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The Nature of Predators 2-70
🕑 Added 2024-09-05 11:00:07 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem Alien Liaison
Date [standardized human time]: December 22, 2160
Whatever grievances Bissems might’ve held against the humans, we knew they’d pursue the rogue Farsul that Ambassador Loxsel had told us about. The full might of the SC, raining down on the ghost exterminators, was exactly what Naltor would like to see. Perhaps it would allow a sense of cohesion, after the horrific scene that had played out over Aafa. I’d retired to my quarters for the evening, not daring to approach the Terrans after Kuemper had stormed off; the United Nations had locked themselves in their own wing for quite some time. I listened to the footage of a young Kolshian child, asking the camera in an innocent, scared voice, “Why is home gone? The humans took it—took us away. When can I go back? It’s not fair! I wanna go home!!”
It reminded me of Ivrana. The war, a toll so distanced from me, which was claiming lives senselessly in the same way the Federation and the Arxur’s old feud had. Bissems had that same pride that left us unable to relinquish our old hatred, even against each other. Lassmin stood untouched, yet the aftermath of the aliens’ arrival marked other shores, plain and clear. The Tseia, fighting the Selmer and the Vritala nations, with protests at home in favor of both sides of the war. Some saw Zalk taking a more prominent role alongside Lassian diplomats as favoring the Nomads. As a largely Vritala nation, much of the public thought we should side against the Tseia. Protests about alien refugees had included a march across the Gray Basin, where Dustin and his team had first landed.
We were a people divided, just as the Sapient Coalition was divided. I missed the simple life I’d had back at Fishing for Alien Intelligence—an agency that shuttered its doors since there was no need for us to comb the stars. Desensitization to horrors that I wouldn’t have dreamed of, and playing politics up here…I was sickened with the person I was becoming. I contacted the Zurulians to try and right the ship and find a path forward. What was I even doing, convincing Loxsel to partner with the Arxur and agreeing to team up with Kaisal ourselves? The grays used our new fleet as shields; they were deplorable allies! It was easy to say I’d compromised myself to ensure Bissems had a place in the galaxy. The truth, however, might’ve been that I was chasing a dream that didn’t exist.
But I can’t say that. If I give up on that idealistic dream of aliens, that would be admitting my lifelong passion and obsession—which kept me away from friendships or any kind of non-FAI social life—was useless. I don’t want to crawl into bed with this weight on my shoulders. I’d like to watch Space Expedition reruns, and imagine us exploring the galaxy, all subspecies in harmony: no wars at home or in the stars.
Finding that the closest thing I had to friends up here were Naltor and Loxsel, I decided to seek out the Selmer general for some solace; regardless of his thorny exterior, he cared about me. The Sivkit was no source of stability or comfort, with him playing the part of a lunatic. He wasn’t in any Bissems’ good graces after keeping our attackers’ identity to himself throughout the entirety of our diplomatic relations. The playwright didn’t take anyone’s suffering seriously, so there was no reason to assume he’d coddle me. I heard voices from within the conference room, one of which I’d have known as Naltor’s from a mile away. He sounded furious with whoever he was calling. Trepidation creeping in, I poked my head through the doorway to see Kaisal on screen.
“—doesn’t matter. You used us as fucking shields, when we’re just getting off the ground. Do you think because you gave us a few ships, you can take a few away and call it even? What the fuck?” Naltor screeched.
Kaisal narrowed his eyes with fury. “The Remnants attacked us, and you didn’t fight alongside us at all! You’re using us, just like the humans. The Carnivore Alliance means nothing.”
“Clearly. You can’t even bring yourself to apologize for your shitty behavior!”
“Neither can the SC. The Yotul came around pledging to be on our side: the only one out of the whole alliance.”
“We got you out of isolation; that was the deal! You think we can afford to take on the whole Federation remnants, and have them exterminate us?”
“We would not allow it!”
“No? You sure you wouldn’t use Ivrana as a shield for your drones?”
“We protected Earth, so why wouldn’t we save Ivrana? Earth isn’t the only planet we stood behind. I’m sorry that this situation is difficult for you—though I’m not sorry for my actions, so take that apology as the best you’ll get! The Remnants attacked us for trying to help, and the humans did nothing. Those are the facts. We must take the initiative in this war so they don’t come to Wriss or Ivrana.”
“There is no we, Kaisal.”
“Then you are a fool! This galaxy needs to be rid of that ideology to ever give us a chance of getting out, or you a chance of being an equal. We’re going to obliterate every ship and manufacturing center in Yulpa territory, and we’ll move on to all of them, one-by-one! As it so happens, we already might have help with the Drezjin or the Malti.”
“Help?” Naltor asked, at the same time as I mouthed the words.
“That’s right! The Yotul shared some interesting information about who we were fighting. It was humanity and their Federation-hating friends; we were helping save the feckless UN from their own people. Finally, some humans with guts. I think this Consortium would help destroy the Remnants.”
Humans—the peace-loving humans—are behind this? That doesn’t sound at all like the people that fought alone for acceptance and friendship; they’re the ones who wanted to stop these genocides.
“I don’t understand why the Terrans would be involved with such acts. I don’t understand why you want to solicit the help of this Consortium, if they started this whole Hirsdamned war! We were just fighting to stop them from glassing planets,” Naltor sputtered, sounding as befuddled as I felt.
A scowl hardened into Kaisal’s face. “The Arxur want allies who might accept us. We’re going to visit them at once, for two things: to acquire their help in destroying the Remnants, and to ensure they will no longer mistreat our obligate carnivore brethren. The Jaslips, or Osirs, as you call them, need our help; they’ve had their world destroyed, and been relegated to heavily-surveiled enclaves. They deserve liberty, just as we do! The Consortium must grant us that to avoid our wrath turning on them.”
The Osirs…are alive, and apparently in dystopian enclaves? This just gets better. I’m done.
“What will the SC think of your interference with this…Consortium?” Naltor demanded, as I turned my back in disgust and walked away. “Using them to attack the Remnants…”
“…will do the galaxy a favor. We’re not asking for their permission. Besides, who knows if the SC survives the news that humanity was at the heart of this. I surely—”
Kaisal’s voice faded off, with that conversation having instilled only new qualms over what we were doing here. The Sapient Coalition that I’d scraped and bent my morals to get us into might be about to collapse? I thought of humans as the galaxy’s protectors, yet some sect of theirs had run off to launch the largest attack in Orion history, on entire planets? I believed that they surmounted the fleets of unfathomable devastation which consumed dozens of worlds, during the Federation’s reign. The predator prejudice was about to get even worse; it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. The Remnants could come after us for no reason other than our diet, and this so-called proof that hunters were genocidal maniacs! Plus, the Arxur planned to help burn more worlds.
You know what? Fuck it. I’m going to the UN suite, delivering the news about the extremist Farsul, and then I’m getting the heck out of here, like Kuemper did. I’ll regret not passing the message along, should the ghost exterminators kill more people while Loxsel allows ignorance for his amusement.
I pushed through shoulder-to-shoulder soldiers outside the doors, not caring if they stopped me. The humans hesitated to forcefully prevent my entry, rather shouting and chasing after me with long-legged strides. I stomped up to a slack-jawed staffer in the lobby, and could feel every feather trembling with fury. This was the last I wanted to see of any alien politician; they were all rotten and murderous, every damned one of them! Just like the resigning Secretary-General had exclaimed, there was no doing good up here. I’d been so foolish to believe any of this organization’s stated goals. The lives of entire worlds were just numbers to them, footnotes on speeches. The United Nations didn’t forgive their enemies, or truly unify the galaxy.
Onso was right about them losing their way, and Kaisal was right about them refusing to challenge the hateful preyfolk. Hearing that they attacked Aafa, Talsk, and Nishtal, enemies already defeated? Maybe they’re just as poisoned by hatred.
“Take me to whoever the fuck is in charge in Kuemper’s place!” I demanded. “Who is it?”
The UN staffer blanched. “Liaison Tassi. Now isn’t a good time…”
“I know all about the Consortium, and that humans were involved in this. I have important news to deliver to the Secretary-General, so you can’t plead ignorance for the next genocide that happens! Who is running your rotten government now?”
“Um, Elias M-Meier.”
My head snapped back. “The man whose brain scan you put into an artificial body?!”
“Y-yes. That one. He was in-charge back when we first m-met aliens, and he’s very nice. I shouldn’t be talking to you, but you can’t go sharing—”
“You don’t want me sharing what I know about humans? I owe you nothing. Where is he? Point me to Elias, or so help me Hirs…”
“He’s in the SecGen’s office,” the staffer croaked, angling a finger toward a door at the end of the hallway. “Please, just wait here for a moment, or let one of the Undersecretaries attend to you. Elias is occupied with another diplomat.”
“That’s your problem. Either Elias gets my info, or no one does.”
Still simmering at the thought of everything the Sapient Coalition, and humanity themselves, had put us through, I stormed toward Meier’s office. That memory transcript technology was another issue, using it to know a person’s every thoughts! Deceased individuals were being brought back in a way that could render flesh-and-blood beings obsolete, and humanity sped it up by putting their old Secretary-General back in charge? From what I knew of Elias, he silenced his own people through Emergency Order 56 and was commended for it. He gave some speech to the Shield, which created this entire mess by summoning the Remnants: who hated predators. I didn’t think highly of the synthetic human.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Korajan, but I want you to hear it from me. A small group of ark ship humans, who fled during Earth’s attack decades ago, joined up with an alien entity known as the Krev Consortium.” Those words, coming through his door, stopped me in my tracks. That story reframed my perspective on the supposed human involvement, and why they would’ve done such a thing; they were seeking revenge for the attack on Earth, not knowing what had become of the Federation. “That’s who’s been attacking Aafa, Talsk, and Nishtal. As I understand it, Kalqua…is among their next wave of targets.”
A voice, which I thought belonged to a Duerten, screeched in outrage. “What did you just tell me, Elias? After everything Kalqua has been through—you know that we never forgive attacks on us. I wanted nothing more than to see your diplomatic efforts succeed, and to see us become friends; you almost made me believe in you. What am I supposed to do with this?”
“We, the United Nations proper, will defend the Duerten with overwhelming force. We saved you decades ago, which must be remembered and worth something. You know we didn’t let your world fall then, even after you spit in our faces; how much more fervently would we stand beside you now, as dear friends? Having worked together for so long and finally being proper allies?”
“You will destroy these humans and the Consortium, and do it with a smile.”
“I won’t advise any planet’s destruction, Korajan, because what I want is a peaceful resolution. Have you no sympathy for terrified ark colonists, who saw nothing but the Federation’s utter hatred for our existence? Even you wanted revenge for those you deemed responsible for the deaths on Kalqua; they believed Earth had no survivors, and demanded that same destruction you ask of me now!”
“You told me you wanted to move on from the old hatred of Aafa and Talsk, but you’re an apologist when your own people attack and kill them. I’d overlook their deaths, because I don’t care—but we are your allies! We have been faithful. We advised neutrality with the hotter heads in the Shield, and gave you our gratitude. The power is in your hands to impose justice now. We—I believed in you. I aided you against my government’s wishes. Your people gave us back our identity, and gave us light in the darkness. A way forward. You promised us progress, yet here we are again!”
“That we’re here again is my very issue. Healing and compassion are where true progress and enlightenment lies; I can’t compromise that like others in the UN have done. Korajan, you are my friend. We might not always see eye-to-eye on methodology, but I believe in you too. This hatred must end somewhere. Please. Join me in making this right.”
“I can’t join. Not with my people in the balance. The Duerten delegation will join the Kuemper in walking out of this disgraceful sham of an organization. Until you learn how to make a better offer, Elias.”
The door was flung open, and I pulled myself back against the wall as a gray-feathered avian stomped past me with wings outstretched. Korajan angled one seething eye toward me, beak parting with disdain. The Duerten didn’t offer any words, instead pointing his beak at the ceiling and stalking off in a haughty manner. My righteous anger had fizzled out after hearing that exchange. Elias Meier actually wanted to let go of the old hatred, and wouldn’t bend on his morals? Healing and compassion were the path to progress; somewhere in my tattered, idealistic soul, I still believed that. All I wanted was an alien who genuinely sought to help, without any demands in return. I peeked my beak through the entryway, seeing a silver-haired figure leaning over his desk, head in hands. Meier looked so crushed and exhausted.
Would Elias actually care about all that Bissems have been through? Could he show me more than that brief glance of humanity, the unifiers and defenders, that I saw at Nishtal?
I knocked on the door with a flipper. “Sir? I understand if you don’t have time now, with the Arxur-Federation war, and these ark humans coming to light.”
The synthetic Terran’s gaze snapped up, and his eyebrows knitted together; a gentle smile creased his face. “I’ll always have time for you, Doctor Tassi. The UN should’ve supported you and your bid to join the Sapient Coalition, and also given you some training wheels to find your way. They made choices about their priorities that I don’t agree with. Whatever you need, ask. Perhaps these words sound hollow to you, but I mean it; I’ll rattle any cages I must.”
“Thank you, sir? The United Nations has sent more…aid to Ivrana of late, in fairness.”
“So she did listen to me.”
“She? Kuemper? You’re the reason that humans started reaching out.”
Elias shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t say that. I merely reminded Kuemper of a purpose she had long since forgotten. I can see that same disillusionment in your eyes, Doctor; her departure from the organization comes on the heels of two decades of disenchantment. How hard it is to take abuse, and maintain one’s optimism—pleading with kindness and reason to an unblinking audience.”
“It is impossible. I can’t bear to be surrounded by all of this death and destruction, and having to struggle for everything we’ve been given.” There was something about his mild-mannered demeanor that was so disarming, that the words spilled from my mouth. “Being manipulated and used by humans, the very people I looked up to! Even after Dustin was supposed to bring it to your attention, not so much as an apology; I assumed those gifts were some half-hearted attempt to offer one, but it seems not.”
“I don’t know anything of this, and to my knowledge, the SecGen’s office was never approached by Dustin Curtis with any grievances. Who manipulated you, Tassi?”
Does he sincerely not know? “General Jones.”
Anger radiated from his artificial eyes. “That…I believe. What did she try with our first uplifts, behind the United Nations’ back?!”
“Well, sir, she threatened to expose…ah, I’ll have to add on some context that might not reflect well on us. She threatened to expose to the SC that we’d been speaking to the Arxur, and that our leaked information was behind their escapade, if I did not spy on my own people for her. I understand if this makes you angry, sir. It was true.”
“The only thing that makes me angry is Jones, blackmailing you into…spying on your own people. For doing the very thing that I asked of Tarva with my final breath! I wanted to make peace with the Arxur who desired a better future, yet the Sapient Coalition won’t speak with them. Bissems should have the same free choice as any galactic citizen; there’s no such blackmail for the Yotul, or even us, building embassies on Wriss.”
“We’re trying to shirk the blackmail, sir. Naltor was clever enough to admit that he brought the Arxur to Talsk, which rendered Jones’ info useless. I told him of her scheme, and I didn’t betray my people.”
“It doesn’t matter. You should’ve never been approached and threatened by any of the United Nations’ high-ranking officials. I’ll have her crimes brought to the attention of the high council, and find out whether Kuemper had any inkling of this. You have my word. What can I give you that’ll begin to make this right? Name it.”
“Have the Sapient Coalition call the vote on our trial status. See that it passes.”
Meier arched his eyebrows. “Done. Our word won’t be worth much, but I’ll call for a vote and argue tirelessly on your behalf. Your right to exist as a sovereign people, enjoying equal privileges under this organization, should not be questioned. We’re fortunate that you still wish to join us, Tassi.”
“I wanted Bissems to be part of the galactic community once. I haven’t felt we have any true friends, sir. I’m done with this…worthless dream. I’ll be following Kuemper’s footsteps and heading home.”
“You need a break. Self-care and self-love are the same, Tassi, so I encourage to take a sojourn on Ivrana. What I humbly ask of you is to come back. Give humanity—under my guidance, perhaps—one final chance to make this right. The entire SC needs to start over fresh, and without good people like yourself, that cannot happen.”
“What could I do that’d make any difference?”
Meier’s lips curved up wistfully. “The impossible. You told me that’s what staying optimistic, in the face of an abyss, was: impossible. I would rather our hopes proved foolish a thousand times over, than to give up on making this universe better. Someone must try.”
Tears welled in my eyes, as those words struck a chord deep in my heart; he spoke with such an intoxicating optimism, despite knowing it was a pipe dream. This was the humanity whose ideals I had commended, and would’ve followed to the end of my days. Perhaps it was foolish hope that made me believe that Elias was as altruistic as he appeared, yet I’d rather have that rug yanked out from under me a thousand times than to lose sight of it at all. For all that was broken on Ivrana and in the Sapient Coalition, I wanted to believe that a more harmonious future could exist. There had to be some parties that weren’t cruel and self-serving here, even if we had to lead them ourselves.
I wiped the water from my cheeks, and ducked my head. “Thank you, sir. I’ll consider coming back. I’m sorry to have burdened you with this; it wasn’t even what I came here to say.”
“I’m glad that I know how you’re feeling. My door is always open, and I would very much like to see our people become the most earnest of friends,” Meier responded. “If this wasn’t the whole of your concerns, might I ask what you intended to share with your visit?”
“I hate to add more to your plate, but it’s serious. The Sivkits knew who attacked Ivrana a hundred years ago all along. According to Loxsel, it was a sect of rogue Farsul archivists who believe they should kill all meat-eating sophonts.” I noticed Meier’s expression morph into alarm, and bowed my head sheepishly. “They tried to find species like us before the mainstream Farsul had a chance to try a cure. They hide in secret, and have some information that wasn’t even recorded in the official archives. Like Tinsas’ location. I…thought it was important that humanity should know.”
“If this is true, that constitutes a grave threat to many of the SC’s members, as well as to any undiscovered species who can’t begin to defend themselves. Loxsel isn’t reliable, but still…we need to track down the Sivkit ambassador at once. Please excuse me, Doctor. I must inform my generals of this, before I deliver this…speech.” The human offered a strained smile, which seemed to be concealing an internal, rising dread. “When it rains, it pours. What a day. You’ve done well, friend…go shed some stress on Ivrana. It’ll do you good to forget this all.”
I bowed my head. “It seems a reprieve might benefit you as well.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have that luxury. There’s no other diplomats in stock that won’t be yawning up a storm by the thirtieth hour awake.” Meier flashed his teeth, amused at his quip. “Take care, Doctor. Until we meet again.”
I stepped out of the Secretary-General’s office in much calmer fashion than how I’d barged over to it. Elias Meier would have his most unenviable task ahead of him, sharing the news of the ark colonists’ involvement in the attack. I hoped that Duerten Ambassador Korajan’s explosive reaction wouldn’t be representative of the rest of the assemblage; if anyone could achieve a peaceful reaction with everything that was erupting at once, I believed it was the man I had just spoken to. Humanity, and the Sapient Coalition, might find their way again under his leadership.
A/N - Chapter 70! Tassi learns about who is behind the attacks on Aafa, and overhears Kaisal refusing to apologize and promising both to seek help from the KC and demand Jaslip liberation. She goes to confront Meier, enraged about humans being involved, but hears Korajan explode when he finds out Kalqua is a target. Tassi is swayed by Meier’s optimism and compassion, as he encourages her not to lose hope and promises to do something about Jones; he does seem concerned about the rogue Farsul.
What do you think about Kaisal’s plan, and Korajan’s response to the truth? Will a break reinspire Tassi? Will Meier be able to handle the present stresses…and do you think the rest of the SC will respond to him like our Duerten friend?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Laura Brubaker
I think it's possible that Dustin told Meir directly... and Virnt/Jones erased that data. He's compromised, and I think we'll first see it not in him acting out of character, but him missing/forgetting crucial information and/or knowing information he shouldn't
richfiles
I was so confused when the memory transcription header was a time of day, not a date... It just hit me... Wow...
PhycoKrusk
@Vee Luckily, he really isn't _that_ good. Tassi seeming enraptured could easily be a combination of someone taking her seriously, actually listening to her grievances and agreeing with them, and that someone being Elias goddam Meier. I imagine most people — even non-Americans — would be starstruck if they were raising a serious concern about an even more serious threat to the stability of the future, and the person listening to and clearly agreeing with them was the recently revived John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Secondly, the Remnants never sided with Humanity; Meier asked them for help, they told him to go sit on it, and then on the day, they showed up unannounced and started attacking the fleets defending Aafa to "liberate" it, and then when this inevitably resulted in the planet's destruction and untold billions of deaths, they pulled a Kaisal and blamed Humanity for everything. They only thing Meier convinced them to do was +10d6 worth of sneak attack damage.
Aured
looks like we're going to get an Arxur/Jaslip alliance!!
James
The Yotul in general, thought they would be best friends with the UN, but they are petty and unforgiving. They spent 20 years being under a boot that they now want to be the boot. They are just as responsible for keeping the cycle of hate going.
Kevo
Who’s the leader of the boss penguins anyways? There all generals or is that the thing? The yotul are plotting to kill the feds for sure
Wholesome Redditter
Politics meet body horror
DemonVee
Now that you mention everything, it makes me think it's possible he could already be compromised in a different way that others have speculated in the past. I don't think this is Meier anymore, not in a sense that a clone isn't the same person as the original, but rather that he could be a distinctly altered copy. NoP1 Meier was good. He had a good grasp of diplomacy in an impossible situation, and was willing to make hard choices for the greater good. However, as I'm looking over NoP2 so far retrospectively, I don't think he was ever "this" good. Meier1 erred, he made an immoral call to supress the rights of his people even if it seemed necessary, he made a gamble that ended up in billions of deaths across the Orion arm and almost gave way to hatred after the battle of Earth. Meier1 was good, but so far Meier2 almost seems like a saint in comparison. Convincing Humanities greatest enemies such as the Yulpa, the bastards who think about nothing but burning Humans, to side with them for the battle of Aafa. His sway over various characters, this entire conversation with Tassi. He was a great diplomat, but never to the same point as here, where Tassi almost seemed "enchanted" by Meier's words. The UN wanted a savior, that's basically what they stated when he woke up, and I think they manufactured one from the remnants of Meier's mind, juicing up his best qualities and suppressing anything negative, along with super natural charisma skills to create the perfect leader for a divided Galaxy, just as DiMA had done for Far Harbour and Children of Atom. ------- If this is the case, I honestly think Jones would already be at the helm of the project, and he's acting exactly how she intended. Essentially trying to create a Yang to her Yin, a naively positive force for the Galaxy, while she serves as the pessimistically clandestine one under the scene. Maybe almost mimicking the Federation dynamic. My first fear was that she might edit out Meiers memory of the incident, and maybe try going after Tassi (which could prompt her to get a scan as proof) not as much to actually puppet Meier fully. Though now I have a feeling she might want to force Meier to play the part, despite his hopes of freedom from the political life.
AnAbsoluteVillain
All our actors are on the table. It glorious watching them take sides, especially when they pick the worst ones.
Some Lvm
I have to disagree with your political analysis, at least in part. Onso probably has his position because of his ties with Kaisal - anyone who can manage relations with the Arxur, has to be enough of a diplomat, even if they get carried way with tech stuff now and then. The Zurulians are useless. They always have been, they always will be. Sure, they have great medical expertise, but when it comes to politics and war, they belong on the sidelines. Cupo was never on board the carnivore train, so if his successor does have his vision, its not helpful. And I really don't understand your problem with Kaisal: He seems to me very reasonable. Especially after the call we witness in this chapter! He isn't calling for glassing the Remnants, just taking out their ability to be a threat, especially the Yulpa, which is one species I still insist should have been glassed 20 years ago, and should have been glassed by the UN, to make a point to the galaxy at large. Here is a thing: if a species like the Arxur can after centuries of fascist rule and eugenics turn their society around in 20 years while in isolation, the Yulpa have no excuse for being the way they are to this day! I say they are irredeemable as a species.
Some Lvm
@DreamEnvoy: don't worry, mine are usually longer, can't help it :P @arthur: that is a possibility, but honestly he kind of deserves it...
Some Lvm
Or, Virnt can just implant the memory of that in his thought matrix, let it assimilate, and have the same result. No need to waste hardware resources when you have efficient code!
Some Lvm
I sincerely hope not! She is the UN's biggest asset, and they will need her now more than in the last 20 years. Meir will just have to get off his high horse and forgive what she did to Tassi.
Some Lvm
I believe I commented on the previous chapter that Meir was compromised. It does not even matter what Virnt will or will not do. The fact there is a console in his room that can be used to both monitor and control Meir anywhere in the galaxy in real time, make Meir a threat to public office! He is a walking spy camera, and he can be controlled. Jones does not need to get up from behind her desk or bother with threatening Virnt - her people more than likely can (probably already have) crack the link and let her "pilot" Meir from her office... [SIDE TRACK WARNING!!!] Incidentally, I just finished Far Harbor. The DLC is over 8 years old so I don't count this as a spoiler but... The "best" outcome in the main quest is if you secretly kill the leader of the Children Of Atom and substitute him with a synth who will pacify the cult. Now, this "High Confessor" is a character that deserves to be carved up and cemented in to a wall, I have no qualms about that, but the idea of replacing someone with a human looking robot to control public opinion? Nuking the Nucleus seems less disgusting to me... And then you also learn DiMA did the same to Far Harbor, murdering and replacing their leader. I really wish there was an option to get Kasumi out of Akdia before concluding the main quest... I can still rat them out the BoS after the main quest is over, but then I don't get the perk for wasting Acadia... [/SIDE TRACK WARNING!!!] Why am I finding so many parallels between NoP and Fallout 4 lately?
Some Lvm
Wow! I knew the Arxur were reform, but for Kaisal to actually admit publicly he is going to target ships and manufacturing, rather than indiscriminately glassing whole planets... And yes Kaisal is absolutely right - the Fed ideology has to go! It is 23 years overdue to finish it up, and if the UN and SC are not on board, so be it! Maybe some good can come out of the Consortium after all... It is sad that Tassi flipped on Meir - she had the right idea about him at the start. But I guess it can't be helped... She is a naive idealist way out of her comfort zone, and the AI Meir clone still has some charisma left from the original human.
Sci-fi reader
Go God Emperor, I mean Acting SecGen Meier. Exterminate the exos, I mean make peace with our alien friends. Also, when will Onso make an appearance in a red and gold power armor?
arthur D. gonzalez-martin
or Dustin is in some space black site somewhere.
PhycoKrusk
In the last 16 hours, I've done almost a complete 180 on Kaisal: He's a brat with a superiority complex, and he is presently throwing a gigantic tantrum because his toys aren't playing the way that he wants. It's clear to me now that Raza was the successor, not Kaisal, yet here we are. In the absence of King Richard, the People must contend with Prince John.
PhycoKrusk
Kaisal is a narcissistic bully with a superiority complex and a vendetta against the universe. He is behaving exactly the way we should expect him to behave.
PhycoKrusk
@Guardian The button is definitely pushed, but not without a sensible reason: When we see the word "corruption" in connection with a political body, it usually does refer to someone benefitting improperly. However, I am using the word for its more general meaning: The UN has become corrupted; its original purpose has been lost and it has become something entirely different. Even after it gained more power, the UN was to be a forum for members to peacefully resolve disputes and collaborate to solve problems larger than what they could alone. Perhaps it still does that inwardly, but outwardly it has become a tool for brokering personal and political favors not between Humanity and xenos, but between xenos and other xenos. This corruption has spread to the Coalition as well; neither one is serving the purpose they were envisioned to serve, and in largest part, this is because most of the original leaders are no longer present, and most of their replacements do not share the same vision that they had. The Zurulians are still pretty great because Chauson is still at the helm. The Venlil are still pretty great because, while Tarva is not there, Laisa is her protege and has the same vision that she did. Onso never shared Laulo's vision. Quipa might share Cupo's vision, but she lacks his foresight and reasoning. Kaisal has neither Isif's vision nor his foresight and reasoning; he's a bully with a vendetta against the universe, and I suspect now that he's in the position that he is because Isif became incapacitated and there was no better option (which unfortunately does not bode well for Raza). The UN and the Coalition are in the states that they are because those who built them did not properly instruct their successors on how to maintain them; this is why only the Zurulians and the Venlil are on the right path. Now that Meier is here, maybe he can finally pull the car over and do some badly needed maintenance or, if that proves to not be possible, at least steer onto a road instead of going through the forest.
Dookus Maximus
Yeah but Anthony still has a point. The ark colonists had no authority to declare war on anyone, so it would be silly for their existence to be announced to the rest of the SC as if they were responsible for sending out the KC drone fleets to attack those three planets. If that is indeed how the information is presented to the SC my palm is going to be leaving a crater in my face.
Dookus Maximus
Missing seemingly inconsequential biological functions have already been driving him mad. Putting him into a supercomputer with no body at all would probably be the worst thing you could do.
PhycoKrusk
What we're seeing is just the natural result of a technocracy: Technocrats don't pursue the interests of the organization they belong to. They might at first, but over time, they project more and more of their own interests onto the organization, and then pursue those to the exclusion of the organization's actual interests. Given enough time, technocracies always fail. (Onso actually demonstrates this very effectively with his minutes long presentation on the various technical aspects of the newest weapons developed, and how they fared against the Consortium. Certainly of interest and value to an engineer, but practically useless to a diplomatic body. He's an expert on engineering, and with enough time as a Coalition representative, he has both projected g his own interests into the organization, and convinced himself that he is an expert diplomat as well)
PhycoKrusk
Don't feel too bad for Kaisal: This particular wound is entirely self-inflicted. He's demonstrated repeatedly that he has a superiority complex, and this is compounded by the fact that he's never perceived his inability to get ahead as the result of him being inadequate in some way; it's always been because others were holding him back. Now, he has power, and he's throwing a tantrum because in spite of that power, he's still not getting his way and people who should (in his mind) be obeying him are instead resisting him. He's the exact same brat that he was 23 years ago. The only difference is that now he has the ability and opportunity to drag the entire Collective down with him. The Arxur need King Richard, and they're stuck with Prince John. ETA: Naltor has one significant advantage over Kaisal; even when he gets heated, he keeps his cool, and he has the emotional maturity to consider the question, "How will doing this benefit me and my people?" before releasing information. Kaisal, by contrast, doesn't keep his cool and is only emotionally mature enough to consider the question, "How can I use this to hurt others as much as possible?" This ties back into what I commented earlier; Kaisal does things with the intention of harming others, and then is surprised when there are consequences.
JaxonJak
Meier, your dedication to peace through dialogue is admirable. BUT BOI YOU BETTER GET TO WORK ON PRODUCING A BIG ASS STICK IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE SOFT TALKING.
Guardian
@Neu5Ac: I don't believe it's SP's style to introduce a character in bonus content just be offed immediately.
Adam Myers
I get ya, hence the necessity for her to face the music.
TheBlack2007
I honestly don't remember how Onso even became a diplomat in the first place. As you said, he was an engineering hotshot, first working in the Hensa conservation and repopulation effort before probably switching over into the defense industry after all (to complete his arc as r/NCD shitposter) but holy shit, he's not a diplomat.
Guardian
Not that this is anything new, but the "What's in it for me?"-vibe is getting that much more distinct as time passes in the narrative.
TheBlack2007
Honestly, the Arxur might need just that to fully realize what they have done and how there's no coming back from it at least for the foreseeable future. What they have inflicted upon the Galaxy for 300 years was so unspeakably monstrous you can't even blame anyone for wanting nothing to do with them. Of course everyone considers them monsters because not only is eating people considered not normal even by other obligate Carnivores but also did thew Arxur turn that act of barbarism into a form of ritual to be savored by everyone participating, with an entire supremacist ideology revolving around antisocial behavior, cruelty, sadism and de-sapienization of others. It's clear to me it's probably the betterment-inflicted anti-social traits getting in their way but it's really rich how Kaisal seems to believe freeing the sapient cattle and committing their raiding fleets to the scrapyard was anything but the barest of bare minimums, if not a mere negotiating chip for the humans to advocate against either the herbivores within the SC, or the Shield to just finish them off whilst they were busy fighting among themselves. Listening to Kaisal makes me realize just how much of that ideology is still prevalent within their culture. Sure, they no longer keep sapient cattle but they didn't change a thing on their outlook on other species, especially herbivores. They put it all off as indoctrination when even the Bissem, a fellow Predator race with their own, justified grievances towards the Federation calls them out for what they are at their literal first contact - which wasn't even voluntary on their part, since Onso coerced them into it. Maybe the Arxur actually need to be told to f... off by species entirely untainted by Federation meddling to finally wake up.
TheBlack2007
The Technocracy government likely was plugged into the livestream just as much as the UN. The humans and Yotul are the two leading military powers within the SC and apparently, the scouting mission that led towards the boarding action was a joint endeavor. Still utterly disappointing they wouldn't even think twice before abusing such delicate information for political gains, especially considering they were among the "Original 4" who pledged support to Earth when humanity was still the absolute underdog - with much of the fandom (and likely also a good chunk of UN diplomats) considering them closer and better allies than the Venlil who wouldn't manage to overcome their inherent biases for years to come - especially after Veln's election.
Neu5Ac
I don't recall reading that the Satellite Wars were started by the US or their allies. My understanding was that it was China and their allies fucking around and violating the Outer Space Treaty, followed by the NATO forces responding proportionally.
Guardian
Which then implies said Yotul already reported their findings to their superiors, with no regard for the possible consequences of said actions. I find that quite telling.
EliasArt2Life
It’s definitely a Chekhov’s Gun. I’m just hoping that it’s the group in charge of the Consortium that fires it, and not Jones. I also hope that Jones doesn’t get control of that suspected group. It’s not that it would be better much later on, but if it’s done now, we could look forward to dozens of chapters before the problem is solved. I can’t handle that. “When it rains, it pour”, but I’m about at my limit. If thing keep getting worse before they get better for more than 2-3 more chapters, I’m going to start zoning out.
EliasArt2Life
It was already confirmed that the Yotul had the information, and that there was a Yotul on the team that took the ship.
EliasArt2Life
So much for the Yotul being tactful and careful with the information. They shared it (and an incomplete record, by the sound of it) with the Arxur, who shared it with the Bissem, who could end up sharing it with everyone before Meier gets a chance to give his speech (Naltor still knows). I have to say, I feel sorry for the Arxur and Kaisal; they understand that they did wrong, but not how wrong it was, or why it was so wrong. So, they just blame herbivorous fear on everyone hating them. Then humanity doesn’t support them as much as they like, so they consider them more prey than predator and say the herbivores are controlling them. Then the Bissem are revealed to hold them in lower regard than they thought they would, and they call them fools. Now, they’re going to meet humans who hate the Federation, and a collective of species untouched by the Federation, and one of which is carnivorous, and they’re all going to hate the Arxur as well. It’s just going to come crashing down on them that the whole galaxy sees them as monsters, and hates them. Maybe there’ll be some interesting twists, but the only one I can see is the Jaslip Extremists getting help from the Arxur against the Consortium. Also, Tassi’s story never reached the UN? I doubt Dustin kept it quiet, so I suspect Jones had a hand in intercepting it. Yeah. She needs to go. What she did was already bad enough, but hiding it makes it worse. Only a little worse, but I had her on thin ice before. This is just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Her threat outweighs her utility in this war.
Rod
Onso and Kaisal, what bitter disappointments you have become.
DreamEnvoy
If we take what happened to that trombil in Gress' Cases as foreshadowing, then Elias may very well become a literal puppet leader.
Guardian
I can dig that word-choice.
Guardian
No one brought this up yet: this is still the 22nd; the Yotul already KNOW about the Ark humans, despite not being present in the immediate aftermath meeting with Meier. So, either the Yotul have a scary-effective information network, or a Yotul representative was present during the boarding live-stream, and is getting that information out to -- "affected parties".
DemonVee
Is no one going to mention the really concerning part? The fact that Meier is now in charge of the UN and that Virnt mentioned that he answers to and handles memory data for a ton of high ranking people, and has the power to alter Meier in someways. High ranking people, which Im certain includes Jones. I imagine Virnt wouldn't do it willingly, but if she feels the fire closing in, who knows what could happen. It's a really, really bad idea to choose the one leader who can be hacked or accessed remotely.
DemonVee
I have a feeling we're being primed for a new leader
DemonVee
"Decline" would fit better
Guardian
I'm not so sure corruption is the right term here, but I concede I may be pushing my OCD/pedantic button. Corruption implies someone is benefitting either politically or financially, or both; I don't see that happening here, though I could have missed something. Ineffective might be a better term.
Guardian
@Neu5Ac: Nonsense, yes, from a logical standpoint, but clearly Kaisal doesn't see it that way. It'll be interesting if Kaisal does indeed attempt contact with either the Consortium or the Jaslip refugees.
PhycoKrusk
Unless that comes with the capability to take all of the memories from each of the distinct Meiers and integrate them into a single "master", it won't work; he wouldn't be duplicating himself, he would be creating new, distinct entities.
PhycoKrusk
And they _still_ fucked it up. If they weren't useless and had actually done what they were supposed to, not only would Tassi have not just walked right through what is seemingly a controlled entry point, Orion would likely not be in the state it's currently in to begin with.
Guardian
Given that we've seen nothing of him in the narrative since his last encounter with Tassi, I too have this concern.
DDDragoni
God, poor Tassi... she needs a hug, a nap, and a big ol plate of fish immediately
Luiz Henrique Alves
Oh yes because US own international body didn't just did shit so bad with the other powers it almost destroyed Earth, also known as the satelite wars, the whole reason UN became actually usefull and have some real power in the story is because of that!
Daru Arura
When does that become so much of a mental burden that Meier duplicates himself to more bodies to be able to tend each of these threads more clearly?
Stueymon
Yes but do they consume a little meat every now and again as a treat like the Krev? And I yeah. The Arxur would look at the Resket and how badass they are and honour bound. They'd respect that despite how much the collective has changed
Space Paladin
The Reskets are herbivores! They’d like the Reskets’ honor society
DreamEnvoy
I somehow doubt anything happened to Dustin, but I won't rule out the possibility. Could be that they didn't get passed along, or Kuemper heard them but decided not to act.
Alekss Žukovskis
"Loxsel isn’t reliable" finally, someone said it!
PhycoKrusk
It seems more like Dustin's grievances never reached anybody, which is honestly more concerning.
Swan
I suppose so; honestly he could become a pretty decent leader if he just learned to keep his cool/stop and think before making bold decisions (plus a bit more pragmatism as well). Maybe he's just fed up with how Isif used to run things, and has thus swung the pendulum in the other direction (perhaps a bit too far)
Elliott
Jones public execution 4K 120fps broadcasting galaxy-wide w/ Commentary [LIVE]
PhycoKrusk
@Schnitzel This isn't about the Remnants; this is about the whole of it. If they immediately jumped in against the Remnant, they would have instantly lost any support they might've had in the Coalition except for the UN and the Technocracy, and they honestly might've lost the Technocracy too depending on how much face they wanted to save. The Arxur had nothing to lose by turning their guns on the Remnant; the Bissems had a lot to lose by doing so.
Bow-Tied Engineer
Someone should put RoboMeier in a supercomputer and overclock him, so he can have a week's vacation to watch TV and process everything in the span of an hour.
Almatty
Daddy's belt please
DreamEnvoy
Kaisal, I agree that the Remnants are a threat to peace. But you cannot expect the Bissems to readily join another war when they're already fighting a war in space AND at home. The Arxur really would be better off allying themselves with the Consortium against the Remnants. “You will destroy these humans and the Consortium, and do it with a smile.” Calling for genocide against those who wronged you. I guess the Duerten never changed. Given how angry and impulsive she was being, being disarmed by overhearing that interaction is probably a good thing. I'd wonder why Dustin's grievances didn't reach Meier, but there were other things that took priority. While it's important for the SC to know about the Farsul splinter group, that's just one more on this full messy plate. Between trying to make peace with the Consortium and having a falling out between the Arxur, Sheild, and Remnants. Tassi REALLY needs a vacation. She dreamt up joining a galactic community in peace, only to end up mixed into a collection of conflicts. I feel like I should apologise for making a long comment, but there is a lot going on this chapter.
PhycoKrusk
@Neu But he wasn't objecting to the government's behavior; just to Jones'. Of course, she doesn't draw any distinction between the UN and herself, so I guess you're correct after all.
PhycoKrusk
So far, I've been fairly unimpressed with Kaisal's leadership. He does alright when everything is going as expected, but as soon as something goes awry, his control rods come flying out. Isif made some mistakes, but overall, he never lost his cool, and when things went wrong, he not only kept it together, but had enough imagination to think of solutions. Maybe the issue is that we're comparing the galaxy's current leaders to the previous ones, when the plain fact is that none of them can ever hope to measure up.
PhycoKrusk
Perhaps, but even then, the size of the threat must be compared against the total collateral damage that results from dealing with it, and the longer this goes on, the stronger the implication becomes that Jones is a _very_ messy cook; at a certain point, you have to fret over the eggs.
PhycoKrusk
I don't know if firing is sufficient at this point; we've only seen what she did regarding the Bissems, so it's entirely likely that the total amount of damage she's done to the galaxy, never mind just the Coalition, has entered criminal territory.
PhycoKrusk
At last Meier begins to fully understand the actual depth of the UN's corruption; hardly a surprise it had to be someone outside the organization that did it. Now, we only need to see where he lands on the anger spectrum between "Low smolder" and "Who wants daddy's belt?" Adding to the above, Onso needs to go home. We can finally see now the cracks in having a Technocracy; their lead diplomat is not a diplomat at all, but an engineer. He was impressive in NOP1 because he was doing engineer stuff and he's good at it. Here, when they were debriefing after the Battle for Talsk, he goes into a minutes long presentation about technical specifications which are both unimportant to a diplomatic body, and not going to be understood by them as well. It's no wonder the Coalition is such a mess.
REDemon14
It is STILL Dec. 22! "When it rains, it pours." This isn't pouring, this is a whole ass hurricane! Poor, poor Tassi. My heart is actually breaking for the girl :( I do feel like Kaisal is getting ahead of himself, assuming that everyone will just follow along with his plans. Pride is a horrible thing. Korajan (and the rest of the Duertens) are delusional if they expect the UN to kill their own people. Also hypocritical for any deurten to storm away after what they did to that Kolshian Colony. I'm so glad Tassi was able to recognize the weight of the situation the moment she heard "Ark ships". Out of all the birds in NoP, she is my favorite! And now we see a human diplomat finally meet Tassi. Meier may have been out of his depth after first contact (and who wouldn't be?), but here we see exactly the type of person Meier is; a man trying his best. Meier's hatred of Jones if forever increasing. Meier being able to give Tassi hope is just wonderful. I hope to see these guys interacting more in the future. Now all we need is the sivkit reaction, the ball in their court. Edit: I forgot to mention that either Dustin didn't get around to filing the complaint about Tassi's mistreatment or his complaint got intercepted. I fear and feel that it was the latter.
Apogee
I suppose Jones put Dustin in a hole somewhere
Schnitzelsemmel
The Feds are going to attack them anyways because they are Carnivores
Neu5Ac
Yet again, the Peacekeepers prove themselves useless! They should be grateful, I suppose, that Tassi didn't have a bomb or weapon hidden on her person: how much of an embarrassment it would be if Elias Meier was killed by a rogue terrorist AGAIN because they were too limp-wristed to stop an unscheduled person from simply pushing past them? I fantasize about the US seeing this, gathering up their closest allies, and saying "screw the UN, we'll make our OWN international body, with blackjack and hookers!"
Aerowarrier
They’re going to be dragged into that war regardless of what they do. As soon as the Remnants learn that Bissem were passing info to the Arxur, they lose every chance at diplomacy they probably didn’t have in the first place. It’s better to strike first than wait for their fledgling space force to be wiped out by superior numbers. They already made their bed. Now they’re refusing to lie in it
Aerowarrier
Let’s be real, I don’t think we’ve seen him since he made that promise. Jones probably abducted him to keep him quiet
Aerowarrier
Hopefully Jones is finally going to get fired from her position as general. She never should’ve had that much power in the first place
Neu5Ac
Raza's story isn't complete yet, we don't know if she's even alive.
Neu5Ac
It would be mighty messed up (but pretty on character for the UN) if he was put in some dingy hole-in-the-wall prison over Christmas for daring to object to his government's behavior.
Stueymon
I imagine the Jaslips will be delighted to learn they have a whole fleet of Arxur in their corner. Plus by extension that includes the Yotul Technocracy. Two huge fleets on their side, nothing to stop them taking back their home. I wonder what Arxur will think of the Resket? I can't remember if they consume meat or not but regardless they'd respect their sheer physicality and fighting prowess
Swan
chad meier
Neu5Ac
The Bissems and the Arxur didn't have any kind of official mutual defense pact. Leaping to their aid the second they're attacked would be politically suicidal. It's nonsense for the Arxur to expect undying loyalty from the Bissems at this stage in their relationship.
Gumcel
Out of chronological order, completely unreadable.
Khazgbthagn
> “Clearly. You can’t even bring yourself to apologize for your shitty behavior!” Fucking *THANK YOU*. Finally someone calls this entitled little turd out on his bullshit. It's almost like diplomacy is a two-way street, and just dismissing peoples' grievances with you does nothing but make them hate you even more. I swear, Raza needs to stage a coup yesterday; there's no way that Kaisal should be trusted with the Collective's foreign policy if he keeps acting the way he has been
TheBlack2007
He got shat on a lot by the community but he’s an exceptionally rare breed. A politician who is an actual idealist and who actually holds himself up to his own standards. The fact he and Tarva crossed paths by having their tenures as leaders intersect at the time of first contact is the sole reason humanity is still alive.
Swan
To add to @TheBlack2007: a war declared spontaneously with 0 input from the Bissems, and presumably no war plan what so ever
Adam Myers
Well that is unfortunate for Jones. I can’t say it is unjustified, particularly with deep state nonsense (it sounds like laws were violated). That being said, some nuance with Jones would be nice to see, a threat only her methods could have dealt with.
Swan
How much on the entire Axur fleet getting body-slammed against the KC’s planet spheres? Sure, the KC drone fleets are dead, but their defense systems are still very much active In general I think Kaisal is being a bit too cocky, and hot headed here; sure the collective likely has a better fleet then the remnant, especially if augmented by the Yotul, but it’s still 1-3 species vs 100. It’s not unrealistic that the Axur might have to abandon the Bissems in such a war Let’s not forget that Kaisal declared this war spontaneously, presumably with little to no war plan AND now seemingly wants to pick a fight with not just the fed remnant, but the KC as well. He doesn’t even ask his allies if they’d be good with this, he just expects them to follow along; who knows, maybe he’ll pick a fight with the shield next? In that light, his demands to the Bissems just seem insane in my opinion. It honestly seems worse then a lot of the other mistreatment they’ve gotten; wanting to use them like colonial soldiers in a war you could easily have prevented (leaving aside if it’s justified or not), which they had no say in starting, and then casting them aside when they reasonably refuse to comply
th3h4ck3r
Everyone is expecting more of the Bissems in order to "prove themselves" to be their allies. They have to realize the situation is bound to be asymmetric between the Bissems and everyone else for a while until the Bissems catch up. Yes, Kaisal is right that militarily, the best way to win would be for the Bissems to join in, but he needs to realize that joining is a much bigger sacrifice for a barely space-faring civilization than for the likes of the Arxur and the SC members. He can't just justify sacrificing Bissem ships just to win a battle just so that the Arxur can begin to consider them allies, he needs to offer more in return. The defense of Earth however worked because Isif didn't suddenly expect humanity to become best buddies, he knew humanity had to play both sides and couldn't suddenly jump ship.
th3h4ck3r
The first thing the UN should do is for Meier to recentralize power. Jones has been doing Stuff™ because they gave her latitude to fuck it all up, while Kruemper was busy with building and maintaining the SC. He needs to keep all the people working with alien governments on a very short leash and under a common agenda, not everyone for themselves.
Pineapplepilot
Of all the politicians to be made immortal, I do think Meier might have been the only good choice tbh
th3h4ck3r
They were part of the catalysts of the war, alongside the Sivkit ship incident. The Consortium planned on purely defending itself should the Federation come to its doors, but the Krev, incited by the humans, decided to go on the offensive.
Byron Ritchie
Yeah exactly!
Anthony Mears
Dustin has been absent from the narrative for a while. do we know that he wasn't silenced somehow?
Anthony Mears
they are pissed about an attack that hasn't happened yet and may not even occur.
DemonVee
Yeah, it was unreasonable to expect them to join in. Go add to that, siding with the Arxur and dragging themselves to war with the Federation would have errased their bid to join the SC entirely, not only from those hating Arxur, but those that didn't want the whole coalition waring with the Feds
DemonVee
As I said before, Jones probably used her influence and pushed the complaint down the list (Unless Dustin is just an extra sneaky shit and is working for Jones too.)
Anthony Mears
did I read it wrong before or were the remnants the only ships that were crewed by living beings? Everyone else seems to have transitioned to drone fleets. no lives lost, just materiel? also, a small diaspora of humans, in the scheme of things, could hardly be the cause of the Consortiums war. motivation yes but the fleet ? that's like saying because there were jewish soldiers in the US military, that they were the planners of D Day
Byron Ritchie
Huh I guess I was wrong about korajan and the duetren They couldn’t be a bigger disappointment (in universe)
TheBlack2007
I absolutely sympathize with Tassi here. I can understand wanting to quit after having been used by just about everyone. But now the SC actually needs people like her more than the likes of Onso, Jones or even her fellow Liaisons.
John Benjamin Cate
Oh dear, so much happening and going wrong this chapter. But for the most concerning to me: how come Dustin apparently didn’t get their grievances recorded?
TheBlack2007
Why? To be dragged into yet another galactic war, because fighting one as well as a world war at home wasn’t enough on their plate already?
Jhon Bustamante
second
Schnitzelsemmel
First Naltor why just WHY… I mean I understand being pissed in that situation but Kaisal has a point the Bissems should’ve stood with the Arxur against the Remnants
