer, even I cannot see yet. I would have to meditate on the matter, but this is hardly the proper place or time to do it. I can only tell you that Ra plans to use the Swarm to his own advantage, and further tip the balance of power. War may not necessarily be on his mind, but he is planning something."

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Galadriel glanced over, and replied, "He's afraid. Ra is infuriated by how you know everything about Tais II, including his Guardian slave, and considers your nation's massive publicity over what he tried to portray as a minor border skirmish a direct challenge to him. He feels insulted, and embarrassed because you knew everything, and made so much of it public knowledge.

He quietly acknowledges that you did refrain from making the Guardian public knowledge, but the entire purpose for his posession of the entity and other examples of Guardian technology were to level the playing field between the Goa'uld and the Empire. He was going to turn on you sooner or later, Darth Kreshna, for his heart is black and corrupted. Ra only thinks of himself, and how to advance his own power and influence. He wants the entire galaxy to himself; to forge a galactic empire of his own. That singular aim was obvious, even from the first day I met him.

And now, because his plan has failed, he is seeking the most unthinkable of partnerships; Ra has spoken with the Zerg, and wishes to ally himself with the Queen of Blades. Kerrigan knows this, but what she plans to do with his offer, even I cannot see yet. I would have to meditate on the matter, but this is hardly the proper place or time to do it. I can only tell you that Ra plans to use the Swarm to his own advantage, and further tip the balance of power. War may not necessarily be on his mind, but he is planning something."

But the Trollish and Imperial fleet is there to *protect* him! Darth Kreshna replied with rage, by performing fleet exercise around the area, we can have an early warning in case the Zerg decide to attack Ra's again. For The Living Tribunal's sake, Galadriel, I've been always protecting Ra's faction all the time! He wanted Gun of Command, and I helped him acquiring them. Baal threatened Ra's faction with the naquada installation, and I have done my best to stop Baal. I've been babysitting him all the time, and this is all I get in return?

Calming himself, the Sith continued, milady, as for the A'millans... I don't know what to do with them anymore. All evidences strongly indicate that it was really the A'millan who behind the bombing. My Phoenix telepathy could not scan Lord Adam's mind without letting him know, but I can sense that he's lying all the time. The question is.... why? Is Lord Adam still the wise and benevolent king we all knew during our quest against the Guardians, or has he turned into some power-hungry, homicidal maniac?

Before waiting for Galadriel's telepathic reply, Darth Kreshna asked again, oh, if I may be so bold, but is there any news about Irene?

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

OOC: appeal to emotion is part of politics, actually. Haven't you ever seen politician that does not resort to fallacies?

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

*snip*

"We are not asking you to disarm your starfleet, sir, only the weapon of mass destruction and terror on the Death Star, the superlaser itself."

It should be noted that the Empire did not ask the A'millans to disarm its Guardian Biolaser on Genator II, so I really don't understand why the A'millans suddenly became zealous in disarming the Death Star."

"False comparison. The biolasers, which are being used on one single ship, are at most anti-cap ship weapons, analogous to your turbolasers. By contrast, the superlaser is a planet killer, sir."

"So does it really matter if the Galactic Empire has such capability? What really matters if whether we are using it, and we haven't been using it since the signing of the Sol Charter. By your logic, a nation with weaker firepower can ask the A'millan to disarm its weapon just simply on the base that it is 'too powerful'. That is ridiculous."


OOC: can we retcon the "docking bay photographic evidence" part? I think it would be unreasonable if the Empire fail to recognize the Genator, especially since it was quite a prominent ship in Phoenix War I.

"Tell me, sir, how is it that you would know this, if it is true? The Genator II has not been in the Death Star sector for yahren. Are you spying on us, as you spy on Lord Ra?"

Darth Kreshna went silent for a moment, then eventually replied, "intelligence said that the suspect had boarded the Genator II." Of course he could not explicitly admit that they were indeed spying on the A'millans.

However, he was getting more and more sure with his decision to invade A'millan Prime. It is clear that Lord Adam is lying, using deceit political maneuver to put the blame on the Empire, while commiting covert terrorism. The Empire was a victim, nonetheless; the Empire never attacked other nation since the end of the Guardian War, but yet it had just received a terrorist bombing. But despite the fact that the Empire was the victim, Lord Adam had managed to make the Galactic Empire appear like the criminal.

Well, the A'millan Star Empire will pay for this.

The Sith himself had been tired with all the chess play; the Empire had the brute force, so why not using it? He had discussed the issue with Coruscant last night, and Imperial Center had agreed to supply him with an expeditionary force sufficient for a war against the A'millans.

[Ra]

But the Trollish and Imperial fleet is there to *protect* him! Darth Kreshna replied with rage, by performing fleet exercise around the area, we can have an early warning in case the Zerg decide to attack Ra's again. For The Living Tribunal's sake, Galadriel, I've been always protecting Ra's faction all the time! He wanted Gun of Command, and I helped him acquiring them. Baal threatened Ra's faction with the naquada installation, and I have done my best to stop Baal. I've been babysitting him all the time, and this is all I get in return?

Calming himself, the Sith continued, milady, as for the A'millans... I don't know what to do with them anymore. All evidences strongly indicate that it was really the A'millan who behind the bombing. My Phoenix telepathy could not scan Lord Adam's mind without letting him know, but I can sense that he's lying all the time. The question is.... why? Is Lord Adam still the wise and benevolent king we all knew during our quest against the Guardians, or has he turned into some power-hungry, homicidal maniac?

Before waiting for Galadriel's telepathic reply, Darth Kreshna asked again, oh, if I may be so bold, but is there any news about Irene?

"I could not try and justify Ra's actions and feelings, for they are simply not justifiable by any means. He feels what he does because he has turned to evil ways; explanation would fall short.

For Lord Adam, however, while he is lying about some things, to say he his spouting nothing but lies would be incorrect. He does believe in what he is arguing for, he does believe that you not acting in the best interests of peace. His mind is also hard for me to see into, mind, I am merely going by observation. But he is not, nor has ever been, a madman.

And as for dear Irene, she is with the Vulcans, having decided that it would be best to stay away from this conference. I honestly cannot blame her. If you wish, I will take you to her after this tragic meeting is finally over and done with."

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"I could not try and justify Ra's actions and feelings, for they are simply not justifiable by any means. He feels what he does because he has turned to evil ways; explanation would fall short.

For Lord Adam, however, while he is lying about some things, to say he his spouting nothing but lies would be incorrect. He does believe in what he is arguing for, he does believe that you not acting in the best interests of peace. His mind is also hard for me to see into, mind, I am merely going by observation. But he is not, nor has ever been, a madman.

And as for dear Irene, she is with the Vulcans, having decided that it would be best to stay away from this conference. I honestly cannot blame her. If you wish, I will take you to her after this tragic meeting is finally over and done with."

Thank you, milady. I'm looking forward to it. The A'millan Star Empire had been pushing us to the limit; if war erupt, please take a good care of her.

[Destructionator XV]

"So does it really matter if the Galactic Empire has such capability? What really matters if whether we are using it, and we haven't been using it since the signing of the Sol Charter."

"If you do not intend to use it, sir, then why are you so adamant against disabling it?"

"By your logic, a nation with weaker firepower can ask the A'millan to disarm its weapon just simply on the base that it is 'too powerful'. That is ridiculous."

"Drop the strawman, sir. My argument is it is a weapon of mass destruction and terror that has no reasonable place in a civilized society."

"intelligence said that the suspect had boarded the Genator II."

"Answer the question, sir. How did you receive this intelligence, and may we review it?

It is clear that Lord Adam is lying

If you have a single quote where he is lying in this meeting, please, present it publically.

[Destructionator XV]

They waited a short moment for Darth Kreshna's response, but he paused, as if something, or someone else was on his mind. He may simply not be paying attention, but that would be silly at something of such importance, unless he is so arrogant that he feels everyone present at this meeting is irrelevant. No, while he probably does think that, that is probably not what is on his mind. Maybe he have been communicating telepathically with someone?

No matter. Adam knew this meeting was not to convince Kreshna. It was for everyone else. Kerrigan, Ra, the general public. Their support would be what matters in the long run, and this meeting, if played well, would ensure that support - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

He wondered how well things were going. His brain started very quickly analyzing the facts. He certainly seemed to have the support of Lord Ra, but Galadriel was still a mystery to him. In the end though, she has a part to play, a part she is playing now. After these futile attempts? Who knows. Perhaps she will simply exit the stage.

Of greater importance would be the Zerg Queen. Kerrigan has been rather silent during the latest exchange. He felt as if he had some support from her based on her previous words, or at least, she would look the other way while the Empire fell. But, her full support would be far more valuable. How to assure this? he wondered.

There was still the faux-Zerglings. Playing that would put the Empire in a lose-lose situation; they are either guilty or incompetent. Guilty would certainly get the Zerg attention, and given the other evidence, they might believe it too. Incompetent would at least help, or should I say hurt, public opinion, but not as well.

But that card also has a potential downside - if it fails, he just set himself up. This could turn the Zerg, and possibly others to back the Empire, publically at least. He certainly has plausible deniability however, there should be no way to trace the order back to official channels, even if the Destructionator agent was proven guilty. Hell, XV-II is a loose cannon anyway, she would be easy to blame. He could possibly hang her out to dry if the shit hit the fan.


A quick calculation goes through his head. Yes, they have waited long enough to not look like they are quick on the accusation. The Empire already looks guilty and like liars. Moreover, if they had conclusive evidence, it would have surfaced by now. It is time to attack them directly.

With a gently squeeze on the Lady's hand, he communicated this conclusion to her. She lightly squeezes back, but then taps her pinky indicating she agrees, but would still like an answer to the last placed question - the question of how the Empire got this intelligence.


They remain still, waiting for an answer to the spying question.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"The A'millans continue to insist that the Death Star is a weapon of mass destruction. Well thank you, Captain Obvious. It is a weapon of mass destruction. It has been a weapon of mass destruction capable of vaporising a planet. Now allow me to explain several points:"

"First, the A'millan Star Empire have never been protesting the superlaser existence since recently. In fact, Lord Adam signed the Sol Charter with the Goa'ulds, the Trolls, and the Empire, and the A'millans have never been objecting to the superlaser all the time. Only recently they protest. The question is why?" The Sith paused.

"This is a question the A'millans have been evading. The Empire actually wonders why the A'millans suddenly ask for disarming the superlaser out of the blue. Is it because they feel threatened? But it has been proven that the Empire has never been drawing the first blood since the end of the Guardian War, so I don't think that's the reason."

Others were silent. Darth Kreshna too, was thinking: why the A'millans suddenly wanted the superlaser to be disarmed? And why the A'millans kept evading the question? What was their motives?

The Sith spoke again, "the A'millans suddenly insist that the superlaser should be disarmed, solely on the basis of its firepower. Well I have proven that the Empire has never drawn the first blood since the end of the war. I have shown that the superlaser's firepower doesn't really matter: what matters is the policy behind it, and the Galactic Empire has been showing its good will since the signing of the Charter. Then, I believe its only fair if we ask Lord Adam why the A'millans suddenly want the superlaser to be disarmed."

After pausing for a moment, Kreshna continued, "and it IS a question that the A'millans keep dismissing as 'red herring'."

"Now I think it is only fair if the A'millans answer the question," Darth Kreshna stood, "why the A'millans suddenly insist for the disarmament of the superlaser? And please do not use the standard 'because-it-is-a-weapons-of-mass-destruction' excuse, because it has been one since it was constructed. What we would like to know is why the A'millans suddenly feel uncomfortable with a firepower greater than their own."

Although Darth Kreshna did not say it explicitly, the message is clear: the A'millans wanted to get rid of everything more powerful than they are. First, the Empire, and who's next? The Zergs? The Trolls? The Goa'ulds?

However, actually the Sith was quite interested how a nation with the size of 160 planets would stand up to a galactic nation with twelve billion planets........

[Destructionator XV]

"Sir, I have explained this numerous times. Now, I grow tired of asking this, so this will be the last time. Are you or are you not engaging in illegal spying activities on ourselves and the Goa'uld?"

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"Sir, I have explained this numerous times. Now, I grow tired of asking this, so this will be the last time. Are you or are you not engaging in illegal spying activities on ourselves and the Goa'uld?"

"Funny question," the Sith chuckled, "the A'millans expect other nation to disclose their intelligence operation? Everyone knew that every nation has the right to maintain the secrecy of their intelligence, except to the A'millans, of course." he spoke cynically. And of course the message is clear: everyone knew that every nation spied on every other nation, including allies. The A'millans just questioned something that have been unspokenly agreed by all nations.

"And I guess it is clear," Darth Kreshna turned to the audience, "The A'millans keep hiding their motives to disarm the superlaser."

"The point is that the superlaser has been there all the time; the point is that nobody should be threatened by the superlaser's capability, because the government who owns it has never drawn first blood since the Charter. So the question again: why the A'millan suddenly ask its disarmament? Oh, I believe Lord Adam will just find another excuse to refuse addressing the point. Just wait and see."

[Destructionator XV]

"Sir, need I remind you that spying on another co-signing nation is expressly forbidden in section 3 subsection 2 paragraph 5 of the Sol Charter you keep bringing up. Now, are you, or are you not, spying on ourselves and the Goa'uld in clear violation of this treaty?"