So what had been intended as a casual inquiry of cooperation has suddenly turned into a rather… significant escalation of investment. To the point where I'm actually worried that the shareholders might be expecting a return on their expenditures. Because holy crap, I did not expect them to just head right to offering NHPs to me.
That's not even the right way to describe it. They straight up gifted one to us, not even asking for that deported paid insurgent anymore.
Well, admittedly there's some nuance there in it too. Officially, the NHP was likely still a Harrison Armory asset, with their physical casket being literally onboard one of their ships. Yet it sounded like they were free and open to work with my administration without hang-ups or reservations, almost as if they were just a contractor being sent out via a job agency. I guess that's probably the closest sort of equivalent to what the megacorporation was doing, or at least how I understood it in my head after some further consideration.
That little bit of extra thinking did help calm me down slightly, as I realized that I did get a likely definite expert who could handle managing an economy. If they were presumably more oriented towards such a role than Veronica was, then my adjutant could be relieved of needing to keep an eye on so much to focus entirely on other projects. She and I were definitely juggling multiple tasks within the Cavia Committee, to such extent where we had admittedly neglected some regions of development that we really regretted leaving to the side for the moment.
Such as the idea of development entirely, at least for our citizens. Yeah, I didn't have a Department of Education.
Oops. That's definitely not a good look.
Though to be fair, education in not just Cavia but the galaxy of Lancerin general was quite bizarre. Take, for example, basic literacy. Everybody could at least read and write in Union standard, which to my understanding was many of the old languages from Cradle blended together into some sort of linguistic puree that people could somehow understand no matter where you went. It surprised me as I had anticipated something like a universal translator chip or something to accomplish this with how massive space just was. It also sort of felt opposite to what I knew the setting had stood for.
I couldn't imagine the writers slimming down humanity's cosmopolitan nature into just one broad stroke. That...sounded wrong, no matter who was running the game.
Then I read a bit more and almost rolled my eyes at the reasoning that had been given. According to the histories that Veronica pulled out, it all traces back to the databases found by a resurgent humanity following the collapse of the first Anthropocene. It had been written into a universal language that has since been adopted by Union in honor of their predecessors, which then carried over the years as humanity returned back into the stars following their prior failures. The name of these data caches?
Massif vaults.
Real smooth there, publisher, real smooth.
The thing that made it all the more interesting was how when the Karrakin Trade Baronies were finally met and reunited with the rest of humanity, their own language wasn't so dissimilar to what was Union Standard then. Even apparently the Aunic Ascendancy could be readily understood with just a little bit of awkwardness following initial contact. So maybe when the Ten had been sent out, the old governments of Earth had already created a hybridization of all the languages. Or it was just something the collaboration had used that then was ferried too by those great arks into the stars.
Maybe it was also just as mundane as the GM going 'reading is a basic comprehension of playing the game, how do you know the rules if you can't read?'
Either way, the point was that no matter where one went, they would be writing and speaking in the Union standard. That, or a dialect that might take some more effort to parse, yet still easy enough to basically accommodate with effort as if it were no more than a heavy regional accent. There were even some dialects that were born during rather specific times of humanity's journey into the galaxy.
Do you see where I was getting at? Because, as to be expected, there was a SecComm variant too. One not necessarily created by the administration, but at least strongly encouraged and propagated across the stars during their time. If I had to accurately describe how it sounded compared to the Union standard, I would say that it leaned to more sharper connotations, almost as if one was barking orders across a battlefield.
A language of conquest, a romanticist could say. Compared to the Union standard, it definitely leaned more heavily towards the militaristic alignments of Anthrochauvinism. It also happened to be what we all spoke and work in locally.
Cavia had been founded during SecComm, and the Half Committee had basically been the legacy of the Second Committee. Harrison Armory, including Erica, spoke this dialect too. The odd one out in this current circle was Luna, who spoke Union standard quite plainly. Probably because it was also the language of the omninet, no matter however many variants there were out there on a singular understanding of the various noises one makes.
Now, returning to the matter of education, it probably would have been expected for us to continue teaching in this dialect. Except that I was admittedly rather leery of it, given the ties to SecComm I wasn't entirely so keen on. I mean I was sure that it probably would be fine, given how if Harrison Armory used it to the present day as their official language, Union probably wouldn't take offense. But at the same time, it didn't sit right with me.
Maybe I was being just a little picky or sensitive. Perhaps even downright disrespectful, considering that it was my father's tongue. Literally, it'd been what he spoke with. Meanwhile, my mother had the Karrakin lilt to her, something that I had also picked up and learned. The variant used by the Trade Baronies actually had been been the second-most spoken form spoken within the Half Committee, picked up by those refugees from the Interest War.
As a fun little example, I could actually swap to this more noble and posh vernacular for officer meetings but every single one of my subordinates could easily follow along after some initial surprise. That was just how weird the lore language of this tabletop setting could be, yet also quite intriguing at the same time. I suppose that it made allowances for players to come up with their own pidgin or slang, then have it be slotted into the universe somehow.
Alright, but back to just the idea of teaching through the old SecComm dialect here felt off-putting. Maybe I could try and encourage that we ought to shift to the general Union standard instead, or perhaps insist on teaching in multiple languages too. I think that if I really wanted to, the progressives would probably be falling all over themselves in support of such while the reformists would hem and haw. No word on whatever the centrists decided on that matter, or what they would even have for lunch that day.
Moving on from just the idea of what language we would be using to instruct, there was also the question about what exactly we would teach too. Basic literacy was already something pretty much taken for granted, so I had to think a little bit further than that. Higher education which could cover the basic array of necessary life skills, perhaps? I did want to also include at least a module part for cultivating talent, in hopes of perhaps sourcing the new generation of leadership domestically. That'd be quite a grand aspiration that would make the reformists super happy.
But at the same time as well, I couldn't be blind either to the positives of foreign enrichment that would make the progressives squeal. Fresh eyes and minds could look at preexisting problems without context, and provide insight derived from elsewhere. Sometimes, they could even be the catalyst for significant paradigm shifts.
I suppose that was one way to call the Seventh Expeditionary kicking out House Hessin.
More on that pondering, if we made this higher education appealing to both domestic and foreign students, then I could probably expect even greater support for moving to embrace a multilingual landscape, or the closest thing that would pass for it at least. That way, students from both near and far could talk with one another in whatever tongue was most comfortable, made possible thanks to the universal structure that Union standard used. If swung that way, then I could definitely look to perhaps diluting the SecComm affinity so.
However, there was an issue. A massive 'if' in the form of appeal. Because really, while we could definitely frame the appeal of higher education as translating into opening new doors and opportunities, I wasn't sure that would be enough to lure so many through the doors. I suppose Veronica could probably carry out a very thorough interest survey to nail down just what would get folks enrolling, but I also already have a probably inkling about the results already.
It was hard not to, given how if I were to even just casually tune into any of our local channels, there was something involving mechs. Be it a documentary, an interview, a fictional show, the people of Cavia never could seem to get enough of big stompy robots. Even proximity adjacency to them alone seems to garner considerable interest, as exemplified by the popularity of Swords to Plows. Though I'm sure there's plenty as well who surely got hooked and attached to the clones themselves-
Ahhhhhh. Shit. I just realized I also needed to be considerate about their development as well.
At that thought, Veronica and I decided here was probably a good spot to take a break from the matter for the moment. We were definitely hitting the limit of what we two could do alone; this was definitely something that needed a full Department of Education with a dedicated Director to tackle. Like how we couldn't handle the management and roll out of the legal code all by ourselves.
On that note, I actually was also handling a lot of work in that regard too. Namely because as expected, HORUS was beginning their little mischief. I had been expecting it, bracing for it, and ready to take direct action if they cross a line. But to my surprise alongside that of our other prepared forces, they were...petty.
Like, it still was some law-breaking and public chaos. Yet we were more talking less about 'hacking bank accounts,' more 'exposing dirty company secrets.' We even made made arrests and seizures off those!
This hadn't been what I had expected given their reputation. But then just when I was wondering if this cell were actually also posers, the penny finally dropped when one of the aspiring recruits that Luna brought in went over the line and hijacked a CBS live broadcast to air uncensored content to horrified audiences around the planet. Eugh.
Yeah, no. Not having that-
Then said individual was delivered right to a very surprised (and slightly glum) Rowles, already nicely bound and wrapped up for processing in our tribunals. There was even a little note that could be called an apology from Luna for letting her eye slip off that one, especially when she'd been suspecting them for some time. She certainly didn't appreciate them deciding to 'play a real prank.'
Apparently to her, that definitely went too far despite HORUS' belief in a free omninet. But as she eloquently put it, they had the freedom to choose what to say; it just didn't meant freedom from the consequences that followed. Especially when the vtuber decided to express her displeasure, making an example of those who stepped beyond the line she set.
I think it would've been better for that line to not have been toed in the first place, but well, at least we had our culprit for easy prosecution. Plus, it was almost… reassuring in a way, I guess, to know that we've at least one HORUS operative who is monitoring all the others either forming or gathering here. Somebody who's not afraid to wield a figurative ban hammer the moment it starts getting too much.
It made me curious under what sort of authority she could issue such commands or decrees that others would follow. Because to the best of my understanding, the organization doesn't follow any sort of traditional leadership. They might have some cults or cells that were better-organized compared to lone agents, and I suppose that Luna probably belongs to one. But even then, what sort of backing does she have that lets her reign in her fellows from more unruly and distasteful activities?
What lets her also punish them as well without invoking internal outcry at an alternative interpretation of their creed?
If I had to speculate, perhaps that manager she constantly references was the source of this sway. It made me slightly curious to discover who they were, but I unfortunately just didn't have the chance to do so. Not when through the omninet, a video file arrived. One that was addressed to me directly.
The sender's identification code informs Veronica that this message came from the Fourteenth Combined Fleet. Oh dear.
I think they're probably not happy with me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I sighed and gestured. Veronica silently nodded, then began to play the video clip. It opened up to show a familiar face grumpily staring at the camera. He was sitting in a ship command chair and I noted with mild interest the holographic avatar that stood at his side. One who bore quite striking reference to the one standing next to me now.
"I presumably am speaking to Commander Moores of the Seventh Expeditionary Force. If not, then I am likely speaking with his successor, or whatever other suitable leadership has developed afterwards. Regardless, to whoever leads the force in the Cavia system, I direct this message to you.
"I am Vice Admiral Ibutsu, leader of the Fourteenth Combined Fleet. I am in command of the largest remaining naval formation of the Half Committee in this sector, to the best of my knowledge, and am the only remaining cohesive force at that. For many have seen the flag of our superiors dip and taken the chance to squabble and flee."
Yeah, when the Half Committee went to hell in a basket, folks saw the writing on the wall. I mused briefly on the fate of my former subordinates who had followed suit, then shook my head. They could be a few galactic rings over, for all I cared.
"I am not them. I have chosen to stay, and I have chosen to establish a new temporary high command until contact with other remnants of senior leadership from the Half Committee can be made. I have done this in the name of the power vested into my rank and noble name. And for the most part, my efforts have borne success.
"I have reinitialized contact with multiple other fragments of the Half Committee, many of them planet-bound military teams without naval assets. Under my guidance, arrangements have been made to reform a sense of organization, so that we may at least resupply ourselves off their efforts. In return, we provide protection from other threats in this sector. There are many such foes, with one on the list being Harrison Armory."
Interesting little bit of dialogue there. I'll admit, I didn't quite get the full story from Erica about if Harrison Armory's encounter with the Fourteenth was something they provoked or ran into. Though I was fairly sure that, given what I knew of her, she wasn't one to pick an unnecessary fight she couldn't' win. If anything, she was more likely to shoot her commanding officer if they ordered something suicidal.
"I have broken the fleet they sent to try and quell me, then sent ships following afterwards. Vessels captained by loyal subordinates, who did not return. Instead, their ratings did and tell me a story of the Seventh Expeditionary ambushing them. Storming and capturing my frigates."
I winced. Yeah, that was inevitable. There wasn't a real way to guarantee that our released prisoners of war weren't going to go back to their old command and spill everything, not unless you wanted to be real cruel. Which was both a dick move, and a great way to have lancers tossed at you.
The recording of Ibutsu paused a moment to reach up and rub at his facial hair. "I do not blame you for such a...reception, in light of the ongoing chaos which has consumed the sector. But neither can I simply condone it under such circumstances either." He leaned forwards. "So hear my offer. Join your forces with mine, and all will be swept under the rug in the name of service. It was a tragic friendly fire incident, one of many that we have tragically suffered with the chain of command broken. So let us reforge it and then fly back high the flag of the Half Committee.
"That is the cooperative approach that I hope you will choose. But should you consider otherwise, then allow me to be very clear. What you have done is an undeniable act of war, one that I will respond in kind then.
"My forces will arrive in your system in short order, and begin a subjugation campaign under the presumption that you are rebels. You understand the protocols and treatment for such, especially if you are deserters. Even if you choose to flee, I will not let you leave this sector with my ships alive. Not without proper recompense for the damages inflicted upon me by you.
"I trust then that you will make the right choice here. Because you will not live long enough to regret the wrong one should it come to it."
The clip ended and I exhaled, glancing at Veronica. "Still the same old Ibutsu, I see."
"Athena looks hardly changed too," she remarked before nodding at me. "Shall I summon a war council assembly?"
"Yes please. Because we need to figure out our response to this message."