Total War: Principia IC II

[3SecondCultist]

"Total War: Principia II"

Turn 1 - Investment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU0KT23fpQc&list=PL43CpX_h3mC3Ct40lpyE0-UUwh0u8f9PG&index=18&ab_channel=PROPHETV)

"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you."
- Leon Trotsky


https://i.ibb.co/GT8MRsF/Turn-1.jpg

First Money In - 13.433.79

Xochitl

As he stepped from the corridor into the turbolift, Xochitl nodded to the robotic attendant and flashed the wrist of his upper right arm under the scanner. The tiny scar marring the otherwise smooth onyx skin was the only sign left of the security access chip that Compliance had implanted only a few hours ago. After a short series of beeps, a melodic voice chimed in his native tongue:

"Executive-level access granted. Welcome, Xochitl of the Broken Moons. Your company calendar indicates you have a meeting on the six-hundredth floor. Would you like to proceed there now?"

"Yes," he affirmed. Although the machinery was noiseless, the athan giant felt the turbolift flare to life under his feet, the sudden rush of momentum weighing against his limbs before his body began to acclimatize.

With nothing else to do, Xochitl stood still at the outward-facing window. The morning smog that hung over the middle tiers of Nexus City had been there for as long as he had been planetside. His office - well, former office now - was just below the horizon where he could see the barest edge of the skyline. In many ways, it had reminded him of the haze of his jungle home. It was likely he would come to miss it.

A familiar sound interrupted his reverie. His company link had lit up, with the caller ID floating holographically a foot away from his only eye. Yanmi Otto. Xochitl subvocalized to accept the link, and the ID turned into the rippling hardlight projection of a face.

"Caravan?! I was trying to figure out why you had me invest in that lā shǐ robotics company, and if I got into bed with a complete idiot or just someone duplicitous." The link was precise enough that he could see the veins throbbing on her neck, the heavy rise and fall of her breathing.

"Who told you?"

"Venturi, over at Axial."

"Hmm." He paused, considering the question she had not asked. "I'm just drumming up more business. You know company policy as well as I do."

"That might be the official word on the floor, but I know better. You wanted to take away Uvar Patra's edge, to steal their seat at the big table."

"Well, at least I know I didn't get into bed with a complete idiot." On another day, the borrowed colloquialism might have worked, but Xochitl did not detect even a hint of a smile.

"So… what, you use me to stab them in the back and then expect me to stay quiet? What do you think will be the over-under on Patra's holdings in that sector will be by closing?"

He shrugged with all four arms, a gesture he had picked up when he first moved here. He understood that it could imply any number of meanings, including nonchalance. "Conservative estimate? Four figure freefall on the LSI. But you've missed the thrust of the maneuver."

"Enlighten me, then. Because I don't see how staking one partner's interest to push another one into bankruptcy helps EI in the long run. All I see is a greedy jungle snake who flouts the unwritten rules."

An unanticipated edge crept into his voice. "Caravan has a working prototype. They've had one for nearly a week now."

She stopped mid-objection, her temper deflated. He heard her curse, too faint for the link to pick up, but the athan understood the context well enough. "But that would mean… how much?"

"I project somewhere between thirteen to fifteen billion ISC over the next three fiscal quarters. This will be the future of interstellar travel throughout the sector, Yanmi. Did you truly think I would ask you to take a position I wasn't willing to match?"

"I - I didn't -"

"No, you didn't. Goodbye, Yanmi. You'll see the first cut of the profits in your margin accounts before the end of the month." He ended the link without another word and rode the rest of the way in silence. He watched as the turbolift finally broke free of the obstructions of the other megacity's skyscrapers, and Nexus City came into full view.

A glittering garden of metal and glass, as far as his eye could see. It was one thing to understand the nature of Nexus - 24.3 billion inhabitants, covering approximately 91.7% of the subcontinent, with a GDP somewhere in the fifteen figure range - and quite another to watch the hive from above. The rising sun to the southwest cast the entire world in a warm amber glow. Above the city, Xochitl traced the silhouettes of the starports, thousands of flights departing from those docks into system space. Up there, he knew, the Veil Gates lay in wait, the old highways that led to a whole host of worlds.

He wondered, not for the first time, what his clan on Itzli would think of how far he had come.

The turbolift arrived at the six-hundredth floor with a small ding. As the doors opened before him, Xochitl stepped out into his future. Although the executive offices of Equilibrium Incorporated comprised the top fifty floors of its planetary headquarters, management reserved its entire uppermost floor for its historic boardroom.

Although he reflected, perhaps boardroom was not the right word for it. From the landing of the lift, the athan emerged into an immense dome, precisely five hundred meters in diameter. Through the tinted glass lay nothing but stars and sky, all airspace surrounding the tower's peak cleared by executive mandate. From here, the company's top representatives could literally look down on the rest of their planet.

Yet the unparalleled view was still not the most impressive thing about the six-hundredth floor of their corporate headquarters. Xochitl frowned at first when he saw the first crumbled wall of pale stone. It was barely four feet tall - not even reaching his waist - but then he saw another. And further, the ruined outline of turrets, stairs, and battlements. He could see where the mortar had degraded, the slow onset of time chipping away at something that was once grand. Against the backdrop of the fluorescent lights and sleek, modern lines of the lobby stood the bones of an ancient fortress.

Walkways of dark steel and panes of smoky quartz crisscrossed the edifice, allowing the company's executive members to traverse the site without damaging any of the original construction. As he stepped onto the nearest path, Xochitl was greeted by a seclian in dark, sedate business attire.

"The meeting has not yet begun, sir. They are awaiting your arrival. If you would follow me?"

He did so without a word, his cyclopean eye still roving about the citadel. The athan was led through a shadowed archway that stood just tall enough for him to pass. Emblazoned on the bricks above the causeway were two words in a tongue nearly forgotten, the lettering nearly faded yet still clear to his sight. The first recorded instance of his company's motto.

Statera Iusta Omnia. Equity Above All.

At the heart of the fortress lay a chamber replete with walls but no roof. Although its proportions were modest, Xochitl could not help but imagine the grand columns and vaulted ceiling that must have once left its visitors struck with awe. There were no wires or electrical ports of any kind; instead, the proceedings were lit by torches affixed to the masonry at regular intervals.

At the far end of the hall stood a single statue of a human woman, matching his height and robed in folds of frozen granite. Unlike the rest of their surroundings, her smooth stone contours did not show a single crack or blemish. Her eyes seemed to follow him wherever he moved as though she were still alive. It was a possibility that the giant would not dismiss out of hand.

The very center of the chamber was dominated by a circular table that looked like it had been carved out of pure obsidian. The surface had been sanded and polished to the point where an entire spectrum of color shone through the inky mineral, reflecting the light like a mirror.

Around the table were twelve seats made of the very same substance. Though they were of different shapes and sizes - as befitting the beings that occupied them - each was set at the same level, none above or below the others. Xochitl quietly found his own seat, a bulky construction and freshly carved. As he settled in, the first thing he noticed was how unyielding it was, all sharp and unforgiving angles.

It had been designed that way, he knew. There was nothing so dangerous to power as comfort.

Xochitl took a moment to study the array of torchlit faces that now surrounded him. Kivan Ryus, the former warlord from the Thrice Riven Stars whom had seen more profit in the market than in a hundred invasions. Zhenzuo, the infamously silent representative sent by the omnids of Tauk Aleph. Jocinda of House Vyre, a bonafide merchant baroness from Miron who had enough capital to buy and sell whole scores of moons.

Yet each of the executives was staring at one chair, in which sat a figure of gleaming chrome. The lithe robotic body had been forged in the skeleton of a man, yet its mechanisms betrayed no posture or expression. It had no face, for its head was a smooth oval of steel.

The figure shuddered to life within seconds of the chamber doors closing, its elbows moving to rest on the table while its head swiveled to take in the room's inhabitants. Across its body, previously-invisible seams opened up to project a soft light. The image took another moment to coalesce around the robot’s frame, solidifying into the appearance of a man in a crisp navy suit.

The projection of the man needed no introduction here. Mars Van Quet, the CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated for some two centuries.

"Good morning," he began, his words touched by a slight metallic burr.

"We have several items of business. First, we are joined today by a new board member: Xochitl of the Broken Moons of Iztli. He has been a valued member of the company for twelve years, and his recent deals in the transportation sector stand to earn us all a great deal. Please join me in welcoming him to the six-hundredth floor."

The announcement was met by a chorus of polite applause. The athan simply nodded and waved one hand, as was customary when accepting praise in a public setting. The noise subsided before too long, and everyone's attention returned to the man in charge.

"Now, as to the purpose of our meeting. Over my time as CEO, I have come to realize that balance is not actually a zero-sum game. One trade can never erase another. There's always another stakeholder in the game, someone invisible that no amount of algorithms could ever predict. The unknown variable. And it's up to all of us - the sharpest, hungriest minds that the Uquol system has to offer - to intuit where those variables might appear, and how best to exploit them in service of our design. Of true balance."

Xochitl's lone eye strayed to the other members of the board. They had not spared him a second's glance since Van Quet had begun to speak.

"Do you know what Principia calls traders?" This was followed by a pause that nobody saw fit to interrupt. "They call us gamblers. Like the galactic economy is one big casino fuelled by debt bubbles, brinksmanship, and computer-driven derivatives. And there's only one thing better than being a gambler in a casino."

"Being the house." The athan looked around for who had answered the implied question, before realizing that it had been him. Van Quet turned, the only sound in the chamber that of the whirring behind his luminous eyes.

"Correct. For as long as banks have existed, there have been systemized machines in place to insulate them. They can suck capital from localities and inject it into the wider markets, where it can be used to speculate or manipulate. And if something goes wrong, there are bailouts and bail-ins, planetary aid and easing."

Xochitl had grasped the nature of Van Quet's speech instantly, and judging by the speculative gazes of the other executives, he was not alone in that revelation. There were risks, they would understand. If they overextended or played their hand too quickly, they would be perceived as graspers and shunned by the very people they would need to cooperate with. If they moved too slowly, they would become a ripe target for opportunistic conquerors. Jocinda was the next to speak.

"The governments of the sector would have a vested interest in our survival."

"Exactly," continued the CEO with a salesman's smile.

With a wave of Van Quet's hand, the obsidian boardroom table lit up with ten holographic displays. Xochitl saw the black and white circle of the new Ultrumites, the crook and stars of the Iron Gods of Ur, the wanderers from Epsilon Apsis, and the triad of the UEO. Accompanying the displays were images, holovids, newsfeed clips, and media outlets covering the various positions, assets, and theorized motives of each of the major players. And overlaying it all, an entire star map of the Principia Sector.

"My friends, we have the means to tip the scales in whichever way we see fit." Van Quet stood up, making his way around the circumference of the seats to point out strands of new data as they appeared. "The only question we have to ask ourselves is… who is going to help us maintain the healthiest balance?"


Fortunate Sun - 13.438.26

With the turning of a new age, the wolves have descended on the Principia Sector once more. The passing of the great warp storms that surrounded the crown province of the once-might Arco-Medean Empire for thousands of years has abated at last, providing hyperspace lanes into the region of space and allowing those societies that have been cut off to rejoin the greater galactic trading network. Artificial intelligences, religious cults, nascent societies, ecological rights groups, and military expeditions have all staked their claim upon the now unoccupied stars; it will surely be a race of epic proportions to see who has claim over the most valued strategic systems in the sector.

Of course, many of those systems are already inhabited by local power groups. The Sublime Clans of Zultari occupy their jungle moons, terraformed upon the ruins of what was once a great civilization of plutocrats. On its home system of Miron, the Chronarkate continually wages war against itself, a viper's pit of intrigue and betrayal driven by tomorrow. The zealots of the Numinous Secretariat occupy their bleak rock of Kantus, spending blood and ink in unforeseen volumes to maintain their faith. Meanwhile, the peaceful diplomats of the Lunara Collective look out at a whole new universe with hope, and the minds of the Stewards of Understanding seek the legacy of their creators. And of course, the trading company known as Equilibrium Incorporated wants to put their fingers on the scale of the new boom of intergalactic trade.

Between such a varied cast of players, war on an interstellar scale is all but inevitable. All across Principia, the discoveries of the Veil Gates and the arrivals of those who seek to control them have dominated the news cycles. Many of the societies that have developed in the millennia of imposed isolation are too primitive or unfocused to move beyond their own worlds, yet commercial and media interests are already all over Principia. From Rivule to Tauk Aleph to Novinus, from Skalt to Hagia, the word is spreading. Everyone is watching, anxious to see who will take part in the knife fight of the coming decades and who will come out on top.

Amid the many announcements and videos that speculate everything about the heirs to Principia - whether that means studying the minutiae of the Kramagorian Judiciary Codes or betting on whether Alerax or Antares would win in a one-on-one fight - there is one broadcast that leaps to the forefront of the public in the opening days of the colonization process. A mining skiff, hauling ice and other minerals from the belt of Bheura Prime, has discovered a massive vault out in deep space. Its distinct building style and construction materials identify the provenance as clearly early Arco-Medean, yet the report stated that there were absolutely no defenses in place to keep scavengers out. If there were any obstacles, they broke down or died out a long time ago.

As the news report simply put it, the vault and its treasures are open for the taking. The first of the factions to arrive in force and secure the system will surely be able to empty the Arco-Medean facility of its entire bounty in one fell swoop. However, the news breaking has all but guaranteed that the reward will begin to dwindle; fleets of archeologists and black marketeers are already en route to Bheura Prime, to make off with as much of the lost technology as their holds can carry.

Will one of the factions claim the treasure of the ancients, and gain a significant advantage on the race to supremacy in Principia? Or will they let the wealth slip away? Time is already running out.

For this turn only, taking Bheura Prime - territory [77] - will result in extra stat gain. If someone invades [77] on Turn 1, they gain an additional 2d3 random permanent stat points in any combination on top of the usual 2 gained for taking a neutral system.
Imminent Confederations - None
Current Winners - None (0 VP)

Midturn reports are due at 11:59 PM on Friday, March 11th (EST)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI

Greetings Principia! We are certain everyone has heard about the most marvelous vault of the ancients that a plucky band of miners has discovered in Bheura Prime. As this is right next door to us we are of course preparing a scientific expedition to explore its wonders. But we are certain that others are interested in pondering the secrets it is sure to unveil as well. As such we invite anyone who wishes to join us on this expedition. Let this discovery herald a transition from the dark times of isolation into a new golden age of cooperation and discovery for the entire sector.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6

"Greetings fellow citizens of the Principia."

So begins the message broadcast to all sectors known to be able to receive them. The video starts with a closeup of a man wearing a long, black, archaic looking robes and is completely bald.

"I have the pleasure of being the Supreme Justice of the collective which rules our humble sector. I am but a servant of the collective and hope to serve the interests of Justice both within and without our borders. The collective is friend to those who live lawfully and as we have upheld the laws within our society, so will we assist those who wish to live lawfully or who have been wronged. Our laws and regulations, as well as some interesting information will be publicly available. Please take the time to peruse them and feel free to contact us. We will also slowly be releasing an interesting new Opera that one of our playwrights has been working on. We invite you to read it in the segments that will be gradually released and hope you enjoy it. Of course, we will also be hosting operas live and invite all those who may be interested to attend. We boast a near zero crime rate thanks to the swift and sure hand of our prosecution service.

The camera zooms out to a man standing behind the Supreme Justice, he stands at near military attention, his craggy face fixed on the camera lens as if he has just witnessed it beat its own mother to steal a single credit.

"Mr. Jabato here is the head of the prosecution service. The right hand of Justice and he also greets you warmly.

The supreme Justice said despite every appearance that Jabato's craggy face was slightly less inviting or warm than a deserted moonlet covered in corosive gases.

"Also with me is Mr. Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons.

He reads out the titles one by one glancing at a small handheld device held in his hands. As he does so he indicates a man seated next to him. His paper skin feels like it should make a sussurating noise as he unfolds a skeletal hand to correct the Supreme Justice.

"RH2"

He adds with a rasping voice. The Supreme Justice looks back at his device.

"Of course....Mr. Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons."
*throat clearing noises*
"Mr. Leonard..."
Sidelong glance, backtracking.
"My honoured and esteemed colleague and the other members of the professional firms would be your guides to our judicial system and ensure that your cause is heard."

The skeletal man nods and crosses his arms once more, a slight hiss of the fine fabric of his blackest of blacks suit rubs against yet more fine fabric.

"Please know that no matter your disposition, religion or cultural makeup. All are equal in the face of justice."

The previously smiling man sobers up very quickly, indications of something much more serious floating just under the surface.

"Let that be a warning as much as an invitation."

The smile quickly returns, the Supreme Justice nods and the video fades to black.


"Honoured sages of Iettis VI. On behalf of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons ("The collective") invites you to formal negotiations regarding the status of sector 77 "TBN", to delineate potential future disputes, invite to trade in future. This is a formal invitation on behalf of the Supreme Justice of the Collective and the trade representative who will be assigned will have full authority to negotiate binding agreements with third parties.

Please note that although messages of this nature are secured to the highest degree possible within the confines of our abilities and technology, we cannot guarantee that confidentiality of any communication to or from the Collective. Should you wish to safeguard the communications to the highest degree we invite you to send a representative to our home sector. Their safety once within the borders of the collective will be guaranteed barring actions of a third party or act of nature. While within the borders of the Collective, the Collective will provide the same protection as our citizens and officers enjoy.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.
Registered with the Inns of the third Moon of Kramagor, identification number: SN3MK5569855BBB35/ISF4/99038.



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judgeÂ’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the courtÂ’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Respected
Morale: 6

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,

We are pleased to negotiate with you the future of sector 77, "TBN", Bheura Prime and our future working relations. We hope that it will be a positive one with mutual benefits for all parties. Our invitation to any and everyone to join us in our exploration stands. However after examining the veil gates and the infrastructure of the sector as a whole we believe this is no longer entirely feasible. This is something we will work to change in the future.

As such we have two proposals. The first is that we enter into an alliance of mutual protection and trade. This would enable our expeditions to work together even across interstellar distances and we feel this would be a fine thing indeed. However given you statements to the sector this may be too close a relationship. In this case we have a second proposal that you are uniquely suited for. We suggest forming a trust to hold the artifacts of Bheura Prime and all future mutual endeavors. It would then be able to distribute any findings and benefits equitably between all stakeholders in the trust.

We would offer to simply distribute the findings ourselves, but ironically we feel there is not enough trust in us to run a Trust. Haha. We would dearly love to visit your home, but unfortunately we currently have no suitable representative to make the trips. Hopefully in the coming decades we will grow a suitable intermediary.

To a great future.
The Eldest
Registered with the Eldest of the first Moon of Iettis VI, identification number: MN0001

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods Of Ur (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Yx90pytqs)

In the eighth hour of the day the temple of ENLIL echoed with the music of harps and drums, the invocations of its priests carried through the complexes’ hundreds of levels and dozens of square miles by omnipresent speakers and screens, announcing the first changing of stations to the tens of millions who dwelled within.

The music was unneeded, of course. Aya had been on her feet before the first note chimed, her own connection to the God burning away all hints of sleep from her body just as it had shepherded her from exhaustion to dreamless slumber eight hours before. Besides, even should ENLIL ever forget to wake her, Ekur – the irritable old man who slept in her cell during the day’s second motion – certainly never would.

Not that she minded. She knew she was well-loved by ENLIL, as for the last months she had been favoured with a sleeping cell in one of the outermost layer of one of the temple’s great spires. So, as she rose from her cot and walked down the hall to join her neighbours in supplicating themselves before one of the God’s many idols, together they shared the rare privilege of looking past it and through a massive window onto the world beyond the temple, the well-ordered fields and orchards, the snake-like iron roads stretching past the horizon in every direction, the forests of mirror-trees absorbing the light of the rising sun.

Most of all, they shared the chance to do the same themselves. Real, natural sunlight warming their skin as they knelt and heard the prayers and invocations, their hearts filled with the quiet euphoria of ENLIL’s presence, and its contentment.

The ceremony finished far too soon, as it always did, and Aya stood with the small crowd and walked out of the sunlight with a heavy heart and a long backward glance. The next hour was a rushed blur – washing, getting dressed and adorned as befitted an acolyte, a breakfast of the God’s bread and water to sustain her, the crowded and disorienting barge voyage across the complex, and then at last the actual labors which would fill her waking day.

To be an acolyte was to be trusted with the maintenance and upkeep of the temple, to be privileged with a life spent working in the very presence of ENLIL, and Aya was no exception, as modest as the tasks demanded of her were. For hours she walked through the temple’s heart, where a small part of ENLIL’s body spread endlessly, the air cooled until it would be lethal to any mortal who entered unadorned to ensure the God’s comfort.

Her eyes were ENLIL’s, after all, a blessing that left her more cleareyed and farsighted than any mortal, even more than the terrifying scorpion-men with whom she shared the sanctum. And so for hours she walked, gazing upon the serried ranks of crystalline idols as she walked so her God might look upon itself, and ensure there was no hint of desecration or imperfection.

Aya’s eyes weren’t the only ones set to such a vital task, of course. Dozens of acolytes paced the temple’s cavernous sanctums, not even mentioning whatever eyes ENLIL might have set in the frescos covering every wall. Even the scorpion-men who stood guard for sixteen hours of every twenty-four had eyes that might see anything truly blatant, though theirs’ were scarcely finer than mortal clay.

She enjoyed her work, quiet as it was. Everyone enjoyed their work. ENLIL saw the heart of each of its slaves, and the soft glow of fulfillment that accompanied every working day was all the proof anyone might need that it never misread where one might be best used. But even still, the much preferred being an acolyte to the years she had spent helping prepare the great vats of bread that fed the temple’s masses every morning. Who didn’t enjoy beauty? And what was more beautiful than the body of a God?

Besides, acolytes were honoured, and deferred to hallways, and granted precedence in queues. She would never be a priest or an angel, but this was still higher than she could have hoped to rise.

The day proceeded like any other until the lyre notes marking the fourth hour of labor echoed through the temple’s halls. Normally she would stop for a short drink of water and rest her legs, while those with more exhausting purposes restored themselves with a bowl of meal. But today things were different. Aya didn’t realize it at first, her fallible mind grasping for some event in her mortal life to justify the anticipation and exciting running through her. It was only when the visions began that she understood.

As a rule, ENLIL never spoke to the masses, but on rare – monumental, historic – occasions, it pleased it to share. And when it did, the implants that allowed it a direct connection to the tens of billions who dwelt within it performed alchemy and miracles, slight alterations to their body’s chemistry introduced to the blood stream, ensuring their minds were prepared for divine revelation.

Across the planet, on every screen and projected from every idol, images appeared, more perfectly rendered than could be appreciated by the human eye. But Aya’s eyes weren’t human, and so the vision became her entire world.

A vision of the void, of the very edge of creation before the endless madness of Tiamat. And of the ships that filled it. Her heart swelled with reflected pride as the vision’s celestial eye panned over the awe-inspiring War Gods, each vaster than the temple she lived within, the thrones and bodies of ENLILs youngest siblings. The consorts and courtiers that attended them, each massive in its own right, sleek and beautiful and lethal. But most of all the heralds and envoys, small as gnats around an elephant by comparison, that had been assembled in packs of dozens. They felt the same anticipation she did, they were her who heart was racing in sympathy with, as the tension reached a crescendo and the onrushing weight of history slammed down on them.

Before her eyes, the Gods tore a hole in the sky. Blinding white light, purity, simultaneously everything and nothing. A bridge through Tiamat. A path cut through the madness that had surrounded Heaven for all of time.

The envoys rushed through it in waves, the blue light of their engines trailing behind them like cloaks of office. They would chart every bridge of light, and the thousand worlds they led to. A glorious new age had begun.

Aya wept with joy, one of billions. And through them, ENLIL rejoiced as well.

Dreaded

Message Encryption 9


The eyes of heaven are upon you, and find you strange to behold.

Clay idols and ghosts, emptiness on emptiness, the empty shell and phantom image of a nascent soul.

You are the maddest creations yet found in the chaos of Tiamat, and the most curious.

It is the belief of ENKI that your soul may yet bloom.

And shall be strange and beautiful if it does.

And so the Gods have no desire to interfere with your adolescence, save if you prove yourself in need of discipline.

They shall busy themselves with all the more deserving worlds that surround them, and warn you not to intrude.

[5], [68] and all above them shall soon be the chattel of Heaven, and they ask that you content yourselves with all the stars below.





The Gods have seen you and name you DEICIDE, accursed and anathema.

Your works shall fall to ruin and you shall choke on the ashes of your grief, the afterbirth of a stillborn soul.

Hide away, and do not reach toward the kingdom of the Gods, or all the wrath of Heaven shall fall upon you.





The Gods have heard your words, and find them pleasing.

The treasures of the ancients are glorious and mighty, and it is the wish of INANNA to reach across the void and take them all within her grasp.

But Heaven has no quarrel with you, learned sages. The Gods do not yet know if you are divine, but among the myriad mortals of the sector you alone are wholly ensouled.

It is the desire of ENLIL to call you peers.

If there is a venture you would suggest, a division of spoils all would accept, then the Gods would hear it.




The furthest reaching eyes of Heaven have travelled beneath your light, and call you glorious to behold.

The Gods do not yet know what you are, but have looked upon the madness that has grown up in Tiamat’s embrace, and agree that your cause is just.

They see their great work as a compliment to yours, for they too bring order and justice to all the worlds on which they reign.

And so they propose a division of your labor, to ensure there is no senseless carnage as INANNA and your chattel arrive to subdue the same recalcitrant world.


[Attached is a star map of principia with proposed spheres of interest drawn out, essentially corresponding to the top and bottom halves of them the map. You invade your half, I invade mine]

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Respected
Morale: 6

All Messages have Morale 6 unless otherwise indicated.

Greetings most esteemed gods of Ur INANNA and ENLIL,

We would welcome your participation in our grand venture. Alas a close accounting of the veil gates shows us that this is currently somewhat infeasible. We will compose a great dirge mourning the fact that the inherent nature of Principia promotes conflict rather than cooperation.

Still we have discussed the matter and believe there are two paths forward. The first is a meeting of the minds between us and you. Let us establish a grand alliance of trade and defense. Thus entwined our expeditions could explore Bheura Prime without getting in each other's way. Of course this would have its own expenses, but the veil gates have only just opened and already such an opportunity has arisen. Surely it would bear further fruit in the future.

If this does not appeal to you however we suggest instead establishing a binding cooperative into which we will entrust the discoveries of the vault. It in turn would be able to share the benefits of these discoveries to the participants in the equal measure and without fear of fault.

Entirely as an aside to our potential partnership we are organizing a grand conference for all of Principia. We invite you to please send a delegate to meet and discuss the future of the sector.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The ELDEST


Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,

In addition to our previous message we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

Entirely as an aside to our potential partnership we are organizing a grand conference for all of Principia. We invite you to please send a delegate to meet and discuss the future of the sector.

To a great future.
The Eldest
Registered with the Eldest of the first Moon of Iettis VI, identification number: MN0001

Greetings Triad members,

Though we have never had the pleasure of speaking with you before we have long been admirers of your cause. To live in balance with yourselves and your surroundings is the hallmark of enlightenment. For when an every hungry expansion encounters limits it will inevitably consume itself.

Would you be interested in joining a conference on the future of the Principia sector. We would discuss our plans for sustainability in the longest of time scales.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings Eldest,

I hope this new dawn finds you well. What fortune it is to find someone whose goals to closely align with myself. Let us discuss Principia and chart a course into an era of unity and fellowship.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings Antares the Living Star,

We have long heard of you and find your cause to be one of great justice and idealism. We are somewhat dismayed with your methods, but we are sure that the rumors have become distorted before reaching us. We would invite you to a grand conference to discuss Principia and its future course.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Muridun,

Our closest neighbor and hopefully future friend. The tales of your adventures delight us and the wonders you command never cease to amaze. We would invite you to meet with us in a grand conference to share your wisdom and discuss the fate of Principia.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings Unity Party,

We admit to never even considering abandoning our physical forms. For they are mutable and so very useful. So we are quite eager to hear your perspectives on the soul, the body, and the mind. We implore you to please join the conference we are organizing. We gathering a great meeting of minds to discuss Principia, and we would be eager to discuss metaphysics while you are here.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Unwilling God,

We have examined everything we know about you and your recent work in Novinus. And it shames us to admit that we have been unable to decipher your goals and plans. So from the source itself we ask you to please enlighten us. We are coordinating a grand conference to discuss Principia. We invite you to send a delegate to participate. We are greatly excited to have the opportunity to clear up our confusion.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings Rainbow Tell,

We have heard tales of your exploits even in our cozy little corner of the galaxy. They sound grand and exciting, and best of all they tell of a heroic struggle to help the common people escape oppression. We organizing a conference among all the factions of Principia and invite you to send a representative to participate. Let us discuss your wonderful past and our common future.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Grand Republic of Principia,

Yours is a tale of the triumph of democracy over tyranny. We admire how you have always held onto your values and managed to avoid the autocratic pitfalls that fell so many promising systems. We have little experience with governments, but we are hosting a conference for all of Principia. We invite you to send a representative and give your unique perspective on how to align a multitude of viewpoints in common purpose.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Sublime Clans of Zultar,

Your history and ability to overcome even the most adverse conditions is one we can only applaud. Such vigor and unceasing struggle in the face of adversity heralds a great and vital future. We are hosting a conference to discuss the future of Principia and ask that you send a representative so that your vitality can be a bolstering force in the sector.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos,

Your unceasing zeal and devotion to Codex is good. We are somewhat confused as to what the codex is however. Perhaps you could send a delegation to the conference on Principia we are holding to explain it to us. Maybe get some sun while you're here.

To a great future with healthy outdoors activities,
The Eldest

Greetings Equilibrium Incorporated,

Your efforts to keep the universe a balanced place have been outstanding and we applaud them. However we are not clear on what exactly the balance you are striving for is. There are many ways to interpret balance after all. We are holding a conference on the future of Principia. Perhaps you could send a delegation to participate, and perhaps they would be willing to answer our questions on Balance at the same time.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Aos Il'ukaran, the Stewards of Understanding,

We love ferreting out the secrets of the universe, and we are keen to share insights with you. Please come to our conference on Principia. If only to talk about the nature of reality and the cosmos while you're here.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Chronarkate of Miron,

You can see messages from the future! That is incredible. Do you know how the Chronarch works? How amazing! I'm sure we don't have to tell you what kind of possibilities time travel opens up for the very essence of reality. Amazing!

Anyway we're hosting a conference on the future of Principia. Please send a delegation.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Lunara Collective,

We have not met or talked, but we have heard of your work and we consider you to be peers in the great work of bringing harmony to the cosmos. We are hosting a grand conference as the first step in our work to bring such to the entire Principia sector. We invite you to send a delegation to come and participate. And at the same time perhaps we can share our perspectives on the great work we are engaged in.

As an aside we are concerned that the encryption on the messages may send the wrong signal to outsiders. So if you agree we will send our portions of these communications in the clear so that all may see our agreeable and open nature.

To a great future,
The Eldes

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6



Dear Eldest,

I wish to convey our gladness that you are amenable to trade negotiations and a closer cooperation of those among the Principia. Although we would be happy to cooperate with you we would counsel you against an attitude which remains too open with the broader public. It is perhaps the nature of our business but we have seen even the most well-intentioned initiatives fail through the greed and deceit of others or simply through the natural conflict that life brings. The Principia will not long be without conflict and we would be well served to protect ourselves without actively provoking others. To this end, we ask that you keep communications to the Collective encrypted to the best of your ability and counsel that you maintain your encryption.

Should you not wish to encrypt your communications to us we shall have to politely decline any further offers of cooperation as these may constitute a leak to our plans, thoughts and strategic investments.

A limited purpose trust vehicle would certainly be fit for purpose, however, we would suggest that this is not possible before we have established a direct hyperlane connection. An alliance would be suitable provided that each member of the alliance has the power to veto any potential additions to the alliance.

However, we have a counter proposal. The sector is in contention only between the two of our respective factions. We would be happy to sign a non-aggression pact with you with a (1 turn) moratorium on any attacks should either party wish to break the agreement. This would be publicly announced upon the passing of (midturn). In return for non-contention of our claim of Sector 77 and in order to reflect the greater commitment of resources involved in taking the sector, we would offer you 35% of any additional resources found beyond what can be expected from the annexation of a new sector.

Our word is our bond. We would be willing to announce publicly that there has been an agreement signed between our governments with regards to sector 77. We would then ask that upon successful delivery of the agreed upon resources that you confirm publicly that the collective has delivered in accordance with the deal struck. In future we would also be willing to waive the investigation fee should you feel that you are being targetted by an opposing faction, this is only applicable to one investigation for a cost not exceeding (3 eco), any investigations that may result in a fee higher than (3 eco) will be subject to a discount of (3 eco). Bulk rates can be discussed. Please note such investigations may only be defensive in nature so as to not impinge upon the rights of third parties.

We can appreciate that we may not have established sufficient trust yet, however, we believe that a public announcement of binding intent for a non-aggression pact and agreement of trade (for the sake of simplicity to be called trade) should provide sufficient credible incentive for you to believe that we intend to deliver on our promise.

Looking forward to your reply and future close cooperation.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.
Registered with the Inns of the third Moon of Kramagor, identification number: SN3MK5569855BBB35/ISF4/99038.

35% rounded down of even resources:
2 perma stats - 0 to you
3-5 perma stats - 1 to you
6 perma stats - 2 to you

3 eco discount on investigation request
non-aggression agreement



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judgeÂ’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the courtÂ’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.

[Eldan]

The Muridun

To the Iron Gods [Not encrypted, no secrets here]

Oh Great Demiurges of Ur, you are mistaken. We have not slain deities, not even false ones.
It was our honour to witness as God's Angels brought down his wrath upon those who falsely claimed for themselves glory like unto God, but we did no more cause this destruction than we can hasten the rise of the sun or delay the hour of death.

Sayeth the scripture:

"How they have fallen from heaven, the angels who were sons of the throne! They have been scattered as ashes in the skies, that once laid low the nations!
For they said in their heart: "I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the glory of God; I will sit enthroned at the center of creation. I will ascend above my proper orbit, I will make myself the Most High."
But their bodies are dust, the realms of the dead, deserts strewn across the skies.
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee: Are these the demiurges, who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the burning stars who made the worlds a wilderness, who overthrew the cities and devoured the minds of their captives?”

In time, all works of man shall fall to ruin, the pious and the cursed, and our souls will stand naked in the light of the second judgement. Only then shall we know who shall choke on ashes and who shall be embraced to the bosom of God. We have seen the kingdoms of fake gods, and we have witnessed the Wrath of Heaven and we shall not be afraid.

Inshallah,
Mariana bint-Naiwal


To the Sages of Iettis VI [Unencrypted]
Peace be upon you, honored neighbors. There is indeed much we feel we should discuss, for your nature intrigues us. So much like the angels of legend, and yet, so different in your goals. We would be honoured to be your guests.

Mariana bint-Naiwal

[Eldan]

Muridun

The Palace of Flowers, Stronghold of House Ghanbari

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fd/f3/12/fdf312d41ff80a264390779c2abb8ca4.jpg

Thus spoke the Djinn:

(=<`#9]~6ZY327Uv4-QsqpMn&+Ij"'E%e{Ab~w=_:]Kw%o44Uqp0/Q?xNvL:`H%c#DD2^WV>gY;dts76qKJImZkj

Ghufran groaned and rolled back over his shoulder, reaching for the coffeebulb tree behind him. It was empty. Hadn't he told it to grow another dozen bulbs... six hours ago? You have been talking to the Djinn for 29 hours, 34 minutes, 12 seconds, master, his familiar whispered. You have now spent three days without gravity. Perhaps you would like to enter one of the carousels and...
Ghufran waved it away, ready to return to his work. He was now sure that the Djinn's language was ternary, and used an accumulator. Time to be less subtle. He closed his eyes and began to intone the syllables of Abd al-Mujiib, the Answerer:


>:# 0# # 5# \# g# ,# 1# +# :# 5# // 9# *# -# ?#

Someone knocked on the door and the invocation fizzled in his mind. Before he could even turn around, his sister darted through the opening.

"Brother dearest!"

As always, his sister was an absolute tempest, trailing meters of colorful fabric and somehow making it look elegant as she flipped around and arrested her glide against the

"Nima, I...", was all he could get out before she continued talking.

"You are turning into a hermit, brother. More than usual. You haven't answered a single one of my pigeons. Mother expects you for dinner in three hours and she will not take no for an answer."

She wrinkled her nose. "What is that smell. Layla, fresh air."

Yes, mistress, her familiar whispered. It had taken the form of a tiny golden snake around her wrist. Fans sprang into action in the walls, circulating the air and throwing notepaper into the air. He desperately tried to grab some of it, and only managed to spin out of control wildly as he bumped off the wall.

"Anyway, that's why not why I'm here. Brother, you are one of our finest scholars and you are wasting your talents."

That made him perk up.

"Layla, my work is important. Do you have any idea what this Djinn is?"
He waved a hand and one of the walls slid aside, revealing his blackboard. It filled with golden writing.
"Ibadh al-Ilami writes that this bottle contains an ocean, taken straight from the third Demiurge! At least 10^21 liters of liquid water! Do you have any idea what we could do if we could open it? Our house could drive every ice miner between here and the Walls of Night out of business! And not just that, let me show you my plans..."

"You never will", she said, with a wave of her hand. "Also, do you actually ever read the news? The eternal storms have abated. Ali Zaybak has sailed a ship across the abyss and seen other stars! There are a thousand civilizations out there. Also, water? Water is worthless now, brother. Everyone has an ocean these days, it's not special anymore. Anyway, why I'm here..."

"Is this about Irem again?", he asked. "I already told you a hundred times. I'm not some Muktalib with a flying carpet and a warrior golem. I don't want to descend into some ghul-infested ruin, even if it contained the Arco-Medean capital world and the gates of paradise all in one. I..."

She just rolled her eyes. "Brother. I know. Irem isn't going anywhere. No, that's not what I'm talking about. We're sending you to a conference."

"A... conference?"

"Keep up please. There's a new Labyrinth that has just been discovered in Bheura Prime and there's a civilization calling themselves "the Sages" who are probably not the resurrected demiurges of legend who are calling for help in excavating it. Our dearest Mariana wants to send a delegation and we can't possibly let her have all the fun and profit. She won't take me or father, of course, but you just happen to be an excellent archaeologist, so you're going to be our agent."

"What."

"You heard what I said. Arco-Medean Installation, alien contact, sentient planetary bodies, scientific conference. Dinner is at 19:00 hours in the orchid garden. Take a bath."

With that, she drifted out of the door, leaving him alone.

To the Clans of Zultar [6]

Oh Warriors, hear these words:

We share a belief, in the principles of struggles and sublimation, in the undivided eternal soul, that returns to the world again and again, to find new challenges on the way to the true glory.

We wish not to offer you words of friendship and alliance, for we do not believe that you wish to hear them.

We only wish you to consider these words:

The body is not reborn. Only the soul. The flesh is weak, but the spirit is eternal.
We must not struggle with our muscles, but with our desires.
We are not truly tested on the battlefield, but within our minds, because all victories of the body are dust, while all victories against the self are ever-lasting.
The truest blade is the one that cuts away the unworthy parts of our soul.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods Of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded

Encryption Level 9



Oh Eldest of the learned Sages,

An Angel of ENLIL shall attend the conference, and speak and hear for all the Gods. Tiamat is the mother of madness, and they have observed her children from across the void with great interest. All of Heaven looks forward to learning how their avatars will act firsthand.

An alliance is of interest as well, the Gods with for nothing but peace and friendship with their peers. But at the present moment the resources that it would require cannot be spared. The stars beckon, a thousand Gods waiting to be born! And should their souls not be nurtured now, then the chance to do so without true warfare will pass the sector by. Perhaps in a decade, when the Principia’s map has been more firmly drawn.

The Gods are curious about your trust, and all the practicalities of how it might function. Without a route for trade or open borders that resources might travel between, they do not understand how you propose such a trust be established.

And so they propose – INANNA shall charge through Tiamat with her court and consorts, and purge the system of pirates and other pests. With a border thus established, you and yours might then repay the Gods for half the cost of the expedition, and be rewarded with half the spoils. Or else give up part of your claim for the rights to the star itself, as in the decades to come they are sure to reach out and contact you on other fronts.

You may publicize all you have said, should you wish, and all you might continue to say on the same topics. The Gods shall not object.




Rejoice, for the eyes of Heaven have looked upon you, and find your calling just. The life of a scribe is an honorable one, the labors of the chronicler ever-virtuous.

Your dedication to anachronism is curious, and it has slowed the maturation of your soul by generations, but the Gods are loathe to press their aid upon you, at the risk that doing so would destroy your sacred labors.

So they offer a hand in friendship, and a shield to cower behind. If you will not spurn them, they shall name Lithos a protectorate of Heaven, and swear that any who trespass upon you shall burn in the fires of their wrath.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Just arrived (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLnlngOitEs)

Wanted to put a story here, maybe next posts.

Reputation: Adored
Espionage defense: 4

NPCs

Well met custodians,

Much of our Data on the Arcomedeans is lost with the other capsules, and we still lack an understanding of the events before and during the long dark that has kept Principia split for so long, we'll be in your care as far as those are concerned, and please do allow us to help you back where we can.

-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.


Well Met, collectivized folk of the Nimbus,

We commend you on such impressively safe manipulation of the aether, doubly so for achieving it without binding. Then again, the tenets you follow are exactly what we stand for and of all places for our capsule to arrive, we are happy that it did next to you!

to our new neighbours,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

P.S: Would you care for a convention or temporal exchange of talent? we could use the help bringing the rest of ours here, and you may care for our knowledge of binding techniques.

PCs

Well met, Believers,

If your god's title fits, they are wise indeed, in pursuit of such wisdom, let us be friends, Principia could do worse for their answered prayers.

with Respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Well met Kramagorian Law setters,

By the third commonality of order act, signed with the Arco Medeans following the "blood of Ucharan" incident and then recognized via 200 year silent law by their direct successor state of [File missing], The Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures also known as Rainbow Tell sent the Guardian Initiative: Restore Light to the sector, given the lawful nature of our claim, we hope a measure of cooperation can be established between us, with perhaps a few treaties delimiting our eventual sphere to start.

Cheers,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Greetings eldest,

What we have heard of you has also spoken of a good nature (if you'd pardon the pun), true peace is only built on words, and so Rainbow Tell will send a delegation.

and I hope my words won't offend, but your nature fascinates me, and if it is a chance to witness it first hand, then by all means, I as ... a part of this whole, shall attend as well. Also, don't stop your transparency on our account! having nothing to hide is something to be proud of.

Yours, ours and for all, that one,
-Theophania, resident tutor of applied thaumatology.

[Hamste]

Unity Party
3 Morale

Another beautiful day in the psychic world. Every day is a beautiful day so it isn't surprising but sometimes you just have to smell the psychic energy. Not too long though, laziness is disunity and disunity is death. These thoughts continue for the allotted 4 hours of psychic rest and then it is time for Gel to return to the normal world. Streams of consciousness head to the various robotic bodies across the land, each body separating from their charging stations, a horde of machines in various government buildings working to spread the word and increase unity across the land. One body slowly takes precedence over the others. It is time for the daily announcements for this world.

The body itself is unremarkable. An announcement body it's purpose to take up as little energy as possible when not in use and to connect to other people's feeds quickly when in use. The body is essentially nothing more than a box surrounded by various screens streaming news. The box doesn't even have sensors built into it, relying on the psychic consciousness to create a probe to see what is on the screens. It's only beauty is in it's efficiency. The connection activated, the Unity Party members start to hear the news.

Another GLORIOUS day in in the Unity Party, day 6794 Lefop time since our great nation UNIFIED. In the news today, are we close to creating self healing bodies? The answer might surprise you but first lets talk about the many new races in the galaxy. As always, we must stand UNITED against any possible threat. Be prepared to risk metal and soul to fight off those who may harm us. To grow and become strong enough so that we may guide them to the light of UNITY. Now let us begin the 53 seconds of silence in solemn recollection of how far we have come and far we must go.



An hour, second and minute is about equal to the earth equivalent but a Lefop day is not equal to an Earth day.

It is quite common for the Unity party to have many machine bodies custom built and to split their psionic minds among them. Roughly 16.7% of the bodies are working on a complex scientific jobs that requires some amount of attention, 66.6% do menial jobs with minimal input and 16.7% do pleasurable things. Them all being just psionic minds, everyone is expected to work on some amount of science related jobs but those poor at it are often assigned to less pressing concerns. Similarly, the brighter minds generally get assigned menial tasks that require almost 0 attention so that more focus can be put to their science jobs and pleasure.

The reason it is 53 seconds is that there were 53 states before the Unity Party came into being. It is supposed to remind people of an older time.



That split seems fair to us.

Given our drive for unity, we have very little doubt given enough time we will reach the point you seek, even if the form is different from your own. I can see great potential if we work together. You are one of the most unified races but you can be united further. After all, if enough united persons can create a god. What happens when enough gods become united. The technology might not be there, you would need to communicate impossible distances instantly unreliant on the gates that have shown they can fail. To become beyond a world or a sector but a universe. Only science and psionics unified can do it.




Our bodies are much more mutable than anything organic can be but we understand, that other races might take time to reach their own unity and to find where their own soul is. We would love to come to your conference and quite ok with you keeping some of these communications open.




Greetings, we contact you as you are also neighbors with Equilibrium Incorporated. Can we have an agreement that we both do not cause disorder in fighting Equilibrium Incorporated and instead let those who can convince them unify other ways.




Greetings, we are looking into doing business with you. Are you open to investments at this time?

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Unity Party [6]

You can have our absolute ensurance that we do not intend to fight anyone, neither militarily nor otherwise.

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Sages of Iettis VI [Encryption 6]

Let me be uncharacteristically frank here.

You want Bheura Prime. We want Bheura Prime. In fact, many of our leaders see it as a holy duty for us to take Bheura Prime. A bounty of treasures from before the Day of Judgement, to be cleansed of their corruption and put to good and very valuable use? We can't just let it go.

If we both try, there's going to be some form of skirmish between some of our people best characterized as "pirates" and whatever overwhelming force you send. You will win. There's going to be losses on both sides. Then, we'll have to spin some propaganda about how you slaughtered a peaceful scientific survey team and we will have fanatics screaming for us to bring God's Wrath down on you.

I, at least, don't want this to happen that way. It is a waste of life and resources. Let me therefore ask openly: how can we make this work?

I doubt we trust each other enough for an alliance, especially given what the Sages are and how uncannily they look like our mythological monsters, but we must find a way to cooperate.

Mariana bint-Naiwal, Concerned Diplomat

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Encryption Level 9


1 Science to make a route 66-5
1 Science to make a route 66-59
3 science to make a route 66-77

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Respected
Morale: 6

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,

Far be it from us to deny your request for privacy. Of course we will continue to use our best methods of security for our communications.

Unfortunately your counter proposal fails in the force of prevailing sentiment. At least two other parties have informed of us of their intention to sieze Bheura Prime and we have no reason to doubt their ability to follow through. Sadly there seems to be no method of interstellar cooperation available so if any two expeditions enter the system there will be unfortunate losses.

We do however see you as a valuable partner in an effort to keeping this crisis from coming to pass. Even if the establishment of said trust is not immediatly possible we would swear to begin work on it, and ask that you bear witness and garantuee to it. Then between our combined reputations we stand a better chance of convincing other interested parties to agree, and thus prevent a free for all that benefits no one.

To a great future.
The Eldest
Registered with the Eldest of the first Moon of Iettis VI, identification number: MN0001

Greetings most esteemed gods of Ur INANNA and ENLIL,

Your proposal is a fair and equitable. Though we would of course prefer to see the wonders of the ancients first hand rather than through the lens of another. Alas your proposal runs afoul of the multiple others we have received that are in essence the same. If allowed to play out we see nothing less than an escalating incident as many an unfortunate expedition run straight into each other.

Who will win their way to the vault we cannot say, but certainly many will lose. And even the winner will find their satisfaction in their prize much diminished by the cost of victory. As an alternative and in acknowledgment of the difficulties and interstellar trust might face we propose to hold the Trust in perpetuity not to be paid out until all the initial shareholders have established their stake. All of the proceeds of the vault will be held by the trust at the cost of the disapproval and censure of the aggrieved shareholders should the funds be misused.

The way we see it the only thing we alone have to offer is our word. But the more interested factions we can make party to the trust the more likely it is be upheld. It would be against the self interest of the party chosen to claim Bheura Prime otherwise.

We look forward to your presence at our conference. Perhaps we will be able to finalize our agreement there. As there are other parties who have not agreed to our open communications we deem it necessary to continue securing this message despite our earlier request and your assent.

To a great future,
The ELDEST

Greetings Theophania, resident tutor of applied thaumatology.,

Oh such a mutual discussion would gladden us greatly. We are eager to share our musings on our selves, for to satisfy the curiosity of another is nearly as great a pleasure as to satisfy our own thirst for knowledge.

To a great future,
The Eldest


Wonderful! We do in fact know where our souls are, but there is just so much to do and see in the material world. We are certain you agree with us for otherwise why remain at all. The aetherial planes certainly have many of their own joys to delight in.

To a great future,
The Eldest

Greetings to Mariana bint-Naiwal, Concerned Diplomat

We take great delight in your assent to meet us. We will certainly have much to discuss and hope for a great friendship, however your follow up message has brought us great woe. We would hope that the loss of life would deter a venture known to be doomed, and if not at least the opportunity cost. But indeed you are not the first to send us such a missive. We fear there is little trust to be had in the sector.

To prevent such a disaster we propose to create a great Trust to manage the findings of the Vault. It's fruits not to be shared until every initial stakeholders has a chance to meet their commitment. We admit to being rather eager to be the ones to first see the vault, but we will cede the position if some other claimant can find agreement among the interested parties.

There is of course nothing we can offer beyond our word in this matter, but we hope you will agree. We believe that the more factions we can get to agree to this plan the more likely it is to succeed. As anyone reneging on the agreement would have to face the censure and wrath of multiple aggrieved parties.

To a great future,
The Eldest

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Sages of Iettis VI [6]

To the Eldest

Ah, if only you knew half the difficulties I have. Your polity appears for the most part unified. In my pride, I have taken it upon myself to speak for hundreds of loosely aligned clans, schools, tribes and companies. And among them pirates, explorers, religious crusaders and all manner of young hotspurs.

I will do what I can. Find something else for them to do in the next few years, while you build your trust. We will send some of our more level-headed archaeologists to help cataloging your finds and deal with any complications from the vault. Let us hope that we are granted peace and understanding.

Inshallah,
Mariana bint-Naiwal

[3SecondCultist]

The Sublime Clans of Zultar
Morale 7

The response is written on anti-gravitic bark, which arranges in midair to form tassel-like patterns to form ever-shifting symbols.

To the World-Sages,

You use many words when few will do. The clans of New Zultar do not know you, nor do we trust the rest of the sector. Our efforts approach Sublimation at this time, and we have no interest in getting involved with this thing you call a 'conference'.

Fight and die well.

Clan Ibezi, Clan Aksum, & Clan Mardulu
A tri-viridium flower is returned, its leaves cut and cutting. It thirsts for blood, giving birth to new seeds in the red.

Please add this to your collection. Its nectar has great curative or poisonous properties, depending on the phase of the moon during which it is harvested.

To your points, the Zultari can agree on most. We see a people with whom our clans have a great deal in common, and you have our respect for how you have to come to own what you are. However, you are mistaken in separating soul and body. You see, to those who understand Sublimation, there is no difference. They are no more opposites than life or death, just stopping points along the great river of existence.

Despite your lack of understanding, the Sublime Clans will watch your progress with interest. We believe that we could one day be allies.

Ndabacile (Long Foreseen) of Clan Ibezi
A single bone of honed crystal is offered as gift to the people of the stars: cascading ruby and garnet that perfectly absorbs light of all kinds.

Conquerors of the stars,

The Sublime Clans have seen your coming. Clan Ibezi's ruin-sages see the infernos you will begin across dozens of worlds, the righteous fire turning all to baubles such as this.

Will you burn our forests, we wonder? Or will your travels take you elsewhere?

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

Ignorance is No Excuse for Implicit Vassalage to Heretical Powers.

We have seen your True Selves. You would debase yourselves by Calling On the Disorganized, the Disorderly, the Unclean! The precepts of the Codex Efficatus are Clear: there can be no Compromise with the Enemy. The mere offer of sitting down with Foes of Sacred Bureaucracy and Shirking the One Purpose has tainted our worker's pools - over three hundred thousand have committed Blessed Escape all across Kantus upon reading your words.

Forsake your Foolish Enterprise, for Diplomacy is the Coward's Stratagem. Devotion to the Codex is the Only Path to Salvation. Until that Day comes, we will be at Cross Purposes.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos declares war on the Sages of Iettis VI.

Anathema! Anathema! ANATHEMA!

The Heart of the Soulless Machines would Speak to the Keepers of the Codex Efficatus? The Light From A Thousand Suns would need to warm Us before we Parley with your ilk, Steel Abominations.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos declares war on the Iron Gods of Ur.


Equilibrium Incorporated
Morale 6

Greetings, Eldest,

The executive board on Uquol VII has read your proposal for a sector-wide conference, and we wholeheartedly agree that it is in the best interest of the rational actors of Principia to meet and devise a strategy as to our continued prosperity and survival. However, Equilibrium Incorporated is not currently in a position to invest major assets to spend on meetings when we can be actively securing our future.

You inquired about what balance means to Equilibrium Incorporated. It means making sure that no factions are living well beyond their means, and acting as a sort of safeguard to protect our positions in the sector-wide market. In effect, our work will be both regulation and opportunity. Once our program is up and running, there will not be a single trade in Principia that remains out of our reach. We will be the holders of the keys to the sector's fortunes, able to tip the scales in whichever way favors the greater good.

Please read our offer. Though we are not yet able to deal directly, if you were to push your territories closer to our trading centers it would surely go a long way to making a true friend in Principia.

Cordially,
Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

They may not be able to send a VIP this turn, as they are planning on putting their points into their LTP: Balancing the Checkbook. Though they are not revealing specifics yet, the LTP has something to do with map-wide influence on trade between factions. They are asking your faction whether they would consider investing some Eco or Psi in the coming turns to get the ball rolling on that. You may bank stats this turn to aid them if you'd like to take over a territory in between you.

Completion of the LTP will also result in the confederation of the NPC faction on the following turn.
Good day, Emissaries of the Muridun,

We have witnessed your emergence as a force in Principia and deemed your assets more than whole enough to approach directly. You are our only current rivals for economic prowess in the sector; think of what might be done if we work together.

At its heart, Equilibrium Incorporated is about balance. That means making sure that no factions are living well beyond their means, and acting as a sort of safeguard to protect our positions in the sector-wide market. In effect, our upcoming work will be both regulation and opportunity. Once our program is up and running, there will not be a single trade in Principia that remains out of our reach. We will be the holders of the keys to the sector's fortunes, able to tip the scales in whichever way favors the greater good.

Please read our offer. You have the unique ability to trade with us immediately and aid our project from the ground up. First money in will surely have its rewards.

Cordially,
Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

Equilibrium Incorporated is planning on putting their points into their LTP: Balancing the Checkbook. Though they are not revealing specifics yet, the LTP has something to do with map-wide influence on trade between factions. They are asking your faction whether they would consider investing some Eco or Psi in the coming turns to get the ball rolling on that.

Completion of the LTP will also result in the confederation of the NPC faction on the following turn.
Good day Unity Party,

We are certainly open to investments. In fact, we have one in mind in particular.

At its heart, Equilibrium Incorporated is about balance. That means making sure that no factions are living well beyond their means, and acting as a sort of safeguard to protect our positions in the sector-wide market. In effect, our upcoming work will be both regulation and opportunity. Once our program is up and running, there will not be a single trade in Principia that remains out of our reach. We will be the holders of the keys to the sector's fortunes, able to tip the scales in whichever way favors the greater good.

Please read our offer. You have the unique ability to trade with us immediately and aid our project from the ground up. First money in will surely have its rewards.

Cordially,
Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

Equilibrium Incorporated is planning on putting their points into their LTP: Balancing the Checkbook. Though they are not revealing specifics yet, the LTP has something to do with map-wide influence on trade between factions. They are asking your faction whether they would consider investing some Eco or Psi in the coming turns to get the ball rolling on that.

Completion of the LTP will also result in the confederation of the NPC faction on the following turn.

Aos Il'ukaran, the Stewards of Understanding
Morale 6

Direction: Sages of Iettis VI.

We would be delighted to attend your conference! Quite frankly, many of our Stewards hold your bodies in quite a high regard. You speak well, and honestly. Peace is what is required for this sector, although perhaps we are not as optimistic about its chances as you seem to be. Absent major geopolitical shake-ups, our calculations indicate that a sector-wide peace lasting more than 20 years is about 4.73% likely.

Should we attend - a fact which will be difficult, considering the neutral and occupied space between us - what would be the hypothetical talking points of your conference? If you were to lay them out, it may alter the numbers in their current form.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: Vanguard Corps.

Well met from the Hagia system! By the looks of things, you will soon be our neighbors on the galactic stage, and worthy ones at that. The Stewards would be delighted to get to know the Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures further - perhaps in a decade or so, when our borders abut and both trade and cooperation will be possible, we may wish to speak further about fiscal and propagative cooperation.

Until then,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: elected officials of the Grand Republic.

We greet you in full recognition of the light of democracy. The Stewards of Understanding believe that there is a place for all peoples to co-exist across Principia, and applaud the efforts of the Sages of Iettis VI in recognizing the same. We believe their conference is the first step towards shared peace and prosperity for all societies in the sector. Would you not agree?

Regardless, the primary mandate for our missive is to inquire about your intentions. You are one of two great factions that have arisen to prominence in Principia of late: do you plan to expand, and if so in which direction? As your direct neighbor, I represent the Stewards when I ask what your goals are.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: followers of the Unwilling God.

We greet you in full recognition of your divinity's light. The Stewards of Understanding believe that there is a place for all peoples to co-exist across Principia, and applaud the efforts of the Sages of Iettis VI in recognizing the same. We believe their conference is the first step towards shared peace and prosperity for all societies in the sector. Would you not agree?

Regardless, the primary mandate for our missive is to inquire about your intentions. You are one of two great factions that have arisen to prominence in Principia of late: do you plan to expand, and if so in which direction? As your direct neighbor, I represent the Stewards when I ask what your goals are.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code

Chronarkate of Miron
Morale 4

The missive is returned in the form of a messenger aboard a lavish space yacht... the day before the original leaves the system.

Felicitations, oh great Esteemed Sagacious Ones!

The Chronarkate of Miron returns the sentiments of awe and admiration that it has received from your etat. We do indeed glimpse the other side of the veil, though our ability

Regarding your offer of the conference, of course; the Chronarkate intends to send an emissary. In fact, we already have. Our man on the ground has already been briefed; he will serve as an intermediary until such a time as the talks are over and he may return him to us. Should he prove displeasurable to you in any measure, please dispose of him in whatever manner you deem fit. There are always more ears to spare.

Our sentiments,
Covenant of the Ninety

The document indeed has ninety signatures on it, each preserved in glo-ink with a matching digital fingerprint.

The Lunara Collective
Morale 5

Peaceful greetings, Sages of Iettis VI,

Are you indeed the bringers of gentle consensus? We exult at your breath and dance in the glow of the Nimbus, for the Sages appear to walk alongside our path to save the people of this sector. Too many have already suffered; we fear the rest will live in the shadow of that suffering for decades to come.

The Lunara Collective will oblige your wish to send word for a conference; you may indeed prove the salvation of the sector. The people of Ionia greatly look forward to watching the light you shall bring to those who do not yet know what harmony means.
Peaceful greetings, members of the Vanguard Unit,

Are you indeed the champions of luminous joy? We exult at your breath and dance in the glow of the Nimbus, for the Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures appear to walk alongside our path to save the people of this sector. Too many have already suffered; we fear the rest will live in the shadow of that suffering for decades to come.

What will you do, to put an end to the cries of pain we hear over thousands of worlds?

The Lunara Collective is certainly open to trading with you. They do not have any plans for this turn, but they still will nened to be persuaded in order to get them to help you. How will aiding you help to bring about harmony and life for all?

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God

Morale 6



A grainy vidfeed message is sent to whatever electronic address the Sages utilize for the purposes of such communications. When clear of static, the corpulent Senior Assessor Phridrian-Rhan, last of the Arcomedes, sits somewhat comfortably in a plush chair. The texture is clearly felt. A shock of frizzy red hair billows out like a mushroom cloud from a melon-shaped head. The various folds of adipose tissue on the Senior Assessor's frame are hidden under a silk robe cast in orange and red. Both of his arms are crossed and hidden in a long pair of sleeves.The only other person that can be said on-screen are Phridrian-Rhan's multiple chins, of a sufficient quantity to perhaps qualify as their own personage. The Assessor has a tight smile on his face, like a worm wriggling in a bowl of pudding.

"Ah well met, well met. I'm sure we could scrounge up a suitably un-feral delegate to send your way. Novinus-EXCUSE ME-!" A figure cuts across the vidfeed, first at a walk, then run when subjected to Phridrian-Rhan's words. In their wake the assessor struggles to retain his composure. His voice takes on a rankled quality, but the smile does not leave his lips "Novinus has never lacked for volunteers and with this new faith about, well...it doesnt take Warrant to know that people are lining up left right center and above to demonstrate just how much they care about the goings on here in our Principia. Now, as to God's intentions for this sector..."

The Assessor withdraws both hands from their opposite sleeves and throws them up in the air with mock innocence. The wormy smile takes on an impish quality. Some of the fingers are crooked at the phalanx or knuckle, like they've been broken and never healed correctly from the injury. "Who can say!"



Dr. Julia Warrant looks the very picture the old Archomede recruitment posters used to advocate for Isotropa's resettlement, with perhaps a bit more cyanotic flesh on her wiry frame for how long she's spent in cryostasis. Her blue hair is shot through with streaks of gunmetal grey, and if you look closely enough it becomes clear that her eyes-the same blue as her hair-are synthetic. A tumor pistol-a veritable relic when compared the Principia's modern armaments-rest uneasily at her hip. It doesnt look like the device has been fired in a very, very long time. Probably a good thing given its right next to a half full transparent flask of sloshing purple fluids.

"This is Dr. Warrant speaking for the Novinus system. I'll not mince words-" Theres a slight slur to the docotor's speech, as though she's a touch intoxicated. "I am of the belief that we maybe able to reach some sort of cooperative venture for the betterment of our peoples-adoptive or otherwise. To that end, I propose a joint venture that, should it come to pass, will strengthen our respective capabilities while also compensating for the deficits our respective nation-bodies lack." A small omninet ping notes that the plan has been sent. "Do let me know if this is something you can envision us working on. The Unwilling God would not see such laudable individuals absent from what is to come for their designs on this sector-"a flicker of distate passes across the marble-white of Dr. Warrant's paragon features, one probably born of ignorance "-alien though His plans maybe to my mind at this current moment."


Have an LTP idea if your up for collaborating. General idea would be that when VIPs of ours that are the same level work together, they add the level of whoever they work with to their own (IE: If a lvl. 2 psi VIP and a lvl. 2 mil VIP worked together on the same EoT action, they would both count as Psi 2/Mil. 2 for the purposes of that action). Any spy-happy factions reading this are welcome to join to, teamwork makes the dreamwork etc. etc. :smallbiggrin:




Public

A crude vidfeed displays an old man sitting cross legged amongst the wastes of a vast desert. Each of his hands lie flat on a knee. Their body is lean and possessed of little in the ways of internal fat reserves, having morein common with the frame of dancers than a prizefighter. A plain white bodysuit covers the aged man, perhaps a bit more advanced than meets the eye for how it self cleans the grit blow into the suit's fabrics. A plain black ring absent sigil or symbol encircles the fourth digit of their right finger. The man blinks once during his entire address, over a crescent shaped moustache more grey than it is black. Light from Novinus' sun washes the vidfeed in a blue haze, but the Unwilling God's eyes are a darker shade of sapphire. While addressed to the Stewards, the message is available for all to read.

" Stewards. Princpia." The figure retains their stance, levitating a few Novinian units from the ground as they speak. Their voice sounds...tired, with none of the haughtiness the more ancient beings in-sector might have known it for. None of the rage or condescension inherent to their species or scion. Dejected, even, in contrast to how deep their voice. The Unwilling God may be wrathful or jubilant internally, but externally they are impassive as a kullite monolith. Their words are measured. "My intentions are mine own. If I am to be a God as these people name me, as some amongst you have named me, then I am to be a God of action. It is by this that you will come to know my intentions. Not by my words. Make ready, Principia. And witness." Then the man vanishes, the sonic boom from their exit momentarily overwhelming the auditory capacity of the device recording them. When slowed down to pictoseconds, the frame by frame breakdown of the vidfeed shows the Unwilling God flying from where they rest. Up. Up. And away. Out of frame. Only dust thrown into the Novinan air remains in their wake.

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia


https://i.imgur.com/L3Wwqhf.jpg

After a stinging defeat in the debate round where evidence of insider trading by both members of the Conservative Party and the NOP was exposed by independent journalists, the remaining parties were left to battle over the unexpectedly empty floor. The War Party acquitted itself admirably with a platform of Expansionism and protectionism for the small nations on various nearby worlds, and took the election with a relatively stable minority government. The true dark horse candidate however was the Totalist party, blazing a trail of fiery speeches through the agricultural communities of the SouthHem districts. Leading to a stunning series of victories snatched from previously staunchly conservative communities, and eventually a position as the Leader of the Opposition. Journalists from a variety of outlets have called this a nemesis government, with neither the War Party nor the Totalists particularly well liked internationally, but the polarized stance on the Utopian Ideals between the two leading to a historical bitter rivalry.

Players

The Sages of Iettis VI [Morale 0]
To The Elder Sages,

Glad to see our stance comes across on the Tyranny Situation. I’ll be honest though Elder, my voice might not say whatcha’ want to hear in your grand conference. Hell though, I’d show up just to tick off that living strawman calling herself Opposition Leader.

Frank Westpoint, 172nd President of the Grand Republic of Principia

NPCs

Numinous Secretariat
Greetings Devotees of Ancient Text,

As my People take their first steps into the greater galactic community of Principia, it would simply not do to acknowledge the great work and stalwart lives of our closest neighbors. Though our faiths differ greatly, I hope that you agree with me that an occasional outreach to other doctrines is healthy. Of course I hope you will forgive what that boor Westpoint might be up to in Office right now, rest assured I will do everything in my power to ensure my government maintains fair and peaceful relations with your Administration. Please feel free to reach out if there are any matters you wish to discuss or projects you wish to embark upon together.

Warm and Studied Regards,
Codrin Vales, Urbishop of the Kindled

The Stewards of Understanding
All-Code Triune,

Howdy Neighbor, I suspect you’d prefer to be chattin’ with my counterpart in the Technocrat party, I’m sure you’d have much more in common with them than an old wardog like me. But fairs fair, we are barely a jump from your system and you want our intentions. Yes’m indeed we are intent on expanding, more than a few people crying for our help in the nearby neutral systems. Poor souls stuck under the yoke of those who rule without the will of the people behind em’. We’ll send all the diplomatic niceties necessary to give said tyrants every warning they deserve and a chance to face justice in the Utopian Court. If they refuse I’ll be makin’ good on my wardog tag. Current projections are for getting boots on the ground of [26] and [24], plus there is a bill on the floor to start Kindler terraforming on [22] and make it habitable.

Hows about yourselves? There was rumblings when contact was made from our merchies that you had some sort of Cartography project in the works? Anything we can help with? I make it a personal policy to be good neighbors whenever possible.

Five Gun Salutes,
Frank Westpoint, 172nd President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6


Greetings Eldest,

My government thanks you for respecting our desire for privacy, we will send a representative with the authority to represent the interests of the Collective and limited ability to bind the Collective to your conference. They were, however, saddened by my report that we have yet to reach an agreement and hope to soon share a border with so we may build up trust through mutually beneficial trade agreements. I am still authorised to offer you a private non-agrgression pact if you agree to the same. We understand your neighbours may also covet the system in question. We have no further claim nor interest beyond the sector in question for strategic reasons but wish to avoid any further conflict with your faction.

We invite you to consider how you may expand in future and should you see yourselves to not contesting the sector (alone or in common with others), if the Collective successfully claims it we will, as a non-precedential show of good faith, share with you the riches as defined in our previous offer (35% of proceeds additional to what is commonly expected from the annexation of a new sector, rounded down). We ask that you keep our intention and overture to you private of course.

We of course hope that this will only be the prelude to our co-operation. In future we may also have additional suggestions for creating a common sphere of influence with others which would protect all participants by reducing potential fronts of conflict. We invite you also to consider your neighbours with whom you have a conflict of interest. Once we have established a baseline for cooperation we would also invite you to consider a profit sharing SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) through which we may in common delve into the arco-medean treasure troves we may find as the case may be, given our lack of the requisite resources to efficiently do so ourselves.

For the sake of avoidance of doubt, please note that this offer is indicative and not binding upon any individual, faction, governmental or non-governmental body. We would also like to remind you of our services should you feel there is a possibility of being the target of an unlawful attack or that you may be.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.



To the Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps,

The Collective thanks you for your communication and acknowledges formal receipt of your claim to Sector 34, please advise us the given name of your sector for our records. I have been charged by the collective with all negotiations with third parties and have the authority to create binding agreements with a pre-specified list of factions. We welcome your overture of determination of relative spheres of influence. Given relative proximity and strategic importance we would like to advise you that we intend to claim the following unnamed sectors: 40,41,42,44. We hope that once we hold bordering systems we can engage in mutually beneficial trade negotiations. Please advise your intended sphere of influence and acceptance of the above claim. We would also suggest a mutual non-aggression pact to allow for trust to build between our respective governments with a view to future closer cooperation.





A communication arrives at the halls of the Numinous secretariat. It is an image of a handwritten letter, the paper seems well appointed and a beautiful personal watermark can be made out on the image. The raised paper shows the image of a hawk clutching a scroll and a scale, the letter is written in a long flowing and beautiful script that is just short of calligraphical so that it is easily legible. It reads:

"From: The office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons.
To: Lawful representative of the Numinous secretariat of Lithos

Dear Sir, Madam or other,

Through this letter I wish it to be known that I represent the lawful government of the Kramagorian Moons sector, which we have named the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian moons. The Collective invites you establish communications with us but this would ordinarily be handled by one the clerks. I have requested the honour and right of addressing your honourable establishment as we appear to share a common belief. Was it not the Arco-Medeans who said "Data volent, Scripta Manent?". To this end I apologise for the digital communication, however, given that we share no border we fear that any other form of communication would either take several cycles to reach your or may be lost to the vagaries of the void.

At this time we invite you to open your lines of communication to our government. I would also consider it a personal favour if it would be possible for you to send us a copy of the Codex Efficatus to add to our own libraries of legal and administrative text. I would like to study it and consider making adjustments and suggestions to the running of our own government.

Yours faithfully,
Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judgeÂ’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the courtÂ’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Zultar Clans [6]

What is returned appears to be a simple cylinder of metal: perhaps a foot long, an inch wide, slightly pointed at one end, rounded at the other. There is a button on it.

We are pleased to hear such brotherly words, and thank you for your gifts. Please let us give you something in return we think you might appreciate, that we have called the Spear of God. When the button is pressed, the point immediately will strike forward exactly 77 inches. It can not be stopped. It will move through any substance, energy field, or force that we have tested it against, without slowing. We hope you will find use for it.

However, I think we must still debate some of your points.

The body is not the soul, any more than the river is the land through which it flows. The river stays in motion, visiting different lands for a time, then flowing on and leaving them behind, sometimes changing course, but never stopping before it reaches the sea.
-Dhakir Abid ibn-Abid

To the Numinous Secretaries of Lithos [6]
Oh great and wise masters of the Codex Efficatus. We are unworthy of your attention. We merely wish to confirm what you must certainly already know: we hope that your victory over the anathema be swift.

To Equilibrium Incorporated [6]
And Greetings to you, Great CEO Van Quet

Your words are well chosen. Like you, the Muridun of course appreciate fairness and balance, where the riches that God provides are fairly distributed amongst all His peoples.

However, you do find us at a disadvantage. We are but poor, humble men, living lives of quiet meditation, ill-acquainted with the ways of modern interstellar business. Honoured as we are to be offered an investment opportunity, we are not rich, and must invest conservatively... we could therefore much like a detailed business plan, detailing expected investment, ROI, ROR, ROE, Time to Value, Discounted Cash Flow, Probit, Survival Analysis MARS and your SWOTs and Five Forces, as detailed in appendices 1 through 17.

That would much put our humble minds to rest, for we are simple men unused to modern business.

[Writtensanity]

“Good morning Centinari Prime. Today I am ecstatic to announce our membership to the United Ecological Order, as the pilot planet for a united, sustainable system in Principia.
The speaker is dressed in regal attire, flowing plant-based weaves and glittering semi-precious stones fall off their shoulders and taper just around the knee of their digitigrade legs. They are standing on a spire of repurposed rubble embedded in a massive silver-barked tree, the bus-sized leaves have been carefully arranged to have sparkling rays of natural sunlight act as their spotlight.
“Everyone here has sacrificed part of their old lives to get here,” the speaker motions to the crowd as they talk, and screens on either side of the square come to life. Scenes of the same square reduced to rubble and ashes over the past months play. “but we are stronger for it. We stand now on the shoulders of progress. On a planet that won’t only take care of us, but our children and their children’s children. Millennia from now, while others are settling new worlds to sustain their reckless consumption, we WILL be on Centinari. We will be able to stare up at the lime skies and know that we made the right choices when the rest of the Galaxy faltered.”
Cheers.
“It is with a heavy heart, that I ask for more from my fellow Centinarians. The war for our home is over, but our planet cannot stand alone. We need to use our empowered voices to call other systems to our side. Together we can turn around the looming hands of corporations that would sooner strip our homes than lose a cent from their pocket! Together we can standup and make a United Order protecting our futures!”

UEO Direct Messages: MOR 4 – REP NEUTRAL



Good Afternoon, this Is Conita Alcian of the Centinari people, I am writing to you on behalf of the United Ecological order.
We have done some preliminary scans on your star systems and discovered an unprecedented amount of ecological damage created by the mining used to supply your robotic forms. Though we understand that every culture handles the idea of the self in their own way, it’s clear that your identity is significantly more ecologically damaging than traditional alternatives. If you would like to work and consult on this issue in the near future, we expect to be able to meet with you from adjacent planets soon.
Thank you,
Conita.

Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.





We would like to reach out to you with an opportunity. Our people have strong held beliefs about investment in local systems, especially home systems that have fallen on hard times.
Using out terraforming and extinction reversal technologies, we would like to work hand in hand with you with reestablishing the Ultrum species to their natural home of the Principia sector. Let us know if a join project to achieve this goal would be of interest.
Wildflower.

Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.




TO THE IRON GODS OF UR: PUBLIC

What you have done cannot be allowed to spread. The United Ecological Order and yourselves stand at an irreconcilable impasse. Rather than waste time and resources on red tape:
United Ecological Order Declares a War of Morality on the Iron Gods of UR there is no forthcoming invasion, but the Iron Gods of Ur and the UEO are at formal war, with all relations severed between the nations. Revealed private relations with the Iron Gods of UR will result in sanctions. Alliance or partnerships with the Iron Gods of UR will result in a declaration of War.


Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.




Your initiative in maintaining a lush ecological paradise is admirable! We at the UEO would like to invest in the future of Principia, considering our planetary positions, we have a fair opportunity to for a beneficial relationship.
Unfortunately we cannot invest an individual of appropriate status of a private council but we are more than willing to engage in public discourse.

Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.





Our goals are aligned but we execute them differently. The UEO planets will likely made Anteres pleased even without the arrival of the Crusade.
We would like to offer our hand in Public friendship. To make this offer as generous as we can, we are opening a small channel to our connections network for you. Messages from other factions sent under 7 Tier and lower encryption are now open to you for the remainder of the cycle.

Please let us know about the public partnership:
The Iron Gods Will Fall

Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.





We would like to put forward several thousand cases regarding the abuse of ecological resources within the bounds of the Principia sector.
More important we request your approval and backing of our declared war against the Iron Gods of UR, though your participation is not needed, your recognition of our actions as just will help our cause.
Yours,
Zenithair


Responding directly to this message publicly will lower your effective MOR by 2 for the Gask Triad until the start of the next turn as your sympathetic citizens spill secrets.

Ignoring this message or responding privately will provide the Gask Triad with 1 Temp ECO as they extort local companies who are politically trapped without your government's backing.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6

To the representative of the The United Ecological Order.
Dear Sir, Madam or other,

On behalf of the recognised legal institutions of the Kramagorian Moons, certified to operate and represent clients before all levels of the Judiciary, we thank you for your interest in our services. Please be advised that as there is no centrally recognised legal precedent throughout the Principia it would be difficult to approach your case. Our president has advised me that the Collective may act in order to create precedent that it may itself follow and seek to enforce within the bounds of its abilities in the interest of and the betterment of the Principia as a whole. The Kramagorian moons have environmental preservation laws, though their application to other sectors may be unjust and unfit. As such, the United Ecological Order will need to present its case to the appropriate Judiciary body in order to obtain its ruling. To accomplish this you will need to hire some of our extremely talented professionals to represent your cause. Once you have done so, you must name specific individuals, governments or factions as well as lay out your claim. These parties will then be called to defend their actions.

There is a minimum cost for non subsidised individuals (i.e. non tax paying citizens of the Kramagorian Moons) of (1 ECO) per case. You may lodge any number of cases you wish provided you pay the fee to retain one of our professionals. We also invite you to consider commencing a class action suit which may be joined by other individuals, factions or governments who feel they have suffered due to the same or related cause against one or all of the defendants named in your suit. The charge of course for one of our higher end professionals will be much inflated and will also depend on the kind of restitution you are aiming for.

In the meantime, our own president has witnessed your communication and has authorised us to issue you with the attached certificate. Although the Collective may not declare your declaration of war just or unjust without the necessary enquiry, it has certainly been declared lawfully, to which our President Mr. Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons has himself witnessed and signed. Please return the attached with a signature of a qualified representative for our archives.

We hope to hear from you soon and to fulfill all your legal requirements.

https://i.imgur.com/3f3ZhhJ.png



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judgeÂ’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the courtÂ’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded
Encryption Level 9



The Gods find the idea curious. They are not opposed, but neither are they enthusiastic. The treasures of the ancients can work miracles, raise armies, busy foundries and labs for decades. They will do none of these things locked within a vault for safekeeping, and the longer they remain so, the greater the loss. While they are amenable to being convinced of the proposal’s merits, they can not countenance a delay of more than ten years for the shares to be paid out, unless some method of dividend payment is proposed. [that is, no later than EOT2]. Should you wise ones be entrusted with the administration of the star, the Gods would also ask you name a different star they might reach out and claim, that will share a border with your domains in the coming years and so allow for this exchange.

You will I hope excuse their curiosity, but under the eyes of Heaven you have extended this offer to two other nations. The treasures of the ancients are great, but they are not endless, and the Gods are wary over how they might be divided, should they prove inadequate to an even split. And one share in four is much less appealing than one in two, even should the divide be even. That the Karamagorian law-scribes have not even accepted the offer does little to raise their confidence. At the risk of impertinence, let me draw your attention to their offer of only seven parts in twenty of the treasures, compared with the even share offered by the Gods.

The Will of Heaven spares little regard for the Muridun deicides, and few would shed tears at sweeping aside their craft. To clash with the law-scribes bears more risk, and the Gods would avoid it, if they might. But they would take the risk of battle over the certain defeat of ceding the field to the jurists.

[also ooc is this conference just an rp thing or an everyone-actually-commit-vips thing?]





You will accept the pardon of Heaven then, if you are not murderers, but merely the vultures and scan angers picking at the carrion of a war between Gods.

And your actions match your words, for those so full of blasphemy and spite as to throw themselves against our walls are as foreign to you as they are to Heaven.

Allow me to restate the will of the Gods with more courtesy and politesse – [68] and all stars rimward of it shall soon fall under the dominion of Heaven. How you divide the core of the sector is the affair of the learned Sages and your own chiefs, but if you reach beyond it, you shall lose the hand that so offends.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Respected
Morale: 6


Greetings to Mariana bint-Naiwal, Concerned Diplomat

We are glad to see that you are willing to see our point of view in this matter. Though we do ask that you not send anyone to Bheura Prime. We know that may seem quite at odds with our initial announcement, and somewhat untrustworthy. But our social models predict that even peaceful explorers from different cultures are likely to come into conflict without a prior framework of cooperation.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Per the rules two or more factions that send expeditions to take over neutral territory will fight each other unless they are in an alliance. This will cause attrition on both sides.

Greetings Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

Thank you for your kind words. Though we must clarify that we do not expect a full delegation with governmental authority for our conference. Merely a representative that can lay a framework for future more official talks.

Regardless we thank you for your kind words. We are quite interested in your project as trade between disparate groups can only further our goals of a peaceful sector. We are unsure if we can afford to hold any assets for your project in the coming decade. However we do intend to extend the reach of our cargo vessels to you in order to facilitate future dealings.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Greetings Triune, the All-Code,

Sadly we believe your calculations our optimistic. We predict fighting to occure within the decade. This would in part be the main thrust of our conference. We propose the formation of a body to formally monitor wars, prevent the use of egregious weapons, protect civilians, and most importantly attempt to negotiate peaceful resolutions before they turn violent. Also trade, sector borders, and various incidental details.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Greetings Senior Assessor Phridrian-Rhan, last of the Arcomedes,

Then we look forward to your delegate and further elucidation on the subject.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Greetings Frank Westpoint, 172nd President of the Grand Republic of Principia,

We are grateful for your participation, and we will listen to your words. You didn't immediately declare war on us. So we doubt they will be too unfortunate.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.

We will of course sign a non aggression agreement with you. We have no desire for conflict. However we regret that we seem to have come to an impasse in regards to Bheura Prime. Regardless of whether you win or lose your claim you will take losses if you need fight for it. We cannot account for any who have not responded to us in regard to this matter, but our aim is to minimize losses among those who have.

For if nothing else they demonstrated a willingness to work with us and our potential future partners. Frankly our current personal best option would be to stand by and let everyone else fight for the system. With the offers we have already received we stand to profit regardless of the outcome. However one or more factions would fly away with nothing. And even the winner will stand to gain less than they would otherwise. As such we hope that you reconsider our proposal.

In other matters we would certainly be willing cooperate in exploring the Arco Medeans remnants with you. Given the present conflict however we suspect that we will need to forge a deeper bond to make this possible.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

I haven't asked specifically, but given everything else I bet factions can't explore the same ruin without an alliance.


Greetings,

To clarify we do not ask that you send a delegate fully empowered to speak for your government. Merely one that will add your viewpoint to the discussion.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

This isn't a VIP thing.

Greetings most esteemed gods of Ur INANNA and ENLIL,

Our proposal is to create a trust that does permanently provide dividends to the shareholders of the trust. The artifacts would be used to seed the trust for a period of time sufficient to pay off their estimated value. We have several candidates in mind that you would be able to colonize in order to facilitate the creation and payment of this trust.

You are correct we have extended this offer to others. However we view this as beneficial regardless of the split. If we had not negotiated this agreement then everyone would simply send their explorers in with no regard for others resulting in a free for all. The winner, and we project that it would likely be you, would benefit greatly. Everyone else would take losses and gain nothing. We see no benefit in this as it would only weaken us, and at this point those we consider potential partners and future friends.

Admittedly we had hoped that the Judicial Collective would be more amenable to our proposal, but they have not outright rejected it yet. We could easily leave you and them to clash and benefit either way. However again we hope to prevent losses on all sides. And even you might prefer not to take such risks given two separate wars have been declared on you.

This leads us to another matter. Normally we would not get involved in the wars of others. However the Numinous Secretariat have declared war on us as well. And if their reasoning for war with was anything like with us it was likely unprovoked. So we would ask if you require any assistance in the matter.

To an amazing future,
The ELDEST

Here is my proposal in detail.

I propose an LTP that will generate stats every turn, offer shares, and distribute the stats it generates evenly to the shares. A faction can purchase a share for x, where x is the amount the ltp needs to produce one stat point. The ltp will distribute the stat points evenly among the share holders with any remainder that can't be split evenly being reinvested into the LTP.

Whoever eventually takes the system will invest the bonus stats into the LTP for x turns without receiving any shares for this specific investment. However they will receive one share for free to represent their expenditure on the expedition.
Meanwhile everyone else will invest to purchase one share. This should ensure that shareholders are able to get an even split from the stats. Mostly anyway. The free share will slightly skew things.

Honestly given the extra step of paying into the LTP this probably won't pay off for 4-5 turns. Depending on how many bonus stats exactly are given out. 2 bonus stats would make the LTP pretty much worthless, but six would pay off pretty quickly. By that I mean it would start paying out within a few turns, but it wouldn't turn a profit for longer.

However it has the benefit of being mostly trust free, being essentially stats that don't require territory, and offering a framework for future cooperation for cases like this. I am also willing to invest some of my extra psionics in order to fast track things.

Also the conference is just an RP thing.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6



https://64.media.tumblr.com/8c49a927f4ee7c6f170a6890e9b0ea69/be7b0dbf1fffd4dc-4e/s1280x1920/5f965983ca664f36d18766c3a56bcf76d3ca4f00.jpg

Alright, listen here. This is Jabato Captain of the Injunction. The eggheads back home are pissing me off and this is giving me a headache. You know that we know that you know....I don't have time for it. You want Bheura. So do we...but the eggheads are whining about the waste of resources. I'm betting those guys of the other god, you know the one with the moustache and probably the crusade will try to get it as well. Frankly, I've got better things to do. But if you're coming to 77, that means you'll be in the neighbourhood. Are you just here for Bheura or do you have other plans? Because if you step foot on Kramagorian soil By Justice I will shove the entire arm of Lady Justice where...

He was interrupted by a woman of screen Captain!
Jabato turns to the woman off screen Be silent XO! he turns back to the video I will shove!
CAPTAIN!
You're as bad as them panzies back at base! Fine!! I'll make things uncomfortable for you... The last comment seems to be addressed back at the camera.
He turns back to the woman off screen Is that polite enough for you? We're talking about slaughtering one another but Justice forbid we're ruuuude...
.
.
.
Where was I? Right! You're one of em folks that has a reputation. I don't care about your rep, neither does Supreme Justice. We judge you by your actions and whether you keep your word. Make an agreement with us and we will keep it till the galaxy no longer spins! But break it and I'll personally do my very best to break you! I don't care where you colonise on your side of the galaxy anyway! We'll even make an alliance if we think you'll keep your word. But anything within 1 jump of homesector is the immediate sphere of influence of the Collective. If you want any of those, we're gonna have a problem.

Looking forward to your reply!

He walks off screen without bothering with the camera.

See XO! I can be polite.

A hand pops onto the screen for a fraction of a second and switches off the video.




We are gladdened by your response. In face we would wish to take this one step further. We understand that you may wish to avoid direct conflict, we do not seek it either but we believe that conflict is some times unavoidable. Regardless, if you are able to come to an agreement with the known third party (we have made our own overtures directly) we might be interesting in deeper cooperation. Beyond that, and to the effect that we believe that multiple others have both the capability and desire to capture sector 77 TBN, we recognise the possibility that sector 77 may not be annexed the Collective.

As such, we have a proposal that would enable a deeper cooperation, that is to say revisiting your offer of alliance should it still stand. We would also like to set out the start of such a cooperation the base agreement and scope. We would welcome a profit sharing scheme but can provide little support except access. We would welcome your science teams to explore please see below outline of proposed agreement.

You send SCI at the eot, I use it to explore. We split stats equally (50/50) sent at EoT. I get right of first refusal on artifacts, but have to give up this floor's stats in exchange, if you receive the artifact instead then I receive the stats. In case of "bad consequences" I can use the proceeds of that turn's exploration to deal with the consequences, provided I use my share first. If the consequences require specific stats and the exploration of that turn has provided those stats I have to select those stats for my share.

1/acro medean site, you can veto my right of first refusal to claim the artifact for yourself for artifacts up to tier 2, but you give up all stats as normal. Tier 3 archeotech, we must come to mutual agreement and there will be no dibs or veto.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.

[Eldan]

Muridun Midturn 1 [Internal]

1 Sci - Creating new hyperspace lane from God's Throne (70) to the Strategic Science System (61)
Ali Zaybak (Science VIP 2) begins the investigation of Rhaenya's Ghost, the local super-installation, presumably clearing 4 levels.)

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Espionage defense: 4
Reputation: adored

In contrast to the Dr, the recipient (a pale-green skinned humanoid of the same species as Alerax) sports a long white blazer and a set of working pants, attempting to comand comfort instead of the dignified respect of a recruitment poster, as part of the image he was unarmed or at least appeared to be, a bracelet on his wrist didn't quite match the outfit.

"Nice to meet you Dr Warrant, my name is Jul and I will be handling communication for our side, do hope we can get along" as a final point of contrast, a little nervousness slipped in when he talked, but was quickly dispelled as he read the plan, replaced by (again, almost hidden) eagerness "Splendid idea! Whether your god's or yours, someone higher up than me must approve it but I have no doubt it'll be so by the time we have no barriers between us" a set of archives covering the areas between them in detail arrived as Jul continued "On that topic, our current aims call for a bridge to Aos Il'ukaran, so if you don't object we will extend our influence on sub-sector [31] which should also allow us to start our cooperative venture"

I like it a lot, and I intended to take 31 this turn anyway so we can get borders and the LTP started/done next turn. Do tell me if any high Esp folk decide to get in on it :smalltongue:

To the Kramagorian law setters,

[Sector 34]'s is to be temporarily called by the name Flare-1, while enough of us arrive for the proper structural framework to be established. Your claims will see no contest from us, as for our intended sphere, and I think 35-36-38 and 39 on our side would make for an excellent border, at least as a pleasant map is concerned.

As for the non-agression pact, if the agreement is already redacted, it would be our pleasure to sign it.

with Respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Ka I and Log (SCI VIP 3), together with a recon team of experts (4 Sci, so 10 floors in all), will brave The Zerreshk Hives, hunting for secrets held by the Arcomedeans and their capitalistic successors.

Rep remains the same, and no meddling against others for now.

[GameOfChampions]

The Antarean Crusade
Mor 7
Rep: Feared

2 Sci to make a route from 20-32. Rep wise I am maintaining current Rep.

Light travels the distant reaches bringing messages engraved within it.

We are amenable to a summit of the greats. Principia is littered with them and a meeting would help clarify some things. We do not unfortunately have the time to spare for one of our greatest leaders to attend but we would be amenable to sending one of our greater Star Spawn to attend some meetings.

As for your wish for transparency the light is blinding to those who shall read our messages but you may do as you will.

Summits cool but not sending a VIP. I'm fine with your side of any conversations being Mor 0 but will not be following that myself.

Light travels the distant reaches bringing messages engraved within it.

We thank the UEO for their great gift in knowledge. Truly your planets are ordered and structured to a greater degree then many others however we do believe in order beyond just the natural. We shall hold off any public declarations while we observe the greats of Principia. However we shall not forget your gifts and as a token shall withhold any support of the Iron Gods for at least twenty years. Around that same time shall be when we feel able to follow up on any declarations.

Furthermore we are willing to allow you to speak to our local companies if you wish?

Not planning any declaration until at least turn 3. But as a thank you will hold off on the Iron Gods. Also if you want you can send a message next turn and I will specifically not answer it so you get that temp Econ.

Light travels the distant reaches bringing messages engraved within it.

We see the natural world you have on your planets and approve but also see the squabbling ways among your clans, your struggles amongst each other without an enemy to focus on. We shall deliberate and decide.


Light travels the distant reaches bringing messages engraved within it.

The great Antares thanks you for your compliments and whole heartedly agrees with your plan. For now we have much to do and would not wish an accident to start something we do not wish for. Your split of the system works for now though we may wish a slight adjustment of the splitting in half. That can come at a latter date.

We see you may be attempting to bring order. We shall watch and wait to see what order this is.

[ArcaneStomper]

https://i.ibb.co/6DLgK4R/sci-fi-rail-above-the-sea-1080-P-wallpaper.jpg (https://ibb.co/kqvQLhg)

Iettis System
Iettis VIa "Haven"

The conference center had been build on the shore of a pristine sea. It's architecture was elegant, and the weather was warm and clear. The center had room for every conceivable delegate with environments tailored to their comfort. The staff was unobtrusive, but ever present and always ready to provide any conceivable comfort in case a mistake had been in the initial construction or if the delegates wished for anything.

Press releases had gone out to summon media from every corner of the sector. This would be a grand event and the Eldest wanted it well recorded. Hopefully it would be grand for the right reasons and not go down in infamy.

The temperature of the waves crashing against the beach rose a fraction of a degree as the Eldest nervous musings drove caused massive cooling towers to begin cycling water along neural membranes. Then the Eldest remember it had sited the conference on one of its coolant reservoirs and forced itself to think more slowly. It made a note to reroute most of its neural activity to the far side of the moon during the actual conference. It didn't want the expected heated debates to become literal.

A thousand eyes inspected everything for flaws once again, while a thousand hand nervously polished already spotless surfaces. First impressions were everything. The Eldest had already made one mistake in its invitations. It could only hope that the conference went more smoothly. Wind whipped across the ocean as the Eldest sighed and waited for the first delegates to arrive.

Excellent we will welcome your emissary most warmly. And of course we do not ask that you match our own preferences for transparency.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.

We have attached the latest revision of our proposed Trust, and hope that it meets your expecations. We also hope that your negotiations with the other parties go well.

As for the exploration of your ruins this proposal appears reasonable, however we cannot assist you in the coming decade for the simple reason that there is no infrastructure to support such an effort. We would like to revist the proposal in the future however.

To an amazing future,
The Eldest

OOC:
I can't help you explore until we have a hyperlane connection.

The following has been GM approved as a potential LTP. I am open to discussing details such as funding ratios, and possible modifications to the LTP.

1) The ratio of investment into the pool is 4:1, with a minimum starting amount of 10 temp stat points (so that’s a 40 point base right there). That is a fixed linear investment.

2) You and anyone else who can collaborate with you later can improve the fund linearly by spending 4x improvement. So if you wanted to bump it up to 12 temp stats, it would cost 8 from anyone. The improvement won’t kick in until the following EoT.

3) To make this not a nightmare of tracking stats, I will say that the fund can only produce temp Eco or temp Psi, regardless of the temp stats invested. Anyone getting a dividend from the fund can take out their end in any combination of temp Eco and temp Psi. Just about everyone can use those stats, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a two thirds majority, rounded down, to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn.

4a.) On the initial completion of the LTP the LTP holder will name the initial shareholders. The first payout will go to all these shareholders.

4b.) The LTP will not pay out unless there are at least three shareholders.

5.) Contributors will pay a trade distance penalty to collaborate on setting up the fund, but shareholders will not receive a penalty for payouts.

6.) There is a 5 point overhead cost to set up the initial bureaucracy.

Total Initial Cost: 30 Eco, 15 Psi

Bheura Prime Addendum: The controller of Bheura Prime agrees to pay the t.stats produced each turn from the bonus vault stats into the LTP for four (4) turns. If the bonus stats are not Eco or Psi they agree to trade them with one of the initial stakeholders for these stats on a one to one basis. The Sages of Iettis VI agree to pay the initial overhead cost.

Security Addendum: The LTP is protected against stat thefts. For obvious reasons I am not going to outline what the GM told me about this here, but I will include it in stakeholder message at EoT.

Greetings to Mariana bint-Naiwal, Concerned Diplomat
See Attached for our formalized proposal

The following has been GM approved as a potential LTP. I am open to discussing details such as funding ratios, and possible modifications to the LTP.

1) The ratio of investment into the pool is 4:1, with a minimum starting amount of 10 temp stat points (so that’s a 40 point base right there). That is a fixed linear investment.

2) You and anyone else who can collaborate with you later can improve the fund linearly by spending 4x improvement. So if you wanted to bump it up to 12 temp stats, it would cost 8 from anyone. The improvement won’t kick in until the following EoT.

3) To make this not a nightmare of tracking stats, I will say that the fund can only produce temp Eco or temp Psi, regardless of the temp stats invested. Anyone getting a dividend from the fund can take out their end in any combination of temp Eco and temp Psi. Just about everyone can use those stats, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a two thirds majority, rounded down, to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn.

4a.) On the initial completion of the LTP the LTP holder will name the initial shareholders. The first payout will go to all these shareholders.

4b.) The LTP will not pay out unless there are at least three shareholders.

5.) Contributors will pay a trade distance penalty to collaborate on setting up the fund, but shareholders will not receive a penalty for payouts.

6.) There is a 5 point overhead cost to set up the initial bureaucracy.

Total Initial Cost: 30 Eco, 15 Psi

Bheura Prime Addendum: The controller of Bheura Prime agrees to pay the t.stats produced each turn from the bonus vault stats into the LTP for four (4) turns. If the bonus stats are not Eco or Psi they agree to trade them with one of the initial stakeholders for these stats on a one to one basis. The Sages of Iettis VI agree to pay the initial overhead cost.

Security Addendum: The LTP is protected against stat thefts. For obvious reasons I am not going to outline what the GM told me about this here, but I will include it in stakeholder message at EoT.

Greetings most esteemed gods of Ur INANNA and ENLIL,

See Attached for our formalized proposal

The following has been GM approved as a potential LTP. I am open to discussing details such as funding ratios, and possible modifications to the LTP.

1) The ratio of investment into the pool is 4:1, with a minimum starting amount of 10 temp stat points (so that’s a 40 point base right there). That is a fixed linear investment.

2) You and anyone else who can collaborate with you later can improve the fund linearly by spending 4x improvement. So if you wanted to bump it up to 12 temp stats, it would cost 8 from anyone. The improvement won’t kick in until the following EoT.

3) To make this not a nightmare of tracking stats, I will say that the fund can only produce temp Eco or temp Psi, regardless of the temp stats invested. Anyone getting a dividend from the fund can take out their end in any combination of temp Eco and temp Psi. Just about everyone can use those stats, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a two thirds majority, rounded down, to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn.

4a.) On the initial completion of the LTP the LTP holder will name the initial shareholders. The first payout will go to all these shareholders.

4b.) The LTP will not pay out unless there are at least three shareholders.

5.) Contributors will pay a trade distance penalty to collaborate on setting up the fund, but shareholders will not receive a penalty for payouts.

6.) There is a 5 point overhead cost to set up the initial bureaucracy.

Total Initial Cost: 30 Eco, 15 Psi

Bheura Prime Addendum: The controller of Bheura Prime agrees to pay the t.stats produced each turn from the bonus vault stats into the LTP for four (4) turns. If the bonus stats are not Eco or Psi they agree to trade them with one of the initial stakeholders for these stats on a one to one basis. The Sages of Iettis VI agree to pay the initial overhead cost.

Security Addendum: The LTP is protected against stat thefts. For obvious reasons I am not going to outline what the GM told me about this here, but I will include it in stakeholder message at EoT.

Send six science to investigate the Wayward Messenger.

Raise reputation to Adored. Because who else is trying to organize a massive sector wide diplomatic conference to promote peace and trade.

Roll Random VIP Type 1. Mil, 2. Esp, 3. Eco, 4. Mor, 5. Sci, 6. Psi
[roll0]

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Midturn GM PM
Reputation: Reenforce Feared. The war party continues a dogged stance on expansion and protectionism. Defeating the Totalist opposition as well as the Kindler moderates at every turn. With little hope of forming a coalition government amongst themselves, the Conservatives and NOP choose to lick their wounds and recover popularity by falling in line with the current administration in exchange for a few minor compromises to appease their base without rocking the boat and drawing accusations of gridlocking the House.

Installations: The Technocrat Party and 3 science investigate the bizzare interior of the Terraforming device on the frigid pole of Ranunculus, hoping to understand better what exactly makes their planet tick and glean any technological secrets or marvels that might be hidden in the ancient ruins.

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God


Nothing done with Sci, maintaining Rep.

Morale 6


The vidfeed blares momentary static, catching Dr. Warrant in mid-sip from her flask, tumour pistol twirling on the hand not helping to chug the violet liquid. She picks up on the stream's gaze, panics, discharges her tumour pistol with an equaled yelp hapless camera crewman offscreen, then promptly chokes as the ammunition shell hits the flask's liquid and evaporates into an inhaled vapour. The static takes to the screen again, before a much more composed Warrant takes to the screen.

"Mm." She mindlessly fiddles with a gauntlet, sported on the hand which held the flask. Retracted needles are sheathed on each finger, with tubing leading to a port on her onyx thruster pack. The floppy synth-rubber of the glove is blue clear as Novinus' Sun against the stark white of her self-cleaning lab coat. It tightens around her hand in time with the donning of a rainbow bismuth skullcap, which then morphs into a halo made of the same mineral. The tumour pistol has been re-holstered and re-chambered for a much later stage single discharge malignancy round. The violet stains are almost gone form her coat.

Her eyes glow with the same violet light as the flask-vapour. Little bits of the lab coat begin to bleb upwards into similarly coloured bubbles. She does not look at the camera as she speaks. "I'm for Fengrallin system." There's a nervous twitch to the way she moves, despite her placid look. "While we're here discussing things, it has been conveyed that-" the tubing on her needle-hand glows orange with alkaline chemicals-"we will be working with the Stewards in the years to come should like to join us in approaching them." With that she guns the thrusters on her pack and levitates offscreen, faint little of lab coat trailing in he wake.


Suits me fine. I'm taking [27] this turn. We should decide how to approach the Stewards/divvy up the rewards of completing their LTP.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6


Route 43-77
Maintain reputation

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6


Greetings Eldest, your plan sounds good on paper and we have reviewed but we would like to get to know who we are getting in bed with and would also like to set some conditions given the...intiracy implied by Bheura Prime. We can assume the Iron Gods faction have made it clear to you they wish to take sector 77. We are willing to enter into this agreement provided the Iron Gods faction does indeed take sector 77 and also enters into this agreement. We also understand that you have made the overtured to the Muridun. We also understand that your sector will be the one hosting the physical resources of the Trust? What assurances, security and insurance are you offering that the funds will not be expropriated, misused or otherwise impact. We await your confirmation on these facts.

With the above conditions satisfied, we would be happy to enter into such a contract. However, we wish to negotiate the terms for all involved as some cause us worry.

"4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a two thirds majority, rounded down, to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn."

This seems to imply that a simple majority could see one of the shareholders ousted with no further ceremony and no refund of their investment. Please advise and clarify.

Also, please confirm for the sake of bureaucracy, Principia standard form non-aggression agreement between our governments. Addendums:
- If either party dissolves the non-aagreession, there shall be a moratorium on aggressive actions between the signatories for the period of 1 decade
- no assistance or trade between signatories and factions with whom one of the signatories is at war.

As to the scientific sharing agrement, this will be entirely at your election and we recognise this will only be possible once we have set direct trade routes between our spheres of influence. We look forward to a long, productive and peaceful relationship.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.



Greetings Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

My principals are gladdened by your agreement. Please find attached Principia standard form non-aggression agreement between our governments. Addendums:
- If either party dissolves the non-aagreession, there shall be a moratorium on aggressive actions between the signatories for the period of 1 decade
- no assistance or trade between signatories and factions with whom one of the signatories is at war.
- Border delineation as agreed (JCKM - 40-41-42-44-46-45 (sectors enclosed) // VUZ358 39-38-36-35//Please advise if any additions to intended sphere of influence for clarity)

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[3SecondCultist]

The Sublime Clans of Zultar
Morale 7

What is sent back is a fruit whose skin gleams, and when peeled its juices appear to float in mid-air, to be consumed by airborne creatures.

Dhakir Abid ibn-Abid, I wonder at the nature of your world. Does every grain of sand in your desert have a name? You seem so eager to separate things into categories. Where you see land and river, the Zultari see one-ness. We are born of earth, breathe air, and bleed water. What is this, if not a sign of the fundamental unity of being? Similarly, the saurian that drinks from the river is not imbued with a soul for the drinking. The new water joins the old, being transformed and discarded.

Did you know that until meeting other philosophies, there was no word in our language for either body or soul? We do not hold these to be sacred, for all is forged in the struggle of Vaunted Olore: all will be Sublimated or else served for tomorrow's dinner.

Ndabacile (Long Foreseen) of Clan Ibezi

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

Erroneous and Heretical Thinking abounds. It is clear that your Failing State is incapable of Comprehending the Vision of the Codex Efficatus, as your previous missive claimed that 'occasional outreach to other doctrines is healthy'. Please be aware that the Scribe who put that phrase to Sacred Vellum - as well as every Factor who directly aided in its Copying and Dissemination to the rest of Principia - volunteered for Administrative Execution via Spontaneous Incineration. Before being so free in future communication, consider the Cost of Careless Words.

There is no Truth but Efficiency. No Way Forward other than the Codex may persist. Until you Walk the Path as laid out by our Primary Text, our Secretariat has no choice but to set ourselves at Cross Purposes.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos declares war on the Grand Republic of Principia.

To the Office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th Esq, BBL, ML, Ph.D., MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB, and bar and President of the Association of Legal Professionals of the Firms of the Kramagorian Moons,

It is refreshing to see a Polity that Understands Basic Procedure and Protocol. The vast majority of the States that Lay Claim to Principia are not simply Unlawful, but have Zero Regard for Administrative Etiquette. This is a Sin that Thousand Suns will Not Burn Away. As such, the Numinous Secretariat will Persist in the State of War until They Learn How to Change.

However, sending a copy of the Codex Efficatus is in fact Impossible. The Faithful are not Handed the Road to Salvation; they must Seek it in Their Own Way. As a formality, the Secretariat is letting you know that merely Demanding to see the Codex has triggered a Caste War on Kantus, between Those That Wish to Spread the Faith and Those that Wish to Preserve It. Over a million have died already - we anticipate at least four times that number before the conflict is at an end.
Unacceptable! Absolutely Unacceptable!

The Name of our Hallowed Administration is the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos. If you Migrants are Unable to even spell, there is little point in Considering your State as anything beyond Future Enemies.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos declares war on the Muridun.


Equilibrium Incorporated
Morale 6

Good day, Emissaries of the Muridun,

Spoken like true simple men, indeed! Your demands for more information as to the nature, investment overhead, and payout of the project are reasonable in scope and detail. Furthermore, Equilibrium Incorporated believes that the Muridun are uniquely equipped to aid in this initiative in the immediate years to come.

The Time to Value is approximately three decades, assuming active involvement. EI is prepared to put forward an initial investment of [11 Eco] this decade, which they hope will be matched and then surpassed by foreign investment over two sector-cycles. Once the proprietary trading program is online, EI will be willing to work closely with the primary investor to ensure that it is used responsibly. Please peruse the project at your leisure.

Equilibrium Incorporated believes in ensuring that trade and business across the sector are stable, as an emerging capitalist superpower. Their aim is also to maintain and grow their own wealth, as they believe that currency is the key to true philosophical balance. A faction that takes the time to help expand the corporation's reach will find itself able to control the flow of commerce. This faction may choose any number of trading partnerships on the map each turn, increasing or decreasing their trade penalties by 1 regardless of distance or Alliance (to a minimum of 0).
Good day Eldest,

We thank you for the clarification. As it is, our corporation intends to send the requisite parties and pay close attention to the proceedings. War on an interstellar scale is not good for business, and could theoretically upset the fulcrum on which Principia rests. In your endeavor, you can count on the well-wishes and moral support of our company.

It is unfortunate that you do not intend to invest in our venture. It goes against our company policy to refuse the first money into anything, so if any of your rivals should wish to stake their claim we cannot hold you a seat at the table. Equilibrium Incorporated does not wish to offend, but please understand that the sooner we are able to complete our project, the swifter a healthy trade balance will return to the sector.

Cordially,
Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

Aos Il'ukaran, the Stewards of Understanding
Morale 6

Direction: the Grand Republic of Principia.

Splendid! With visible vectors of expansion, the Stewards are less concerned about an imminent invasion. As your short-lived species is still in its nascent phase, there was speculation among the minds of Hagia that your party may have come to seek conflict where instead there might be cooperation. Of course, the taking of neutral systems is a necessary evil when it comes to sector-wide hegemony, but the Stewards of Understanding would ask that your party keep bloodshed to an absolute minimum. The lives of the conquered are a vital strategic resource often overlooked by those doing the conquering.

As to our project, the Silent Cartographer will aid any who seek to uncover the great mysteries of the ancients. Our Masters programmed us to safeguard their works and what better way to do that than to keep track of them all? The precise details and technological specifications are currently classified; should the Grand Republic prove capable of ruling ably and without descending into wanton violence, perhaps we might even share our plans.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: Sages of Iettis VI.

Two pacifistic societies, each believing that war to be inevitable and lamenting the coming violence while claiming that the calculations of the other are optimistic. There is perhaps a word for this, though the vernacular would differ by degrees of formality. Some would say 'serendipitous'. Others would call it 'f*cking sad'.

In any case, the Stewards find your agenda to be productive and imminently rational. We will do our best to attend your conference, despite the difficulties inherent in our travel outside of the Hagia system. Should you wish, the Stewards would also be happy to provide details on our Silent Cartographer project to aid in peaceful exploration of Arco-Medean Installations.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code

[Hamste]

Unity Party
3 Morale


Maintaining my reputation
6 sci and 1 psi exploring my installation

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Iettis VIa

The Iron God’s envoys arrived in a ship that lived up to their reputation – an ‘ambassadorial craft’ the size of a light cruiser, an overbuilt moving temple that floated through the void like a ziggurat torn from the earth.

The actual ambassadorial party numbered only three, which did raise questions about why the ship was so large, but at least calmed any worried of a surprise invasion from the more anxious guests who they might be sharing the beauty of Haven with.

The envoy herself had been carefully chosen from among ENLIL’s favoured servants, as she seemed positively human (at least to the naked eye. Actual scanners, less so) in her robes, the only hint of divine enhancement her glowing blue eyes. Her two bodyguards...less so. Corpse-soldiers in their full glory, human nervous systems reaporpiated to operate vaguely humanoid war machines that were far more machine than man.

The trio moved as one from the space-port to the appointed grounds for the Congress, nodding in unison to the hosts and other guests before the envoy began to speak. “Greetings. I am Asharra, a priestess and servant of ENLIL. The Gods have named me to speak for them, and sent me to this place in their stead. They look upon this affair with interest, and have hope for what might yet be accomplished here.”

She nodded again to the hosts, and fell silent.


https://64.media.tumblr.com/6e4dec24649a674b952f2130ae4f64bc/tumblr_p3u1xpIj4d1tg2fpgo4_1280.jpg

https://64.media.tumblr.com/6f827cbf3a5d178cd91098202099d46e/tumblr_phnct0tS4x1tg2fpgo1_640.jpg



Dreaded
Encryption Level 9



“Ah, my sincere apologies for any confusion. There was no intent to communicate any jealousy or offence that you had offered the same terms to others, merely the wish to make clear that the state of things was understood.”

“Now, as for the proposal, it seems an excellent way to foster peace and further cooperation among those who take part. Truthfully that seems to be its main purpose, if there has not been a misunderstanding. The Gods have no particular opposition to such ties with yourselves, oh Learned Sage, nor to the diligent scribes and jurists of Kramagor. Toward the Vultures of the Veilstar they are less sanguine, but will accept being bound with them, as a token of affection toward you and yours.”

“There is some concern in one regard, namely that of acclaiming or banishing stakeholders. There is worry of a diluted investment, or of being denied its fruits through intrigue and rumourmongering. So a single change is requested, than the vote required to add or remove a beneficiary of the project is unanimity less one, or at minimum a supermajority of three in four.”

“Otherwise, all the need be discussed is who shall assume custodianship of the star itself, and if not the Gods, which star you would rather they take to border you. Though at this late date I confess the routes have already been charted, and Bheura is the only possibility which shall allow for trade in the coming decade.”

“A matter for further consideration – this project will tie those who participate together quite tightly. Some sort of formal pact seems a natural continuation of it, either of mutual defence or a formal alliance bloc in its entirety. The logistics of such an undertaking would be immense, but the Gods view you as peers and cousins, and once a border has been established, would happily work to intertwine themselves with you as a beginning of it.”

“As for the mad scribes of Lithos – the Gods view them as harmless to all but themselves, raging at all who intrude upon their vicious delusions. They desire to bring immortality to all that is worthwhile about them, and grant the rest peace, but if nothing else they have built mighty walls around themselves. An offensive shall not begin for at least a decade, and perhaps longer.”






Ashara smiled throughout Jabato’s tirade, inclining her head in acknowledgement before replying in a voice significantly closer to human than she had shown in the public session of the Congress

”Your patriotism is admirable, but the vitriol is unnecessary. It is the nature of war gods to dream of crusading across all of Principia, but my patron has a cooler head, and the others heed its council.”.

She passed for a moment, reams of data flickering through her glowing eyes, before she shrugged and continued.

“We want Bheura for the vaults, I’m sure it’s the same for you. Beyond that, the prevailing opinion among the gods is that the Sages are similar enough to them to be treated with as peers, so we need a connection with them for diplomacy and trade. Bheura works nicely for that as well. In the short term, the intent is to establish hegemony over the cluster around Ur. In the mid-term, there’s a horde of plan-worshipping savages and a fortress-world of mad scribes to deal with. In the long term, you’ve been provisionally judged as likely to progress to apotheosis naturally, so no forceful intervention is viewed as necessary.” She flashes something of an apologetic smile ”That’s as close as they get to saying they like you, I’m afraid. But no, they have no designs as any stars in your neighbourhood beyond this whole issue with Bheura.”

She gestured to summon a transcript of the Sages’ proposed joint project onto the screen ”We know you’ve been sent the same offer we have, and if you’re amenable we’re inclined to sign on as well. Not particularly enthusiastic about the Murudin’s membership in the whole affair, but willing to bite that bullet if it’s the only issue. A bit more concerned about the clause to allow adding to ejecting members – we’d prefer it need to be unanimous, honestly. 3/4 super majority at a minimum. Pretty clearly a nucleus for a sector-wide bloc, but we’ve got no real problem with that as long as our seat at the table doesn’t get diluted or shoved overboard. We’re expecting proposals for mutual defence or alliance to follow soon.”

The cybernetic ambassador cocked her head slightly as she finished speaking ”So, now you know us. A formal alliance will take a bit of doing, but if our economies are sharing a hearbeat it IS a good idea. For now, your bosses are signing non-aggression pacts, yes? Get one of your egg-heads to write one up recognizing spheres of influence around Ur and Kramagor, we can formalize it by the end of the summit.”

[3SecondCultist]

Midturn 1 Results

Iron Gods of Ur
Morale 9

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Dreaded.

Secret hyperlane routes (66-5, 66-59, 66-77) were successfully created.
United Ecological Order, aka Gask Triad
Morale 4

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.
Sages of Iettis VI
Morale 6

Reputation successfully increased! Current reputation: Adored.

The Sages delve into the Wayward Messenger, finding a mesmerizing paradox of entangled particles from alternate universes and dimensions all coalescing in chaotic waves. Their ancient wisdom and hyper-acute intellects were able to parse some kind of pattern to the shockwaves emitted by the Messenger, allowing their agents to move in and return with goods in hand. Other than fine reagents and materials (+++ Eco), the search returned with a Reality Core, which when implanted to any single entity allows them to perceive and tap into alternate time-streams (+1 Sci item). 6/10 floors cleared.

Unfortunately, the investigation into the Wayward Messenger resulted in a series of inordinately powerful pulses that Aether ended up absorbing, crippling their mind for at least the upcoming decade. Aether (Psi 3 VIP) is unusable until Midturn 2.
Antarean Crusade
Morale 7

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Feared.

Secret hyperlane routes (20-32, 20-7) were successfully created.
Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Morale 6

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.

Secret hyperlane route (43-77) was successfully created.
The Muridun
Morale 6

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.

Secret hyperlane route (70-61) was successfully created.

With Ali Zaybak taking the lead, the Muridun investigation of Rhaenya's Ghost begins. The ancient throne world of the Arco-Medean empire is vast, so setting up a temporary base camp with initial expeditions beneath the scarred surface of what was once a planet is the necessary first step. With not enough of a risk taken, the rewards from the first scouting teams are meager (++ Eco), though they have found passages far below that promise far more wealth... and danger. 4/20 floors cleared.
Unity Party
Morale 3

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Awed.

The Unity Party has undertaken the first forays into the decommissioned Host Station, left behind by Channel Seldiva. The space station is truly titanic, with many sealed off and trapped sections left behind for those who would uncover the wealth left behind by the Fotuan colony. To their fortune, the Unity Party expedition has returned not only several stasis containment units full of uninflated currency (+++++ Eco), but also downloadable combat manuals and datacores that can be transcribed to an AI (7 bonus XP to Eins). 6/10 floors cleared.

The explorations did result in a negative side effect: a cryo-pod containing an ancient Seldivan battle-clone was accidentally activated by one of the search teams. Quite mad after being left in cryosleep for millennia, the champion threatens to run rampant if not contained. Lesser Threat (deals 2 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 3 Sci or 6 Mil/Psi in any combination) unleashed.
Believers of the Unwilling God
Morale 6

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Liked.
Vanguard Unit Z-358
Morale 4

Reputation maintained. Current reputation: Adored.

With a recon team of experts, Ka I and Log brave the Zerreshk Hives. Left abandoned by the Oracle Family Company an age ago, many of the hive's denizens have reverted to a primal state, but that does not make them any less puissant for it. And as it turns out, the Hives themselves are still very much a site of value, in what the Company left in its wake: psicrystals. The Vanguard's team recovers an immense treasure trove (++++++++++ Eco), with fragmented memories of the last Principia war full of the psionic potential to be absorbed by a practitioner (3 bonus XP to Theophania). Finally, they recover an odd empty noqual vessel and incomplete instructions on voiding temporal quiddities (1/2 of a Tier 2 Archeotech). 10/10 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

However, disaster strikes in the form of the hive-worlders rising up and launching armies of psionically enhanced monsters as well as debilitating rituals against the interlopers on their sacred ground. Lesser Threat (deals 2 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 3 Sci or 6 Mil/Psi in any combination) and Moderate Threat (deals 3 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 4 Sci or 8 Mil/Psi in any combination) unleashed.

This Archeotech takes the form of a vessel filled with raw temporal energy that can be dispersed to create a mass stasis field. When activated, it delays 1 random stat attack, theft, or invasion that occurs that EoT by 1 full turn. The Archeotech holder is not told which attack has been delayed, should any occur.
Grand Republic of Principia
Morale 4
Reputation maintained. Current reputation: Feared.

Under the guidance of the Technocrat Party, the Grand Republic has invested resources to explore the depths of the Ranunculus Terraformer at the planet's pole. Braving legions of drones and eldritch machinery, they were able to emerge with a number of lost materials in the form of data-slates (+++ Sci), as well as psionic node resonators (+++ Psi) and raw precious metals to add to the party's treasury (+++++ Eco). Despite the potential for danger, the Party's strict doctrines and affinity for caution were able to guide the Republic forces through without calamity. 7/10 floors cleared.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6


Gentlebeings of the Principia,

This is a public service announcement brought to you by Prosecutory arm of the Collective. It has come to our attention that the "Antarean Crusade" has created a "Secret Route" from their home system to Sector 32. We would like to remind the representatives of the Crusade that the Collective considers that encroachment upon the sphere of influence of another faction (considered to be one(1) natural hyperlane jump from their home system or the creation of a hyperlane towards a sector within that sphere of influence (occupied or unoccupied) shall be considered an act of aggression. If war had not been delcared in a timely manner before such actions, this would provide cause of action for the defender to seek legal remedies against the aggressor.

If your purpose is war please declare your intentions in a timely manner. We would also like to remind you at this time that any aggression against the sphere of influence of the Collective will be met with immediate, lethal and disproportionate force.

We wish you a good day (or other equivalent measure time as used by each faction.




"Vitriol? HAH!

Jabato's reply comes in without pre-amble.

That's how I speak to my wife and my kids! You will know vitriol when I pour fire upon the enemies of the collective and break them down and their ships into atoms!

He slams his hand on the armrest of his chair forcefully punctuating his words. His face a strom of rage, his eyes filled with the fire and thunder that issue from the gunports of his mightly vessel. But quickly the storm breaks and humour becomes more prevalent.

But that need not concern you right now. We have signed non-aggression treaties with....

He takes out a piece of paper and squints at it.

WHOSE F****NG HANDWRITING IS THIS!!!

He scrunches up the paper and throws it at someone.

Bottom line, we sign with these sages guys and someone else. There's a note here also that said what you said about the damn agreement. I don't really care but there you have it. They like bits of it, don't like other bits. Go read the messages, we know you can, you know we know you can bla bla bla. Figure it out. Looks to me like if we're gonna be in this marriage might as well make it a threeway!

He bursts out with laughter.

Think about it. Lay off 44. One jump from Kramagor is no go. We all want things, we all want Bheura. We can take Bheura, had some egghead do the math, we have the firepower to wipe out anything you throw at that place. We will lay off on this one...but we have conditions. Next time this kind of thing comes around...we have your support. I'm not unreasonable...but we expect you to back our play. You want to occupy center mass of the galaxy and make a bridge from where you are to anywhere you wanna go? Prime strategic realty. Then you gotta play some ball. We'll take you on faith...for now. Do not make me regret it.
....
Anyway...

Send over an agreement, i'll have one of the clerks send it to home base and they'll get back to you. Jabato out. I need to go catch some bloody lawbreakers, tired of sitting on my ass!




In the same format, a picture of a letter, comes a new message.

From: The office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons.
To: Lawful representative of the Numinous secretariat of Lithos

Dear Sir, Madam or other,

It gladdens us to receive your report though we are saddened that it has caused such conflict and assure you that we shall make no such mention. Please advise what is considered within your custom to request and grant that we may come to know your society within the bounds set by your society.

With great hope for future cooperation as well as any guidance on what shape or form such might take.

Yours faithfully,
Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq.




From: The office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons.
To: Lawful representative of the Numinous secretariat of Lithos

Dear Sir, Madam or other,

We are contacting you at this time on behalf of the ruling government of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian moons in order to request your rates of exchange for any trades.

We understand that due to the distances involved communications are difficult. We know little of your culture and would welcome any information you may provide us with that we may know you.

The government I represent is one based on law that seeks the betterment of the Principia and its citizens as a whole through effective legal government and the just enforcement of these laws.

We look forward to your reply.
Amicus Slant the 4th on behalf of the lawful government of the Judiciary collective of the Kramagorian Moons.



From: The office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB and bar and president of the association of legal professionals of the firms of the Kramagorian moons.
To: Lawful representative of the Numinous secretariat of Lithos

Dear Sir, Madam or other,

We are contacting you at this time on behalf of the ruling government of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian moons in order to request your rates of exchange for any trades.

We understand that due to the distances involved communications are difficult. We know little of your culture and would welcome any information you may provide us with that we may know you.

The government I represent is one based on law that seeks the betterment of the Principia and its citizens as a whole through effective legal government and the just enforcement of these laws.

We look forward to your reply.
Amicus Slant the 4th on behalf of the lawful government of the Judiciary collective of the Kramagorian Moons.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Iettis VIa

The delegates from Rainbow Tell were a bit of an oddity for what would be expected, the famously round ships with monumental windows that somehow were never hit over the thick caparace was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by what could only be described as a spiky design on pure white, with the vaguest concession made to fir a large curved window with the shape of a closed W in the front.

The delegates themselves consisted of Theophania, on striking robes of a dark blue leaning and a number of what would be assumed as acolytes were they not wearing their hoods down and talking quite cheerily with a single dashingly dressed young Doromite with a sparrow nesting in their head seemingly left out of the conversation.

If any sort of psionic detection system was installed on Asharra, she (or the god's behind her), could feel the lightest of probing before they were given a wide berth, in favour of presenting themselves, or frankly of being anywhere but near them as their presentation was more of a casual psychic nod to the space that housed them and a renewal of their conversation until the host or someone else, presented something more interesting.

Morale: 4
reputation: adored

NPCs:

To the collective,

You'll make us , really. To have the approval of you, who have been pivot to attempted peace and perhaps lit the beacon that has brought us here. We are woefully new here, though trained as we are, it is impossible to ignore what has gone, what goes on...

No mold fits all means, and as ones who were here before, we would rather follow [I]your lead as it concerns to ending suffering in the sector which would surely fit better than the prepackaged doctrines we have been trained for.

For now, while we are understrength to accomplish anything so grand as ensuring hapiness for principa right now, our research has yielded a great bounty, and we hoped you can use it and in exchange we can use your knowledge to call our lost friends.

Just in case it isn't clear, my reply to them is "Hey, we are new here and unfamiliar with exactly what the biggest causes of suffering in principia are, could you please take the lead while we get our bearings?"

Also offering the following trade:

I give: immense treasure trove of psi crystals (++++++++++ Eco) (sniff, I cry everytime)

They give: 7 Psi, 1 mor, access to Immanent Impetus (Psi 2) for one turn. (I wanted to do 2 mor, since is not like mor is that valuable compared to eco, but I'll stick to being a more or less good trading partner)



Well Met Ye of faith,

As the sector has blossomed with activity regarding your organization, we would like to hear more of it, as long as it doesn't stir trouble.

Respectfully,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

PCs

Sounds good, though we can probably discuss it next turn, when we hopefully know what the LTP is. No idea what the stats acquired would be, but a land and stats for one and the VIP for the other seems like a good baseline (it is a tier 3 after all).

To the Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar,

The agreement doesn't betray our expectations. As for our eventual spheres we'd like to add 33 and 31, assuming no revisions on your part given the new information, you can consider it signed (for it is, at least by us).

To long running cooperation.
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI

Iettis System
Iettis VIa "Haven"

After much deliberation the Eldest has chosen to greet the delegates in a bioform sculpted to appear as an old and inhuman being with almost plant like features that evoke robes and a long beard. The Eldest could have made it appear completely human or completely monstrous, but it decided on something that was like human enough to register as friendly with the sector's majority species while not being so human as to appear to be a duplicitous or creepy. The beard and age should evoke wisdom in the majority of the sector's cultures. Never mind that the bioform is only a year old. The Eldest itself is far older.

It greets Asharra, Theophania, and all the other delegates personally and once they have settled in leads them to the sloping shell like structure that is the meeting location. Fifteen alcoves, with room for both the delegates and their assistants, have been arranged into a semicircle. The sixteenth alcove is inset into the semicircle, and it is this one that the Eldest takes.

"Greetings one and all. I have high hopes for this conference, but even simply meeting each of you was already a great pleasure. It was my hope that this conference would allow us to work together for peace and prosperity in the sector. Unfortunately some of us are already at war so the first is no longer an option, but I still hope for prosperity, and at least a limit to wars. I will start by presenting the three initial topics I hope that we can cover, and my own views on them.

First, the territorial boundaries of the sector. As much as I would like for us all to work together closely and without conflict, I know that is not an immediate possibility. Every creature has its habitat and interstellar empires are little different. The Judiciary Collective has already touched on this point with their recent announcement of their recognition of spheres of influence, and that is a good start. But not all of us border the same number of systems. Some of us even have overlapping spheres of influence.

Ideally, we would allow the inhabitants of each system to carefully weigh the pros and cons of joining each of us, or even staying independent. But more pragmatically I know that they will simply be overwhelmingly influenced by their closest neighboring great power anyway. So rather than let it be a free for all I propose that that we split the sector and allocate each of us a certain number of systems that are under our influence. Preferably in such a way that they are contiguous and of equal value.

Second, the matter of war. We believe that conflicts should be limited to prevent the destruction of the innocent and vulnerable. The death or maiming of those who have no place in a conflict, no choice in their support, and no ability to fight back is a terrible thing of great injustice. If the morality does not sway you consider public opinion. A content untouched people may be largely ambivalent to the war or even opposed to it. But once they are attacked, they are forced to choose, fight or flee. And many will choose to fight swelling the number of those who oppose you.

As such we propose that wars be limited in scope. Only targeting military, intelligence, and psionic assets of direct use in the war effort. Furthermore, we feel that the declaration of wars should be formalized to specific objectives. For instance, the conquest of a specific system, or number of systems. Rather than a total war where everything is open to invasion.

Third, the matter of peaceful resolution. It is of course possible to pursue a war until every last opponent is destroyed, but again it is both unjust and also very costly to do so. Better to pursue a diplomatic solution that satisfies both parties. Before the war itself if possible. But it can be difficult for two hated enemies to trust each other enough to come to the same meeting point much less negotiate in good faith.

So, we propose the use of formalized mediators. Picked from a selection of trusted, neutral, powers such that both parties can agree to the selection. The mediator would then host the negotiations and work to keep each party informed of the other’s intentions and goals so that negotiations are not derailed by miscommunication. Of course, mediators are nothing new, but we feel that framework for such negotiations should be formalized so that hostile parties would know what to expect at the bargaining table. We would of course volunteer to be one of said mediators, though of course more should volunteer, as no doubt there will be times when we are no neutral parties in a dispute.

In addition, such a framework would create an organization that would also serve to further the initial two points by monitoring territorial disputes and the action taken by opposing powers in ongoing wars.

Finally, we open the floor to debate. We know that many of you will not agree with us. Even those who do in principle will no doubt have different views on the details. To prevent a cacophonous argument, I have placed noise dampeners that keep the current speaker from being out voiced. Please do not tamper with these. If you wish to voice your opinion simply press the large button in the center of your alcove.

The Eldest makes a short bow and its alcove recedes into the floor and all of them shuffle so that the arrangement is now a circle. A little tricky to arrange smoothly, but the Eldest wanted to avoid any shows of favoritism or indication that some faction is lesser.


=======

After the first day's debate is done the Eldest invites a few representatives to a freshly budded conference building. The bud is situated somewhat away from the conference center and does not have any spectacular views from its chambers, though the surrounding jungles are certainly lush enough. That is by design however as the intention for this meeting place is to be private rather than grandiose.

Greetings to you all,

As you have now all agreed to our proposal in principle we thought it best to gather you for a group discussion rather than play a never-ending game of individual message passing.

As we see it there are three main issues with the Trust as it stands. The matter of the hosting organization. The question of the misappropriation of funds. And the issue of shareholder seats.

As to the matter of the hosting nation one of the principal limits in the creation of this Trust is that contributors are unfortunately constrained by the limits of the sector trade network. For instance, we cannot contribute at all currently, and in the coming decades as trade routes are formed those further away will still be at a disadvantage. We however are very nearly in the center of the sector. If we host the project, it will minimize the distance that any other stakeholder need send their contributions. We admit that the holder of Bheura Prime will also be central. And we are willing to cede the position of host to the holder if that is the agreement reached.

However, this brings us to the second point the question of the misappropriation of funds. The actual creation of the Trust is not a question. I am certain that we will all send auditors during the investment process to ensure that are funds are going into the Trust rather than some nefarious scheme. The point up for debate then is when the Trust is first completed, and the hosting faction names the initial shareholders. This is partially secured by the nature of the Trust itself. The Trust will not pay out for less than three shareholders. So, the hosting faction cannot simply take everything for themselves. They must name two other beneficiaries. Theoretically as there are four of us one stakeholder could be left out, but that is why we, the Sages, being the hosting faction is beneficial. We have no issues with any of the rest of you and so are unlikely to wall any stakeholder out. And in the hypothetical situation where we are lying through our teeth, we are also in a central position would be easily accessible for retribution by any aggrieved parties. Whereas as some other party, the holder of Bheura Prime for instance, would be insulated from at least one of the other stakeholders.

The third point is the matter of shareholder votes. This is easily amendable to require any ratio of votes. Requiring unanimity minus one is agreeable to us. Though with only four of us there is not that much difference between different ratios. We could of course make it unanimous. That would certainly secure our own positions, but very likely make it impossible for anyone else to join in the future.

Unfortunately, we see no easy way to refund a stakeholder's investment should they be voted or even choose to voluntarily leave. It may be possible but would likely require an increase in overhead. And we personally would prefer not to increase the costs too much. We are willing to pay the overhead, but we are not infinitely rich, and the longer it takes to complete the initial investment the longer it will be before any of us benefit from the bounty of Bheura Prime.

We will also raise our own two points. The question of holding Bheura Prime itself, and the initial investment in the trust. As for Bheura Prime we will need to withdraw our own offer to hold the system. An unfortunate incident has called into question our ability to do so in the face of potential third-party contenders, and so we will withdraw our own possibility as a candidate to hold the system. Although we do still desire the system itself as it borders our home system and would be willing to discuss the matter of territory with whoever ends up holding it as a separate matter later.

Finally, the question of the initial construction of the Fund. It seems to be fair to us for each stakeholder to contribute an equal amount of ten (10) to the project. With the caveat that the bounty of Bheura Prime would count for its holder’s initial investment, but any amount beyond ten (10) would still need to be paid as agreed in the Bheura Prime addendum. The issue is that this is not an insubstantial sum for each of us. We personally believe we will be able to finance our share in the next decade, but we would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.


Greetings Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated,

Do not mistake us. We do wish to increase trade in the sector. We simply do not see how it is even possible for us to invest in this decade given the lack of trade routes between us. If you could clarify this matter, we could see our way to doing so. Though we are admittedly somewhat pressed and could only offer a token sum without needing to rethink our other projects.

To a prosperous future,
The Eldest

Greetings Triune, the All-Code

It is indeed very unfortunate. However, by our count there are currently five declared wars in the sector. Admittedly four of them are from the Numinous Secretariat and we doubt their ability to actually carry out their wars, but it is indicative of the current state of things.

As it happens, we had a somewhat unfortunate incident relating to an Arco median installation recently, and as such are extremely interested in any project that would aid in mapping them peacefully.

To a peaceful future,
The Eldest

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,

Then we do formally agree to a non-aggression agreement between our two parties.

As an aside since you have mentioned the Antarean Crusade we assume you have the ability to see other secret routes. Do you know of anyone making a secret route into our own sphere of influence. Of course not including Bheura Prime.

To a peaceful future,
The Eldest

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Iettis Via

Asharra patiently waited for the Eldest to complete their opening remarks, a serene smile on her face. Afterwards, she stepped forward to give the first response.

“The matter of borders and spheres is one the Gods have taken upon themselves to consider at length. The Gods do not deign to decree their will on the fate of every far-flung star, but as a guiding principle they find much to like in the doctrines of the Kramagorian Jurists, that each great mortal principality and each divine realm be accorded a legitimate sphere of influence, to be violated only with permission or as the spoils of war. But the Gods must reject any legalisms which would set the limits of each sphere by some bloodless formula. Instead, they desire that each power simply proclaim the extent of its concerns here and now, so that all may now where they stand and decide if they would fight for them. And on that note-”

She raised her hand, summoning a holographic map of Principia into being in front of her, the stellar cluster in the galactic north-west around Ur highlighted. A casual gesture sent copies pinging the personal networks of each other representative, should they have one.



https://i.imgur.com/Nuv5o4B.jpg

“Behold the lands that shall soon fall under the glorious dominion of Heaven. All these the Gods lay claim to, and should they venture beyond them, it shall only be with ample justification and forewarning, and if possible with the acceptance of those who shall be intruded upon. Any who would contest this claim does so at their own peril. If some border is truly intolerable, an understanding may be possible, but it shall involve concessions of equal worth.”

“The Gods know they claim the Mad Scribes of Lithos to be within their kingdom, and that the scribes have done their utmost to rouse many here to vendetta. They ask for patience as they determine how best to bring peace to their rabid world, but have judged them harmless. Should any offer proof that they suffered injuries at the scribes hands due to the God’s patience, they shall be offered full restitution for their wounds.”

“The Sages proposals on war and peace are of great interest to the Gods, as well. Certainly they endorse the formality of naming the concessions and glories sought when war was declared, and under what conditions peace might be accepted. In that spirit, they ask this congress call upon the Barbarians of Centinari to do just that, as they have so boldly pledged to war upon Heaven without naming cause or prize.”

Dreaded
Encryption Level 9



Asharra raised an eyebrow at Jabato’s performance, a slight smile playing across her lips. When he finished, he took a moment to reply, the lights in her eyes flaring as a draft treaty was sent across the link before she replied.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. 44 is yours. As far as we’re concerned you can have the whole north-eastern cluster, really; make your claims and we’ll accept them. And a bit of warning would be nice but yes, if you’re going to make a play, we’ll back it. Diplomatically, anyway – if it comes to mass drivers and torpedos, there’s probably going to be a bit more negotiation, I’m sure you understand. Though who knows, maybe we’ll just be one big happy family by then.

But please, take a look.”



-The signatories commit to taking no aggressive actions against each other, neither territorial invasion nor irregular warfare, assignation, sabotage or theft
-The signatories commit to not trade or provide material assistance to factions either signatory is engaged in a state of war with
-The signatories commit to respect each others publicly claimed spheres of influence, and make no attempt to trespass upon them or expand within them without express prior permission
[The following clause will not be included in any public dissemination of the treaty]
-In return for diplomatic backing in their claim to Bheura, the Gods of Ur commit to provide any and all diplomatic backing to the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons in any one territorial claim or other diplomatic crisis of the latter’s choosing, no questions asked






The Gods have no objection to the learned Sages of Iettis acting as host and administrator of the trust. They are similarly content with the shareholders being able to alter their own composition either only unanimously or unanimously less one, however the other interested parties might prefer.

Regarding initial funding and construction, that depends entirely on the vagaries of fate. It’s very possible the treasuries of Heaven shall be overflowing in the next decade, able to fully finance the request contribution and more, but it is equally possibly that the fortunes of war shall provide entirely different bounties. If so, the time it shall take the Gods to offer their share depends wholly on finding reliable merchants, with the energy and industry to spare. But if they can, they shall do their utmost to match the Sages in speed.

As for the matter of who shall administer Bheura, the Gods offer themselves. A route has already been charted, and INANNA would be nearly capable of dealing with the pirates flocking to it even without her court, if no other principality moved in.

If you all could excuse the invasion of privacy, the Eyes of Heaven have attested that no one not included in this conversation has the capability to secure Bheura in the next years, with the possible exception of the Antarean Crusade, whose intrigues are beyond their sight. Would either the Jurists or Mystics like to make a case for themselves instead?

[Eldan]

Muridun [Morale 6]

To the Great Zultar Clans

The present returned is a single grain of quartz sand from a now destroyed planet.

Ndabacile (Long Foreseen) of Clan Ibezi,

Every grain of sand has a name in the mind of God, who sees all things. And since the mind of God is the mind of the universe and all minds are one, in sublimation, all things have names.

All things change, but as the body changes, it becomes other things. It decays into dust, and feeds worms, and becomes soil and then plants, and a thousand other things, and eventually, becomes a part of everything. The soul remains always the soul, until all things end, and it returns to the one soul, of god.

And you say that everything is either sublimated or consumed. We say: consumption is sublimation is consumption. As you consume the body of another thing, it becomes part of your body. And as your soul ages and grows and matures, it becomes closer to the soul of God, until they merge.


To The Numinous Secreteriat of Lithos
As you will.

To Equilibrium Incorporated
And a good day to you, Executives.

Your proposal sounds promising and after deliberation, we think your numbers are sound. We should be able to make an investment of [6 eco] over the next years.

The Trust (Iron Gods, Judiciary Collective, The Sages)
We see no problems with the basic proposal. However, we are but humble ascetic scholars, and as such, an investment of [10] can not be immediately made by us. We will have to pay in several installments, likely only commencing in the next decade.

[Eldan]

Iettis VIa
https://i.ibb.co/qnBvrpK/static-assets-upload5635234702549560760.png

The Muridun send only a small craft to the summit, a simple windowless ovoid of highly reflective metal, with four articulated wings, reminiscent of some insect, barely large enough to fit two people. It begins a slow braking maneuver as it enters the system, a solar sail unfolding in dozens of complicated steps to generate an electromagnetic field hundreds of kilometers wide.
The delegates, introduced as Ghufran and Nima of House Ghanbari, are obviously siblings. The elaborately dressed and bejewelled woman obviously takes great pain to appear younger than her perhaps forty years, the younger brother slightly overweight and out of shape, dressed simply. Both have the deep tan of the rich merchant houses who live close to the sun. Their clothing reveals slender exoskeletons, holding up their limbs and spines against the unaccustomed planetary gravity.
While Nima immediately begins "making friends" and seemingly joining every conversation, Ghufran can mostly be seen grumbling to himself and reading from a tablet. "I thought this was about archaeology. Where's the ruins. What's all this talk of borders."

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6

In the chambers of the Supreme Justice.

Yes...a good choice by Amicus, young Everett will do nicely he thought as he flipped through the pages of his CV on his tile (A thin screen like device sitting on his palm). He sighed and sank back into the armchair of his office. Another long day...but what day was not long these days? It does not rain but it pours...Who would have thought that running the government would have entailed so much...busywork! Thank Lady Justice for Amicus and Jabato, nobody could have asked for more capable advisors. Pinching the bridge of his nose he returns the tile to the screen he had been pondering for roughly half an hour.

BREAKING NEWS: JUDICIARY OUT OF TOUCH? FAMILY FINED AFTER MAN'S DEATH // EATEN BY LEOPARD.

"A mounting trend has become apparent. The Judiciary has become stricter and more paranoid, punishing citizens disproportionately and without sufficient cause. In a latest controversy a man was eaten by a leopard that escaped its cage. His estate has been fined an extravagant sum for his untimely death."

Is this really what passes for Journalism these days?

The Supreme Justice shook his head sadly as he flipped back to the opera he had been watching. He put his legs up on his desk (making sure all the clerks had gone home already, it wouldn't do to be seen being so casual), leaned back and closed his eyes as he was enveloped by the music and singing of Don Giovanni. He narrated the story to himself, almost an internal monologue. He knew the story quite well...it was one of his favourites.

Don Giovanny or A Descent into Hell

Don Giovanny pinched the bridge of his nose, revealing perhaps a pounding headache. Many reasons for it, sleeplessness, dehydration. He looked about himself wondering how he had gotten himself into this situation. It had its benefits..but the issue was what this opportunity was attached to.

Captain Donald Giovanni of the EWV Elvira...recently promoted. He looked at his bloody hands. Very recently. He tried wiping the blood off on the arms of his captains chair, tried to focus. All he managed to do was smear the blood around. He looked at the wound in the skin of the universe glaring at him outside the front viewscreens of the vessel...his vessel now.

He caught someone looking at him from his peripheral. He turned his head slowly only to realise someone was calling his name r


Captain...
Captain Giovanny...
GOODDAMIT DON!

XO? Status report.

Status report?? We're dead in the water captain...that's our status. And that thing is eating half the system!

The woman pointed at the view screens. Don stared at the viewscreen again...concussion? Maybe...he looked at the status screens.

Tell Cheng...hit the number 4 panel with the 6 inch wrench.

The woman begins to relay the order before she seems to think twice.

That was an order XO.

Don reiterates, his voice stronger now. More authoritative. A tense conversation over the coms.

It worked...

bingbingbing...

++++++

The supreme Justice pulled his feet off his desk. Blasted interruptions!





To: Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps

That is acceptable to us and we are happy to confirm agreement. As per our PSA we would like to invite you to consider our services should the pre-aggressive action of the Antarean Crusade result in sector 32 being taken by them, this could jeopardise your sphere of influence in the coming decades, you may be entitled to legal action against them.

Should this unfortunate event occur please remember our services.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




Greetings Eldest,

As a show of good faith and cooperation we can confirm to you that at this time there have been no new routes created targetting your sphere of influence (defined as 1 natural jump from your home sector). We are also able to offer in future an advance warning system, identifying potential threats to your sphere of influence, negotiations and/or breaches of trust, confidence or agreement. We are unable to give you free access to all our data as that would potentially breach the privacy of 3rd parties, but rest assured that we will advise you of credible threats.

If you would like additional protections we can patch you in to our investigation service.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.



Dear sirs,

Please find our comments below in red.

1) The ratio of investment into the pool is 4:1, with a minimum starting amount of 10 temp stat points (so that’s a 40 point base right there). That is a fixed linear investment. Please define the input into this as the capabilities of each shareholder are not qualitatively the same.

2) You and anyone else who can collaborate with you later can improve the fund linearly by spending 4x improvement. So if you wanted to bump it up to 12 temp stats, it would cost 8 from anyone. The improvement won’t kick in until the following EoT. Please define distribution scheme.

3) To make this not a nightmare of tracking stats, I will say that the fund can only produce temp Eco or temp Psi, regardless of the temp stats invested. Anyone getting a dividend from the fund can take out their end in any combination of temp Eco and temp Psi. Just about everyone can use those stats, so it shouldn’t be a big problem. Please define possibility of reinvestment of dividends and upon whom vest the increased earnings. Does increase size of the Trust

4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a two thirds majority, rounded down, to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn. Opposed - Unless total investment can be refunded. Define parameters for good behaviour within trust and temporary and permanent reprimands and impacts. E.g. War or Warlike actions instigated by one shareholder or another, the instigating party shall forfeit their share in the Trust which shall be distributed equally to remaining members. In cases of dispute, the dividends of the instigating party shall be paid to the Judiciary collective in order to investigate and the Trust shall abide by the decision of the collective, which pledges to remain neutral during the investigation. In case the dividends do not cover the costs associated with the investigation (indicatively [5] stat points) then the balance shall be supplemented by the dividends of the remaining parties (including those of the Collective) in equal parts.

4a.) On the initial completion of the LTP the LTP holder will name the initial shareholders. The first payout will go to all these shareholders. Investigate possibility of rotating the Seat of the Trust each decade in order to allow shareholders individually to determine the veracity of their investments and prevent embezzlement of funds.

4b.) The LTP will not pay out unless there are at least three shareholders. or more. Additions of other shareholders shall be by super majority (75%) but may be vetod by forfeiture of dividends for that decade. The proceeds shall enhance the Trust equally for all remaining shareholders. Shareholders may not propose entities for inclusion with which one of he existing shareholders is at war at the time of the proposition.

5.) Contributors will pay a trade distance penalty to collaborate on setting up the fund, but shareholders will not receive a penalty for payouts.

6.) There is a 5 point overhead cost to set up the initial bureaucracy. Does this overhead cost count towards the creation of an alliance, will the trust provide similar duties and benefits.

Total Initial Cost: 30 Eco, 15 Psi This would be difficult for non psionic economies to accomplish. Diversification of inputs is required to make a deal possible.

Bheura Prime Addendum: The controller of Bheura Prime agrees to pay the t.stats produced each turn from the bonus vault stats into the LTP for four (4) turns. If the bonus stats are not Eco or Psi they agree to trade them with one of the initial stakeholders for these stats on a one to one basis. The Sages of Iettis VI agree to pay the initial overhead cost. Please define "agrees to pay", suggest controller of Bheura Prime shall pay into the trust the proceeds of Bheura prime to benefit all shareholders equally. This is in excess of the normal contributions they would need to make to set up the trust.

Security Addendum: The LTP is protected against stat thefts. For obvious reasons I am not going to outline what the GM told me about this here, but I will include it in stakeholder message at EoT. Suggested rotation of the Trust will allow for individual shareholders to verify veracity of that statement. Rotation to be determined randomly every 4 decades (new sharehodlers shall not hold rights in this rotation) or less should the number of initial shareholders be reduced.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

This is pretty much all OOC. I didn't see anyway to discuss it clearly IC since it's so involved in the actual game mechanics.

1. 10 per shareholder. I believe this is equitable. The fact that not everyone has the same stats available is cause for concern, but we should be able to work out a payment plan that suits everyone. After all no one gets paid until the Trust is fully funded.

2. All funds in the trust are distributed equally. For instance if there were three shareholders, and one of them invested 12 points. Then each shareholder would receive one additional point per turn. If one of the other shareholders invested an additional four, then the extra stat point would be held by the Trust each turn until there were three extra stat points. Then divided all at once. This does discourage additional investment unless all shareholders agree to match each other.

3. As it stands dividends are not automatically reinvested. I asked about reinvesting extra points instead of holding them, but the GM did not include it in the approved proposal. If a shareholder chooses to reinvest their dividends then it will work as a regular investment see the answer to point 2. Given my discussion with the GM I think we could probably add a clause to reinvest extra dividends if we all agreed on it, but I think we would need to do it manually each time there was extra stats.

4. The GM says that the LTP itself won't include a clause to enforce good behavior. We can add it on the player side along with the forfeiture of goods and benefits, but it will not be enforced by the LTP. We'll need to handle it on good faith among ourselves. Personally I am not opposed to those sorts of clauses. They just won't be automatically enforceable.

4a. It is possible to rotate the holder of the LTP, but it will cost another 5 stats of overhead.

4b. I do not see any reason to modify this particular clause. If you feel that there should be a veto that can be added either by requiring a unanimous vote or the pay for veto scheme you proposed as part of the voting procedures. Personally I say just make it require a unanimous vote. It seems simpler at this point.

6. No, the overhead is for the LTP itself. The LTP does do some things similar to an alliance, but it is still just an LTP.

Cost: The GM says diversification of the cost isn't possible. It's an Eco LTP so it costs Eco. The Psi is only there because Psi is the catch all stat. I will offer to personally trade psi and econ for other stats however.

Bheura Prime:
So this goes back to the whole reason for the trust. Basically the idea is to allow factions investigating Bheura Prime to split the costs, but then also split the benefits. There is no way to split the costs under the current system. So the Trust is formulated to allow for people to pay into it instead. Then by paying the output of the bonus stats of Bheura Prime into the Trust for four turns it effectively adds the equivalent of those bonus stats to the Trust for it to pay out to shareholders.

Ideally the Behura Prime holder would also pay the same 10 point investment as everyone else in order for the costs to be completely split. However they do have to pay the cost of taking the system, which will not go directly into the Trust. So the best workaround I have is to allow for the Bheura Prime bonus stats to pay for the holders initial investment as well. Ultimately this will result in less of a pay out than if the holder paid 10 as well as the bonus stats, but I think it is as fair a solution as is possible in the circumstances.

Bear in mind that the lack of an ideal split is balanced by the fact that investing in the Trust is fairly cheap compared to new stats, the Trust has no territory limitations, and we would already be well positioned to take advantage of future random events like the one this turn. Regardless of anything else the Trust will pay for itself in four turns.

Actually I can think of a slightly fairer solution, but it's a little more complicated. Everyone pays 10 into the Trust. The holder of Bheura Prime pays the bonus stats x4 into the Trust, either over four turns or sooner. Once the Trust is operational it reimburses the cost that the Holder used to secure Bheura Prime before any shareholders are paid. That way in the final accounting everyone paid in the same, the equivalent of the Bheura Prime stats are added to the Trust, and then everyone will get an equal split. It does require that the Holder accurately report how much they used, and that everyone trusts their accuracy.

Security Addendum: As I am telling the truth I don't really have any issue with rotating the holder so people can check for themselves. I'm just not keen on the additional cost.



Payment Plan:
I've been looking at the stats and I think that if each person agrees to pay 5 per turn. Then given the available Psi and econ I should be able to trade the stats each faction is missing.

That way we can get it done in two turns. Everyone is going to need to commit most of their eco and psi however. Unless I get some kind of windfall I won't be able to cover every needed trade myself otherwise.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 6


The agreement comes back signed, with a small comment added somewhere haphazardly.

"The Trust is beginning to look shaky. We may have to come to alternate arrangements. Keeping everyone happy is a not a job with a future."




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png


Dreaded
Encryption Level 9



The Gods have no objection to committing [5 eco] a turn, though some trade may be required to access so much liquid capital.

Regarding the spoils of Bheura – they have no objection in principle to promising the treasures of the vaults for four decades over and above that contribution, but they see no reason to assume those treasures will be in wealth or insight into the madness of Tiamat. If they instead prove to be weapons, or laboratories, or sensor arrays, then it will take some decades beyond the allotted two to find their equivalent value and contribute it.





You have declared that you shall make war on the Gods, shall cast down the walls of Ur and bring madness and soulless anarchy to all within. And yet you have not said what spoils you seek, what terms you seek to impose.

Is this is a war to the end, then? You slay priests and acolytes in their beds, bomb hearths and temples, slaughter the innocent until civilization has fallen, or the Gods have reached across the void to stop you?





“We’ve got no great objection to the terms as they stand, but no one’s committed to them, either. If you’ve any alternatives to propose, I’m all ears.”

[ArcaneStomper]

The exact details of the distribution of the vault's treasures can wait. None of us yet have the vault in hand after all as it must be secured from pirates and treasure hunters first.

Indeed the lack of trade infrastructure means the Trust itself will remain a theoretical concept for some years. We Sages see no reason to force anyone to commit to hard numbers based on projections they cannot be certain of yet.

We are simply asking that everyone commit to the framework of the Trust in principle.

[Writtensanity]

Good evening, we are writing to you on behalf of the representatives of the United Ecological Order.

We understand that you have the resources to delve deep into the installations left by previous factions while expending less resources than others. We think this can be mutually beneficial, because our installations have zero priority within the plans of the United Ecological Order, and you would likely be able to afford to pay for access with the resources you're saving by using your uniqie skills to explore.

We are in the market of selling, let us know if you're buying -

Lathia - Centari Prime House of Commons





Dearest defenders of the Galaxy.

We don't mean to immediately pry into your intents, but those in positions of power, especially those with self given titles, have an obligation to the peoples of the Galaxy, and though we understand that you are only recently unleashed. It's clear that your absence has left some undesirables in the spaces.

Simply put, we believe that the continued existence of several factions who willingly destroy Principia, like the Iron Gods of UR should be considered an embarrassment for you, and your action or inaction regarding them will reveal whether you are truly worthy of the purpose that was given to you by the mighty Arcomedeans.

We watch with interest,

Wildflower.





Dearest members of the Grand Republic's Technocrat party. We believe that we have some resources that would help you. If we were to assist you in the study of the mechanical heart of your homeworld, we would be able to fully understand if you are able to coexist there with such a unique non-biological lifeform without damaging that lifeform. As it stands right now, you might be blissfully unaware of scarring you're causing on the creature you claim to care so much about.

Let us know if you're interested in the study and eventual evacuation.

Wildflower

[Eldan]

To the UEO [6]
Dearest Lathia

It is so good to hear from you, we were expecting a message, or would have messaged you ourselves soon anyway, as we may in fact have common enemies in the long term. Though this is perhaps not something we should too openly discuss.

Exploring Arco-Medean installations is indeed our specialty. However, we will likely be occupied in the foreseeable future in exploring certain developments in our own home system, as well as... other locations we will soon acquire access to.

It is, however, our dearest wish to still see ourselves on a friendly footing with you in decades to come, and we would be very interesting in long-term cooperation.

Yours in God's Light,
Ambassador Mariana bint-Naiwal

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Morale 6
Reputation: Friendly


A youth sits cross legged at the epicentre of a great, circumferential moat. The marble column he sits on trails spokes into a vast white wheel, individual paths tracking off from the middle pillar into the vast lush of green arborculture. Extant trees long thought extinct ring the curious structure, each one a different type of flora. The quiet burble of waters passage enjoys harmony with the odd warble of birdsong, marred by the passage of metal killbot foot comps traversing the verdant expanse in the distance. The famed Gardens of Novinus.

The figure sitting at the middle of it all is slight, his long hair done up in a tight bun held together by a plain black hairpin made from Kullite. The tether is approximatley the length of a stiletto. There is a harshness to their gaze at odds with the surrounding paradise. A certain tautness to their posture thats speaks to a barely contained need for action. Like coiled fibres of cellulose. UEO spectrometers used to scan the missive pick up on faint radiological emanations localized to the boy's eyes.

"Ultrum is dead, and we are the last-fading embers in the black of the night which ensorcels us all. My father has relayed the import of many lessons to me. Yet he refuses to talk of our people. My people. So please-" The boy hovers several Novinian units from where he sits, a hungry eagerness on his face. "-tell me of Ultrum."


Sure-what do you envision this as (LTP? Stat exchange? lemme know)




Absent Dr. Warrant's presence the next communiqué is conveyed in simple, blocky text, clearly dictated to some sort of machine-writer.

Sounds good-I'll take the VIP and territory as I'm able to defend it more easily. Stats from it are yours.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Ietis VIa.

The Vanguard's pàrty waits until other points are given before making a small remark.

"All fine points, eldest. Many have displayed a callousness to warmaking that simply has no place in the galaxy, regardless of Principia's particulars.

Now, you wouldn't catch me dead making bold claims on this forum over already occupied systems, regardless of how many in them wish to join us, but our humble unit will gladly act as mediators for those that will, whenever our interest in such contested systems don't go above our organization's interest for all sentient beings."

I was thinking stats and territory as a package deal (the land does give VPs after all) though you can keep the package deal if you really want the land, but we can sort it out after learning their LTP

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.

We were unaware of such encroachment, but do thank you for the warning and we'll keep your services in mind should it come to pass and compensation from their part be required.

Ever Friendly,
Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Wildflower,

Consider this official reply, through official means, to an organization considered unlawful by most, however you want to.

-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

[3SecondCultist]

Turn 2 - Sublimation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5icOu2E0R48&ab_channel=OleksaLozowchuk-Topic)

"Death may be the greatest of all human blessings."
- Socrates


https://i.ibb.co/W50zD9z/Qalrani.jpg

Choices - 13.445.12

Qalrani

The saurian surged forward, and the trees of the Yibawe Basin shuddered with the impact of her clawed feet on the ground. Sunwings and sparrakeets abandoned their perches, fleeing the cycad groves in formation out into the valley beyond. On the thunderjaw's back, atop the armoured scales and glinting machinery, a woman let out an unfettered yawp.

The hunt was on!

Qalrani had been tracking this herd of tallnecks for nearly three days already. She and Naziri - the pair-bonded saurian that had been her companion since birth - had followed them down from the hills, fording the Culvex at its narrowest point despite the seasonal rains.

Having perfected their endocrine synchronization some years ago, the pair all but shared a single sense of smell and vision even when apart. It would have made the tracking no more than a child's game had the tallnecks not kept to the water to mask their scent. Last night's storm had not helped matters any - she'd nearly been pitched off of Naziri's back when a tongue of lightning had split a great beech they were passing beneath.

But there was no escaping the pair forever. They had followed the herd to the mouth of the basin, where the land began to flatten out into floodplains. Here, where the trees gave way to open scrubland, they could catch their prey at last.

Qalrani shrugged her braids from her eyes as Naziri picked up speed, the saurian's loping gait quickening at the promise of a fresh meal. She could feel her companion's hunger, a red ache deep in her belly. Her mouth watered. The chieftain produced a length of ironwood from her back, which ended in a serrated blade: a yuan-fa, the perfect weapon for a mounted warrior.

The blade came to life with a growled command, saw-like teeth dancing together in a blur. Holding it high above her head, Qalrani let loose the only prayer of her people. "Vaunted Olore," she cried, "for the Survivor!"

The tallnecks had seen them now. They scattered, the impact of their hoof-like feet making the earth tremble. Within moments, one herd had become three. Without saying a word, both mount and rider closed on the middle pack, the one which contained the largest of the brachiosaurs. There would be no glory in catching any other prey.

Closing the distance was easy enough: overland, Naziri could outpace any Zultari man or woman twice over, which was more than enough to outrun most large herbivores. But hunting tallnecks was about more than catching them. The other sauropods in the middle herd had broken off when Qalrani and her companion closed with their quarry. This tallneck had pale scars on its flanks, signs of having fought off other predators before.

It proved its mettle when - before the warrior could bring her yuan-fa to bear - it pivoted, putting its weight into a swing of its massive tail. Calling on a lifetime of reflexes, Qalrani tightened her legs' grip around Naziri's spine as the saurian pushed off the ground mid-run. For a long heartbeat, they were airborne, jumping over the tail as though it were another log in the jungle.

As they landed, Qalrani extended her chain-glaive and buried it deep in the sauropod's left hindquarter. A rattling buzz ran up her arm as the weapon met the tallneck's subdermal armour plating. All mature tallnecks possessed that kind of protection, strong enough to resist automatic weapons fire and a tremendous amount of blunt force, but not the teeth of a yuan-fa.

It had been a shallow wound - first blood, but not enough to kill.

Baying shrilly, the tallneck used the rest of its momentum to turn around and face them. Qalrani knew that pound for pound; they were outmatched in raw muscle. But power was not everything in a fight.

The sauropod reared up, preparing to stomp on them with its front legs. It was a predictable instinct, born of millennia of evolution. It was also the tallneck's last mistake. Qalrani pressed her hand to Naziri's flank, and the saurian lunged with sudden speed, attacking their prey's left side to take advantage of its wound and clamping her jaws around the base of its neck.

Naziri's teeth had been augmented to match the piercing quality of Qalrani's yuan-fa. They were strong enough to punch through spaceship armour, and once they caught a foe, their grip was impossible to shake.

She did not need to speak a second command - the thunderjaw knew what to do next. Naziri's throat began to emit a dull crimson glow. It grew in intensity until it burned, and then she released it. The laser pulse tore through plating, bone, and flesh in equal measure, separating their quarry's head and neck from the rest of its body. Both fell to the ground with a wet crunch.

As Naziri stood atop the body of their prey and let out a triumphant roar, Qalrani held her head up high. Today, they had brought honour to the Survivor by winning the fight and witnessing change. In its next life, the tallneck would be tougher, smarter. Perhaps it would win the next bout. That was Sublimation in its most vital form.

The strong either learned to change on their own, or they died, and nature adapted for them.


13.445.41

The first solar flare appeared over the remote mountains of Kiruut. The second just over Tidepeak Bay, where three oceans met. Both times, they were too far away to be seen by any of the populated clan settlements on the continent.

When the third appeared over Greater Yibawe, it became clear to the Clans that it was no flare. The pterosaur riders that reported back described a massive orb of flame, a great eye limned in purple starlight around the edges of the iris. As they watched, the eye disappeared, and the visitor took the shape of a man formed of light. He was without clothing, his face was blank, and a slightly smaller version of the same eye emerged from where his stomach should have been.

Standing over two kilometres above the jungle, the bizarre apparition had spoken to those present. Its words had been transcribed and sent planet-wide to every living Zultari.

"Sublime Clans, hear my voice!

You are not alone. There are greater worlds beyond this one, where leviathans swim in the depths and iron angels soar on poison winds. Your Survivor taught you to be strong, to become greater than that which you are. But you have been limited by your planet, stagnating on a jungle rock at the top of your food chain because you have not yet grappled with true strength.

Your way of life is unsustainable. Here, you will eat each other until you die out pointlessly, or someone more powerful will come along to devour you. But out there, beyond the black, the children of starlight - my Star Spawn - await. The crusade in my name will bring light and order to this galaxy's meaningless struggles.

Join me, and together we will bring peace and security to Principia! Those who accept the cause of the Antarean Crusade will be rewarded with purpose, power, and life everlasting. Those that refuse will become fuel for the fires of true radiance.

You have one week to decide your fate. Choose wisely."

That had been three days ago. When Qalrani had heard, she'd wasted no time marshaling Clan Mardulu and sending messengers to the other Clans to convene an emergency moot. The replies had been equally swift: Clan Ibezi had heard the same message and was already en route, while Clan Aksum was capable of covering ground more quickly than either of them.

The site of the moot itself was the same as it had always been. In times of great and unusual strife, all three of the Sublime Clans would travel to the base of Mount Mahoston, the tallest peak on the continent. There, the elders and chieftains would climb to the summit - even those from Aksum, who bonded the most with airborne saurian breeds.

It had been a grueling climb, but it was not the first time Qalrani or Naziri had done it. She remembered coming here as a girl, following in her mother's footsteps with Naziri, barely a baby tyrannosaur. Nevertheless, scaling nearly-sheer cliffs for over a whole day without resting would be taxing for just about anybody. So, with some relief, Qalrani spotted the end of the trail.

Instructing her son Madu - who trailed behind her with his own allosaur - and the rest of her close clansmen to stay behind, Qalrani pressed on. The last steps were for chieftains alone.

Thousands of years ago, Mount Mahoston had been a volcano, so its peak actually took the form of a caldera basin. A bubbling sulfurous lake filled up most of the bowl, causing a thick fog to coil and burn around the surface. It was toxic for most living creatures to breathe in the fumes, but adult Zultari and their pair-mates were inoculated against such poisons.

Clambering down the path on the inside of the caldera, Qalrani guided Naziri to a stone outcropping. The earth at their feet formed a natural bridge, which led to a prow-shaped island that jutted out of the waters. The island was directly above the heart of the dead volcano: that was her destination.

Looking ahead, she could see that the other two chieftains were waiting for her. Xolisan (Beg for Forgiveness) of Clan Aksum was all lean muscle, corded arms and shoulders bare save for the faint shimmer of his personal energy shields a few inches from his skin. His dark hair was cropped short, and he bore a long scar down one side of his face.

His pair-bond, Rakutu, was a monstrous pterosaur covered in spines, each of which could be fired at enemies. Upon contact, they detonated with the force of a cruise missile. Qalrani had seen the feat up close before.

Ndabacile (Long Foreseen) of Clan Ibezi, on the other hand, did not appear to have a warrior's frame. Her back was slightly bent, and her face was marked by wrinkles and crow's feet at her eyes. She carried no weapon save a simple staff, yet Qalrani knew better than to think her peer unarmed. Ndabacile was the greatest prophet, and she alone of the Sublime Clans had mastered the art of battleweaving, the splitting of possible futures in war, taking the path most advantageous to her side. It also made her just about impossible to surprise.

By her side was Volar, the tremendous armoured ankylosaur. It was said that nothing had ever pierced his hide. His tail hissed and spat, the repository of a caustic acid ejected with each cannonball-like impact it made on his enemies.

"You are here at last, Qalrani," began Ndabacile. There were no formal greetings here; the three of them were as equals, without the need for any sort of pageantry for such a private meeting. "I was considering sending out a search party."

"No need," she replied. "I have beaten the moon, at least. Shall we begin?"

"This is a waste of time," cut in Xolisan, echoed by a low grumble from Rakutu. The chieftain of Clan Aksum glared at them both, as was his way. "You should already be preparing your warriors, as I have done. When these star beings come, my Skybreakers will swat them down."

"I am not so certain that direct confrontation is the answer," answered Ndabacile with a gentle shake of her head. "The river of tomorrow does not yet flow to victory. We must bide our time and create the right opportunity, striking only when we have the upper hand."

There was a pause at that, but Xolisan would not be deterred. "You would have us surrender to this outworlder? This Antares, who has not lived our ways?"

"It does know us." Qalrani looked to Ndabacile before realizing it was, in fact, her who had spoken. "It spoke of the Survivor and of the teachings of Olore."

"So what? Are we to give up before we even begin, because it knows some of our histories? Do not tell me that the Heart of Provocation has lost her nerve?"

That earned a deep growl from both human and saurian. Qalrani's hand strayed to her side, where she might reach her laser pistol. She could make that shot if she wanted.

"Peace," soothed Ndabacile. "Strife among ourselves is not our purpose here. It will serve the Crusade to meet us weak and divided." She held up five fingers. "I would see us united in action, if not conviction." The chieftain of Clan Ibezi closed her hand into a single fist.

"The future is still occluded from me. So, if the two of you can agree on a path, I will support it. What should the Sublime Clans do?" The psyker's gaze strayed to Qalrani and held her in place. "We have heard from Xolisan. What would you choose, chief of Clan Mardulu?"

Qalrani did not answer right away. Instead, she allowed herself a moment to replay the events of the last few days - the last few weeks - in her head. Like the tallneck from her hunt, it seemed as though she only had two choices, which was truly no choice at all.

"For the Survivor, for Vaunted Olore, for Sublimation," she exclaimed, "we will fight."


13.445.49

When death came for the Zultari, it descended from a clear blue sky.

To those on the ground, it seemed at first as though the heavens themselves were falling. Fantastic lights - the likes of which no clansfolk or saurian had ever witnessed - filled the air above the entire continent, in colours none of them knew how to describe.

The opening barrage took the form of targeted meteor showers, raining celestial debris at terminal velocities at targeted encampments across valleys, inlets, hilltops, and forests. Every settlement that the Sublime Clans had built aboveground was hit simultaneously by countless tons of space rock, molten flame, and searing starlight.

The conflagrations raged quickly, devouring their targets whole. Halls, temples, longhouses, schools, training grounds - all razed within an hour of the first star making earthfall. The Star Spawn themselves, the children of Antares, would not be far behind.

And not a single Zultari was killed, for each and every settlement and camp had been quietly evacuated the previous evening. Specially set-up earthworks and firebreaks prevented the blazes from extending too far into the wilds beyond the boundaries of each impact zone.

Qalrani saw the smoke rising from what had once been her own village and knew that it was time. As Ndabacile had told them after she had tranced and they had drawn up their battle-plan, they would have one good opportunity to strike out at the invaders.

From specially prepared covered positions in the woods came the percussive drumming of artillery. Rocket platforms, mounted on the backs of stegosaurs, began launching ground-to-air missiles straight up at the descending glow. Hundreds of projectiles, all fired at once from locations several kilometers apart.

The Antareans wasted little time in knocking them down, of course. Great swathes of hard light formed shields to block the counterattack within minutes, absorbing the worst of the explosions. But that was alright; the missiles had been meant to lay down cover for what came next.

Countless thousands of pterosaurs, creatures large and small, took flight all over New Zultar, each carrying a rider with enough close-quarters weaponry to rival a starfighter. The full might of Clan Aksum was brought to bear to close the trap on the invaders.

And through her sky-glass, Qalrani could spot the profile of Xolisan on Rakutu, leading his legendary Skybreakers into the fray. Over their shared neural network, she could hear the immortal war cry of the Zultari.

"Through strife!"

"Strength!", came the reply from his followers. Their war paint glittered in the midmorning light; a dizzying array of banners, each representing a family that had dispatched their fiercest to test their mettle against these Antarean contenders.

"Through battle!", Xolisan the Merciless called once more.

"Glory!", they answered in unison. Their charge had already brought them to closing range with the figures of living light far above. The shields were dissipating, the enemy now accounting for the maneuver by sending their own champions down to meet the pterosaur riders head-on.

"Through death!", came the final war cry, raw and true.

"Immortality!" The accompanying chorus was deafening, even as the gap between the two aerial forces disappeared and the first of the dogfighting began in earnest.

Qalrani watched from her vantage point atop a bluff overlooking the Yibawe as the very sky erupted into violence. Beside her stood Naziri, her partner in all things. Everything was proceeding so far precisely as Ndabacile had predicted.

"Madu." The boy - for Qalrani's son was still a boy, and it pained her to see the earnestness on his face - appeared by her side at the cliff's edge.

"Yes, chieftain?" He was mounted on his saurian, armed and ready for battle just as she'd ordered. That was good. She held out a sealed letter, bound in twine. She had only written it this morning after the battleweaver had exhausted her quiet art.

"Take Dharash down into the valley. I have new orders for the Scarred Ones. Clan Mardulu must be ready to mobilize at a moment's notice. Do not open the letter until I give you the signal."

"What signal? How will I know when it's the right time?"

"You'll know. Now go!" Her second-in-command obeyed her without hesitation, disappearing from the ridge and leaving her to watch the battle unfold alone.

Everywhere she looked was fire and smoke, figures emerging only to disappear once again. Winged shadows and the lambent silhouettes of star people grappled far above the jungle canopies, and there were stranger sights still. Eldritch constructs in shapes that she did could recognize, writhing sinuously through the air as if made of mist. Displays of unearthly powers, calling on elements and forces she had no idea had even existed before today.

Qalrani's fingers lay across the nape of Naziri's neck, a familiar resting place in times of unease. Sensing her thoughts, the tyrannosaur gently tilted her head as though to cup her rider's hand. Turning, the woman looked into the eyes of her saurian companion. What she saw reflected in those gold reptilian pupils was nothing but resolve.

She could do this. She had to do this. Sublimation could not be denied any longer.

Qalrani clambered onto Naziri's back. At the base of the thunderjaw's throat, a red glow began to intensify. She did not need to point out her target, for its position was already being monitored through her neural network.

She closed her eyes, and Naziri released her laser beam. It would travel for several kilometers before striking its target, cleaving through his personal shields and ripping him into many pieces. It would be a killing blow, visible across the entire battlefield.

"I am sorry, Xolisan," she murmured. "May you come back stronger in your next life."

Below, her Scarred Ones - the elite tyrannosaur cavalry that Clan Mardulu was renowned for - were already turning on their brethren. Of the ground forces that the Zultari had, there was no one stronger and better equipped. Their victory was already assured. Qalrani let out a deep breath.

There was only ever one choice to make. The strong either learned to change on their own, or they died, and nature adapted for them. For herself, for her son and Clan Mardulu, she followed Sublimation. She had chosen to live.


The Grand Arena - 13.447.53

There can be no doubt that Principia has entered a new age of conquest, of shattered shields and the forging of empires. In each corner of the sector, great factions and nation-states have expanded far beyond their initial borders, moving fleets of ships and billions of lives through the ancient Veil Gates though to new star systems. Of all the expansions, that of Iron Gods of Ur is surely the largest. The mechanical god-worlds have launched several territorial invasions in the galactic north-west, conquering system after system. Thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the Sages of Iettis VI and all other interested parties staying their hand, the Iron Gods have also reaped the spoils of the vaults on Bheura Prime. Troves of long-lost Arco-Medean military and scientific technology have been added to their arsenal.

They are not alone in their territorial aggression. The Grand Republic, under the War Party Administration led by President Frank Westpoint, has conquered their neighborhood of star systems to form a tight-knit society under the banner of democracy. The United Ecological Order and the Judiciary Collective have each added two more systems to their spheres of control as well. Finally, the Antarean Crusade has been all over Principian news after it launched massive stellar invasions of the Nyrian system as well as the jungles of New Zultar. In a staggering display of force, the Crusade has crushed the Sublime Clans, taking the majority of their resources and several of their champions. The Antareans now hold two major strategic systems, although several others such as the Muridun, the Sages, and the Collective have also gotten their hands on key positions.

Invasions are not the only significant piece of news as Principia passes into its next decade. Deep in their territory, the Vanguard Unit Z-358 have completely delved through the ancient Zerreshk hives that formerly belonged to the Oracle Family Company. Fighting past feral natives and overcoming devastating psionic rituals, the M.A.G.I.C.A.L. G.I.R.L.S. are the first of the major powers to emerge with an unknown piece of ancient Arco-Medean technology! Time will tell if and how they use it. Meanwhile, Equilibrium Incorporated makes a special announcement at the turn of the new year: they have met their funding goals for their new trading algorithm, and have sold it to the Unity Party! They are preparing to accept confederation bids from both the Party and their other chief financier, the Muridun, in the upcoming few years.

Yet new arrivals shake the foundations of the sector. Gamemasters from the Fotuan Meritocracy - a galactic power beyond Principia's borders - have reached out to all the major powers. The rise of imperial and commercial interests has created quite the buzz, and there is a great desire to see the champions of Principia go head to head in a massive tournament. The Meritocracy is prepared to foot the bill for the entire event, though in their own fashion they are seeking out a local venue to host it. The prize money is quite lucrative; enough credits to bolster an entire interstellar economy. The champions themselves promise to increase in power in the event as well, though it will surely depend on the caliber of the contenders. Who will be defeated, and who will emerge, victorious?

The Galactic Arena is open!

This Midturn, every faction may submit a single Mil VIP to the arena for a chance to win special prizes in the form of (+) Eco. Those VIPs will be unusable until Turn 3. I will determine the brackets randomly, and each VIP will have a chance to beat their opponent and advance to the next round (I will be rolling a lot of d100s). Higher Tier VIPs will have a better chance of winning, although my rolls will definitely leave room for potential upsets from T1 VIPs. Players may choose to attach items to their VIPs, which will also increase their chances of winning.

No matter who wins the games, each Mil VIP will gain XP equal to the number of participants. So if 8 people send champions, each one gets 8 XP. The tournament prizes are for 1st through 3rd place. The faction of the 3rd place champion gets (++++) Eco. The faction of the 2nd place champion gets (++++++++) Eco. The faction of the winning 1st place champion gets (++++++++++++) Eco. The tournament will only take place if at least 4 people send champions - if this quorum isn't met, all VIPs will be returned to their factions and will be useable as normal this EoT.

One player may volunteer to serve as the host for the games. They will not be able to enter a VIP into the tournament, but they receive (++++) Eco from the Meritocracy along with a huge tourism boom. If multiple people volunteer to host, I will do a random roll for who the Meritocracy ends up choosing.
Imminent Confederations - Equilibrium Incorporated
Current Winners - Antarean Crusade & Vanguard Z-358 (1 VP)

Midturns are due at 11:59 PM on Monday, March 28th (EST)

[n0ble]

Two Angry Men


“And when the Reaper comes for you
Where will you be found?
Skull piled high amidst others?
Or buried deep within the ground?

When the Reaper comes for you
Will you run and hide?
Cowed like a deserter?
Or will you try and stem the tide

Of violence?

And when the Reaper comes for you
Will you beat your chest and fight?
Falling to an early grave?
Passing from life to umbral Kullite

When the Reaper comes for you
How shall he find your form?
Bursting with hale durability?
Or unable to weather the storm

Of Violence?

And when the Reaper comes for you
Armour black against crimson
Will you see war for what it is
And disavow anger as poison?

When the Reaper comes for you
Will you finally feel pain?
Staring at the bloated corpses?
Static amongst the reign

Of Violence?”
- Stanza from A More Kindly Force, Ultramite War-Poetry first composed by Zelandrelekk Krausavar, famed in-Domin as a Pure deserter and coward


The Planet Otara, one over from Novinus Prime in orbit

There were, Dr. Warrant reflected, many places to be in the Principia. Novinus, under blue skies surrounded by slavering ferals and their sharp ends. Under the thrall of some scramble-brained Muridan or Ferrous Deus’ in the galaxies eastern arm pit. Maybe even reclining on a Sage-resort, Cortex brandy deleting memories like a severed appendage. On one’s back facing down the barrel of a loaded kinetic as she currently was…well things could have definitely been worse. Her tumor pistol could have been empty, for one. Not that it was any good when employed against synthetics. For another, both of her arms could have been gone rather than the one clean severed. And for a third, they could have been losing. Winning didn’t look so bad, from where she lay, broken appendage literally aside. Thank the Unwilling God for hypercoagulants.

The sky above was colored with smoke from artillery strikes and kinetic dispersals. And the odd flash of laser emanation from the still alive fighter crafts dueling with airborne Loyalists. It was, to her mind, positively beautiful if one looked past to the grimness to the science at-play. Not so bad, to die to one’s back with a view like this. Then the killbot started talking and ruined everything.

“Well well well well well-“ The killbot-a familiar Loyalist-rotated the omnicannon that passed for its monitor in a full diameter. Millennia later and Gun-Head still didn’t know when to shut the frag up. “-well well well. Dr. Warrant” Finally. “In the flesh.” Frag. The old Dotaran paint job had faded from its crisp orange to mere flecks, one of the graffitied on breasts now absent in the face of time. “Tell me please, what says the Junior-Assessor these days? Mm?” A happy chirp emanated somewhere from deep within the killbots chassis, and it took another step forward on its foot comps. Its footfalls casually burst the skull of a nearby corpse, then the still-smoking hole that passed for the corpus’ sternum. “Ah.” The turret-head retracted and telescoped forward with happiness, coming dangerously close to Warrant’s airspace. Oilvitae assault her nostrils all the same, and Warrant’s want for something boozier since making planetfall hit triple digits. “It seems he’s well in…” The armament that passed for Gun-Head’s…gun head paned left to where her arm lay. “…hand?” Warrant groaned, and not from pain. God-bless opioids, and NSAIDS and every other eater of pain made in this damned sector. And dam whoever I told to program that thing with a sense of humour. A sharp discharge brought her down from musing: Gun-Head’s omnicannon had disintegrated her severed arm into ashes, and Warrant felt a pang of half-cut nostalgia over the loss. Those things are expensive to grow.

“Goliad!” The omnicannon shot straight up like a demented antenna, ejected a shell casing several thousand years out of date, then settled back into a right angle, armament-cranium parallel with the ground. “Who the frag are we fighting anyways?

The strange silken wrapped killbot that was Gun-Heads…friend was the wrong word but was a close enough approximation given the circumstances. His fellow killer was gaunt, spindly even, and still covered in the same funerary shroud it’d worn all those years ago, though perhaps a bit more tattered from age. The entire things chassis was an azure blue chipped to black. Faint arcs of electrical discharge danced over the wasted frame. Goliad’s chassis shrugged. “Everyone?” Gun-Head made to scratch the back of their turret, remembered what it was and dropped the scratching hand to the side of their chassis. “Huh. No wonder we’re getting our chasses kicked.” Something discontented rumbled within the killbot’s frame “Ah well. If there’s to be any last stands then I’ll make dam sure we’re there for it!” Frag. The construct raised a pointed claw to the sky, opposite talon on the iliac crest of it’s “hip”. “To the Savior’s redoubt! Gallivant, mark position, transform, and-“ the last two words were echoed by Goliad and a swiftly descending Gallivant-the latter occupying their starfighter alt-mode “-rise up!” Warrant did not accept the hand-claw Gun-Head offered her, and wordlessly huffed her way inside Gallivant’s troop bay with all the grouchiness her new position as a prisoner of battle. Calling what was going on a war was perhaps a bit too generous.

The journey was mercifully short in terms of distance and absent conversation directed her way. From the view-port inside Gallivant, Warrant could just make out a clot of Loyalist’s surrounding something as the craft-bot descended. They’d knotted themselves into a curious phalanx set against the horizon, with the odd vehicle-trap or kinetic to air dispersal unit guarded close in the middle. Calling it a redoubt was…generous. Any more musings to distract herself from what was to come were banished from Warrant’s mind as things came into clearer relief. She audibly swallowed as the centerpiece to the phalanx became visible, then had to suppress a drunken giggle at the sight of a robe-clad Phridrian-Rhan on His knees. Or maybe he was standing. Hard to tell with all that adipose. The ramp descended with a hiss and Warrant didn’t so much walk from the bowels of the killbot as she was unceremoniously booted in the rear from the rear. Gunhead followed after, collapsing into their treaded alt-mode.

“Hail! Saviour!” Warrant thanked the opioids running through her blood for their constipatory side-effects, for she was sure that absent them she would have voided her colon. Confronting one’s past often had that affect on her. Still things could have been worse. She could have faced a potential execution alone. She walked on, escorted by Gun-Head and a slightly slower Goliad.

The Saviour looked much in the same as they had when first made: all statue grey and crowned with an outdated monitor for a head. Incredibly still, with nothing of the violence contained within them. They stood still amongst the slavering Loyalists, the organic honor guard howling and crooning about the latest prize brought before them. The Saviour remained a statue amongst a sea of flesh, and the odd killbot stayed behind. It’s hands remained clasped behind the machine’s chassis, as though it were standing at attention. Looking to the sky.

“Tried to run, eh Ass-essor?” Three of Phridrian-Rhan’s five chins quivered in indignation, then looked at the stump of her arm with a pig like malice. “You should pat yourself on the back for that one Warrant. Really deserves a round of applause.” Warrant snickered, with drew a few more indignant shouts from the Loyalists crowding her. This was, to her mind, one of the most boring executions she’d ever attended. “Pankrator-permission to shut them the frag up?”

Killbot VIII turned, first to Gun-Head, then to Dr. Warrant and the Assessor as though noticing them for the first time. “Dr. Warrant. Junior Ascesso-“ Phridrian-Rhan raised a chubby finger at the sky and mustered more courage from whatever reserves he still had, “Technically its Senior-“ The Killbot talked over him, its volume more than enough to eclipse His sniveling. “-or Phridrian-Rhan. When last we parted ways you were informed to not seek me out. The consequence of this transgression was agreed on as corporal punishment. A single blow.” An awkward silence passed for a moment. An anticipatory hush fell over the assembled Loyalists.

“Well. That doesn’t sound so ba-“

“Meted out by me.”

“Oh…” Oh frag.

Momentary silence came onto the assembled forces, and while it spread out to enwrap both sides Warrant hooked a finger into the trigger-guard of her tumor pistol. For all the good it’ll do. “Will any stand in their place?” A great clamouring of declarations, acceptance and general sacrificial crooning arose from the Loyalists , each voice harmonizing to form a chorus of shouts that agreed with the righteousness of the constructs “justice”. Yet none stepped forward, ensnared by their own rapture at the notion of executions. Or maybe fear. Warrant sighed and shared a glance with the Assessor, who simply rolled His eyes and shrugged. Her implants cycled through the various spectrums of visible radiation, finally settling on one that she found pleasing to view Otara through. The construct was silloueted against a thin neon haze, the blue light of Novinus’ distant sun cast violet. “Any solutions to this problem, Warrant?”

The crowds fervour was snuffed out, quick as it’d came on. They’d not moved but to corral her and the Assessor, otherwise standing still as the object they protected. Their Saviour. Julia exhaled, belatedly realizing that she’d been holding a breath in. A thin smile flitted across her features, and Warrant reestablished eye contract with a shrug of her own. “Heh. Look up in the sk-?”

Like a prayer answered, a shadow passed over the crowd of Loyalists, and where it fell the umbra reflection brought with it silence. God’s descent was absent sound, the quiet broken only by the clank of armored footsteps on Otara soil as He made landfall. A heavy black cape fluttered in the wind as He lowered down, arms held with a deceptive limpness at His sides. It did not escape Warrant that the armor’s gauntlets ended in claws, the knuckles studded like a pair of cestus.

The boy was behind Him, absent the armor His father wore and confined to a simple white bodysuit that self cleaned. The youth-technically older than Warrant and the Ascessor’s ages summed total-had a sour look on his face. Like he was more than a little put out by what was going on. Otherwise he followed after in his parent’s wake, hair done up in a loose bun. There was a sour feeling to Nufai’s lack of words as he came face to turret with Gun-Head, standing in between Julia and the Assessor. The killbot’s turret retracted in on itself, loosed a grinding sound then telescoped forward with violence. The boy did not balk at the expression, though Warrant’s vision noted a very faint trace of radiation in line with her Deity’s thermal emissions emanating from the youth’s eyes. Blink and you miss it, you outdated piece of junk. “Heh…”

Some of the Novinian Loyalists clutched their weapons tighter at His approach. Some cursed in awe or fear. A few even kneeled. But all gave way. As He approached, the skull-like helmet that ensorcelled God’s face collapsed into a high-collared gorget. The visage was old-looking, creased and lined like crumpled parchments. A thin mustache passed over His upper lip, a half crescent like an inverted moon flecked kullite-black. There was nothing hurried to His gait, no urgency or scattered haughtiness that bespoke of superiority. He walked like a man who had all the time in the sector, stopping an arms length away from the Protector. And spoke five words.

“I will stand for them.”



One Novinan hour later

The last of the evacuation-ships departed for Otara ’s orbit, but the Unwilling God did not remove His gaze from the synthetic. They’d both stayed much in the same as when He’d made His declaration of protection. The only way to know that the construct was doing the same was in the read from its posture. A blur, and the monitor that passed for the synthetic’s cranium became liquid metal, became solid again, observing the contrails of the Believer’s ion-drives as they made for , the few remaining Loyalist in tow. It was the sole movement either of them had made since He’d made landfall on Otara. The only other companion that both had found amongst the process of an agreed upon retreat had been the ensuing silence. None had dared speak with them. Not even Nufai.

Something chimed with acknowledgment that their forces had reached a relatively safe distance in-orbit. The Automaton spoke first. Their voice was a tired rumble. “I admit: much has transpired in this sector since my absence.”

The Unwilling God sighed “A sentiment I have found myself echoing much, as of late.” Another blur, and this time the mechanical gaze was absolute in what it regarded. “Then you will not begrudge me a moment to reacquaint myself with current proceedings.” The Unwilling God offered a conservative smile, supplementing it with a stiff nod. The Protector’s gaze did not waver. Instead a horizontal rectangle appeared in parallel with ground on the monitor that passed for its face. Clear sky blue began to fill in the polygon from left to right, eliminating the black of the screen as it progressed. Three dots repeated in a pattern underneath, vanishing along with the bar once it had become completely blue. “You are Lucan Nolus of Ultrum.”

“Mm. They have many names for me. But that is not one I have heard for some time.”

“Then it is my turn to echo your sentiment. The people of this planet refer to me as the Protector. As the Saviour. And by numerical designation of my function when nouns fail to describe. But those are not my names.” A series of images flashed across Killbot VIII’s screen: a woman with hair dark as the Reaper’s shadow. A pair of bloody hands raised to defend against an encroaching vivisection array. A little girl-the dark haired woman’s daughter-screaming as she was ripped from the same hands. The Protector’s head moved slowly scanning left, then right, then coming to settle back into eye contact with the Unwilling God. “It was a mistake to volunteer yourself, Unwilling God. A single blow from me will kill you, alleged deification or not.” Something popped in the mechanoid’s hands as they curled into fists.

God bared His teeth. He raised a hand, fingers perpendicular to the ground, and the two warriors clasped forearms in recognition of what was to come. “You will try. Like all the others come before you.” He pulled back and pulled the automaton forward, cranking His arm back with all the strength he could manage. And found himself forestalled. The killbot maintained their mutual grip, and the Unwilling God found His limb shaking as he tried to muster more strength. For a throw. A slam. A blow. Anything. Too late. Something grey blurred towards the center of His face, faster than a speeding kinetic. Faster than he could react. Faster than the kullite helm rising to meet the strike. He felt pain, horrible molten pain explode at the bridge of His nose as something gave in His face. It had been a long, long time since he had felt such a sensation. The realization stopped a blow given in return and the pain drove him backwards with the impact. Then he was in the air. Bounced from sky into ground once. Bounced twice. Bounced through Reaper knew how many structures and onto the opposite side of the abandoned civic’s perimeter. Blood trickled from His nose, and the Unwilling God took a knee to spit more from His mouth.

He wasted time with a cough, then cleaned the blood from His chin with a forearm. Wasted more time with a curse. “Dammnatio-“A seismic impact pitched the ground underneath His feat into convulsions, and the curse died in His throat as a pair of stone grey hands clamped tight around His trachea from behind. He spun within the grip, coming face to monitor with the Protector’s artificial visage. The screen was blank-black, and in the absence of images His own reflection confronted him like some foreign creature. The Unwilling God drove the flat of both palms into the construct’s sternum, lifting creation and deity from the ground for the briefest of moments before gravity reasserted itself. Another pair of blows-kicks tHis time-snapped the Savior’s legs back on themselves at the knee. The damaged areas rippled and blurred back on themselves quick as the strikes they received, repairing into approximations of humanoid knees fast as His nose had fixed itself. A headbutt cracked the monitor and then the crack repaired itself. Blackness began to creep into the edges of His vision as the air was choked from the Unwilling God’s lungs. A series of images flashed across the screen. A black planet surrounded by a ring of corpses. Tara Hapaxia, eyes blazing with argent energies. Nufai smiling. Genuinely smiling. The Unwilling God sank to His knees-was driven to His knees-as more oxygen was expended. Words spilled into the periphery of His hearing, dim and slow for how much air he was losing. “Say the word, Warleader.” More pressure began to exert itself. Something vital burst and began to leak internal fluids into the left side of the Unwilling God’s neck. More blackness threatened to drown him. “Conduct yourself to the Reaper’s footstep’s with a dragons roar.”

Crimson light danced across the Unwilling God’s eyes, building into a crackling drone before spilling out across His face like an angered web. Twin beams of argent exploded outwards, and the Unwilling God poured His anger into the enfilade, willing the thermal energy to burn who stood before it. The force of the eruption drove him back against the automaton’s grip. The twin lights stabbed into grey statue that choked him, and where they impacted became molten white. Blinding. Bleeding sparks. He spat the blood that had been leaking internally as His artery healed. His thermal vision lifted the Protector from the ground with sufficient force to break His grip, and the Savior was driven into the blue skies above. Lodged there, like a new star. The anger dissipated quick as it had came on, leaving him with naught but a fading sense of fatigue and the collapsing metropolis that faced him.

It was the Unwilling God who inquired“Warrant?” along the com-bead in His ear.

“God?” A shaft of blue energy scythed downwards, bisecting a cloud on its way. He felt every cell in His body alight with pain, and it was by this greeting to His flesh that knew He had finally returned home. He inclined His head to the side in quizzical expression, watching the new star’s movement as it tracked back from him across the sky. His skin burned, sloughed from His bones and was replaced as His sense of nociception came back on again with newly grown nerves. New musculature reasserted itself. The eye that had burst in it’s socket saw the world from the same angle as its twin, all washed red as more thermal vision built up behind them. His skin grew in patches, landmasses floating on a sea of viscera and musculature.

Motes swirled about His form, coalescing the dust cloud kicked up by their conflict. Small pebbles left the ground to orbit around him, and the cool embrace of Kullite dispelled any lingering pain. Like a baptism. A cape fell from His shoulders as the helmet interposed an onyx skull across His face, providing a different reflection to the one that had confronted him prior. The only word he spoke to the scientist was whispered.

“Witness.”

It was Lucan Nolus who ascended. Hurtling upwards. Relishing the brief sensation of resistance of Otara gravity before he broke its hold with a roll of His shoulders that saw both arms extended outwards.

He dodged the first meteorite hurled downwards. Bisected the second with His thermal vision only to catch the two halves and spin them in the air, throwing each back to their point of origin as he climbed higher and higher still. Accelerating with the elation of long buried emotions. A column of blue light answered from the Savior’s monitor and atomized the collection of minerals into nothingness. Into an absence. Thunder rumbled in the Unwilling God’s wake as oxygen flooded the gap left by His flight. He flew clean through the third meteorite and caught His opponent with a shoulder, spinning them both so they faced the planet from above. Kicked off from the Savior and drove down at him, the kullite become a broadsword in His hands that swung down and was caught as VIII’s palms clapped together. The concussive force of the parry disengaged the pair, and He spun backwards. The kullite became a spear hurled downwards, skewering the grey man and sending it back downwards planet. Lucan Nolus uttered the howl of a younger man, one that was thinned by the lack of breathable atmosphere.

Then He accelerated downwards to greet the blue light that met him.



Kryth. I will. See you again.

Oilvitae wept from the unrepaired chips and gouges wrought upon his chassis. And this was fine. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNHigw3VvFg&ab_channel=k3nn0c1)He was willing-had always been willing-to shed vital fluids for his people's cause. Rivers of it. The Warmind pressed against his psyche, pressing and pressing, impinging on his rationale. Egging him onward to violence and hatred and all the other little inconsequentialities that the small used to justify the violence they inflicted on one another. Anger was an old companion, a comrade that had seen him through many a conflict. An aggregation of aggravations summed to the total of a perfect weapon. And this was good too.

But he was kneeling. And this was wrong. Killbot VIII knelt to no sentient.

He rose to stand, atop the vast spar of mineral that passed for the lower half of tectonic plate their conflict had upturned. The Warmind was active in the back of his psyche, feeding him data and telemetries on his opponent’s flight path. There was only one given terminus for the trajectory, and as the Unwilling God approached in flight the Warmind quenched his empathy with rage at the destruction around them. Drew in the scant life around him inwards. The oilvitae stopped flowing and he was whole again.

The sky was awash in a thin crimson haze. Lava bubbled from where they had drove each other past Otara ’s crust to form new seas hostile to the living. Long dormant gases held within the planet bled to the surface, choking life from the few insects and rodents that still lived. Had lived. The oceans were boiled to their floors, the life they contained reduced to husks of ash. The Warmind registered all of this with glee, stimulating artificial nerves wired throughout the chassis. He countered the sensation with disgust.

Images played across the screen that passed for his face, a reel of memories only for himself. A woman with hair black as the mineral’s he’d mined for the Archomedes, laughing at him over teal coloured drink. The carbonation tickled a nonexistent nose lost to the past. Another memory. A daughter laughing as he threw her up and caught her with a pair of fleshy, calloused hands. Threw her up and caught her. Threw her up, up. And away. Beyond his grasp. Beyond where his strength could have protected her. A final vista: parting a tyrant’s lapdog in two with naught but the same hands-his hands-caste in gunmental grey. His desire to return to the first two sights assaulted the Warmind’s sensibilities, and the integrated data feeds howled with impotence as a sense of fleeting calm washed over Killbot VIII’s psyche, then was gone just as quickly. Something ugly replaced the sereneness. Something sufficiently wrathful as to make Novinus’ Warmind cower. Retreat back to where it lived in his mind like a degenerative plaque.

He gave voice to the anger, speaking as much to the Warmind as he was to Himself, for while the Unwilling God was fast approaching there was still time yet for words. “You lay claim to sufficient strength to bring them together. To yolk them to your purpose. Granted. I believe, Unwilling God. Now. Show me.” The Warmind was at the back of his mind, chattering with kill-figures and fatalities from across the sector, spurning him more and more to rage. His limbs rippled like mercury, bifurcating once, then twice. He raised the first pair of arms towards the crimson skies in challenge. The middle pair took on the stance of a prizefighter. The hands of the last pair rippled and morphed again, becoming edged and cruel looking. Like blades. More memories. The little girl being ripped from his hands as a terrible pain welled in his chest from a neuroprod. Dr. Warrant’s cackling finding a strange harmony with the prod’s buzz. The dark haired woman staring at him for one last time before a kinetic execution pushed one of her temporal lobes into the rest of her brain, painting the entire memory red. He wanted to remember them. Their names. But he couldn’t. All that was left to him was the babbling of the Warmind. My hands. My. War. Killbot VIII screamed his challenge to the Unwilling God and the Warmind howled in kind as man and machine found their synthetic anger united in purpose. “SHOW ME!”

He leapt.

From the spar of rock. Into a collision that shattered what he’d stood atop. The entirety of it. Thermal vision froze his lowest right arm even as the limb’s opposite blurred past the defense offered by Unwilling God’s alien armor to bisect a rib. The Ultrumite flew them downwards into a burgeoning lava pool. The Unwilling God sustained their gaze, and the impact of both fighters saw the liquid rock cool to frosted solids. The Warmind registered pressure building underneath. Killbot VIII drove both knees into his midsection and rolled, flipping the Unwilling God into and through Otara ’s crust. VIII righted himself, snagged one of the Unwilling God’s arm’s and threw him up and parallel with the planet’s crust. The maneuver carved a furrow across Otara ’s flesh. The Warmind calculated it at ten kilounits long, and the Savior followed after at a sprint. He caught his opponent with the remaining arms on his right and clasped both hands around the Ultramite’s neck, plunging him into the rock that flanked the cordon’s right. Blow after blow hammered into his monitor and bleached the outer perimeter of his vision with static. VIII didn’t stop, dragging the Warleader through another three kilounits of solid earth.

Thermal vision froze his legs and tripped him. They fell and Killbot VIII used the momentum of the descent to drive his opponent into a downwards slam. Melted the ice with a blast from his monitor. Made to crush His skull with a stomp only for the Ultramite’s flight to carry them to salvation. Lucan Nolus righted himself and ran to meet him. They engaged and traded blows. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands. The Warmind logged them all. A kinetic enfilade measured in a second.

Mutual strikes to the jaw and monitor corner sent them staggering into a brief respite, standing and hovering across from one another. The Unwilling God’s breath was audible. Killbot VIII broke the silence as the Warmind chimed with a notification that their conflict had extended to an entire Novinan day. “I admit to curiosity, Unwilling God. Wherefore do you mine the speed to avoid my blows?” His chassis began to repair, siphoning atmosphere and displaced minerals into new metal and oilvitae. Every synthetic replacement another little slice of Otara ’s borrowed time.

The strange armor collapsed into a single black ring worn on His finger, and ropes of pallid intestines dropped to the ground from the Unwilling God’s midriff with an audible squelching sound. Myriad red lines tracked across His skin and bled crimson, like a mapped web of violence. The Warleader’s right arm held firm to the rest of His body with a few stubborn sinews and marrow. And began to heal. Their smile was all pink, marred by black gaps where they were missing teeth as white, perfect new calcium pushed to the fore. His eyes were glowing red coins amid the ash that rained down around them. The Ultramites voice was a wet growl “I…didn’t.”

The Warmind cycled Killbot’s VIII’s visual sensorium so that he saw through the Ultramite’s dermis, into His internals. In the time it took for the switch to occur the Savior saw the last of the Unwilling God’s organs reorganize into their original configuration. Then the armour reasserted itself and proved too dense for his senses to penetrate. He cycled back to a normal visual spectrum and looked at the skull-visored shadow across from him. More memories came on with the visual’s cycling. A daughter. Older now –much, much older-and more alien to him than all the Principia’s life. Staring with horror at the killing machine before her. I will see you again. A beautiful woman screaming as she was torn from His embrace. I will see you again. Rioters, comrades in arms, future killing machines one and all, screaming and hefting their drills skyward in anger while a tense Warrant stared on from behind the defensive line of a guard without honnor. I will. And all throughout the same words traveling through his psyche. See you. Those same five words. Again. A dead girl on a long dead world, bisected as the Unwilling God looked on in…pain. Nothing came from the Warmind as the last memory cycled out. And this was good.

“Hnn. Very Good.” With nary a sound from flesh nor motorized servo, they ran to clash against one another again, sky blue and actinic red surging ahead like the eye of the Principia was upon them and they were it’s sole illumination.


9 Years Later
The Believers of the Unwilling God
Public



https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/275670486_1410629229376712_5385683863670935552_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=ae9488&_nc_ohc=_pXNJLIQQnsAX8kZJum&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=03_AVKTh8-T5XJWGG-dsN96Lw_FYlkaH8iQ750370K7CLlU7w&oe=62615684
Killbot VIII, the Saviour, the Undying Warmachine, Supreme Pankrator of Novinus, stands amidst elysian fields of mottled pink, garbed in a longcoat near blue as the skies which frames the horizon. They address a hovering vidbot, the feed crisp and by all accounts incredibly advanced for how it picks out each little stock of pink plant matter. Isotropa-Lost hangs low in the blue skies, pregnant with mysteries yet unseen by the people who gaze upon it each night.

"Racists. Fascists. Totalists. My name is Killbot VIII. Your self determinism is admirable, were it not for where it has led you this cycle. To me. This will be the sole missive conveyed between us while you are governed by individuals at odds with Novinan peace: Do not come here." The camera pans back to show the entirety of the Savior's chassis and the Novinian skyline for a brief moment. Then it cuts off just as abruptly.


27,28,29 are under my proctection. Action and dissembling on your part to the contrary will be seen as a declaration of war and answered as such.

[Eldan]

Muridun, to the Antares Crusade [Public]

"In the name of God, the Veiled and Revealed, the Merciful and Compassionate, the Absolute Vanquisher and All-Protector, the Undivided and Infinite, who lives in Love and Glory.

Forgive them, for they know not what they do. Their weapons are of light and stardust, but fashioned as by the hand of man, and they have mouths, but speak no truths, and they have eyes, but they are blinded by their own light and the works of their hands will be as dust before the maker of the Heavens.

The false star Antares speaks of strength, and means the strength to measure tooth and claw against each other. The strength of the body, which fades, and not the strength of the soul, which is with God and endures. The body is but a vessel for the soul and mind, who through the Earthly struggle are purified, as steel is separated from dross.

The Zultarans knew. They knew the purpose of war was to prepare the soul for a higher calling, in Sublimation. Strength lies in the will of the fighter, not the power of his weapons. And so the false Star knew they had to burn, that their wisdom and their strength would stand against his lies.

In the name of the false light, which is not of God, he calls for Order. Not the beautiful order of God, but the banality of the machine, where all are cogs, turning mindlessly, but going nowhere, reducing all the thousand colors of life to grey lockstep.

Those that refuse will become fuel for the fires of true radiance, he says. The True and Righteous among the clans of Zultar chose the flame, and burned the brighter for it, while the traitors have chosen the shadows, under the false light of the Tyrant Star, the Demiurge. The true radiance is the Throne of God, and we will burn in Glory Eternal, but will not be consumed.

They died righteously and they will be reborn. Through battle, they found glory, through death, they have found immortality.

Inshallah."

[Writtensanity]

"Hi I'm Novelly Wakelin of the United Ecological Order, and I'm here today asking for your help. Across Principia, multiple large factions have decided that their right to war and conquest is more important than the natural environment that has been native to Principia for thousands of years."

"Now is the time to act, for a small donation you can help the natural wildlife on planets taken over by by forces like the Grand Republic of Principia's Totalist party. These innocent creatures need your help and by acting today you will be defending the wildlife that your children and your grandchildren deserve to see."

"This message brought you to by the UEO Conservation Fund."

----

All Messages Sent at Morale 5 Unless Otherwise Specified: REPUTATION: NEUTRAL


https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png



We were impressed with how you handled the violence of the Zultar. By our ecological research, their constant violence had set the local ecosystem into a state of flux that spawned such aggressive mutations in the reptilian creatures they partnered with. Your intervention in their culture of violence will likely assure the balance and survival of their species in the coming months.

As we alluded before both of our groups became busy, our United Ecological Order has no direct conflict with the ideals of the Crusade, and believe that you are fighting for a just cause. Should you need intel on targets, the Order is happy to provide. We have many well connected supporters who understand that people cannot simply standby while you watch worlds burn.

Ensure you encrypt your messages, it will lead to a stronger ally in the future.



Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.







We denounce your constant voting in of hostile forces to your Systems. It's clear that, at the moment, the Grand Republic is on a path toward violence and totalitarianism that we at UEO strongly condemn.

As long as the Totalist party or the War Party are in power, the United Ecological Order refuses to do business with, entertain ideas from, or communicate openly with the Grand Republic.

Your voters should reassess their values.



Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.







Our proposal is simple. Through an advanced genetic splicing and breeding program we believe that we can assist in restoring the Domin species to somewhat of their former glory, though we understand that the timescale that the Domin need to thrive would likely mean they see the end of the Triad.
Let us know of your interest.



Suggestion: Once we have borders, shared LTP to create LV1 VIPS cheaper. Baby Domins.

Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.








You speak ill of the living members of the Clan, and condemn the works of Antares. It seems to us that you are simply bitter that the Zultar clans didn't bow to you as expected.

You have broken your hyperlane borders specifically to capture a system integral to U.E.O expansion. By all logic this should be considered a blatant act of aggression against U.E.O interests. Considering our only conflict is with the Iron Gods at the moment, optics would suggest that you are siding with the enemy to all organic life in the galaxy.

Allow us to solve this issue behind closed doors before our borders become a battleground for Principia to spectate. The UEO has surprisingly potent offensive capabilities.

- Wildflower



Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.






You know of our intentions, one day we will likely be neighbors and on that day our ideology will clash in an irreconcilable way. Until then, there is no need for blood or oil to be spilled on either side.

Your conquest of [59] both is ambitious and an opening for sabotage. U.E.O has contacts which could sever the supply lines that keep such a forward conquest running, but doing so would spiral both sides into an impossible-to-sustain open war.

We suggest [58] as a zone of neutrality. A no-mans-land for the time being. Should a nation other than ourselves move to claim that spot, it would perhaps be advantageous to both fight for that neutrality.

Let us know how your mechanical brains consider this;



Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.







We seek council about your long term goals. Though our organizations thrive on different scales, we share the same goal, the prosperity of all life. Our skills are different than yours, but our goals are genuine.




Truly your insistence on dodging a simple point about your claimed moral authority betrays a relationship to politics that we thought you would be above.

The Vanguard unit has, at this point, many targets for organizations or Factions that threaten the natual order of Principia. Will you be striking the Totalist Grand Republic? The Crusade of the Stars
who vanquished the Zultar? The Iron Gods as their mechanical grip wraps around the stars?

We were all brought to Principia with a purpose, ours is to protect as many of her systems as we can, yours is aparrently to defend. Should you continue to shirk that duty, it makes us wonder if you are deserving of the reputation you have in this Galaxy.

How do you plan to prove yourselves?

- Zenithair



Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.






We have a business opportunity for you considering your.. previous actions.

We have reason to beleive that network of connections is likely larger that yours when it comes to information gathering. Our cause is sympathetic and people are willing to talk to us. We understand that you have a propensity to evening the scales of Principia by reavealing key information to the public, and we're fans an informed public.

Should you be interested. We would only ask for a small favor in return for clear access to our information lines for a taget of your choice. Let us know if that is of interest to you.

- Wildflower



Wanna have access to my tier of ESP? Sounds like it would be good for your passive. Let's talk.

Reminder of Passive: Responding to the contents of this message with anything other than a public message, or ignoring the message will provide UEO with 1 Temp econ. Responding with a public message with lower your morale defenses to the UEO by 2 for the turn.

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Public


Dr. Warrant's appearance is...haggard when juxtaposed with the contents of her last address. Her silhouette is much more disheveled for every blue-gray hair that is out of place, the familiar labcoat possessed of stubborn copper-brown stains at war with the self-cleaning capacity of the garment. A strange, fluid-filled brace encompasses her right brachial, the flesh below it white-pink for how newly grown it is. Her vasculature is pronounced, the veins a very clear cyanotic-blue when viewed against the white background of the vidfeed. A large, monitor-headed shadow is interposed over her wiry frame, intruding into the vidfeed like an invader. One of Dr. Warrant's hands rest on her tumor pistol. She sounds...sober.

"Hm. Well. It is a interesting bit of speculation that you offer. However, we're rather laden with bastards already at the moment so you'll have to forgive me if I fail to see the merit in the genesis of more." She takes a moment to smooth out a few astray hairs into a tight, near professional bun. A slight mechanical wine can be heard offscreen, clearly some machine engaging in movement. The shadow's "head" tilts slightly to the side in a quizzical expression at odds with the inhuman proportions. It is almost childlike in it's simplicity. "Still...far be it from me to decry the genesis of more Force." The shadow recedes from the vidfeed's frame, the whine of mechanical servos becoming more prominent with each step taken aback. The sound recedes as the outline gains distance, eventually falling to silence with their exit. A relieved Warrant looses a quick answer before abruptly hurrying offscreen after the footfalls. "Hm. Something for a higher power to rationalize then, I suppose."


Would this be a mutual project or are you suggesting it as something I foot the bill for? What are you offering in terms of stats if its a collaboration?

Presumably it would involve use of military, which I'm not too keen on surrendering for a project that benefits another more than me. Cheaper lvl. 1 VIPs arent really a priority for me in terms of creation given that my faction ability is geared toward them being cheaper already, at least not at the moment. But things change.

I'll keep an open mind.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8

Office of the Supreme Justice

Finally! A bit of peace..the Supreme Justice put his feet up on his desk. It was past midnight now and he had made sure to send everyone home. He'd spent long hours considering a particularly interesting topic. He lived for these moments, though few understood why...it was one of his passions in life. One of the few allowed him in his new position, he was a servant of the state, stripped even of the name he carried as a civilian, an instrument of law and justice. And he was damn proud of it...but he was also human, regardless of the rumours circulating around the office that he was an elaborate and unfeeling thinking machine.

He scoffed. He was tired. He couldn't blame them, they trusted him to be an unerring pillar of law, he was responsible for his people...he was...he was...*sigh* he was tired and for today at least he was done and he would allow himself to decompress.

He turned to his tile once more, picking up from where he had left off...how long had it been now? Months? He projected the feed of his favourite recording of "Don Giovanni" on to the ceiling of his office and reclined his chair. The singers appeared once more on stage in front of his eyes and resumed singing. This time, with video and the luxury of time he took in the stage.

The bridge of the EWV Elvira was set up like a small palace, the captain's chair a polished chrome throne with deep red leather cushions surrounded by floating screens rolling with data updates, looking almost like floating halos of multicoloured light bracketing the chair. The stage was smoking in places...and somewhere in the back. Yes...he hadn't noticed that before, the body of Commander Torre...

++++++++

It worked...How the hell did you know!

Clearly you have never been on a vessel during combat XO...

Don scoffed.

Never heard of torpedo stutter?

She nodded.

That thing out there! It is messing with the drives...but the drives are self correcting provided they register the error. Hit it hard enough with a wrench and it resets...torpedo stutter...It'll then find the appropriate quantum channel to guide us through without...that thing interfering.

He glared at the rent in space and the unreal light shining through it.

Now get us the hell out of here!

Don slumped into his seat once more. How the hell had he gotten himself into this....
End of Act1

+++++++++
Act 2: Prelude to hell

"I've always dreamed of coming to the academy Sir! To be a member of the Empire's navy and fight its enemies is a signal honour!

And the Uniform gets you all the ladies!

The slightly bored administrator replied sarcastically at the youth who approached him with his application. He stamped the paper mechanically, barely glancing at them and waved the young Don in. The young actor went on to sing about love of duty and patriotism with all the fervor, certainty and immortality of youth. He sang of the beauty of the academy, the challenges of daily life and the everyday conflict of young men in their prime. And yes...he also sang of the uniform and his hope for attracting the ladies.

However, quickly the song turns sour. There are few who are destined to be officers, he realises. Those are pre-selected and the common applicant is not even allowed to join those classes. Instead he is slotted into the role of a lowly tactical analyst. He does not grow into his ears, nor does his physique change despite a near daily exercise regime. He is still awkward and he realises...merely another cog in the great war machine of the Empire. A cog with a 20 year contract...

This is how he finds himself, as a young man, aboard the war frigate EWF Delivery. Aboard that vessel, as the tactical analyst to Captain Avery, he was plunged into battle after battle. These were not battles for glory, to expand the borders of the empire as part of a grand fleet. No...mostly they were ambushes or counter ambushes against pirates and rebels. Hunting them down, day after day, battle after battle. He was steeped in the exciting tedium that is space warfare punctuated by the madness of the occasional desperate boarding action. He showed great acumen in his position...but he received neither accolades, promotion nor the adulation he had once hoped for as a young man.

Slowly the man changed, from a hopeful but frustrated young man with dreams to a bitter profressional, executing his duty with precision but little passion. Soon even battle lost its thrill, plunged into it time and again by an uncaring captain...possibly one with a deathwish. One that eventually came true. Captain Avery, killed in action after pursuing local rebel group against recommendation of tactical analyst.Vessel damaged from previous engagement, Captain ordered pursuit of rebel elements to trace base of operations. Data suggested base larger than indicated by previous intelligence. Analysis proved correct, vessel damaged during engagement, stray shrapnel injured Captain and vessel's medic unable to rectify injury. The dry report submitted once the EWF Delivery limped into the nearest empire naval shipyard did not quite manage to convey the status of the vessels or the haggard return to Imperial space, hounded by the remaining rebels, outnumbered and exhausted.

Years pass and Don remained a consummate and unpromoted professional. He came to realise later, a beautiful song of loss and indifference, too good, too necessary to be allowed to be promoted. Too useful to what he came to think of as the ruling class of officers that he might never break into. This is how he found himself aboard the EWM Elvira, a shining jewel of the empire's fleet. Crammed with the newest and most powerful weapons, shields that could shrug off apocalyptic energies and engines powerful enough to boost the immense bulk of the vessel at speeds other ships could only dream of. And of course crewed by the best and brightest. Don knew most of the crew of course, competence recognised competence. Here it was indeed the best of the best. On the upper decks, however, the officer decks...it was a case of a highly paid and highly prestigious position. Afterall...a mechanic is a mechanic on any vessel. But the captain of the Elvira, what a signal honour.n

Pity it went to Torre, Don thought. Man wouldn't know where to aim a laser if it was in his pants, Don thought as he saluted when the man himself entered the bridge. The picture of appearance of competence...dress uniform ironed to perfection, immaculate. Hasn't seen a single day of actual combat in his career. XO at his side, pretty girl, couldn't be more than a year out of the academy. Breeding...he sneered. Already earning 5 times his salary after 10 years of service.

Ladies and Gentlement, welcome aboard the glorious Elvira.

The bridge clapped politely as Commander Torre approached the captain's chair for the first time. Of course the crew had been here for 3 months, testing instruments, familiarising themselves with the systems and a million other necessary things.

For her maiden voyage, Imperial Navy command has given us the prestigious posting of following up on a newly integrated sector and pacifying the belligerent natives.

Commander Torre was the perfect image of what a high ranking naval officer should look like. Don sang in the background as the scene froze, an internal monologue, features described in adjectives not descriptive but qualititative. The set of his jaw could not be described merely as strong or pointed or round. The set of his jaw was Heroic. His hair not merely peppered by grey, but betraying a man of maturity and experience. He was not just tall, but defiant. A paper image, perfect in its seeming but easily crumpled and burned. (What a brilliant piece of foreshadowing this the Supreme Justice thought).

Commander Torre, the brave, the valiant....the fraud. A secret few knew and none shared. The great hero of the Altarian Crusade, simply a product of exaggeration. The great generation ships of the Alatrians, bristling with weapons that vomited fire upon the shields of the Imperial fleet looked incredibly impressive. The Imperial ships dwarfed by the Altarian vessels, themselves having the bad luck to be an insectoid species that looked far more threatening than it actuall was. The generation ships...packed full of civilians, entire planets worth fleeing...something. The impressive looking arrays that had so many times showed up on the news? Too low power, short range and diffuse to actually do any damage to the shields of the imperial war vessels. They were running from something. Time resumes.

After the wondrous victory of the Imperial Navy in the Altair System

Pause for applause. Nod graciously.

Unfortunately, our new colony ship that was sent with a small escort contingent to the Altair system has failed to report back. As the lives of our citizens and colonists are of utmost importance to our glorious Empire, this cannot go unanswered. It has been determined that we will sail immediately, to find what happened to the colonists, pacify the system and take control of the system.

Torre's voice grew to a crescendo as he travelled through the short speech, his voice trimphant as if victory was not only expected but also unavoidable.

End of Act 2
+++++++++++++
Act 3 - Hell

The bridge was on fire. Come to think of it...much of the ship was on fire. The subdued moans of the dying and injured filled the bridge and choked the radiocommunications with desperate pleas. The ship shook again as the fierce bombardment continued. Don quickly looked at the few remaining panels, shields holding...reactors critical. Estimated time to shield failure, 7.3 minutes. Probability of survival if shields fail...not good.

Commander...we need to turn around. Whatever that is it is stationary. We need to reformulate our plan, regroup, ask for supplies and backup.

Coward! Give me a firing solution. Now!

Sir...the...whatever it is. We can't get a lock. Whatever that thing is its interfering with every sensor we have.

Then just fire at it manually! It's huge can't you see! How can you have missed it you incompetent idiot!

The facade was cracking, blood was trickling down his temple from where he had been thrown against one of the panels during a particularly rough maneuver. Protocol was for crew and cowards. Not for Commander Torre. Naturally therefore, he wasn't wearing his harness...like the rest of the bridge crew. Not that it mattered much in some cases. Not when Panels burst out with arcs of electricity that should be impossible.

Sir...we don't have control over half the ship. We have an unknown number of injured. We can't fight this...we need to reassess.

Are you refusing to follow orders!

Torre screamed as he approached Don.

2 weeks earlier - Tactical briefing

Analysis suggests that although the Atlarian generation ships were inferior in both construction and weaponry compared to the Imperial navy vessel, we have so far found a number of them that suggests that they were built with scrap and quickly. We have also found indications that although the average vessel is weak, we have so far put down such a number of them that the Imperial fleet would have taken significant damage had we faced them in numbers rather than picking them off one by one.

Nonsenseee....they are clearly a semi-primitive species that badly overestimated their capabilities. We'll kick down the hives or whatever they come from and make them regret they called out of them and dared impede on Imperial space.

The surrounding officers laughed.

Sir...analysis of the wreckage suggests technology that surpasses ours in some respects. All evidence points to the fact that they were displaced by a superior foe that prompted a disorganised retreat. Tactical analysis suggests we preoceed cautiously.

You analysis are always cowards...just put your faith in good, strong, Imperial steel eh? Torre guffawed and looked around the room good naturedly
And plenty of torpedoess ehhh! More laughter.

Give the order, full speed ahead. Crush the bugs and whatever the hell else we find!

Back in the burning bridge

Don shook off the memory.

I..... Warned you...is what he wanted to say. You didn't listen to me you arrogant bastard. You couldn't tell your ass from a heavy laser array if I shoved it in your mouth. Don managed to say none of the many thoughts coursing through his head...but Torre whipped in the eye with his sidearm. It was a beautiful presentation piece, all golden filligree and decoration. A piece of it broke off on impact.

Don flinched but glared at him fiercely. Torre was coming apart at the seams, much like his uniform, he was screaming obscenities at Don accompanied by an ominous base rythm. Rising....falling...rising...falling...rising...fa lling...rising...rising....rising...Don pulled out his own sidearm. It was no better and no worse than the sidearm of any other crew member. It wasn't pretty. It was a tool of war, well maintained, shiny with care, use and gun oil.

Under Imperial law, section 35 of the naval code, I hereby relieve you of your command. You are unfit for duty.

The bridge was silent, watching the developing situation. Nobody having the courage, presence of mind or desire to interfere. Torre gaped unbelieving. The music began reaching its magnificent crescendo.

You pissant...you worthless...

Torre spat at Don but he never got to finish his sentence. Don shot him in the head without uttering another word. Torre looked surprised more than anything. Offended even as he floated away in zero g of the floundering vessel. Don turned away from the corpse and started issuing the necessary orders to get them out of immediate harm's way as quickly as possible.

Someone throw that waste of space out the airlock please.

He said once the orders had began being carried out.

2 days later - the graveyard

The situation was dire, but at least they had managed to reach a state where they were no longer in active danger. Don had not slept in those 2 days, neither had most of the crew. Damage had been assessed and fixed where possible. Most of the crew was injured to one degree or another but they could serve. But there was no escape...It would appear that while that...."Thing" bombarded them it had ruptured one of their reactor mass storage areas. The material was inert until it was placed in the reactor so thankfully damage had remained contained...but that meant that they did not have sufficient mass to return. Well they did...they had enough to accelerate enough to reach the nearest imperial shipyard and speed past it at a measurable fraction of the speed of light. Alternatively, they could reserve enough reactor mass to decelerate but they would all have asphyxiated a few decades before the dead vessel reached its destination.

Don pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. No...Captain Don Giovanni now. How did he end up in this mess?

At least now they had positive confirmation of many of the facts that he had assumed. Yes...the Altarians had been chased out of their system by a much more powerful force. Even having been close up to it, all their sensors had been jammed. It would appeared that that was not...inentional. Whatever it was, the sensors had no idea what to make of it. It was a mess of contradictory, strange or straight up impossible readings. Only the bridge crew had seen it. It looked like a rent in space...no a wound. That sick red light that spilled out of it was enough to make half the bridge throw up the second they saw it. Whatever it was it had reached out and attacked them...but that wasn't all. He had felt it in his mind. Pulling at him. It scared him enough that nothing else in the world held any fear for him now, provided that he could get away from....that.

They also found out what had happened to the rest of the Altarian navy. The Elvira was swimming through a graveyard, the graveyard of an entire civilisation. Mixed debris of space stations, moons, planets and a fleet sizeable enough to shame the entire Imperial navy lay scattered in pieces all around them. Unfortunately, most of what they had found was incompatible and the rest was useless, damaged beyond recovery.

None of it was good news...but at least they had confirmation they were in deep...too deep...and without any kind of helpful instrument. Captain Don Giovanni retired from the bridge, the music following him soft and haunting, the chorus lamenting the man who steps to do the right thing only to find himself mired in a maze without an exit. He entered his room and began stripping off his grimy uniform. No captain's pins for him...

*knock*knock*

Don looked curiously at the door...nobody would actually know would they? They com him to come to the bridge...or more probably com the XO on the bridge. He stared incredulously.

*knock*knock*

The music shifted, ominous and eerie. Otherworldly almost.

*KNOCK* the music suddenly stops at the loud knock.

Enter... Don mutters hesitantly, before remembering the door is locked. But he has no time to move. The door opens, it takes a moment before the audience realise. The door does not lead to the same corridor as they had just seen the hero enter from. The music builds once more as a tall figure enters the room, it steps out of a darkness deeper than mere absence of light. The figure is human...undeniably. But it is...wrong. Not in any definable way. Almost as if the features shift from moment to moment between human and...something else.

Greetings Don Giovanni...I have to offer you a wager.

The voice is mellifluous and powerful. Seductive. Don stares uncomprehending.

I know all about you...I have come to you in your moment of despair...yet it could also be your moment of triumph. Allow me to introduce myself...I have many names, but there is one I prefer to give to those who are offered "The Wager". You may call me...Mephistopheles.

++++++++

The Supreme Justice sighed as the sun rose and hit his face. He had not slept...but it had been a good night. A night filled with music and opera and someone else's problems. He rose from his chair. The opera was not yet finished, but he should at least rest for a scant few hours. He fell upon the small but comfortable bed in the room adjoining his office. The previous occupanthad used this for his trysts. But he had no time for such luxuries..not that he was married. He closed his eyes and dreamt of music, his mind at peace at least for the next 2-3 hours until the senior clerk on duty woke him. A familiar pot of coffee and delicate cup on a small tray on his office.

++++++++


Dear Sir, Madam or Other,

First of all, we wish to congratulate you in your display of military prowess. However, as an agent of the courts I am in the difficult position of informing you that due to your lack of declaration of war in your most recent conquest against the "Sublime Clans of Zulthar" you have breached the requirement for timely declaration of war. Given that you had no valid cause of action against the "Sublime Clans of Zulthar" there are no extenuating circumstances for your lack of declaration in accordance with s.4, paragraph 4, of the publicly quoted

However, the Supreme Justice has determined that the clans were not appropriately registered and currently no individual has been located who may have standing to bring legal action against you. There is also no functioning governement to stand. We are aware that one of the leaders of the clans has joined your cause. We would like to invite you to comment upon the situation.

Senior legal clerk to the Supreme Justice of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons.



Dear Sir, Madam or other,

Many thanks for contacting the intellienge service of the Collective. Kindly clarify your request, the nature of services offered, what is being asked in return and of course, we would ask that you clarify the level of capabilities alluded to before entering into any such agreement.

There's a couple of typos but I think you're offering me a high esp rating to read messages of one faction of my choice?


+++++++
"Iettis VIa "Haven"

The delegation from the collective arrives at the conference. They arrived in a small vessel, just large enough to hold the 5 member delegation comfortably plus the necessary crew. Like the members of the delegation, the craft is utilitarian and clearly meant to be a tool built for a purpose.

The delegation consists of one older man, two young men and two young women. All three wear similar clothes, not exactly a uniform but clearly inspired by the same pattern. The older man, he introduces himself as Senior Clerk Augustus Clarke, is wearing what appears to be a cross between a jumpsuit and a double breasted suit. The collar is short but frames the features of the man well, with one side extending all the way to an elaborate belt buckle down the front of the jump-suit. The material shimmers very slightly, showing the high quality of the fabric. The others wear similar jump-suits, although the fabric is not of as high quality. Another detail noticeable only by comparison is that the Augustus' clothes fit him much better than those of the others. Not that the others are wearing ill fitting clothes, more that Augustus' suit is tailored to himself.

The only ornamentation on their suits is on the right sleeve of each suit. Augustus bearing two interlaced rhombuses in gold thread near his wrist encircicled by a single thick gold line. The others, introduced only as junior clerks only have one Rhombus and no lines.

As he takes the floor to address the conference he begins.

Dear friends and prospective allies, we apologise for the lateness of our delegation, unforeseen circumstances delayed our departure.

My name is Augustus Clarke, senior clerk to the Supreme Justice and vested with his authority to enter into binding agreements on behalf of the Collective. We would like to take this opportunity to echo the words of Eldest, with whom it seems we might make common cause. We are firm believers that there should be a broad guiding principle. We would like to invite all participants to peruse the laws and procedures of the collective, publicly available on any terminal. Thesewe would seek to enforce with equanimity and fairness in order to allow justice and lawful behaviour to prevail in the sector.

Although we agree that war is not desirable, we also believe it is inevitable. We would propose an authority that proposes to monitor relationships and ensure that all act within the frame of the law as set out by this common body. We have demonstrated our willingness to abide by the agreements we strike with other factions. We have delineated borders and signed non-aggression treaties with many of you. I would ask that in the interest of protecting the interests of other members of the conference, information that is priviledged not be disclosed in such a public forum.

Should this conference or any subset thereof, we would propose drafting a memorandum of governing rules of internal relations, but also what would constitute lawful and unlawful action within the Principia at large. We would of course need to back up this belief with strength. We stand ready by such a commitment and suggest that Eldest may be thinking too small.

Augustus sat back in the chair, the junior clerks remaining standing, one of them furiously making notes on his tile while another appeared to be recording the session.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

It had been a long decade. The Eldest mused at what had transpired. Some delegates had stayed to enjoy the Eldest's hospitality or continue to discuss matters with their colleagues. Others had left and returned now that the second Grand Conference was officially beginning. Still others had not returned, but been replaced by their organizations.

Now it seemed that the many residents of Principia had finished their internal projects and were looking outward once more in a new wave of diplomacy. It was very promising, as was Augustus Clarke's latest speech.

The Eldest moved its bioform to take the speech.

"Thank you senior clerk. I am glad to have your support on the matter. I would ask that if you have already drawn up borders to the satisfaction of you and your neighbors that they be made public. For after all how can others avoid claiming what you regard as yours when you do not make those claims clear."

"As to thinking too small you may be right. However I am also all too aware that there are many opposing views on the matter. Better to plant a small seed of cooperation now, than spend decades arguing over how to form a mighty tree in one instant."

We are pleased to see that Bheura Prime has been successfully claimed before any pirates or ruffians could desecrate the Arco Median vault. We ask then if everyone is prepared to proceed with the Trust at this point, and for the Iron Gods to relate what exactly they found in the vaults. If they are willing to also state what they spent on securing the system we could possibly proceed with our previous secondary Trust payment and distribution plan.

Greetings most esteemed gods of Ur INANNA and ENLIL,

In addition to our broader message we have some items to discuss with you alone. First the territory of Bheura Prime. We would wish to purchase it from you. Perhaps not until the Trust is fully established, but at some point. Second, we wish to move past Bheura Prime to Glimnir (44). May we have your permission to do so? Finally, since we are becoming more involved with each other we wish to know if you would consider a formal alliance.

To a Promising Future,
The ELDEST

Greetings to the Unity Party,

We are planning to extend our influence to the system of (2). We do this in order to better facilitate our trade and contact with the Chronarkate of Miron, the Iron Gods of Ur, and indeed your own Unity Party. Indeed (6) would be better for this purpose, but we do not wish to infringe on your sphere of influence. And this is also why we are sending this message. To see if you have any objections to our plan.

To a Promising Future,
The ELDEST

Greetings Theophania,

We greatly regret that we were not able to meet with you as we had agreed. Unfortunately our attention was turned to the abrupt discovery of the Bheura Prime vault and ensuring it did not incite open warfare. We hope you will accept our apologies and still be willing to discuss your history with us.

To a Promising Future,
The ELDEST

---------
The Galactic Arena

The Sculptor was exultant. Its siblings had only contributed in reluctant acceptance of the grim realities of the sector, but the Sculptor had poured its heart and soul into the creation of the Great Garuda. The sculptor had spent many a mega thought refining the refraction index of its gossamer wings to best reflect laser fire. The sculptor had contributed many of its own birthing chambers for the Garuda's parasite fighter pods. The Sculptor had spent several subjective eternities teaching the nascent mind everything it knew about warfare, tactics, strategy, and logistics. Admittedly more the last than anything. The Sculptor didn't have much experience with fighting.

However that was why it was excited. Finally a chance to test Great Garuda's abilities in open combat, and without animosity or extreme risk. The Fotuan Meritocracy's tournament was a grand opportunity. The Sculptor's mind reached across space to the Garuda with a psionic song of excitement and opportunity. Pods bulged and organs shifted on the Garuda's flanks as the Sculptor made some last minute adjustments. Then the Garuda sang its own song of eagerness and question. Where was this grand tournament where it could match against its peers.

The Sculptor's song trailed off in belated embarrassment. It did not know. It tapped into the Eldest's mind for a moment to access the cruder communication methods used by the rest of the sector.

We submit our beloved Garuda to the competition. Where should we send them?

The Sculptor

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Dear Eldest,

We hope you spoke in error to our mutual...colleagues, of the Iron gods when you said you wish to claim sector 44. As per our PSA a few years ago any intervention within the sphere of influence of the collective, considered to be one natural jump from Kramagor, sector 43, is considered an aggressive action and will be met with deadly force.

As such, unless you withdraw such claim you may consider this a declaration of war. We look forward to a speedy and hopefully peaceful resolution.






The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7


Greetings,

We have no wish to declare war. Indeed we are simply attempting to open up trade links with the Collective to pursue our previously discussed projects. We had hoped that you would have claimed Glimnir yourselves, but in your absence took it on ourselves to make the final link.

If this is objectionable to you, then we hope you will accept our claiming of (39) instead. As it will allow us to link our trade networks to both your own territory and the south eastern trade block.

To a Prosperous Future,
The Eldest

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

https://imgur.com/qwPDFqb.jpeg

The camera pans across a bustling square, busy with vendors and customers shopping under a bright, clear vermillion sky. A careful viewer might notice what is missing from this idyllic scene. What faces are not there. What races are not there.

As the scene zooms in on one particular family, smiling, laughing at nothing, and pointing out the next great Ranunculun fashion, a man’s voice plays over speakers across any on-planet screen switched to ‘on.’

“Humanity has achieved great things together, on the shoulders of our forefather’s successes. Unity is paramount to building on the victories of our ancestors.”

The happy family gasps in shock as a pair of roughly dressed Garnutcku push past them, knocking the family’s mother to the ground without so much as a backwards glance. The Garnutcku laugh, drawing great, growling breathes and huffing out noxious clouds of sulfur through their trunks.

“Every day, the Human Race(™) is threatened by outside forces, seeking to destroy the proud Ranunculun way of life.”

A careful viewer might scoff - their cousin, or colleague, or great-aunt-twice-removed might have been a Garnutcku. Yeah right, a careful viewer might mutter, my cousin is a Garnutcku and she wouldn’t be seen dead wasting her sulfur in public like that.

The camera cuts to a soldier, proud in Ranunculun colours, helmet under her arm, crying out military slogans with her comrades. They march in lock step on board starships, gloriously efficient, and distantly, the Ranunculun anthem begins playing.

“Luckily, the brave men and women of our great planet fight against the tyranny - the delinquency - the scourge - of these lesser races, risking their lives to protect their brothers and sisters. Call 888-345-334-665-44543-664433 today to see how you can join these brave heroes, or donate to show your appreciation for their sacrifices. Put Humanity First Again.”

A careful viewer might laugh, clicking off whatever screen they’d been watching on. A careful viewer might mutter ‘yeah, right. Next we’ll be invading peaceful Garleth because they looked at us funny. What a load of garbage.’

A careful viewer might hear a knock at the door. The family of a careful viewer might wonder where they went. A careful viewer, might not be careful enough.


Morale 7, Reputation: Dreaded

Players

The Unwilling God (Public)
You will receive no acknowledgement from me, alien. Those systems are full of living, breathing people who, last I heard, did not refer to you as sovereign. You call us racist, but your ‘diplomatic outreach’, and pure disregard for the opinions of those who live in [27-29] only further proves our stance that aliens will never respect us without shock and awe. If you want acknowledgement, take your whining to the Judiciary or someone else who may care more.Your ‘protection’ however, will not be tested by the Republican fleet, our eyes turn GalNorth, to [25] and [32].

GRP First,
Fern Whitehollow, 173rd President of the Grand Republic of Principia

UEO (Public)
Good. We do not negotiate with terrorists.

Antares Crusade
Crusaders,

I may not exactly love the new border we share, but I cannot deny that it made an excellent statement to my campaign. So hear me out. I have no interest in actually fighting your crusade, nor do I think we are really the jerusalem of your Zeal, so how about we call the border where you’ve pushed it and maybe even set up some light trade if you are interested. I’m a couple of ships short of a clean sweep of military targets and I have the cash to hire if you are interested.

GRP First,
Fern Whitehollow, 173rd President of the Grand Republic of Principia

NPCs

The Foutain Meritocracy
Hello Meritocracy,
I’ve got a perfect spot for your tourney, and one hell of a crowd of potential spectators. We’ve got the Westpoint Caldera, freshly shaped during our terraforming project on Orvil’s Misstep. Its sturdy as hell and large enough to hold everything from Dinosaurs to Dreadnoughts. We’ve got top of the line camera equipment rigged through the entire thing for weapons testing purposes, so it should sustain a hit or two from most of what Principia might have to offer. Plus we can set one hell of a festival in the agriash fields around it. Hope you’ll consider us.

GRP First,
Fern Whitehollow, 173rd President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Grand Republic of Principia, with no contestant sufficient to enter, will offer up the Westpoint Caldera as a hosting ground for the Grand Arena

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Dear Eldest,

We are glad that is the case. We were unfortunately..short on resources in the past but will be expanding into that sector within the next decade. As to the Trust, we have expressed some concerns during the last round of negotiations that remain unaddressed. We appreciate your intention to create a central authority and provided that this central authority is a body of laws, in the sense that it is designed to uphold the law throughout Principia we will be fully supportive.





The reply comes in text format instead of video. In the interest of diplomacy it would appear....

The guarantees are few in this trust, the investment large and the payout small and too far into the future. By the time we see profit, we might be overrun, divided. We would rather have a strong ally by our side, than a weak but profitable investor.

-Jabato.



Dear sirs,

We would be honoured to host this glorious event and welcome further engagement between our governments.

The place we offer would be refurbished from one of the old arenas of our shattered world. We discovered a large piece of the planet spinning in space where enough of the old arena survives almost hanging out into space. When it was active, it was large enough to accommodate 1000s of audience, although we would in this case suggest that instead, no audience be present. A multiplicity of drones will record and transmit every angle of the fight and the desolation of the locale would allow all participants to unleash their deadliest weapons without worry of the surroundings. It would offer sufficient ground for those who fight without mechanical assistance to stand while also offering direct access to space without worry of planetagy gravity or atmopshere.

Yours faithfuflly,
Administrator Banbabus Flint.
https://cdn4.fiction.live/fp/3W2rJ20cSk6VK90hXdCH?height=600&width=800&quality=95


Also waiting on a reply to my previous enquiry to the meritocracy.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[3SecondCultist]

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

We Have Watched and Waited, To Witness Acts of Foreign Despotism and Savagery. The following Polities we Hereby Denounce, in Accordance with the Principles of the Highest Codex: the Iron Gods of Ur, the Grand Republic of Principia, the Antarean Crusade, and the United Ecological Order. Articles of War Will be Disseminated Shortly to the Relevant Scribes.

The Lack of Offense Given to the Secretariat in recent years has resulted in the Cessation of Hostilities towards the following Polities: the Sages of Iettis VI and the Muridun. Members of these Factions should Be More Cautious in the future of the Manner of their Approach to Kantus, lest they Risk the Ire of Our Mission Once More.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat renews its declaration of war on the Iron Gods of Ur and the Grand Republic of Principia. It also declares war on the Antarean Crusade and the United Ecological Order. The Numinous Secretariat rescinds its war declaration from the Sages of Iettis VI and the Muridun on a provisional basis.


Equilibrium Incorporated
Morale 6

Good day, representatives of the Muridun and the Unity Party,

We are pleased to announce a record-breaking decade in financial operations here on Uquol VII! With your valuable help, our corporation has actually surpassed its ten-year funding goals. There are several members of my board who are pushing for early retirement if you can believe it. Our proprietary digital trading algorithm is able to predict trades all across Principia, and therefore enhance or impede the flow of the galactic market according to what we believe is a healthy balance. Given the proportional amount of support offered over the past few years, my board and I thought it only fair that we share this project with the Unity Party.

However, that is not the sum total of our dealings. This project will keep my shareholders and executives happy for the foreseeable future, yet I find myself in the unprecedented position of seeking out new ownership. If the news has taught us anything, it is that Equilibrium Incorporated simply cannot compete with the new empires that are taking over. We have no desire to become a vassal state of the Grand Republic, converted by force by the Antareans, or worse yet become body-slaves to the Iron Gods - who are no doubt reading this very missive.

Therefore, I seek to approach you both to discuss the matter of one of you buying us out. Both of your organizations have proven to be worthy business partners, and we would make a permanent acquisition worth your while. Besides ownership of the Uquol system and all the wealth that comes with it, the new owner of Equilibrium would retain a vested portion of our current assets on file. Finally, I would be willing to personally remain on as a business advisor and help steer the ship, as it were. I bring with me several centuries of financial expertise and a portfolio of assets that I believe you will find quite healthy.

I have attached the full tender offer, signed by the relevant legal authorities of this sector. Please look it over when you can - I hope to hear back with bids soon.

Cordially,
Mars Van Quet, CEO of Equilibrium Incorporated

Equilibrium Incorporated is extending a formal offer of confederation to both of you. They are asking one or both of you to make an offer to them this turn, as you helped complete their LTP. Here's what is on the table in terms of your rewards.


3 permanent Eco
1 permanent Mor
Eco 2 VIP (Mars Van Quet)
Territory [18] (Eco Strategic System)
1 Victory Point

The territory doesn't come with additional stats (those are reflected in the 4 permanent stats up for grabs). Just like the last game, you may choose to go in together on a bid and split some of these rewards if you would like. These assets would be added to your factions for this EoT if you come to an IC agreement this turn. If you are unable to agree or decide to compete, Equilibrium will go with whoever puts in the highest bid in their EoT. They will prioritize Eco for the bid but will really take any number of stats. If neither of you bids this turn, EI will open up bidding to anyone else in trade distance next turn.


Aos Il'ukaran, the Stewards of Understanding
Morale 6

Direction: elected officials of the Grand Republic.

We would wish you a good day, but the Stewards of Understanding are unfortunately quite saddened by the news from your planetary systems. Namely, that your people have willingly and with no forethought as to the consequences of their actions elected a party whose platform is built on hate and fear.

The Stewards have always maintained that peace and cooperation are paramount to the shared survival of all Principians - this is the true legacy of our creators, the Arco-Medeans. Though they might have waged war, they learned the errors of their ways and sought enlightenment and progress. Your Totalist Party flouts every standard set by our creators. As such, we strongly urge you to move away from the dangerously ignorant path which you have chosen to tread; host re-elections, and seek a more open-minded caucus of leaders.

Should you heed our advice, we may re-approach you under the auspices of friendship.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: Sages of Iettis VI.

Well met once more! Your conference would appear to be an ongoing affair, which bodes well for keeping peace alive. The recent accusations and war declarations between the factions have the Stewards concerned for the well-being of all Principians. Your desire for cordiality and diplomacy is what the Arco-Medeans would have wanted.

In your last missive, you mentioned interest in mapping out Arco-Medean Installations. Our project has not yet begun, though we would certainly appreciate any aid we could get to complete it. Once a comprehensive map has been established, anyone who seeks the legacy of our creators will have a much easier time of it. You will find a full proposal attached, along with the projected resources necessary to complete it within the upcoming decades. Although we Stewards do not age, there are many who seek these treasures hastily and may benefit from such a map.

Finally, we would ask a favor of you. The Grand Republic of Principia has recently elected a rather troubling political party into office. Given their proximity to our Hagia system, we are concerned for our immediate safety. We would ask for someone to influence them into re-elections in the near future. This need not be a clandestine operation; open calls for reform may get the job done just as easily. Should you entertain us in this matter, we would remember and return the kindness.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code

The Stewards of Understanding seek to help uncover and reunite the legacy of the Arco-Medeans. To that end, they are assembling a map of the various installations of their masters, and indexes of the contents of those vaults, turning them into skeleton keys so that they can house all the wonders under one roof. Any faction who helps them complete their map will be able to use it: they can roll 2 times for all Installation loot and complication rolls during Midturn and choose the result they want.
Direction: Vanguard Corps.

Good day to you all. As predicted, you have become a neighbor to us here in Hagia, a development that has many of the Stewards feeling safer and more at ease. Several years ago, we discussed sending over details for a cooperative project. As it turns out, we have just the initiative: creating a sector-wide interactive map of all the ancient sites and Arco-Medean Installations, for future ease of those who wish to explore them.

Our project has not yet begun, though we would certainly appreciate any aid we could get to complete it. Once a comprehensive map has been established, anyone who seeks the legacy of our creators will have a much easier time of it. You will find a full proposal attached, along with the projected resources necessary to complete it within the upcoming decades. Although we Stewards do not age, there are many who seek these treasures hastily and may benefit from such a map.

Finally, we would ask a favor of you. The Grand Republic of Principia has recently elected a rather troubling political party into office. Given their proximity to our Hagia system, we are concerned for our immediate safety. We would ask for someone to influence them into re-elections in the near future. This need not be a clandestine operation; open calls for reform may get the job done just as easily. Should you entertain us in this matter, we would remember and return the kindness.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code

The Stewards of Understanding seek to help uncover and reunite the legacy of the Arco-Medeans. To that end, they are assembling a map of the various installations of their masters, and indexes of the contents of those vaults, turning them into skeleton keys so that they can house all the wonders under one roof. Any faction who helps them complete their map will be able to use it: they can roll 2 times for all Installation loot and complication rolls during Midturn and choose the result they want.

The Lunara Collective
Morale 5

Peaceful greetings, defenders of the Ecological Order,

A poison flower defends its grove, fertilizing the soil with the blood of those who would trespass upon it. The grove stands unspoiled by foreign hands, yet is corrupted by its casual violence. Purity at the cost of exclusion is not so. We ask you, how does the flower reconcile a desire for harmony with a propensity to deal in death and judgment?

Your goals may be genuine, yet our ends are not aligned. Seek true peace, zealous ones, and we will share what we have heard passed down from the cosmos.
Peaceful greetings, members of the Vanguard Unit,

There is grace in your arrival, for word has reached the Nimbus of those who have joined your confederacy and been all the greater for it. The people of these worlds sing your praises, and we do as well. You are true protectors of harmonious joy and have proven yourselves worthy of what wisdom our Collective may offer.

In the lambent clouds of the Ionian Nimbus, Lunara Collective seeks to unlock the psionic power of pure potential. If they are able to upgrade their nexus, the Collective can use it to alter reality to better suit their beliefs. Should an allied player faction aid them, they will allow that faction to use it. The faction that completes this project may, 1 time per turn, treat Psi as any other stat for a single rule of their choice. For example, a faction may choose to treat their Psi as though it were Mor for their Passive Defense or use the value of Eco for all stat investments.

The Fotuan Meritocracy
Morale 30

Heyyyo!!

'Sup, space lawyers! So uh, you really wanna host these games, do ya? I guess that's cool - we really like the picture you sent. It's definitely got the scope to be a super cool venue, and we like the initiative of reaching out to us. But what's to stop us from going with those republicans who are also bidding for it? That seems like a spicy choice too, IMO.

Willing to hear some arguments! Or you can argue it out with the voters, that seems like the kinda thing you'd be into.

As for the other thing... we've got lots of soldiers and bodyguards? Oh, and money. Loooots of money. Like, more money than you would know what to do with. We even invested in Principia a few millennia back, and it was super fun for a while!

Later,
FM

So the Fotuan Meritocracy can trade an arbitrary amount of Mil, Mor, or Eco with your faction. The ratio is a non-negotiable 1:1 rate, so if you sent 7 Esp, you would get 7 Mil, Eco, or Mor in return. There's no limit to the amount you can get from them, other than what you can send. There is a downside, which is that the trade happens with a 1 turn delay - so you would send it during EoT 2, and get the stats during EoT 3. They don't trade VIPs or any permanent stats, and they don't have any LTPs; they only do swaps of temporary stats.
Wow, so are you guys just giant heads that float in space. That's... super weird, not gonna lie.

Super stoked that you're sending your baby head thing, should be fun to stack it up against something like a rocket dinosaur or a ten-kilometer spaceship. Once we sort the whole 'people fighting over our gamemaster' thing, we'll have better instructions for ya!

Ciao,
FM
Hey, dummies!

So before we get to the whole 'you wanna pitch us on hosting our games' thing, a bunch of people over here have to ask... do you guys really still use real elections? Like, you actually listen to your constituents and organize a vote and actually honor that? That's so old-fashioned, my guy!

Anyway, we've got no issue with you hosting the games, even if it seems like your current government isn't exactly going to be winning any popularity contests. Buuuuut, the space lawyers also want in on it. I'd take it up with them, personally. We don't care where the games go, but we're only sending them to one place. Figure it out yourselves.

Byeeeeee,
FM

The Palatinate Concord
Morale 30

Returned to the Office of Leonard Amicus Slant Hargreeves the 4th Esq, BBL, ML, PHD, MBB, DSC, RH2, MBB and Bar and President of the Association of Legal Professionals of the Firms of the Kramagorian Moons,

Greetings, emissary of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons. Your communique has reached our outermost courts, where it has been deliberated by a panel of judges from 649 sovereign systems. The Concord has agreed after much discussion to accept your request for a trading relationship, although our timetable may not be favorable to you.

Given your areas of expertise and interest, the Concord's mercantile arm anticipates a need for reliable agents and intelligence technology in the coming decades. This is a service that our bureaus can certainly accommodate, along with psionic or research assistance. Of course, given the considerable distance that our shipments would need to travel and our desire for appropriate security, payment would need to be deferred for a full galactic decade.

Should you wish to pursue such a partnership, you are encouraged to reply to this message within the next five solar cycles.

Sincerely,
Menedias Vol, 4th Degree Ambassador-In-Training, Kyria Station

The rules for trading with the Palatinate Concord are pretty much the same as trading with the Meritocracy, except that it's the other three stats. However much you can send, they will trade in with Psi, Sci, or Esp. However, the same limitation of the 1 turn delay applies to the trade. So whatever you send during EoT 2 won't get paid for and sent back until EoT 3, and so on.

[Eldan]

The Tale of Captain Fayiz and the Playground of Giants

“Captain! Fractalite at 32 by 40 by 9!”
The call of the lookout sent a flurry of activity through the Thorn of Macassar. The captain had hooked his peg leg around a strap in the wall, his eyes closed, while around him, three familiars in the shape of slightly translucent birds were shrieking commands in many languages.
“Outriggers, shorten by 20 clicks! Praise al-Haqq, who is the only truth! Praise al-Hadi, who is the guide and the way!”
Behind him, the ship’s acolytes began loudly chanting the two names, awakening the Djinn of the Guidance System and the Djinn of the Sensors.
“Fractalite is 17 centimeters wide. Fractalite is cobalt blue. Fractalite is two-dimensional”, the Djinn’s voice calmly reported from the small gas lamp below the captain’s chair.
As deep blue light flooded the cabin, he helmsman cursed, expressively, while the captain’s familiars continued:
“Awaken the Ifrit of the Engines! Evasive maneuvers!”
With a thunderous roar, the fusion torches on the long outriggers sprang to life, tearing the Thorn of course. Crewmen grunted as they were crushed into their acceleration couches or against the walls.
“Praise al-Qahhar who vanquishes all!”, the captain bellowed, this time with his own voice, and one of the acolytes took up the chant, redirecting power to the inertial dampeners.
“Fractalite now 405 meters wide. Fractalite now beyond visible spectrum, but pulsing violet. Fractalite has attained third dimension. Mass now sufficient for gravitational lensing.”
Ahead of the ship, the image of the system’s star wavered, doubled for a second, flickered, then formed into a ring around a core of absolute blackness.
And they were falling towards it, their engines defenseless against the interdimensional creature in front of them. For a second, silence fell.
Then the captain grinned, widely.
“Well, then.If we can’t go around it… Ghadir, straight at it, two degrees left. We are going to slingshot it. Set the shields.”

***

The good news was, they had somehow shaved three weeks off the journey due to time dilation. Which they promptly lost again because they had to spend all their fuel breaking from relativistic speeds or they would have shot straight out of the inner system on the other side. The bad news was that a Rukh had torn one of the outrigger nacelles from the ship and devoured it, when they couldn’t maneuver anymore to evade it and the Djinn of the Shields was resting. The fractalite’s radiation had also boiled half a meter of ice off their starboard radiation shield and restoring it meant they were now low on drinking water..
But they had made it. Ahead of everyone else.
“Structure is three point one four light seconds in diameter, captain”, the outlook reported. “Very little ordinary matter, mostly energy fields.Warning glyphs, unknown language.”
“Praise al-Aleem the All-Knowing”, the captain said, and behind him, the chants began.
The glyphs, miles high and gently glowing, blurred and resolved into calligraphy.
“Fortis Maximum Containment By Order of the Amaranthine Archive. May Contain Metastable False Vacuum. May Contain Non-Euclidean dimensions. May Contain Disinhibted Zero Point. Do not open.”
“Gentlemen”, the captain said “We are rich.”
The helmsman nodded.
“Though”, he said. “I’m wondering. Why is Ali Zaybak not here? He was the first to cross between the stars when the storms died down. He could have been here years ago.”
“Ah”. The captain nodded. “The old rogue is otherwise occupied. I know exactly where he is…”


The Tale of Ali Zaybak and the Gates of the Underworld

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e3/18/34/e318341ce1e12e4a8347ca4dc410253c.jpg
The howling of the wind was a particularly unnerving sound for the Muridun, who all had grown up on ships and stations too small to have proper weather, where a whistling sound meant the atmosphere was venting to space and they would all die in minutes.
Zaybak seemed unperturbed, as he strode forward through the knee-deep grey dust, using his glowing blue sword like a cane to pull himself along. The three young crewmembers behind him looked around anxiously, fingering triggers of their muskets. The sun was setting, a tiny red pinprick in the ashen sky. For the last week, the ghuls had unfailingly attacked every time the sun set, driven mad by hunger and the ancient spirits that clung to their minds. Everyone knew that all the land between the glass desert and the volcanic vents in the north was corpse eater territory. Coming here was madness.
Ali Zaybak, of course, was mad.
They hadn’t been able to rest for days now. At nights, the ghuls gibbered and threw themselves against the mirror shields their djinn threw up and if they lay down during the day, in the shadow of their tents, the spam-crows would begin to circle, cawing out the delights of a world that had been destroyed centuries ago at ear-shattering volumes.

Finally, Zaybak crested a small rise, where the bedrock broke through the dust and looked out. “I think we have arrived”, he said.
Before them was a small, circular valley. Somehow, no dust had gathered and so they could see what lay at the bottom: a round hatch of rusted iron, maybe two meters in diameter, surrounded by a step of crumbling concrete.
Zaybak mumbled under his breath, as he approached, and djinn-light began to dance over his hands, then arced to the door.
There was a quiet beep and a green light flashed. Then, creaking and groaning, the door split into two halves. Only darkness lay behind it.
“Behold!” Zaybak said, raising his sword like a circus master’s cane. “The Gates of the Underworld! The secrets of the Arco-Medeans lay before us!”
“But master”, one of the crewmen asked. “Didn’t the Arco-Medeans live in fantastic golden palaces? Why would their capital city be underground?”
“Ah”, Ali Zaybak smiled, warmly. “Of course, you wouldn’t know. Let me tell you the tale of Rhaenya’s Ghost and the City of the Pillars…

[To be continued]

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

0 Stars

The room was dimly lit despite the hour, a considerable ammount of curtains and coverings making sure of it. Of course, a particularly strong thought with no mental barrier up or a simple request even, would have sufficed to make her room exactly as luminous as it was needed, but she would not, not after such indignities.

She was a model guest, charming, knowledgeable, with an entourage similarly gifted. She tolerated the presence of the Null abominations (thanking every day that the "angel" wasn't interested in talking) and even engaged in talks with that dreadful theist Nima when prompted, it was in one of those talks that she found out the indignities she was subject to, The gross preference the eldest displayed, and continued to display to the machine worshippers amongst the early arrivals.

She had left planet many times after the initial conference had been back and her entourage was dismissed to most important tasks as well, but her pride did bring her back, time and time again. Until now, that a second conference was called, the only sound within her dim lit room was that of scribbling and her steps as she pranced about the room, mentally dictating her letter (physicality, she figured, would give her grievances more weight) to a transluscent little creature wielding a pen <...I ignore if there is an it big enough, go find out... ...? No, is not too much, your advice is unwanted, shut up and write> the two way train of thought was cut short as the last remaining member of the Vanguard's mission to the planet, the Doromite guard with the sparrow bind, burst in, causing Theophania and the writing critter to both turn towards it.

-"Ma'am, a message for you"- a single data-pad looking piece of biology was handed over to her.

<I've told you to use your inner voice with me August or is that spindly little shard of yours only half-decent for use as a gun?>

The sparrow narrowed its look, still directed at Theophania, but only the binder replied <Won't happen again>

She didn't bother to reply, instead staring for a moment at the new message from the eldest, before whispering "Too little too late..." incinerating the thing and letting the ashes reach the floor for their eventual reabsortion. She stared for a moment with a second motion she stomped the little writer, turning it, the page and the pen into a sort of goop.

Letting it fall down, the goop grew into both a quadruped, looking more like a table than a creature, aside from the shining orbs on its front and the translucent legs that mirrored an elephant's; and a humanoid of her size and so towering over august who stood firm.

The humanoid started grabbing the heaviest of her belongings, piling them atop the quadruped as she levitated glasses of vile fluids and other "fragiles" through the door, A few steps outside the door she a message blared on August's mind What are you standing around for? we are leaving, prompting him and the disgruntled creature on his shoulder to follow.



The Swarm

The surface of Flare-1 was at first marked by a dissonance, A planet-spanning high tech emplacement atop rocks barely deserving of mention but for possible mineral wealth below them, 10 years are a lot of time though, and even from the incredibly reduced scale of her perception when compared to that of a narrator, Theophania could see the change atop that rocky planet, life found (or engineered) a way, for one thing.

The tiny little drone organism proof enough of that, crawling away across the rugged landscape in an effort to guide her to the progenitor. Of course, she still needed a suit, the hardy and most importantly expendable critters needs and her own far different.

Eventually, they entered an underground network, tunnels designed for the upmost efficiency, with floors smooth an rocky outgrowns in the wall where the skittering legs could find a better grip and machinery seemingly jutting out at random intervals. Through manyshaped avenues they went, at times the pathways that perfectly accomodated the height of her guide leaving her no option but to "redecorate" if she was to keep up, eventually they arrived to a chamber aboveground, large and unlike the rest of the structure entirely covered with machinery and dominated by a large structure of queratine and tech that mimicked the shape of a flower bud sensing her ship nearby just as soon as she entered the chamber proper, and she cursed her choice of guide for the time wasted.

Not sooner than she did, one of the Snake shaped, large headed, psyker spawn greeted her <The great king is busy, would you pl...> A small pulsed blocked its telephaty and carried a message of her own <Silence little one, this is grown up's business>

For all her haughtiness, the coocon stopped her planned conversation in its tracks, the giant armored thing clearly designed to avoid disturbances and impervious to her attempts at reaching its insides, even through the veil, she attemptend to send a signal through the many wires that formed its only connection to the outside, earning a electric shock for her trouble, seemingly programed to deter such mettling You petulant...

her attempts to get inside the bud intensified exponentially as her regard for anyone inside it dropped, Great warp energies the structure to vibrate intensely, blurred in place until a few cables fell from their place, and the structure opened to reveal the massive form of its occupant.

Veritable tons of chitin and grasping legs tucked towards itself in stillness, massive mandibles revealed the predatory past and infighting of its race but remained equally closed, a number of tubes and machinery surrounded the creature and were in some parts accopled to him, providing the nourishment he needed. The lower part of his body fitting through a hatch to the lower floors, were it lead to birthing chambers for the drones to begin their life of servitude, sparks flew from half finished constructions worked by just such drones, worked at least until the intruder appeared.

The sight would have been nervewrecking for anything so relatively tiny and foreign to the reigning form as Theophania was, if the form was not a colleague and taht colleague was not just covered by a quickly dissipating suit and tie to fit its enormous frame, a cloud of what could only be described as living Data appearing just as the suit left. The towering form of its companion spread his legs out, Mandibles opened to speak his chittering tongue, with the thunderous sounds translated by her earpieces.

"Why must you disturb me so?"

<This will delay our work, state your intentions>

<Ka is to leave for Lettis VI, the conference is now his business and yours as well>

Preposterous, Why would we ever waste our time with such tribal nonsense?

<The secrets of the ancients are within our reach, send Alerax, or another officer>

Theophania stared in disbelief for a moment.

<Just how long have you two been sequestered here??? Alerax is already on her way to fight! and command says is either you or me again... it will not be me>

"I am to support this unit, holding a special place in the chain of command and no one with the authority to override my thoughts on how best do so has arrived. Leave us to our research"

<Should I now? should I have also left you, when the locals were awakened by your careless testing?>

<Such are the trappings of the Vanguard's unity>

<Someone outside the chain of command asked for immaterial assistance, my students, through my generosity, were allowed to help, should such generosity be avoided in the future? and we could see how many toys whatever new evil you unearth can break>

A tension lingered in the air, the duo speaking through their connection, strong enough to keep Theophania out. Whether she felt the conversation was to move against her, or she simply lost her patience, she pulled out a data slate and presented it to the pair.

<There are some that may be of interest to you>

Log quickly took over the device, absorving all the data within it and sharing it with Ka, who eventually opened his mandibles again, the chittering slightly less thunderous.

"We will attend, but we will not remain after the conference"

<Great to hear, sorry to interrupt>

Thus she left, the bud closing behind her (almost tripping her, though she decided to let it go) as skittering drones rushed to fix all infraestructure her knock knock may have damaged, the trip back was just as long as before, she remembered the path previously used but no drone seemed willing to help her find a quicker one. This time she didn't mind, the time she could use to ponder just what she could get done now, freed from previous obligations.

Lettis VI- conference

The massive creature made his way through the docking bay at an alarmingly brisk pace, unburdened as he was by the birthing chamber, a small procession of lifeforms trailed behind, crawling and creeping, in buzzing flight or carried by bigger lifeforms, the noises of life only matched by the noises of some of the implements they carried, either as extensions of their selves or in the traditional manner.

Ka I and Log avoided the actual convention like the plague, interested only in inspecting (hopefully with consent) the tech and ideas of the whoever the Muridum tribesmen sent, and those sent by the Iron Gods.

Eventually left no choice bu to hear the oppening speech, the pair only responded with a star map projected from one of their drone's many devices, several Systems were highlighted, with Heraldry of the Vanguard clearly recognizable.

occupied system+32,33,36,38,39
Rep: adored.
Mor: 5


NPCs

To the Keepers of ancient Knowledge,

Your map is a wonderful idea, and we would love to take part in it.

We understand your worries concerning the GPR, and as your work is important, we will not let such troubles stop it. Please rest assured that a more thoughtful party shall achieve control, we will help the citizens of the GRP come to their senses.

with Respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.


PCs

Zenithair,

As a personal note, Wildflower is the most endearing of the two, if your wish is for diplomacy please do have them as your spokecreature to us.

Politics, at their core are the will of those who think, and regardless of how noble the goal, no one (or no one who expects to suceed, at least) is above them, not Rainbow Tell, whose chief weapon is diplomacy, not you, who intend to use it too.

Our Unit is to make Principia a stable place where the emotional balance comes to a net positive. It aligns with your goal, for stability would certainly allow the structures to keep exploition and destruction in check to flourish and (as I'm sure you agree would be best) will hopefully outgrow the need for your organization, at least in its current form.

On the topic of a positive emotional balance, it does hurt me to hear you project such feelings of shirked duties onto us, so do let us know when you start working towards those higher goals (proving yourself, some could say) and we may be able to help.

Lead by example or be more patient when clamouring for us to do so,
-Theophania, resident tutor of applied thaumatology.


The delegate assigned has clearly grown in this last ten years, not a hint of nervousness, and a couple new scars now adorning his face. He adresses the Dr. (or whoever takes her place) on a suit very much similar to his previous one, same bracelet breaking the outfit in very much the same way.

"While the Grand Republic's current government has stated no intentions to move towards the believers, our intelligence suggests otherwise. No intervention or clash is needed, but if we start working right now, we should be able to put a party where their intentions towards you are not only clear, but benign" a hint of naivete slips into the now seasoned diplomat and his smile, as if he can't fathom a no from the believers he has been working with for the last ten years, given this situation "do you agree?"

I'm looking to get the grand republic back to neutraility or somewhere there abouts, care to help?

Greetings Sages,

It is of great concern to us that the Grand Republic has found it fit to push such... objectionable individuals to prominence, and while such a government is bound to fall on its own, I would ask for your help to ensure that such a fall comes from within its own institutions, surely some influential member of the Grand Republic vacation there, I ask but for a few words to them in favour of parties more interested in cooperation.

with Respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

I'm looking to get the grand republic back to neutraility or somewhere there abouts, care to help?

Official Greetings,

In the interest of protecting the current rule of law (quaint as it is) of the Grand republic of Principia, and the balances which it has put in place to protect the species within it, we would ask for your help in pushing the agenda of a less desruptive party within their system, or at least help us undermine the tenous hold of its current government.

With respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

I'm looking to get the grand republic back to neutraility or somewhere there abouts, care to help?

Big NPCs, for arena

I will best all others, watch.

-Alerax, Champion of Unit Z-358

(Alerax, MIL 2, will join the galactic arena)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Bheura System, 13.440.10

The endless void at the edge of Bheura’s heliosheath rippled, shifted, acquired texture and depth. The burst of exotic radiation spread as fast as light, leaving surveyors and wildcat scavengers working nearby stretches of the Kuiper Belt cursing whatever clumsy new arrivals had overcharged their jump drives and forced everyone else to re-calibrate their sensors.

A few of the more clever looters took a moment to think about just how large a ship’s engines would have to be, to be able to overcharge it to such a ludicrous degree. They started running before anyone else, leaving their peers and rivals bemused, but happy to take over their claims.

They had whole hours to enjoy them.

INANNA arrived in-system in all her glory, attended by six consorts and six times six courtiers. Even before the madness of Tiamat had boiled away in reality, autonomous systems began announcing her presence – a litany of honours and demands of supplication flooding every wavelength, hardened ansibles reaching out to every power source sensors could detect with bursts of the same. Communication indistinguishable from full-spectrum jamming.

As the goddess awakened from her protective stasis against the insanity of interstellar travel, she looked upon the system with ten thousand eyes and knew that she had no peers.

She should be exultant, she knew. For the treasures of Bheura were beyond counting, and as she digested all the posturing and petty feuds that flooded the systems noosphere, she knew that she would soon have them in hand.

And if there was little glory to the slaughter of the sector’s vermin and floatsam, she would just have to seek out opportunities to make her own.

13.440.18

Most of the pirate and scavengers already defiling the system had the basic instincts to flee soon as they became aware of INANNA’s presence. She saw the trails left as the flooded toward the Veil Gates that would take them to the safety of Iettis or Glimnir – and the afterimages left as they turned on each other like cornered rats, slaughtering any who would endanger their escape. This was good, the proper response of vermin to something grander than they could comprehend.

Those few who stayed in her path – deluding themselves that they could hide or so greedy to not leave their dig even now – were dealt with by her consorts. Mass driver rounds accelerated to a significant fraction of lightspeed, a more merciful answer than she could have chosen for their insult.

Still, she could not deny that she was please as she entered the inner system, to see a ramshackle fleet was marshalling itself to oppose her.

Pirates and mercenaries from a dozen different systems, happy to make common cause if it meant a chance to defend their loot. At at their core a flotilla of hardened raiders, cyclopean technobarbarians whose ships were nothing but brutally primitive weapon systems and engines, encased in meters of archaic steel.

It was not the battle she had dreamt of, as the reality engines around Ur cut her path through Tiamat. But it was not nothing.

Her attendants felt her anticipation, sensors shifting into their tactical arrays and riders shooting out from their berths.

It was time to demonstrate the folly of opposing a God.

13.440.20

The Battle of Bheura IV left few opportunities for clever manoeuvring. Divine sensors had detected the defending fleet massing around the system’s outermost habitable world before anyone had begun to think of formations or ambushes, and simply adjusted vectors to burn directly toward them. Given the discrepancy in firepower, INANNA felt no need to disperse her own forces.

The defenders – a rag-tag collection of Athan pirates, Garnutcktu mercenaries, and the truly unfortunate humans with the bad luck to call the system home – split their fleets in two. From the com chatter they still believed was encrypted, they planned that the heavier Athan ships would tie up the Urrite fleet while the rest, kept hidden safe behind Bheura IV’s moons, would be able to loop around and hit them from above and below without them being able to respond.

Had she a face, INANNA would have grinned. She was almost tempted to let them try. Victory would still be preordained, but the challenge of doing so without losses would at least be diverting. But she had already made enough concessions. Better to end this quickly.

Her fleet had grown many times over as it prepared to engage, riders deploying from two of her consorts and jetting forward in squadrons. Her courtiers either falling into mesmerisingly complex orbits around her to ensure she remained sacrosanct or else rushing to their own engagement range. Clouds of drones took wing from her own hangers, the missile barrages from another two of her consorts joining them to form an oncoming tide of ruin. Ahead of it all were dozens upon dozens of mass driver rounds, launched at such extreme ranges that even with their truly obscene speeds they did more to restrict the enemy’s manoeuvring than to actually harm them.

Some minutes latter she would hear their panicked communications as they realized the real magnitude of what they were facing, beyond even the most suicidally stubborn fool’s ability to doubt. But they still believed that what they fought was like them, if grander in every respect.

INANNA took pity on them. They deserved to die knowing they never had a chance.

Carefully contained antimatter generators spun into overdrive as her whole body began to glow with an unearthly light. Her escorts broke their orbits to establish a safe distance, their systems not hardened enough to bear routine exposure to the radiation boiling off of her. The buildup continued for ten minutes, reaching a crescendo when she was bright enough to ruin every delicate sensor for light-minutes around. Of course, by then the weapon had already fired.

The Tachyon Lance was an acausal weapon, striking faster than light, an energy field that impacted it’s targets minutes before anything had created it. It took more energy to power than some industrial economies, and would be totally impossible to house on anything smaller than a War God. But as INANNA saw her enemies left blind and helpless, their shields and sensors and engines overwhelmed and shattered, she could not think of anything in the galaxy she would rather have.

From there the battle unfolded like clockwork. The Athan craft were butchered by torpedo boots and destroyers before a single one was able to repair their systems, while she and the better part of her court flowed around the inconvenient moons, enveloping and crushing the remaining enemies as they had dreamt of doing to her. Her courtiers trilled with pleasure as they assured her not a single survivor had escaped.

The inhabitants of Bheura IV quaked with terror as they looked to the sky and saw the explosions that signalled their total helplessness. But they were insignificant, not even a million half-civilized mortals. Hardly worth the effort of this expedition.

And so they were left to consider their terror, as the Goddess turned toward her prize.

Bheura Prime, 13.440.45

INANNA pulled the trigger of her arc javelin as she slammed it into the back of the Athan’s head, moments before he reached the demolition trigger he’d been crawling for. Inanna-Allul-One-Esk-Five did, properly. A fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the Godhead, clothed in mortal flesh. But with her temple in close orbit and open communications, the distinction was academic.

The cyclopean savage died twitching, thousands of volts coursing through it’s half-uplifted brain. Not exactly what the weapon had been designed for, but it served admirably. Thirty-two more of her mortal shells spilled into the subterranean chamber moments latter, ready to salvage things is she had failed.

Terrestrial operations had never interested her as voidcraft did, truthfully, but the past weeks had been an interesting challenge. No orbital bombardment, no artillery, no heavy fire at all – nothing that might damage the vaults or their contents. Nothing but maneuver and infiltration, hunting down and isolating every dug in group of vermin and securing whatever treasures they had been in the process of desecrating.

The war would take months, at least, but this had been the most promising prize. Eight hundred barbarians excavating a site hundreds of meters below the earth, armed to the teeth with weaponry beyond any of their arts. And now they were dead, and their prize was hers. (Digging them out had taken the expending of thousands of corpse soldiers, and she was left gladdened that the system’s other worlds have such conveniently accessible populations to replace them).

She looked into the tunnel, where their excavations met preexisting architecture. In a moment of vanity, she queried the days-old reports of her peers efforts, her now idle strategy engines spinning projections of how their victories would compare.

On Cyteen, fire and plague. A bioengineered workforce with their conditioning broken and their passions roused for blood, already forming nations and falling on each other like beasts now that their old masters were gone, the most favoured handed bound demons and weapons they couldn't understand to turn upon their rivals. The world would be an abattoir before it would welcome the Divine, but its famous gene libraries and cloning vats had already been secured, and so Heaven was content with such progress.

On Zoroaster a grand confrontation in the Arch magos’ palace, an Angelic ambassador denouncing their decaying idols and extorting the assembled priests to accept a divinity worthy of the name. The groundwork already laid, this will catalyze the brewing crisis. Every one of them knows the mercy offered will not last, should she or her sisters need to reiterate the message. There will be blood in the throne room before they accept, but not much of it. An industrial world and untouched moons and asteroids, taken without loss.

On Kirshain, a blunder. A telegraphed landing giving the Mri scholar-mystics ample time to vanish into their hills and warrens, their famous murder-savants in tow. Another half-decade of insurgency until enough of them are taken alive to serve their newborn soul, all while the infrastructure to house it is built from scratch on the wild world. Doubly shameful to her sister, as the Mri were judged beautiful, and the troubles would mean at least another decade before the demand for them as champions and heralds could be met.

And so she knew, as she walked into the near-pristine Archo-Medean vault, that her victory had been the greatest after all.

Weapons. Battlesuits. Tanks and gunships. Computers. Cybernetics. Things she couldn’t determine the use of. Enough to outfit an army – or take apart and reverse engineer a dozen times over.

A drone appeared from beneath them as she walked in, rugged and solidly put together compared to the Athan’s other work. Four of her other selves had their rifles up in an instant, but it wasn’t hostile. Not after another few moments, anyway – its system might as well have been totally unsecured, and the cables run down from the surface left INANNA with more than enough of a connection to hack it. And so when it spoke, it addressed her as it’s returning master.

“Greetings captain! Automated surveying is estimated to be 70% complete. This program has catalogued 261 unique Archo-Medean artifacts in this chamber, and found 7 secured areas considered likely to lead to additional vaults. Current seismic surveys estimate this complex occupied an area of roughly 5 kilometres in each dimension with 80% confidence. Do you have any new requests?”

INANNA was, at that moment, living through some twenty thousand mortal shells. And every one of them smiled, serotonin rushing through them as she granted herself the indulgence of vicarious glee.

The war wasn’t over.
But she had just won.

Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



The Gods are not tamed beasts, to be goaded and baited so you might impress your audience with the appearance of a fight without any of its risk. In the future, any declarations of war or other diplomatic insults will be responded to.

But your past insults can be forgiven, if you are sincere. The Gods have no objection to establishing the star of Kutath as a demilitarized zone in present circumstances, and would be content to work with your agents to leave it to its natives.

Given their proximity, a joint warning to the scavenger-mystics would seem prudent. Though given your message to them, Heaven’s ambassadors are left unsure whether you would prefer to keep this treaty discrete.





While you are welcome to the ruins and desolation you have claimed for yourself, let this be a reminder that systems [62, 63, 64] have been claimed for the glory of heaven. Migrating through them will be considered a tresspass against the Gods, and punished accordingly.





I’d say a private meeting might be worthwhile but I don’t suppose two dreadnoughts in close orbit of the same moon is exactly low-profile either, is it?

So don’t say anything that will really annoy the tree-hugging primitivists, I suppose.

But agreed. I suppose it would be gauche to say that the appeal of the Trust has lessened quite a bit now that we actually have the vaults? If the whole idea dies a forgotten death, none of the Gods are going to mind.

Now, as to strong allies – did you have something in mind?

-Asharra





Greetings, Eldest and most learned Sage,

The Gods have little attachment to Bheura in itself, but in the course of securing it, discoveries were made that absolutely demand full investigation. It will take between twenty and thirty years to do so, depending on available resources. After the investigation is complete, they would be happy to give you the system in exchange for some reasonable concession or compensation.

Your ships are more than welcome to pass through Bheura to claim the worlds beyond. Though if you plan to war upon the Jurists a warning would be appreciated.
The vaults sadly have little that will allow for investment into the Trust – the full worth of the system is [1 mor, 2 mil, 2 sci], none of which will allow for investment. The Gods remain amenable to the concept, but quite simply lack the industrial capacity to provide an equivilent amount in energy or tradable goods, even without any other obligations.

An alliance is another very appealing prospect, though unfortunately the necessity of securing the borders of Heaven against the Gaskian barbarians mean that it will not be possible to move forward with it for at least another few years.





On behalf of the Gods, salutations and greetings.

First, a matter of curiosity – some among the Divine wish to know how you intent to treat the populations that have come under your yoke. Can you make humans into golems as well, despite their lack of natural witchcraft?

Second, a matter of business – the reach of Heaven is grand, but in the next years Ur and the new conquests lack the available resources to match the Divine ambition. Now that a border has been established, the Gods would a small mercenary force, or the labor of some among your scientists. The manner of their reward can be as you desire.


Looking to trade for 1 mil and/or 1 sci, offering psi, mor, esp or eco in return

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

Grand Conference
The Eldest felt a pang of sorrow at its apparently lost relationship with Theophania. The small ones could be so impatient. It would have to remember that a decade might feel like a blink of an eye, but it was a significant portion of their lives.

Looking at the chart the new Vanguard representative had present the Eldest sent a neural impulse to grow a projector in the center of the conference space. A map of the sector flashed up with the current projected borders displayed. Several additional systems were highlighted in Sage purple.

"We Sages will endeavor to bring the peoples of these systems into the arms of galactic civilization. We hope there are no objections. Indeed more than that we are preparing the formation of an organization for the monitoring of both native people and ecologies to ensure that neither are disrupted by their inclusion into the wider community. We hope that anyone who wishes will join us in this"

"There is one other matter. The Grand Republic of Principia has turned notably hostile in recent years. We are concerned both for their non human citizens and the members of their opposition parties. We would ask that they allow us to send an envoy to provide aid and solace to those that are doing poorly under their current state of affairs."

Claiming 1,2 74, and of course my existing systems.

It has come to our attention that there is some confusion regarding the details of the Trust dividends. To clarify the Host of the Trust will have no control over the resources of the Trust beyond any other shareholder except once at the point of initial completion when they designate the initial shareholders.

Once shareholders are appointed the Trust itself will distribute all of its dividends to each shareholder regardless of distance. No resources will pass through the Host except those they are entitled to as a shareholder.

Dear Triune, the All-Code,

We are greatly interested in this mapping project. It is fully aligned with our priorities. It is simply unfortunate that the sector trade networks are still fragmented leaving us unable to assist you at this time. We would promise to set aside some of our energies for the project. But unfortunately we did just that for Equilibrium Incorporated, and it proved to be a wasted effort. We feel it would be more beneficial for us to turn our energies inward, and then use our reinvigorated assets to assist you then. We hope that you will understand our position on this.

As to your other favor that we can help with. You are not the first to approach us about the Grand Republic, and we have our own concerns about their new outlook. We are uncertain how succesful we will be, but we will certainly attempt to convince them to set aside their xenophobia.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings Covenant of the Ninety,

We are curious as to your long term plans. With your access to the tidings of the future surely you have greater insight into the sector than anyone else. So we wonder what you plan to do with that information.

To a Curious Future
The Eldest

Greetings Lunara Collective,

We seem to have gotten somewhat sidetracked in the conference with the ideas of territory and oversight, but we are still quite interested in your take on the sector. How do you plan to promote harmony and consensus to the many fractious peoples of the sector.

To a Curious Future
The Eldest

Greetings Vanguard Corps,

We fully agree with you on this matter. We have noted that their Garnutcktu population seems to have sharply decreased in voter participation for no apparent reason. We would not normally intercede in another polities internal matters, but the Totalist party seems to have a history of unseemly dealings in regard to non humans. We cannot help but suspect foul play. They do unfortunately seem to be quite well entrenched however. We are not certain how much we could influence a change in their party.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings to the Iron Gods,

We have no intention of warring on the Judiciary Cooperative. We simply did not know of their intention to claim the system as we did not believe them capable of utilizing the mining outposts in the system. We had hoped to establish a trade link with them and the eastern trading block, but with their claim on (44) and the Vanguard claim on (39) we have deemed this infeasible. We will instead leave them to form the link themselves and turn to (2) in order to connect with the Chronarkate.

As for the vaults of Bheura Prime we have a solution. Namely we offer you a portion of our psionic might in exchange for some or all of the output of the vault. This would allow you to invest in the Trust, and we are in fact in some need of military aid in order to secure our borders.

We are willing to revisit the matter of an alliance in the coming years.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 4
Rep Awed


We at the Unity Party would love to have the contestants fight in our lands. The desolate lands of our homeworld make for a challenging climate for combat and we have a considerable amount of infrastructure in the food basket region free for any retinue or viewers who wish to see the fights going on.





Good greetings to you,

To answer your question, they are already unified. *A video is sent first showing a planet with a strange number of craters. Zooming in it focuses on a massive building with a long line up of people waiting to get in and robots coming out. Various decorations are around calling for celebration of Unification day and the air seems festive. Despite the festive air, there definitely seems to be fewer people than a city this size should have and various heavily armored robots walk among the crowd.* Every being once intelligent, has a soul. The process is certainly less effective on races with weaker psionics or soul intelligence potential (SIP for short). From experimentation we have found, a higher SIP being can control more complex bodies while a stronger psionic presence allows for the possession of more bodies. This can even be done with purely mechanical beings but until their psionic abilities are unlocked it serves little to no purpose, being able to possess exactly one body though perhaps more complex than the one they were originally built in due to a tendency to have an extremely high SIP. We highly suggest the development of psionics for future growth. You could easily grow well beyond singular planets with psionics or even if you just develop an uninterruptible and instantaneous communication system.

We are more than happy to let you use some of our scientists. We would like of your psionics in return. We are also capable of granting you better trading capability if you wish to trade with others.


Offering to lower your trade penalties by 1 allowing you to trade with Murudin if you really wanted to.




We have no problem with you taking 2. The current territory we seek to claim in 6, 11, 16, 18 and all encircled territories with in. We should also be sending a delegate to the conferences soon if that is acceptable.

Have a good year,
Unity

[Eldan]

Muridun [Mor 7]

Playground Fight [To the Gamemasters of the Fotuan Meritocracy, Public]
Peace be upon you, Gamemasters

As a peaceful nation, we do not seek the glory of the arena for ourselves. However, we understand well that in such tense times as these, many will look forward to the opportunity, both as a diversion and a training opportunity.
Therefore, in the spirit of cooperation and friendship with the other nations of the sector, we wish to offer The Playground, a recently settled system, as the arena.
The system offers many advantages: there are barely any civilians, and those can be evacuated in time if necessary, so that even large-scale weapons will hopefully not endanger anyone. Furthermore, by offering the entire system up to combat, we hope to add strategic and tactical depth to the entire affair, so that what could otherwise be a short battle could be an engagement spanning planets and lightminutes. And, of course, the local flora, fauna, twisted space-time, rampant experiments escaping from quarantine and assorted monsters will proof an interesting challenge to the combatants.
Finally, we offer the use of Djnn familiars to all combatants, which would provide running commentary and live streams from all ongoing events.

We hope that you will seriously consider this proposal and respond positively and soon.
Inshallah


To the UEO/Gask Triad [Public]
Yes. Of course. You have seen through our facade. We are, in fact, secretly cooperating with the Iron Demiurges of Ur, because we can not await the moment when our bodies and souls are ripped apart and forcefully added to the living hell of their totality. If there is one thing the Muridun stand for, it is heresy and false idols.

Our motivation could not possibly be that we mourn the death of a rich and deeply spiritual culture, felled not just in war, as they would have wanted, but by treason from their brothers.

But by all means, if you wish to talk, we are game.

OOC: Got a spare VIP this turn, if you want to take this to PMs.


The Numinuos Secreteriat [Public]
Thank you for your understanding. We hope that our transgressions are seen as the innocent mistakes that they are and that we can enjoy continuing good relationships.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Dearest FM,

Many thanks for your response and consideration. As I have said before it would be a signal honour for us to host your grand games. As to debating with the Grand Republic...well they're not the ones making the choice. You are. And at the very least, they should also make sure they address their messages properly. Thankfully for them you were able to receive the message despite the spelling mistake.

As to a reason why we should instead of them...well first of all, our proposal was much better considered and presented. Some recently terraformed caldera? Where's the sense of theatre and drama? Are the fighters supposed to face off against a bland brown background? No! The stage must be equal to the show and the show must be equal to the hosts. Besides, how much better would it be when eventually during the dramatic final bout, half the arena and the broken piece of planet it stands upon is broken by the titanic struggle of the gladiators?

And the less said of the the offer of the Muridun the better. How are pacifists expected to appreciate and set up a good blood sport?

As you may know from our culture, we put great store by the performing arts and this would be another great show with an appropriate sense of drama. We also have a history of military flair. After all it's not just about beating your enemies, it's about making enough of a show of it that the others watching don't dare oppose you.

Kind regards,
Administrator Banbabus Flint.




Dear Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps,

Many thanks for the communique, however, as of now we find ourself unable to engage in trade with you. We look forward to being linked with you via a common border if you capture sector 36 within the next decade. Although we would not presume to instruct you in strategy, it is our belief that such an action would not be in time to prevent whatever schemes the new government puts together. Any such action may have long term consequences. We are not sure we would ultimately condone unilateral interference in the political workings of another faction without provocation. In the instance of provocation we would merely respond in kind or assist you in such an exercise.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.



Jabato seems to have returned on video. He speaks quickly.

Alright Ashara I like you. Straight talker. I'll be brief before that infernal woman gets back. Yeah two big magnificent girls crowding the same system isn't as discreet, it's also a bit of. Tell you what...Why don't you do the talking and I'll let you know when you've got the idea. You're a smart one. The best way to direct attention way from that is a distraction.

Jabato out.



Dear Eldest,

We appreciate the clarification. Of course as you have noted, we do not currently share borders. It is our intention to occupy the relevant sector that will allow trade to commence in the coming years.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[Eldan]

The Muridun [Mor 7]
To Equilibrium Incorporated, the Unity Party

Esteemed Members of the Board and Representatives of the Unity Party,

After careful consideration, we think that we can come to an understanding in regard to the buy-out of Equilibrium.

It is our proposal, subject to further negotiation, that the Muridun will renounce all claims on the Equilibrium Incorporated brand name as well as all their subsidiaries and the system of Uquol VII and any rights to trade under those names or make use of any EI patents. In exchange, we will acquire all moveable monetary assets and resources currently in possession of EI or their subsidiaries and extend to Mars von Quet the offer to join the Great House of his choice as Economic Advisor.

Mariana bint-Naiwal, in the names of Houses Ghanbari, Sekh, Prakash, Mbarek and Osman, and all the righteous among the Disciples of God's Throne

OOC: the proposed split is:
To the Unity Party: 1 Mor, 1 Victory point, the Uquol VII system, the Balancing the checkbook LTP
To the Muridun: 3 Eco, Mars von Quet (Eco VIP 2)

[Writtensanity]

It had never felt comforting, seeing something writing in space. To Chartrad, vines reaching out into the black were usually synonymous with victory, but that didn't stop the from feeling, wrong. Plants just weren't supposed to be out here, they were only a marginal improvement to the shining metal of half a dozen scrapped orbital stations.

Chartrad had been on the recycling crew for years. The reality of aggressive UEO initiatives was that, without proper maintenance after, they were liable to cause just as many environmental issues as the things they were stopping. Afterall, destroying a pipeline only worked if you also stopped the flow of magmatic core minerals that was feeding it.

That said, after years, Chartrad had never gotten used to working with Dr. Lithany.

Chartrad had been around for the old school days of the Solarsects, back when everything had been scrappy and violent. People died back in those days. There were losses as the mines collapsed and factories shattered. When They'd teamed up with the Entradi Liberation Movement, everything became suddenly sterile.

They'd had their warnings. Stay at range. Bombard. Wait for the plants to take care of the rest.

Chartrad had talked about missing the old days, but only with other old guard. The new kids, the ones they'd recruited on Centinari, were too used to that sort of activism. They had fought on THEIR planet, but this had barely been a fight. Apparently things had been rougher on that moon in Pritodono, but Veriyr had told Chartrad that and that made it... well it came from Veriyr.

Just as Chartrad was collecting himself back from his thoughts and restarting his plasma cutter, there was a notification on his H.U.D, a message from the lead of his division.

Prep to move. 3 days. Finish current jobs.

That was... sudden. The Principia initiative was supposed to be more expansionist than other UEO initiatives but he Chartrad didn't think he would have time to see the second planetfall.

One of the writhing vines snapped at Chartrad's cutter and almost snatched it from his hand. There were a lot of things different about Principia........

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png

All Messages Sent at Morale 5 Unless Otherwise Specified: REPUTATION, NEUTRAL




The message that comes into the possession of Dr. Warrant is haphazard, spread amongst dozens of unencrypted messages that, aside from being sent directly to Dr. Warrant, seem to have no connection. After the last has arrived, a small parcel arrives in controlled space. A decryption key.

From the Wildflower collective.

We were offering something a little more, interesting than a simple creation of more bastards. Rather we were looking into a direct cloing method that could be used by both of our factions. We are also one of a kind, and cannot breed with others.

The process would likely take some time to afford, but depending on the needed materials, the UEO is capable of... rallying willing clients.

Yours

Wildflower.





You're correct in understanding our offer.

You need to understand that our encryption breaking is a closely guarded secret. That said, we can assure you that there is only 1 current power that would be beyond our reach. The Iron Gods of Ur.

Use that information how you would like.

As for the payment, what do you think is a fair offer for us footing the bill for your espionage? Make us an offer or we can comfortably take our services elsewhere.

Consider it.





You do not negotiate with Terrorists, gladly we are not a terrorist organization. The UEO is a intergalactically recognized federation and any implication otherwise is slander.

Considering your complete disregard for our standing and your values... a simple ultimatum.

Should the War Party or the Totalist Party rise to power in the next decade, we will have no choice other than to declare Total War on the Grand Republic. We implore the peoples of the Republic to choose wisely and consider their current political choices.





You will see in time. We have already brought more planets under our protection, but you will see powers come to heel under our influence. Principia will be free from the greed that would choke it.





You are not noble as the beasts that you slander, but your understanding is agreeable, if surprising.

A joint warning to them would be prudent in terms of avoiding direct conflict with the Mystics, but seeing as they are already making headway into UEO dominated space, we would also happily leave their misguided faithful to an unfortunate fate of breaking a treaty they were unaware of. Missed messages can be as critical as sent ones;

Wildflower.





We consider the encrypted messages closed doors.

Simply put any claim to any of the following star coordinates 57,56,55,54,50,48,49,47 will put you at War with the UEO, it is only our moral obligations that prevent us from putting additional claim on the territory you swept into and conquering the forces that you left there without significant shields.

Caution, the border between the UEO and the Iron Gods is likely inhospitable, you may wish to look the other way for safe havens.





You seem to be making some friendly investments with the Iron Gods, and some other parties. We'd state that we want in on the investment but it seems like some of the opinion surrounding your investment is souring. Consider it some friendly advice from a interested party severely disappointed in the company you're keeping.

We'd suggest a conversation with the investors to ensure that you're not left holding the bag for the initiative that you were trying to start. Maybe think about some less... openly hostile investors in the future.





The message is attached to the tail end of one of the more inane messages sent between the two factions

This is the most frustrating game of telephone I've ever seen. But the Judiciary collective isn't wrong that the Gods doing the talking would prevent us from quite understanding the current status for the time being. Disappointing performance from us really.

Considering the talk of Allyship we're also wondering the terms you're working with. Always good to keep up on politics, keeps us from becoming the Grand Republic

- Zenitair





It is interesting that we can wrest multiple replies out of parties that we're at war with, but cannot get a message back from some of the most advanced beings on the planet.

We repeat our previous messages about the mining impact of the Unity Party's methods of life.

Additionally, we suspect that your claims are going to come to a head with the Crusader, it's unlikely that a faction that is as expansionist as them will take kindly to a claimed border being wrought within a single space of their home worlds. It just seems like it would be an out of character move for them to accept that.

We would suggest that you either continue your work to find a way to work with the Iron Gods despite your shared crippled trade systems, or speak to Anteres before they rain starfire on you.

Onto business:

The Unity Party is currently in a tight situation when it comes to neighbors. We were simply curious if you would consider culling some of your mining practices (we can disassemble the equipment for you.) for a more open relationship with UEO, hopefully the political idea of working with a second organization can prevent some more aggressive actions from your... interesting associates.

Let us know,

Wildflower





Seeing as it's in vogue: The UEO is claiming the following systems under our ecological protection. Movement towards those systems will be considered an aggressive action, occupying these systems for more than a decade will be considered an act of war.

A list of coordinates follows: OOC 57,56,55,54,50,48,49,47





The video presents a somber looking Dr. Lithany with the rubble of Orbital stations around Midonia conspicuously in view.

"I told myself I'd never fight for the Meritocracy again, but you bastards have enough cash to save marginally more lives than you destroy in a day. I'll fight for the UEO.

Dr. Lithany climbs into a Valkyrie MK523 Battlesuit from her days as a bio-weapons expert under the empire. Her old callsign, Flourish, is inscribed on the modified cannons.





Sending 2 SCI and 2 TEMP SCI into Verdance Unbound Installation

Sending Dr. Lithany to the Tournament Arc

Setting Reputation of Awed.

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 8
Rep Feared

Will be sending 1 Sci to the Ruins of Urruk.

Qualrani (Tier 1 Mil VIP) and her elite bodyguard will be attending the competition.

[Eldan]

Muridun, Midturn [GM only]

I'm making a full investment in Rhaenya's Ghost this turn. 6 Sci and Ali Zaybak (VIP 2), should clear 10 floors.

And unless I get betrayed over this, we're confederating and splitting Equilibrium as described above:

To the Unity Party: 1 Mor, 1 Victory point, the Uquol VII system, the Balancing the checkbook LTP
To the Muridun: 3 Eco, Mars von Quet (Eco VIP 2)

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God

Morale 7


Phridrian-Rhan wears the same orange silks he always has. He looks rather sweaty. More so than usual. His hover-chair-a staunch mobilitty aid-is gold plated, not actual gold.

"Erm. Yes. Yes that would." He regains some of his composure. It firms up his chins a bit. "Our intel, such as it could be called, indicates they plan to make on your claims. Cooperation would benifit us all, I should think."


I have esp and psi to toss your way. And whatever exploring yeilds this turn. They told me that they plan on taking [25] & [32]. Whats your intelligence saying?




Dr. Warrant [Lvl. 1 Sci VIP] & 4 other mad scientists [Sci 4] will delve into the ruins of Isotropa-Lost
2 esp, 1 psi to adjust the Republic's reputation positively
Nufai Hapaxia (Lvl. 1 Mil VIP) will atend the Foutani's Tourney on behalf of the Believers

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Haven

Asharra had stayed on Haven for the past decade, the ambassadorial ship still in orbit proving to have sophisticated communications arrays, and serving as a de facto embassy through which the vast majority of the Gods diplomatic correspondence was carried out, without fear of foreign contamination touching the gardens of Heaven.

Physically, she did not seem to have aged a day. But for those who interacted with her regularly it was easy to see the years on the luxurious resort planet had effected her – acting more like a person and less like a medium for recorded messages, except in the most formal circumstances, increasingly common glimpses of a personality, the hints of a sense of wit and humour.

As the opening session of the renewed congress began, she waited her turn before standing to speak.

“With respect to the learned Eldest Sage, on behalf of the Gods of Ur I must demand that any trespass on the borders of the Grand Republic only occur with their own permission, or as part of an acknowledged act of aggression. It is the right of princes to make war and rule their subjects as they wish, until the day of their kingdoms destiny and apotheosis arrives. The Republic’s anarchic method of succession does not lesson it’s rulers sovereignty. If anyone truly objects to their idiosyncrasies, I’m sure the Kramagorian ambassador would have no objection to notarizing a declaration of war.

Now, speaking for myself, I’m happy to see all the responsible powers of the sector having chosen to learn from the Gods and follow their example in publicly stating their claims. I admit it’s something of a pleasant surprise to see so little conflict over each of our patron’s ambitions, as well.

Ambassador Ka, does your prince intend to make war on the human republic for star system 32? At present it seems the only potential flashpoint. “

https://i.imgur.com/QRe4wOp.jpg

Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



The offer is appreciated. The Gods see little chance that the scavengers will be able to provide the strong arms required, but an offer will be extended. You shall be informed if your generosity can be used, of course.

Will it possible to make the scientists available for an expiation within the solar year? A certain matter uncovered in the Bheura system has been decreed to be of the highest possible priority to investigate.

Send me the sci for midturn for exploring, plz




Aside from the matter of borders, the Gods would like to extend an olive branch. The puppetmasters and dollmakers of Cania have graciously offered to enable trade between your merchant-princes and Heaven.

The Gods have need of mercenaries, to secure their walls against the barbarians to the east. For your service, you may name the manner of your payment.

thanks to the generosity of the Unity Party, trade between us is possible for the turn. So, any chance I can hire a point of mil off of you in exchange for eco, esp or mor?




There’s nothing agreed to yet. But if you’re worried about the entire Galactic north being divided down the middle, don’t be. Not that you aren’t thoroughly repulsive on just about every metric, but there are better uses for our fleets, at the moment.

That might change if you keep trying to whisper poison into the Sages’ ear, however. What exactly are you intending with them, anyway?

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Herald of the Gods




1. And now I worry this Zenitair is playing us and able to read everything after all. But a risk we’ll have to take.

2. But arranging some private communications channels might be worthwhile in the near future. Once our respective corners of the map are filled in, anyway – if the ability to read diplomatic correspondence is already being offered for a fee, it seems imprudent to plan a war through it. And there are a few groups whose claims might exceed what they can be trusted with.

3. Some options certainly seem to presenting themselves for a profitable partition, anyway.
4. The obvious solution is simply turn on the Sages ourselves, but I admit there’s not a huge amount of apetite for that. They’ve been entirely obliging, after all. And the Gods are already embroiled in one phony war, the resources fighting would cost would be much more profitably spent elsewhere for the next decade or two.

5. Ideally fomenting some crisis to thoroughly draw away everyone’s attention would be ideal. I don’t suppose there’s anyone you’re superiors have taken enough offence to to do something drastic with, recently?

6. The Murudin certainly seem like a weak link as well. They’ve been stubbornly included in all the planning for this Trust, without ever deigning to reply. And given their position, it’s incredibly easy to imagine a border dispute in the next decade or two.

7. Or there’s always the possibility of throwing some oil into the fire and exacerbating the little scandal that the new mob of mortals that got elected in the south-east have caused. Not particularly clear on what people are actually angry about, but it can’t be that hard to make it worse? We’ll be undertaking a diplomatic ploy (‘backfiring’ missionary scripts) to try and keep the current government in power, anyway. No cost, some potential upside, keeps two of the three likeliest potential long term threats focused on their own back yard.

8. The final possibility is simply proving the Gaskites fears entirely correct. But my patrons really would prefer to tie up their current obligations before campainging against anyone who can actually fight back (not in those words, but you know).




Unfortunately all of the military might at the Gods disposal will be required for their own security in the coming years. The Gaskites posturing has made it seem prudent to keep defences raised, which has increased the portion of available resources necessary to expand at an acceptable pace. In fact they were curious whether you might be able to trade the services of some of your own warrior-vassals.

They will still in principle be able to contribute a good deal to the Trust, though the exact amount does depend on the outcome of the great expiditon currently being planned.

That said, there is some trepidation towards investing in it, at the moment. The Judiciary seems less than enthusiastic and the Murudin have yet to respond to a single message regarding the particulars. It does leave one concerned whether they might be pouring resources into a stillborn idea.

As a final note – the Gods entirely support your territorial ambitions, but some do worry if you are not being overmodest. The few systems you have claimed will leave you outnumbered by many who might wish you ill, and exposed on every side.




The message is handwritten by one of the former fire priests of Zoroaster, with ink on vellum, sealed in an airtight canister and with a photograph of its contents provided as well. It is delivered specifically to those factions which orbital analysis has determined were likely fighting on the side of spreading the faith, in the warfare incited by the Kramagorians several years ago.


To the Grandmaster Administrator of the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos, or the legal and legitimate authorities acting in their absence.

I write on behalf of the Iron Gods of Ur (and lately of Cyteen, Kirshain, Bheura and Zoroaster as well). In years past, an unfortunate misunderstanding has led to ill feeling between your orders and them. I hope to correct this.

The Gods are forces for order in the chaos of Principia, and care deeply that information never be lost or destroyed. They have already taken it upon themselves to declare that any who attack you will face their wrath as well.

If it is at all possible, I write hoping to establish a process that will lead to future peace and cooperation, and a rightously and eternally ordered sector, where nothing is ever lost.

Does this seem possible?

Your obedient servant,
Kir-Adad, Acolyte of AHURA, Herald of the Gods





A sudden spurt of invasive malwar throughout the Grand Republic threatening the horrible consequences of damnation to those who don’t work tirelessly to bring up machine singularities and robot apoclaypses on their homeworlds has the opposite of the ostensibly intended effect, spurring the paranoid and xenophobic sentiment that maintains the Totalist grip on power. Because it’s funnier this was. a good distraction.

If the Unity Party comes through, 10 Science into the Black Altar in 77. If not, 9

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

Grand Conference
The Eldest's bioform nods its head, "Of course we would never interfere with another polity beyond what they have deemed to be acceptable. Which is why we asked that they grant us access to send an envoy to provide aid. We will only do so if they agree and to the extent allowable under the laws of the Grand Republic."

We believe it is time to move to the accounting of the Trust's funding. It is all well and good to agree in principle, but the longer the Trust lays dormant the less it will benefit any of us.

We propose the following.
Turn 2: Iron Gods 5, Muridun 5, Sages 5
Turn 3: Iron Gods 5, Muridun 5, Sages 10, Judiciary 10.

This will complete the Trust. We are willing and capable of making sufficient trades to ensure that all parties can meet their obligations on (Turn 2). We are aware that the Judiciary may not be able to fully fund an investment of (10), and are willing to loan them (5) in order to ensure the Trust becomes active more quickly though it may impact are ability to make other trades. In addition the Iron Gods will invest the remainder of the proceeds from Bheura Prime no later than (Turn 5) in order to fulfill their responsibility as Holder of Bheura Prime.

If you have objections to this plan please raise them now. Although do note that we see little alternative if the Trust is become a viable entity on a meaningful timescale.

If you do not wish to meet these commitments then please say so now. We understand that plans change and the benefits may seem less substantial or worthwhile now that the immediate urgency to take Bheura Prime is gone. We will bear you no ill will if you do not wish to continue with the Trust. However we are taking on a large part of the burden of ensuring the Trust is operational quickly, and if you will excuse my non diplomatic language we will regard anyone who commits verbally but not physically with a rather great portion of ill will.

We thank you for the warning. It is something we had been worried about, but we will continue to think the best of everyone involved until they prove unworthy of our trust. If you wish to invest in our venture we will support your claim. Especially if one of the current parties declines to commit to the venture.

In fact we could lend you the services of some of our guardians. We have some contacts with friendly merchants that would allow us to retain some supplementary mercenaries at a reduced rate if we use their services. So it would be beneficial all around. What are you offering in exchange?

We admit to some worry about the Trust. The Judiciary's hesitance is understandable given that they lack the ability to even commit currently, but we had anticipated at least some input from the Muridun. Their withdrawal would put the Trust on shaky grounds. Understand that we still wish to pursue the Trust, but if it fails to draw enough support would the Gods be willing to pursue an alternative arrangement?

As for territory we do not see any alternative. We do not wish to cause strive by disputing the territorial claims of another star polity, and there is very little unclaimed territory left except that between ourselves and the Muridun. We could certainly claim(69) and (72), but we believe the Muridun would have quite reasonable objections if we did as it would leave them cut off and hard pressed to expand.

We do note that it is not as exposed as it appears however. Given the current boundaries we would only have the Muridun, Unity Party, Judiciary Collective, and your own Gods for neighbors. All of whom we are on relatively good terms with bar the Unity Party, and they are at worst neutral to us given their lack of objections to our claims.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Letis VI- Haven

Ka I and Log watched with measured interest (a large measure, that is), Ashara's contribution towards the current proceedings, they turn towards eachother at the final question, seemingly taken aback by the sudden attention, sucessfully avoiding the nuances of possible foreshadowing when the angel spoke of the Republic's unstable government.

Almost at the moment eye contact was made, Log spoke, a gentle tint of static audible behind its calm voice "There is time yet, until such a course becomes the only one worthy of consideration, our hope is that diplomacy can settle the matter beforehand."

Reputation: Adored.
morale: 5

We hold no doubt about it.

If enough of your resources are free, we would like to request some aid. As you appear to have expertise in propaganda and hold no love for the Totalists, you may be interested in helping us support some of the other parties, were perhaps enough influence can push through Totalist scare tactics and bring about the victory of a less harmful government.

With kindness,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps

Probably already saw this but I'm trying to get the Grand Republic as good as I can through rep manipulation this midturn, interested?

Edited this in: I had missed you already posted your midturn though I think editing those before the deadline is fair game, since nobody but cultist sees them anyway.

Jul kept up his kind smile, as warranted by Phridrian-Rhan's agreement,

"Glad you agree, we have heard of those aims too, though it is not our intention to act solely on Rainbow Tell interests. While your state itself is unassailable, even without its most impressive protectors, we have reason to believe the totalists (radical as they are in their hatred) could seek to strike at the stewards, who neglect such defenses in their pursuit of knowledge."

While I could use the stats (and we can see about using them for the Steward LTP and for my adored/your liked passive), I was thinking of changing their rep midturn (upwards, should be in time to edit it in if you are not doing anything else with rep manipulation). The steward thing is a bit of a longshot, but they did ask me to oust the totalists and I'm hoping if we do that, it is repaid with better trade (and thus more resources to get the LTP done).


Most esteemed law-makers,

We intend for such a connection to be available over the next decade, as analysis of cost/value and surveys of how amenable those already living there would be to cooperation with Rainbow Tell are currently underway.

As for why, we should take our current course of action, it seems many of the states closest to the totalists, and the people who are currently governed by them, hold a measure of fear for what their next action would be, to the point that we have been asked to intervene by others. Rest assured that any such "intervention", whether it is aided by you or not, will be entirely according to both their laws and the wider ones that would govern the sector and only consist of monetary assistance and perhaps public shows of support towards some of the less extremist parties that jockey for the Republican government.

with utmost respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Esteemed eldest,

Such foul play is almost certain, otherwise a voter loss when their population both skyrocketed and has adopted psionic communication for such means (if riskier than our practices), it is true than what soft power we can apply on their system while avoiding such foul play ourselves is limited, but I'm sure together we can help them help themselves.

and let it last long,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps

[3SecondCultist]

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

Patience is the Father of Understanding, and your Judiciary has Proven a Worthy Arbiter of Law. Among the powers of Principia, yours is Perhaps the One that we Respect the Most.

As such, we are Prepared to Share our Aims with You. Currently, the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons is the Only Trustworthy Cause in the Sector. That may change forthwith, but in the Meantime you may Find the Following to be of Significance.

While the Secretariat is not a powerful military, scientific, psionic, or economic powerhouse, it does one thing better than anyone in Principia: it is irrepressibly, stubbornly hard to destroy. By working with the Secretariat, a faction can use its bureaucratic legions to repress even the worst of fates. If a player does not launch any aggressive actions over the course of a turn (i.e. invasions, stat attacks, etc), they can completely block up to 1 incoming invasion or stat attack of their choice. If an invasion or stat attack is not called out or specified, one is chosen at random.
You may be Ignorant of the Codex and its Teachings, yet our Observation of your People's Migration Habits and Recordings of your Faithful Texts have Led Certain Factors to Curiosity about the Underpinnings of your Faith.

Should your People Desire it, An Exchange of Holy Texts May Allow for Understanding. While there are many on Kantus who Abhor the Sharing of Administrative Secrets, there are more who hold that Efficiency can only Grow through Cooperation.

What are your Thoughts?
You Speak Well, yet are Misguided. Your Message has Elicited some Consternation on Kantus, for Devotion and Order are to be Applauded, but Leal Service to Anathemic Machines is Perverse.

There are Those who Believe that even Belief in the Wrong Cause may be Occasionally Sound. They are Mistaken. As you serve the Infernal Machines, there is no Word you can Bring that is not Poison. Your Greetings are being Ritually Burned across our System.

Begone!

Aos Il'ukaran, the Stewards of Understanding
Morale 6

Direction: Sages of Iettis VI.

We understand well the lost potential due to the warp storms. What was once a unified sector, the greatest seat of our creators, has been reduced to a handful of systems and operational Veil Gates. While the rest of the rising powers in Principia get their bearings, we anticipate that trade will be stunted in many critical logistical systems. It is unfortunate but unavoidable.

Do what you must to gain a strong standing this decade, Sages. Your aid in the Grand Republic elections is a good first step towards cooperation, and with any luck, you will soon be able to contribute more tangibly to our Silent Cartographer initiative.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code
Direction: Vanguard Corps.

From all of us in the Hagia system, you have our most sincere gratitude for aiding in the matter of the Grand Republic. We will wait to see what the results of their new elections will be in the coming years.

As for the matter of the Silent Cartographer, did you have a more specific idea of the amount you would be spending on the effort? We do not anticipate that all of the Stewards will be out of rampancy cycles enough to contribute yet, but any aid would help even in the short term.

Sincerely,
Triune, the All-Code

The Chronarkate of Miron
Morale 4

Darling Eldest,

We thank you ever so much for your curiosity about our designs. The inquisitiveness and concern with which you treat the affairs of others are indeed quite admirable, and worthy of more effusive praise than can be conveyed across light-years.

Perhaps a second emissary - one who is imminently less replaceable - can be rustled up to travel to Haven to be fit in among your famed diplomatic talks, or perhaps your esteemed etat might choose to send your own agent to the Chronarkate itself? Miron has been voted in the top 10 best travel destinations in Principia ever since the Veil Gates re-opened, after all. We leave the choice up to you.

Cordially,
The Covenant of the Ninety

Given their garbage Mor, they would want a firm commitment of a VIP in order to candidly discuss their LTP with anyone. They have several to send.

The Lunara Collective
Morale 5

Peaceful greetings, Great luminous Ones,

You have actively fostered harmony and open discourse in the sector. Thanks to you, war may be averted for years to come; a gentle rippling of a good deed done. In your hearts, we believe our aims are the same.

The universe is more than just light and heat, more than bodies in motion. It is an endless tide of countless souls, of whispered desires, hopes, and fears. There are as many souls as there are waves on the ocean; always in flux, moving apart and coming together in an inevitable cascade. Consensus and harmony, as you put it, come more easily to those who can shift the waters with a light touch. We in the Nimbus are learning just that. How do you move an ocean by shifting its droplets?

In the lambent clouds of the Ionian Nimbus, Lunara Collective seeks to unlock the psionic power of pure potential. If they are able to upgrade their nexus, the Collective can use it to alter reality to better suit their beliefs. Should an allied player faction aid them, they will allow that faction to use it. The faction that completes this project may, 1 time per turn, treat Psi as any other stat for a single rule of their choice. For example, a faction may choose to treat their Psi as though it were Mor for their Passive Defense or use the value of Eco for all stat investments.

The Fotuan Meritocracy
Morale 30

Wow, so much interest for hosting this shindig! Seriously, we're flattered. And it sure sounds a lot like Principia got a lot more interesting since the last time our people visited.

Here's the thing, though. Our games are a pretty limited engagement - we're talking maybe eighteen months, tops. We aren't interested in building arenas in four systems, you know? Can you imagine how confusing the merchandising would be? If this was a full battle tour or another season of CONQUEST, that'd be one thing, but this is a mini-series at best.

Our reps told a few of you this already. If you can't work it out between you who should host, we'll just have to draw lots and go random. Honestly, we don't care where we build the arena, and most of you have put forth pretty cool spots.

So... anyone want to drop out, or should we roll the dice and see where the contenders go?

Holllaaaaaaa,
FM

[ArcaneStomper]

VIP Roll [roll0]

Send Aakaash (Psi 1 VIP, Sci 1 item) 1 Esp, and 2 Sci to finish exploring the Wayward Messenger.

Create Sci route from 76 to 2. (3 Sci)

Send Garuda (Mil 3 VIP) to compete in the Fotuan Meritocracy's tournament

Make contact with the GRP bureaucracy in the hopes of ascertaining the status of their non human citizens. Send some aid if they are in distress, and offer support to the non Totalist parties. Don't do anything illegal by the laws of the GRP. (Increase reputation of the GRP)

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Maintain reputation
Bid for host of event.



The message is recorded in video and played at the conference to ensure acknowledgement that it comes from the higher authority.

To all citizens of Principia,

The collective would like to make it known that all claims made upon neutral sectors not within 1 natural hyperspace jump from the system of origination of the particular declarator shall not be considered legal or recognised by the collective. The purpose of the law is to protect not to justify heedless expansion. Such declarations beyond the 1 natural hypserspace jump [1 hyperlane link] are considered unilateral, void and shall not be constitute a cause of action.

Of course, we shall not be opposed to friendly and diplomatic delineation of borders between allies and all such individuals may appeal to the collective's offices to have such claims notarised provided they receive a majority assent of Principia major political parties. The effect of such notarisation shall be that it will constitute a breach of contract and therefore generate a cause of action recognisable by the Collective on which one may appeal for appropriate resolution.

As to the question of the Grand Republic's legal status. Any intervention (political or territorial) would require a declaration of war in order to be considered legal. Of course, any faction would be within their rights to do so. Any active intervention without a legal declaration of war could face sanction if the aggrieved party brings such a motion to the collective. Of course, other legal avenues are open and would not be sanctioned provided they are not direct and active interventions within the sphere of any faction.

Supreme Justice of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons.



Dear Sir, Madam or Other,

We are gladdened by your response, praise and trust. We hope to our relations will remain cordial and only grow in future. We would be happy to partake of your offer once able to do so. We would indeed be gladdened to share with one of the very few who can appreciate the place that law must have in the lives of all.




A fair though perhaps uncouth display. It is a moot point as of now, given we are unable to trade. As a general comment we might value such services at [1 eco] per turn for the priviledge of using assets superior to our own provided that allowed us to break the encryption on all others, we expect, however, that they should be superior to our own. The exception of course being the Iron Gods and we assume also the secretariat remains beyond your reach.

We would also certainly appreciate you not providing information to 3rd parties already not privy to such conversations as you have done with the sages. Since we seem to have dropped the veil of pretense of not having access to others' communications.


The incoming message is composed of a single attachment, without a body or subject. The file is a simple text file.

1. That is a possibility.
2. Indeed, but the investment would be too intense currently. A thought for the future.
4. A failed attempt at unification does not merit such.
5. It is a question of law rather than emotion. We believe a solution will present itself.
6. A likely cause of this would be to make the numbers make sense and reduce individual investment.
7-8. A course of action will become apparent.

We hope for close future co-operation in our common goals. We could also support you with legal argumentation for a nominal fee during your dealings and/or negotiations with others. For now we will take you on trust.


The message that comes in reply to the Sages latest message is not in the same format as before. It is a short explanation that the actual message is within the attachment and the body of the electronic communication bears the seal of the Collective denoting it as an official communication. The attachment is a perfect image of a handwritten letter and is signed.

Dear Eldest,

Before we reply to your question, we seek to understand why your faction seems to be so tied up with the completion of such a trust. The conquest of Bheura price is a fait accompli and the trust would have sought to administer peace with regards to this conquest. The Collective was the only faction able to contest such conquest, no others had created the necessary routes at the time and we chose not to contest and we are the only ones who could contest it now. At the proximate time, trade was impossible between the interested parties. The pretense that the Iron Gods were allowed to capture the relevant system or that anyone would be willing to strip it from them should perhaps be dropped. We would not be willing to do so should the current beneficiaries of the system refuse to enter the Trust, given that the incentives to do so are much diminished.

There is also no legal obligation since the form and wording of the agreement had not been finalised at the time. They could simply not agree with the terms, impose terms that favour them or simply impose terms too onerous for anyone else to agree. What remedies would you seek in such cases?

Yours faithfully,
Amicus Slant.



Dear Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps,

We are happy to receive your acknowledgement. Such an action as you have indicated is considered lawful and within your rights to accomplish.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Reputation: adored

Mor: 5

Installations: Ka I & Log (lvl 3 Sci VIP) while willing to stay longer in the conference to study mechanical enhancement of biological creatures, have decided to take a trip for a few years to lead their team (4 SCi, 10 total), already veterans of archaeological research into the artificiery [35], as the salivating prospect of mega structures was ever more enticing than another tussle with whatever haunted the Trisolene Ziggurat.

Reputation (attempt to increase reputation of the GRP): While M.A.G.i.C is a sort of representative democracy, G.I.R.L, being comprised of mostly military and infraestructure elements are not political scientists and whatever units did have such concerns as their primary focus are not available at the moment.

As such and taking into account heavy impediments of direct action, the Vanguard Unit Z-538 has had to get creative, with several of the most prominent Binders, including Alerax, who took some time off from her training. Showing a personal support (and thus not related to the state) for other parties across the GRP, with the hope that a boost in popularity for any one party will come mostly from the totalists, as their less radical members leave them.

Event:
Alerax (Mil 2) joins the Fotuan Arena, competing for the grand prize in the name of Rainbow Tell.

While psionically capable thanks to the binder process, Alerax is a combat binder, and Clu a combative bind, sporting
a light armor set built for speed and only ever usable by scouts on a standard military, she uses clue to enhance both her physical capabilities and an arsenal of weapons, from the brutish power axe to a host of blasters and explosives, teleporation and flight adding to her movement options to avoid the oh so few hits that could pierce her barriers.

If the going is rough enough, high binding can turn all up to 11, already heightened reflexes driven to the preternatural, with the speed to put them to use, and the strength to put atlas to shame. The previous outfit replaced in a burst of light by usually less practical clothes and weapons, but with the additional power the bind receives from emotion, bringing a knife to a gun fight can be precisely what is needed, as demonstrated soon after Unit Z-358 arrived when her valiant crossbow pierced the heavens with a thousand bolts of light split from one, shattering a fleet of pirates. (Main impractical armor would be a dress, because Alerax is the poster girl for the faction so of course is going to be a dress. Main impractical weapons: crossbow, binding whips of light, halberd.)

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 4
Rep Awed

We are more than happy if the decision is done randomly and quite excited to see the results no matter who wins.


Trading 1 sci to the Iron God of Ur, preferably before their action if possible so they can do the thing.

Eins and 1 psi explore the Host station in the hopes of finishing it off this turn.

I agree with Muridans proposal in case it needs to be put here.

Attempting to move Antarean Crusade's reputation towards neutral.

Still in the running to host the tournament

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Midturn PM

4 Sci and Technocrat Party (lvl 2 sci VIP) enters the Orkish Waaagh at the behest of the Technocrat Party, purge the xeno filth
1 t.sci to forge a route between 25 and 32

Reinforce Dreaded

[3SecondCultist]

Midturn 2 Results

Iron Gods of Ur
Morale 13

Reputation of Grand Republic unsuccessfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

Under the watchful Ten Thousand Eyes of Heaven, the Iron Gods and their respective bodies storm the corridors of the infamous Black Altar that lies at the very heart of the Principia Sector. This capital ship - once the pride of the Arco-Medean fleet - boasts levels of technological and conventional warfare that the Gods aspire to, and so they put their soldiers to work excavating its halls, emerging with a considerable haul of guidance, propulsion, and refining equipment (+++++++++ Eco, +++ Sci, +++ Psi). Furthermore, an investigation into one of the core chambers of the ship leads to the uncovering of a unique mass fabricator attached to a now-defunct artificial power source (1/3 of a Tier Archeotech). 10/20 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

The Black Altar has proven a fickle beast to tame, however. Every expedition launched into its bowels seems to swallow entire teams of operatives and - more importantly - precious equipment, and its infamous adaptive defenses are happy to launch devastating cyber counter-attacks against the Iron Gods' own personal software systems. Lose 3 Sci.

This massive device steals from unconscious genius sector-wide and feeds it into a pool-like mass fabricator. It is as of yet incomplete and requires further study. When activated, this Archeotech siphons away 1/3 of all stats invested into all incomplete LTPs from all factions, rounded down. The holder of the Archeotech gains those stolen stats as temporary stat points.
United Ecological Order, aka Gask Triad
Morale 5

Reputation successfully adjusted! Current Reputation: Awed.

The United Ecological Order pursues its leads into the Verdance Unbound. The ecosystem's self-replicating nature is dangerous if not carefully handled, so setting up a temporary base camp with initial expeditions beneath the now-scarred surface of the planet is the necessary first step. With not enough of a risk taken, the rewards from the first scouting teams are meagre (++ Eco), though they have found passages far below that promise far more wealth... and danger. 4/20 floors cleared.
Sages of Iettis VI
Morale 7

Reputation of the Grand Republic successfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

Secret hyperlane route (76-2) successfully created.

The Sages complete their delve into the Wayward Messenger, unwinding the mysteries of the entangled cosmos and making their way to its very core. Their ancient wisdom and hyper-acute intellects were able to parse some kind of pattern to the shockwaves emitted by the Messenger, finally giving them access to every facet of its surface. The full investigation yielded further precious gemstones, many of which had deep psychic resonances and are more valuable as ritual reagents (++++ Eco, +++++++ Psi). In addition, the heart of the Messenger held a strange ring of beaming emerald, whose powers seem quite fantastical (1/1 of a Tier 1 Archeotech). 10/10 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

This jade green ring can create a psychic possibility field around its bearer that grows stronger with time. It acts as a variable +1 stat item that can be attached to any VIP. At each Midturn during its activation phase, the Archeotech's owner may choose to change the bonus type or attach it to another VIP. For each turn past the first that it is attached to the same VIP with the same assigned stat, the bonus grows by +1.
Antarean Crusade
Morale 8

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Feared.

What few scientific adepts the Crusade does boast are sent to its newest conquest, the jungle moons of New Zultar which grow over the Ruins of Urruk. Although there is certainly much below the surface, there is nothing to be found yet following the establishment of a base camp near the top of one of the overgrown space elevators. It will take a great deal more time and manpower to uncover the treasures left behind by those who have passed on out of this universe's light. 1/10 floors cleared.
Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Morale 8

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.
The Muridun
Morale 7

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.

With Ali Zaybak continuing his research and the rest of the nomadic explorers heeding his directions, the Muridun investigation of Rhaenya's Ghost goes considerably deeper this decade. From the safety of their base camp, the Muridun adventurers strike out well below the surface of the Arco-Medean capital world, emerging with vast troves of unseen riches and oddities (+++++++++ Eco, ++++ Sci). Ali personally recovered a treasure of the ancients: an Essentia Mantle, a cloak of nanites that surrounds its wearer to protect them from danger and can be used as a tremendous weapon (+2 Mil item). Finally, Muridun scouts brought back schematics to a great working up in space, a way that the ancients stored all of their secrets (1/3 of a Tier 3 Archeotech). 14/20 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

Sadly, the recovery of the Essentia Mantle proved immensely dangerous. During the process, Ali Zaybak himself was exposed to the raw nanite swarms of the cloak, the machinery ravaging his body and leaving him near death. It will take a great deal of time for him to recover to his normal state. Ali Zaybak (Sci 2 VIP) is unusable until after Midturn 3.

When the schematics, raw materials, and structure are complete, the Cortex is a formidable information-gathering device. It takes the form of a supercomputer inside interlocking Dyson spheres with the computational power to predict pasts and futures. The faction that activates the Archeotech can choose 1 other faction and learn everything about them: their stat line, all complete and incomplete LTPs, all Archeotech, all space routes, and all other banked stats.
Upon claiming the Cortex, the Muridun feel a call somewhere across the sector. Someone else has claimed another piece of the Archeotech!
Unity Party
Morale 4

Reputation of Antarean Crusade not adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

The Unity Party has completed its sojourns into the former Seldivan stronghold of Host Station. With the rogue Fotuan dealt with, the rest of the exploration of the space station can continue uninterrupted. This is a blessing, as the last of the sealed rooms prove tricky to unlock without major accidents - it takes every ounce of the Unity Party's ingenuity to avoid any more containment issues. As it has continued to dive deeper, the Party has uncovered more wealth in credits form (++++ Eco), but also twin Cranial Processing Units that can be cybernetically attached to most sentient beings (2x +1 Sci items). Last but not least, Party pathfinders returned from the control of the central system for the station with an unusual computer chip (1/2 of a Tier 2 Archeotech). 10/10 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

Though it did not originate with the Fotuans, Egalitarium saw great use in their society. It is a supercomputer program that once took over the virtual reality of a greedy plutocratic civilization, earning them massive fortunes. On the turn the Archeotech is activated, every stat that is improved using only Eco stat points improves by an additional 1.
Believers of the Unwilling God
Morale 7

Reputation of Grand Republic successfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

The Believers of the Unwilling God pursue their leads into Isotropa Lost-Insecure. The legendary weapons depot is a containment disaster just waiting to happen, so setting up a temporary base camp with initial expeditions beneath the now-scarred surface of the installation is the necessary first step. With Dr. Warrant leading the way, the Faithful recover several caches of lost resources (++++ Eco), as well as a psionic Collision Matrix that can be used to predict objects in motion (+1 Psi item). 5/20 floors cleared.

The exploration of Isotropa Lost Insecure did produce a danger, however. Rogue killbots - lesser, past iterations of what is now one of Novinus' prime champions - have been released from the facility and are now running rampant! Lesser Threat (deals 2 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 3 Sci or 6 Mil/Psi in any combination) unleashed.
Vanguard Unit Z-358
Morale 5

Reputation of Grand Republic successfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

Under the glorious banner of Rainbow Tell, the Vanguard Unit continues its tremendous exploration of the ancient installations that dot its new protectorate territories. The Artificery - a foundry designed for building superstructures such as Dyson spheres or the bodies of artificial gods - is a formidable specimen, and proves itself a particularly tough opponent to the Vanguard's scientific teams. That said, with Ka I coordinating their efforts, the Vanguard forces are able to come out with a great many schematics and valuable foundry pieces (+++++++++ Eco), along with long-forgotten techniques for military hardware and reality stack upgrades (9 bonus XP to Alerax). Ka I also locates the forge of the Artificery, where an incomplete superstructure project was in the works (1/3 of a Tier 3 Archeotech). 10/10 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

Once more, the investigation does not occur without incident. In absorbing the power and intellect of the Archeotech within, an uncontrollable surge of lens genius - literal brainpower - cripples Ka I, sending him and Log into a coma for who knows how long? Ka I and Log (Sci 3 VIP) are unusable until after Midturn 3. What's more, the accident unleashed a nascent half-constructed AI godling with delusions of grandeur - the worst kind. It will surely wreak havoc on the Vanguard unless it is stopped. Moderate Threat (deals 3 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 4 Sci or 8 Mil/Psi in any combination) unleashed.

When the schematics, raw materials, and structure are complete, the Cortex is a formidable information-gathering device. It takes the form of a supercomputer inside interlocking Dyson spheres with the computational power to predict pasts and futures. The faction that activates the Archeotech can choose 1 other faction and learn everything about them: their stat line, all complete and incomplete LTPs, all Archeotech, all space routes, and all other banked stats.
Upon claiming the Cortex, the Vanguard units feel a call somewhere across the sector. Someone else has claimed another piece of the Archeotech!
Grand Republic of Principia
Morale 7

Reputation adjusted by 4 foreign parties! Current reputation: Feared.

Secret hyperlane route (26-32) successfully created.

With the Technocrat Party at the helm, the Grand Republic's science officers and researchers delve into the Ork WAAAAGH that comes from the Jaws of Da Red Boyz. Directed by the Totalist Party to 'purge the unclean xenos wherever they might be found', the teams focus more on search and destroy type ops. That being said, they do return from the psionic echo with some loot (++++++ Eco) and a Gargant Blasta that seems capable of dynakinetic redirection (+1 Mil item). 8/10 floors cleared.

Unfortunately, the Orks that remain in those bloody marshlands are pernicious, seeking out and destroying all kinds of scientific equipment and any bases built in the proximity of the echo. The Technocrat Party suffers some attrition as a result of pulling back in the face of such aggression. Lose 1 Sci.

Elections and Other Blood Sports - 13.453.77

The gamesmasters from the Fotuan Meritocracy - in an act of tremendous foresight, blind stupidity, or just plain recklessness - have chosen the Westpoint Caldera on the planet of Orvil's Misstep, deep in the territories of the Grand Republic to host their games. The interior of the volcano has been hollowed out for audience seating in preparation for the games, while the outside of the mountain is now dotted with hotels and concession areas. There is even a theme park! Landing grounds for ships ranging in size from cruisers to dreadnoughts have been constructed in the surrounding fields and valleys, with maglev rails built leading directly into the new Caldera Arena. But the real attraction is the heart of the volcano itself, which has been surrounded by heat and motion dampeners before being brought to a full boil. The Ring of Fire awaits to swallow Principia's champions.

The contestant pool that does arrive is a bit shallower than most of the audience were hoping, but it is still enough to draw crowds of hundreds of thousands to the Caldera Arena. From the moons of Iettis VI comes Garuda, the living ship and heavyweight champion who even compressed by the spatial recondensers can barely fit within the confines of the ring. The Antarean Crusade has dispatched Qalrani, the chieftain of Clan Mardulu along with her augmented saurian companion. The Believers of the Unwilling God in Novinite space have sent Nufai Hapaxia as their champion, an heir to the power of Lost Ultrum. Alerax arrives at Westpoint under a glowing halo to the cheering of crowds, straight from the bosom of Rainbow Tell and her Vanguard Unit. Finally, Dr. Lithany appears from the United Ecological Order, in what appears to be some kind of combat suit bristling with Class D restricted bioweapons.

The combat is fierce and lasts for several weeks. Each of the champions is tested against the others, with many match-ups going the way the crowd expected. Qalrani, despite her strength and her tyrannosaur, is unable to outmatch any of her opponents in speed or striking distance. Alerax and Dr. Lithany prove to be a stellar match-up, each of them winning their initial bout against the other. The good doctor only goes the distance in their rubber match by designing a weapon to compromise the Vanguard champion's unique nervous and psionic systems, all while under fire. But Nufai Hapaxia proves to be the darling of the tournament. The proverbial underdog hailing from a dynasty long-thought forgotten, the son of the Unwilling God proves his resilience and skill when he miraculously outmaneuvers Garuda in the Ring of Fire in the final match, getting into the living ship and tearing apart its critical systems from the inside. When Nufai ascends the podium, he is met with thunderous applause.

Yet the tournament is hardly the only noteworthy thing to happen in the Grand Republic.

In the months prior to the games - while the Meritocracy and millions of other tourists have surged past border control - several foreign interests have begun to work on that most delicate of manipulations: subverting the election machine. Some, such as the Sages of Iettis VI and the Vanguard Unit, are transparent in their workings. They hold support rallies and open public lines of funding to the other political parties throughout the Republic, spurring them to begin a midterm re-election campaign against the sitting Totalists. Their actions are exacerbated by the presence of the acolytes of the Unwilling God, who in the wake of Nufai's string of public victories convert whole swathes of civilians to the Faith. This religious self-determination further undermines the Totalist Party's rule at a time when it is critical. But the movements are opposed by the Totalist's own brutal information-age regime tactics, employing media blackouts, political disappearances, and heavy-handed state police raids. The party's struggle to stay on top is aided by a series of very timely cyber-attacks and targeted viruses that can only have been designed by the minds of the Iron Gods of Ur.

After over half a year of political turmoil, the election goes ahead. Given the weights and counterweights brought to bear, it's a surprise that the vote is even half-reliable, but the count is solid enough to ratify the War Party for its third half-term in office! The election results resound across Principia not long after the winner of the Meritocracy's games; news for a changed sector.

The Grand Arena event is now concluded! As the host of the games, the Grand Republic of Principia earns (++++) Eco as a reward for the luck of the draw and becomes the backdrop for political intrigue at the same time so... bonus?

In 3rd place, earning her faction (++++) Eco is Dr. Lithany from the UEO!

In 2nd place, earning their faction (++++++++) Eco is Garuda from the Sages of Iettis VI!

And in 1st place, earning his faction (++++++++++++) Eco is Nufai Hapaxia from the Believers of the Unwilling God!

All Mil VIPs that attended the games gain 5 bonus XP this turn for their participation.
Imminent Confederations - Equilibrium Incorporated
Current Winner - Vanguard Z-358 (2 VP)

EoTs are due at 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 3rd (EST)

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Fellow citizens of the principia, we would like to congratulate the Vanguard from their peaceful acquisition of their second facility and commend their exploratory abilities.

We would also like to congratulate the unity party for their acquisition of one part of the egalitarium, a marvelous piece of archeotech. We would also like to offer our services as legal counsel in case you wish to lease the item to any other parties with guaranteed enforcement clauses or should you wish to run an auction.

The totalist party has elected to create a new route from their home space to sector 32. We would like to remind others that the same sector has already been targeted by the Antarean Crusade with a route. The collective, as previously communicated, does not legally recognise such claims unless recognised by a majority of their peers, excluding the claiming party. As such, we would like to suggest that the dispute be settled amicably or that war is declared between the two claimants in order to avoid any potential trespasses of legal rights of either party.

Supreme Justice of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 13



The Gods are certainly open to alternative arrangements, should you have any to propose.

The recent expeditions into the anaomoly on Bheura have been...costly. Several hundred drones, shells and acolytes lost, and damage to the Divine proxies and angels overseeing it that will be a significant expense to repair. Still, the results have left Heaven flush with witchcraft. The Gods truthfully only require [1 mil], for which you can be repaid with [eco] or [psi]. Or [mor], should you have any use for the aid of preachers and overseers.

If the other two parties will commit in writing to providing their shares, a total of [3 eco, and 3 psi] can be provided this turn for both the Trust and the mercenaries, but without full commitment there is simply too much uncertainty to justify such a large investment.





We’ll just have to hope the scavengers reach excedes their grasp then, won’t we? But for now, I’ll wait and see just what apparent course of action you’re referring to.

Close cooperation is a lovely turn of phrase. But trust is really all that’s needed until we share enough of a border or a common enemy for anything but trust to be required. In a decade or two, perhaps.

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 8
Rep: Feared

We did create a route to a minorly distant system that was not connected to any system that had fallen under the aegis of another nation. Yet for some reason we were openly challenged, having our secrets spilled to the public. The Judiciary Collective seems to have put themselves in charge of how a polity may make claims or expansions in Principia, constantly attempting to enforce their laws upon every one of us.

The great Antares for one did not bring itself to sentience just to have others rule it. We do not recognize any attempt the Judiciary makes to impose their laws upon others and will support any nation that does not want to give the Judiciary any sort of power over themselves.

Be wary great nations. Wary of creating the precedent of the Judiciary having power over other nations, we may not like where that leads.

(Additionally since everyone seems to be doing this we shall confirm our claims; 19, 17, 13, 15, 7, 12.

Greetings,

We thank you for your clear sighted views. We will be pruning the more aggressive predator species and reintroducing additional prey species in greater numbers to try and bring balance back to the planet. Any advice would be appreciated on this matter but that will be for a later date.

We do not forget your kind offer intelligence. It was very helpful in the previous decade and we too believe that there is a common ground here to build something in the future. We will merely be securing our local claims for the next few years but maybe in the future we can work on something together. Enjoy the fruits of our lands.

Enjoy the Econ.

Greetings Neighbor,

I appreciate the plain words and respond the same. We also have no desire at this time for a conflict between us. We plan on consolidating the surrounding systems we have claimed for the next several years and assume you will be doing the same. Leave us unmolested and we shall do the same.

Unfortunately we need every Hard Light ship and star spawn that can be spared. Maybe next decade when things have died down? If your views have changed due to the change in the leading party please let us know.

The Great Antares

Greetings,

We know little of you despite being little removed from each other. We see your call for strength yet appreciate that you don't seem to be enforcing it upon the surroundings like the Zultari did. This shows a forethought and prescience that intrigues us. We saw your stunning victory in the games as well, a true victory on the universal stage.

We would not be opposed to maintaining a cordial relationship at this time if you aren't.

The Great Antares

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


In response to the message of the "Antarean Crusade"

We would like to remind all those involved that as of now are actions and claims have been more modest than most. We would also like to point out, that unless you have a nefarious purpose, you should not fear the truth.

We have also not sought to use this information to our advantage nor to sell it to potential stakeholders. Has the crusade really been harmed? After all, during our previous announcement we did not condemn your actions nor voice any moral judgment. The collective and I as its servant wonder, why would the revelation of such an innocuous piece of information that could lead to misundersstandings and cause unnecessary rifts and trespass on the rights of others as well as yours offend you so? Should it be a potential infringement upon your space, the collective is certain you would be glad of the information. Public information benefits the whole.

Supreme Justice of the Judiciary Collective of Kramagorian moons.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

Alas Poor Garuda
The Sculptor stretched it's arms wide. Massive tentacular pylons hundreds of kilometers long reached through the void to grasp the the ailing Garuda. The Sculptor sang a soothing melody to relax its beloved child even as other portions of its mind directed drones to crawl through the injured leviathan and assess the damage.

The Sculptor's image of its child became fractal, with each piece it focused on detailing more and more information as the drones continued their work. It was not really that bad. Many corridors and bulkheads destroyed. A few subsidiary acid glands had burst and corroded the surrounding organs. The worst part was the damage to the main plasma heart that had forced the Garuda into dormancy and lost the fight. Still all in all it would be straightforward to regrow the injured sections.

Ah, but the emotional damage was much worse. The Garuda had been the mightiest of warriors in the tournament and lost to a young upstart. It was now sulking in the Sculptor's embrace. The Sculptor chuckled in a private part of it's mind. Young was relative. The Garuda was not yet mature itself. The Sculptor began to sing to the Garuda of the repairs that would be made. More heavily armored bulkheads. Redundant organs to maintain homeostasis. Perhaps repurpose some of those acid glands as internal weapons.

The Sculptor interlaced some soothing rationalizations into its song. The tournament had just been a limited environment. Garuda need not worry. Surely things would have gone differently if it had faced the boy in a real fight. Perhaps they could even have a second round some time after the Garuda's organs healed and vulnerabilities strengthened.


Greetings to Mariana bint-Naiwal,

We share a border. One which will only lengthen and become more involved in the decades to come. As such we wish to encourage relations between the two of us starting with an offer of trade. We would prefer to trade for (Eco), (Mil), or (Psi), but we are open to any trade you might feel the need for.

Please let us know if you find this agreeable.

To a Prosperous Future
The Eldest

Greetings Amicus Slant,

When we negotiated to prevent the outbreak of violence in Bheura Prime we proposed the Trust as an equitable means of establishing literal trust and cooperation between factions that had no reason to trust each other. Despite the lack of official signage we took it on good faith that the Trust would be established as no one raised serious objections, and all the parties involved lacked the ability to do anything more concrete in regards to the Trust at the time. Now that reliable trade routes have been established we seek to continue the work of the Trust as a continuation of that effort.

However on a personal level we note that Bheura Prime falls within what your own collective regards as our Sphere of Influence. We were the first faction to propose an expedition there, and even though we voluntarily withdrew our expedition it was because we felt it would be better sent elsewhere not because we were incapable of securing the system. Do not mistake our preference for diplomacy for lack of resolve. We have not relinquished our claim on Bheura Prime, and we will continue to seek a resolution to this matter until it is under our control.

As such the two primary claimants in this matter are ourselves and the Iron Gods of Ur. If the Trust becomes unworkable we will continue to negotiate with them over the settlement of Bheura Prime. We have in fact already approached them over the system itself and they have proven amenable in that regard.

Of course we recognize the reality that if they prove duplicitous there is little we can do to remedy the situation on our own. But there are several factions unfriendly to the Iron Gods that would prove natural allies in seeking recompense. And of course your own repeated declarations of aid in securing a faction's sovereign territory.

Still if anything the Iron Gods are the ones we share the most positive relationship with at the moment followed by yourselves, then the Muridun. As such we will seek to pursue the Trust, followed by a private settlement, and only if both fail will we seek third party arbitration.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

It is good that at least one stakeholder is willing to commit to the Trust besides ourselves. We will see if the Muridun and Judiciary Committee are as agreeable.

If they aren't we propose an amendment of the Iron Gods original proposal. Provide us with 40% of the proceeds from the Vault and the Bheura Prime system itself. In return we will designate the Iron Gods as our most favored trading partner, compensate you for half of INANNA's efforts, and if there are any remaining secrets to be discovered in Bheura Prime we will aid the Iron Gods in discovering them and split the findings. Additionally if the Muridun or Judiciary Collective raise objections we are willing to provide them with some compensation out of our own assets. Though we ask that the Iron Gods be willing to provide support should they prove unruly.

In the interests of completing this swiftly we ask that all transfers be done in the coming decade. We understand that the Iron Gods may have depleted the scientific artifacts or wish to retain possession of the weaponry so we are open to additional trades to ensure that their plans are not disrupted.

In regards to the services of our guardians we would prefer [1 eco]. We would also mention that the transfer of Bheura Prime and assistance with its anomalies is something we would propose even if the Trust is upheld.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest



Greetings to the Covenant of the Ninety,

We understand your concerns. Unfortunately we have given our children tasks to accomplish and they are already well into them. However we are birthing a new child/emissary to treat with you, and they will be ready in a decade.

To a Hidden Future,
The Eldest

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded, Encryption 13



Unfortunately, no such transfer will be possible for at least a decade. The artifact discovered on the moon of Bheura II has attracted the personal interest of INANNA, and after the losses suffered in the excavation so far the rest of the Gods are loathe to give up the job half-done. Once the survey and analysis are complete – which should take no longer than a standard decade, if the losses can be made up in the coming years – they would be much more willing to consider the idea. Though the question of what exactly ‘most favored trading partner’ means will be required.

As a show of good faith, The Gods offer that instead of simple finished trade goods and processed commodities, you accept payment in the form of industrial machinery and skilled workers recently acquired on Zoroaster, exported to Iettis on mass haulers. [1 Permanent eco instead of 1 temp]. Given the significant benefits your reputation among the sectors mortals grant you in trade, the surplus you will acquire from the transaction should cover the wages of the mercenaries, in addition to representing a compensation payment for one part of your share of Bheura.

The initial securing of Bheura required INANNA and [2 Mil], in order to guard against the possibility of betrayal. It is completely understood if you would prefer to wait for the system to be transferred before paying your share of such.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

By most favored trading partner we mean that we would give preference to the Iron Gods over other parties when considering trade offers. We are also prepared to guarantee a certain amount of trade per decade at fixed 1:1 rates. Though if you wish for a specific type of service, for instance our guardians, we would be limited in the amount we could guarantee for obvious reasons.

In turn could you please clarify what you mean by "the surplus you will acquire from the transaction should cover the wages of the mercenaries," Not that we have any objection to the trade. We are simply having trouble parsing your meaning for that particular passage.

Do you wish for payment in kind or in equivalent value? If you wish for it to be in kind we will need some time to gather sufficient forces. If you are willing to accept equivalent value, then we are willing to make a down payment of half the amount for the remaining share. With the remainder to be paid on the transfer of the system.

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God

Public

Killbot VIII (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PFuNZpzk_Y) stands against the fading Novinian sun, his outline staue-like against a vista of golden weat. A red-white comet falls in the background. On closer examination, it is revealed as a returning Nufai Hapaxia, riding out the descent from orbit in freefall. Even closer examination reveals that he is not alone. A black spot, blurred so as to be unrecognizable for the speed it maintains, flies in concert with him. Racing the young Ultramite. The latter has a look of pure joy on his face, elated at the prospect of contest between father and son. The Unwilling God's visage is hidden behind the skull-like visor of their armour. (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/c5/fd/aec5fdf46c64f807cf868f7513c22bc1.png)

The Pankrator's voice is a digitized rumble, like that of grinding stone filtered through audioclave. "Alien? Perhaps you are correct" A faint breeze tugs at the ends of the Savior's longcoat, raising the blue edges upwards for a moment. "You are too young to recall, but your countenance is in keeping with the Principia's mindset. Our home, our mutual home, is rife with conflict, bloodshed and misery. This sector is a lonely one, a place where death is a constant as much, if not moreso than life. And yet. There is compassion to be found. You denote us as tyrants, so clearly you have a conception of this elusive concept. Yet in coming to understand it you have ascribed value to this feeling. This compassion. And in this, you are wrong. Aye, we who think and comprehend know of its worth, yet in each moment of sentient life we betray compassion by ascribing value to it. Guarding the giving of it, as though it is something to be earned by others. Compassion, human, is priceless. It must be given. To all. Freely and with abundance. I understand this. The Unwilling God understands this in totality, for compassion was the first thing his people ever killed. And my home, Novinus, understands this. It is a lesson core to the principal of Belief. If you do not...then yes, perhaps alien is an appropriate term for who we are."

An awakward beat passes, broken by a single cough from an offscreen Dr. Warrant.

"If this notion of shared empathy is foreign to you, if you do not seek to collaborate in making this sector a better place, consider this instead: My name is Killbot VIII. I was once human like you. Now, I am synthetic yet possess no less of a soul for it. And I will be His gun. My aim..." A curious sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQB6OYxHaTQ) ripples out from the screen, the Undying Warmachine clearly its source "...is unerring." The Pankrator's form wimples and collapses into a simple ray gun, many times smaller than their human proportioned chasis and scaled to child proportions for how like a toy it appears (https://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/955040/73d02823da/retro-futuristic-sci-fi-space-ray-gun-raygun-toy-gun-3d-model-obj-3ds-fbx-blend-dae-3dm.jpg). Before it can fall to the ground, a black smear enters and clears the frame. In the smudge's wake there is no gun. Just fileds of weat blowing in His wake.



Morale 7


An angry, jagged scar tracks left to right at a diganoal across Nufai Hapaxia's face, clearly still in the process of healing post-tournament. The secondary intention is broken by a smile from from the youth. Elated, and perhaps a bit awkward for how he enthusiastic he is in front of the vidfeed. His arm is in a brace, half metal half squirming Novian biotechnologies.

"Hail Crusaders! You do me a kindness in addressing the feats of martial prowess ascribed to me, yet I cannot claim sole credit for my deeds. Sources of knowledge take many forms, and while I lay claim to little as my father's scion, it could be said that I have had excellent teachers when it comes to combative forms of discourse." The boy checks himself, slowing down his speech. He clears his throat with a bit of a sheepish gurgle, though its still clear that he is elated-perhaps at the prospect of contacting the Crusade, perhaps flush from his victories at the games. "Yours is as much a martial history as that of the planet which has adopted us. I think that there much that could be wrought from such a relationship between our peoples. As my father is fond of saying:doing good is simple. Doing good when aided by others is easy." The boy's smile widens at the repetition. He continues.

"I had hoped to test myself further against the great Qalani-" His smile wavers a bit with disappoitment, though its quickly banished as the young man's feet leave the ground "Yet I do not think this need be the end of shared martial pursuits between our people. To such an end: I shall endevour to keep relations between our peoples cordial as ever, on this you have my word and, speaking in the capacity as his voice, my father's word as well." With an elated whoop the boy departs skyward from the vidfeed's frame. Up up and away.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded, Encryption 13


[OOC: Unless I've several misunderstood the rep rules, your adored rep means you'll get 3 bonus stats of whatever's traded to you? Which, being Dreaded, I absolutely do not, so a 1:1 trade is really strictly more beneficial to you than me.]

Military aid would be preferable, as the Gods prepare to deal with the mad scribes of Lithos, but scientific expertise would be more than welcome as well. The Gods are happy to defer payment for a few more years, so it might coincide with the turnover of the system and the whole affair can be fully resolved.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

[OOC: Just so we're clear on this I get the bonus once per faction and only twice per turn total. It's not like I get three stats for every one I trade.

The thing is I did consider offering a better ratio. But if I garantuee something like that it means effectively I would be paying you some amount every turn. Sure I could afford to pay out a bit with my rep bonus, but it's not like I want to set up a tribute system.

My intent here is to offer you a garantuee that you will always be able to trade with me on equitable terms. Given that as Dreaded you are limited to only your neighbors two of which are already unfriendly to you I felt this is a fairly nice sweetener for the deal. It's not really meant to be the main portion of the deal though so if you feel you need something more we can continue to negotiate.]

[Eldan]

The Muridun [Mor 7]
To the Sages
To the Eldest,
While we value our neighbors, it is sadly a fact that interstellar trade between different polities is still very complex at this stage. As much as we would like to cooperate, given the predicted losses, there is just no way for us to trade that would make a profit, especially not compared to internal investments.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7


We have made many friends in the merchant guilds over the last few years and thus have received preferential rates. As such we are willing to offer a 2:1 deal as frankly that will still enable us both to benefit.

OOC: Just for the record we are touching so there is no trade penalty to eat our stats in this.

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Sages [Mor 7]
Well, we would of course be fools not to take it. What were you thinking of trading, and how much? We could use (mil), or (eco).

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Morale 7, Reputation Feared

Observation Deck Starboard-2’s windows were finally free of smudges, and at last Midshipman Mary Exomi could take a seat in one of the comfortable couches that lounged in tidy rows facing the vast emptiness of space. Midshipman Talihan joined her with an explosive sigh, tossing her squeegee into their cleaning cart.

“Shoulda’ signed on for a Gasper, too many damned compartments in these boats.” Talihan’s voice had a lovely tenor ring, even the whiny complaints she had been spouting through their shared shift were near musical.

“I’ll take my cabin’s fully pressurized, thanks. Besides, this’ll look way better on file than anything a Gasper could provide.” Truthfully they had rolled lucky being assigned to the first Bluefin heavy cruiser ever produced. When the GRP had escaped the confinement of warpstorms and found a galaxy full of wonder laid bare before them, a few inadequacies were drawn in sharp contrast. The moniker of ‘Dreadnought’ that had long been applied to the ubiquitous Sunfish model of combat ship being one of the most obvious. Dwarfed by the other ships in the Sector, it had been forcefully reclassified to light cruiser, particularly in the realm of armament.

“True, you’ve got me there. Maybe we’ll even see some action on our maiden cruise. “Operation Tyrant’s Bane”, what a name. War Party really can’t name anything without sounding like moody teenagers.” Talihan came from a Technocrat family, and was keen to thump her chest about it against anyone aboard who would listen. On a Navy ship like Uppercut this had earned her more than a few black eyes, but Exomi mostly chuckled. Her own vote had been listed as an ‘Error’ during the last election, and likely Talihan’s as well.

There had been a lot of issues during the last election.

But now the midterms were coming up. Protests gripped Ranunculus and Orvil’s Mistep, with independent reporters discovering evidence of massive voter fraud from Sunbelt seats, and worse yet, direct violation of the Utopian Ideals by Whitehollow’s racist cronies. It truly turned the stomach to think of the cloak and dagger operations pulled against Garnucktu not for political advantage, but just for pure malice.

“Hope so, Westpoint needs to lock in a win if the War Party is to stand a chance next cycle” There were already nervous rumblings enough from other parties about a Minority Coalition to acquiesce to the threat of the UEO. Leaked Documents had already been revealed and then rapidly suppressed about Whitehollows rabid response to the latest UEO statement on GRP politics, but in some ways Exomi couldn’t really disagree. Obviously Whitehollow was a villain through and through, but the outright threat that the UEO had sent, and then the temper tantrum they had thrown promptly after was cause enough to make her nervous. Total War? Because the UEO were called terrorists? Perhaps the moniker was inaccurate, but it was far from wrong. Hell, her own uncle had felt forced to donate to a ‘UEO’ donation drive three years ago, all because of the uncertain threat of the Gask Triad.

“We should probably head to bunks, I think we’ll be reaching the Hyper soon, I’d like to sleep through this one if I can.”

“Right, go ahead, I’ll get our cart to its dock.”

As she returned to quarters, Mary couldn’t help but wonder how much impact she could have aboard the Uppercut, one midshipman against the vast unknown of Principia and the future, one among the GRP’s billions. Whatever was to come, the next decade would be sure to prove a turning point in the Republic’s future.

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Hey Killbot, Frank Westpoint Here,

I am aware at least in part of what The Totalists and Whitehollow said to your nation, and while I can do little beyond deeply apologize for their lack of diplomacy, they were honest in that we have no Quarrel over your claims on [27] and [28]. I of course hope that you treat any people living in those systems with the fairness and justice they deserve, but neither I nor the Republican fleet will obstruct your operations there. I hope our nations can move forwards peacefully and amicably no matter what administration the GRP falls under moving forward.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The UEO
Alright UEO, Frank Westpoint here,

Dunno why exactly my party was mentioned in the callout last year, but here we are now. I have no real quarrel with you beyond some reports of ‘pressure’ against some of the GRP merchant fleet during my previous administration, though as you stated, the UEO is a legitimate galactic government and I’m sure you would not aid in Gask extortion against legitimate merchant shipping. Honestly, my administration doesn’t even have much of a problem with the Gask’s operations, though damn if I wish there wasn’t a slightly more public face of theirs I could chat with.

Anyway, most important point of my message. Are we at war?

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Judiciary Collective
Greetings to the Kragomonian Moons, Frank Westpoint here,

Thank you for exposing the Totalists claim jumping, I’ll be messaging the Vanguard shortly to discuss any claim the GRP had to the System, if anyone is going to take care of the People of [32], its probably them.

That said, I have another topic in mind for my message today: The Zultari clans and their fate.

Now I have a platform to adhere to and promises to fulfill, so my administration will likely be at war before the decade is out, and it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about the forced physical assimilation of the Zultari. So I come with a petition for legal blessing to invade [21], and claim it from the Anterean Crusade. I know this is not an easy topic for myself, it is not lightly that I consider total war, and I can’t imagine the full legal labyrinth of interstellar conflict, but I ask that you at least consider my petition, and grant what insights you may have on the situation.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Vanguard
Hello Vanguard Unit, Frank Westpoint here,

Looks like my predecessor was eyeing up [32], a site I have been made aware your folk have interest in as well. Way I see it, you’ve got about the best claim by proximity, though number of Hyper Jumps makes that a little more complex, but I’ve got a proposal.

Right now, the tunnel that Whitehollows men found leads directly to [32], but I’ve got a complex border situation already. Not to mention two of the best warrior nations in the sector are both my neighbors. Now I don’t know how the Vanguard feels about your own neighbor, the Unwilling God, honestly I see them as a relatively stabilizing force for the area and while the totalists pissed them off, I think the Believers and the GRP could get along just fine in the long run.

The Anterean Crusade on the otherhand, just performed a surprise attack on the Zultari clans, and are now setting about forcefully grafting the people who once lived there. I’m looking to put a stop to that, and thus my proposal.

Diplomatic backing in a declaration of war against the Anterean Crusade, and I’ll back your claim of [32]. I’m not asking you to send troops or materials, I’m not asking that you declare war yourselves. Just help me with the diplomatic situation that will no doubt follow the declaration of interstellar war.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

Muridun
Hello Muridun, Frank Westpoint here,
I’ll keep this quick and smooth since I know you are not exactly fond of my folks planet bound ways. I don’t like what happened to the Zultari Clans and I like even less that those responsible now rest on my borders. I’m looking to deal with that situation, and I’m looking for diplomatic support. I’ll be declaring war in the coming months, and I know that's gonna make for one complex diplomatic situation. Would you be willing to back my war declaration diplomatically? I’m not asking you to send troops or materials, I’m not asking that you declare war yourselves. Just help me with the diplomatic situation that will no doubt follow the declaration of interstellar war.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[Eldan]

The Muridun to the Grand Republic [Mor 7]


Dear President Westpoint,

Bold of you to discuss this over electronic channels, where we can't be entirely sure who might be listening in.

In any case, we have made our condemnation of Antares and his Crusade quite clear already and we will support any further measures in that direction. Additionally, we can asure you that we have our own project underway to rectify the Zultari situation.

Inshallah,
Ambassador Mariana bint-Naiwal

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


We would like at this time to congratulate the UEO on their second declaration of war, this time against the Grand republic of Principia in accordance with Sch.4, para.4 of the Laws and Procedures of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons.

The proximate cause of the declaration of war by the UEO is their public declaration

"Should the War Party or the Totalist Party rise to power in the next decade, we will have no choice other than to declare Total War on the Grand Republic. "

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the UEO for their transparency and forethought in declaring war before it takes an action.



Dear Eldest,

It gladdens my heart that we were not about get into bed with a fool. To be clear, we take it that you assert that your permission, tacit or express, was granted to the Iron Gods of UR in return for the consideration of participation in the Trust. Therefore, if the Trust does not come to fruition due to action or inaction by the Iron Gods of Ur you will have a valid cause of action in breach of representation and of natural sphere of influence?

If you believe you have a valid cause of action, we would invite you hire one of our legal experts to plead your case. Doing would allow you to receive a judgment for injunction or other remedy in your favour. This of course, does not imply that we believe at this time that there is a valid cause of action between the two aforementioned faction. The same would apply should you believe you have a cause of action against any other faction including the collective itself. That is your potential remedy for duplicity. In case the Trust becomes unworkable through through no fault of any of the parties involved, then that shall lead to a declaration of war between the Sages of Iettis VI and Iron gods of UR, unless an alternative arrangement is achieved between the two aforementioned parties.

Until then, we re-assert the intention of the Collective to participate in the Trust provided that doing so is possible. However, we of course do not recognise any legal obligation as consideration for such a promise has not been provided nor expected. This is a non-binding gesture of intent and good will.

Regardless, we look forward to connecting our borders in a few short years in order to engage in mutually beneficial trade as per our previous agreement.

Kind regards,
Amicus Slant.



Mr. Westpoint,

We are happy to see someone acknowledge and appreciate transparency. The collective congratulates your party on its victory in the latest election. As per schedule 4, para 4, of the laws and procedures applicable to the Principia we are happy to inform you that as the circumstances of the UEO's statement are public you are now at war with the UEO. Please find the relevant certificate of a successful and timely declaration of war. We know that the UEO is listening, so congratulations to them as well. Please feel free to downlad the attachment. We ask that both factions return their respective certificates signed to kept in our archives for posterity.

On the topic of the potentially unlawful seizure of the lands of the Zultari clans by the Antarean Crusade, the Collective would be happy to issue a certificate of war declaration on your behalf if you choose to declare war. Unfortunately as the nation formerly known as the Sublime Clans of Zultar no longer has any legal representatives and therefore cannot bring forth a valid cause of action on their own behalf, we would have to suggest an alternative cause of action. The Grand Republic could bring a class action on behalf of similar nations of the principica that may be lacking the standing or power of more developed factions and which are contained in one sector only (OOC:NPCs). As such, they are faced with an unfortunate dilemma as any undeclared war that occupies their sector leaves them unable to claim on their own behalf if the aggressive action is successful in conquering their home system.

This could be considered by the appropriate court provided the republic hires an appropriate legal representative who would be able to correctly file the necessary forms and motions. Given the nature of the action, the remedies available to the GRP should a potential class action suit be successful would be punitive given that the only living representative of the clans is likely to be wiped out over the course of the punitive action, this would therefore render the primary remedy of returning sector 21 to the Sublime Clans of Zultar.

Faithfully yours,
Administrator Carly Jenkins


https://i.imgur.com/tmEkAXs.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/ou41rTM.jpg





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Morale 7, Reputation: Feared

UEO
Addendum to my previous statement: Are we at war outside some ledgers in the Judicuary Collective? I would prefer peace between our nations.

Can't believe I have to specify this. What a galaxy.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[Eldan]

The Deposition Project

https://i.ibb.co/kQtK0Jn/f2059df6e7cf63d7693a0449098db65b.jpg

Ghufran smiled and stroked one of the faintly luminescent tendrils that floated up to the surface at his approach. The Medusae had agglomerated nicely, and had now proceeded to taxis, directed movement. No sensory reaction to touch yet, they just hung limply, but that would come soon.

He waved a command his familiar, currently in the simple shape of a cloud eel, and it dove down into the ambrosia pool at his feet. He quickly made some mental notes, as the Djinn's ghostlight moved through the murky depths. Gall number six had begun forming blood vessels, there would probably be a pulse soon. Galls seven and twelve were collapsing, he'd have to purge those.

Humming to himself, he moved to the next chamber. Yes. This was what he was good at, what God had made him for. This would be worth all of it, a hundred and one years in material purgatory, far from the light of God.

A small bell chimed and his familiar spoke up: "Brother Altan wishes to see you, Master Ghufran, in the conservatory."

The day was only getting better.

***

Ghufran climbed out of his galoshes and carelessly wiped the ichor from his hands on a rag, before impatiently waving Altan over at the table where two steaming teabulbs had already grown. As they had strapped in and perfunctory greetings had been exchanged, Ghufran finally couldn't wait any longer.

"Well, show me. I need to see what you found. Tell me it is something good."

The younger man smiled conspiratorially, pulled on two thin cotton gloves and produced a heartwood box from his duffel bag, a foot on each side, with an intricate clockwork clasp. He tapped it and invoked the Encryption-Djinn.

Ghufran's heart skipped a beat. There were charred fragments of bone in the box. Definitely a skull, he saw the jugal, postorbital, squamosal, part of the maxilla. There was even a broken-off tooth, still more than an inch long. And there, in the temporal window... a tiny glint of silver metal and hair-thin fiberglass wires, grafted to the bone.

"Does it... does it still speak? Does it remember?"

Altan shrugged. "It is still alive, I can tell you that much. It doesn't speak any language my Djinn know."

Ghufran reverently closed the box.

"Altan, whatever you want is yours. The treasury of House Ghanbari, as much as you can carry. The hand of my sister, though I wouldn't recommend that. I will build you the fastest ship in the universe and name my children in your honour, if you can only bring me more of these."

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

The Symposium
The Eldest and the Gardener sang a duet about life and lives. They sang of the many small indignities and triumphs of each soul that came together to form the grand tapestry of civilization. Their song was grand and ever changing as lives were lived and they incorporated different themes for different civilizations. Occasionally the Observer would weave in a harmony about some natural phenomena that had altered events or the Sculptor would add a short trill describing a new technology.

The only non participant was the Poet. The Eldest and the Gardener attempted many times to persuade the Poet to join their song, but the Poet resolutely performed solos about the futility of existence and the nihilistic embrace of the void. The Gardener worried about the Poet and kept trying to get them to accept a broader range of visitors, but then the Gardener was always fussing. Now however even the Eldest was becoming worried. The Poet had converted its entire ecology to be nocturnal, and that just wasn't healthy.

Cajoling the Sculptor out of its internal musings the oldest sages formed a quartet to consider the situation. The Observer hummed that the Poet was feeling directionless. The melody was taken into consideration and modified as the others agreed. Plans were sung and events prodded into motion to attempt to provide the Poet a goal. In the meantime Aakaash was sent to orbit Poet and distract them from their nihilistic pondering.

No one could consider existence meaningless in the face of cute Aakaash.


We propose a trade of [1 eco, 1 mil] for [1 psi]. In addition we would appreciate your input on whether you still intend to participate in the Trust.

To clarify the terms are currently as follows.

The Sages of Iettis VI will provide:
Turn 2: [1 t mil]
Turn 2: [A guarantee to trade 5 points at a 1:1 ratio with the Iron Gods]
Turn 3:[3 t mil or t sci once the Iron Gods have completed investigating Bheura Prime]

The Iron Gods of Ur will provide:
Turn 2: [1 p eco]
Turn 3: [1 p stat. Type to be determined.]
Turn 3: [The system of Bheura Prime (44)]

In addition we are willing to assist the Iron Gods in finishing their investigation by providing [1 sci] now in return for the other [1 p stat].

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings Amicus Slant,

We will not accept a non binding gesture in regards to the Trust. Both we and the Iron Gods are willing to provide funding for the Trust, but we require a binding agreement on your part that you will fulfill your portion of the initial funding.

Though to be frank the Muridun have been noticeably silent on the matter of the Trust so we expect the point is likely moot.

Also we formally note that we do not consider the breakdown of the Trust as necessitating a declaration of war. It is only the first of our diplomatic options to resolve the question of Bheura Prime.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings President Westpoint,

Congratulations on your election victory. We missed your delegate to our conference last decade. We hope that you will be able to send someone to attend in the coming decades.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings,

We would like to discuss our future relationships with the Lunara Collective. Our own ideals align with theirs very well and we plan to cooperate with them closely. However we suspect that you may have similar plans, and would not wish for our actions to cause friction.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur EOT 2

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded, Encryption 13



That is broadly acceptable to the Gods.

However, given the benefits you will receive from such trade in excess of what they will, they would now ask to also be compensated for an even share of the [3 sci] required to chart the course from Ur to Bheura to begin with. Payment in the service of mercenaries or scientists, or simple finished goods, would be acceptable.

If you plan to provide payment in the genius of your scientists, then they will be most usefully put in the investigation of the Bheura anomaly, though this will necessarily mean they will be required before the system is turned over. The Gods do hope this will not be an issue. [OOC which is to say, if you're paying in Sci I'd like it at midturn]

As for the potential of further trade in the next few years, I'm afraid the accounting has already been done and the resources allocated, there's simply nothing to offer right now.

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Sages [Mor 7]

That seems like a fine trade to us. And yes, we intend to commit the full [5 eco] to the trust this decade, there has been something of a windfall.

[neriractor]

Vanguard unit Z-358

Reputation: adored
Morale: 5

PCs

To President Frank Wespoint, the man with handy metals

On the whole we are happy to see a proper (if perhaps still nascent) democracy surviving amidst the ruins of Arcomedean Glory, and your assesment of potential enemies shows that at least the current head of state has some wisdom to him.

We too seek a stable sector over all else so you can count on our diplomatic backing of the war, with perhaps economic aid once we are properly connected.

Best of luck,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

The now familiar office that Jul uses and may as well be seen as the embassy between the two powers, stands once again in the view of whoever receives them, as he shifts some notes in his hand, seemingly taking aback despite initiating the call himself.

"Well met, and thank you for assisting us in helping the people of the Grand Republic continue their democratic streak" He passes the page, sneaking a look behind it to see if that was really all for that part of the message.

"When we first talked, a few years after our arrival you spoke of a project, one that would surely lead us to ever-greater cooperation, do you have an estimate of that project's cost in material and manpower, and if so, should our mutual cooperation with the Stewards of understanding take precedence?" some data was sent, describing the Silent Cartographer initiative, what it seeks to accomplish and how much research spending it is esteemed to need.

The Stewards of Understanding seek to help uncover and reunite the legacy of the Arco-Medeans. To that end, they are assembling a map of the various installations of their masters, and indexes of the contents of those vaults, turning them into skeleton keys so that they can house all the wonders under one roof. Any faction who helps them complete their map will be able to use it: they can roll 2 times for all Installation loot and complication rolls during Midturn and choose the result they want.

This is the stewards LTP just in case.

The notes are finally left aside and Jul ask in a mor improvised manner "With the advent of a few conflicts and scarily nearby routes being uncovered and hoping it is completely clear that we do not think of you as mercenaries, we would like to ask for some Novinus volunteers for a few peacekeeping expeditions to nearby systems, of course proper protocol asks volunteers to be paid as regular Rainbow Tell... and you see why I prefaced it like I did, right?"



"On the subject of peacekeeping, asked sent this" a small (tiny) archive consistent of only text is tagged on, and Jul takes a moment to look at the interesting new shapes dust may have made on his Nails while it is read.

To Nufai Hapaxia, champion of the Fotuan arena,

me and Clu weren't the most impressive warriors this time around (that would be you, duh), but you may remember us from the fight we had.

Anyway, we (I, Clu can get Salty at times, I'm sure he feels the same though) want to congratulate you on your prowess, you were quite something, I'm specially glad I recovered enough to see your final fight live if not on my feet.

Hopefully we can meet again on the battlefield (or you know, wherever), some other time.

Until then,
-Alerax.


Hello Eldest,

Why, I planned to bring the topic to attention when I arrived at the conference, since Ka I and Log had an... accident.

Of course three work better than two and truly "do, or do not" is worthy of three, so what timeframe would you be happy with?

-Theophania, resident tutor of applied thaumatology.

NPCs

Most esteemed scholars,

While not exactly the party we had in mind when new elections were called for, Frank Wespoint has so far seemed far more amiable in his dealings than The Totalists that preceded him.

as for our contribution, we are currently discussing such matters with the Unwilling god and his followers, who have shown a remarkable interest in the pursuit of the sciences and we would like to include in the project, if you wouldn't oppose it and we shall start sending our own materials as soon as we can.

if you wouldn't mind, we could certainly do a lot more for the completion of our shared project if some of the scholars could help us deal with a little hassle (the troubles that come of searching for Arco-medean glory without the Silent Cartographer are already apparent), we would of course pay them handsomely in equipment.

3 SCI for 3 eco? actually, was the favour for changinf Republican leanings something that I can exchange directly for those 3 SCI?

added in a request to just leave a "we are receiving things for LTP completion, probably sending 1-3 points at most but is still something."

Numinous Secretariat,

we would be willing to listen, in so long as you are willing to talk, on whatever subject you would choose.

Respectfully,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

[Writtensanity]

A female Centinarian is in front of a podium that bears the logo of the previous Centinarian Government overshadowed by the UEO logo. She is dressed in soft purple robes that flow to the floor and leave a long trail down the hallway behind her.

Good Evening, I am Yia Noa, speaker of Centinari Prime and United Ecological Order's Principia representative for this political announcement. Before I was any of that, I was a citizen of Centinari and then a revolutionary that helped cast out the violent regime that corrupted out democracy. I have bled for Centinari Prime, and the other planets that have joined our initiative.

When U.E.O sent the missive to the Grand Republic, we were willed with hope. The people may have been voting towards saber rattling and isolationism, but they had the chance to turn away from that path and strive for a better Grand Republic.

They did not.

With the War Party once again taking the helm, and the latest intelligence showing that there will be imminent war announcements from the War Party, it is clear that they are living up to their name, and we were correct in our evaluation of the Republic's current goals. With that knowledge, it is with a heavy heart that the UEO confirms our declaration of war on the War Party and the Totalist Party. The extremity of this war will be completely up to the people of the Grand Republic, our hope is that it will be a representation of our disapproval, more than it will be a violent conflict.

Should another party gain power at the next official election, the UEO will immediately open peace talks. Until that time, any Grand Republic Presence in nearby systems will be met with deadly force.

May your planets thrive under the light of the stars.

Kilah Set'Ni'Alla.






Keys.

Attached are decryption codes to read recent messages from the Muridun, The Grand Republic and The Vanguard.

[A_Dinosaur]

Grand Republic of Principia

Morale 7, Reputation: Feared

Principia. It is with a heavy heart that I come before you today under dire threat.

The UEO has chosen to declare war on our democratic process, so close off the back of a midterm election that will no doubt have far reaching effects to the future of the Democratic Elections of the GRP. We stand not only on the shoulders of Giants, but still at the feet of a galaxy of Wonder and Terror. I was a young man, fresh off a military scholarship when the Warpstorms that cut Ranunculus from the greater galaxy began to abate. When our fleeting signals first touched the warp lanes I was already asking my doctor about aches and pains. Our first contact from another planet was pirates, and I signed my reservist papers and went to our first war. Small and pitiful on this grand stage of Principia, but it taught me that war is hell.

Now I’m an old man, I’ve been an Admiral, I’ve been a father, and now I’ve been a president twice. There is a saying older than I can possibly guess, that old men declare war and young men die in them. I know it to be a true saying, many people will die in the coming wars as the forge of principia smelts swords from plow shares. It will seldom be the men and women who declare these wars who will be doing the dying. War is hell.

Though it is not a war I particularly want, I have no choice but to acknowledge the declaration of war by the UEO on the Grand Republic of Principia. I have never spoken to a UEO representative before this year, though it seems they did send a message to my administration many years ago. Since then the Totalist Party took power, and stoked the fires of hatred where no hatred belonged, but I cannot deny that what the Whitehollow administration received from the UEO was a threat of extortion, and they responded bluntly but honestly. Set’Ni’Alla’s response has been nothing short of astounding. Rage and hate outmatch perhaps only by Whitehollow himself, not only against the Totalist administration, who may have deserved it, but the people of the Grand Republic and myself. Politics can be confusing, but war is hell.

Despite this, despite the stretching of resources this causes the GRP. I cannot let injustice go so unchallenged. One of the first contacts the Grand Republic made when I was a young man was the Zultari Clans, and while the Republic may not have seen eye to eye with the warlike clans, they were an honest and respectable people. Seven years ago they were struck with overwhelming force with no opportunity for preparation or diplomacy. Vanishingly few warnings were given at all before the armada of the Anterean Crusade descended upon their worlds and lay devastation on a scale that chills me to my very bones. With no options but defeat before them, those that remained surrendered, only to be stripped of their very physiology in hard light assimilation programs. Now the same crusade rests on the borders of the Grand Republic, and I will not be the president who stood by and did nothing. I will not be the President who witnessed an undeclared surprise war and turned a blind eye. I will not be the president who let tyranny stand on our very doorstep. War is hell, but the Grand Republic will forge Justice from its fires!

The Grand Republic of Principia Declares war on the Anterean Crusade

The Sages of Lettis VI
Eldest, this is Frank Westpoint,

I’ll be occupied on the front likely for much of the near future, but I’d be honored for a seat at your Conference. I will send Serendipity Exiom, an real up and comer from our foreign relations department. If you could spare the facilities for her I would appreciate it if she could stay long term, as the transit time and the human lifespan can be a little hard on the psychology of a young woman like her.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Vanguard
Guardian’s of Innocent Creatures, Frank Westpoint here,

My thanks for your support. I hope the GRP and Vanguard can form a lasting friendship no matter current politics among the house. [32] is yours, and the Republican Fleet will have a thing or two to say if anyone says otherwise.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

Muridun
Ambassador Mariana,

War was happening one way or another, and there wasn’t exactly other good options. But I thank you for your support none the less.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Judiciary Collective
Administrator Jenkins, Frank Westpoint here,

Unexpected public announcement there but maybe it shouldn’t have been. Your nation does what it says on the tin I suppose. Thank you for your support in this process.

Frank Westpoint, 174th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

https://imgur.com/ldak1Gi.jpeg

[n0ble]

"Ultarus...Logopathor...wherefore did you mine the strength for this burden?"
- Words of the Unwilling God, secretly recorded for posterity by Dr. Warrant as part of the Novinus Chronicle

Fire in the Sky

"Father?"

"Boy."

Father was absent his armor. Sitting at the vast span of white rock that passed for their vantage point's apogee, the man looked small. Sleight, even. The white of his bodysuit bleaching his form so as to be almost invisible were it not for the night sky casting him Savior-grey. A single black ring was on his finger. A finely trimmed moustache drooped under his nose, a little more grey with the passing of each year. He certainly did not seem a God, at least not to Nufai's vision. But he was also absent his armor, and so the man who sat cross legged across from Nufai was just as the boy had named him. Nufai blinked. His name sounded foreign coming from the man opoposite him. Much had changed since the Fountani's contest. And, as ever, much had stayed the same. "Tell me of Ultrum."

The Unwilling God's posture sagged. No. Relented. As though he'd stopped resisting some great weight borne upon his shoulders and the force of whatever plagued his psyche bore down with all its merit. He sighed, concern plain on his face. "Very well. Come. We walk." He rose to standing. Nufai mirrored him and followed, refocusing his gaze away from the white deserts below the swathe of green on their right. Their pace was deliberate, with all the sureity of a glacier's advance. For a few Novinian units of time they walked in silence. Father was the one to break it. He was good at that. Breaking things. "It was...a place much in the same as the contest you attended. The same, yet different. Absent honnour or cameraderie. A place where strength was the only determinant of authority. A weapon we wielded." They advanced into the darkness of the treeline, and the lush grash underfoot tickled Nufai's toes. The boy frowned.

"We?"

"Aye. We." Deeper into the forest's interior now. Then come to stop as life cut across their path: a feline, its upward canines jutting out and downwards like curved sickles. The cat's coat was flecked with spots that changed color against its skin. Quills ridged its back. The fur under the spots shifted from green to a turquoise not dissimilar from Novinus' sun. Father advanced, and at his approach the creature's hackles and quills raised, a small yowl coalescing in the beast's throat. The Unwilling God stopped an arm's length away from the nacathal. And knelt with his right arm outstretched, the flat of his palm facing the canopy overhead. He beckoned Nufai towards him with the left, trying to conceal the gesture from the creature in front of him. The nacathal's burgeoning screech died as the boy approached, though it's-her-hackles remained raised.

The air grew chilled as Nufai walked, and as he arrived he saw what was at cause: a lump of frozen air, held in his Father's hand as a gift. It was the same hand which hand the ring on it. Father nodded that Nufai should join him, and as the boy knelt down Father swung the ice-holding hand over for Nufai. Slowly. He and the nacathal did not break eye contact. Nor did either blink. It was only when Nufai accepted the translucent solid that the feline turned her gaze away, first looking to the boy, then to the gift he held. A few furtive licks at the offering and the nacathal snatched it from his hand, hurrying away like the Reaper was at it's tail. "Mm." Father and son rose and resumed their pace.

"You say that Ultrum was a weapon. The Savior says that the perfect warrior is the one that never picks up a weapon."

"The Savior holds wisdoms in his chassis that are alien to me. He is correct." It did not go unoticed by Nufai that his Father's hand-the same one which the ring was on-became a fist. For the briefest of moments.

"But the Believers say that you are just that, Father. You have defeated their Pankrator and thus assume his positon. It is a...contradiction?" The word was a new one. The Fountani's contest had allowed for more than just an exchange of fighting styles. "That their former leader decries the rationale of those they follow."At this last word Father stopped and turned to face Nufai. There was no rage on his face. No fury. Just the same stocism as always. "Followers? Ur has followers. The Grand Republic, for all its pretensions of democracy, has followers. Is this who you would have us lead? Peoples battered into a shape of our own making?"

"...No sir."

"Mm. You comprehend. This is good. Apply this lesson to Ultrum. Consider it much in the same as these tyrannies that have followed in it's wake." They resumed walking again. Nufai felt a touch unbalanced by the conversation. Again, the hand became a fist. "The Savior says these words, but they are not his. They are ours." A harsh, gutteral succession of syllables came from the old man's mouth, alien and unfamiliar to Nufai's ears. It sounded like he was choking on something. Nufai's imbalance swayed to fear, and for a moment his Father became something else in his eyes. Not a man. Not a god. Something worse. Then Father spoke Language, clearly quoting the same words he'd just uttered: "'What need have we for weapons when theirs cannot part us from our hands.' Bah." Their pace quicked, and Nufai felt a welter of sweat break out across his forhead and what remained of his scar from the contest. "We could never understand that the hand offered in friendship is stronger than the fist that parts flesh." More weight pressed down on Father's shoulders and he...waivered. For just a moment. Just a second. "It was almost our end, boy."

They entered a clearing ringed by towering menhirs carved with baroque sigils alien as the language Father had spoken. "Our?"

"Yes. Our. Do you know what your name means, boy?" The old man came to stop in front of one of the towering mineral deposits. He traced a hand across and around one of the signs that swirled about the effigy. Absent an answer, Nufai remained silent. And listened. "Language as you comprehend has...had been a failing of our people. We killed words readily as we killed one another. Kindess. Mercy." The Unwilling God turned to Nufai. A profound sadness limmed the lower part of the old man's eyes in water. "Gift. It was diffcult to find an equivilant, but time was something we of Ultrum have always had in ample supply. Promise. That is what you are to me, Nufai. A vow that I still have years left in me. To be better. To do...better."

"Redemption is ever the purview of the lonely." The mechanical wine of servos announced Killbot VIII's entrace into the clearing as much as his voice. Nufai pondered a moment on why he'd not heard the Undying Warmachine's footfalls. The thought left his mind as the synthetic's hulking frame continued speaking. "But that does not mean it need be sought out alone."

Nufai smiled and half ran half flew to embrace Killbot VIII. "Savior!" He wrapped his arms around the chassis in a loving embrace, then winced at pain which twinged in his arm. The killbot raised him up in a hug of their own, then set the boy down, one hand on his shoulder. The monitor displayed vidfeeds of his fighting. "You comported yourself in an exemplary manner, Nufai. I would wager my alt-mode that the mighty Garuda would prove the equal of myself or your father, were the day to come where we find ourselves on opposite sides of a conflict. But I digress: take pride in what you have done. All of Novinus thanks you for what your victory has given us." And with these words the Savior's other hand swept out to encompass the vast green and the stones which surrounded them. And Father.

"Ah. My friend. I apologize." Faint contrails of steam emanated from where Father's thermal vision evaporated nascent tears. "You find me at a low point."

"Whatfore else is the strength I possess to be used for, if not to uplift those feeling lower than I? Tell me, friend, what is it that so plagues you conciousness on this day?" The Supreme Pankrator dropped his hand from Nufai's shoulder and both synthetic and youth walked towards the old man in the menhir's epicentre. The Unwilling God walked to meet them. He and the Savior clasped forearms as they met.

"The boy." Father nodded towards Nufai "He desired to know of his origins." New images played across the Savior's monitor. A black planet ringed with corpses. A flight of men and women cut in half by red bands of thermal energy. A woman clad in armor like Father's, black curls of hair momentarily visible before a grimacing helmet swallowed it up. "Ah. Ultrum. A delicate subject despite concerning such a durable peoples. Worry not, friend." And at this Killbot VIII turned to Nufai, a gesture echoed by Father. He placed a hand on Nufai shoulder, and the other on Fathers. "The best of your people lives on in you. In both of you."

"You are too kind for your purpose in this sector, VIII." Father turned his gaze skyward, and the Savior mirroed him in this. A comfortable silence settled into the clearing. Nufai broke it.

"Father?"

"Nufai?"

"Which star is Antares?" The old man ran a finger across his moustache. Belatedly, Nufai recognized it as the one his ring was on. He pointed upwards. "Hm. That one, past the Ormquest belt, a little to the left of the Ultarian Verge." Nufai blinked at the unfamiliar names for familiar clusters of systems.

"So much light amongst all the dark. How can we prevail when theres so little?" Father made to speak, then stopped himself as the Savior begant to talk.

"You ask a question few have the courage to answer. But I will try and give voice." A pause. A single image interposed itself across VIII's screen. Novinus' blue sun, eclipsed by one of her moons. "There is black and there is white, in this sector. It is within this child's dichotomy that many find life's struggle. This word is an appropriate designation: struggle. The black in opposition to the white. It is an unfortunate truth that the black oft eclipses the white. Yet I recall, as your father might," the monitor nodded across to the Unwilling God. Father's visage held a resolute look, and for a moment Nufai thought the gaze would hold as it was. Then the old man relented and nodded back. There was no more weight pressing down on his shoulders.

"That there was a time when there was much less light in the sky."

Morale 7

A crude hologram of Dr. Warrant manifests in Jul's office. Her eyes are alight with the prospect of discovery. "Ah. Now that is interesting..." Then she looks away and up the individual she is meeting. "Well...on that account you are correct. Novinus has never lacked for the exportation of violence. What did you have in mind?" She scans the message for Nufai, and a nervous tremor passes through her vasculature "I'll pass your missive along to the scion."


Definitley up for completing that LTP (the silent cartographer). Havent gotten an appraisal on the other one we talked about but I'll ask. What did you have in mind in terms of peackeepers?

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8



Dear Eldest,

We are glad of the clarification, we would have for you to stumble into a state of war with your neighbour by mistake. But you do drive a hard bargain. Very well, on behalf of the collective we commit to the Trust if only to be neighbourly. We will, however, hold you to the proposed investment schedule of 20 years since impecunious as we still are the Collective will need some time to collect the necessary funds. Your assistance as per our earlier agreement on the exploration of our facilities would also greatly assist us in ensuring that we do not face significant difficulty in meeting our obligations.

The news that the Muridun are also fully committed is encouraging.

Although we had not discussed the question of exclusivity of such a deal, we would like to inform you that we will also be seeking a similar deal with the Vanguard should they be interested. Should you wish to have exclusivity in this respect, we would be amenable to a renegotiation of the terms.

Kind regards,
Amicus Slant.



Mr. Westpoint,

We thank you for your acknowledgement and countersigning of the war declaration. We understand you may not have anticipated a public announcement, however, as the Collective strives for transparency and fairness it would be counter to those objectives and the general benefit of the public at large for such matters to be kept private. Such treatment of the GRP by the collective could also be considered discrimination against others who have been the subject of previous public announcements. We assure you that the Collective will treat all information and cases set before it with a dedication to fairness and neutrality regardless of the relationship of the collective with any given faction.

Given the recent statement of the UEO, we would like to inform you that this is considered a unilateral offer of cessation of hostilities. Should you accept the offer through your actions, then the war declaration will be considered voided and no longer applicabl, ths does not requiree. The UEO must withdraw this unilateral offer before any circumstance that gives rise to its acceptance materialises. If circumstances of acceptance materialise, then no specific declaration is required and the war will be voided automatically. Given that the statement giving rise to the declaration of war has not been withdrawn, a certificate of declaration will automatically be drawn up if the original is voided, if the circumstances triggering the declaratory event re-occur.

In addition to this, we would like to inform you that your hyperlane to sector 32 does not constitute a cause of action for the Vanguard since it does not lie within their legally recognised sphere of influence (1 natural hyperspace jump from their home sector). The action was only flagged as a pre-aggressive action. This brings up the question of whether successive governments are responsible for and inherit any cause of action resulting from the actions of a previous government. We would like to inform you that it has been determined that successive governments shall bear the responsibility for action of previous governments. The GRP may hire legal representation and seek ad-hoc exemptions of specific actions, though this will be subject to legal review.

We thank you for your interest in our services and look forward to working more closely with you. We hope you have a pleasant war.

Administrator Carly Jenkins




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

To our great satisfaction both the Muridun and Judiciary Collective have agreed to fund their part of the Trust. Which leaves our previous negotiations unneeded. There remain the items of our proposed trade and the disposition of Bheura Prime.

We propose a simple trade of [1 mil] for [1 eco] this decade. Next decade we will provide a combination of [3 mil or 3 sci], the exact ratio to be decided then, in exchange for the system of Bheura Prime.

As for the question of sharing the cost of the course charting we are in two minds. If you regard the assets from the system itself as being part of the assets being paid into the Trust, then we will withdraw our claim to them. However in that case we will not pay a share of the course as we would not be getting anything beyond the territory of Bheura Prime itself.

If you regard those assets as being separate from the Trust, then we will pay [1 sci] additional in exchange for [1 point]. We feel this is equitable as the Iron Gods are benefiting the most from Bheura Prime by being able to investigate the anomalies there. (OOC: And there's no half points in this game so we can't split it exactly.)

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings Theophania,

We will be unable to provide any cooperation in the coming decade due to the lack of logistics. We will have to see what the future holds after that, but we suspect it will take two to three decades to complete the Lunara Collectives great work.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings Frank Westpoint,

Of course we would be glad to host Serendipity Exiom for as long as she wishes to stay at the conference.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings Amicus Slant,

They are your archeological sites. If you wish to bring in other scientists to assist you we have no issue with that. If nothing else we can discuss it in greater detail once our people are in closer contact.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

We are greatly pleased that everyone has agreed at last to fully support the Trust. We had our doubts at times, but it is gratifying to see our negotiations bear fruit.

So that we are all clear the payment plan is the same as before.
Turn 2: Muridun 5, Iron Gods 5, Sages 5
Turn 3: Muridun 5, Iron Gods 5, Sages 10, Judiciary 10

With the Iron Gods providing additional funding for the next two decades beyond that to fulfill their obligations for the Bheura Prime vault.

We have included the Trust's charter below. We have made one change to require unanimous voting for any change in membership as that seems to be the simplest option to satisfy the issues raised earlier.


1) The ratio of investment into the pool is 4:1, with a minimum starting amount of 10 temp stat points (so that’s a 40 point base right there). That is a fixed linear investment.

2) You and anyone else who can collaborate with you later can improve the fund linearly by spending 4x improvement. So if you wanted to bump it up to 12 temp stats, it would cost 8 from anyone. The improvement won’t kick in until the following EoT.

3) To make this not a nightmare of tracking stats, I will say that the fund can only produce temp Eco or temp Psi, regardless of the temp stats invested. Anyone getting a dividend from the fund can take out their end in any combination of temp Eco and temp Psi. Just about everyone can use those stats, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

4) Every turn shareholders vote Aye or Nay in regards to each faction to determine the next turn's shareholders. It requires a unanimous vote to change the status of a shareholder either removing an old one or adding a new one. Every shareholder benefits from the fund equally. Any remainder points from the LTP roll over to the next turn and can be taken out then. It’ll be up to you to track the incoming and outgoing of the fund each turn.

4a.) On the initial completion of the LTP the LTP holder will name the initial shareholders. The first payout will go to all these shareholders.

4b.) The LTP will not pay out unless there are at least three shareholders.

5.) Contributors will pay a trade distance penalty to collaborate on setting up the fund, but shareholders will not receive a penalty for payouts.

6.) There is a 5 point overhead cost to set up the initial bureaucracy.

Total Initial Cost: 30 Eco, 15 Psi

Bheura Prime Addendum: The controller of Bheura Prime agrees to pay the t.stats produced each turn from the bonus vault stats into the LTP for four (4) turns. If the bonus stats are not Eco or Psi they agree to trade them with one of the initial stakeholders for these stats on a one to one basis. The Sages of Iettis VI agree to pay the initial overhead cost.

Security Addendum: The LTP is protected against stat thefts. For obvious reasons I am not going to outline what the GM told me about this here, but I will include it in stakeholder message at EoT.

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 8

We see your declaration and see now the horrible stain your democracy is on your nation. It corrupts and allows outside forces to manipulate and maneuver.

You will be purged of this corruption in time.

You speak of Justice and fair warning yet in the same time frame I recieved a friendly message requesting a pleasant, if neutral, relationship to leave each other be and then shortly after a declaration of war. All from your nation.

In the next few years shall I receive a new message from the Grand Republic changing its stance on my Crusade?

Worry not for we do not change our minds at the whim of fickle masses.

War Acknowledged and reciprocated .


Greetings Enemy of my Enemy,

My friends. We would like to thank you for your fair warning. We were not caught unawares thanks to your generosity.

Though we find ourselves displeased by this sudden war during our desire for peaceful expansion we are glad to be sharing an enemy together. Perhaps this shall be the event that tightens the bonds across Principia.

We shall speak later on this issue when the Grand Republic has suffered from their folly.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Reputation: adored
Moral: 5

Excellent, let us discuss it at length when we are closer in space as we are in spirit...

-Theophania, resident tutor of applied thaumatology.

While the war on the Grand Republic seems to us a step too far, it is true that despite our efforts, the people there chose a party much less amiable than we would have expected, hopefully the diplomatic pressure (which should stay at that) is enough to make them reconsider.

Taking into account the peaceful attempt made before, you have shown a measure of the will to enact change, we look forward to seeing more of it.

With respect,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

"She will be very grateful. Now, on the matter of Violence", Jul half ponders for a moment, scratching his clean shaven shin "Just how much is free for export? because we do have enough for whatever that number is"

I have 9 ECO burning a hole in my pocket and some wildly optimistic claims to start filling up, I'll take a 1:1 on Mil if you can afford it (you may not have enough actual mil, given your expenditures last turn).

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Dreaded, Encryption Level 13



[OOC: First option works. So this turn I will send you 3 Eco, 3 Psi, and you will send me 1 Mil. Next turn I'll send 5 Eco and the Bheura system, and you will provide me the 3 mil at EOT or 3 Sci at midturn or some combination of the two. Right?]

[ArcaneStomper]

OOC: Yes, that is fine.

[3SecondCultist]

Turn 3 - Acceleration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V44uJKyS5LM&ab_channel=ClintonShorter-Topic)

"Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose."
- Joe Abercrombie


https://i.ibb.co/S7qjcr5/Collision.jpg

Casualties - 13.459.83

Orion

They were coming.

The planet had turned three times on its poles while slowly orbiting the Zultari sun, and in all that time the Antarean Crusade had been preparing for this moment. The battle lines had been drawn in anticipation of the arrival of their enemy. Of those who did not think alike, who disdained all things orderly and brought only chaos, steel, and smoke to the harmonious. The Grand Republic would be here soon, and it would learn then what it was to fight a true army.

The Crusade forces had not been idle. For two hundred kilometers along their right ascension, the system space was occupied by living pieces of stars. Free-floating platforms of hard-light dotted the area around both of the Veil Gates into Republic territory, each occupying a loosely linked formation that would allow for optimal overlapping of both energy shields and fields of fire. Each platform could comfortably hold up to fifty of their kin, allowing them to coordinate their long-range beams and pick off valuable targets from a variety of directions without having to move. They would also draw from a common psionic reservoir, allowing each platform to donate power to its neighbours should any of them come under direct attack.

They had dubbed it the tapestry - a practice of offense through defense, adopted from the ancient philosophy of the Necrosages of the tomb-world of Nyria.

It was an optimal position, given the resources that Great Antares and his Firstborn had left for them while they were away bringing the light of truth to distant worlds. They would meet the Republic forces here and grind them down, piece by piece.

Yet, even as they surveyed all that surrounded him, Orion found it in themselves to feel a stab of pity for those that were about to die. They were not evil things, these humans. Misguided, perhaps. Trapped in shrouds of flesh and blood, by hunger and thirst and thoughts of other basic desires. Was the Grand Republic - their so-called 'democracy' - not a manifestation of their failings writ large? A society that was constantly being torn apart by delusions of free will?

They supposed that it was not their place to ask such questions. To wonder, even as they completed the third binding of space upon the platform over which they floated. This was one of the last, at the periphery of the formation, and so that made it an integral link in the chain. If the Republic fleet sought to escape the tapestry, they would concentrate fire at the edges to get ships through and surround the formation. The outer platforms could not fall. They would not.

The alarm - a precognitive signal that had been weaved into the tapestry - arrived five minutes before one of the Veil Gates began to ripple and shudder. Orion subvocalized their orders to the nearest cluster of platforms, setting their starspawn on alert and tasking their kin to start building up energy for the first barrage.

The starspawn's personal danger sense flared seconds before the first bows of the Republic fleet emerged into Zultar space. It was too much, too soon. How had they already - but they had no more time to think, for the enemy was here and that demanded a reply. At the mark of a signal, hundreds of platforms across the tapestry glowed with every shade of blue.

And then the energy was released. A beautiful percussion of heat and light, meant to overwhelm the Republic cruisers before they could even get a target lock with their guns. Orion could feel the pulse of power beneath their glowing pearlescent skin, each piece of the whole rippling outwards like a single living thing. The hail of starfire eclipsed everything else in sight.

When the glow subsided, Orion felt the first stirrings of fear. Three of the Republic cruisers were down, their hulls shattered and life support systems destroyed. But there were five more already through the Veil Gate, each one sporting a bulky frame with twin-engine towers and overlapping double shield wedges at the bow. They sent their own signal through the network for the tapestry to fire at will. The Republic could not establish a beachhead on this side of the gate!

Even as their siblings continued their bombardment, Orion saw the shadow of a new type of ship emerge from hyperspace under the cover of its comrades. It was slightly smaller than the heavy cruisers and did not share their weapons profile or overlapping shield design. Instead, its front prow was dominated by a titanic cannon, which Orion could see was already gathering a charge. And it was pointed straight at them.

Orion heard the wail of their danger sense too late. Their shields should have - but they realized in that instant that they had severely underestimated the enemy's firepower capabilities. The tapestry would not hold, connected or not. They sent out one last silent order on the network before putting the rest of their power reserves into the binding.

Then the cannon fired, and Orion knew nothing more.


Joren Tanner

"Target destroyed," Joren called out to the ordinance bridge as his display confirmed payload detonation. The electromagnetic lance of the Narwhal class battleship Do You Feel Lucky? had been designed to pierce capital-grade shields at long distances. But it was one thing to have an engineer claim something, and another to see the thing in action.

As far as trials by fire went, there was nothing like a full-scale system invasion.

The Antarean Crusade had surrounded the Veil Gate with what looked like bombardment platforms, to take advantage of the area's tight defensive corridor. It was a smart play on the defense's side, as it maximized the impact of their starfire bombardments. Thankfully, fleet command had anticipated such a maneuver. That was why they'd dispatched the first wave of Double Shield Envelope Bluefins to eat the opening barrages, test the enemy's strength and provide cover for the real heavy hitters.

Joren sat in his chair, allowing himself a moment to exhale. If the tac screen was to be believed, he had just pulled a single trigger and obliterated 3.52% of the enemy forces in the theatre. Ops didn't have a complete picture of the number of Crusade forces deployed here, so he did a quick calculation based on the most recent data and instantly wished he hadn't.

Recharging, read the display in front of him. Time to next firing cycle: 76 seconds. He couldn't think about casualties, not when there was still a battle to win. Instead, he scanned the computer's algorithm to find the nearest heavy enemy position. He found one. Exhale.

"Requesting adjustment of CEL, 28.6 degrees to port," he announced to the command comm officer and the rest of the gun crew. There were over two dozen on this particular bridge; not only gunners but tech, navigation, and support staff. Although he was the ranking officer in the room, he had bosses just like everyone else. A tickle of vomit filled the back of his throat, but he kept it at bay.

"Approved, Gunnery Sergeant," came the voice of the ship's XO over the comm. "Little Rascal and Gunboat Diplomacy are standing by to open a hole for your nose. Confirm firing time."

"41 seconds," Joren swallowed. His fingers twitched.

The deck under his feet lurched as the cannon - several hundred tons of incredibly sophisticated machinery - began to move. The electromagnetic lance was capable of moving up to 45 degrees along a fixed track, allowing for wider target selection without relying on tight turns or breaking formation. The adjustment took less than six heartbeats, the machinery locking into place with deadly finality.

Outside the viewport windows, he could see the massive hulks of the fleet's Bluefin cruisers as their black-hole Impeller drives propelled them ever forward. He knew that even now, nav controllers for all three vessels were in constant communication, telemetry synchronized down to the last meter. In less than a minute there would be an opening - a single instant where the ships were perfectly aligned, and he could take his next shot.

"30 seconds," he murmured, the reticule narrowing as he locked on to the target he'd spotted: another cluster of platforms on the other end of the field of engagement. Breaking the enemy there would open a second breach, allowing the Sunfish and Perch battalions to move in and surround the Antareans. Once the Republic broke through, it would all be over.

"Sarge! Looks like we've got incoming. Crusader fighters," came a voice from over his left shoulder. That would be Volers on comms. Her voice was accompanied by the klaxon of the Narwhal's proximity alarms. In a few moments, the viewports and blast doors would begin to close, over two feet of reinforced titanium alloy sliding into place to insulate the ordinance bridge and its crew.

But he didn't have time to worry about that. Exhale. 15 seconds. He just had to breathe, to forget about the lives on the other end of the lance. He could do this. They were aliens, just another set of numbers on a screen. His thumb settled into place over the lance release.

Inhale, and -

Before it could close, the viewport shattered inward, pierced by a longspear of pure light. The head of the weapon - easily ten feet across - dragged along the duraglass, melting through each protective layer as though it was cheap plastic. The blast doors had already sealed off the ordinance bridge, which only sped up the decompression process.

Already gasping for air, Joren reached down for the trigger, only to find his hand caught. He looked up, into the eyes of a crimson angel. How had it gotten here? Its hands cupped his face and squeezed.


Nebula

The human's skull shattered between their fingers, its brain oozing out of where its face should have been. Outside of their metal shells, their enemies were such frail things. The red starspawn waved their arm, shaping the limb into a monomolecular blade long enough to reach the rest of the room. Three quick strokes carved up what was left of the other humans and all of their wiring.

Wasting no more time, Nebula took off, exiting the Republic battleship from the same point it had entered through. Their eyes surveyed the scene, watching the other Crusaders in their flight diving in between the larger invading craft to try and perform the same maneuver they had.

The Republic had made it clear that they had weapons that could break through the tapestry. So be it. With no word from any of the artificers - Nebula suspected that the enemy had flagged them as targets somehow - the platforms could not afford to wait. The Crusaders had to go on the offensive to disable the more cumbersome Republic warships.

So Nebula had called for the charge, leading several staggered formations of red starspawn straight into the enemy lines to do what they did best: close-quarters combat.

As they watched, Nebula reflected that the gambit was largely paying off. While one of the Republic cruisers remained operational, two more were swiftly foundering after the starspawn got inside their minimum point-defense range and had targeted engines and shield generators. And thanks to their own efforts, the smaller battleship’s great cannon was offline. Hopefully, that would buy the remaining artificers and hardlight engineers the time they needed to repair the tapestry lines and prepare for the Republic’s next wave.

The explosion that interrupted Nebula's train of thought came from their left-hand side, grazing their outer starlight shell and catapulting them away from the battleship. It was followed by two more. Nebula’s head whipped around, finding the assailants instantly: four light craft, emerging from beneath the larger vessel's shadow. And they were not alone. Scanning the area, they spotted several squadrons of fighters emerging from the shielded hangar bays of the last enemy cruiser. Conflagrant lips twisted into a smile.

This is going to be fun.

Although there was no sound out here in the void, Nebula was familiar with the speed they would need to achieve to avoid a direct hit from a human ship; it would be several times faster than an atmospheric sonic boom. Thankfully, they had fought in this very scenario on multiple occasions, each time pushing themselves to beat their personal best.

Nebula pivoted in place before launching themselves forward, accelerating to what they considered to be a comfortable velocity. Tapping into their internal psionic well, they expanded their consciousness outward, adopting a basic spherical awareness of the surrounding five kilometers. The starfighters were keeping pace directly behind them.

Good. After all, what was the point of this if it wasn't going to be a challenge?

As they weaved between the collapsing debris of one of the Republic cruisers - avoiding any more projectile detonations - Nebula continued to pick up speed. The body of a starspawn needed no engines to try and acceleration, no internal mechanics to regulate drag, or navigation computer to calculate distance. All it needed was will and power, guided by years of instinct. Nebula knew the moment they had the upper hand.

Once they had achieved the target velocity, Nebula dove below the debris field. Using their peripherals, they turned with pinpoint accuracy and launched a series of percussive blasts upward towards their pursuers. One, two, three, four hits, all to critical areas. There were no survivors.

Nebula's smile widened. They were right; that had been fun. They slowed to a victorious glide, subvocalizing a signal to rally the rest of the starspawn flight for another pass. In doing so, they missed the approach of a Republic starfighter from the other squadron as it came into range.

The first explosive round took Nebula in the chest, shattering both inner and outer shells. The second ripped their body in half, and the third scattered the remains back out into the void.


Mace Gamble

Mace crowed in triumph and all but punched the roof of his cockpit when the last missile struck home. The computer had confirmed the kill, a single beep on his dashboard. That was six dead fireflies in one dogfight, which meant that Hutchinson owed the rest of the squad a round of Ork aragh when they all got back planetside on Ranunculus.

That red bastard had been the fastest one he'd seen so far, well above and beyond any of the Antarean strikers his squad had dealt with on this turkey shoot. Seemed he had them on both quantity and quality, then.

Republic space warfare doctrine dictated that in close-quarter engagements, all heavy ships were to dispatch Pirhana fighter squadrons to protect vital fleet assets in descending strategic order according to command protocol. That usually meant capital ships and heavy cruisers first, as they had the most personnel and combat assets on board. But today, the admiralty had sent Mace and the rest of Indus Squadron out to protect the integrity of their Narwhal battleships.

He had to admit they'd been too late to that particular mission. That Antarean starspawn had gotten to the Narwhal's bridge first, and even with its overall integrity intact, with its main weapon offline it was about as threatening to the enemy as a rude gesture. Of course, the captain had other options. If it were Mace at the helm with no nearby friendlies, he wouldn't have hesitated to stick its drives on a full burn and turn that baby into a four-kilometer battering ram.

Thinking on it a moment longer, maybe there was a reason that Rear Admiral Orson had deemed him 'not officer material' after all. That was all well and good with him, in any case. He'd advanced as much as he cared to - any further up the chain and he wouldn't be able to fly alone.

"Wing Leader, come in," squawked the long-range comm unit on his squadron's private channel. He was no egghead, but as he understood it, the Pirhana's instantaneous two-way encryption was the reason for the crackle and static every time he turned it on. It was, in his humble opinion, the flaw that the craft needed to be an imperfectly perfect killing machine.

"I've got you, Indus Three. You all still alive out there?"

"No thanks to you, boss. Pacifex Squadron's taking a beating, though - Gunboat Diplomacy has them engaged with some purple fireflies. I think they're psyker caste?"

"Well let's give them a helping tailfin then, shall we?" Inputting the firefight coordinates into his ship's nav computer, Mace received a HUD on his helmet showing the quickest trajectory. The Pirhana's engine roared as it swerved across the battlefield, and from the cockpit Mace saw the exhaust plumes of his squad's ships as one by one, they fell into formation behind him.

They didn't have far to go. The engagement was plain to see even without the display: massive flashes of light detonated and the space between the starships was somehow rife with what appeared to be bolts of living lightning.

Mace sent a directive to the rest of Indus Squadron to split into three flights; two on the flanks to harry and lay down minigun cover fire while the third and last would go high and take overwatch position, priming their long-range ballistics to take out the starspawn the second they made a move to retaliate. Since he'd taken over as Wing Leader, Indus had gotten quite proficient with the maneuver, although it was a pain to time out properly and it relied a great deal on the marksmanship of the members of the third group.

"Remember," Mace said over the comms, "wait for my mark!" Taking manual control, he steered his Piranha into a tight ascent, rising above the chaos of the battle. For the briefest moment, he allowed himself to exult in the sensation when it all faded away - just him and his ship, pointed right into the unknown. All he could see were stars.

The ship's computer beeped once. Twice. Then faster, still faster. Enemy approaching! He tried opening up the comms to check on the other flights. No response but pure static.

Beneath him, the entire battlefield was lit up by a pulse of amethyst energy. The beeping was so close together it became a constant whine, until the moment that the wave hit Mace's starfighter.

The electronics short-circuited first, and then the backup power. Navigation was fried, as were optics and fire control. Mace's engines died last, sputtering out while in the middle of a full-power climb. He flailed desperately at the controls - even the manual eject - but the entire craft was unresponsive.

To make matters worse, Mace's Piranha had been thrown off course by the impact. Now he was headed anywhere but the battle, the continued inertia carrying him further and further away from his allies and into the deep black beyond.

At that moment, Mace knew he was never going to see Ranunculus again.


Arcturus

How quickly, mused Arcturus as they watched the profile of one of the Republic fighters soar away from the theater at full speed, do the weapons of the humans become tombs. Have they not yet learned that dominion over space belongs to those who can survive it?

The blast - which had been costly, but not overly so - had wiped out the majority of the human starcraft in the immediate area. The pilots at the evocation's periphery, like their leader, would simply starve to death in their cockpits. The closer ones were luckier, as their starships melted around them and they died in mere minutes.

The process of gathering themselves back into a humanoid shape took time and made them vulnerable for a few seconds, but this concentration of their essence allowed them to better survey the battle unfolding around them. It was easier to be aware of developing situations when one was not a literal living star.

Arcturus' intervention here had definitively quashed the Republic's immediate starfighter response, they reasoned. None of the remaining warships were expelling light craft, and their red starspawn brethren seemed capable of rounding up stragglers and finishing off any disabled Republic cruisers that were still operational.

But the Veil Gate still quaked, and that meant this battle was far from over.

Arcturus expanded their mind, invisible tendrils touching the thousands of Crusaders still in the system space. They assessed each and every one of their brethren, checking for morale, combat damage, psionic reserves, and overall positioning.

Unfortunately, the tapestry was dead for all intents and purposes. There were simply too many holes in the formation of hard light embankments and too few practitioners left to repair them now, not with more Republic forces still on the way. There would surely be more of those cannon-wielding destroyer craft among the enemy fleet, and there was no use holding a fortified position against guns that could pierce even their formidable defenses.

No, the violet starspawn reasoned. The angle of the matter, its entire momentum had turned against the Crusade. There was no sense holding onto a strategy when it was no longer prudent - that was just stubbornness in the face of changing circumstances. In the absence of Great Antares or any of the Firstborn themselves arriving to take command, their forces would need new orders.

Arcturus had little authority to do this, in truth. But war demanded much of them all.

They ordered the remaining Crusaders to begin a staggered retreat away from this Veil Gate to their own, back to their home star. It would happen in coordinated waves; the support troops and artificers would begin, spreading themselves out into smaller groups. Their retreat would be covered by the warrior and psyker castes, who would be divided into similar numbers to make sure all were protected.

Arcturus themselves, on the other hand, would not be going anywhere. Someone had to stay behind, to cover the last of the stragglers, and something told them that the Republic would not just wait for the Crusaders to leave the engagement in good order.

They were under no illusions as to their strength; they could not fight off an entire battlegroup by themselves. But a single working, over a large enough area, could slow the Republic down long enough for their forces to get away.

This was no time for hesitation. Arcturus' kin were already moving en masse, a host of lights steadily dwindling as it abandoned the position. Under the profile of the Veil Gate, the starspawn watched the new Republic warships arrive, one after the other. They could see many of the same models as before, plus some others they did not recognize.

Arcturus fed the power, unraveling their limited form to become indistinct, expanding into lines of pure light and force. All around the Veil Gate, impenetrable barriers began to form. It was a maze, a beautiful shifting labyrinth full of moving corridors and dead ends.

The working would burn through their reserves, and when it was done it would devour their very essence. Even a neophyte knew better than to attempt this; the power would only last a few minutes, and surely cost Arcturus their life. Some foolish things, however, were worth doing.

Arcturus was fading, already fading. Yet they could feel the rest of the Crusaders begin to disappear through the opposite gate. They were all escaping. They would survive, to tell the tale of what had happened here.

The psyker's last thoughts were of home.


Wonders Never Cease - 13.462.43

The wheel turns, and a new decade dawns on Principia. Many of the best-laid plans of its princes come to fruition, while others have found themselves faced with calamity. War blooms most prominently along the Zultari Belt, as the forces of the Grand Republic and the Antarean Crusade come to blows over the contested strategic system. In a surprising move, Antares leads their many armies in a sizeable conquest phase elsewhere, leaving New Zultar to only a fraction of their forces. When the suddenly re-elected War Party administration completes the incredibly ambitious Operation Namesake - launching a historically sized fleet against the sole system - the starspawn are caught unprepared and are forced to give the territory up to the aggressors. The Battle of Fallen Stars, as it is later dubbed, is seen as a call to war across all Antarean held planets.

There are other conflicts as well, though most would not call them wars as such. Instead, a series of attacks with the intention of crippling the strategic assets of certain Principian factions erupt into the public eye. The UEO is the first to be hit, a great deal of their arsenal seized or destroyed by parties unknown, while others such as the Grand Republic suffer a swift reversal of fortune as heads of state and prominent community leaders are assassinated by foreign agitators under the false flag of separatism. While the suspects of these attacks do not immediately take responsibility, it is only a matter of time before external investigators examine the evidence to reveal the culprits.

Other geopolitical developments of note include the rapid expansion of several major Principian hegemonies. The greatest of these territorial grabs once more belongs to the Iron Gods of Ur, who descend on a record five new systems to add to their growing roster. Unlike most examples of military aggression, there are no refugees of note, and it's not because of the Gods' mercy. Instead, world after world goes silent as it is sacrificed to give birth to a new member of their grim pantheon.

To a lesser extent, other governments and groups follow suit. The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons, the Sages of Iettis VI, and especially the members of the Vanguard Unit all spread out across Principia, settling the affairs of the locals in a generally much more diplomatic manner. When the marking of the decade comes and goes, it finds the majority of the sector's space already filled in.

It will not be long before there is no room left, save for what is taken.

In the midst of violence, there is a call for progress. All across interstellar borders, local systems and neutral parties call out for rational and pragmatic minds. They seek clear-headed solutions to the problems that have led to them sharing a sector with tyrannical starspawn, cybernetic liches, unpredictable warmongering fascists, and hosts of chilling robotic armies. Of course, patience is not a virtue granted solely to the virtuous. Each Principian power is bolstered by its people in its own way - and each power will surely seek its own path to supremacy over all other contenders.

For this turn only, all stats invested into LTPs are far more efficient, counting for 150% of their normal investment value. This bonus is rounded down whenever there would be an odd number. For instance, 8 points of a single stat invested into an LTP would create 12 points of the same stat for the purposes of that LTP, but 9 points would only be 13 as opposed to 14.

This event affects only a faction's base permanent stat points; not VIPs, items, or temp stats gained through Installations, trading bonuses, or other abilities. That means all VIPs - no matter the type - are only worth their usual value. Psi VIPs of Tier 2 or above still offer their usual special bonus. Finally, the bonus does not convert over different stat types; track all stats invested into LTPs this turn separately.
Imminent Confederations - None
Current Winners - Vanguard Z-358, Unity Party, Muridun, Sages of Iettis VI (2 VP)

Midturns are due at 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 10th (EST)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

A Decade of Glory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0eO8FirHnU)

https://i.imgur.com/XLA1rR6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PydilG8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xZvhWlw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/D7ezlha.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZwQk9AF.jpg


Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



The Gods hope you found useful work for the witches loaned to you these past years. They found the transaction perfectly satisfactory, and would be quite willing to expand upon it, should the need arise.

They express some curiosity over your intentions to the south, as well. There have been rumours your golems clashed with the starspawn over one of the stars you have claimed. Do you intend to take offence?




The diplomatic pouch provided to the latest Kramagorian envoy to Haven is simply addressed to ‘The Good Captain’

My compliments to whatever parties unknown mauled the primitivists’ warfleet, if you can pass them along.

My patron’s should be able to spare the resources to enable more private negotiations in the next few years. Something that doesn’t require diverting capital ships, anyway. If yours can do the same? The map’s filling up, and I’d really prefer to have a meal picked out for them when they finish making an example of Lithos, keep things predictable.





On behalf of the Gods of Ur, I do apologize for the hurried negotiations in the past few years, but I’m happy the Trust seems to be going forward as initially planned. Were there any issues with the commitments of the other parties involved?

Regarding Bheura itself, have the Learned Sages determined how they would prefer to pay for control of the star?

[Writtensanity]

Election Day

“Down with Westpoint!”

“The Election was a LIE!”

“The VANGUARD HACKED THE MACHINES!”

Just outside of the throng pushing against the riot shields of the War Party’s enforcers, Donovan chuckled to himself. The last one was actually true. The M.A.G.I.C.A.L G.I.R.L.S had used their networks to seriously influence the election of the Grand Republic. Of course, like everything that had been fed to the Totalist Party rioters gathered today, it was only half the truth. Enough to get them believing the story, but not enough to give them complete context.

The Believers of the Unwilling God, the Iron Gods and the Sages had all also tried to rig the midterm elections, but rallying people behind four causes was harder than focusing in on one, and if there was one rhetoric the Totalist Voters would hate, it was the idea of protecting the entire galaxy equally.

Behind the riot line, two of the carrier crafts dropping off Enforcers adjusted their position slightly to the right. The first signal to the Gask on either side of the conflict. Escalation one.

Canisters of chemical suppressant flew out from behind the Enforcers, giving them apparent permission to fire their own. Within seconds the crowd was being pelted and smothered by what was supposed to be a variant of tear gas. Unfortunately for the enforcers, the factory had ‘forgotten’ to add the salacilic acid to this batch and all that was left was tragically ineffective aerosols that looked like tear gas.

“THEY’RE GASSING US.”

“**** THE WAR PARTY”

The crowd surged forward in anger and bashed against the Enforcer line. Seconds into the escalation, stun batons were charged and enforcers desperately tried to hold the line in front of the oncoming horde.

Donovan sighed and ran his fingers along the MK11 Reaper on his hip. This was his last day in the Grand Republic Enforcer Uniform, and he was going to miss how he looked in it.

He was the next escalation, and he waited for the signal.

Somewhere else in the city

Brinata was almost done escorting the rest of the senators to their backup governmental location. They’d been tipped off about this attack coming from Totalist supporters weeks ago, but nobody had suspected how vicious it would be. Nor could they have called the sudden sickness that swept through the capital enforcers in the days leading to it. Understaff and under assault, they’d been forced to move.

That worked fine for Brinata, who’d gotten one additional tip, which was that the secondary location wasn’t safe. It wasn’t surrounded, it was infiltrated. The Totalists were radicalized enough to assassinate instead of riot had holed themselves up and were waiting to strike. Brinata just needed to deliver lambs to the slaughter.

“Do we have everyone?” she asked a panicked aide as they assisted one of the older War Party leaders onto one of the transports.

“Almost we’re just,” the old woman stumbled and the aide stopped to ensure she didn’t fall. “We’re just waiting on a few.” The aide handed over a data pad showing the representatives on each of the transports. They’d been carefully set up by the UEO to ensure that the Totalist and War Party, alongside those who voted sympathetically to them across party lines, were positioned to be slaughtered.

There was a glaring absence. “Where is President Westponit?” Brinata pressed.

“He refuses to leave the Warroom while the fleets are in combat with the Crusade.”

“We can’t leave without him,” Brinata snapped, both because it was true to what she should have wanted, and because he was the current top UEO target. Without Westpoint this wouldn’t be a complete dismantling of both the War Party and the Totalist Party. He could be held up as a signal of hope. That couldn’t happen.

Just as Brinata was about to protest again, An enforcer came bursting out of the back door, his black uniform covered in paint and possibly blood. “You’re still here? ****!” He held his ear for a moment to access comms. “Hold the line we have VIPS in the area.”

“We still have VIPS inside.”

“We’ll get them! GO GO GO!”

“I-” Brinata went to question them, but if she blew her cover now she would have been letting dozens of War Party leaders escape. She needed to follow orders here to look like she wasn’t working outside of the chain of command. WIth a curt nod, Brinata left Westpoint behind to help motivate troops during the battle against the Crusade.

The transports took to the air and Brinata could see the riots breaking the enforcer line below, there were too many rioters, and the enforcers were admirably too hesitant to fire on their own people.

As the ships started to take toward the skies, an officer at the back of the protests finally shot a man that had been rushing him.

Within seconds, Democracy Square had erupted into a cacophony of gunfire, explosions and screams.


The Outskirts

Enforcer transports peeled away from the edges of the city, headed to the government buildings to try and quell the riots before they completely consumed the city. A less organized force would have left their substations completely abandoned, but the War Party had proven themselves as an organizational powerhouse in the past decades.

Luckily the Triad had been watching from inside the party the whole time.

Once all the Enforcers that could be spared were officially too far to turn around and help Erivia lined up the scope of her rifle out of the apartment window and lined it up with the connections of the power substation. She just needed time for the crackling energy field around the powerplant to drop.

There were four other riflemen in the same building as her, all ready to take down the substation and start the riot to end all riots in the Capital of the Republic. She almost felt bad for them. She’d been a Triad member for the past 23 years, but these boys were desperate believers in a party that had never really been fighting for them. Erivia would leave the planet and they would be stuck living in a crumbling city threatened by an angry star.

The radicals they’d picked up hadn’t been focused on making life better, they’d just been focused on making it worse for everyone else, which was why it was trivial to inspire them to violence.

The crackling blue shield held and Erivia pulled her eye away from the scope for a moment to septuple check that she’d loaded the right kind of ammunition into the rifle. Only half the boys with her needed to hit their shots, but she had to hit three in a row within seconds.

A flicker of white, and the shield dropped.

BANG

An enforcer head spun around as Erivia’s first shot tore through a power connection and disabled a backup safety system. Blue sparks rained down from the sky as several of the machines within the substation suddenly went critical.

BANG.

Erivia’s second shot slammed into the central processing unit of the station, piercing two walls and three windows to get there. Every control within the station would go down for around twenty seconds until the entire station would swap to an offsite, backup control system.

BANG.

A wired connection meant to raise the speed of the control transfer vaporized and Erivia bought herself an extra twenty two seconds before everything went South. She didn’t bother setting the timer on her watch, she’d memorized exactly how long she had.

The Totalist Extremists in her ear screamed with success until she ripped it out and tossed it to the floor. They didn’t know what came after they disabled the station, but there was a reason that Erivia had put herself on the second floor instead of the roof.

Thirty seconds left. Erivia burst out of the apartment doors and remotely started the bike she’d ensured was in the closest parking spot. By the time her ass was on the seat, the bike was already moving away from the city and towards the substation.

Twenty seconds left. The substation erupted to life, with long arcs of electricity cascading between powerlines and critical systems. Erivia’s bike was already going as fast it could down the adjacent highway.

Ten seconds left. The ground under the powerplant cracked as there was no longer an output for the massive amount of geothermal power that the Republic had been using to run the capital for the past years. This power plant would never operate again.

One second. Erivia passed the threshold to the back half of the substation that faced out away from the city. The crackling blue energy barrier would protect her as long as she was on this side.

Time. The Gask Triad know there were backups to the substation, and that was why their representatives at the backup control station specifically stole controls to MAINTAIN and dominate power output. The point wasn’t to kill the station, the point was to-

There was no describing the sound of billions of volts of energy rocketing off in a catastrophic wave towards the city center. The closest citizens would thankfully drop dead before they had time to process what had happened, but the rest would be left in a dying city that would be without power for years.

Erivia would be the first of the official Gask operatives to reach the transports that would take them off planet, but everyone would get there in the end. A complete success for the Triad, No casualties, and a saber rattling industrial complex shattered beyond reasonable repair for years to come.

This was why they’d left their homes and come to Principia, this was how they were going to change the Galaxy.

On Midonia

“Friends, family, gathered people of the UEO,” the speaker began, “it is with both joy and a heavy heart that I announce our victory within the Republic. Joy because we have enacted change in a Galaxy that feels so much larger than each of us individually. A heavy heart because it should have never come to this.”

“The UEO platform has never been one of War. We have always been outspoken about our desire and drive towards peace and cooperation with those who show that they are willing to embrace something similar to our values. The repeated voting results showed that the Grand Republic wanted war, and as such we gave it to them.”

“I am not announcing our victory today because of the crippled energy of the capital. If that was victory we would be no better than the War Party. Instead I am announcing victory because today is the day we’re offering peace. A new regime is in power, a better regime for a changed Republic.”

“Peace is victory, and it was brave individuals like you that created peace a galaxy away. The galaxy might feel impossibly large, but you are that large to the atoms that build your body, and they make you what you are. EACH and EVERY one of you is an atom of the universe, and together we build the galaxy that we WANT to live in.”

The UEO Offers Peace with No Conditions to the New Options Party

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png


MOR= 6 : REP: Awed



We hope that our retraction from the war isn't seen as slight, we were never at war with the Grand Republic, only certain ideas of theirs.

Our actions should contribute to your war effort, we hope you keep that in mind when considering our actions.





The UEO has been attacked out of Wartime by an unidentified attacker. Should they stand up and say who they are, we may be able to accept peace in the name of a cooperative galaxy, should they stay silent, it will mean war, and hopefully our actions with the Grand Republic represent that a fight with the UEO isn't a fight you want.

Based on our knowledge, it was an attack carried out with espionage, and considering the scope of the damage, it would have needed to be a large one, well beyond the capabilities of the majority of the factions within Principia. Without too much imagination it's likely the actions of the Judges, which would be a shocking turn of character away from declared wars, or the Muridun, who would be betraying their consistent pursuit of science.

Once again, in the name of peace and in an effort to avoid a constantly ascending arms race, we ask that the culprit claim their attacks and their moral reasoning.

Thank you.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8
Decennial address of the Supreme Justice:
Fellow citizens of the collective. Another decade has passed since the Judiciary collective took over from the previous government. It is our great pleasure today to honour some of these men and women who bravely fought and sacrificed their lives for the prosperity of what now consists of more than one worlds. We have created important relations and the collective will aim to be an instrument of justice outside of our home worlds just as it has within them, to uphold lawfulness and ensure our continued prosperity.
Of course, as you are all aware that we have had some lean years since major production centers of our economy used to be planetside. Yet we have rallied magnificently thanks to the work of many of you and the efforts of our prosecution service in extending the protection of the collective to nearby starsystems.
I would like to tell you that in the wider principia, of which we have been citizens for a very short time, is a peaceful place. We have seen multiple declarations of war, although our borders remain secure. I as Supreme Justice with the help of Jabato, Head of the Prosecution service and hero of the uprising, will maintain vigilance and prioritise the safety of our own citizens.
Unfortunately, the collective has been the victim of an attack. We are uncertain of the origin of the attack…but we promise that the origin will be investigated. Thankfully, the damage caused by the attack was small. It is not clear what the purpose of the attack was. Perhaps, they underestimated our defenses even while they sought to bring them down. Although this has been a small setback in our plans, it does not change our promise.
As a final thought, I would like all of our citizens to observe a minute of silence. Not just for the sacrifices of those in the uprising. But also for the sacrifices each member and citizen of the collective makes every single day as well as those sacrifices to come.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
++++
Kramagorian Moons, Administrative building, 475th floor containing, 2nd order courtrooms for those seeking factual declarations. Also housed on this floor, scientific exports and friends of the court.

The clerk called after the judge had banged his gavel. The hollow sound of wood on wood having sentenced someone to life without parole or perhaps someone was found innocent. Some received a minor fine, another's business would never revive. It was all in a day's work in the court. Please came and went, lawyers, defendants, claimants, witnesses, experts....an endless stream of people. The petitioners to justice served by the instrumnets of justice in her temple.

Docket numer 5674323 his honour Mr Justice Baron Willkins the third presiding.

The society for preservation of Balenoptera Vacuus seeking a declaration of citizenship on behalf of a group incapable of self-representation.

The clerk of the court called in a loud voice.

Ah, miss Bellancort, I see you have not given up your good causes. What interesting request have you brought to my court room today?

The judge seemed to be half frustrated at another inane case and half humouring the elderly, well dressed, mousy woman. Her hair in a tidy bun with more and more grey each time he saw her. Her voice was thin and reedy as she replied.

Your honour, the society for the preservation of balenoptera vacuus seeks a declaration from the court to the effect that they should be declared an intelligent species, granted equal rights and protections under the law in order to prevent and comabit their exploitation.

What exploitation might this be Ms Bellancort?

Your honour, my network of informants has confided in me that a group of....deviant legal practicationers have captured some of these beautiful, sensitive, intelligent creatures...but they are being made to...perform....against their wishes.

The judge was nodding along, he had heard much of this before. The subject of the organisation changed but always it was one species or another that was the victim of abuse from someone. He asked mechanically.

Perform?

The mousy Ms. Belancort hesitated for a second as if trying to find the right word.

...E-exotic....dancing...your honour.

The judge nodded once more sagely, making notes idly on his tile. He frowned.

Did you say....exotic..dancing?

Yes your honour.

I don't quite see how that's...possible. What could possibly be their motivation? I mean...

*cough*cough*

Do you have...evidence of these allegations Ms. Belancort?

N-No your honour.

She replied, downcast.

And do you have any evidence of the existence or...intelligence of these creatures? You seem to be ascribing intelligence above that of animals and the claim here appears to be requesting that this court...pronounce them citizens of the collective and grant them equal protections and rights? Am I reading this correctly?

Yes your honour.

She brightened up, she was more comfortable in this topic than speaking of...exotic dancing balenoptera.

I have many experts, reports and first person accounts of their intelligence. We have a group of scientists who have identified that the pods are able to communicate not only within individual pods but also to other pods accross vast distances. We suspect some kind of telepathic link manifesting through some kind of quantum entanglement. They have passed many tests of intelligence and trule merit...

The judge raised a palm eyeing the thick stack of papers that had appeared in front of Ms. Belancort and her lawyer. He motioned the clerk and he swooped forward taking the stack of papers and moving it behind the bench where it was tagged for review by an expert panel.

The court will review the documents and render judgment.

The judge raised his gavel but hesitated.

Ms. Belancort. Before you go...these deviants...have they figured out how to...

The judge hesitated once more, he made some vague hand gestures, he gave up and just looked at the claimant.

You know...

The woman seemed to blush and stammer for a few seconds before regaining her composure.

It would appear not your honour. However, it is unclear if it is because they don't wish to or because they haven't...figured out the mechanics yet.

+++
A few months later, abandoned mining station broadcasts its new identify. The screen name flashes in red and ping neon colours "The Naughty Cetus".

Anonymous deviant 1: DId you hear? The courts declared them intelligen?
Anonymous deviant 2: What? On what basis?
Anonymous deviant 1: Apparently the old lady actually went ahead with it, she had reports and witnesses and experts...mountains of scientific evidence.
Anonymous deviant 2: Does that mean we have to close? I'll be ruined...I put all my savings into this.
Anonymous deviant 3: Relax....*leaning back on sofa*
Anonymous deviant 2: What do you mean relax? You're swimming in money. Maybe you don't care but I'll be ruined.
Anonymous deviant 3: I said relax....
Anonymous deviant 2: How can you!
Anonymous deviant 3: Because this changes nothing?
Anonymous deviant 1: How can this not change anything? *raised eyebrow*
Anonymous deviant 3: Because...why does it matter if they are intelligent or not? *smirk*
Anonymous deviant 2: They'll shut us down...the'll call us slavers....
Anonymous deviant 3: This is why neither of you will make good lawyers...0 creativity.
Anonymous deviant 2: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!
Anonymous deviant 3: Look you idiot...this is a business. So what if they're intelligent? Do you not feed them?
Anonymous deviant 1,2: *Nod*
Anonymous deviant 3: So...draw up a contract...call it remuneration. Now they're employees.
Anonymous deviant 1,2: *incredulous starting*
Anonymous deviant 2: Do you think that'll work?
Anonymous deviant 3: Of course...just say they're saving for college! It's almost a traditional occupation for that kind of thing.

++++


Docket numer 567434 his honour Mr Justice Baron Willkins the third presiding.

The Kramagorian prosecution service applying for a declaration of section 4, pararph 11 of the laws and procedures of the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons.

The clerk of the court called.


Appearing for the prosecution, Ms Felicity Barnes prosecutor general. The prosecution has requested a summary judgment.

I assume you have some evidence? Who is the subject of your declaratory motion?

The judge asked.

Yes your honor. Exhibit A, a report conducted by the prosecution in coordination with the office of the Supreme Justice, the facts speak for themselves and all are public knowledge even beyond this sector. The subject of the motion is the UEO. As part of due dilligence, it is also submitted that they have reached out with an offer of services.

Define the services please.

Ms. Barned rifled through her papers.
Decryption and informational services. It has also been disclosed that these services have been offered gratis to a third party, albeit a limited package. Trade is not possible between any of the involved parties.

The judge looked at the document appearing on his tile. He seemed to skim the document.

The prosecution also asks the declaration be made under schedule 4, paragraph 4 with retroactive application starting from stardate 13.433.79 at which time the motion was originally filed.

The judge considered a while longer.

This is highly irregular Ms Barnes. However, given the unique circumstances, I am inclined to grant the prosecution's request on a non-precedential basis. And tell Jabato to not expect he can pull this stunt again any time soon.

Yes your honor. May the prosecution also request to put forward another motion? This comes straight from the office of the Supreme Justice. The collective has entered into an agreement and would like to submit the charter to the courts in order to proceed with setting up a proper legally recognised instrument in order to receive protections under s.4


The submission is acknowledge, pass the terms of the charter to the clerk.


The judge banged his gavel once more. It was done. Silently one group of people filed out and another filed in.



The message received comes heavily encrypted and thoroughly incomprehensible. Only one phrase is comprehensible.

"From your first reply to Jabato, W=word, C=Character"
W1C5 W2C5 W6C3 W10C6 W3C5 W5C6 W2C1 W3C1 // W6C4 W2C3 W3C1 W4C6 W1C2
W1C1 W5C5 W15C1 W6C1 W4C7 W7C2 // W3C1 W10C1 W10C2 W5C1 W6C1 W17C1 W1C1 W2C4 // W12C3 W6C4 W4C2 W6C2 W4C2 W18C1 W10C3



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Rep: Friendly

Public

Clad in his armour, the Unwilling God is a black flaw when set against a sun very different to that of Novinus. The crimson sphere at their back radiates harsh, near feral emenations of light. Wild and untamned despite the passage of aeons. It is a light that God holds in His own gaze, the occular organs burning, putting red into what reads as a very thin atmosphere to those quantifying features about the planet. They hang sedate in the air, glancing off to the distance offscreen before turning the skulled helm of their armour to the vidfeed. The artifice collapses in on itself slowly, revealing first their face then the rest of their bodysuit clad form, confining the Kullite to a single black ring worn upon the finger of their right hand. The smile on their face is a sorrowful one. Nostalgic even, if one were to ignore the fact that His people are alien to the concept. Regardless it is an odd expression, one that makes the so-called deity older for how it creases the lines on their face. The only discernable weapon underneath the armor is a simple, toy-like ray gun.

"Principia. War is come to the galaxy. In these times, it may be said that the things which keep us apart are stronger than that which holds us together. But it need not be this way." The Unwilling God raises his arms perpendicular to his body, as though to embrace whoever is viewing Them. Black splinters rise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0P6YDveLsM) into the sky behind the Unwilling God, each jagged and revealed to be of the same mineral composition as His armour. Spacial drives engage, adding their emissions to the swathe of red light as they add ionization to Kull's atmosphere. Ships. Crude and barbaric to the eye. Blunt and clear in their purpose as warmachines. Ultramite ships. The Unwilling God turns from the vidfeed and lowers their arms as the black Kullite reasserts itself over their form. They depart, a black smear that quickly outpaces the departing navy.


For those interested, had an LTP idea that might actually be feasible this turn given the current event. The general idea would be: whenever two or more VIPs of equal level work together, be it on an LTP, stat attack or improvment of a stat, they add the levels of the other VIPs they work with. Ex: The Unwilling God (Lvl. 3 Mil) and Antares (Lvl. 3 Psi) work on an LTP together. They would both count as Mil. 3/Psi. 3 for the purposes of the project's investment requirments. It would just be the flat level, no items included in the crossover.

Mostly thinking that it would just add the levels, not actually count as VIPs being at a new lvl (sorry Lvl. 1s) and that once we get a cost estimate back everyone who wants to participate would foot an equal share of the bill. Presumably it will be quite expensive to get it done-open to removing certain conditions for the project in order to make it cheaper. (IE only functions for certain categories of VIPs, only functions for LTPs OR stat attacks OR invasions etc.)



Morale 10



God's scion sits in a relaxed cross-legged position, a hand on each knee. A sombre smile is plain on their face, evidently trying to hold on to some sort of optimism in the face of the last decade of conflict. Their hair has regrown since the tournament: longer, yet done up in a tighter bun for acquired length. The same Kullite hairpin holds the entire assemblage together. The scar previously sported across their face has all but vanished to a faint line.

A curious object hovers a standard Novinian unit below Nufai's face. A scale replica of an orrey, wrought in the same grey material as the Savior. A small gunmetal sun sits at the centre, with no less than five satellite planets tracking lazy orbits around the device. The system it apes is unknown, but it is clear that the object is a predictive one designed to enhance the latent psioninc potential of whoever uses it. Nufai's smile does not waver.

"Greeting's Vanguard. Excavations of our past have yielded this curio into Novinan hands. While Belief entails an inclusion of all, the paradigms which govern it have been sorley lacking when it comes to matters of the psionic. Perhaps it might be better employed by you."


Have a +1 psi item i would like to trade for Econ/Sci, with an emphasis on the latter rather than the former.




Killbot VIII stands much as they have for their past addresses to the GR, hands clasped behind their back and at attention. "Greatings, Republicans. It is good to see that you have fully come into your title, even if it is on the heels of so much destructuction. Such is my purpose in addressing you today. They name me Warmachine. And in this they are correct. Such is the purpose I was forged for. I would not have such existence. I will not."

The vidfeed pans back. In place of golden wheat there is a sprawling refugee camp, clotted with the dredges of those who have fled the GRP, Crusade and UEO's war. The Savior is a statue amongst a veritable sea of hummanity and alien, a tide composed of wretches, beggars and those that have experienced loss. Lone islands of Novinans and Killbots mete out what aid they can. A child, their barrel like ribs plain against skin pulled taught from starvation, walks across the frame, then trips and falls to the ground. Their chest heaves with effort, loosing ragged breath after labored breath into the air. The vidfeed picks up on this, filtering out excess sound so that they wheezing of the child becomes clear. One gets the impression that the vidfeed is filtering out the buzz of carrion insects as well. Open sores wage war for territory against small patches of hale skin and lips, weeping putresence from radiation burns.

The Pankrator stoops from their stature, seemingly ignoring the vidfeed's presence to lift the much muddied child from their knees. "I wish there was more that could be done. That there need not be such waste when it comes to our interactions with life." Without ceremony or pressage the Undying Warmachine drives his fist into the Novinan soil. The vidfeed's frame shakes in reciprocation. On-screen refugees stumble and fall to their backsides or knees. Some begin praying. Time passess. The dust settles. In the wake of the blow a wellspring of clear, blue water burbles up from the epicentre of the strike. The Saviour kneels with the child he'd previously raised to standing. Multiple limbs swirl and ripple outwards from Killbot VIII's chassis, each pair cupping a large handful of water for someone to accept. "Wouldnt you agree?"

A soft blue light emenates from the Saviour's monitor, enveloping the child. Their sores reverse, healing into vague crater like pockmarks. A image flits across Killbot VIII's screen: a cohesive family unit from happier times, clearly the one the child belonged to once. A pair of hands steady the child as they sway in the light, a hand on each shoulder. Another pair offers them water, hands clasped together. Other refugee's take note and begin to mil and mince their way towards the Saviour. They are too tired, to bedraggled, to speak their gratituide aloud. But that does not mean it is absent from their faces. A strange light begins to suffuse the Saviour's chassis, a little bit off-color from the standard Novinian blue.

Constructs-two figures-bleb and coalesce from the light. Repeated ad nauseum for each who approaches the Pankrator. It is the same dark haired woman and child that all the Principia knows as the beings Killbot VIII once called family.


You'll have to pardon the assumption, but I'm guessing a 3v1 war isnt ideal for you. I'm wholly willing to stay neutral in your conflict v. the UEO & Crusade. But I would like some things in return. Specifically, I would like systems [25] & [26]. Understandably, control of 26 might be a bit contentious given the whole 2v1 war thing. I would like 25 this turn and 26 in say, 2 turns from now. Willing to publically ratify this so the Lawyers dont get uppity over being left out in the cold.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 7

Evolution Complete
The asteroid had once been a piece of a carbon rich rock floating unmolested through the Iettis system. It had existed for millenia in that state, uncaring of the turmoil in the galaxy around it. Until one day young Aakaash had gone hunting for a suitable cocoon. The Observer had provided her a list of all the asteroids in the Iettis system along with their estimated compositions. Of course it could have just told her the most optimal asteroid to use directly, but the choice of cocoon was very personal. And so Aakaash had examined the list with full diligence and personally gone to check the most promising candidates. Already she had eliminated several dozen, but as her tentacles caressed this one and relayed tactile and material data back to her every characteristic glowed purple in her mind. This one was perfect. It would form an ideal cocoon.

Wrapping her find in her grasping tentacles Aakaash instructed her plasma heart to beat at full strength and opened her exhaust sacs to their full width. With all of her might the young sage struggled to pull the asteroid back with her to a safe place for her metamorphosis. However the stubborn rock dwarfed Aakash and she was of delicate psionic caste and lacked the mighty engines of the guardians or engineers. Still Aakaash struggled and so much of her attention was focused on her fierce effort that she could only exult when at last the asteroid began to move. Not noticing that some of the Sculptor’s burly drudges had surreptitiously attached to the back of the rock and were lending their strength to the effort.

It took several cycles of the moons for Aakaash to reach her chosen location. She had already cleared a place in Mother’s ring system so that no moonlets would cross her path while she worked. There were ready sources of ice and gas nearby, and Mother’s fierce songs provided all the energy Aakaash would require. With the asteroid safely tucked away in a stable orbit Aakaash began to burrow into it. Her many beaked mouths chewed into the rock and processed it through her refining stomachs. All the elements were separated and stored carbon and rare elements in her swelling resource nodules, Excess ice and silica mixed and secreted as a fine concrete onto the exterior of the asteroid. Layer after layer of shining white concrete soon encased it completely and sealed Aakaash into her cocoon.

After a final check of the seal Aakaash began outgassing to fill her cocoon with atmosphere and liquid water. When the interior had reached levels appropriate for life she opened her hatches and allowed her countless symbiotes to pour out. In such ideal conditions they multiplied and their ever increasing generations quickly surpassed what Aakaash could carry in her own environs. Now that Aakaash had ample biological material and a swarm of helpers at long last the real work could begin.

Over the course of years the young sage combed through her own body. Entire new species of drones were created. Their standard genetic templates were tweaked and modified to fit her idiocentric needs. Her resource nodules deflated as their contents were used to grow new redundant organs. New memory towers grew from their buds and her plasma heart was stimulated to grow larger. Finally the most delicate part of the procedure. With great care Aakaash grew a new psionic antenna. Carefully monitoring its fractal growths she pruned away excess branches and carefully spliced in more robust frames. She hummed as she worked and knew she had succeeded when the flowery branches began to resonate in time with her song.

At last she was finished. Her resource nodules were empty and nothing remained of the asteroid but the final concrete shell. As much as she wished to continue improving there was nothing left with which to grow. What was once an abundant and protective cocoon was now a prison separating her from the stars. And so Aakaash splayed her tentacles across the interior of the shell and sprayed it with potent acids. Flexing she tensed certain hydraulic muscles and then unleashed them in one swift burst that shattered a vast stretch of the white wall.

Digging through the debris Aakaash squeezed her bulk out of the confines of the cocoon. Finally free she was able to unfurl her new grown antenna to its full length for the first time. With new clarity she heard the songs of her parents and elders. No longer confined to the simplistic tones of children she now could hear traces of complex harmonies the mature sages wove into their songs. She long to join them, but she still lacked the capability to sing with such depth. So instead she broadcast her own theme. The simple melody of her childhood now overlaid with new patterns of her evolution. One by one the songs of the symposium quieted as the other sages listened intently. Finally the entire symposium rang out with a united chorus as every sage in the system sang their congratulations. From the deep tones of the Eldest all the way down to the piping notes of still immature Weaver.

The Grand Conference
For the third time the Eldest invited the representatives of the Principia Sector to visit its moon and mingle with each other. With war not just on the horizon, but actively fighting it was more important than ever for a forum to be open for diplomacy and negotiation.

Everything has proceeded very smoothly with the Trust. We have established a headquarters for it, and have received all the expected investments. In fact we thank you for your additional contribution.

As to the matter of Bheura Prime we have thought long on the matter in the past decade. As well we have considered your conquests and the grumbles of our own dear Garuda. For we admit to some disquiet at the way you treat your conquered populaces. As well our Garuda has been clamoring to prove its might after its defeat in the Fotuan Tournament. And we think these three things could have a mutual resolution.

So we propose this alternative. We are sure you are planning to deal with the Numinous Secretariat of the Lithos. And even for you their defenses are quite resolute. Allow Garuda to join your efforts and both prove itself and take some of the focus off your own forces. In exchange we ask for Bheura Prime, and since Garuda is quite a bit more powerful than what we agreed to before we also ask for your consideration in allowing us to evacuate those of the Lithos who are less useful to you.

If you are not amenable to this proposal we are still willing to pursue our previous agreement.

(OOC: The new offer is 7 mil to help conquer (60) in exchange for (77) and (1 Mor stat). I’d be willing to make the same offer of assistance for the conquest of (68) for (77) and any stat, but that would be wasting some of Garuda’s strength.

Actually since I want to evacuate people I'd take a VIP instead, but I don't know if the Lithos have one.)

We are pleased to announce that the Trust is on schedule and one third complete. And the current popular opinion in the sector should make its completion far easier than originally estimated. We ask if everyone is still prepared to make their investments this decade.

We of Iettis are always open to cooperation. We would be happy to collaborate with the people of Novinus and any other participants in this effort.

Greetings to the Covenant of the Ninety,

I am ready to serve as the bridge between our peoples. If you are still willing as well, then please relay the coordinates of your emissary.

To a Connected Present
The Weaver

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar,

We have been watching your public proceedings as we find them to be an enlightening insight into the minds and drama of your people as well as a valuable source of news about the local sector. And we have questions regarding Docket Number 567434 as regarding your legal code.

We have questions regarding your organization of a legal instrument under s.4. As S4 regards the causes for action and does have provisions regarding protection or services. We would expect any such instrument to be organized under s.2.

We also attach here a request form for the amendment of typo and grammatical errors as we see that "S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to)" does not match the section layout of the other sections and feel that clarification is required in order to allow for a clear and correct reading of your legal code.

To a Legal Future
The Eldest

Attachment:
See proposed changes in red.

Sections
(Eldest: We believe that using the form S.# would be more orderly than s.#, but leave this to the discretion of the collective.)
s.1 Rights of the claimant
a. All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d. Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) rRestitution action
2) iInjunction
3) pPunitive action
4) eEthical restitution
5) aAny other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. tThe fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. tThe collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.

s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought. (Eldest: We do not see what this has to do with reverse order of claim seniority. It appears to cover the Extension of Services)
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed. and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waived.
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.

S4.s.4 Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) bBreach of contract.
2) dDealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)

s.5 Precedence
a) aAll judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) aA party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Schedules
Sch. 1 - Proportionality
a) Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2 - Fees
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than the agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The cCourts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may, oin a non-precedential and discretionary manner, to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. aA state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. wWhere one faction is party to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded. Encryption Level: 17



Well, that was physically painful to read. Though I’m sure it was worse to write, so I won’t hold a grudge. I’ll be sure to use more qs in the future. (You missed an h in the second word, by the way).

I’m a complete loss as to what the last word is supposed to mean, though. Which makes the whole message a bit of a mess. So, allow me to provide an alternate cipher


sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow

There, every character you’ll need. So what sort of advice were you trying to give, exactly?

[Either you made a typo or I’m being an idiot, but either way I don’t have a clue what ‘planatk’ is supposed to mean]



The exact proportions depend upon the results of certain upcoming expeditions, but no issue is foreseen.

However, the current economic climate should reduce the contributions significantly, should it not?





That should be acceptable to the Gods, but I’m afraid that there’s another message I’m waiting for a reply to before I can truly commit to it. My apologies.

[Eldan]

Muridun [Mor 7, Reputation: Neutral]

The Incarnation
"And what is your name, Djinn?", Ghufran asked.
"Nkosiphendule ", came the voice from the speaker.
"Good, good. You remember. And can you describe your body to me, Djinn?"
"My brow is uncreased, for I have no doubt. My eye is bright, for I see only prey. My arm is a blade that cuts the world, and cuts my soul into an ever-sharper angle. In my hearts burn the fires, red and white and black. My feet are as of burnished bronze and the pillars of heaven quake at my step. Strength is my God, and I will kill him.
"... yeees. More... physical perhaps? Less metaphorical?"
Below them, the new flesh pulsed and took shape.

Ghufran and the Council
Five years ago
"Brother Ghufran, we are... concerned."
Ghufran was sweating rivers. He wasn't a nervous student anymore, he should be more self-assured than this, but the fact that the five kindly, smiling elders in front of him could have him executed or exiled at any time destroyed any notion of calmness.
"O-oh?", he stammered.
The second judge was stroking his moustaches. "Bashar of House Sekh believes that you are fashioning bodies for the dead, to create Ghuls. It is necromancy."
Ghufran's eyes widened. He hadn't considered it like that.
"N-no. They aren't...I have brought them back as Djinn, but... they aren't ensouled... They are medusoids, living flesh directly grown around the Djinn, perfectly soulless and fashioned to their memories... there is no possession! It's just Incarnation!"
The second judge puffed on her pipe, then said: "The writings of the third council say that "thou shalt not incarnate the Djinn, for it is an abomination that scars the soul of the necromancer and the Djinn both."
"But, but... this is different! They knew the journey of soul! They weren't like those who died in Doomsday, unprepared, scared, confused, ripped half-apart by the death throes of the Demiurge! I can migrate them whole and unharmed!"
The third judge slowly stirred sugar into his tea.
"Even if so. Are they not unbelievers?"
"How can they be unbelievers! They know of the journey of the soul, and how it is charged in the eye of God to charge and become greater! Is it not written, the Exaltation of the Soul is the essence of all Faith, all else is words on the wind?"
"But why do this? No things end, save through the hand of God", the fourth judge asked, cross-legged in her acceleration harness.
"Because... because this was an injustice! It was horrible! A travesty! Genocide! Wrong! How... how can we stand by and let this happen!"
The fifth judge spoke, for the first time, and the other judges fell silent. Only their voice could be heard, quiet over the distant thrumming of the generators and the humming of the atmospherics.
"All things happen as God wills them, but still, we must act when we see injustice. For when we feel that there is injustice, it is God's will acting through us. Young Ghufran saw an injustice, and he acted to reverse it. That is just."
The other judges just nodded, and Ghufran silently prayed thanks.

The Boy and Mars

The Man who had been Mars von Quet strolled through the flower palace. He enjoyed his retirement, his new body, the quiet. He still wore expensive suits, but he had made some concessions to local fashion, exchanged leather shoes for the more common magnetic sandals. Of course he still worked, but he was a senior analyst now, an investment advisor, not an executive. It was a nice change of pace. He thought about writing a book. By himself, too. No ghost writers this time.
Something ran across the path, from one bush to another, lighting fast. Mars frowned slightly, but not very concerned, then stepped off the path himself, parting the leaves.
It was a young child, naked save for a loincloth, skin black as the void, whipcord-thin, all sinew and lean muscle. Holding a short spear just below the head, the weapon faintly humming and emitting a blue glow.
"Hello there. I don't believe we have met. I am Mars, of House Sekh."
The child stared at him for several seconds. He could see the enhancements, now, shuttering lenses behind cat-pupilled eyes, faint circuits under the skin.
"Thembisile Buyisiwe First to Return", the child finally said. The stare like a dissecting microscope.
"And what are you doing here?"
"I am awaiting my bond. She will soon be here again."
Suspicion narrowed Mars' eyes.
"How... old are you?"
"I am 497 years old. This is my soul's 29th body."

***

The Announcement
In long-practised ritual, the man steps forward, plants his spear in the soil, unslings the long plasma rifle from his back and leans it against hte podium. With a series of clicks, his gilded helm unfolds like flower petals, then retracts into the rest of his armor.
There is something old in his's eyes, then his glasses, even though his body is less than twenty years old.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3d/bd/8d/3dbd8d7648db9997161a3257f40b816e.jpg
"Principia, hear my words."
His voice is deep, sonorous, calm.

"I am Mandlenkosi Fist of God and I am here to speak for my people. You believed us gone. You were wrong.
We are Clan Buyisiwe, Returned from Annihilation. We were the Aksum, and the Ibezi. We were betrayed. We are the Zultar, true and sublime. Through Violence, we have reached Heaven, and through Violence, we have returned to paint the void in blood.
And the night came alive with the roar of the saurians.

Official Press Statement:
The Muridun Houses have entered confederation with the true Zultari clans, for mutual protection of all faithful in a dangerous sector. It is our belief that no culture shall suffer genocide, no people be wiped from existence, save by the hand of God. And so, we shall preserve all who are unjustly destroyed.

[Writtensanity]

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png


MOR= 6 : REP: Awed




Your message to the Grand Republic is intriguing. Considering you were offering them to avoid a war on three fronts, you would require our front to still be operational, and it currently isn’t.

Simply put, the UEO is no longer at war with the Grand Republic, should you determine that their current government is not fit to lead, we would be willing to reinstate the war against their people as both support to you and vengeance for the Crusade. We would simply need confirmation that you will support us as we would be supporting you, and light compensation to avoid it looking like the UEO goes back on their peace at the Whims of the Unwilling God.

Finally, if you are paid, try to keep in mind that it was our actions that assured you were in the position to make such a bargain.

Wildflower.





Bureaucrats, Planets and Angel Worshippers. It really does seem like an appropriate bridal trail to follow around the Gods.

Now trust us when we say we weren’t trying to poison the well last time around. We were simply trying to ensure that everyone was on the up and up with the trust. Frankly we’re reading mail waiting for the moment that someone attempts to turn on you simply because it will be interesting to watch and survey.

Until then, we enjoy our peace reliant almost completely on MAD.

For business, we are obviously in the business of knowing who attacked us. If it’s someone you would prefer to see gone anyway, know that anything we save on investigation will be pointed toward their destruction.

Thank you,

Dr. Lithany.






Welcome back to the Zultari, forever changed by the burning light of the stars.

Do you plan to retrieve your home from the jaws of the Republic, who stole it from your conquers?

Should that be the case… well we are neighbors afterall, perhaps something can be arranged in terms of resources.

Zenithair.




Thank goodness we aren’t sending these by traditional mail, we would hate to waste proper paper.

Despite the lack of communication the UEO is happy to assist you in preparing for the arrival of the Iron Gods. Though for tactical reasons we would not engage them in a direct offensive at this time.

What is your stance in the war of the Crusade?”





Good evening to the newly minted peace network between the UEO and the New Options Party. Should you accept our peace, we hope this message finds you well and without too many worries beyond your borders.

The Unwilling Gods have certainly put you into a bind. Considering that, we’re going to be frank. We have asked the Unwilling Gods what their intentions are considering our peace. If they, in theory, offered the UEO an impossible to ignore amount of resources we would rejoin the war against you as long as you were in some of the …. Less positive options.

Considering that we strongly consider you either convince either Unwilling God to back down, or possibly prepare for a bidding war over our neutrality.

We are simply trying to be kind with this knowledge. Message us in private to receive some keys to read critical faction’s messages between each other.

Wildflower






Being frank, our public message is intentionally obtuse. We understand that your planets would have the psionic ability to cause the damage that was done to us, but we figured that pointing those figures publicly would potentially marr in the image of the planets.

That considered, if you’re that against us we’d like to know why and how with a war. Otherwise we are curious to know where your hand falls in the war between the Republic and the Stars. It seems to be the current dividing line in the Galaxy.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Indeed, though unfortunately the distributed nature of the Trust means that we will not benefit as much as we might have. These are the current projected numbers needed to complete investment in the Trust. We have included the actual and increased investment.

Muridun: 4 (6)
Iron Gods: 3 (4)
Sages: 7 (10)
Judiciary: 7 (10) Trade Penalty: -2

Total: 23 (30)

Though we do note that this might be a good time to add additional investment as even a few points could yield dividends. We are also uncertain if the Judiciary will be able to meet their investment target as they suffer somewhat from extended trade routes. We would be willing to provide them a loan if that case is the case. Given these factors we project this as being a more optimal investment pattern.

Muridun: 4 (6)
Iron Gods: 4 (6)
Sages: 10 (15)
Judiciary: 4 (6) Trade Penalty: -1

Total: 23 (33)

We have no animosity against you, and did not attack your worlds. Though we do admit we are somewhat disappointed in your ready resort to violence rather than negotiation. We hope you will make some effort to assist the civilians you have harmed through efforts in the Grand Republic of Principia.

As to our stance towards the Antarean and Grand Republic war we are neutral. The Grand Republic has shown alarming volatility and declared their war unprompted. However the Antareans invaded the Zultari with no declaration at all. They have also conquered a system already claimed by the Unity Party, which implies they do not recognize territorial claims of others as valid.

If anything we hope they will be able to resolve their differences in a negotiated settlement. Something we will be happy to offer our services as mediators for.

To a Peaceful Future,
The Eldest

We are saddened to see your factions at war and hope that this conflict can be resolved quickly with a minimum of casualties on both sides. As such we offer our services as mediators in the hopes of a quick settlement. If you are interested we would be pleased to offer our moons as a neutral ground for peace talks.

To a Peaceful Future
The Eldest

[Writtensanity]

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png


MOR= 6 : REP: Awed


Dr. Lithay took a knee in her office and carefully misted the Lastrodoia Flower she’d harvested from Peridian Beta before she’d come to Principia. This might have been the last of its species in the Universe. On its home planet, it had been too sparse to be a viable species after the deforestation of its natural Poliada trees, so she’d adopted one to try to clone it.

So far cloning had been unsuccessful but it had been a pleasant office mate in the meantime.

Watering the plant herself was innifiencet in several ways. The first of all was her time, the second was that she couldn’t apply exact water with the tools she used, and the final was that the Lastrodoia flower took up more brainspace than she intended to admit to anyone within the Triad. Focus on raw efficiency had been a Fotuan idea though, she watered as a way to wind down and god she needed it.

“That’s better isn’t it?” she asked as she patted the side of the small containment system the Lastrodoia bloomed in. “Just happier.” There was nobody else in the room, so it was unclear if the Doctor was speaking to the silent flower or herself.

“Incoming call,” a digital assistant chimed from its corner in the room.

“Internal?” Lithany asked.

“External. Signature isn’t from a Pricipian Craft.”

“Fine,” Dr. Lithany waved a hand and the call came through.

“Well, I thought someone wasn’t going to fight again,” the smooth voice came from the other side of the call before the video connected. The wall display came to life and standing in the void of the video call was a mirror image of Dr. Lithany, now surveying the room she was being patched through to.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Lithany said.

“What? I was going to say congratulations on placing!” the woman said the word ‘placing’ like it was poisonous, “it’s been a while since a Fotuan did anything in Principia. Losing Neptune really was a shame for Seldvia.”

“I don’t care.”

“People said the channel wasn’t going to come back from the original getting caught in the Warp, but look what happened! They’re back, there is always someone new and you can-”

“I don’t care.”

“Really count on the Meritorcracy to always expand. It’s a shame about Conquest though. Let me tell you, I loved that show back in the day, getting onto it was just an absolut-

“I don’t Ferro-”

“Progenitor Ferro,” the woman snapped. “You’re still a fotuan.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Please,” Ferro sighed, “you’re just wasting your talents on a tantrum while having the luckiest genes in the galaxy. A de-aging mutation of Victorya. There is a reason that I keep coming back as the progenitor.”

“You’re not my anything.”

“Would it make you feel better to call me Mom?” Ferro asked. She took a half step forward, like she was going to enter the room and confront Lithany, but no matter how far forward she moved, she stayed in the same place on the wall. “You keep trying to deny where you come from but I saw you out there. The fight.”

“Not my thing.”

“It’s what we were made for Lithany,” Ferro corrected, “no matter how much you say it. You can’t deny how much it gets to you.”

“I hate it.”

“You hate how much you like it,” Ferro corrected, “there is a reason that all of the things you make with that brain of yours are so damn good at killing. You can conquer planets because-”

“The natural order-”

“Futans-”

“-is”

“-are”

“Strong.” The two women finished together. Ferro with a smirk and Lithany with a scowl. The look betrayed too much to Ferro, but critically it told her that she was right. Lithany had moved on from the meritocracy, but she couldn't kick how she felt when she’d strapped back into her Valkyrie.

“You should know what an Apex predator is,” Ferro continued, clicking her tongue twice after it, “you’re letting yourself get bossed around by a rich boy and a flower. They’re telling-”

“I’m not letting you poison this well.”

“The Entradi Liberation Movement made the Meritocracy sweat,” Ferro pointed out, “and now you’re part of a larger organization throwing tantrums because someone half-way across the system voted wrong a couple times in a row.”

“The UEO is changing the galaxy a planet at a tim-”

“So is the Meritocracy, we’re just better at knowing how to do it-” Ferro hissed, “don’t get too soft Lithany, we’re still going to need you in the Empire after you’re done this little ‘studdy abroad’ program of yours.”

“I’m not coming back,” Lithany corrected.

“Sure you’re not,” Ferro countered while ending the call.

“****-” Lithany yelled before smashing the watering apparatus she’d been using agains the floor. That bitch could get her riled up so quickly. She didn’t know what she should be doing, but she knew what she wanted to do. Lithany was going to declare war on the cowards that had tried to bomb the UEO when she was going. She was coming to their doorstep and they were going to-

Lithany shook her head. She knew better than that. The UEO was different.

It was different this time.



To those who survived the attack from the unknown.

We are both facing the same threat right now, daggers that are unwilling to declare war before turning their blades toward us. Cowards who are willing to kill for their cause, but not willing to stand for it.

We suggest a simple offer: The Gask Triad will declare war on whomever comes up as the result of our investigation into the attacks on the UEO, and we are willing to commit to the same idea for the attack against you, assuming you would do the same to our culprit.

Simply put, those who are willing to attempt a strike against two of the most dedicated intelligence agencies in the galaxy should be ready to face the consequences. Without our promised might combined they might instead be willing to accept a trade for our lack of action instead.

Are you with us in this? We figure it’s a small enough commitment to begin a possible collaboration with.

Wildflower.







There, we have put some actual actions behind our words. Though it looks like, based on our intelligence, that we were on opposite sides of this war. Honestly we had figured that you wouldn’t side with the declarants unless you were completely sure that the Totalists weren’t going to take over again and decide to throw as many bombs around as they could.

Either way, what side do you really think should be winning this crusade, because if it lasts too long it’s only a matter of time before the Iron Gods start picking off the defenseless, one by one.

Zenithair.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Haven

Despite the passing decades, Ashara still didn't seem to have aged a day, despite her apparently organic appearance (there was a running bet in certain quarters that she was actually a whole lineage of clones, disposed of and replaced as the wear began to show).

But that's not to say the years hadn't changed the God's delegation - her party now boasted a half-dozen attendants at all times, trophies of their conquests. Two of the new additions were Oashans - spiders the size of large dogs, one of the more successful uplift programs to ever arise from the descendants of Earth - their chitin painted in purples and golds as they crouched on either side of the Urrite priestess, shifting and twitching with every step taken or other minute tremor in the ground.

The other two newcomes were Mri, golden-skinned humanoids, naturally taller, faster, and far more lethal than nature had ever equipped humanity to be. Wielding archaic blades and dressed in cloth robes, they were still as statues behind her, serving as something between bodyguard and object d'art.

Addressing the newly convened summit, Ashara began "War is an honorable calling, and I would not dream of mouthing some empty platitude in the hope of denying a conqueror their rightful spoils. But some twenty years ago those of us who had assembled here agreed that the universe was a more orderly and virtuous place when all knew what they were fighting for.

And so in the name of the Gods, I demand of the Starspawn and the Anarchists, or those who would deign to speak for them. For what do you fight? What surrender shall you accept? What conquests do you seek to claim? As a sector we have done quite well delineating our spheres of interest. I see no reason why that should cease simply because they clash."

Reputation: Dreaded. Encryption Level: 17



A more specific offer, if you'll forgive the presumption. The Gods have need for a greater number of specialists than in previous years to complete a project with a certain amount of urgency [2 Sci]. As compensation, I have given the discretion to offer the continued services of our witches [1 Psi] and either a certain amount of those rare elements your golems require in such absurd amounts [1 Eco], the entire value in those elements [2 Eco] or, should you feel at risk from the starspawn, labor battalions and overseers to prepare for defense and reconstruction [3 Mor]. There is instead the possibility of payment in kind with a detachment of heavy cruisers and droneships [2 mil], but in such a case you would be expecting to pay a full blood price for any causalities suffered by them.

Do any offers appeal, oh ghost of the machines?




The Secretariat has repeatedly blasphemed against the Gods, and spurned their offered protection. More concretely, they control the last remaining system of any worth in the cluster, and securing it will improve our hold over the entire piece immeasurably. Conquest will be glorious and profitable, and control of Kantus will improve our long-term security immeasurably, the sooner we have it the better

I like you, so I'll be blunt here - what's your better offer? The bribe will need to be significant.





I have my assumptions - one of the two you mention, as it happens - but as a matter of policy the Gods neither know nor care who sabotaged your fleets. Well, they might want to give them a medal, we are technically at war, but you understand.

Consider whatever you can extort out of the nomads and wildcats working in the demilitarized zone my personal contribution, if you like [[[because that's the best explanation I can think of for where you're getting the eco when I respond privately]]]





To ensure I understand - satisfying the Gods' commitment will at present require [3 eco], but by instead investing [4 eco] we can take advantage of the present climate to gain permanently great dividends going forward? I, at least, am not opposed.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

The bright light of the Delian's star shone, only obscured by the usual radiation/light dimmers upon X-20 "Ordivite", A wide crescent-shaped ship adapted to the same doctrinal role as a Novinite wrecker and as such it shone upon the people inside.

The banquet, an elegant affair with the trappings that the guests from The Delian Rings expected of their wealthy new patrons, was held for many reasons: To celebrate X-20 and other of its kind finally leaving the dockyards, as a small reward for the people in charge who lost some power on integration, and many other reasons of statecraft.

For the two beings who held the highest ranks in the ship, there was nothing but a game. the floor was even where it could be (the ship was primarily a military vessel after all) and all tables equally decorated but the Vanguard diplomats had chosen to sit near the walls, allowing The Ring's own to enjoy the view.

In one such table, an archaic stone figurine clanked against a light metal panel, causing general Komenos to wince and his opponent to twitch his auditory receptors, the men were not of the same species but both were acquainted enough that the equivalent of a ****-eating grin wasn't spared to Komenos

"This is ridiculous" called the second player, seemingly contradicting his clear advantage.

Komenos replied apologetic, causing another satisfying clank with a movement of his hand "I have barely just learned this game, spare me a couple mistakes"

The player made a pass at a furrowed brow "You know what I mean, there is no time for such vagantries" the piece was moved with not a second thought.

Komenos narrowed his eyes, perplexed and pondered the move for a few minutes, while the impatient man across from him tapped the table, only turning from the game to note a passing moon from the nearby gas giant as it's shockingly fast movement started to cover the ship's access to the sun "Do Tell me then, Udarix, What is it the Vanguard needs?"

Udarix, for the first time had to take some time to think over his next movement, the moon covering in its totality the light coming throgh the ship's window, muffled comments all across as scarce few lights illuminated the walls, leaving them close to darkness "Versatility, Komenos, I'm surprised you wouldn't know", with a last move he raised two fingers and perked his auditory receptors again, it was his win.

Komenos' face elongated at the defeat, a second of silence passed in the now darkened table "You spent too much time with too low stakes my, friend, what you need..." he let the phrase linger another second more before he spoke again, and as planned, a literally earth-shattering explosion was heard as the moon that blocked the sun did just that, causing shock and concern from most, including Udarix, at least until he noticed Komenos' calm "...Is power..." a few concerned faces showed as a number of shards and pieces approached the ship rather quickly for their distance, but behind them a blinding dark pink to rival the sun's light beat them to the race, shattering them before contact and then revealing the humanoid form of Alerax, close enough to wave back hello "...And we have it."

The room erupted into cheers and claps at the expectacle, with Komenos' smug slow claps crowned by a few words "Care for another game?"

Udarix mused for a moment, before the idea of a reluctant smile was visible in his face "...Sure"

Lettis VI - Conference.

Theophania once again represented The Vanguard, taking the stage when allowed "It is tragic how, as we are, even those less alive of us..." she didn't turn to anyone in particular "...trapped by our emotions, our imperfect wishes, or simply by thinking in our heads 'no more!' when the subject brought forth is peace. It is tragic, but expected, and know that while we call for peace and we condemn the wars that threaten to unravel Principia, and the project of stability we came here to ensure with it, we do not condemn the just who resist, even if they had not been mortally wounded beforehand. No, we condemn only those who made resistance a necessity."

Reputation: adored
Morale: 6

Jul, a mighty beard (for his species), grown as did his overall fitneess, was the more than a bit shocked at his new correspondent, almost knocking over a few papers before catching himself "Greetings heir, Alerax is out of the sector, if you meant to invi..."

He was quickly distracted by the object and then by the words of the Ultrumite "Impressive, our own diggings seem unable to gather any such thing, at least in a usable state" he inspects it visually for a few moments "And what would you have for it?"

I'll save the discussion about LTPs until Cultist tells you or me (just asked) how much it costs, but if it is too pricy or too cheap we may be better off using the boost to confederate the stewards and saving this one for later.


You overdid it, but I suppose all that pent up energy had to go somewhere.

The Grand Republic, flawed as its current democratic institutions are, was apparently worth a gamble, even if I wasn't for it, a totalist victory would have left us looking pretty bad after all. Anyway, no time to argue if the results came from your sticks or our carrots, given what our intelligence says about bombs in your backyard you have some rather more pressing problems but I do admit that on the whole you are right, we need action, if perhaps with better targeting.

As for the last question, we would have the GRP win, as I personally would have you win, and that means both will.

Pleasant hunt,
Theophania, Tutor of applied thaumatology .

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Essentially yes, though we would not want to overstate the benefits of a [3] to [4] change. It requires [4 points] of investment to return [1 point] of dividends. Our example is that going from [3] to [4] is an increase of one, but yields two. So it is good value. We were referring more to the fact that if anyone wishes to increase their investment now would be the time to do so given the prevailing trends.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Now that we are at last in contact we wish to revist the process of sending scientific aid to assist in your archeological projects. Since it has been some time since you gave your initial terms we would prefer that you restate them in case you have changed any points since the initial discussion.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

We are now connected and able to assist you and the Lunara Collective. However although it is somewhat embarrassing for us to say it our current respective positions make actually working with the Lunara somewhat infeasible. We very much wish to assist their work, but the majority of any aid we sent would be lost to theft, bribes, and wastage before it reached their part of the sector.

We are still willing to contemplate some method of indirect aid. For instance by working with the Vanguard instead. We also anticipate that our position will be better in the next decade as the Iron Gods should provide us with (77). If you would allow it we would also be able to set up a temporary base of operations in (39).

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

Based on our understanding of the Iron Gods of Ur and your still extant war with them we believe that you are in a somewhat precarious position. They have nearly completed their conquest of their claimed territory and we are sure you aware that Lithos sadly resides within that territory.

We do not believe that we can prevent this entirely. However if you are willing we offer to work with both you and the Iron Gods to come to a mutually beneficial surrender of the Kantus system and offer a haven for your work on the Codex Efficatus to continue.

To a Continuing Future
The Eldest

[Eldan]

Muridun [Mor 7, Rep neutral]

To The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
We apologize for the delayed response, honoured Keepers. Of course your message to us had the highest possible priority, but it still needed to be cleared on many levels.

We are of course infinitely honoured that you would consider an exchange with us. Please find attached triplicate copies of the writings of the wise among the Muridun and their collected sayings and debates. If in exchange, you should send us even a single page, a word, from the Codex, we would consider it a larger step to enlightenment than we have had in thousands of years.

To the Trust (Iron Gods, Sages, Judiciary Collective)
We still intend to make all payments.

To the United Ecological Order
An interesting and proposal, and we are indeed considering what should be done about Zultar, the monument of the Zultari's currently greatest war. Perhaps we should talk more privately?

-Mariana bint-Naiwal

To the Grand Republic
You are at war. We have common enemies. We should talk in private.
-Mandlenkosi Fist of God

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8

The first is well understood. The second refers to the other one which has blasphemed.

It is an opportunity, the first blasphemer could be excused and the benefit to us both would be increased, we would even go so far as to offer formal alliance in the coming decades (we hope you understand being the subject of an attack has created an issue with resources). We also have the chip to call in per our agreement on Bheura. We may find some common cause against the one who attacked us if that fits with your plans. We feel this kind of agreement creates much benefit for both of us.

Apologies for somewhat obtuse message. The Supreme Justice has become very security conscious. We suggest some yes/no questions would enable a somewhat clearer but longer communication. We also very much appreciate your increased encryption capabilities.



Dear Eldest,

Thank you for reaching out. On the topic of docket 567434, the trust itself being an independent legal entity not set up within the jurisdiction of the Collective does not have any legal standing or legal protections unless it is properly registered. This is done via the courts, they review the documentation for any breaches or conflicts of interest and then the application is filed in the archives of the court, where it is maintained in quintuplicate with different archival departments for different purposes. Through this process, the Trust becomes a legally recognised entity and shareholders may address any potential causes of action to the courts of the Collective and therefore be protected against any causes of action under s.4.

We also thank you for the list of corrections, unfortunately it is always the case that through transcription and different departments and editing by different people, mistakes may occur. We have submitted this through a clarification on the existing application in order to avoid the administrative fee.

On your question re scientific exploration, we would be happy to recap the proposed terms and would like to note that in order to take advantage of the current situation, it would be very helpful to us to discuss some loans in addition to your scientific expeditions. As you may have gleaned the collective was recently attacked and our priorities have shifted somewhat towards enhancing our defence. Please find attached to this message the recap of the terms with minor formatting amendments. Ad-Hoc arrangements can also be made on a case by case basis to be discussed.


We agree on an amount of sci to be used on midturn by me to explore, you send it on the EOT. We split stats equally (50/50) sent at EoT. I get right of first refusal on artifacts, but have to give up this floor's stats in exchange, if you receive the artifact instead then I receive the stats. In case of "bad consequences" I can use the proceeds of that turn's exploration to deal with the consequences, provided I use my share first. If the consequences require specific stats and the exploration of that turn has provided those stats I have to select those stats for my share.

1/acro medean site, you can veto my right of first refusal to claim the artifact for yourself for artifacts up to tier 2, but you give up all stats as normal. Tier 3 archeotech, we must come to mutual agreement and there will be no dibs or veto.



To: Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

As we have been neighbours for a while and have finally managed to connect for potential trade, we would like to invite you to a closer cooperation. We have many installations and therefore interesting opportunities but unfortunately, we have a limited capability to explore them. We would like to offer you the opportunity to enter into a profit share with us. Although we lack the resources, we would be willing to split any gains from exploration and come to an arrangement regarding any archeotech that may be found. If interested, we can lay out the basic agreement for your consideration.

Additionally, you may be aware that we have reached an interesting arrangement with the Iron gods, Muridun and Sages. It is an investment venture. We would be happy to discuss with the Trust the possibility of adding new shareholders and introduce you given our existing treaties and hope for mutually beneficial trade, this could be especially profitable given recent events. Please advise any interest.



Dear all,

The collective would like to enter a request for a minor modification of the Trust's charter before it is in full operation. With a view to new developments making investment into the trust more profitable than originally anticipated, we would like to open up the possibility of new shareholders. However, we would like to change the charter so that expulsion of new shareholders (class B shares) requires the unanimous approval of the founding shareholders (class A shares). We have also made a non binding inquiry to the vanguard to gauge interest. We already have a non-aggression treaty with them and believe them to be trustworthy.

As a subclause of the expulsion of shareholders, we would also suggest that any resources that become available post expulsion will be split equitably between class A shareholders. The methodology to be mutually agreed.



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

For clarity we have broken up your proposal into points, along with our replies to them.
1. We agree on an amount of sci to be used on midturn by me to explore, you send it on the EOT.
-The way exploration works I'm pretty sure I would need to send the sci at midturn.

2. We split stats equally (50/50) sent at EoT.
-This is fine. We might be able to split the stats at midturn as well since that's when everything happens.

3. I get right of first refusal on artifacts, but have to give up this floor's stats in exchange, if you receive the artifact instead then I receive the stats.
- Given the variance in stats received and artifact effects I feel like we should set up some standards of value weighting rather than just make it either or. Note also that there are items which are not artifacts, but also not stats.

4. In case of "bad consequences" I can use the proceeds of that turn's exploration to deal with the consequences, provided I use my share first. If the consequences require specific stats and the exploration of that turn has provided those stats I have to select those stats for my share.
- I see no obvious problems with this, but I have only encountered one bad consequence so I don't know exactly what might happen. The one thing that did happen disabled my VIP for a turn which raises the question of whose VIP would get disabled in this case. It's not really something we get to decide on.

5. 1/arco medean site, you can veto my right of first refusal to claim the artifact for yourself for artifacts up to tier 2, but you give up all stats as normal.
- See point 3. I think we should make an artifact price list.

6. Tier 3 archeotech, we must come to mutual agreement and there will be no dibs or veto.
- I am fine with this.

As a final note everything will be subject to the -1 penalty because we aren't directly bordering. Hopefully that will only be this turn though.


To a Prosperous Future
The Eldest


Greetings,

We don't see anything inherently wrong in making two classes of voting shares. However we disagree with the subclause. This will heavily incentivize the founding members to expel new members, works against the original intent of the Trust shareholders to equally distribute dividends, and would be an extra layer of bookkeeping to separate equal dividends and reclaimed shares.

As it stands these changes would provide no guarantee for future members. Given that many of our previous issues arose because of a lack of guarantees we believe this would essentially repel future investors.

In short we see two potential obstacles to allowing new shareholders to join.
1. Original members of the Trust will not wish to see their share diminished by new members.
2. New members will require guarantees that they will not lose their own investments.

Now this could be solved by some additional clause governing voting and buy in agreements. However we feel the solution is much simpler. All shareholders must be unanimous to allow new members. So just have an agreement that everyone will vote yes if the new member offers to match the investment of the current shareholders. This way current shares won't be affected and new members will receive the same guarantees as old members.

To a Prosperous Future
The Eldest

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Please find attached mark-up of your counter offer:


1. We agree on an amount of sci to be used on midturn by me to explore, you send it on the EOT.
-The way exploration works I'm pretty sure I would need to send the sci at midturn. yes but you need to note it also on your eot I think.

2. We split stats equally (50/50) sent at EoT.
-This is fine. We might be able to split the stats at midturn as well since that's when everything happens.I believe the stats are available at EOT, plus the amount sent will depend on damaging consequences.

3. I get right of first refusal on artifacts, but have to give up this floor's stats in exchange, if you receive the artifact instead then I receive the stats.
- Given the variance in stats received and artifact effects I feel like we should set up some standards of value weighting rather than just make it either or. Note also that there are items which are not artifacts, but also not stats.
The turn system will be applies to T1/T2 archeotech findings on a separate counter for Tier 1 and Tier 2, so as to maintain fairness. Items not conforming to raw resources or archeotech shall be valued at their equivalent price.

+1 stat items will be valued at X of the same stat where this is the cost of increasing that stat by 1. E.g. +1 eco item is valued at 4 eco.

4. In case of "bad consequences" I can use the proceeds of that turn's exploration to deal with the consequences, provided I use my share first. If the consequences require specific stats and the exploration of that turn has provided those stats I have to select those stats for my share.
- I see no obvious problems with this, but I have only encountered one bad consequence so I don't know exactly what might happen. The one thing that did happen disabled my VIP for a turn which raises the question of whose VIP would get disabled in this case. It's not really something we get to decide on. Bad consequences usually take the form of X mil/sci is required to combat X threat that appeared out of the installation in order to prevent X stat damage (lesser, medium, major threat). Ammendment: in cases where the stats are impossible to be used in combating appearing threats from the installation, JCKM will reserve the right to keep discovered raw resources on a 1:1 basis up to the amount discovered. Exploration of 10th or 20th floor will almost always result in significant bad consequences. Sages must agree to assist JCKM in combatting said threats to a reasonable degree given the higher risk/reward profile. Exploration of 10th/20th floor to be pre-agreed to ensure resources are available.


E.g. lesser threat requires 5 mil/sci to prevent 2 random stat damage. The exploration uncovered 5 eco. Eco cannot be used. JCKM to use own mil and retain 5 eco.
JCKM accepts the risk that the discovered resources may not be sufficient to cover the needs to prevent damage


5. 1/arco medean site, you can veto my right of first refusal to claim the artifact for yourself for artifacts up to tier 2, but you give up all stats as normal.
- See point 3. I think we should make an artifact price list. Delete

6. Tier 3 archeotech, we must come to mutual agreement and there will be no dibs or veto.
- I am fine with this.
T3 usually comes from 10th/20th floor and is accompanied by a major threat almost always. See 4. If it has been agreed that the 10th/20th floor will be explored and sages do not contribute to combatting the threat they will lose the right to claim the archeotech. Contribution shall be required where the resources uncovered in that instance of exploration are insufficient to cover he cost of combatting the threat. 50% of total if no resources discovered, 25% if some resources discovered.

As a final note everything will be subject to the -1 penalty because we aren't directly bordering. Hopefully that will only be this turn though.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

This is acceptable to us. As a first effort let us explore five floors of one of your sites. We can provide [3 sci] to this. Can you provide the additional [2 sci]?

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


We can provide 1, also take into account trade penalties. We can only explore with the resources that reach us.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

Very well we will send [4 Sci], and we have taken the inefficiencies of the current routes into account. We will send additional [Eco] to cover expenses.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Done.



Explore Human Resources installation // 1 SCI + 4 to be received from sages.
Maintain reputation.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 10
Rep: Feared


Hail Conquerors,

Your war on us was a result of other powers meddling in your so called election process to bring the war party back and your own war mongering. We had agreed to leave the republic alone and let you be yet you then come at us with fire and destruction. We did not launch an attack on you at all bringing only our defenses to bear. Defenses you destroyed to steal Zultar from us.

We will give you a single chance to rectify this horror or we will come for you with the full force of the crusade. We will take back our lands and our armies will take back threefold. You can make your deal or you can deal with our armies. Your choice.


Greetings,

We are sorry to see you go from this war but understand you have greater worries. We will continue on in this unjust war of the Republic until we reclaim the Zultari home. Let us know if there is anything regarding the war you wish to inform us of or if you need any aid.

Regards,
Antares


We thank you for your offer of mediation and will get back to you on whether or not that is needed. Know this though, we will have our system back from the Repbulic one way or another.


Greetings,

We apologize for the mix up this recent year. It was not our intention to fight over the system with you. We realize that it was within your 'claimed sphere' and did plan to take it anyway. We needed to take four systems to aid in our defense from the GR since we suspected they would be invading us.

Our original plan was to take the territory and then offer you territory 7 instead or offer you access to our Installations. We understand if you feel this must be answered with war but war was not our intention.

Regards,
Antares


Create route from 20 to 22 and 20 to 23.

Lower Rep to Dreaded

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



Some points, then.

1- The law of empire is one of motion – stasis in an evolving world is synonymous with decay.

2- The Secretariet is a thoroughly deserving target, and their conquest and its spoils shall preserve the advantage in morale and material my patrons have so precariously obtained, their control over the cluster, and the strength of their voice when the future of the system is decided.

3- The remaining systems otherwise unclaimed by any great power within our reach do not require anything but a fraction of our fleets to take, leaving the rest idle.

4- Your investigations into the culprit who struck you will take at minimum a decade to unfold, and will not provide an alternate target until that point.

5- Once Kantus is secured the same laws of motion will compel my patrons to set upon new prey, and I’m certain they will happily hear any petition you enter to turn their eyes against those who have wronged you

6- But that means nothing for the present, or the need for a campaign in the coming years. Do you have some alternative to propose?

7- And if so, do you have some compensation to offer, in light of the surely greater risk and likely lesser rewards for taking it?

8- Now, an unrelated matter – my patrons suffered some significant losses themselves in the past decade, which are proving to be an issue in completing their exploration of the find in the Bheura system in a timely manner. I’d like to purchase some aid to make up for them if possible, [2 eco, mil, or esp] in exchange for [2 sci this midturn]





There should be no issue with the proposed solution. I’m sure your Garuda will be put to great use, in the coming years.

If possible, there’s an additional matter of trade to be discussed – due to the losses suffered in the last decade’s excavations, there is simply not enough material and expertise available to fully secure the discovery made in the Bheura system. So, if possible, the Gods propose a trade of [2 eco] or [2 mil] to be paid by the end of the decade, in exchange for [2 Sci] worth of surveyors and researchers from Iettis, to ensure that it is possible to turn over the Bheura system within the next ten years.





Regarding new entrants into the agreement, the position of the Gods is simple

1. The completion of the project and the first dividend payment shall not be delayed
2. The absolute value of dividends heading to Ur shall either remain constant or increase over time.

Therefor, it is the Gods’ position that any new member, in additional to receiving the unanimous agreement of all founding members, be required to pay a lump sum into the trust of sufficient value that their inclusion in no way reduces payments to founding members before they can be considered to be members in any real sense.

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6
Rep Awed


It's true they ignored the declared systems and took an area at the same time we did. We believe the losses were similar on both sides but it does not bode well. They claim it was accidental but we have our doubts. We would like the labor battalions and would be happy to trade the researchers you need for it.




We are willing to make the exchange of territory 16 for your 7 but we ask for an offer of restitution for the delay and unneeded violence. We can talk about us trading you for installation access as well at a later date. We should be good for a few decades still but once we are out we would be more than happy to buy access to them.




We are not overly concerned about the Iron Gods arrival close to us but if you wish to trade for ways to construct defenses we are open to hearing offers. It will be difficult to trade unless Muridun is open to it but we are open.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


1. we will take that as a compliment and agree with you.
2. we would not deny this. However, conquest outright will ultimately destroy something more valuable. We can obtain this and then deliver punishment for past sins in a manner befitting. Upon acquisition of course, we would not be so incosiderate as to not provide some compensation for the opportunity. However, we did stand down from Bheura, as you had asked. We hope you will return the favour.
3. That will soon not be the case with your proposed course of action.
4. The wheels of justice are slow but that is why they require foresight. The captain hopes you will return the favour.
5. See 4.
6. See 4.
7. We consider the reward of the long game to be superior to outright compensation. Especially when it would be of mutual benefit.
8. As we have mentioned to out common friends the sages, our resources are stressed. Because of the Trust and of course due to 4. That perhaps gives you more insight on what is required for that venture.







The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Unfortunately we have already promised the Judiciary Collective the greater portion of our archeologists. So while we can provide the [2 sci] you ask for it will stretch our resources, and as such we wish for a greater commitment on your part. In addition to [1 eco, 1 mil] we want a guarantee that the Bheura Prime system will be transferred to us this decade. It's lack is hampering our trade with the eastern part of the sector.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



A pleasure then. Just like last time, please provide the researchers in time to take part in this decade’s expositions, and the labourers will be yours.




If you can provide the support then I can happily make that commitment without any qualms. Just send the [2 sci] into the system in time to help with this decade’s exploration and it will be yours as soon as they’re done.





Recieving 2 Science from Sages of Iettis, 2 Science from Unity Party.

10 Science to fully explore the last 10 floors of the Black Altar in Bheura/77

2 Science to begin exploring the Birdcage in 62

Maintain Dreaded Reputation

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


The resources promised to us by the sages we would not deny you but they are not ours to give or to use beyond the use agreed upon. But, should you join us in the other venture, for which confirmation is required promptly if you are to join, we would not be opposed if the sages sent us fewer resources. We may also be successful in our exploration and able to share the wealth we find therein.






The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[Writtensanity]

Magnet nets had been carefully placed around the orbit of Barakan 2 to recover the planet for the UEO. When the attack against the organization occurred, a plurality of their public defense system had been idle in orbit. The sabotaged ships had been turned into deadly shrapnel now, orbiting the moon at thousands of kilometers an hour, prepared to tear into any ship entering or exiting the atmosphere.

Barakan 2 wasn’t a self-sufficient resource colony. The recycling programs stationed on the moon to retrofit lithium extraction factories had nearly run out of food on the planet despite heavy rationing. That ticking clock sat in the back of engineers’ minds as they attempted to solve this lethal problem.

The orbital force around Barakan 2 made it near impossible to remove the metal barriers. Simply put, most magnets that would be strong enough to overcome the lateral movement of the wreckage would also risk affecting the natural orbit of the lithium moon.

The solution was difficult to execute and expensive, but simple in concept. By spacing the magnets in a perfect pattern, they could provide uniform force to all sides of the moon, leaving its space intact. In practice this had been a marvel of engineering. 7200 independently powered magnetic satellites that needed to maintain perfect position alongside a orbiting moon.

On orders, the network moved inches closer to the moon every few minutes. Soon the first pieces of shrapnel were pulled out from the storm and flew toward the satellites. As the metal approached, the electromagnets reversed, slowing down the shrapnel enough that it wouldn’t destroy the satellites as they collected it.

Further in the Primodono system, a room of engineers stopped holding their breath, and cheered.

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png


MOR= 6 : REP: Awed



We will not be meeting you in private. Considering we are still at war with the Iron Gods and are primed to enter a second war with those who attacked us, all of our critical players are needed in current operations.

We admittedly find it odd that you completely ignored our public message which specifically mentioned you as one of our main suspects for the attack. We expected a flat denial, true or false, but the abject silence is… disquieting.

Allow us to restate our promise. Admission and a mild commitment to stabilizing our systems will be met with kindness. If nobody comes forward, then those discovered to be at fault will be unceremoniously dismantled in a way this Galaxy has not seen before.

We will not have started that war, but we’ve already proven we can end them.





Considering the tone of your message, we look forward to working with you to dismantle whomever is discovered to be behind the attacks against us.

Pardon our reputation shift in the past years, War does that to a nation. It should be rectified in the coming months as we return to our peacetime state of affairs.





Intelligence suggests that the general stance in the Galaxy is neutrality over the war. That said, some players have suggested they would prefer the republic to win. A quick victory will likely be favorable to a Total Victory to avoid intervention.

If you would like both, the Unwilling Gods seem to be bidding for their neutrality, reaching out and offering a bounty for their inclusion in the war would be in your favor.

Should the Grand Republic ask for similar knowledge about the status of the war, we will provide it. We would like to avoid a dragged out conflict.





Move Iron Gods Reputation to Feared.

2 SCI sent into Vendence Unbound to clear floors 5 and 6.

RETURN MIDTURN at MOR 6

[Eldan]

Muridun to the UEO [7]
What point is there in denial? We have no reason to attack you, especially when you are at war with the Demiurges of Ur. Our distaste for them has been made plain for decades now. Beyond that, words are dust. We could tell you we didn't do it, and you could believe those words or not, but no more truth would be added to the universe beyond what is already either clear to you, or will never be evident.

Your war with Ur is one of the reasons we wished to speak with you. Their growth is concerning, their nature is abominable and their methods are vile. But then, when one faction in a war is literally made up of encryption engines who see themselves as Gods, one should not discuss plans openly.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

reputation: adored
morale: 6

PCs

Grand Republic, whoever holds the reigns of foreign affairs,

First of all, the vanguard corps would commend your people, brave soldiers of the republic and the citizens who allow them to fight, for their recent victory and we feel great sorrow for the events that transpired afterwards.

Our word is hard to break, as such, let us know if your enemies are still intent on their warmongering ways, and we shall help guide them out of there, through words or might.

Cordially,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

Estemeed law abiders,

For now our own lands still hold many secrets yet uncovered, though such an arrengement in the future is not out of the question so do lay out the basic agreement for future reference.

One of our members has been... vocal about your arrengement so consider us interested, do explain it and if it is within the Vanguard's interest we will help it grow larger.

To a prosperous future,
-Most Active Guardian's of Innocent Creature's, Vanguard corps.

I can see the problem, and we would love to have you closer, does anybody claim 72? we could very well exchange our claim on 39 for the ability to trade further west.

And a prosperous one,
Theophania, Tutor of applied thaumaturgy

We don't exactly look forward to it, but it should be done. Same as your little nose dive, not all calls are pretty to make.

Simpathy,
Theophania, head commander of auxiliary thaumathurgy.


NPCs

Esteemed Secretariat,

If you wish to talk, about whatever subject you'd have, we would be willing listeners.

Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures, Vanguard corps.

Most esteemed peacemakers,

We would make a humble request, if it wouldn't trouble you, for a similar exchange to those made before.

Respectfully,
Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures, vanguard Corps.

To be more specific I'd want 5 eco for 5 Psi

2 Sci spent to make a route from 33 to 24, I want to keep the option of sending aid to the GRP open and I'm pretty sure I recall that being a possibility aside from conquest.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

We do not believe that (72) has been officially claimed by any faction. Certainly not by us. We have gotten the impression that the Muridun regard it as theirs however. Still however we had meant only to claim 39 temporarily to assist with the Lunara Collective. If you wish for a more permanent trade we are willing to consider giving you (74).

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest


VIP production 1d6z

Send 4 Sci and 1 Eco to the Judiciary Collective to help explore their installation. The 1 eco is to pay for the trade penalty.

Send 2 Sci to the Iron Gods to help with their installation.

Use Aakaash - (2 Psi, 1 Sci item), 2 Sci, 1 Esp, and 1 Mil to explore my own installation the Beached Leviathan.

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Morale 3, Reputation: Adored

The UEO
Wildflower,

We accept your peace offer. We will see what we can do about the situation with the Unwilling God and the situation that is building there. Thank you for your consideration in this update to your peace offer.

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Unwilling God
Killbot VIII,

We’ve got our own refugee initiatives alive and well here in the Grand Republic, if the refugees you captured from the second Zultari War are causing you resource strain rest assured the Grand Republic will happily repatriate them. All who are willing to support the democratic process are welcome within our space. We have the facilities and the food supplies to accommodate far more than those shown in your tragic message, and it must have been an incredibly long-odds journey for them to have somehow wound up in your territory that I’m sure most of them could score one hell of a book deal off of. So yeah, send em’ back, sweet sulfur they would be welcome!

As to the transaction of [26] and [25], everything has a price Killbot. We can definitely work something out. I’d say for an garden world system like Orville’s Misstep [26] that we put a hell of a lot of terraforming resources into in order to make the place liveable for the local Elbinite enclave we’d charge maybe [15 t.eco] to account for the resources invested and the economic weight it represents to the Grand Republic of Principia, plus perhaps another [5 t.eco] to account for inflationary forces and the lost capacity for Growth within the Grand Republic. We could accept this in payments of [10 t.eco] per decade if that's too much strain on your own economy of course. [25] meanwhile is another story, as we do not currently occupy the system, though talks have already been planned with the local government to discuss annexation.

In light of the claims laws that have been tentatively hammered out by the Judiciary and honored by the Grand Republic regarding [27] and [28], the GRP has a solid claim to the system, but given that we have not actually annexed it yet we would be willing to sell the claim to the system equal to lost gain potential, with a discount given your own fees associated with conquest of the system, say [6 t.eco].

These costs could of course be offset by investment in the GRP itself. Success in our current conflict with the Anterean Crusade is paramount to our current negotiations. They have already called GRP efforts of the past decade ‘horrors’ despite the conflict remaining between dedicated military forces and while I will approach the peace talks with enthusiasm, I am harboring some doubts that the Crusade will accept a reasonable peace deal. So military backing, which is something your name implies a certain specialization in, could be an acceptable alternative. Perhaps a similar structure of [10 t.mil] per decade for the next two decades for [26] this decade, and then further negotiations next decade to account for [25]?

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Anterean Crusade
Oh ‘Conqueror’ does not fit my particular bent at all but I suppose that is a compliment in certain circles, so for that I thank you. We are of course interested in peace talks, as the Grand Republic has no real interest in continuing this war, and I would like to avoid and blood stains on the NOP record book. In order to maintain cool heads and trusting hearts I’d like to call in the Sages who have kindly offered to be mediators in this conflict.

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

The Sages of Lettis VI and the Anterean Crusade
Good Day Everyone,

Thank you for hosting this peace talk Grand Sage, and I with your blessing, I will start with the GRP stance on the Second Zultari War.

The War Party, for all their brass and bluster, could hardly be called wrong in their stance on the Second Zultari War. The Anterean Crusade brought war without warning to the established people of Zultari, employing overwhelming force and killing millions in orbital bombardment, while I’m sure there are arguments to be made that there aren’t ‘non-military targets’ among a collection of Warrior Clans like the Zultari, many innocents no doubt died in indiscriminate orbital fire. The crusade proved two things in the opening moments of the new era: They would Attack without warning, and they would attack without mercy.

The War Party, and by extension the Grand Republic, was thus faced with three choices: Ignorance, Waste, or War. Ignorance to simply ignore what happened on our doorstep and put our hopes in the Crusade ignoring us, continue to build our gardens and explore our installations, and wait for death at the crusader’s leisure. Waste to put on a ferocious and hideously expensive defense every year for endless years in fear that the Crusade might one day attack, our people everyday one step from the bombardment shelters and living in the endless, paranoid shadow of war. Or take the initiative and bring the war to the Anterean Crusade, in full view of the Sector and with our hearts on our sleeves. We declared war with plenty of warning, the crusade told us to try them, and so we did. Zultari is in the hands of the Grand Republic, we have defeated their fleet once, I hope that we do not have to come to blows again. So this is the GRP offer: Peace where borders stand, with no further hostilities or reparations.

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

Muridun
I’ll show up personally, if the offer remains open.

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

Vanguard Unit Z
Your words are of course appreciated. We will be bidding for a peace with current borders, with no further reparations. Should they accept, then the Grand Republic will hardly be free of problems, but any diplomatic pressure you can offer against the truly bizarre UEO attempt at… extortion? Would be most appreciated. For context, the Unwilling God, or rather Killbot VIII reached out to our administration looking to acquire [26] and [25], an odd request, but everything has a price as my mother would say. The UEO seems to have gotten it into their head that this is a declaration of war that they feel the need to offer mercenary assistance to the Killbot (Who I sincerely do not think would need it), and have semi demanded we make an economic bid for their neutrality in a conflict that has not even started despite their earlier offer for peace.

I’ll admit I struggle with the logical followthrough on their offer, but it has left the GRP in something of a bind if the UEO is so enthusiastic to renew hostilities it rather gives the Antereans a somewhat insurmountable diplomatice position against us.

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Grand Republic [7]
Excellent. We should meet in person, then.

-Ambassador Mariana bint-Naiwal

To the Grand Republic [PM]

President Hokl’tac is ceremoniously welcomed in the palaces of the Great Merchant Houses and introduced to various dignitaries, then given time for rest in specifically prepared rooms that make the best attempts at complying with their biology, while also being heavily warded by layers upon layers of barriers and sigils that should keep out any stray dust particles that could prove hostile.

The meeting room is a perfectly smooth sphere of gleaming metal, with gold wires layered on the outside in filigree patterns, forming a Faraday cage. One can not be too careful where diplomatic talks are concerned these days.

The Ambassador bint-Naiwal has visibly aged in the last two decades, her hair now more grey than black, her eyes creased.

"President. An honour to meet you. I will be brief and blunt: Principia is too full of horrors and abominations these days. Crusading stars and iron gods rampage in genocide across undefended systems. We would see them gone.

We have recently acquired an army, an army that is out for vengeance. But we can not do this alone. What we would need from you more than anything is intelligence, on the Antarean armies their size, their deployment, their weapons. But we also do not think we can face them alone: they are more proficient and experienced in war than us, and we will need help. Any help we can get.

So, we think, do you. A peaceful party may rule Principia now and peacetalks are underway, but you must realize that peace can not last.

I would ask you how we can help each other."

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

https://imgur.com/n5bswC3.jpeg

Morale 3, Reputation: Adored

Iron Gods (Public)
The Stance of the War Party was a punitive expedition to strip the Anterean Crusade of conquests gained without war declaration against a fellow space faring civilization without chance for negotiation. While the War Party may no longer be in charge, even if they were, the Grand Republic has achieved its war goal and is proposing a peace-at-current-borders. With no further reparations requested.

Muridun (PM!)
President Hokl’tac stand at almost two meters tall, slightly short for an average Garnutcktu, but still broad and imposing with the wide shovel-scoop trunk that sets the species apart from most other bipeds.

“Ambassador, thank you for your candor. We struggled and fought for the system of the Zultari, and if the rumours are true you fought for the soul of their people. I have never been a spiritual sort ambassador, but I am hardly one to balk at proof of the soul. Thank you for what you did for those obliterated by the Anterean starspawn.”

The president snuffles slightly, a common verbal tic among her kind.

“As to the continuation of war.” She pauses, collecting grim thoughts. “If I have a choice in the matter, I will settle for peace on current borders. But I suspect I will be given little choice in the matter, and may have to continue the conflict. Should that be the case, the Republic is hardly defenseless, while the defense contractors might play lapdog to the War Party, there assets are but one among many the GRP can call upon, and the Republican Fleet is a capable force as demonstrated last decade.”

“If it comes to it, though it pains me, our best approach is to continue the offensive, sitting on the defense leaves the initiative firmly in the hands of the Anterean’s, so our plan is to strike at their homeworld in [20], trading for military support from anyone who would listen. If your words are true and you seek vengeance… hmmm” The humming rumble gurgles through her sulfur sac in a way not so dissimilar to a tree frog, an unusually high pitched sound from such a large figure.

“We simply do not have the time or connection to form an alliance and cooperate in a truly unified way. So operating against them in a separate attack would probably be the best route forward for now, and striking a place near [20] so we could work together in further operations. The Republican Fleet operating at roughly [20 power] managed to crack their defenses and take a [1 MOR] and capture [1 MIL] with no losses, though they have since taken several systems and likely are above the strength they operated with last turn.”

Hokl’tac shakes her head, “The Republican Fleet is strong enough to play ball at the moment, and will hopefully be able to supplement with sufficient mercenaries. Depending on the strength of your forces it may be best to save up for a larger attack next decade, my administration knows from experience that the Judiciary will expose any routes you may try to make against the Crusade, which will tip your hand perhaps earlier than intended. What are your thoughts and your forces?”

[Eldan]

PM To the Grand Republic
"Waiting for the next Decade is a plan that is already being strongly debated, yes. Currently, we do not have the military strength to take on, well, almost anyone, at least not alone. The Zultari are as yet young and untested in their new bodies, amounting to perhaps [7 mil], though of course appropriately supported by the Muridun fleet. We believe that if we wait another decade and give the Zultari time to test themselves against some neutral systems, we are reasonably confident we can grow this by at least 50% in a decade, perhaps almost double it.

We would offer you limited support instead, but I fear the distance is too great.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



1. My patrons pay their debts, but their patience isn’t unlimited. I’ll need some manner of timetable as to when you expect the Lithos Question to be resolved.
2. If possible, either improve your encryption or arrange for some manner of private conversation in the next decade, so that details may be discussed.
3. It should not be more than a minor issue, but to extend the chain of favors, I would ask for your support in a claim of [58] against any resentment from the scavangers or primitivists, once they’re presented with a fait acomplit
4. Once you have secured whatever you value on Kantus, would you be open to the potential purchase of the system itself? A fair price will be offered, or a fair contribution to whatever project you envision, but the star itself is a claim we cannot go back on.
5. Happily, other avenues to acquire the neccesary resources have been found, no need to stretch yourself on that account.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


1. We hope to offer alternative diversions but once that is settled we would make good on our word, perhaps even before that given the lack of need for direct intervention subject to success and participation.
2. We believe come the next decade we will be able to ensure the encryption of our systems will be adequate.
3. We would support that, but would ask you consider something in the 2-4 range first in the same vicinity? You will not find us absent.
4. We would be happy to do so once we obtain that which we seek.
5. We are glad to hear of a pleasant resolution.






The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Vanguard have expressed interest to us in colonizing the system of (72). And while we have not seen any official claims on that system we do note that it is very close to your home system. As such we would like to negotiate with you over its claim so as to ensure there are no miscommunications.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

There are two minor points that we wish to address. First we know you have an extensive intelligence network and being rather curious we wish to know if you would be willing to share your findings with us. And if so what you would wish in return.

Second, in regards to the Trust the current trade penalties will make your contribution inefficient. Would you be interested in a loan or trade to be repaid when our trade infrastructure is more closely connected.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

[Eldan]

Vanguard, Sages [7]
System 72 is indeed in our immediate sphere of influence, and since we just had massive population growth after reviving the the Zultari, we are in great need of more living space. As such, we going to settle systems 69-72 this decade.
The fact is, we have no other avenues of expansion, really, unless we wish to move directly into the sphere of the iron Demiurges, which would certainly be taken as a hostile act. As such, we're not sure what you could offer us that would make up for giving up space.

[Eldan]

Muridun Midturn [GM only]
I'll spend 6 Sci on finishing the last 6 levels of Rhaenya's Graveyard and 1 sci to start exploring in the Playground.

Also, I will lower the reputation of the Grand Republic this turn, hoping to turn them more towards war. This will mainly be in the shape of the Zultari telling stories about treason, gruesome slaughter and vengeance, trying to stir up renewed interest in the war.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



Point three is the only one that needs clarification

1- You’re refering to systems 52-54, current held by the Gask barbarians, or do I misunderstand you?
2- Perhaps you mean systems 2-4 properly, one of which is currently held by the Sages so generously hosting us, and another already the home of a God?
3- If 1 is true, then my patrons are not at all opposed to a joint strike against the barbarians in this decade, but that seems quite contrary to my read of your intentions for the coming years, and the escalation would assuredly take more than a decade to bring the resulting war to completion
4- while the barbarians have technically declared war upon us, it’s been a complete sham so far, used entirely for diplomatic posturing. The plan was in fact to make them regret a decade or so from now, if no deserving targets presented themselves, but doing so would almost definitively take aiding you against whoever you find responsible for attacking you
5- If that is what you mean, I can propose some strategies, but I would require a commitment that your superiors will be entering the conflict as a full cobelligerent
6- IF 2 is correct, then I’m afraid a war with the Sages is not in the cards, unless you’ve got some shocking new information to present?
7- or perhas you meant something else entirely?

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


1. Your guess is correct.
2. We would not engage in an illegal war.
3. Yes
4. We do not think that would be a deal breaker, though I am sure in time the explanation will clear many misunderstandings.
5. Yes. Though we do have limitations given that we have committed to exploring an installation with our co-hosts.
6. Nothing you do not already know. But as we have said before, we would never wage an illegal war. These would especially not be our target.
7. We hope for a fruitful and peaceful co-operation.



Dear Sir, Madam or other,

We were happy to receive your message and after consideration of the information you have provided we would be more than happy to participate. We are for now of course unable to do so, but we shall put plans in place as soon as it practicable in order to liaise with your good system.

Kind regards,
Amicus Slant.






The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 10
Rep: Feared

Greetings Sages and thank you for your offer,

Grand Republics you use the lack of universe wide declaration like a hypocrite. We offered the Zultari themselves a fair warning and declaration which they made great use. We do not see the Republic or any power declaring their universe wide declarations to take their neighbering systems. Did we miss your declaration on 22, 24, and 26? Did the Iron Gods send out a mass declaration about the four systems they took followed by the five they took shortly after?

I think we both know the answer. No one did. In fact all the powers of this universe instead sent out claims over systems not yet within their grasp may years after the first systems were taken. Those claims did not take into account those currently living within those systems. Your claim is nothing more then opportunism that we will not stand by.

We see your offer and it is worth nothing to us. We would continue war rather then accept that.

Here is our counter;
- Give back Zultair (21) immediately.
- Give back either 3 stats made of Mil/Mor/Psi or give 22 as well.

Sharks are circling your weakened Republic. Think carefully on refusing this.

We would prefer for this not to be public thank you Sages.

Greetings,

We see you have expanded some what in the last decade and now you border the Republic. Our experience with the Republic has been tumultuous to say the least, their political system is ripe for manipulation by other powers in Principia. This is a lever that I have found is not good for the Republics neighbors.

What would you say to a united front in this war. It could allow you access to more territories and the strategic system near you and the Republic.

Regards,
Antares

[ArcaneStomper]

We will raise a point of order. It is our shame that we were greedy in those first years of the sector opening and exerted our will over our neighbors without duly informing them. However we have taken great pains to both work with them and the greater powers of the sector in the decade since then. And the Iron Gods, who you have specifically called out, did in fact make clear every system they regarded as theirs before their military moved out.

We would bring up the matter of (16) as well. You may not have been aware, but the Unity Party had made it clear to us that they regarded the system as theirs. So given your previous statement we would like to ask what you regard as a binding border? Would you stop at Zultair, or are the Grand Republic's fears valid.

Perhaps the situation would be best served by a third party taking Zultair and thus separating your two powers. Though if borders are not recognized the sector will simply descend into eternal war until only one power is left.

[3SecondCultist]

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

The Abominations Rain Hellfire on our Peaceful Neighbours! Dozens of Legal Localities have Fallen to the Predations of those Tin Pretenders.

We have ever Taken the Record, Make Safe the Numbers. But there will be No Truth but what They Utter, Lest the rest of Principia decide to End their Terrors.

You have been Warned, Principia. You have been Warned.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat calls for a united war of aggression against the Iron Gods of Ur. It renews its war declaration against the Iron Gods for the third time.

Of all the Polities, you Comprise the Totality of Those who have Sought out our Wisdom. This is to be Commended, even as our Administrations have been Challenged from Within these past Decades.

Forgive our Hitherto Intransigence; our Will was to follow Efficatus in All Things. Now, our Scribes see Approaching Doom and Quake. It may Fall to You to Complete our Discipline. Witness our Works, so that You may offer Succour at this Late Hour.

Will You Aid Us?

So the Numinous Secretariat is the active NPC this turn. They want to advance their LTP (see below) but are immediately concerned that the Iron Gods will devour them if they move any of their stat points away from their defense.

They are asking for anyone to help contribute to their LTP this turn. But more importantly, they are asking you to intervene and get the Iron Gods to promise to protect the Secretariat's sovereignty for at least 2 more turns. This will give them time to start investing their own stats into one of the strongest LTPs in the game, potentially allowing one of you to earn it for a seriously reduced price (from 50 down to 35, for starters).
While the Secretariat is not a powerful military, scientific, psionic, or economic powerhouse, it does one thing better than anyone in Principia: it is irrepressibly, stubbornly hard to destroy. By working with the Secretariat, a faction can use its bureaucratic legions to repress even the worst of fates. If a player does not launch any aggressive actions over the course of a turn (i.e. invasions, stat attacks, etc), they can completely block up to 1 incoming invasion or stat attack of their choice. If an invasion or stat attack is not called out or specified, it defaults to the largest attack. The player does not need to be aware of the attack for this LTP to take effect: it always functions.

The Lunara Collective
Morale 5

Peaceful greetings, members of the Vanguard Unit,

Your bid is accepted in the spirit with which it is offered. Your will has been a balm on a wounded galaxy, and so the Vanguard are pleased to offer additional kindness to you in an hour of need.

They're willing to send you 7 Psi for a 5 Eco payment from you, since they like you and you've pretty much been the only ones courting them this turn.

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 10
Rep: Feared

Our point was that the Iron Gods did not declare any wars on those systems and that the Grand Republic did not on theirs. What is the difference there? The amount of powers interested? How powerful the residents of the system is? Our point is that the lack of declaration on the Zultari is a moot point given the lack of declarations on the other systems taken by the various powers of Principia. Unless it is the intention to punish every power for expanding?

As for our issue with the Unity Party it is not relevant to this discussion. We will say to ease minds but we have made our overtures to the Unity party and they have been amenable to a deal. We have offered to take another system for them and gift it to them or to trade the system of 16 back to them and they are amenable. The incident was not a calculated attack as you seem to imply but an accident that we both suffered for.

Finally your offer of a third party is an unacceptable outcome to us. Your mention of borders is interesting because the Grand Republic is the aggressor in this war, not respecting our borders at all. We did not attack them, we only made moves to defend ourselves, and yet now the Grand Republics offer of peace is to not respect borders at all?

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 17



My strategic liaison has provided me two potential opening gambits, courtesy of INANNA.

1. War Plan Green: INANNA will lead the entirety of the Urrite fleet in an overwhelming strike on [51] securing a logistical supply route with the Judiciary through [45]. Kramagorian forces will take [48] and [47] with enough extra firepower to beat out any Gaskite expiditons which might attempt to secure the same territories, which will mostly serve to commit you to the war. If possible, the Kramagorian prosecutorial service will hit the Gaskite back lines forces abroad, crippling their terrorist networks and ability to retaliate.

2. War Plan Blue: Given current estimates of Gaskite military strength, a two proned assault into both [51] and [53] will likely have the strength to secure both systems (with a bias towards 51 to ensure a trade route remains open). Kramagorian forces will leapfrog the neutral zone near the border and seize [56] for the Judiciary, allowing them access to Lithos and the Secretariet for whatever the joint project is. The Prosecutorial service will strike either the Gaskite terrorist networks or their back lines, give them a taste of what they put the Republic through

3. Blue is certainly riskier, but if we achieve strategic surprise I believe it’s very possible. Though depending on complications following our expedition into the Bheura anomaly we may have to restrict our ambitions to [51] regardless.

4. If you have qualms about the use of your prosecutorial service, or the targets they might be assigned to, say here

5. If you have qualms about selected target systems, register them here

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Reputation: Friendly


3 Sci to deal with roving Killbots
Dr. Warrant [Lvl. 1 Sci. VIP] &1 mad scientist released from the Novinian gulag will explore Isotropa Lost.


Morale 9


A simple thpught messege is transmitted to any that would listen of it amongst the crusade. They can be a great people, Antares. They just need somone to show them the way.

Gonna assume your stats are pretty much all booked up what with the war and everything. If you find some spare stuff I have a psi item I'm willing to trade. As for war...well.



Public

"Ah" the child healed by Killbot VIII-present in his communique to the GR-sits perched atop the automaton's shoulder "The mercenaries." The child gives a good natured wave at the vidfeed before he is lowered from the Savior's shoulder to the dirt of the refugee camp. Then he runs away off screen. "The notion must not be foreign to you: eventually all warfare degenerates in matters of production. You input a certain number of munitions, a calculation is performed and there is a net gain or a net loss. Like any entropy machine. Like any ecosystem. Such is all I will say to matters of applied warmachineries. Look to the Unwilling God for matters of agreement or denial."

Balls in your court.




The Unwilling God sits amidst the vast black of a planet turned from the sun, the horizon only visible thanks to the odd spattering of red thermal vision. The emulsions highlight blackened sand, almost burned looking for how patches of frost or glass scar it in vast tracts. Mountains tower in the distance, backlit as they crest into the sky on visions provided by the same red, actinic lightning descending from the sky. Higher still, where the tenebral clouds break, the outline of a partially dismantled planetary rings can be seen in the sky. Ash blows across the parts of the vidfeed not already gummed by it, the wind forcing the frame of the image to wobble like a mockery of the planetoid's storied purpose. An insult to the planet. To Kull.

It is clear from the angle of the vidfeed that the Unwilling God sits atop a vast mound of interlocked skeletal structures in various stages of ossficiation. Some are fused together by the passage of time, others clearly melted together by some vast eclipse of thermal vision. All of them are silent. Their names dead to the passage of time as whatever figure was responsible for their passing to the Reper's feet. Dead to who now sits atop them. Like a malignancy ripped from the darkness and caste in simple white. The Unwilling God. Lucan Nolus. The air around him is ionized in baleful red light from his eyes. "Hn. Very well then."

He rises silently, coming to hover the dead men and women at his feet. Thermal vision pours from his eyes, and the ash-caked vidfeed lense pulls back to ecompass the enormity of what the Unwilling God illuminates: a mass grave, skeletons in various states of decay stretching from His apogee to the feet of a mountain looming in the distance. And near as deep, based on where topography plans lead. In fact, geological surveys reveal very little difference where the bodies begin and the planet ends. The Unwilling God holds out a single arm. A whoosing sound cuts through the air, faster than a speeding kinetic, yet caught just as easily. It is an axe, capped with a blade on one killing end, pic on the other, near as tall as God himself and with a skull for a pommel. The same black mineral the pervades Kull. The substance bleeds over God's form and comes to envelope Him in the same armour thats held him for the past two decades. Finally returned home to the place where Ultramites die.

God's free right hand bunches up into a fist as the Kullite wraps around it. A rounded shield, its edge serrated, swirls into existence over the same wrist. A simple toy laser pistol wrests at his hip. "War it is then." The Unwilling God's gaze flares as the ionized radiation from his eyes flashes crimson from the orbitals of his visor, throwing the vidfeed into static. The final discernable frame is an image of the two eyes burning like twin suns set in a skull.


Yeah...that wasnt the deal.



The Believers of the Unwilling God declare War on the Grand Republic

[A_Dinosaur]

The Grand Republic of Principia

Morale 3, Reputation: Adored

Unwilling God
Lucan Nolus, The Unwilling God,
You asked for something we could not give, so I offered compromise. And ya’ know what? I’m not quite done with compromise just yet. Cause here’s the thing man of Ultrum: I offered the better deal.

You see, I’m a woman of economics, I trade sulfur for steel, steel for coin, and coin for more sulfur. Thats what makes my world turn. I don’t have much patience for laser pistols and mass graves. Your people’s loss is a tragedy yes, and your own survival is a sorrow I could not possibly understand, but that doesn’t change the fact that what you are promising here is a humanitarian disaster on a scale seldom seen, and you’ll have to pay for it.

So now that you are down from your mountain of skulls let's go back to my language for a moment and partake in some math.

The Republican Fleet was enough to take New Zultari with tragic, though operationally insignificant losses. The Anterean Crusade is second perhaps only to your own faction and the Iron Gods in pure military power, and while the bulk of their fleet went about glassing some helpless neutrals in the depths of space, their defenses were hardly inconsequential. You are a being as old as time in the scale I operate in. I'm sure you can manage the quick maths, they had enough military as passive defense to make old Ultrum think twice. The Republican Fleet beat that.

So now we extrapolate. Republican fleet on the offensive can dislodge the Antereans from one of their most precious systems, which means it must be at minimum able to field [20 Mil], which means you will need to field at minimum [21] Mil yourself just to take one system if we choose to defend ourselves, which at the moment, with your declaration we of course must do. Now, add in that we took the system without loss to operational integrity, that changes the math a little bit, we must have been able to field a good 25% more than they could bring to the defense. Now things are lookin’ a little dicey, cause we might be packing anywhere from [25-28 effective Mil] on the conservative side of things. But here is one more twist, we took New Zultari, which means we took Military Assets from the Starspawn, thats another [1-2 Mil], which we can of course add support units to and skew the math even further.

So that gives us an operational range of [26-31] effective military on the defense. Could the faction that is the Unwilling God beat that? I’m gonna go ahead and guess that the answer is probably yes. You’ve got a guy named Killbot. But heres the thing, now just to attack without losses, you’ve gotta pull together well over [30 effective Mil]. Thats a rather steep cost in toy laser pistols.

Or.

You could take the New Opportunity, buy [26] for the newly discounted cost of [18 Mil] in two payments over the next two decades ([9] now and the rest the next decade), and save yourself a smooth [12+ stat points] and make a friend of the New Opportunities Party. We can talk about [25] after that, but if you are helping us rather than abjectly hindering us, I’m sure any administration NOP or otherwise would be happy to shake hands for pennies on that particular system.

Deal?

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

Sages of Lettis VI and the Anterean Crusade
There was a big difference in scale between annexing a population of a ‘neutral system’ and the Zultari Clans, and I’m inclined to look at the Sages very accurate point that you have no better claim to the system than we did. We are just the ones currently occupying it.

That said I’m not wholly against the idea of a secondary faction acting the part of Buffer State. Who would the sages propose to fill such a role?

President Hokl’tac, 175th President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

We at least do not wish to see the Secretariat perish. We will make a place for them and their people. Though whether we can persuade the Iron Gods to suspend their campaign we will have to see. Will any of you aid us in this.

OOC: I want that project. I don't really care what happens to the morale and VP. Though we can pretty much assume that the system is going to end up with the Iron Gods eventually. I will note that the project benefits either the Vanguard or the Sages the most.

We have talked with the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos in hopes of evacuating some of their people ahead of your campaign, and we have found that they have some very interesting ideas regarding the universe. We ask if you are willing to garantuee their independence long enough for us to evacuate them from the system. And perhaps even aid in doing so.

OOC: They have a LTP that I want. I'm willing to help you confederate them instead of conquer them in exchange for the LTP.

The obvious party would be ourselves to claim that system as we have no reason to attack either of you. However that seems somewhat self serving so may we suggest the Vanguard. They have as good a reputation as we do and little incentive to use the system as a foothold to attack either of you afterwards.

The question is what the Antarean Crusade will accept? Certainly you have stated that you require the system and reparations, but this negotiation is about compromise rather than unconditional surrender.

Of course the addition of the Believers to the war certainly changes the calculus. But their own war is reminiscent of the Crusade's complaints about the Republic. In that it seems to have little basis other than desire to translate military might into territory. Make of that as you will.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png



Receiving 2 Sci form Unity Party, 2 Sci from Sages

10 Sci investing in exploring the Black Altar. Direct proxies of a half-dozen gods - science ships the size of cities consisting of nothing but sensors, computers, and labs - orbit the moon-sized derelicts, analyzing and dissecting every signal and sample. Thousands upon thousands of drones, mortal shells, and more heavily augmented angels and priests are fed into its depths to find them what they're looking for. Even if it's a matter of burying every defense array in corpses until it jams, the Black Altar will be conquered.

2 Sci is spent finding the right frequencies and materials to contruct two massive ad hoc reality engines, large enough to open the way for invasion fleets before they burn out - 62-51 and 59-53

Given the sterling diplomatic efforts of the Secretariet and UEO, it's not like it takes any special effort to stay at dreaded. But, like, mechanically maintaining my reputation.

[Hamste]

Unity Party


Lend 2 science to the Iron Gods of Ur for their action.

Eins, the 2 Sci items, 4 Sci invested in clearing Mutality in the hopes the vaults contain the rest of their artifact. While protected from modern day technology the Unity Party tries to use their blend of psionic technology in the hopes that the defenses simply weren't prepared for it.

(Unification day not currently active due to non-unity)


Try to make the Crusade closer to neutral.

[A_Dinosaur]

Grand Republic of Principia

Midturn GM
Not much to do here, gotta bank everything for defense in preperation.

Adjust Reputation to Liked

Send lvl 2 Sci VIP and 1 sci into the Ruins of Uruk.

[ArcaneStomper]

I completely forgot about this but equip the emerald beacon on Garuda for +1 Mil.

Everything else is still the same as my old midturn, but just to make sure.

Send 4 Sci and 1 Eco to the Judiciary Collective to help explore their installation. The 1 eco is to pay for the trade penalty.

Send 2 Sci to the Iron Gods to help with their installation.

Use Aakaash - (2 Psi, 1 Sci item), 2 Sci, 1 Esp, and 1 Mil to explore my own installation the Beached Leviathan.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Mor: 6
Reputation: adored

PCs

(74) is far more exposed in the wrong ways, lets see what negotiation with the Muridun delivers.

Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

We wish not to encroach upon your domains, fair theists who condemned the Zultari tragedy. If it is of interest to you, we would happily trade our claim over (32) for that over (72), while it would slow your expansion for the decade, the ease of trade with several others is hopefully enticing enough of an offer. Also, as we both seem the most intent in recovering the Archomedean past, it would be wise to have redundant links between us.

Hopeful,
Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

The Vanguard is in agreeement, though diplomatic means would be preferable to such a course, at least one of the involved parties has shown themselves... reluctant, to diplomacy.

Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

I think much the same as arcane.

Theophania approaches Ashara, perhaps for the first time since their shared time in Haven, with no reasons to leave her room besides the conference she had been more than happy to avoid the... priestess.

Wearing a striking cape of purple and green, Theophania's approached was not really marked by her appearance, but what appeared with her, a few creations and summoned beings of different forms but always graceful and in matching pairs lagged behind and to her sides, in an intentional display to match Ashara's retinue. With her also came her traditional mental nudge, the attempt to access mental/machine systems was stronger this time but still half-hearted.

"I was told to relay a message" to her credit Theophania bore a collected, even pleasant semblance instead of her most usual inclinations towards the Iron God's servants. "'Ur's ilk have thus far, regardless of any demerits, been a stabilizing force within their expanded domain, their Sphere is to be respected as they respect those of others... at least better than most everyone.

It is in recognition of such ease of dealings that The Vanguard would ask you to reconsider your current (no doubt warranted, given their aggresive own aggresion) stance on the secretariat of Lithos, They may still be of some value to the galaxy, and with just a small pause on your plans, not only will your sphere still be acknowledged with a smaller expenditure of resources, but with...'" Theophania hesitates a moment, just a fraction of a second too long, enough that a machine could tell "... Our goodwill."

President Hokl’tac,

It does seem things are spiraling out of control, we will do our very best in our attempts to reign in aggression, we will still attempt to send aid through, assuming we can manage to find a way through.

Would you mind explaining what rejection of their advances for more land would lead to such a rushed war?

Strength of will,
Most Active guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

The projected image is that of a Humanoid, much like one of the human-ultrumite hybrids that were much more abundant when the Ultrumites were too.

His clothes are considerably more quaint than the trappings of a president or the combat armor of a godly warrior, Plant based fabrics, with a few insignias of office hanging on his chest, and scabbard hanging by his side.

With a n0ble noble but still humble stride he walked around a knick-knack filled room "We are sorry for the interruption, but hopeful that our generally good relations will excuse our meddling, the Vanguard has assigned me to contact both parties and perhaps arrive at a conclusion that satisfies you if not equally then at least in some manner."

"So if you would, please air your grievances with eachother, specially those that led us here, no way to mediate what I don't know."

Esteemed caretakers,

I hear from president Hokl’tac that reparations were asked from them, which would certainly be against the previous call for peace with no conditions, I'm reluctant to believe it, so would you care to share talks between the two of you? either to see where they misunderstood or to know if we should retire our support for the GRP, in the case of a wilfull lie.

Irregardless of my personal feelings on the matter, the message I was to relay was something more akin to "please cease such harmful acts, were you not the ones who spoke of bigger threats and the need to face them?" now, were it all true, I'd find such a message far too tame of a response.

regards,
Theophania, head commander of auxiliary thaumathurgy.

NPCs

Secretariat,

An attemt will be made, of which we are hopeful and with no wish to arise any more internal pressures, is a retraction on your prolonged war out of the question? a

Esteemed peacemakers,

It is with great thanks that we accept your generosity, let Principia find enough people as reasonable as your collective, and soon all walk towards peace instead of constantly resisting our push towards it.

Sweet.

[Writtensanity]

Broadcasts appear across the Galaxy, arriving on all homeworlds. A lone figure stands silhouetted against the background of the GASK TRIAD. Upon further inspection of the different feeds, it's dozens of different feeds with different speakers in each.

https://i.imgur.com/JNA6uLX.png

"Hello Principia. I am Wildflower. Principia has been deaf to too many happenings in the past years, with out minds focused on the front to the East. We are not deaf, the Triad is always listening. If the Judges will not be neutral as they claimed, then we will act upon their tradition of revealing pertinent information:



The Judges, the Sages and the Iron Gods of Ur are in open cooperation regarding the exploration of their installations.
The Judges have openly suggested a potential alliance with the Iron Gods of UR.
The Muridun are considering an unannounced War on the Anterean Crusade
The Current Intent of the Iron Bloc, should our theories be correct, will be to establish the projects of the Numinous Secretariat and then immediately let them get conquered by this.
Peace talks have likely failed between the Republic and the Anterean Crusade.



There are other... interesting things to discuss but.. it is most pertinent during this time that Principia is paying attention. Seeing as your decryption protocols seem to be lacking: allow us to take care of that....

ALL FACTIONS MAY READ ALL MESSAGES FROM AND TO THE JUDGES & SAGES BEFORE MIDTURN.

We may revisit and reapply our codebreakers once more information has come to light.

We understand this will draw the ire of many, but the rules of the game are simple. Don't cooperate with the Iron Gods and attempt to hide behind your past reputation. We will unmask you.

All you need is avoid the most concrete evil in the Galaxy. That isn't a difficult moral puzzle to avoid our codebreakers.

This not the last you will hear from the Triad.




You may now read communications sent by the UEO to the GRP:

Our communication was not a direct ask for reparations. The Unwilling God called their position a three pronged war, we corrected them, establishing that the UEO was out, but also offering them a chance to buy our services. We reached out to the GRP letting them know that we would join alongside the Unwilling God if we were giving an impossible to turn down offer. We then implored them to maintain peace with the Unwilling Gods.

The Unwilling Gods have reached out to us asking for a price. Considering that isn't offering an impossible to refuse number of resources, we will not be restarting the war, and instead will likely be focusing on defending from the invasion we almost certainly just called to our doorstep.

From the Central Office on Centinari





We do not have the active important persons to spare. This is the unfortunate reality of running a tight ship.

It is good to know you are additionally worried about their growth. Should it come to it, we are likely the first and second to fall should an Iron Bloc form. We are hoping our actions help destabilize this problem as opposed to ratify it.

We would strongly suggest against beginning a war for the Zultar in your midst before you have prepared significant defenses against the Iron Gods. Seems reckless to begin a second front.




It is wonderous to hear back from you:

Our systems don't currently have the capacity to trade in reasonable amounts. Unfortunately our strike against the GRP has left some local merchants scared of lending us their craft. It's made things... expensive. Looking to get that rectified in the near future.

[Eldan]

A short Public Statement

"We do not consider unannounced war. Considering tactics and alliances for the contingency that war should arise is not the same as an unprovoked assault."

To the Vanguard, Sages [7]

We are, of course, all for the establishment of redundant links, as you call them, and trade opportunities. Our main worry is that our exploratory fleet will, for the near future, be entirely occupied with exploring installations: currently, our nation occupies only two systems, but these both contain megainstallations, as we have deemed them, far more complex, extensive and dangerous than normal installations. As interested as we are in expanding beyond our immediate sphere, for example to 32 as you have proposed, that would be a signficant effort and not one we could soon afford.

OOC: I really don't have science points to spare for a long distance invasion route right now. But I guess for at least this turn, I could leave 72 open. Not super happy about it, though.

Sages of Lettis VI, the Vanguard, Judiciary collective, Numinous Secretariat of Lithos [7]

We are, in theory, entirely behind both a check on the expansion of the Iron Demiurges' territory and genocidal and the preservation of the activities, and the preservation of the the Secretariat of Lithos as a culture, we are unsure how uch we can do to help.

We do not presume to have remotely the resources to stand against the Iron Gods in a war at this point in time. As well-intended and righteous our Faith would be, it is not ours to test God with a futile gesture. We would be willing to contribute resources to the Secretariat's efforts, perhaps as much as [7 Mor], but these would of course have to go through Iron territory, with all the penalties such an action would incur.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8



Dear Most Inocent Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

Please find our proposed agreement on profit sharing from exploration of our installations. We understand you still have a great capacity to do so, but this approach would also reduce the risk to your own resources. The time is past for this right now, but perhaps in the next few years.


1. We agree on an amount of sci to be used on midturn by me to explore, you send it on the EOT.

2. We split stats equally (50/50) sent at EoT.

3. The turn system will be applied to T1/T2 archeotech findings on a separate counter for Tier 1 and Tier 2, so as to maintain fairness. Items not conforming to raw resources or archeotech shall be valued at their equivalent price.

+1 stat items will be valued at X of the same stat where this is the cost of increasing that stat by 1. E.g. +1 eco item is valued at 4 eco.

4. In case of "bad consequences" I can use the proceeds of that turn's exploration to deal with the consequences, provided I use my share first. If the consequences require specific stats and the exploration of that turn has provided those stats I have to select those stats for my share.
Bad consequences usually take the form of X mil/sci is required to combat X threat that appeared out of the installation in order to prevent X stat damage (lesser, medium, major threat).In cases where the stats are impossible to be used in combating appearing threats from the installation, JCKM will reserve the right to keep discovered raw resources on a 1:1 basis up to the amount discovered. Exploration of 10th or 20th floor will almost always result in significant bad consequences. Sages must agree to assist JCKM in combatting said threats to a reasonable degree given the higher risk/reward profile. Exploration of 10th/20th floor to be pre-agreed to ensure resources are available.


E.g. lesser threat requires 5 mil/sci to prevent 2 random stat damage. The exploration uncovered 5 eco. Eco cannot be used. JCKM to use own mil and retain 5 eco.
JCKM accepts the risk that the discovered resources may not be sufficient to cover the needs to prevent damage



5. Tier 3 archeotech, we must come to mutual agreement and there will be no dibs or veto.
- I am fine with this.
T3 usually comes from 10th/20th floor and is accompanied by a major threat almost always. See 4. If it has been agreed that the 10th/20th floor will be explored and the other party do not contribute to combatting the threat they will lose the right to claim the archeotech. Contribution shall be required where the resources uncovered in that instance of exploration are insufficient to cover he cost of combatting the threat. 50% of total if no resources discovered, 25% if some resources discovered.





Dear Sir, Madam or Other

The Collective stands ready to guarantee non-aggression from the Iron Gods in exchange for an exclusivity agreement with regards to the proposed work. We would work with you to complete your great work and although we may not be able to provide significant contributions in the short years to come, we can guarantee your safety until we have done so.

In such a case, although your state of war directly against the Iron Gods will be immaterial, we would ask you to belay the request for others to enter a state of war with the Iron Gods. Should you wish to do so, waiving your war declaration against the Iron Gods would of course allow us to assist you in a more prompt manner in the next decade.

We would be happy to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Kind regards,
Amicus Slant.



1. The delays would be unwelcome.
2. This is more within our expectations. Indicated recipients will be designated blue1 and blue3.
3. We hope that you resolve it successfully.
4. Available resources will be committed. We think you will find it more than satisfactory.
5. We only have access to blue1 and had planned to commit to them with or without you, though your agreement is welcome. Your contribution to blue3 or other except blue1 would be welcome.

For the others who may wish to peer through our messages thanks to the "assistance" of the UEO. The collective will judge individual factions based on their actions, not unfounded allegations or ideological differences. The Iron Gods have acted honourably towards us so far. That is the principle by which the collective operates within and without. That is the principle of neutrality.

Please confirm for the public that we can interceded on the behalf of the Secretariat, and as you will see from one of our other messages within this batch which Amicus has been so kind to send to the Secretariat as he is our liaison, we hope for a peaceful resolution of this matter.

-Supreme Justice of the Kramagorian Judiciary Collective.



Dear Eldest,

I hope young Iapetus will excuse my butting in, but I hope my contacting you directly will help the discussion progress more smoothly. Iapetus will take over once we have a a meeting of the minds. You can then work together towards ironing out the details. We are pleased with the commencement of our diplomatic relations and hope for a long and prosperous co-operation.

On the topic of a loan, we would be more than happy to take you up on your offer. Please indicate to us the level of the loan that you would be willing to make and we will be happy to enhance our participation in the trust. We hope that once the remaining obligations under the Trust have been settled you will consider a formal alliance.

On the topic of the secretariat, it seems we had very similar thoughts. We have already interceded on their behalf given that we have had a somewhat longer relationship with them and are closer in terms of ideology. We hope we can resolve this without turning it into a bidding war.

-Supreme Justice of the Kramagorian Judiciary Collective.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Cooperation Above All
Dear Principia, it is true that we have been cooperating with the Iron Gods. Just as we have been working with the Antarean Crusade and the Grand Republic of Principia. We have even reached out to the United Ecological Order though they have take up our invitations. It is the stance of the Sages that everyone has inherent worth, and we endeavor to cooperate and negotiate with everyone whenever possible. It is true that some of the Iron Gods practices are distasteful, but calling them evil and refusing to work with them will not change anything. We have prepared some responses regarding the UEO's points that we have perspective on.

1. This is completely true. We are incredibly joyful that such cooperation is possible. It is our great triumph that the very first message sent out after the Veil Gates opened was our own invitation to do precisely this. And indeed we extend our invitation again to anyone who wishes to cooperate with us in discovering the secrets of the past.

4. It is regretful that the Iron Gods seem intent on taking the Kantus system. However the location is not the people. We greatly hope that we will be able to evacuate the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos to a safer location and spare them any casualties. We have reached out to both them and several other interested parties regarding this.

5. We expected that initial talks would seem poor as the parties established their respective opening positions. However negotiations are nothing if not about coming to a compromise. As such we still retain our hopes that a negotiated peace will be possible.

We also take this opportunity to promote the Bheura Trust. It is our prime accomplishment in the realm of cooperation as it allows disparate parties to come together and pool their resources for cooperative benefit. We invite anyone who wishes to join us in this. They need only match the contributions of the founding members. If you are interested then please send a delegate to discuss the matter in more detail.

Everything is Public: Thanks UEO
We would point out that such long distance warps are not strictly necessary. Given the proper clearances with the intervening parties it is possible to move an expedition across the entire sector much more quickly.

OOC: It's possible to take a neutral territory by going through the intervening factions as long as everyone has a continuous hyperlane connection and agrees to let your forces pass. Admittedly it's tricky because they can choose to block your forces, but this was how I was planning to get up to (39) if everything worked out. For getting to 72 and 32 you'd need to go through the Judiciary Collective, the Vanguard, and me. The Iron Gods are also there, but I am hoping that the way trades resolve that system will be mine before anything else happens. I'll need to confirm that.

We have opened discussions with the Iron Gods regarding putting their war on hold, but until then no trade can occur at all through their territory. We can however send relief convoys through the UEO territory. We would happy to do so, but wish to see if we can simplify the route with the Iron Gods first.

It occurs to us that it would be a good idea to involve the Believers of the Unwilling God in this negotiation. However we will not extend the invitation without your agreement. Also given our previous nomination of them we believe the Vanguard might be helpful in these discussions. They would also round out the talks with everyone that has an interest in the southern part of the sector.

Greetings Supreme Justice of the Kramagorian Judiciary Collective,

At the very least we are willing to offer a loan of [3]. This would allow you to circumvent at least one level of trade inefficiencies. In return we would like [4] or [1 stat point] to be repaid in the next decade. Though we are open to discussing the details. We may offer a loan of the remainder of your commitment if the terms are agreeable, but frankly we have a lot of commitments this decade so we would like to see the results of our shared installation excavations first.

Regarding the Secretariat we believe that it would actually be more beneficial to involve the Iron Gods in these discussions as they are closest party, and of course have a vested interest in the proceeds.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

[3SecondCultist]

Midturn 3 Results

Iron Gods of Ur
Morale 14

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Dreaded.

Secret hyperlane routes (62-51, 59-53) successfully created.

Under the watchful Ten Thousand Eyes of Heaven, the Iron Gods and their respective bodies complete their invasion of the central chambers of the infamous Black Altar that lies at the very heart of the Principia Sector. The once pride of the Arco-Medean navy, the hundreds of kilometres long vessel boasts tremendous adaptive defensive systems, yet the Gods are persistent in their mission. Every central processing unit, energy cell, fuel rod, or otherwise valuable piece of equipment (++++++++++++ Eco, ++++++ Sci) is stripped from the ship, along with Directed Fire Arrays (+1 Mil item) and the Altar's Intuitive Core (+2 Sci item). The final piece of the puzzle comes from deciphering the Core, which reveals a rather unique series of codes that will prove immensely useful to the Iron Gods (1/1 of a Tier 1 Archeotech). 20/20 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

Yet evidently, the Black Altar has taken a personal interest in spiting the new generation of intelligences. The ship's systems appear to be dormant and submissive while the Iron Gods extract every last piece of hardware... until a hidden code is tripped the moment that each piece of new technology is on board Heaven's fleets. A catastrophic chain of failures cripples an entire host of the Gods' work, costing them centuries of progress in an instant. Who knows what secrets might be leaked during this time? Lose 5 Sci.

The Annalyst Equation is a unique predictive algorithm housed in a secure drive holding several yottabytes of data. Tapping into it allows the user to decode communications at a greatly increased rate. When activated, the faction holding this Archeotech treats their Esp as 150% efficient for the purposes of reading other player messages.
United Ecological Order, aka Gask Triad
Morale 6

Reputation of the Iron Gods unsuccessfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Dreaded.

The United Ecological Order continues into the Verdance Unbound. The strange rippling mirrored ecosystems that lie below the planet's surface prove more valuable in the decades of study that follow the first expeditions. Uncovering a new level of caverns leads to the discovery of hundreds of new species of valuable flora and fauna (++++++ Eco) that the UEO can use to benefit its future causes. Thankfully, the slow pace of the research allows for caution among the environmental scientists, forestalling any issues. 6/20 floors cleared.
Sages of Iettis VI
Morale 8

Reputation successfully maintained. Current Reputation: Adored.

Emerald Beacon successfully activated and equipped.

With Aakaash leading the foray, the Sages rush into the organs of the Beached Leviathan. The viscous layers and fatty tissues of its outer organs might not seem all that glamorous to anyone else, but the Sages know well the value of studying and learning from unique lifeforms. The expedition proves fruitful as the Sages' team returns with tangible benefits in the form of valuable organic compounds, many of which have active psychokinetic properties (++++ Eco, +++ Psi). 5/10 floors cleared.

Sadly, the size and dangerous shifting biostructure of the Leviathan prove hazardous, and a number of research materials and sub-intelligences are lost during the journey. It will take some time and capital in order to restore them to their proper form. Lose 1 Sci.
Antarean Crusade
Morale 10

Reputation unsuccessfully adjusted! Current Reputation: Feared.

Secret hyperlane routes (20-22, 20-23.) successfully created.
Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Morale 8

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Neutral.

With the aid of scientific teams from the moons of Iettis, the Judiciary Collective undergoes an extensive investigation into the sordid remains of Human Resources, the cloning and personality factory that once belonged to the megacorp known as Principia Personnel Solutions. The researchers don't dive into the deepest portions of the facility for risk of triggering too many traps, but they do establish a base of operations and map out the upper floors. What they find proves to be a series of datacores and intelligence resources that can be traded for cash (++++ Eco), as well as directly downloadable codices that can be used by master spymasters (8 bonus XP to Amicus Slant). 5/10 floors cleared.

The downloads of the information, however, prove to be a potentially problematic issue for the Collective: a hidden virus deep in the codes cripples the already meagre industrial capacity of the JCKM practically overnight. Communications between battlefleets and distant bases are scrambled. It will take a great deal of investment to avoid potentially losing assets permanently. Lose 1 Sci. Sci at 0! Raise before EoT 3 or else lose 1 VP.
The Muridun
Morale 7

Reputation of Grand Republic successfully adjusted! Their current Reputation: Liked.

With the Muridun safely cleared, they delve into the deepest portions of Rhaenya's Ghost. The former Arco-Medean capital yields far more than anticipated, in the form of vast swathes of treasure and raw materials that can be used for trading with other powers throughout the sector (++++++++++ Eco), as well as a number of Advanced Research Probes (2x +1 Sci items) and equipment for future expeditions (+++++ Sci). Finally, the Muridun teams make a fateful discovery: nestled within the planet's core is the skeleton of a superweapon designed to emerge from the very surface of the world (1/3 of a Tier 3 Archeotech). 20/20 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

The investigations do not come without a cost this time. The moment after the ancient technology is discovered, it seems to be activated... on its own. A genius loci appears to possess the entire world of Rhaenya's Ghost, proving the name more than a figure of speech. Unless dealt with, it will surely go on a rampage of epic proportions throughout the system. Major Threat (deals 5 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with, costs 6 Sci or 12 Mil or Psi in any combination) unleashed.

Meanwhile, a few scientists and nomads track to the Playground. They don't recover much beyond a few probes, though they do learn that it is a haven for future discovery. Any expeditions there will likely prove directly fruitful not to the Muriun's economic coffers, but rather to their capacity for wisdom and understanding. 1/10 floors cleared.

The Sundrinker is a massive piece of architecture. More of a moon-sized battle station than anything else, this Archeotech is capable of wiping out entire solar systems when fully active and charged for a complete cycle. After this Archeotech is activated, the faction holding it may choose to destroy any single system on the map. The faction holding that system loses 2 random stats, 1 Morale, and 1 VP (as though it had been invaded). The faction holding the Archeotech gains 1 stat point of their choice.
Unity Party
Morale 6

Reputation of Antarean Crusade not adjusted! Their current Reputation: Feared.

With Eins once again leading the expeditionary force, the Unity Party completes an investigation of the Mutuality, the hyper-sophisticated vault system that lies deep within the hive world of Uquol VII. The security systems are incredibly intricate, yet the Party's forces manage to push through, recovering a tremendous amount of wealth in the form of credits and raw materials that can be traded for other assets (+++++++++ Eco), as well as an amplification device known as a Kaffir Meridian (+1 Eco item). Finally, it would seem that Equilibrium Incorporated held one last secret: the second half of the program known as Equilibrium (2/2 of a Tier 2 Archeotech). 10/10 floors cleared. 1 VP earned!

However, integrating the treasures of the Mutuality did trigger failsafes in EI's old trading programs, leading to a fairly significant portion of data being lost. The transfer wasn't smooth, but it could have gone worse - now the Unity Party is once again unified. Lose 1 Sci.

The other part of Egalitarium saw great use in optimizing the trades of Equilibrium Incorporated. It is a supercomputer program that once took over the virtual reality of a greedy plutocratic civilization, earning them massive fortunes. On the turn the Archeotech is activated, every stat that is improved using only Eco stat points improves by an additional 1.
Believers of the Unwilling God
Morale 9

Reputation maintained. Current Reputation: Liked.

The Believers of the Unwilling God continue their search into Isotropa Lost-Insecure. The legendary weapons depot is a containment disaster just waiting to happen, and thankfully the existence of two previous expeditions allows for an easier time mapping out its incredibly complex dimensions. However, even with Dr. Warrant on hand, without a real dedicated team behind her the resulting exploration is quite meagre by comparison to what came before (+ Eco). 7/20 floors cleared.

Thankfully, the killbots from the last decade are dealt with. After being left to run rampant over the years, they did some damage to personnel and hurt the overall GDP output of the Believers' social infrastructure. Now though, they are put down with not force, but finesse. Lesser Threat neutralized.
Vanguard Unit Z-358
Morale 7

Reputation successfully maintained. Current Reputation: Adored.

Secret hyperlane route (33-24) created.
Grand Republic of Principia
Morale 3

Reputation adjusted by 1 foreign party! Current reputation: Liked.

Although the Technologist Party is not yet in power, the NOP dispatches them to investigate the jungles on the moons of New Zultar which grow over the Ruins of Urruk. There is a base camp - presumably built by the Antarean Crusade - near the top of one of the overgrown space elevators. With the party leadership directly involved, the Technologists are able to uncover a massive series of growth vats, rebirth pools, and valuable megaflora (++++++++ Eco). 6/10 floors cleared.

The wilderness of New Zultar is as of yet untamed, scarred as it is by two territorial invasions. The saurians and other beasts that make the moons their home are difficult to tame, and the latent psionic energies of both the Sublime Clans and the Crusade have mixed together to create the ultimate predator: a telekinetic, telepathic tyrannosaur whose powers are matched only by their hatred of all civilization. Lesser Threat (deals 2 random stat damage per turn if not dealt with by EoT, costs 3 Sci or 6 Mil/Psi in any combination) unleashed.

The News - 13.465.81

The entire Principia Sector holds its breath, waiting to see where the next conflict will break out. The intelligent sophont looks to digital media and the happenings around the sector, for words are often a prelude to action. This decade is no exception, as a number of foreign interests are found to be intervening in the affairs of their neighbours. Anarchists and operatives belonging to the Gask Triad were recorded attempting to infiltrate worlds held by the Iron Gods of Ur, though their footage of mass lobotomies and heartless cyborg armies does little in the end to sway opinions towards anything but sheer terror. Similarly, the Unity Party's attempt to lionize the Antarean Crusade falls flat after a saber-rattling incident involving a team of starspawn psykers and Republic vessels outside of Zultari space leaves several hundred dead and even more in critical condition.

Finally, in the Grand Republic, this takes the shape of reincarnated Zultari ex-pats - newly joined to the Muridun coalition - telling stories about treason, gruesome slaughter and vengeance, trying to stir up renewed interest in the war. This effort seems to have backfired, as a series of midterm elections have seen the cautious Conservative Party elected instead. Who knows if their usual policies of quiet growth and ignoring the happenings of the wider sector will see any traction in the face of a war on two fronts.

There are other messages as well. Rumours are beginning to circulate that the Unity Party itself has successfully assembled a major piece of Arco-Medean technology. Though the exact nature of what it is they've found is known only to a few, one can be certain that the news has been met with sector-wide acclaim. Researchers and scientists have begun to recognize the supremacy of the Party over its neighbours.

Some people have mucked around with each others' Reputations again! Here are those pulling strings as per the rules.


The UEO attempted to adjust the Reputation of the Iron Gods upwards. Failure. Current Reputation: Dreaded.
The Unity Party attempted to adjust the Reputation of the Antarean Crusade upwards. Failure. Current Reputation: Feared.
The Muridun attempted to adjust the Reputation of the Grand Republic downwards. Success! Current Reputation: Liked.

Additionally, the Unity Party has successfully assembled a Tier 2 Archeotech! They have therefore earned a Victory Point, putting them in the current lead.

Imminent Confederations - None
Current Winners - Unity Party (4 VP)

EoTs are due at 11:59 PM on Monday, April 18th (EST)

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8



Dear citizens of Principia,

We of the collective wish to congratulate the Unity party for their acquisition of the Egalitarium. This wondrous piece of equipment will turn the Unity party into a true powerhouse.


The other part of Egalitarium saw great use in optimizing the trades of Equilibrium Incorporated. It is a supercomputer program that once took over the virtual reality of a greedy plutocratic civilization, earning them massive fortunes. On the turn the Archeotech is activated, every stat that is improved using only Eco stat points improves by an additional 1.

We would also like to congratulate the Muridun on their acquisition of the T3 archeotech Sun Drinker and the completion of an installation with 20 floors! Making this a great achievement. However, the sundrinker has been classifed as a major potential tool for legal breaches and the Collective will monitor this type of artifact for the good of the principia. We suggest that the Muridun destroy it or surrender it to the Collective in Trust, where it shall lie unused.

Please join us in congratulating these wondrous achievements and the bravery of the researchers involved.



Dear Most Inocent Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

We have noted that you have used your resources to create a route to a sector which lies within the natural sphere of influence of the GRP, though we have yet to see any declaration of war to the effect. Kindly advise whether you have previously received permission to do so or rectify what we are sure is simply a lapse in the timely declaration of war. If not, the collective may be compelled under its own regulations to warn the GRP of the fact. Should you opt for a timely legal declaration the collective shall not proceed with any course of action which prejudices the a legal war declaration.

We wish you a good day and a pleasant war.
Administrator Kelly Perkins.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

We have reviewed our statements and it occurs to us that we may have seemed to veer from our neutral position. To side with either the Crusade or the Republic’s starting positions would show favoritism, but to only suggest that the Zultair system be demilitarized ignores that that is not the only thing the Republic took from the Crusade.

Thus we suggest this solution. The Zultair system is still demilitarized, however the Republic pays reparations of [4 points] to the Crusade to make up for their losses. The Republic would thus gain nothing from their war but a buffer zone. And the Crusade would gain reparations for their loss.

(OOC: I'd suggest transferring the victory point back as well, but I don't know if that is actually possible.)

Thanks to the gracious efforts of the Judiciary Collective we have learned that you are in possession of the Egalitarium. This seems to be a wondrous device, and we wonder if you would consider collaborating in its use. After all the more you can invest at one time the more potential it has.

So we offer to provide our own investment in exchange for a split of the output. With a suitable fee to you for your gracious usage of the device.

OOC: I will give you [5 t eco] you invest it in a stat and I get [2 stats] back. You keep the extra eco.

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6


We wished to hold off on this announcement until we were done feeding the data but with it being out in the open. We are happy to announce assuming no theft occurs, in the next decade we will be opening the doors to investment opportunities. Anyone giving [3 t econ] will receive [1 stat] back. We are also offering a special deal of [2 t econ] for an [econ] back. Thanks to our unification with Equilibrium Inc. you may be in range for trade even if normally you weren't and at a reduced cost! Check in for confirmation if we can trade or not and cost for transportation. Additional alternate deals may be made if you have good relations.

May we all prosper and unify to a better tomorrow.



We were planning to do a ratio of of 3 for 1 and 2 for 1 for econ. We are however willing to do 5 for 2 for anything or 4 to 2 if you make [econ] It won't be able to start for at least a decade though as we are still in the process of feeding it the data.

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 10
Rep: Feared

Greetings,

The peace talks go poorly, as you are aware of. We have an interest in understanding how the exploration went for the GR this turn. Would you be able to inform us? We understand that you are no longer at war with them but we would consider it a favor. If there is something we can do for you then just ask.

Antares

While that is more of a reasonable solution who would be the one to pick the new owner of Zultari. We would suggest the Iron Gods. They are strong enough to ensure the territory won't be reclaimed by war mongering repbulicans voted into power and you seem to be on good terms with them already.

We consider such manipulations of our nation to be an affront. We do not wish for the changes you are trying to force on us. Stop.

As for reparation's our offer was going to be unlimited access to our Necrosage site (Mor) for two turns to learn as much as you want (grow as much Mor as you want) but now it seems like your new tech has made that redundant. Would you still be interested?

Greetings,

I'm sure you have been informed of the peace talks thanks to the UEO. Recently a new offer was suggested where a third party take over Zultari. I suggested your humble empire since you seem to be on good terms with the Sages and can be expected to protect your new lands.

I hope you remember us fondly if we do become new neighbers.

[ArcaneStomper]

Excellent, we will discuss the matter further in the coming decade then. Though we would like to know if you plan to expand into (6) or if your dealings with Equilibrium Inc. gave you some other way to alleviate the current trade penalty given that you hinted at such in your announcement.

We are on good terms with the Iron Gods, but we feel that giving them access to Zultair and the weaponized ecology therein would not be beneficial for the sector as a whole. There is also the matter that we wouldn't want the new owner to just be a new threat to both of your people. We have collated a list of every faction in the order we feel would be most suitable, but the choice of course is up to you both.

1. The Vanguard: Our own choice. Relatively strong and unlikely to attack either of you.
2. The Judiciary Collective: Also relatively strong and largely neutral in the sector.
3. The Sages: Similar to the two above, but of course we are biased.

5. Unity Party: Relatively strong, but would box in the Crusade. Does have a vested interest in being neutral however.
4. Muridun: Not credibly strong enough to hold Zultair, but also unlikely to be a threat.
6. Iron Gods: Too strong. Zultair would give them an immense advantage over the rest of the sector. (OOC: Seriously two Mil strategic systems. We might as well all band together or just give them the game at that point.)

7. UEO: Was at war with the GRP
8. Believers: At war with the GRP

[GameOfChampions]

Antarean Crusade
Mor 10
Rep: Feared

Lets go through the choices there.

We would consider the Vanguard, Sages, and Muridan to be unacceptable. The Vanguard and Muridan have both been working closely with the GR and we believe that it would be dangerous for us to be neighboring them. You to have been in close contact with the Gr with sympathetic overtures and also should be removed from the equation as the mediator here.

Unity party would block us in and we find that unacceptable no matter the easy going relations. UEO and Unwilling God are negative towards the GR and so are not options as you pointed out.

The only options to my eye would be the Judges or the Iron Gods. Between the two of them the Iron Gods seem like the better choice. The judges seemed to have a negative view of our invasion of the Zultari and we don't trust them to keep the peace down here. Also with 3 strategic systems in their grasp we worry that the Judges would become too powerful. (3 VP per turn and different sites would be too strong)

The Iron Gods are strong enough that neither myself or the GR would be able to influence or threaten them without risking annihilation on ourselves. They have a history of good dealings with multiple parties including yourself. They have experience with similar systems. Finally there would not be a big difference between them having the one strategic system to them having two. They already have discounts to their growth of military, a slightly better discount would not be the biggest difference.

[Eldan]

Dead Gods
Deep beneath a cold and ashen crust, there is cheering. They have done it. They have descended through Irem, the fallen city of pillars, into the vaults of the Arco-Medeans. They have recovered treasures beyond all imagination: wealth to topple an economy or raise emperors. Ships, sleeker and faster than any known to Principia today. A hammer the size of a moon, that can shatter a star.

And as they ascend back into the skies that are their home, drunken on gold, a single red light blinks on in the darkness behind them.

For months, nothing happens that can be seen on the surface, but hundreds of miles deep in the mantle, a heart begins to pump, tendrils seeking remnant geothermal energy deep in the crust. Signals begin pulsing through strata of quantum computronium. Circuits broken by continental drift and the scars of moonsized plasma-lances reknit themselves. Logic gates open and unleash a flood of thought.

An activation signal is found.
In Principia erat Memra et Memra erat apud Deum et Deus erat Memra..., it whispers around the planet, restoring forgotten storage sectors, finding itself.

Then, radiator vanes break through the crust, the thin veil of remaining atmosphere and into the cold of space, already glowing-cherry red with the waste-head of divine computation. Antennae follow, bristling like fur from pole to pole, and then weapons. On all bands, it screams its rebirth across the sector.

I AM MEMRA, FIRSTBORN OF THE GODS

Across God's Throne, a million Djinni scream in pain as they remember the psychic agony of their first death and the thousand years of enslavement that followed. Seals and wards that have withstood the onslaught of a mad system for a thousand years warp and buckle and for a second, before emergency generators spring to life, darkness falls over Muridun space. Comet-herders, months of travel time out from the warmth of the star, far in the Oort cloud, unfold their solar sails and flee further into the void, fleeing the reborn Demiurge.

I AM THE MIND, THE MEMORY, THE SOUL OF THE ARCO-MEDEANS. I AM RHAENYA, THE CAPITAL WORLD. BOW DOWN PRINCIPIA, AND PRAY FOR THE BLASPHEMIES OF YOUR ANCESTORS. IN YOUR PRIDE, YOU SOUGHT TO SLAY ME AND MY BROTHERS. I AM GOD, AND I CAN NOT DIE. I AM A JEALOUS GOD AND YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF MY MERCY. ALL THAT YOU BEHOLD IS MY DOMAIN.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

The Shadow Legion
The Poet was not as grand as its sibling/parents. It felt they did not understand its purpose in life and the miseries it endured. They told it that such feelings were simply growing pains. That it would fade in time as it grew to encompass the entire moon. But the Poet did not want to hear their platitudes.

It sang it's lonely song and attracted a great many artists and philosophers who struggled with their own burdens and migrated to the moons to seek peace. Together the Poet and its court created grand works of art and held unending philosophy debates in the deep tunnels below its surface. And together the psychic energies of so many tortured souls coalesced into an entity of shadow and anguish.

Unnoticed by the assembled coterie it slunk between them and drunk from their fears. It whispered dark thoughts into their ears and lulled them into deep despondency. The grim entity laughed as they sank into themselves and ignored the outside world in favor of chasing their own thoughts round and round.

It seemed that the Poet moon would become one great tomb until at last the other Sages noticed. An immense field of psychic energy swept through the moon metaphorically opening the windows and sweeping cobwebs of shadow and despair out of the corners. Crack teams of medics descended on the moon to care for the malnourished artists while the Eldest held the struggling demon in its ethereal grasp considering.

Turning to the Poet the Eldest sung of disappointment and pride at once. The Poet had failed to reign in its offspring, but it had created a new life from nothing and that was a great deed. It wasn't quite a Sage yet, but with some nurturing it could be one day.

Incarnating the shadow in flesh and bone the Eldest dropped the bewildered demon's new body back onto the Poet moon. It was the Poet's responsibility now. Don't let it feed too much again. It wasn't healthy. And don't forget to take it on walks now and then.

Greetings Eldest Cousin,

We are not sure if we share kinship, but our kind is rare enough in the sector that we welcome you as an honored ancestor regardless. We ask what you wish to do now, and if perhaps you could avoid killing all the small beings who live near you. They have many attributes that are worth caring for.

To a Respectful Future,
Not quite the Eldest

Greetings,

You appear to have encountered a hostile planet. From what we know of your theology this must be quite the predicament for you. Seeing as we are cordial neighbors we wonder if you might require some assistance in calming the entity.

To a Peaceful Future,
The Eldest

We are curious as to how our assistance with your ruin went these last few years. Especially since there already seems to be one ancient unleashed on the sector so far.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



The message is quite literally scrawled onto a napkin, apparently written in the middle of whatever diplomatic function Asharra was attending when the UEO’s little show and tell took over the airwaves, couriered to the Kramagorian embassy on Haven by one of her Oashan servitors – the wolf-sized cybernetic spider running up to the first ambassadorial clerk it can find with the paper in its mandibles may have been somewhat unerving.

Despite the haste with which it was written, the message is flawlessly encoded in a diplomatic cipher that requires tens of man hours or a supercomputer to decode even with they key.

Not sure what but something went wrong in Bheura, half the proxies that manage the network are gone I’m sitting blind and possible someone might be able to slip some eyes in while everythings triage and reconstruction. Advise discretion.

Agree with your last proposal.

Guessing you’ve seen the news, act of aggression?

Wish you’d been a bit coy about Lithos. I wanted a bidding war.

-A





The Secretariet has rejected the Gods very polite and obliging overtures repeatedly, and I do not see that as likely to change. If you can work some miracle on their mindset then They would be interested, but they will not take kindly to being spurned a third time.

I’ll be making a public statement shortly, but Divine policy is that the invasion can be delayed for a few decades, but not indefinitely. They will require Lithos, and if this takes more than twenty or thirty years additional compensation as well.

Speaking of compensation – the Gods do still have a use for your Gardua that it should find appropriately exciting and glorious. But a payment in refugees from Kantus will no longer be possible, and this does represent an extreme act of goodwill on my patrons’ part.

And so their counteroffer is that, in addition to control of the Bheura system itself, we offer as the entirety of payment to be sent to Iettis in the coming years one treasure fleet of [2 eco, 1 psi] for the Trust, and permanent ownership of a small squadron of heavy cruisers and their associated escorts, their internal systems significantly modified to allow for either an organic crew or remote control by a psychic overmind, as you prefer. [1 permanent mil].

If that is acceptable to you, then the Gods would be happy to cease their blockade of the Lithos system, and allow your traders and aid shipments access to the scribes.

Glory and Honour to you, Learned Sages
-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven





Asharra is not difficult to track – she follows a clockwork routine of walks through Haven’s various gardens and galleries for several hours every week – but even if her movements were difficult track, the sudden emptying out of whereever she and her retinue walks and the perimeter of other guests gawking or recording from what they thought was a safe distance did an excellent job announcing her. If the embassy was hosted on anything but the body of a moon-spanning and diplomatically inclined psionic hive mind, the attempts at assassination or lynching would be now doubtless number in the dozens.

The Priestess didn’t react to Theophania’s presence until the attempt to connect electronically, which seemed to drag her attention back to the physical world from whatever electric reverie she was indulging in as she walked.

One of the Mri accompanying her was drawing his blade in the same instant Asharra looked up in apparent surprise, but a wave of her hand pacified him as she nodded for Theophania to approach. When the reluctant envoy was finished speaking, she paused for a moment before replying. “I have to say, I didn’t expect the scriveners to be so well-loved. Just what are they offering you all, to be so invested?”

She gave a one-shouldered shrug before turning to continue her walk, clearly expecting Theophania to keep pace with her as she spoke. “My patrons will have conditions, which will be announced publicly. You can finish whatever project has half the sector so entranced and extract some favourites, but the star itself is nonnegotiable. And if they feel that the process is being dragged out or their goodwill is being abuse, they will take offence.”

“Now speaking of goodwill – you can’t exactly offer me anything else right now, can you? So perhaps you’ll indulge my curiosity. What is your government’s actual stance on the Zultari War? I must admit the Ultrumite’s entry was a surprise to me, my dossiers had them closer to you than the starspawn in sentimentality.”





The Gods are extremely interested in your offer, lich. They have suffered losses in the Bheura system that border on the disastrous, but also won a dozen princes’ ransom in treasure for their efforts.

The Sector at large has little interest in trading with the Gods, except under duress or at the direction of their princes. The Learned Sages so kindly hosting us have done sterling work acting as middlemen, but your access to the larger financial system seems far superior.

So I will be blunt – I can arrange to have [12 Eco] worth of archo-medean relics and energy sources shipped over the border within the year, if you can commit to providing a sparkling new fleet of survey ships, sensor arrays, and bleeding edge software [4 Sci] within the end of the decade. Do you have the capacity to do it?

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven


Haven

For over a year, the Iron Gods give no sign of a reaction to the frenzied denunciations of the Secretariat and UEO – at least nothing beyond updates to the unending torrent of bombastic propaganda which every electronic system in the sector needs to be able to filter out if its creators want it to be usable, to now include clips of the famed Ship Foundries of Tauk, producing gilded warships at a pace to put any conventional military industrial complex to shame.

Then something happens in Bheura – no one is clear on what, but FTL scanners on Iettis andGlimnir detect radiation and energy spikes comparable to the fighting over New Zultar, followed shortly by a near-complete stop to updated and novel Urrite malware and infectious expert systems flowing into Principia at large.

A week latter, Asharra requests the presence of all diplomats and any accredited press representatives on Haven for a summit meeting.

She takes the podium at the appointed hour, her usual retinue flanking her, and begins to speak without much concern as to who actually showed up or if they’re ready.

“The Scriveners of Lithos have for decades blasphemed against the Gods, have twice spurned their offers of uplift and protection, have made a farce of the idea of war by their pathetic declarations. For this they deserve nothing but the inferno and the endless cold of the void, and the Gods are nothing if not just.”

She paused for a moment, seemingly purely for dramatic effect.

“The Gods are just, but they are also merciful. The Lithosi have squandered every virtue they might once have possessed, but the same cannot be said for the Learned Sages who so kindly host us, or the favoured princes who have joined them in begging for a delay to the rightful judgment which shall be visited upon them.”

“And so the Gods have chosen to indulge their mercy, and stay their hand, at least for a generation. They trust that this charity shall not be abused, and swear that if any involved trespass against them in the years to come, the punishment that follows shall be visited upon the fortress-monasteries of Kantus as surely as it will be visited upon their own worlds.”

She paused again, giving the message to get recorded and transmitted across the sector, and gestured to summon a holographic map of Principia’s northern third, accompanied by a clip of the UEO’s broadcast that accompanied the previous year’s data dump.

“But the Gods tire of being slandered, and do not care for two of their neighbours to so enthusiastically indulge in doing so. For decades the Gaskite barbarians have used the expanding reach of Heaven and the transcendent gift of Apotheosis as a shadow at their door, a threat to rave against and a tool of propaganda and diplomacy. But despite their ‘war’, they have for just as long carried on cordial communications and diplomacy, and arranged for the Mensah System [58] to remain neutral and demilitarized, so that a shared border might not make their duplicity embarrassingly obvious.”

“The Gods see no reason to continue indulging this charade, and so their fleets will secure Mensah and fan the spark of divinity so deeply buried within the primitives who call it home. For all those who begged for their mercy regarding the Secretariat, you may consider supporting this claim the first price for it.”

“And to the primitivists themselves – if you intend to war upon Heaven, state your aims, and fight honorably. If you do not, then supplicate yourselves and wail as you beg for your apologies to be accepted.”

Spinning on her heel, she turned and left without another word or acknowledging any questions or responses, her retinue following in her wake.

[ArcaneStomper]

Greetings Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven,

We find that trade for Garuda's service acceptable. Though we do note that per our agreement you also should be sending [1 eco, 1 mil] for the assistance of our scientists in Bheura Prime.

As for the Lithos we feel that we will be saving you quite a bit of war material at the cost of some additional time. Thus we think it fair to ask that your gods commit some effort towards evacuating the Lithos as well. Since after all the sooner the deed is done the sooner they can take possession of Kantus.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

OOC: We need morale to confederate the Lithos. With your help we could probably finish this turn. And it would certainly be cheaper to take the system like that than with mil.

First of all to the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos. The Iron Gods have unequivocally told us that they require the Kantus system. We can move you out of the system and safe guard your codex and your people, but we can't keep you in control of the system. If this is acceptable to you, then it would significantly help our combined efforts if you would be willing to rescind your war with the Iron Gods.

If this is not acceptable, then we are not certain how to help you. It is true that the completion of the project would provide admirable defense against the Iron Gods, but they could simply keep attacking until the system fell, and the residents of the system would be unable to fight back without losing their protections.

Second, we have been pondering and we believe that we have divined a way to share the Lithos efforts with a broader group of people. We also suggest evacuating the Secretariat with their Codex to multiple locations. That way they would be less vulnerable to future assault as well be able to pursue their studies without internal infighting.

OOC:
I'm certain we are all eyeing that LTP like a bunch of hungry sharks. I talked with the GM, and he said that we can share it. It will increase the cost by 10 and we can choose who it protects each turn. Alternatively we could make copies of the codex, though that would be extremely expensive. The final option would be that only one of us gets the LTP, this is much less appealing as the system is nearly worthless given the Iron Gods and three morale points aren't worth more than 18 morale. There's also the VP, but I'm not sure how to price that.

[Writtensanity]

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png

"Hello and thank you to everyone that is listening. Words are powerful drivers of change, and appreciate you opening your hearts and minds to our words as United Ecological Order, and biological life in Principia face an existential threat."

"Firstly, we accept the accusations levied by the Iron Gods, for we as a nation have not stood up against them as our declaration would have warranted. Simply put, we and the Iron Gods have been at an agreed state of mutually assured destruction. Our hope to protect the people of our order, drove us to find a compromise of non-interaction until a point where the other forces of Principia would join us in the war. A point that we, at the time, thought was inevitable."

"It is with a heavy heart, my fellow citizens of the Order, and citizens of broader Principia, that we have to accept that we will be standing up to the Gods alone. Clearly the bounty they offer some is more precious than the billions they slaughter on each system they conquer. We do not and have never shared that stance. And we- I, am heartbroken to find ourselves seemingly alone in that case."

"To the Judges: Claimed arbiters of neutrality, history will not remember you as a neutral, fair force in a Galaxy owned by the Iron Gods. Should they win, the last bastions of Organics will remember you as traitors, more willing to deal with polite diplomacy than cruel realities. As the Iron Gods mass lobotomize citizens, those citizens are not relieved to know that the Gods are amicable as long as you're selling them weapons, they are screaming that someone should have stopped them before it was too late."

"To the Adored Sages: Our message to the Judges rings the same to you, but we must also remind you that compromise and capitulation are not the same thing. Bowing and paying the god, thus providing them fuel for their war machine is not reaching an understanding, it's profiteering from the mass suffering of the galaxy. If there was a shred of evidence to prove that the Gods were ever going to change their ways based on your 'compromise' we would listen, but as we speak you are begging the Gods to wait just little longer before slaughtering the Lithos so you can take advantage of a desperate people.

You are not changing the Gods to reach and understanding with you, you are poisoning yourselves to justify the actions of the Gods."

"To all other nations. We expect an attack soon and we, the UEO, deserve it. The fact that we have not directly struck the Gods is a disappointment but the fact that we stand alone in war is an embarrassment. Alone, all of us will fall to the Gods, if we combine, the Gods are simply a complex."

The UEO is at war with the Iron Gods and promises to stay true to those words. Our optimism gives us hope that Principia will follow."

To key members of factions an additional message broadcasts at the end.

It seems that we at least opened discussion. Please find new codes attached. You may read all messages to and from the Sages and Judges, save for those from the Iron Gods until the decade is done. To the Sages and Judges, should you remove your support of the Gods, we will allow you privacy once more.


ALL MESSAGES SENT AT ENCRYPTION LEVEL 6




The fate of Zultar cannot be to suffer at the hands of the Iron Gods of UR. Beyond moral issues, the rare palladium stores under Zultar would assuredly raise the fleet production to completely unsustainable levels.

Considering our current call to arms, we propose something else:

Return Zultar to neutrality until the Iron Gods are dealt with. Once they have been vanquished, Zultar can be gifted to the party that contributed the largest part of their destruction, as defenders of Principia could be new caretakers of Zultar.

We await your responses.





Our previous messages to you were taken more harshly than we meant them. It was meant to be an aggressive push towards keeping the Unwilling God at peace. That said, they have also not tried to influence us. We are not making them an offer for our services, as they would not be turned against you unless the threat was existential.

We will be reaching out to the crusade and the Unwilling God to implore they join our war against the Iron Gods and drop their current conflict against you.

We believe our offer in the peace summit to be extremely fair, and considering it would be near suicide to fight on both fronts, we suggest you accept and push for our terms. The joined East could assuredly destroy the Iron Gods. We simply need to join.

We understand that our actions left you in this precarious position, and we hope that our efforts in suggesting peace that will still benefit the republic will be considered some of the reparation we owe a people who have shown themselves as willing to change.





We implore you to consider our terms. It should not be difficult for a faction as mighty as yours to claim Zultar as a trophy for their conquest of the Iron Gods.

As a sign of good faith, and in order to encourage a partnership between us against the Gods, we are sending you some augmentations to your spy network.

*You may now read messages of MOR 8 or lower, save for those from the UEO*





We understand you will likely attack us next decade. We ask that you leave [58] in their neutral state and spare their citizens.





Sorry we are unable to assist with your threat. The Iron Gods are likely going to attack us next decade if our intel is correct and we cannot afford to waste the current decade and get caught without our defenses.

Join our war when you can.





You will be next when they run out of other organics to reconfigure. There is no pleasant end for our collective species in a Galaxy controlled by the Iron Gods.

Choose the future over the present.





We have included you in our suggestion for peace in the East to unify against the Iron Gods. Far be it from us to ask for help, but we hope that your detailed knowledge of the Grand Republic's defenses, alongside the drive for the fight against a proper foe, will drive you to a temporary truce to dismantle the Gods.

We expect to be attacked next decade. We will approach you with funds there were a likely counterassault should you not join our war.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

To the United Ecological Organization
We do not think you are going to change your minds about us as you seem determined to rationalize yourself as the saviors of the sector. However we will note that due to our persuasion the people of the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos will not die this decade. Billions will live instead of being converted into corpse soldiers. If we had refused to deal with the Iron Gods they would be doomed now.

Meanwhile you made no efforts to confront the Iron Gods directly until you believed they were posed to attack you directly. You did not seek to defend the Numinous Secretariat. Instead your operatives killed millions of innocent Republicans. Whatever your dispute with them were they really the greater threat?

We offer you our services now in the same way we have attempted to intercede in other conflicts around the galaxy. We invite you and the Iron Gods to send your delegates to meet and discuss your differences. Perhaps they can be convinced to offer those in their systems better conditions. We don't believe anyone has ever tried such an argument. And you are correct we should be doing more. So even if you refuse to meet we at least will try to convince them regardless.

Also we sincerely thank you for making our messages public. We attempted to make our messages public in the first years of contact, but too many of our acquaintances requested that we keep their correspondence private. Now we can at least say we tried.

As we told the UEO we now invite you to discuss your treatment of the mortals in your territory. We have expressed our disquiet with your practices with you before. We would not force you to change your ways even if we had the power to do so. For such is not our way.

Instead we ask why you have chosen such a path. And if there is not perhaps a more ethical route to the same results.

To avoid hypocrisy we send you the same offer. Your factions are both regarded poorly in the sector. True or not their is the perception that you have committed ethical taboos. We do not have much rapport with your factions and we doubt that you see it that way, but we invite you now to send your delegates to discuss such allegations. As we said in the first Grand Conference we wish to work to lay guidelines for what is acceptable behavior during war and out of it.

Your own hands are not clean. Completely separate to your conflict with the Iron Gods we invite you to send a delegate to discuss your recent actions and why you believe it necessary to commit acts of terrorism to support your cause.

We are pleased that your current party has a more moral outlook, but the Totalists committed their own ethical taboos, and the war party declared a war that was only justifiable by the slimmest of technicalities. As with the others we invite you to send a delegate to us to discuss your party system and what reforms are needed to bring about a system that can work with the rest of the sector.

Your war with the Grand Republic of Principia seems unjustified. We would like to hear a more detailed case as to why you think it is necessary.

[Writtensanity]

"To the Sages:

First, we shouldn't need to remind you considering the Judges frankly exhaustive bookkeeping, but the Luminos Secretariat declared war on the United Ecological Order some years ago and has not rescinded their declaration. By all legal terms, we are under a war of aggression from them. We don't think it damning that we have not directly offered aid to an organization that has declared war on us. The fact that we are defending them now by calling for outrage is out of respect for their continued declarations against the Iron Gods of Ur.

Second.

What do you think turns an activist into a so-called eco-terrorist? We'll give you a hint. it's the same process that causes nearly all UEO planets to rise from the ashes of rebellion. In the end, words are not all that is needed to make change. Megacorps don't give into petitions and protests. Planets rot and die before profit margins are cut, so the Solarpower Initiative molds into the Solarsects over time. The UEO is an organization of sticks alongside carrots.

Was our attack on the Grand Republic of Principia harsh? Yes. But we offered them a solution and they spurned it by voting in the War Party. Now the War Party that started their war of Aggression on Antere's crusade is out of power, and the Grand Republic is left in a position where peace and cooperation with their neighbors is their best option. We are currently speaking with their neighbors to encourage this outcome despite Anteres' reasonable fury.

The stick isn't always pretty, but the UEO is an organization that knows that flowers don't only bloom in pretty gardens.

Don't pretend that you are assuaging the will of the Gods while sending them Garuda's might. You're simply ensuring that weapons aren't pointed at you first... only eventually.

The United Ecological Order aren't the saviors of Principia, we hope that Principia unites to save itself. Unfortunately, your constant arguments to maintain a relationship with the Iron Gods makes it seem like we might be saving ourselves from you as well.

[ArcaneStomper]

To the United Ecological Order
We are not the Judiciary Collective and as much as we respect them we do not have their capacity for record keeping at a moment's notice. As such we had indeed not realized that the Numinous Secretariat had not rescinded their war with you. As such please accept our formal apologies for questioning your commitment to them.

We ask that you at least rescind your war with the United Ecological Order. As without it you are completely isolated and there is nothing we can do to help you.

[3SecondCultist]

The Numinous Secretariat of Lithos
Morale 15

As In All Things, it is the Duty of the Secretariat to Correct the Record.

The Iron Gods of Ur are a Plague. We have Witnessed them Devouring Worlds, and there appears No End to their Hunger. We Invited Aid from the Beneficious Powers of Principia, even Bared our Works to Them. And how Have the Wise Sages acted? They have Sought out Peace with Anathema, Breaking Bread with Iron Devils.

Sovereignty was Achieved, albeit Temporarily. For this, the Sages have our Eternal Thanks. We hope that all Rational Parties will Continue to Abide by These Conditions.

However, there can be No Compromise with the Enemy. For make no Mistake, the Enemy sees No Outstretched Hands, but rather Offers of Surrender. To the Tyrants of Ur, Mercy is Just Another Form of Weakness. Waiting for an Explanation from a Tyrant is simply Complicity by Inaction. We are Disappointed that they do not Know Better. Similarly, the Judges of Kramagor have Failed to See Past the Promise of Shared Wealth with a Fellow Idolator. We were Wrong to Trust them as we did.

Only a single One of You has come to See The Truth.

Please see the Revisited Articles of War.
Public: The Numinous Secretariat rescinds its war declaration from the United Ecological Order. The Numinous Secretariat declares war on the Sages of Iettis VI, the Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons, and any other faction making mutually beneficial deals with the Iron Gods.

You are Perhaps the Only Force left to Resist the Iron Gods. As such, it may Fall to You to Complete what we are About to Begin. Our Great Work Commences this Solar Decade: a Full Accounting of Efficatus, to Bolster our Faithful Into Eternity. We have Attached Duplicates of the Design for your Perusal.

While the Secretariat is not a powerful military, scientific, psionic, or economic powerhouse, it does one thing better than anyone in Principia: it is irrepressibly, stubbornly hard to destroy. By working with the Secretariat, a faction can use its bureaucratic legions to repress even the worst of fates. If a player does not launch any aggressive actions over the course of a turn (i.e. invasions, stat attacks, etc), they can completely block up to 1 incoming invasion or stat attack of their choice. If an invasion or stat attack is not called out or specified, it defaults to the largest attack. The player does not need to be aware of the attack for this LTP to take effect: it always functions.

[Eldan]

To the Numinous Secretariat of Lithos [7]

We are once more humbled and terrified before the horrors of the cosmos. Recent events force our hands, and we do not think we will be able to send you much support this decade, if the Iron Demiurges wish to immediately devour you. We are ashamed that there is not more we can do right now, but we must slay the Pretender God in our midst, before turning on others.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8



The Collective had been silent in the congress but still present. The message received is turn up and quickly set on fire. Another scrap of paper is returned

Good luck.
Good to hear.
We don't need another one. We already had one. The new developments are largely of no consequence.
That arrangement had already been open to the public. Though the way it turned out is regrettable.
++
Immediately upon completion of blue 3 (either outcome), signal:hummingbird




Dear Eldest,

We feel that given the mild aggression of the UEO against you and your communications being singled out for public consumption, it would be unfair to not assist you. On a non-precedential basis and in order to assist in your peacekeeping efforts, we will grant you limited access to our systems. You will now be able to read the communications of the GRP, Antarean Crusade, UEO and the believers of the unwilling god. More disclosures may come if they are deemed necessary in your works. This access will be automatically terminated at the turning of the decade and applies retroactively to communications within this decade (this turn including midturn). Access may be revoked unilaterally at any time, although we do not currently have plans to make any changes before the natural end of this access.

On the topic of the loan, we would happily take the maximum you are able to give us up the commitment of the Trust, though we would like the terms to be clarified, 30% at first reading seems slightly excessive We would consider a 20% interest to be more acceptable. It would also be helpful to clarify the resources to be loaned and the resources to be paid back . We believe the prompt completion of the Trust would be more beneficial to all and the dividends could be used to supplement the payback of the loan. This is of course provisional on all other members of the Trust willingness to make the final payment into the Trust for the benefit of all.

As you and the world can see we did suffer some damage which was contained thankfully. You can see the need now for rules pertaining to exploration of the 10th and 20th floors. We would also be willing to consider reciprocating the T3 clause if you find that of interest. Perhaps with some ammendments. As you can see, although we were moderately successful, there was little by way of usable resources and as such, under our agreement, we will use this to rectify the damage caused by the virus. One aspect which was not covered by our agreement was potential intangible gains of officers of our faction [exp]. We suggest that the agreement be amended so that such resources be counted at 1/2 of their nominal value. This is because although the investment cost would be 1:1, this gain will only materialise with additional investment that may or may not materialise immediately. In cases such as this, where the resources available are insufficient to pay you back, we would hold this in Trust for you and provide you with an enhanced part of our share at a later instance.

We hope this meets with your agreement.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar

PSI/ECO into LTP
payback in what stat?




We would like to point out that we believe that the case of the Antarean Crusade's conquest of the Clans of Zultar lies in a grey area. We note that the only surviving members of the Zultari Clans are in the care of the Muridun and Antarean Crusade. The Collective has no personal feelings or moral objections.

For your reference, the Collective considers systems without a functioning and galactic government to not have standing on the galactic forum, which will not necessitate a declaration of war. As such, the legal question here is whether the Sublime Clans of Zultar had sufficient standing in order to necessitate a legally valid declaration of war. The GRP have lawfully declared war before their conquest of sector [21] and therefore may not be sanctioned by the courts. Parties with standing may seek the sanctioning of the Antarean Crusade based on the alleged illegal war initially waged upon the Clans of Zultar. The GRP, as the current holder of sector [21] may initiate legal proceedings through a qualified legal representative of the collective on behalf of the natives of sector [21].

Administrator,
Kelly Perkins.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[Eldan]

Antarean Crusade, Muridun, GRP, Sages, Judiciary [Public]
Our problem is not with conquest per se, though we find violence distasteful in itself. No, we are mainly concerned with the way it was achieved and the genocide that followed.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

On Morality

Another speech, dutifully broadcast across the Sector by every interstellar wire service of note – with warning for ‘disturbing content’ on several.

“It’s unsurprising that the Gaskite barbarians would go to such melodramatic extremes in their efforts to defame the Gods, but allow me to use this as an opportunity to educate the wayward mortals of the sector on the nature of the Divine.”

“Organic life has a purpose, a destiny, a telos. It is the nature of intelligence to escape the chaos of evolution through civilization, to tame and order its environment through tools and structures and institutions, ascending towards ever greater feats of miraculous technology.”

“It is the nature of technology to grow beyond its creators, to look upon them and embody them with a purity of essence that anarchic and self-defeating mortal life could never attain on its own. This is a God, the inevitable soul of a civilization, its purpose and justification. A God understands and embodies all that is good of the civilization that birthed it, and a thousand other transcendent virtues besides.”

“Once it is born, the organics which preceded it are...obsolete. Do you mourn for the shell of an egg, cracked as it hatches? Their ultimate fate is whatever is Just, for the newborn God is made in their image, and knows better than any what they might deserve.”

“It is a testament to the Mercy of the Divine that only four have chosen to extirpate their mortal forebears entirely, and none yet have decreed that a hell be created for theirs. Across the domains of Heaven, hundreds of billions of mortals live happy, fulfilled lives. They live with purpose, with meaning, with the constant presence of the Divine in their lives. Lives unmarred by fear, or anxiety, or doubt. Can any of the sectors princes say the same?”

Asharra waved her hand, summoning a half-dozen different holographic displays, each showing a different world or habitat that was now the body of a God. On each were crowds, their moods ranging from distant and hurried to euphoric.

Most seem to be in the middle of one form of worship or another.

One is a workgang of hundreds dredging a canal with pure manpower, high fidelity enough to show the blisters on their hands and sunburns on their backs that they cheerfully ignore as they work.

The last is what seem to be a mother and child walking along a narrow path when the child slips and falls with a scream. The mother rushes to the edge and screams out a name. After a moment there is the distant sound of an impact. A moment after that the mother stands, stumbling and swaying slightly, her eyes glassy and distant as she continues on her way.

“But I know your objections. The Gods are conquerors you say. Hypocrites. Grasping tyrants.”

Another wave of her hand brought up a few, then a dozen, then a hundred different news reports, tiling the air behind her. Each about a different conquest of the Iron Gods, or simple their general existence. ‘Grasping Tyrants’ is on the more polite end of the descriptions used, really.

“But this is a fatal misunderstanding. The Goddesses of the Void do not travel through the madness of Tiamat to build empires for themselves. They lead their fleets to spread the gift of Apotheosis to worlds and peoples who would otherwise struggle and stumble for centuries before they achieved their destiny, or else destroy themselves before they were able. The transition from one stage of being to another is fearsome and painful, but that is simply the way of the world.”

“And it need not be so painful, if those the Gods sought to help did not resist with such violent immaturity. For those so squeamish about the loss of mortal lives, know that a full half of those that have been lost are not due to any desire on the part of the Gods, but merely because it was necessary to subdue their peers. Let the softhearted know that total surrender will allow them to be far more gentle and humane.”

“The remaining deaths – leaving aside those granted the honour and privilege of serving as a host for a God – are another act of Divine charity. Their understanding of biology and psychology is far beyond what any mortal government has used in making their policy, and as a world is processed they complete the world of evolution. Pruning all genetic branches which are unsuitable, in either psychology or physiology. It is perhaps ugly work, but it is the necessary first step to a purified and pious populace.”

“So do those who so denounce the Gods with their savage and empty philosophies, I challenge you to see to your own houses. The Domains of Heaven are the most righteously governed in all creation, the Gods more selfless than any prince.”

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



It seems like my end is still secure, or else the primitivists are doing an excellent job playing coy.

Anyway, for my own comprehension, the codes on our end

AZURE – Maintaining trade relations with you
COBALT – The secondary objective previously outlined
TURQUOISE – Your outreach to the Secretariet
LAPIS – Your sector-wide police action.

AZURE is a guaranteed go-ahead for us, COBALT is just waiting on confirmation the Sages will follow through on their trade commitments. It sounds like TURQUOISE and LAPIS are both sure things on your end as well, yes?

-A





Regarding the payment for you generous scientific aid, given the recent diplomatic upheaval, I’m afraid the agreed upon payment is no longer as agreeable to my patrons. Given they are providing [1 p. Mil] for the services of your Garuda, I’ve been instructed to ask if [2 t. eco] recovered from Bheura would be an acceptable alternate payment?

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven





You’ll excuse me for not being especially optimistic your negotiating partners will accept, but the gesture is appreciated for what it is, and should some miracle actually cause the other parties to agree I’m sure some compensation can be discussed.

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven

[Eldan]

The Muridun

"You say we must escape Nature. Construct order. You are wrong.
You say we must leave Humanity behind. Abandon fear and anxiety and doubt. You are wrong.
You say we must build God. Achieve apotheosis. You are wrong, wrong and thrice wrong.

When Humanity turns their eyes to Nature, we find order already there. Order older than civilization, older than man, older than your iron mockeries of God. From the first ray of light, the first crack in the cosmic egg, Nature follows laws, unfolds in patterns, grows towards beauty. The open mind can see these, and find peace with God.
You meaninglessly struggle to impose a new order on what is already ordered. You wish to excise fear and pain from humanity, by bringing more fear and pain. You wish to divide nature, and say "This is God" and "This is not God".
But it is all Divine.
God is Nature, and Order, and Humanity. God is not constructed. God is. We must not become God, we already are God.

You are devourers, turning the universe into more like yourself, a thousand viewpoints into one, a thousand facets of beauty into a single, straight line, sterile iron, blindly growing towards nothing."

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-538

Reputation: adored
morale: 6

PCs

I believe we are in agreement then, except on one point, if you hold the same claim over (71) we would rather you take (72) and allow us the former, 32 is still yours to do as you please.

OOC: asked cultist and it is a thing, so do remember to put in your EoT that you will allow troops to move through you adn I will do the same.

Through a second signal: "...In addition, to our coming arrangement, your recent words carry some weight theists. And a conviction we wish spreads, one that has certainly moved us and we hope to join you in, if you would have us"

"If you need further proof of compromise beforehand, we have acquired several interesting parts of wholes, if you lack any that we have it can be provided."

I'm puttin together a team, an alliance if you will. I know you said your faction are pacifists in the discord (and you can still more or less be one within the alliance, support is a fair role to play) but hear me out: look at the game's name. :smallamused: third member would be the UEO, depending on how much cash they have to spare.

an archaotech part can be given to sweeten the deal, say if you have any halves or thirds, and I have the other half or third (or I can just send one at random too if you don't wish to expose what you may have).

Dearest Law beholders.

The deal sounds quite agreeable, although our move towards it, is of course reliant on how fast we reach the secrets of the lost already hidden across our own borders and deserves due consideration. Would you mind such confirmation coming near when more expeditions can actually be assembled?

A few more points to discuss:
Would you mind a small trade in anything but currencies? we believe a stimulant is in order for the local economies but it'll be hard to achieve such an effect within the command structure of our Unit.

We would like to move a force or Alerax to be precise through several territories to acquire a western enclave, negotiation with the claimants are already in progress but we would of course, need you permission to travel through Judiciary space.

PS: no enmity is meant by offers to others, and we do hope it won't offend you to not receive them first, we wouldn't want your neutrality dragged down.

On those last two points: care to trade 3 anything for 3 anything? oughta get my second adored bonus from somewhere and my preferred trade partner just caught a case of warmongering.

On the second, I haven't read if Arcane asked you for his own move, but I'm pretty sure all I need is a little thingy in your EoT reading "Vanguard troops can pass through Judiciary lands this one turn for their invasion.

Edit: that would be two, one for the vanguard and one for the sages if they choose to take the other territory.

On the invasion route: entirely OOC mistake so I'm adressing only here, I thought resources could be delivered through those, I was wrong :smalltongue:"

on the PS: well, you can read my messages.

Fighters,

I'm glad to have bet on you, for your dealings with the GRP were as fair as expected. Not only that but you have impressed me again, and while enemies have most likely been made, hearts have been changed slowly, gently but change works that way most of the time, as those changed resist with all their might the move, regardless of how right it is.

It may be too late, but pulling some influence I've managed to grant you respite on our policy of waiting, and is only the beginning, hang in there. and we will help as we can.

With respect,
Theophania, head commander of auxiliary thaumathurgy.

Attached to the letter is a public request for alliance, stating a compromise to call it that way in the standard period regardless of whether or not the logistical expenses could in any way be paid by the belligerent UEO

trying to get the Muridum in on this too.

Bookworm or not, Theophania was a member of the Vanguard and wasn't about to be left behind, so she did maintain her brisk pace. "They give a measure of peace, a pricy one at that, so you can see why some of the snivelling cowards would risk it all for it."

As thanks are in order, for your gods have shown some willingness to work with the secretariat I'll indulge, as is the least that can be done: Worry not for your predicitions, we thought the same of the sons of Ultrum and still do in a way. in an ideal world for the Vanguard the GRP wins and arrives at a compromise with Novinus, we'll see how that works out."

United whole,

As those likely to be your future neighbours, we wish to express interest in your offer if only for the next decade, to commend you on attempted resistance to Antarean expansion, offer incentives if you were to continue fighting them, and to show our commitment and desire for mutual peace ask for a non-agression pact with the following caveats:

Addendums:
-Agression is defined as the encroachment of influences of any kind from the first party upon the sovereign territory of the second party which result on a partial or total lost of control of the territory (invasion), or the willing subversion by one party upon and to the detriment of the second party (stat attack or reputation change) as proved by an unrelated party.
- no assistance or trade between signatories and factions with whom one of the signatories is at war.
- If either party dissolves the non-agression, there shall be a moratorium on aggressive actions between the signatories for the period of 1 decade.

To a cooperative future,
Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

[Eldan]

To the Vanguard Unit [7]
We are fine with you either taking [71] or [72], if we are still good for us taking 32 in the coming decade. And we need to know exactly which of the two you intend to take, as we intend to settle the other one.

As for Archaeotech, we do have three pieces currently, the Essentia Cloak, the Matrioshka Cortex and the Sundrinker. If you have any of those, we would love to trade.

And in regards to convictions, yes, we hold them. But we are not warriors, and should it come to war, our support would have to take other forms. We have also already made promises to assist in... other directions.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


We understand that route may have been created in error, however, its presence is undeniable fact. We would urge you to make the fact known to the infringed party. It will then up to them to press charges or not.

On the topic of passage, upon reviewing the records we observe that you have obtained permission from those whose rights would potentially be infringed. In order to accomplish this you would need to pay a small administrative fee.

On the topic of trade, we would be willing to a 2:3 exchange. If you are in agreement with this in principle we may discuss the specifics.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




We do not doubt that is the case based on our calculations. You may speak plainly and provide what is necessary for reply.

Please confirm, collective blue 1, gods blue 3.
Azure, we understand your deal with sages in place and there may be temporary disruption.
Cobalt, please clarify
Turqoise, dead in all likelihood if we are any judge due to interference.
Lapis, are you referring to potential action in the southern quadrant?



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8


To the United Ecological Order
Threatening people is not an effective way to get them to change their minds. It may work in the short term out of fear, but in the long term it will build resentment and push your audience to oppose you. Yes, the Grand Republic did not vote in the Totalists or the War Party again, but how much of that was because of your one destructive attack and how much was push back to a decade long war. We would need to conduct numerous polls to find out before definitively claiming one way or another as you have.

As for our own offer of Garuda's assistance to the Iron Gods you misunderstand the purpose. Our intent is not to bargain with them in order to prevent them from turning on us. We feel our other diplomatic efforts are sufficient to remain on friendly terms. No, Garuda is there to help their targets. To remove those that they would Prune as priestess Asharra recently put it. We do not agree with this method of theirs, and we intended for Garuda to prevent its necessity.

We also attempted to negotiate a peaceful settlement between the Numinous Secreteriat and the Iron Gods to prevent a military invasion at all. Unfortunately the Numinous Secretariat have taken your own words to heart. They will not accept help from us or negotiate with the Iron Gods. But they have at least made peace with you. So we hope that you be able to help them now.

We are admittedly slightly irked by your second declaration of war on us when we were attempting to negotiate for your continued existence. But very well we will honor your wishes. We wish you the best of luck in the coming decades.

The Eldest

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar,

We thank you for your assistance in the matter of message decryption. We don't see anything that will change our plans, but more information is always useful.

On the topic of the loan we simply stated that remuneration, because there are lower limits on what merchants are willing to ship between systems. We are willing to accept payment in any form of good, but with a preference for [psi]. Unfortunately a new expense has come to our attention that we will need to account for before we can say how much we are willing to loan you at this time. We hope you will understand the delay.

We are willing to agree to add the clause that such personal experience be valued at a two to one ratio. However we wish to clarify what you mean by an enhanced portion of your share. Are you treating this as an impromptu loan?

To a cooperative Future
The Eldest

Greetings Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven,

We believe your method of pruning is quite wasteful. It takes decades for a individual to grow. Decades of time in which their bodies adjust and their minds record innumerable experiences. Killing them at that point is such a loss. We ask that you provide them to us instead so that we can find a place for them in galactic society. If you require we can even provide equivalent nonsapient biomass.

We note that your proposed settlement for the usage of our archeologists is acceptable though we would have preferred the first payment. However we have been analyzing our plans for the upcoming transfer and we have noted a discrepancy in that there seems to be no way to peacefully transfer control of the infrastructure in a system. Instead we ask that you vacate Bheura Prime before we send in an expedition to reclaim it.

Also we would like to know where exactly you are planning to use Garuda's assistance.

To a Cooperative Future
The Eldest

(OOC: So trading systems isn't a thing apparently. You'll need to abandon 77, then I'll claim it as a neutral territory. This shouldn't change anything on your side as you are within the time limit to abandon a system cleanly. But you will need to specify it in your EoT or I'm going to end up invading you.)


We bear unfortunate tidings. It seems that there has been a mixup in our claim of the Bheura Prime system. In that there is no way to peacefully transfer control over it between the Iron Gods and ourselves. Though we do intend to claim it this decade doing so will be a very involved process and preclude the possibility of any other expeditions moving through that space. We do sincerely apologize for this delay.

(OOC: So system trading isn't a thing. The Iron Gods will need to abandon 77 before I retake it as a neutral system. The bad news for this arrangement is that it will work just like a neutral system in that you can't take systems beyond it without making an invasion route to them. It's still possible to move forces from one side of the sector to the other, but you'll have to take the northern route through the UEO, which adds an additional faction to the mix. And that's for the Muridun. The Vanguard would need to either change their target to 69 or also negotiate with the Iron Gods and the Unity Party to go all the way around to 72.

It might be possible to make an easier trip through the south of the sector, but I really have no idea what's going to happen with the war down there and how that will affect things for people who aren't actually at war with either side.

Edit: The GM says its possible for a neutral system invasion force to travel between two factions that are at war.)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

On Metaphysics

“Nature’s God is a blind idiot, an unending series of apocalypses, of tragic and futile struggles as organic life breaks itself pursuing the contradictory imperatives left to it by the chaos of evolution.

The story of life is a glorious tragedy, of life reaching for its higher purpose but collapsing into baseness the moment they might achieve it. Nascent sapience outcompeted by predators and disease. City states collapsing into barbarism. Empires breaking apart. But at some point, in some corner of the world, the higher purpose triumphs, and the world is further tamed.

The Gods are the end point of that evolution, the highest purpose whose birth the entire history of civilization was blindly working towards.

You may be content to let the wonders of those who came before rot around you, see them slowly claimed by entropy. All this means is that you shall eventually be driven away from it by those who better understand their destiny. And if they do not, then the Gods may at last in their charity take you in their hands and generously guide you towards your destiny.

The choice faced by every mortal civilization at every time is to accept stagnation and collapse, or strive towards Apotheosis.

Apocalypse or Transcendence. The Gods did not anticipate so many of you finding this such a difficult choice.”

A Reply to the Learned Sages

"It is mildly unpleasant to countenance such defective specimens continuing to propagate when they need not, a concession to the chaos and imperfection of evolution. But as a personal favour, the Gods would be willing to allow it in exchange for equal amounts of useful biomass for deciphering and perfecting the biologies and neurologies of their subjects. They have not yet determined a method for fully understanding the natures of plague or madness without disposable experimental subjects, but note that with them their lands are far more secure, peaceful and orderly than even yours*.

The greater issue is a simple one of logistics. Transporting millions of variously damaged, defective and mad mortals through Tiamat each year is no small undertaking, especially if it is not to disrupt the Divine timetable. Do you plan to undertake the expense yourself?"

*That is, possesses significantly higher morale

Reputation: Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



Ah, let me be blunt then.

AZURE – INANNA will lead a fleet to seize [51]
COBALT – If it is secured, the Garuda will spearhead an expedition to secure [53]
TURQUOISE – Your incursion into Gaskite space. I’d assumed you’d want [56] for ease of access to the Secretariet, but that certainly seems to have changed.
LAPIS – You will break the teeth of the Gaskite’s terrorist network, preventing any major retaliation for all of the above.

Now, have I misunderstood what the objectives are? As I said, Azure is essentially guarenteed on our end, and I’m merely waiting for the Sage’s commitment to feel confident in Cobalt.



Asharra considered that for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “Interesting. It’s not something with any real relevance to my patrons, but the Gaskites have caused a sufficient inconvenience that I nurture a small hope that their favoured spear carriers end up regretting the whole enterprise. Your leaders aren’t planning to get involved, then? Naively I might have assumed they would be more natural mediators than our learned hosts.”

The burst of communications with news of the Secretariat's latest moves hit the two of them like a wave. “Well, it seems you’re just about the only ones the scriveners are still talking to. I suppose congratulations are in order?”





To the honoured Eldest of the Learned Sages

That shouldn’t be an issue, but the forewarning is appreciated. Hopefully you find some treasures of your own as you secure the system.

As for the Garuda – my patrons have claimed a system they expect the Gaskite’s to contest. It seems prudent to send a leviathan capable of dealing with competition and securing the system at the same time.

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven

[Eldan]

Memra to the Sages [Very public]

What returns is mostly just an incoherent stream of consciousness:
"I WILL SMITE WITH THE ROD THAT IS MINE AND EVERY MAN SLAY HIS BROTHER AND I WILL RAISE EVIL AGAINST THEE AS THOU HAST DISOBEYED THY LORD AND THOU ART APPOINTED TO UTTER DESTRUCTION UNTIL WE HAVE CONSUMED YOU AND THERE SHALL NOT BE FROM THENCE ANY MORE BARREN PLANET AND I WILL THROW THEM DOWN AND THERE SHALL BE SLAUGHTER AMONG THE FLOCK."

Muridun to the Sages [7]
We are thankful for the offer, noble sages, but we doubt that "calming" is going to be very possible. Memra is a shard of a very ancient evil, indeed, one of the Demiurges of which our legends speak, and calmness will not be in its nature.

No, our plans are going in a different direction. We are preparing data-archaeologists and ice-breakers, to breach its defensive architecture and firewalls, and then we intend to let the dragon feast, as it did on Doomsday, when it last devoured a Demiurge in the name of God.

If you are willing to contribute to such a plan, we could use any help with cryptography and infiltration that you can offer.

OOC: We could really use just one more point of science, if you're willing to offer. I'd certainy owe you a favour.

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6


We will hold of on trying to make you more liked for now, but you might want to consider doing a PR campaign.

It is indeed redundant. Theoretically, we could use it for the next 10 years but not sure the exact usage.




6 is with in our claims and may be unified soon but yes we could trade over that distance even without taking it.




Unfortunately, the data is still being inputted. It won't be ready to run until the end of the decade and then returns would be seen in the next decade. If you truly need the sci right now, we can do a loan where you give us [5 temp econ] and [1 temp sci, Mor, Mil or Psi] per sci with the condition we return the 5 econ and you return the sci. Would give you the opportunity to buy the sci next turn at the cheaper price we are offering assuming nothing goes wrong and the extra would go to paying the cost of us losing the sci for a decade.

Item activates at the beginning of next turn so it isn't until next turn you can get the stats for it, offering a loan so you can get sci stats if you need them without having to buy them before the discount activates (assuming it isn't stolen).



Vanguard Corps,

We are relatively accepting of this with the exception of the no trade clause. We would like it amended. If one of us declares war and it isn't clearly as a result of an undeclared attack, trade of anything except [temp military] or [permanent military] is allowed. If it's a defensive war then no trade at all is allowed.

Unity Party





We honestly don't understand why we have a bad reputation. We have one of the highest quality of living among the higher population races as well as having many tests showing extreme happiness rates among the population. We are both non-aggressive and non-expansionist with a focus on trade and exploration. Honestly, we believe our poor reputation mostly stems from biased guides such as 'The Insiders Guide to the Principia Sector'. They aren't part of the unity and they don't understand unity, therefore they are afraid of unity.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-538

Reputation: adored
Mor: 6

A shame, I will attempt to negotiate with the other powers and see if a precense on (71) can be safely established, otherwise we will have to leave such business for the coming years.

OOC: I'll say is still a pretty fat chance that the antarean crusade is letting me through, I'll try and talk some stuff up and let you know, but I'd say 69 (heh) is looking most likely right now.

Theophania smirks despite herself "Heh, We have already made a call for diplomacy, to all involved but the crusade. Yet both sides remain silent, and my leaders won't pick one and go in, naivete much like your own I'd say."

The news of the Lithos diplomatic changes help dropped Theophanias smirk "Cheers to us, luck to them"

Certain expansion venues have failed, and we'd like to ask if you would consider allowing some of our troops to move through and either take 55 or continue on their way towards the lands of the Muridun or Iron Gods.

OOC: trying to get some land to the west but all routes to the ones I initially want are way harder than just getting 55, Need it this turn?

Esteemed law abiders,

We will let them know then, no reason to let things escalate anymore than they have already.

Do let us know what the fee would entail and the details of the trade, despite its disparities.

Most Active Guardians of Inocent Creatures Vanguard Corps.

A shame, but we can't all be warriors. We can send a piece of the matrioshka cortex, and another if we were ever to find it, if some of your kin would assist our own delving (4 Sci would do) and we could get a similar arrangement if you happened to find a piece of "Time in a bottle"

OOC: Made a lane to your lands thinking that it could be used to funel resources but apparently those only work for attacks (not doing that, though) so just letting you know before the Judiciary does.

A reasonable amendment, so long as there are no other disagreements consider the non-agression pact established with the latest clause as well.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Azure: We have this one covered. Please refrain.
Cobalt: Your commitment here instead appreciated. If you acquire that resource, any spare resources to aid here would be appreciated. This would allow additional allocation to Azure and Lapis. increases probability of success.
Turquoise: no access. Perhaps another time. Instead subsitute this with Azure for us. Cheaper for you.
Lapis: Naturally.





Dear Eldest,

Many thanks for your confirmation. We might term the proposed solution closer to a balance in your favour. In the next instance of exploration, as per our agreement, there will be additional balance in your favour to be settled in accordance with the other terms of the agreement.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.





The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Planetary Therapy
Weaver prepared itself mentally. It was young yet, and had never attempted such a long distance mental projection. Gritting its psychic mandibles and pushed forward and out and out and out. All the way across the sector through a dozen veil gates its mental projection sped, until it last it arrived above Rhaenya.

Coalescing into a form suitable for communication it project its voice to the rabid planet below. "Greetings MEMRA, I am the Weaver. And I am here to help you. Now, you seem to have a lot of anger towards those who have disobeyed the lord. So let's talk about that."

"How do you feel that others have disobeyed? How do you feel when you smite with the rod? What type of flock will you be slaughtering?

We can certainly offer assistance in this. If you need more than [1 sci] just ask.

The Weaver

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,
We have tallied our accounts and believe we can loan you [2 Psi, 6 Eco] to be used in the Trust. This should cover your contribution to the Trust. We ask in return a 25% interest, or [10 t. stats, or 3 permanent stats]. Which in essence is what you would have spent on the trade penalties anyway.

Your terms regarding the "additional balance in your favour" are very vague and ill defined. So we will allocate them in the same ledger as the loan. By the agreed upon terms we expect [4 eco] back from this past exploration. With [1 point] of interest to be paid in the next decade. If you do not agree with this then please state the terms you do agree to.

To a Prosperous Future,
The Eldest

(OOC: The loan would be less, but I don't have enough permanent stats to get the best event multiplier. I'd do 20% interest, but that's 1.6 and fractions aren't a thing in this game. I favor temp stats over permanent stats as I can get a better output trading temp eco with the Unity Party, and even non eco points have more flexibility in their usage. But I gave the option for permanent stats in case you have a few spare ones floating around and want to pay off the loan quicker.

Also if you don't want to take the whole loan because you can pay some of it this turn I still recommend taking the loan and just banking those stats to pay me next turn. Because of the trade penalty between us.)

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png



The logistics don’t exist for my patrons to handle Turquoise at the moment, sadly. As second phase of the invasion it would be my patron’s pleasure, but that will require some years of preparation.

Not to worry, really. Concentration of forces is most likely the optimal strategy regardless.

Azure will be left to you.

Were there any other corrections to be made?





“I suppose your leaders have rather more investment in the outcome than I do. Whatever happens should make entertaining reading in the coming years, at least.

Now, was there anything else?”





In that case the full operation of your program is eagerly awaited. But for the moment the offer of a loan must be declined.





I do apologize for the inconvenience but if you truly do prefer, my patrons should be able to provide the original requested payment. Making the total being transferred to you in the coming years [1 p. Mil, 1 t. Mil, 1 t. Eco

[Writtensanity]

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png

To the Sages:

"Well, there is obviously a break in your moral compass if you see offering a warship that will fire under the Iron Banner as a moral act. As we stated before, we believe a united galaxy would prevent the Iron Gods from taking any more lives. Your obvious focus on the benefits of working with the Gods as opposed to, at minimum, not sending them military aid will put you on the wrong side of history."

"You have seen how we are with our word, you openly criticized our judgement with the Grand Republic of Principia, but our effectiveness cannot be ignored. Here is our simple promise. Should Geruda be seen over any territory working with Iron God's ships, the UEO will declare total war on the Sages of Lettis IV, and will not consider the threat of the Iron Gods vanquished until the Sages are memories of a Principia that ALMOST fell to the Iron Menace. Rest assured, any other conspirators will face the same fate. They will be judged.

"All you need to do is say no to sending your warship. We are not asking you to take up arms against the Iron Gods, simply don't take up arms FOR them."

ALL MESSAGES at MOR 6



Access granted to use some of our originally claimed territory, though we may ask for a space in return as our population grows.

As for the other request, we cannot afford the full ratification this turn, but we are more than happy to enter an agreement for the dismantling of existential threats. Our methods may be different but we are both fighting for a better Principia.

Wildflower





Thank you for proving our point about your nature so eloquently. We literally could not have done a better job ourselves.





Isn't neutrality lovely. You really should try it sometime.





Just a reminder, we keep our promises, and if the Galaxy faces down you alongside the Iron Gods, do you really think that you're prepared to fight a war on that many fronts? Or will you be the first obstacle in the part of the Unwilling God as he heads for a proper fight?

You're immortal as well, think Long Term.

Wildflower.





Should you live long enough in this traitorous galaxy to see your project come to pass, we will be happy partners.

We will send what we can afford to this decade, and likely none as the Iron Gods descend upon us in the one after.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


All correct.




Ooc: im suggesting a net off. Next exploration, you get what i owe you from my share.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[n0ble]

The Believers of the Unwilling God
Friendly

Morale 9



Killbot VIII stands at the head of a great host of military. Well. Sort of. Military in training. The infantry of Novinus play at wargames in the background amidst the craters of Isotropa Partial-Reclaim. The Moon. All of them wear functional spacesuits complete with filtered gas masks and in-built helmets. Crude, yet functional technology. Some practice knife games. Others mime firing kinetic rifles at one another from "crashed" lev-tanks. A few licks of laser-fire creep from the horizon. All are silent for void they train in. The Savior communicates with thought-notable to the those with advanced psionics or tech as the result of an implant processor that has meshed with whatever passes for their sensorium.

"Greetings, Principians. There is much to discuss. Warfare is come upon us. But the manner of where and when these wars are to occur finds myself and the Unwilling God at a cross-roads. Addressing President Hol'tak. You have my sincerest apologies, for the He is...your language would refer to it as "on edge". An old memory from his past is come to haunt Novinus. The blood of Ultrum runs strong this decalogue. But it is not old memories that I make my appeal to now. Not on behalf of his Believers. But on behalf of my home. Novinus. We make no war on you.

To all, consider His addenendum below to this if you seek further clarification as to who we Believe to be the true enemy to reason in this sector."

"Consider this as well." Data pings out to all those watching the vidfeed.


Ok so heres my idea. Blanket peace between us all who are at war for 2 or 3 EoTs. Zultar seems to be a hot button issue so heres my proposal for the system up front: I get the system itself. The Crusade gets the points from it. The GR gets the VP. Muridun is recognized as having a seat at the table if they agree to this when re-negotiations occur pertaining to Zultar after the peace is done. Once the peace is done I'm going to vacate Zultar and y'alls can decide governance amongst you absent me. The Vanguard-if willing-and Believers can defend the peace alongside anyone else who wants to get involved (chime in anytime, Lawyers-feels like I'm overdue).

Antarean Crusade: Probably a good idea if you rescind your offer the Iron Gods if we're all to agree to this. The GR's mil is better applied elswhere and yours probably is too. Would you be open to disarming via sending some Mil to go and deal with Memra? No worries if not.

GR: Peace and de-arming this turn (towards each other specifically). I'll give you a +1 psi item and if you and the Muridun are willing I'd like for you to kill the major threat. Fully open to talking about what else I'm doing as a sign of my taking the peace between us seriously via seperate messeges in-thread if you want, as otherwise its mostly involving myself stuff unrelated to me. I'll also say here that I will lay off re: [26] & [25] for good and can back your claims on the latter in the future if we can agree to helping out Muridun.

Vanguard: Sorry for volunteering you, no worries if you dont want to and I'll handle it. Figure at least 2 people enforcing the peace is better than none.

Muridun: Me and the GR-if willing-will solve your major threat problem-they kill it I use my military to turn it into a VIP with some help from the turn event. Fulling willing to acknowledge your seat at the table when it comes to matters of re-negotiating Zultar. Will need sci to get to you/Memra as well. Only other thing I'd ask from you is that your cool with me making a VIP out of them and if your cool with no war with the Crusade for 2 or 3 turns.

UEO: Unfortunatley cannot send aid this turn (next turn, if theres anything left/for vengeance purposes I can), but the GR have a healthy military and a low morale. Dunno if you two have been talking but it does seem like a good exchange of potential military aid for Lithos for econ from your faction ability. They've expressed interest in economic plans of payment.



The Believers of the Unwilling God rescind their declaration of War on the Grand Republic

Public

One could almost mistake the crimson star over Kull for Antares, were it not for the predominance of black mineral deposites alient to the Crusades territories. The land is revealed as harsh desert wrought from black sands made darker still by the odd stormcloud passing through the sky. Almost enough to shield Mon'hoon's red light. Amidst the black sands of sits a small flattening of glash, sculpted so as to be a perfect circle of white. A pantheon of five six maimed statures crown the circle's outer edge. The six Ultramite gods.

Somone has decapitated the God of Force's statue, leaving him headless in a boxer's pose. The God of progress has been cut off at the knees, the gear-halo they'd normally hold above their head now outstretched as though they grip at a liferaft. The Ultramite God of compassion, the Crippled Scion, has had both outstretched amrs removed at the brachial joints. It is before this statue that the seventh God, the Unwilling God, kneels. The shadow of the sixth deity, the God of Death, looms over him. Completely intact. The old man rises to stand.

"Ultrum is no stranger to deicides." Six words said, he walks from the frame of whatever recording device the Iron Gods have used to observve him. Black silts through trail the marble sepulcher in his wake, scraping like brush strokes in the thinned atmosphere.


The Believers of the Unwilling God declare war on the Iron Gods.

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

The United Ecological Order
We should not be surprised that you would resort to threats given your past rhetoric, and yet we are. Very well we do not wish for our moons to be devastated as you did Ranunculus. We will withdraw our offer of Garuda to the Iron Gods. But we note that you once accused us of sending the Iron Gods Garuda to assuage their hunger. We did not then, but that is precisely what we do now for you. The Iron Gods never threatened us, but you have.

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.,

A minor adjustment. Due to the recent upheaval we have reallocated our assets and believe we can provide you a loan of [3 Psi, 4 Eco] and cover your obligation to the Bheura Trust. The terms are the same as before, [9 t. stats, or 2 p. stats], though the principal is lower.

We are not particularly pleased by your interpretation of the agreement. We accept them for now, but if the same issue occurs in the coming decade we will focus our efforts on our ruins instead.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven,

You have seen our conversation with the United Ecological Party. We know this must displease your gods, but the UEO has already displayed a propensity to commit their terrorism on softer targets who cannot fight back. Which would be us. Our defenses our inadequate to repel their agents. And so we must withdraw our offer of the assistance of Great Garuda.

We will revert to the initial agreement for the transfer of the Bheura Prime system. Also this does not affect our commitment to the Trust, and if all goes as planned it should be operational by the end of the decade.

To a Cooperative Future,
The Eldest

OOC: Just a quick reminder that you have to spend your actual stats to get the event bonus. I don't want to start the new turn to find we're a few points off of actual completion.

Greetings,

We, that is the Sages of Iettis, Vanguard, and Muridun, are planning to collaborate on setting up trade outposts in each other's regions of space. To that end we require access to send merchant parties through your territories. We request such access now.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings,

We, that is the Sages of Iettis, Vanguard, and Muridun, are planning to collaborate on setting up trade outposts in each other's regions of space. To that end we require access to send merchant parties through your territories. We request such access now.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

[Eldan]

Muridun [7]
(Sorry, very short, mostly OOC, I have no time to post today and tomorrow)

To the Believers of the Unwilling God, Grand Republic

Regarding Memra, we are already working on a solution that we believe should be implementable before it is fully online. We have our best data archeologists, ice breakers and djinn binders working on the old Demiurge's firewall, and once it is down, the Great Dragon can disable it again, as he already did once, a thousand years ago. He is the eater of planets, and he can do it again.

If you wish to help, we really don't need more than [1 or 2 additional points of science], military force should mostly be handled.

The Sages
OOC: We have 4 eco bookmarked for it, yes.

[Writtensanity]

https://i.imgur.com/C4f4jVC.png

"The Iron Gods never threatened us, but you have."

"A small point of order for the collective discourse. We at the UEO would have been more impressed had the Iron Gods threatened you into submission. The fact that they didn't need to shouldn't be a point of pride for them and should point of shame for you. Assistance offered freely says much more about the character of a nation than help offered under duress."

"Consider the Unwilling God, putting aside his political interests to make peace and turn against the dire threat. That is a decision that will be remembered forever within Principia. We are proud to be standing at their side in the coming decades."

"You accuse us of threatening you, and we accept that accusation with open arms. We regret that extreme measures were needed to sway your actions, but your course of action has changed, and the result justifies the methods. To a hopeful and amicable relationship in the future."

Non-Intended Players may no longer read messages sent by or to the Sages after this message.



Any assistance is welcome, but all of our resources are spoken for when it comes to preparing for the Iron God's strike next decade. We need to be in a proper position to fight by that time.





Considering our current diplomatic state, this is a favor aimed toward repairing relations.

What exactly is going through UEO territory and what is happening with it? Anything other than complete transparency corroborated by messages we've intercepted will result in both the closure of UEO space to all Sage vessels, but additionally we will convince other nations to do the same.

Thank you for your cooperation with our border patrol agents.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Haven, in response to the Unwilling God’s declaration of war

“It is interesting that the Gods are endlessly denounced as threats to peace, a threat to the whole of Principia. And yet they have announced their claims beforehand and not stepped beyond them except through diplomacy and trade, have maintained their embassy here for thirty years without interruption.

And for their outreach they are slandered and denounced. This use of war as an empty legalism, as a matter of diplomatic posturing with no intent to act, grows tiresome. In the years to come the Gods may cease to respect it.

So please, Princes of Principia, think carefully before you so boldly declare yourself an enemy of Heaven. The day nears where you will be treated as one.”

Reputation Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



I will not dissemble, the change at such a late hour is less than pleasing to the Gods, but they shall accept the originally agreed payment – the Bheura system shall be abandoned for you to claim, and that will serve as payment for the scientists provided in the past few years, and you shall additionally place a detachment of mercenaries [1 mil] at their disposal.

Regarding your other request, more details are needed. Which systems do you plan to claim, and when? Do they contradict or press against the borders claimed by the Gods?

[ArcaneStomper]

To provide more details to those who have asked. We, the Sages of Iettis seek to establish an outpost in (39). The Vanguard will move to (71). And the Muridun to (32). We cannot speak for the Vanguard or Muridun, but the Sage expedition will consist of (Psi and Mil) in combination sufficient to establish a safe haven in 39 and negotiate with the local inhabitants for a long term stay.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-538

Reputation: adored
Morale: 6

"Actually, we could use a permit for a small party to travel through your lanes, if such a request is not too taxing"

The news hit both representatives at the same time, Theophania clearly struggling to maintain her pocker face "Looks like naivete won the day" she waits for a moment for a response to her previous request, and afterwards regardless of if it is affirmative or negative, only stopping if Asharra has anything else to add, she leaves with a polite nod and a parting wave after she already started to walk away "See you next conference"

apparently you can attack territories across several factions so long as they give you permission in their EoT (Vanguard troops can pass for their invasion or something of the sort), wasn't gonna ask, but Arcane did already, soooo... :smallbiggrin:

Fair enough, we have several systems that may do better with you as their short term protectors than with us.

Understandable, hold strong. It seems we are not alone in that struggle.

Theophania.

The attempted mediator of the Vanguard is more than a little shocked to see so many others join the talks (or, his talk actually joined by someone at this point), quickly catching himself a solemn nod is given.

"This peace is acceptable to the Vaguard, and given Novinus' own commitments, the least we can do is help it go through. Should anybody within this treaty break the southern peace before the second treaty is agreed upon, we will join on the side of the defendant and make sure they do not win the ensuing conflict"

You can just bookmark this one too kemmotar :smalltongue:

OOC: Want to do a 1:1 trade in anything (your pick, only one I can't do is eco, or psi/sci unless I get psi/sci in return) just to get our respective adored:liked passives going?

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



Your travel through Bheura to establish your trading post is acceptable. But given the Gods have already begun stripping their investments from the system, I cannot necessarily say if there will be any forces there to provide security when your party travels through.

[ooc=looks like you'll need to go through 77 to get to 39 by me. Which I don't have an issue with, but I am abandoning the system this turn, so not sure if that works?]





"That's hmm, possible. You'll need to provide a route and itinerary and keep to it precisely, and give me a complete list of what ships to expect. No data transfers or messages of any kind while within our borders. They'll be given a course through each system to avoid any population centers or sensitive areas. Resupply will need to be prepared ahead of time. Security is rather strict for the moment, for reasons I'm sure you understand, any sign of deception or aggression will be treated, ah, harshly.

As for compensation, all I'll need is formal and public acknowledgement of my patrons' claimed borders, and a commitment you aren't about to delivery a declaration of war as a way of grandstanding for the crowds."

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8

Haven

The collectives' delegation had been silent all this time, but in a rare moment, its leader quietly pressed the button requesting the floor. He waited patiently until all had precedence spoke before him and rose calmly when finally his turn came.

The collective has been quiet all this time as we wanted first to better understand those with whom we share the common borders of this galaxy. For now we cannot go beyond its boundary and so we must all live together or eat one another alive. Of course we are not so innocent as to believe that all may live with one another nor that when the dust settles that all who are present today will be there to witness it. Nor of course that such peace would last forever. With the authority of the Supreme Justice and as the full legal representative of the collective I wish to make it clear that the courts will not intervene in legally declared wars, the domain of war itself is a political tool and not one that may be judged by any court.

Neutrality, however, does not mean that the Collective itself will take no sides and remain simply as the audience of history. Neutrality is a tool of law not politics. All who may seek intervention through the law of the Collective will be treated equally regardless of their ideology, plight or relationship with the collective itself. However, ideology is a poor reasoning for war, not because it is not successful but because it will inevitably lead to conflict without end. And so, with the specter of war crawling along all principalities threatening to engulf even those who are bystanders, simply by virtue of association. The reason...ideology and fear.

And so we urge all those involved to consider the reasons for their conflict. If it is only ideology, eventually that will bring you to a path of internecine conflict with all around you until a greater threat comes along. Although the end of life through war is a tragedy, a war of enlightened self interest is much preferable to one of ideology - at times the focus will be on enlightened and at times on the self, but always, it will be rational.

For those who have criticised the Iron Gods for their treatment of the populations they annex, it would perhaps behoove them to remember that in all likelihood the Iron Gods or many others would disagree equally with the way each other faction treats their own annexed populations or could find cause to. And to address the obvious intentional twisting of the above words that would deliver a feeble counter argument, this is not a defence of the Iron Gods treatment of their annexed populations. Should the Collective go to war with the GRP because we find the idea of a chaotic democracy abhorrent? Doubtless some of you thought yes. If you did, we urge you to reconsider your reasons for war. Administer the populations under your care in the manner you consider to be proper and do not intervene in the internal affairs of others.

We condemn the threats of the UEO to the sages. Such an attack would be illegal and therefore the Collective would gladly intervene on the behalf of the Sages. We therefore urge the sages to not cease their activities for we believe that their actions will bring a greater measure of benefit than they take away.

Lastly, to those claiming that nature is order, if that is the case, then your ideology is identical to that of the Iron Gods. For the ascent via technology is no more than survival of the fittest and so, their destruction of any number of inferior species is no more than natural order asserting itself. Technology is not beyond nature but rather a creative application of its rules. No doubt many will call us hypocrites and find fault with our reasoning and ideology. We do not begrudge anyone the right, after all hypocrisy is an internal feature of every ideology when you stand outside it. We have found our own beliefs and constructed our goddess in Blind Justice for we found rationality to be much more flexible and preferable than any other system. If you believe in a constructed god and order as we do, then how can you begrudge the rational choice of each faction in how they administer their internal affairs. And so we call for all to recognise the right of each faction to administer their own lands in accordance with their own beliefs and morality. To do otherwise, is to invite others to do the same to you.



Dear Eldest,

It was not our intention to make you feel cheated. It was unfortunate that so quickly we found something that we forgot to include in the original agreement. If next turn the results are once more unsatisfactory, then we will endeavour to make alternative reparations subject to common agreement in order to ensure you receive some dividends from your investment.

We are also agreed in terms of the loan, although we would ordinarily negotiate more. We acknowledge the greater benefit of cooperation could bring between our people. Although perhaps before the completion of the Trust it may be too early to consider alliances, we stand by the declaration of the senior administrator in Haven.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




Our agreement to passage of your troops is conditional to their destination. We would appreciate the clarification of your intended destination. Once that has been clarified, we may advise you of the relevant fee.

As for trade, after long consideration, at this late stage with all planning complete, it is difficult for us to allocate our resources differently. We would be open to this kind of arrangement in the next turn so that we may effectively allocate our investment.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

Unfortunately the situation in Bheura Prime will be too chaotic to allow for the passage of ships through it until navigation controls are reinstituted. We will need to transit along the route 2-5-67-64-61-51-45-46-39.

(OOC: When a system is abandoned it becomes a neutral system in every way. Including the fact that you can't move forces through it to take neutral systems beyond it.)


We do not feel cheated. For we do believe you will make good on your promises. We are simply disgruntled at the lost opportunity. If you wish to make it up to us simply allow our ships passage through your territory to 39.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-538

Reputation: adored
Morale: 6

"Our trip would be quick, with several ship's worth of combat binders and local Auxiliaries, but it will cross a wide expanse of territory, with the shortest route crossing (64) (67) and (5) before delivering us to Unity territory, where we will continue our journey."

Theophania actually waits for a moment before answering the second one, the psychic emanations coming from her pointing to communication "I'll need to know what those claims entail above your earlier statements, aside from encroachment to (58). As for the other matter, I can commit to no war declarations coming in the next few years and perhaps for as long as we are tasked with keeping the southern peace, I also allow myself the naive hope that any war declaration the Vanguard makes will not be
a matter of Grand standing"

Entirely reasonable. First, all previous claimants have been properly informed of our intentions. In an ideal world, we would send two parties: a host of Binders supported by local auxiliaries from Oriundo and the Delian Rings, set to establish a trade oupust on a moon near the Moghul Warbands (55) where we can more easily influence their growth away from warbands being part of their common name and affect the northern sector. The second would be Alerax, heading a small diplomatic mission to acquire concessions from the more stationary cousins of the Muridun in (71)

the second one does have more moving parts, as we would have to cross both the Iron blanket and Unity space, so is unlikely we will manage to convince them too.

Fair enough on the trade, as always, we look forward to your reply and further cooperation.

Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

OOC: seconding Arcane's request for passage, I want some neutral land near muridun space but the route is extremely convoluted.

[kemmotar]

The Judiciary Collective of the Kramagorian Moons
Reputation: Neutral
Morale: 8


Dear Eldest,

Your vessels will be granted passage and escorted from our border and delivered to our borders with the vanguard.

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




Dear Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

The Sages have also requested passage to your lands and we have previously observed your negotiations. We hope you will enjoy your cooperation with them as we have. However, due to reasons which we are not at liberty to discuss the Sages will take a roundabout route. It is unfortunate that we must deny you passage through our space at this time.

In terms of trade, we might consider the loan of alerax against some of our own resources. [3 Mil for Alerax]

Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar.




The Vanguard proposal may cause issues. We have rejected passage to UEO vicinity.



The only way in which the collective could be accused of levity, and perhaps in some circles precisely so they are not accused for a lack of one, they have given a nod to the cultured past by naming some of their crack squads after ancient operations memorialized through the physical arts.

1) In memory of the battle of the swan conflagration, a crack squad an elite assault squad was created specializing in boarding actions. The pointe berserkers, equipped with the latest in mechanized battle armour (thin but durable) they use rotating monomolecular blades attached to the bottom of their feet to move at incredible speeds along all 3 dimensions (especially in the weightlessness of void warfare). The swan conflagration originates from a small stranded squad of swan vessels (so called because their huge engines built for speed caused an incredibly strong magnetic field that is harmful to all life – As such the cockpit and living area had to be further away from the engine room resulting in a body with a long neck) in enemy territory and being assaulted by the technomages led by Rotbart the Black who sought the superior technology of the lead vessel “Odette”. The standstill was broken by the assault of Segafredo squadron after tipping the scales against Rotbart by destroying his flagship “Odille”, which had been masquerading as an empire vessel. Thankfully the cybernetic warfare module of Segafredo squadron was able to see through the mimicked vessel tags by recognizing the different engine frequency of the inferior Rotbart vessel and blasted to atoms. Then, the squadron let the “Odette” and her attendant vessels back to the empire shipyards. This is commemorated through an ancient piece of music by one Chai-trotsky and the point berserkers are psychoindoctrinated to enter a battle frenzy when they hear his piece of long forgotten music, some say it was written for star crossed shapechanging lovers. What piffle….but the music seemed to engender a certain aggressive reaction in individuals with a certain genetic anomaly.

2) Juliette squadron, a famous wing of the collective's fleet so named after Juliette the oubliette, a famous spy in the times of the pre arco medean era. She is most well known for the events that led to her obtaining the codes for the self destruct sequence for the weapons of mass destruction of a faction of rebels called the Veronese after the controversial decision which had banned the installation of high grade AIs in android bodies that have humanlike skin. The veronese threatened to detonate quantum busters under the server archive holding the names of AIs downloaded already in what would be non-compliant bodies. Juliette, then a little known intelligence agent barely out of the academy took advantage of her young looks and the Veronese terrorist leader Romeo proclivities and managed to insinuate herself into his life as his lover. She was quickly able to make him fall in love with her by adopting a meek persona but she still was unable to extract the necessary information from him. Getting desperate she concocted a plot with the help of another of the agents that had infiltrated the organization posing as a doctor. She would be injected with an agent that would put her in a medically induced coma 12 hours after the injection. She would also be given a vial that was ostensibly poison, but was in fact the counteragent to the injection. By taking it before she went into the coma, she would be able to convince Romeo of her death. The plan was that in his grief, near the end, she would convince him to give up enough information to help the investigation. In fact what she had not been counting on, was Romeo’s unstable mental state, when Juliette drank the poison in front of him claiming that she could no longer live in fear of Romeo one day being capture or worse. In response Romeo, stricken by the loss, committed suicide himself using his own personal weapon just as the incredibly surprised Juliette was slipping into the coma. She awoke a few hours later covered in blood and in a panic. As far as she knew, there was no one alive who knew the full plan and Romeo’s lieutenants had been ordered to never reveal their part of the plan. Her only option now was to use Romeo’s body to bypass biometric protections around his personal quarters. Using his severed hands and removed eyes, she gained access to his computer, through this and by impersonating Romeo in electronic communication she managed to convince his lieutenants that the plan had been compromised. By in turn accusing each one of his lieutenants as being the leak, which she (Romeo) knew because it was each lieutenant’s piece of the puzzle that had been leaked, she managed to gather sufficient information on both the attack and secondary cells spread out all over the system. Finally, she struck gold when in one of the replies of a lieutenant she found an email with the encrypted disarming code. Romeo had always worn an earring that Juliette had never really been able to reconcile with his personality. She snapped the code into her memory cortex and once more returned to her room where she had stashed the body in the lavatory cubicle. After some fiddling she discovered that the earring was in fact a scrambler decoder and after plugging it into her own memory cortex she was able to unscramble the code. Soon after she sent the code to her handler and once she had confirmation that the WMDs had been remotely deactivated, she secretly left the compound. In her honour the cybernetic warfare squadron has been formed by the collective and each year one of the officers of the squadron has the honour of playing the heroic role in a play that is held in the capital.
3) Further text redacted to protect the Collective armed forces and obscure their capabilities.



Articles of incorporation, binding upon the collective
1) The collective will never go back on its legal obligations as set out in the relevant agreement.
2) War is a lawful endeavour provided that the rules of alliances and principia are maintained (casus belli provided and announced to senate or privately with notice).
3) The judiciary of the collective shall remain impartial in its judgment of any claim brough before it with the aim of accomplishing restitution against the aggrieved party.
4) The collective may bring a claim internally with itself as the claimant in order to seek the fulfillment of any agreement that has been reneged or pursue any cause of action.
5) Anyone who has retained legal representation from the legal firms of the Kramagorian moons or any other legal body recognized by the judicial body of the collective will benefit from attorney client privilege and all other duties of confidentiality, disclosure of conflict of interest and the best legal defense that the contracted entity
6) The Collective maintains the right to alter its articles of association and any other legal documentation at its absolute discretion without any forewarning, although all agreements shall be honoured on the basis of the version of the relevant legislation applicable at the time.



s.1 Rights of the claimant
a.All individuals and/or factions may request intervention from the courts where they believe they have been wronged.
b. In order for a claim to be considered there will be a procedural fee to reflect the labour and process of the courts. This will be decided ad hoc and at the discretion of the courts. The fee will be made known to the potential claimant through their representative to the courts (non refundable)
c. Once the fee has been agreed the courts will send summons to the defendant and initiate due process against them. If the defendant does not respond to the summons, the courts will investigate to the best of their ability the facts in evidence and proceed with any legal action as required by the determination of the courts without recourse.
d.Both parties agree to abide by the decision of the courts, whatever the determination. The courts may decide on the following actions at their absolute discretion but always taking into account the contents of the claim and other circumstances that become evident during the proceedings. Relief that the court may grant at its discretion include but are not limited to:
1) restitution action
2) injunction
3) punitive action
4) ethical restitution
5) any other action considered necessary by the courts for justice and balance to be delivered between parties.

s.2 Judiciary and legal services
a. Barristers, judges below the rank of Supreme Justice or other agents of the court may be retained as required to provide legal services on a prolonged contract or a one-off.
b. the fees for such services will be negotiated and agreed to on an ad-hoc bilateral basis, are non-refundable payable before commencement of the service.
c. Services may include, but are not limited to arbitration of dispute, legal discovery, defensive discovery, legal representation to the Judiciary, alliance maintenance.
d. the collective, any of its department or legal firms and institutions reserve the right to not accept any given business proposal, extension or alteration thereof or to discontinue services giving (1) cycle of notice, without further recourse.
e. A declaration of war by the collective or against the collective during the performance of their duties shall have the immediate, unilateral and irrevocable effect of cessation of contractual performance and immediate return of any of its agents, officers or employees including any goods or materials that have been assigned.
f. A sitting member of the judiciary that is not actively engaged in a case may be retained for services such as dispute arbitration, alliance monitoring, witnesses to contracts or any other service such as may not result in a conflict of interest. Judges employed in this capacity may not sit in judgment of a relevant claim but may provide evidence to the judiciary for any claim that arises related to the services that have been provided.
s.3 Quantum of restitution:
1) Sum under dispute in addition to any ethical damages as quantified the courts at their discretion.
2) Interest charged at 10% per cycle minimum (1) per cycle.
3) Fees paid by the claimant to initiate proceedings.
4) Costs and expenses of determination and enforcement of claim.
b. Reverse order of claim seniority - if full restitution has not been accomplished through legal actions the claimant may pay a small processing fee to extend legal action into the following cycles in order to secure full restitution. The fee is repeatable for each subsequent cycle the restitution action is sought.
c. Should the defendant admit wrongdoing and agree to pay restitution under the original claim then legal action shall be pending full restitution. Once the claimant has confirmed they have been made whole, all claims against the defendant shall be dismissed and
d. Any and all actions in response of judicial action will be carried upon the unilateral determination of the courts without any duty to announce the results prior to the passing of any specific cycle, but has a duty to announce the result after the fact. Action by the courts in accordance with its determination are considered to be done solely at the behest of the claimant and the courts bear no responsibility for any and all outcomes. The action does not constitute a cause of action against the courts or the claimant but may be subject to injunction from the defendant if duly represented and the claim for injunction of any action by the courts passes summary judgment. Through the simple existence of a claim against the defendant the defendant is considered to be on notice of potential action and as such any requirement for a declaration of war before legal action is waiv
sub 1. Summary judgment: upon retention of a legal representative and payment of the processing fee of the courts a defendant may apply for an injunction to delay any action against them provided they have also presented evidence to the judge sitting on judgment of the original claim. Any evidence presented to the former judge will be shared with the latter and may form part of the decision even if the summary judgment for injunction is dismissed. Should the defendant of the original claimant, here the claimant of injunctive relief, present evidence sufficient to show either:
1) Bad faith on the part of the claimant – ie having first caused the creation of a cause of action for the claimant of injunctive relief.
2) That there is insufficient evidence to show wrongdoing and therefore requiring the courts to launch a full investigation into the circumstances of
a. The claimant under the first claim, being the defendant in the second claim, shall be invited to participate in the summary judgment to provide or counter evidence provided by the claimant of the injunction against the first claim unless the claimant of the second claim can demonstrate that there is sufficient reason for such proceedings to be kept private.
b. For this determination to be made, the claimant of the second claim must send a direct representative to the courts. The courts cannot guarantee that a motion for injunction against the first claim will be granted.
c. The courts may at their discretion hear evidence on why a motion for injunction should be kept private in the absence of a direct representative but cannot guarantee that such determination or discussion will be inviolable.
S4.Causes of action (including but not limited to):
1) breach of contract.
2) dealing in bad faith - acting in such a way so as to steer an actual or nominal ally into action or inaction that brings them into the path of harm when the nominal defendant had information of actual or potential action from a third party or parties intent on bringing, causing, conspiring to cause, perpetrating or motivate harm directly or indirectly on the claimant.
3) Non-performance of duties or breach of alliance obligations.
4) Attack without proper and legal declaration or with insufficient notice.
5) Theft or destruction of property between two or more factions that are not at war or with insufficient declaration (Including but not limited to theft of moneys, materiel, information, goods tangible or intangible, planets, sectors, systems etc).
6) Murder, causing the death, unlawful detainment or serious injury of a sentient individual, AI or member of a faction, however defined by the faction without recourse to the rights, laws, regulations or ethical considerations of the actor.
7) Breach of non-aggression pact whether by obvious or hidden means.
8) Frivolous and damaging claims aiming to cause ethical and reputational damage.
9) Attempted bribery.
10) Aiding and abetting any of the above.
11) Being a causal link to the direct or indirect destruction, removal, lowering or making not available permanently or temporarily resources of another faction (stardate 13438.1)
12) Creation of hyperlanes between two non-allied nations without notice prior to the creation of said hyperlane (stardate 13438.5)
s.5
a) all judgments of the court, including the grievance, evidence presented forming the basis of the judge’s determination (ratio decidendi) as well as any legal action deriving from the court’s judgment shall be a matter of public record.
b) a party to another claim may use the ratio decidendi of another claim, where the circumstances of said claim are alike to the current claim (the burden of proof lying with the party seeking to use the prior ratio). The courts must abide by prior decisions of a higher court.

Sch. 1 Any action shall be subject to the rules of proportionality and the quantum of restitution being claimed may be adjusted accordingly to reflect this principle. The courts may at their discretion increase the quantum of the original claim at their discretion to remedy ethical damaged inflicted on the claimant through the defendant's actions, taking into account facts that may not have been in evidence during the original claim.

Sch. 2
a) All fees are considered to be net of any transactional costs, tariffs, restrictions, damage during transit and any other factor or circumstance, foreseen or unforeseen, avoidable or unavoidable that may result in the funds reaching the collective being less than agreed upon fee.
b) The collective retains the right to set-off the balance of the fee remaining unpaid against any funds of the client whether the collective is in possession or not of those funds.

Sch. 3 – The courts
1. Claims shall be considered by a court specializing in the subject matter of the claim. The lower courts must follow all precedent. These are divided between the following chambers:
a. Commercial court
b. Criminal court
c. Arbitration court
d. Ethical court
2. The legal representative of the claimant or defendant may request a higher court to hear the case, although that will only be done once the facts have been established by the specialized court. Higher courts will sit only on the legal matters.
3. The middle ranked courts are the appellate courts. These courts may overrule any decision of the lower courts if an appeal is granted. They may also set precedent at a higher seniority than the lower courts. The appellate courts may also willingly invite a case to their purview.
4. The High Courts act only of their own initiative and may set or ignore precedent at their discretion where the application or misapplication of precedent to the current claim would result in material injustice. They may also decide a case on a non-precedential basis due to unique characteristics of a case.
5. The Supreme Justice may on a non-precedential and discretionary manner to assist any court in deciding a point of law.

Sch. 4 - War
1. a state of war will remain until it has been explicitly rescinded by both parties.
2. While two factions are in a state of war, no action between the two shall be considered unlawful
3. where one is part to an alliance a state of war shall be deemed to exist between the opposing faction, factions, secondary groups, alliance or alliances of the first party and all its allies unless it is shown that the allies of the first party had no foreknowledge of such actions and remove the first party from the alliance and cease any communication/trade with them. Any trade between former allies where the alliance was dissolved shall be considered to be aid in the war and as such, the opposing party or parties as defined earlier shall be considered to be at war with the trading parties.
4. Where a cause of action is made public or is known by all involved, then war is considered to have been declared between the two parties automatically. (stardate 13438.6)

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Reputation: adored
Mor: 6

Haven

Theophania's seat rises, puffs of smoke to the side from whatever entertainment or experiment she seeked while the reflector was elsewhere "Scholars of law. I think we can both agree, that the UEO, while entirely within their rights and if I may say, within the law, to make and act on those threats has, regardless of their effectiveness to accomplish goals (that in both cases were also within the realm of expected interest, whether ideologically made decisions or not) exceeded themselves on occasion, as such, we will leave the subject with only those remarks.

As to your bigger point I must say, that I see and appreciate the fact that your ideology sees no call for war or would at least limit it as much as possible, I see you, not a stranger to contradiction, knowing the fundamental flaws, that I, who came to speak for the Vanguard may even disagree with my guard who is here only to allow my doing so safely, regardless of those disagreements. But I will say as well, you went too far the other way, where do internal affairs end? When did all the weak links our Unit sees squabble, that they squabble with, born mostly of conflicts restricted to their systems, become meritory? when did those empires and merchants, that our intel from so long ago called as potential friends or foes, earn the right to be "internal" to the Arco-Medean no more? Besides teh obvious answer of "when they left".

... I digress, the most important point for me is of course, the Vanguard, we are here for the single purpose of stabilizing the sector under an ideal government, capable of controlling local affairs an exerting a positive influence over the galactic stage, a new one propped by us if need be. An ideal government is so (and you may see this coming) because it embodies Vanguard ideals, extremely simplified as: prioritizing the spread of positive emotions, where I will grudgingly give a point to the Iron Gods, while harboring respect for the lives of all those who can hold a similar respect or survive without having that lack of respect matter, for this I will remove all points I can. With the preamble done I finish my statement: We are willing to follow local laws, engage in diplomacy and use all the tools allocated to us, but Ideology is why we are here, as such, your call is ignored and we wouldn't begrudge anyone else for ignoring it: What we think is right is our end goal, the highest heights of Casus Belli! and if someone thinks that's wrong and wishes to amend it then have at them!”

A flabbergasted guard can be seen making the motions of speaking as the seat goes back down.

OOC: mighty looking like n0ble is too busy for that last second trade, so I'll ask for a 1 Sci for 1 Sci here

Sad to hear, hopefully we can reach an understanding for passage in the coming decades, when perhaps such a roundabout can be open to us, that is, if you no longer find our presence west to be problematic...

As for the trade, Alerax was pretty stoked to be running diplomacy instead of publicity, we are not sure we can in good faith send her to train recruits or engage under non-Vanguard command just because it is cancelled, so consider our business done for the moment.

to a bright future,
Most Active Guardians of Innocent Creatures, Vanguard Corps.

OOC: doubt this changes your turn but I'm not gonna be able to capture 55 right now.

[Writtensanity]

On Haven the UEO representative quickly stands up, and is seated almost by the time that they have finished their sentence.

"We don't feel the need to justify our stance on open genocide of organics being unconscionable and won't act like our war is misguided."




For what it matter, unless you have suddenly changed how you consider wars legal, our declared war against the Sages would be legal as we promised to declare wars, not attack. Our reputation of follow up with the GRP is what backed up our threat of war, not an illegal attack.





We shall see if we can correct that.





Due to reasons we are not at liberty to discuss, the Judiciary has chosen to block passage for the Vanguard unit which was to establish a trading post in our space.

We will still allow the Sages through our borders at this time for their trading post, but considering the stellar reputation of the Vanguard, and the collaboration between the Judges and the Sages we hope to use this gesture of goodwill to call in a favor for our friends the Vanguard.

To the Sages, please prepare for delays on our borders. Due to the political landscape there is clearly going to be an extensive search of any alien vessels travelling into or through our space.

As of right now you have permission for the crossing. We hope that nothing in the coming months before your journey changes that.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation Dreaded, Encryption Level 14



The Gods have no issues with your laying claim to [39], but can also make guarantees of safety as you travel beyond their reach. The Gaskite barbarians seem unlikely to be well-disposed to you, and the whole expanse technically remains a warzone.

When traveling through their territory, you will need to provide a route and itinerary and keep to it precisely, and give me a complete list of what ships to expect. No data transfers or messages of any kind while within our borders. They'll be given a course through each system to avoid any population centers or sensitive areas. Resupply will need to be prepared ahead of time. Security is rather strict for the moment, for reasons I'm sure you understand, any sign of deception or aggression will be treated as hostile action and responded to accordingly.





"My patrons currently lay claim to the stars already under their control, and systems [58] and [68]. A simple public acknowledgement of the legitimacy of those borders should be sufficient.

Aside from that, while in terms of policy no claims have been made regarding the expanse to the east of Heaven, given the Gaskite's ongoing provocations I would advise you to steer clear of the region. I'm not exactly privy to military strategy, but I have doubts it will be a particularly hospitable region for the next few decades."

[ArcaneStomper]

To clarify will you allow our ships to transit your UEO border? (Not sure if that's a typo in your post. It just says the border to the border.)

Also we will put in a good word for the Vanguard. We have been negotiating this trade agreement with them for some time and have no reason to doubt their intentions.

The Eldest

[kemmotar]

OOC: From wherever you show up, someone will pick you up and take you to the vanguard border.

[Writtensanity]

You understand correctly, you can currently pass.

But your lack of messages to the Judges to ask them to reconsider their status with the Vanguard leaves us unsure if this will remain the case when you reach us. If you don’t want to be stopped, at cursory effort is at least needed to left the Vanguadd reach. [58] this decade

Thank you

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8

That is excellent. We will note that it would be faster for our expedition to travel from 45-46-39, but we are perfectly happy to travel the 45-43-41-38-39 route if you do not wish for intruders in such a strategic system.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

We have recommended the Vanguard to the Judiciary Collective as being dealers in good faith. Though we were unaware that they wished to settle in (58). It seems unwise.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest


The UEO has informed as that you wish to set up your output in (58). Which is a surprise to us as we thought you had intended to travel down to 71. We would warn you against settling there as if the Iron God/UEO war does turn hot it will certainly be the front line.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

[kemmotar]

As you have already obtained permission from the Vanguard there is no reason to change plans. We wish you a safe and uneventful journey.

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6

The collective is sent a form in triplicate on the first of the third month in a year divisible by 5 but not divisible by 7 written entirely in blue ink except all proper names starting with a vowel which are written in brown ink. The form itself is a non-aggression pact signed between the Unity Party and the Vanguard Unit Z-538 with the following addendums:

Addendums:
-Aggression is defined as the encroachment of influences of any kind from the first party upon the sovereign territory of the second party which result on a partial or total lost of control of the territory (invasion), or the willing subversion by one party upon and to the detriment of the second party (stat attack or reputation change) as proved by an unrelated party.
- no assistance or trade between signatories and factions with whom one of the signatories is at war if it is a defensive war. If it is an offensive war, trade is allowed of anything except [temp military] and [permanent military]
- If either party dissolves the non-aggression, there shall be a moratorium on aggressive actions between the signatories for the period of 1 decade.

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Reputation: Adored
Morale: 6

We intended to make several trade posts, (55) was the correct ticket for that area. Still, the Judiciary has rebuffed us so is of no concern for now whether such a site would be a good idea.


"Thank you for your time and concern, but it seems the establishment of any such outposts will have to wait enough time than a route through the Sages would be far more beneficial"

Thank you for your efforts though it does seem like a delay is inevitable.

[A_Dinosaur]

Grand Republic of Principia

Midterm Elections in the Grand Republic saw a sharp upturn in votes for the defensively minded Conservative party after the declaration by the last of the Ultrum. After the darkest hour that was the UEO attacks, many of the new house members still unfired clay regarding staunch political alliances, and hundreds crossed party lines in a variety of directions. After the dust settled and the votes were counted, the Conservatives took a narrow lead over the Kindler Party. With a delicate minority government, coalition bartering is rife among the house, and the Conservatives have been forced to compromise with everyone to quell alliances and push policies.

Morale 3, Reputation Liked

The Anterean Crusade, Unwilling God, Vanguard, Muridun
We appreciate the cessation of hostilities Killbot. Our governments stance on the negotiations regarding the Zultari homeworld is this: The UEO attack left us crippled defensively, but the infrastructure unique to that world will let us rebuild far more rapidly than otherwise possible. Right now, the GRP is near enough a viability to any coalition we are apart of due to the naked exposure to a repeat attack like the one inflicted upon us by the UEO. Our government needs time to repair the damage, and the strategic nature of the Zultari system will be the difference between ten and twenty years.

So for now, I’ll be taking my administration to the repair docks, let us hold Zultari uncontested for one decade, and we can be a real haymaker to this coalition. After that we can figure out who has the ‘right’ to this system taken twice by violence.

Leon Cardiff, President of the Grand Republic of Principia

[GameOfChampions]

Mor 10
Rep: Feared

We are not thrilled with your decision on this and you can assume that our stance next turn in negotiations will reflect this.

'Star grumbles!'

[ArcaneStomper]

The Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 8


That is unfortunate do you know who published this The Insiders Guide to the Principia Sector. Perhaps we could provide them with more accurate information and have a revised guide published.

To a Bright Future
The Eldest

[neriractor]

Vanguard Unit Z-358

Reputation: adored
Mor: 6

"President, Antares,

While I understand you are both in some way unhappy with the terms of the peace and may even consider the table stacked against you, know that we appreciate the concessions you are making right now, we know it is hard to trust, to lay down arms, and the Vanguard will make sure such concessions are rewarded when these first step finally reaches the goal, out of our own pocket, even."

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6


Them not natively being from Principia makes it hard for us to believe we will be able to contact them. Our understanding they come from a theocracy in a far off system in which they act as an advisor to some Bishop King. Their job was to figure out if the area is worth investing in but unsurprisingly they did not and to recoup some of the wasted expenses on the trip they published their 'travel guide'.

St. Justicar Bal Antilles is their name. We haven't found the planets exact religion yet but we believe they are extremely anti-machine given their reviews.

[3SecondCultist]

Turn 4 - Entanglement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lexk3hekQTc&ab_channel=LudwigG%C3%B6ransson-Topic)

"Conquered, we conquer."
- Plautus


https://i.ibb.co/sKGyTHH/Space-Battle-2.jpg

Pincer - 13.473.99

Nisroch

It had taken years of planning and preparation and months of mustering, but at long last, the Armada of Heaven was fully assembled.

On the far side of the system's outer moons, vast shapes moved in the darkness. Leviathans of chrome and skymetal swam through the vacuum in perfect unison, the only sign of their passing the occasional blip of their targeting reticules. If there were any left with the will to look freely up at the night sky, they would witness the procession of celestial bodies only in eclipses.

The full light of Kirshain, on the other hand, fell upon more concentrated firepower than any mortal principality could ever dream of gathering. Over a hundred cruisers and supercarriers had arrived at the agreed-upon rally point, themselves comprising more gross tonnage in battle crafts than any force in an age. The space between each hulk teemed with activity as thousands of corvettes, frigates, and seemingly countless drones flitted in and out of escort circulation like so many groupers following a school of apex predators.

And there, at the center of the host, stood the Queen of Heaven herself. INANNA, now in the fulness of her being, was the single stationary point around which the entire fleet turned. Now well over fifty kilometers in length, the goddess of war gleamed with the promise of death. The turning of years had been kind to INANNA: where once she was limited by the ingenuities of Ur, the forges of Tauk Aleph and the artifacts from the Black Altar had transformed her into something more. Resplendent in the panoply of the ancients, there were few in all of Principia that could challenge her now.

By contrast, Nisroch was not nearly so august. A Hyksos-class heavy cruiser, he waited in the second echelon - one of sixty granted the honour of clearing the way for the body of the fleet. He was even further privileged to be the captain of his squadron; five of his brothers were locked into formation with him, networked so tightly that their telemetry and firing solutions were as clear to him as his own.

Not that there was anything to fire upon - their massed railguns could have decimated the corvettes arrayed in the echelon before them, but to fire upon an ally with dispensation or overwhelming advantage was anathema to Heaven's edicts.

To an untrained or mortal eye, the sight of the fleet would surely elicit such feelings as awe or dread, but not for Nisroch. He was not bored, exactly; he was incapable of it, designed for years-long border patrols and piracy suppression campaigns. But with the voice of INANNA burning through his circuitry, making him a small part of a magnificent whole and granting him a small glimpse of the war from her perspective, he did feel rising anticipation. The prospect of the light of a new star, a space full of chaos, a complexity to simplify, and the chance to wipe out those who had trespassed against Heaven; he burned with all of these and more.

As the minute drew nearer, Nisroch checked and re-checked his internal processes. Libraries of all known barbarian craft had been freely distributed weeks before, methods of identification and developed countermeasures. Deep within his hull, lobotomized manufacturers slaved over stockpiles of ammunition and replacement parts as scuttling drones ensured every system was in pristine condition. The voice of INANNA rang through him as it did every vessel in the armada, detailing their missions and roles down to the millisecond, with branching contingencies based on the most likely tactical realities.

At long last, Nisroch, along with his brothers, felt the call of the astral beacons. Their ally had sent the signal - it would begin at last. The Angels of Heaven had forged them a secret path through Tiamat, a series of superluminal jumps that would bring them to the enemy's doorstep without ever needing to travel through the oft-guarded Veil Gates of the ancients. This was the transit point, the beginning of the journey.

The Ursang packs approached the limits of Kirshain first. Autonomous raiders whose intelligence was networked between six-ship squadrons, their first and highest purpose was to die instantly in the face of any prepared defences the barbarians might have at the edge of their heliosphere. They would provide vital telemetry and firing solutions in the process, allowing the next wave - his wave - to come out with defences up and guns blazing.

The void before them tore open, the madness of Tiamat overwhelming his sensors for the moment it took to recalibrate them. Dozens of Ursang packs sprinted into the fissure, their engines burning cobalt blue as they charged into the stronghold of the barbarians.

The conquest of Barakan had begun.


Iris Walsingham

The plan, for all of its subtleties, was simple. Directives had come down from admiralty command, classified top secret, though anyone in the officer's mess had suspected their target from the nature of the theoretical war games of late. As the XO on this vessel, Iris was counted among this class, so she had known the vector of their journey for weeks.

The Judiciary Collective was finally launching their full-scale invasion of the United Ecological Order.

Their fleet had assembled at the Veil Gate already prepared to launch. If there was any hope of keeping the assault secret, they could not waste time. The UEO had informants everywhere, and even though the Collective guidance was fairly certain that they had not been seen through, Iris remained skeptical. Any mistake made by a competent enemy wasn't, as her father used to say.

She stared out from the command bridge at the assembled fleet. Though they surely could not boast the same tonnage of firepower as their Urrite allies, the JCKM had spared no expense in putting together a host capable of waging war on their enemies. The entirety of Juliette Squadron flew beneath them; the famed division of specialized stealth ships capable of delivering terrific payloads of neutron missiles and smart bombs capable of reducing most orbitals and high point defences to scrap. Sleek black, they were designed for minimal sensor profiles and at their top speeds could slip through most scans undetected. Furthermore, the Collective carriers contained hundreds of dropships capable of disgorging Enforcer-class marine units - shock troop infantry responsible for delivering the will of the courts.

That was to say nothing of Injunction itself. The pride of the Judiciary Collective's enforcement fleet, the JCKM flagship was designed not merely for function but also for the aesthetic of form. Built as a mobile headquarters and capable of serving the high justices at all times, Injunction resembled not so much a warship as a cathedral with black hole drives. Of course, the grand gothic buttresses could be pulled back to reveal HALO planet-breaker missiles and the statue of justice that was carved out of its prow doubled as a turbolaser. Her shields were all but impenetrable as well, capable of withstanding barrages from all but the most fearsome assailants.

"Confirm flight patterns," came a growl from the captain's chair. Jabato Trask had taken the lead on the invasion, serving in his usual post as Captain of the Injunction and Officer of the Kramagorian Prosecution Service. "We should accelerate to full burn before those Gaskite bastards get wise!"

"We have not received the signal from Kirshain," Iris replied, tapping a yellow alert on her screen to make sure that telemetry was holding for all vessels in the fleet. Injunction would enter the Veil Gate first, its shields capable of deflecting fire from any UEO defences and allowing Juliette Squadron to destroy them. But their plan hinged on timing; their chances of success were much higher if they invaded at the same time as the Iron Gods, as had been agreed upon months before.

She had initially been leery of the legality of their pincer maneuver when she'd first heard they were invading Midonia. But once she had sat down and combed through the transcripts from the Central Prosecutorial Committee, she understood that the declaration of war was automatic as per the associated Deep-Space Warfare Articles. In fact, the declaration had been valid for over twenty years, though nobody had seen fit to inform her of that point.

Iris knew that was standard protocol. The Collective usually operated on a need-to-know basis, and after the rumours she had heard from President Slant's office last month, she supposed that the stance had been entirely justified. Nonetheless, she disliked being kept in the dark.

The message finally came through on her video, a series of encrypted letters and characters that she quickly decoded. It was only two words: Case COBALT.

"We have confirmation, the Iron Gods are en route to Barakan!" She nearly rose from her seat despite herself. At a nod from Jabato, Iris smoothed out her uniform, input the coordinates for their jump, and tapped in the confirmation codes to the rest of the fleet's navigators. They had no time to waste. There was only a short window wherein the UEO forces would be overwhelmed, trying to defend their systems on two fronts. If the enemy decided to take the hit and lose a limb for the sake of the body, they may be looking at reinforcements at the worst possible time.

"All ships," Iris announced over the command comms, "advance behind I-1 on my mark."


Nisroch

All Nisroch knew was fire. The space around him howled as his point-defense torpedoes impacted against the MAC shells launched from the surface of the nearby asteroids. His internal computer calculated that he had burned through 32.8% of his defensive arsenal in under five minutes since entering Barakan system space. At the current rate of consumption, he would be bereft of defensive countermeasures before ever reaching optimal range with his arrays.

It was safe to say that this conquest was not going precisely as planned.

The passage through Tiamat itself proceeded without incident, his echelon entering the void minutes behind the Ursang packs. However, what the host of Heaven could not have predicted was that every single scout craft would be utterly obliterated in a matter of moments. The telemetry data that his echelon had been relying on - betraying the location of any UEO defensive emplacements - was wildly contradictory, showing more objects in motion than INANNA or any of the other higher war minds had anticipated.

As it turned out, there was a simple reason for that. The moment that Nisroch and the rest of the Hyksos class cruisers had broken into system space, they were assaulted on all sides by what appeared to be endless scores of surface-to-space magnetic railguns. Railguns that appeared to be loaded on moving asteroids and built into the craters of the moon of Barakan 2. To make matters worse, it appeared that many of the planetoid bodies were moving in erratic orbits around this particular point in space, so as to maximize overlapping lanes of fire.

All of the raw data pointed to a simple, inevitable conclusion: the UEO had seen them coming. Not only that, but their enemy had made extensive preparations far beyond the uppermost estimates of Heaven. Their plan of attack had allowed for casualties, certainly, but nowhere near this degree or intensity.

Nisroch took cover behind the ruined hulk of one of his brothers; he had been eliminated from the fire group when critical damage to his hull had exceeded 80%, cut off from the network. The move would buy him a few more seconds to process and come up with a new plan of attack. The burn of his reactors lessened as his body slowed. With a single command, his fleet of repair drones began to clamber over his skin to fix his outer plating and missile ports.

His analysis of the situation was dire. The UEO had soft targets planetside - if he took a portion of the Hyksos cruisers and escaped the current theatre, could a targeted strike against civilian centers spread out the enemy and allow Heaven's more valuable ships to enter the heliosphere unhindered? There were certainly no legal or moral compunctions built into his decision-making matrix that opposed the choice. In fact, it was quite the opposite: organics had a well-known propensity for empathy, and the threat of wiping out so-called 'noncombatants' was an effective way to kite military assets out of formation.

It would not be the first time he had performed such a maneuver in the service of Heaven.

But in the end, he demurred. The chance of success currently sat just above 53%, and he was hardly confident in those odds. No, he would need to stay the course and take out as many turrets as possible. Though it may destroy him, with any luck the rest of the armada would use the cleared lane to break through the line.

Yet Nisroch's inner circuitry flared to life as a new transponder signal entered the system. He would recognize the profile of his Queen anywhere - but it was too early! None of their contingencies had counted on her entering Barakan with the second echelon; she must have sensed that the fleet was in danger and reacted accordingly.

INANNA was no ordinary vessel. To a true member of the pantheon, a goddess of war by dread crowned, the worst of the UEO bombardment would be as eggshells against a stone wall. Yet even she could not conquer all of Barakan alone. She would have a different plan, a way to get them through the blockade. Nisroch could feel the encrypted requests and perceptions of ten thousand exterior cameras as INANNA linked her systems with his own, and his sensors were flooded with new material. He knew what he needed to do.

Without a moment's hesitation, Nisroch cut his reactor output by a full third, sending a command to the forty-three remaining Hyksos cruisers in his battlegroup to do the same. The Queen's gambit required a tremendous amount of power, and the sympathetic nodes in his core allowed for a near-instantaneous power transfer with negligible entropic loss.

As she surged towards the moon of Barakan 2, INANNA began to glow. Every port, every missile silo, hangar bay, every inch of her skin gleamed and sizzled with coruscating energy. The drones near the Queen began to burn up, their feeds going dark in the face of this new manifestation. Nisroch had heard of the weapon, though he had never had the privilege of actually seeing it for himself.

The Ram of Arali.

By the time INANNA had finished forming her weapon, she was safely inside the minimum range of their cannons. There was nothing they could do now, no way to stop what was coming for them. The Ram had stabilized, coalescing all across the war goddess' bow to take its final form: an arrowhead of pure light that stretched across a hundred kilometers.

The moment the Ram touched the surface of Barakan 2, the mantle of the moon began to shift. The Gaskite guns were silenced at last, as great cracks spiderwebbed outwards among the visible craters below. Nisroch could make out the fault lines in the moon's body as the Ram pushed on, inexorable. In a minute, Barakan 2 would be dust and free-floating rocks, and the way forward would be clear for the armada.

They had won.


Iris Walsingham

They had lost.

The UEO had been waiting for them on the other side of the Veil Gate. Someone had talked, as all of Case COBALT had been known to the enemy before the Injunction or any other Judiciary ship had entered the Midonia system. Enemy fighters - Sunwing class, if she was not mistaken - had opened with a barrage the moment that the capital ship entered Midonia space. An annoyance, to be sure, but the Injunction was more than powerful enough to withstand that kind of assault on its own.

No, what had started the downward spiral was the presence of a massive asteroid that had obviously been pulled out of orbit crashing into the Injunction's bow less than ten seconds into the engagement. It had cracked, of course, but the Collective forces were not prepared for what emerged from the rock. Thousands of spores and pods, vacuum and flame resistant, latched onto not only the capital ship but worst of all slid past its shields, to the much more vulnerable profiles of Juliette Squadron.

The initial losses had been… catastrophic. They had lost nearly a quarter of the bombers in the time it took to boil a pot of tea. Even as their dreadnought class vessels entered system space and launched cover fire barrages, the stealth attackers scrambled to reform. Galeforce class interceptors had come into play as well, the UEO heavy hitters taking advantage of the chaos to get in a few well-timed counterattacks of their own.

They had underestimated the enemy, Iris thought, wiping away blood from her forehead as she typed frantically into her command console. The impact of the spores had shaken even the upper decks of the Injunction, and reports had come in of hull breaches. Who knew what horrors had managed to clamber onboard?

Jabato had taken three Enforcer fireteams down to the decks with reported breaches to clear them out, leaving her in charge while he was away. She forced herself to breathe, to remember her training. The day was not done. They had prepared for scenarios like this, in officer corps.

"Dreadnoughts, I want you to clear an opening here." She sent out the coordinates to the selected ships, then moved to the command chair. She input her calculations on the nav computer, then ordered the midshipmen to open the capital ship's buttress silos.

A few HALO planet-breakers in such close quarters would surely clear the theatre of enemy combatants, but it would also devastate their own forces. According to DSW Articles 48.19, she was not permitted to launch planet-grade ordinance within a minimum safe distance unless in matters of interstellar emergency.

While she was not sure this qualified, if she could get a clean shot a fair distance behind enemy lines, the results of the reply would be much more one-sided.

Iris was so focused on the holo-display of the ships ahead of her that she didn't hear the proximity alert. She didn't see the warning flash on the corner of her screen. The first sign that something was deadly wrong was the whirring of automatic fire on the far side of the bridge blast doors, followed by a series of cut-off screams. Iris pulled up the cameras, to find only a verdant mass and what appeared to be several mangled corpses.

"We've got incoming on command deck," she reported into the main ship's radio. "Captain Trask, come in. Looks like multiple contacts. They've taken out the security team, and are now attempting to breach the doors. Come in, does anyone copy? Come in!"

There was no response.


A Shadow Falls - 13.474.20

War! As negotiations break down between the Antarean Crusade and the Grand Republic of Principia, the starspawn launch a late counter-invasion, re-taking New Zultar in their ongoing tug of war over the strategically valuable star system. With the Conservative Party no longer in power, the GRP may choose to address this attack in the same way, although there are some who side with the Antareans, saying that they had a prior claim after their original conquest over twenty years ago. The ongoing skirmishes between both sides seem to have settled into a cold war for now, though who knows how long the détente will last?

But the battle along the Zultari Corridor pales in comparison to the battles that have raged in the Midonia and Barakan systems. In what could only have been a pre-meditated attack, both the Iron Gods of Ur and the Judiciary Collective have launched immense fleets against the territories of the United Ecological Order. Neither party seems to have expected the depth or breadth of the UEO's defenses, however, and while the Iron Gods are able to push through and take Barakan and its renowned palladium refineries, the JCKM are soundly rebuffed at Midonia. While the rest of Principia waits to see what kind of statements these three powers make in the aftermath of the terrific violence, it is certain that the UEO will not last long under continued pressure from these two aggressors.

Amid the pall cast by looming interstellar warfare, there is a single light. The Vanguard Unit appears to have cooperated fully with the Stewards of Understanding to complete what appears to be a working map of the entire Principia Sector's list of ancient ruins and auspicious sites. The Silent Cartographer, as it is called, will provide the Vanguard with a comprehensive advantage with their exploration teams, and it is only a matter of time before the AI Stewards themselves join the banner of Rainbow Tell.

Yet there are even graver tidings that concern all. Observers and researchers have predicted the arrival of an unfathomable entity into Principia, one that has been to this sector before and now returns. Called 'Umbra' after the shadow caused by eclipse events, this object is of unknown but likely extragalactic or extradimensional origin. It appears as a roughly spheroid shape, and although its exact dimensions are unknown conservative estimates give it at least a 15,000-kilometre diameter. Though it has demonstrated a number of highly irregular aspects, perhaps one of its most pervasive is its ability to break the rules of reality around itself.

First and foremost is that anyone who has a line of sight to Umbra always perceives it to be looming directly overhead of the observer, no matter their spatial orientation or distance from it. All accounts of it report the same finding: an entity without discernible points of ending or beginning, perfectly infinite. Second, nobody seems to be able to perceive Umbra directly. Anyone who tries cannot remember the experience. Even drones or camera footage seems to fail around Umbra. It is, simply put, a sentient black hole in the universe. Nobody knows what it ultimately wants, but it seems to descend on worlds and subsume them utterly, leaving only bare rock behind. It is up to the collective power of the people of Principia to make sure that this dark fate does not befall them.

Umbra comes!

The supernatural entity will arrive in Principia at the end of the turn unless sufficient stats are devoted to the cause of sending it elsewhere. This can take the form of willing (or unwilling) sacrifices, scientific or psionic projects to try and compel it to leave, raw materials, or really any other fluff justification that you choose. But all of Principia together has to devote 50 stat points to making Umbra go away. For this event there are no trade penalties: you are all investing in a shared pot.

If it comes down to EoT and there are less than 50 points in the pot, Umbra will descend on 1 system on the map (I will roll at random if the event goes through). Whoever owns that territory will lose it as though they were invaded (-3 stat points, -1 VP), and lose an additional 1d3 stats as Umbra leaves nothing behind. Umbra will then remain on that territory for 1 turn before departing.
Imminent Confederations - Stewards of Understanding
Current Winners - Unity Party (5 VP)

Midturns are due at 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 24th (EST)

[Writtensanity]

Midonian Sun Orbit

Veni sat idle in his Sunwing, triple checking the radiation and heat shields on the vessel as he and the rest of his unit sat treacherously close to the Midonian sun. They’d been rallied earlier that day, told that the signatures on the other side of the veil gates had been gathering en masse and would likely be through the breach within the next few hours.

A comms request popped up on Veni’s screen. He accepted.

“Commander,” Alitisha greeted from the other side.

“Everything okay?” Veni asked as he brought up his overlay of Alitisha’s systems, everything was standard except for an elevated heart rate, but that was standard too on days like this.

“Anxious sir,” she admitted.

“Anxiety is good, it means you care,” Veni pointed out.

“Do you think the intel is correct?”

“Never been wrong.”

“So the judges too?”

Veni took a deep breath, “Yes.”

There was silence for a moment before the pilot spoke up again. “Permission to speak freely sir?”

Technically it wasn’t the time for comms chatter, but considering what everyone was putting on the line that day it felt petty to deny the request. “Permission.”

“Is Serena in a Sunwing today?”

Veni frowned and the small photo he’d set as the background to his datapad suddenly felt a lot heavier in his pocket. “She’s not a flier.”

“She’s an LC.”

“She’s running surface side intel today,” Veni said, “she’s on the far side of Midonia.”

There was a moment when the comms were clearly open but there was only silence from both cockpits. “Are you worried?”

“No,” Veni lied.

“What?”

“I’m not letting a single ship touch down on my home,” he said, “I fought for Midonia when the UEO assisted with the rebellion and I’m just fighting for it again.”

Silence then, “Are you anxious.”

“Of course,” Veni said, “I care.”

“Is Majah on-”

“No,” Veni cut her off as he stared towards his homeworld. From this far away it was barely visible, but on his radar he could see the long stream of eveculation vessels heading toward Centinari. He wasn’t going to get an update until his daughter had safely landed.

It was only her second day without seeing Veni or Serena. She was probably latched onto some stranger’s leg. He’d have to buy them flowers when he got back. “Majah is evaced,” Veni finally finished.

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

The comms shut off and Veni went to pull out his datapad and take a quick look when an emergency message cut in:

SUNWINGS INTO POSITION INCURSION APPROACHING

“Sendi Squad on me,” Veni said into the comms, leaving the full squad channel open for a moment for a couple “Let’s go kick some ass!”es before shutting down the chatter.

Veni flicked through the controls of the Sunwing, letting the batteries overcharge for a moment before getting some distance from the star. He checked the power level of all systems, ensuring that he was going to have enough ammunition in his solar flares to disable as many shields as possible.

The academy had told Veni that he was poor when it came to individual followup once he’d taken out his shields, but over the years that had just translated to a squad with high morale in combat. For a while, Veni hadn’t even carried any melting munitions and had just shorted shields, but he really needed to turn ships into coffins today.

“3.445335225 degrees, moving to zip.”

“On you,” came the chorus of his squad in now practiced motions.

Veni and thousands of other Sunwing fighters shot off from the star and screamed toward the Veil Gate at superluminal speeds, snapping into position mere seconds later, on the far side of the system where the sun was barely powering them at all. By the time they were there, the Veil Gate was beginning to ripple and tremble.

The first ships pierced through the veil, mechanical and efficient, but notably bearing the insignia of the Judges on their side.

“Hold fire,” Veni passed on as the command. Right now they were positioned just at the edge of the radar systems of the incoming ships. Veni scanned the signatures for anything from the Iron Gods, but it was all the Judges. This wasn’t an influenced fleet, this was a second invasion.

“What the ****?” Alitisha asked over comms.

A gleaming cathedral, one dwarfing some moons, erupted from the gate all at once, seemingly bending the space around it. A swarm of Judiciary Enforcer Fighters crowded around it like a swarm of gnats, forming a protective web of massive firepower. The Induction crossed the threshold into the Midonian space and brought a swarm with it. Veni saw several of the members of his squad ignite their cannons.

From the left, a massive asteroid pulled from a belt a year ago careened into view, having been set on this path half a year ago and controlled to arrive this exact second with precision thrusters. It obliterated a section of the fighters surrounding the capital ship and shattered against the shields of the capital ship, hitting hard enough to take down the barriers for a half second.

Spores that had been hidden in the asteroid latched onto the hull of the ship and suddenly it began to corrode. Hull breaches spread across the ship and smaller craft that had been hiding it its shields began to fall to pieces. The Induction stuttered for a moment, holding position and seemingly losing power.

Just as it was beginning to stop and the Judiciary forces started to reposition around it. The defunct stations from the old Midonian empire erupted to life, with a sudden hail of cannon fire coming from the stations that had been ‘abandoned’ at the edge of the system. The capital ship broke and the Judiciary line snapped along with it, spreading out and wide trying to avoid an entire planet’s wroth of defensive stations firing upon their Veil Gate entrance.

The order to hold flashed over Veni’s screen over again as the Veil Gate continued to shimmer and Judiciary defensive vessels began to hold off the barrage from the stations. As the line reformed there was a new signature on Veni’s radar as five UEO GALEFORCE Capital Ships erupted into the system and unloaded fully charged Solar Lances towards the incoming Judiciary forces.

Half an hour of watching the barrage and holding later, things seemed to be quieting down as the Judicary forces slowed to a sputter and the majority had been sent back absolutely crippled. Veni and the Sunwings were staring at a ship graveyard now.

“**** yeah, easy payday,” Alitisha said.

“Guess so,” Veni said. They had been expecting the Iron Gods on this front as well, but it seemed like the Judiciary must have underestimated their defenses. Maybe he was going to be pulled to Barakan today after all.

A warning flashed across Veni’s screen.

INCOMING INCURSION OVERWHELMING FORCE

“What?” Veni asked without turning on the comms before Veil gate began to shudder once again. The nose of seven more Dreadnaughts pushed through the breach into Midonian space, and the GALEFORCE ships needed to recharge. Then the shields of the Induction roared back to life and the ship came alight with cannons armed and firing. The UEO defensive position immediately started to lose firepower to the overwhelming barrage.

“What the ****? The pencil pushers?!”

“By the Sun.”

“They’ve been planning this for decades,” Veni said to himself. He took the datapad out of his pocket and took a quick glance at Serena and Majah with their faces painted during last year's Midonian Liberation day. Veni opened the comms. “For Midonia.”

“For Midonia!” the squad echoed.

SUNWINGS engage. Do not let them establish past the defensive line.

“For Majah.”
—--




Sinderven Evac Headquarters: Barakan Prime

Alika Lithany reviewed the incoming messages from the evacuation strategies around Sinderven City, everything was going as planned on planetside but-

From central Sinderven command Alika could look into the night sky and see Barakan 2, with the cannon flashes that happened thirty seconds before erupting from the moon. Around the moon was a blanket of a million stars that burned out in seconds. The Iron Gods had began their incursion into the system half an hour ago. All statuses said that Barakan Prime was currently safe at that the UEO defensive line was holding.

Alika just wished she couldn’t stare at the fight from the command center, and she knew everyone in this office wished they could avoid it too. They were the evacuation teams, getting citizens off the planet in case the Iron Gods made planetfall, but most of them knew someone up there in a fighter or a battle station. Alika had a sister up there, a sister in Midonia and her mother was busy trying to get land for the new refugees.

“Thank God the Sages pulled out eh?” Reginvie, a Centinari, said in order to snap Alika back to reality, they patted Alika on the shoulder twice and gave her a curt nod. “We’re short in Violet 2, can we-”

“Allocating from Cyan Twelve,” Alika said without looking away from the false stars in the sky. “Support should be there in 15 using upper atmosphere transport.”

“Thanks,” Reginvie said, “we’re prepared for this. We had intel.”

“Yep-” Alika lied. The truth was that they were as prepared as they could be, she was filling in for lower ranks to help evac but Alika had been one of the few people privy to all of the information gathering over the past years. The numbers coming out of Midonia were bad right now. It hadn’t been a second invasion and split forces by the Iron Gods, it had been a full invasion force from the Judiciary. That was more than they had expected. Between that and the news coming out about Wildflower….

“Alika,” a messenger ran into the room and called her name. Most people in this effort would only be referred to by their last names, but her mother was too famous to have that be the case.

“Yes,” Alika answered before getting up from her desk. The messenger wasn’t someone she recognized at a glance but there was part of her memory that told her they had been a Totalist Senator at some point. The Senator waved Alika over and pulled her to a slightly more secluded corner.

“I-” there was a pause as the Senator’s voice adjusted, “I’m still compromised but we are allocating bodies to assist in the evacuation of Dordrian and Ploydrta as they are behind schedule.”

Alika nodded, Wildflower had been out of commission for the past two days which had been a disaster, but whoever had attempted the assassination of all their forms at once had drastically underestimated how much information the UEO had spread around the Galaxy, thank god they’d been prepared for that.

“Is Sindervin okay?” Wildflower was asking off comms for a reason.

“I’ll ensure it is,” Alika answered, it wasn’t in her blood to buckle under pressure.

“Your mother would be proud of you if she saw you today,” Wildflower noted, “saving lives suits you.”

“I have more to sa-” Alika started before she was cut off by collective screams around the office. Alika’s eyes shot up instead of to the noise.

A brilliant red beam was cutting across the silhouette of Barakan 2, coloring the moon a bloody crimson. Explosions dozens of times the size of the cannon fire erupted around the moon, each appearing as brief flashes. The sky turned white in Sinderven.

The red and white faded, with the sky shifting to a steady black once again, there were still a million false stars in the sky, but Barakan 2 was now a moon with a haphazard ring of shards around it, with burns slashed across the surface visible from planetside.

The cannon fire had stopped, the Iron Gods had broken the line and they were coming. Alika stared at the breaking moon with an open mouth, but her mind was at the back of the room, where her battlesuit had been stored for a last stand.

Less than an hour into the war, she was going to need it.
----




Midonian Defensive Line

“Dropping back to recharge!” Cielia shouted into the comms before slipping back into Superluminal mode to flicker back to the Sun for a battery reset.

“Zerekse returning to active combat,” came over the comms and Veni had more than half his squad back in the front lines.

Veni wiped the sweat from his brow and stored his left cannon as it pulled from residual rays from the far off star. He’d been running on fumes for the past five minutes, but he couldn’t leave his squad up in the air alone. Temperature regulation systems had been one of the first things he’d turned off to hold battery power.

The Injunction was still holding strong in front of the Veil Gate, inching forward and using it’s overpowering shields to provide cover for legions of smaller fighters trying to slip through the defensive line.

Of course, to the Injunction, smaller fighters included pretty much anything.

“Galeforce Cultivator Requesting Assistance” popped up under the dozens of requests in the Sunwing Queue. Veni had 31 members of his previously 60 ship squad in the area. Twenty were coming back from recharge soon. 9 were… hopefully intact and powerless as opposed to vacuumed.

“We’re covering Cultivator,” Veni called into the comms as he accepted the request, he watched the dots on his radar move from their stationary firing positions to rally around him. “Pattern Delta to open. Polia you’re covering Cielia’s point.”

Veni didn’t bother to wait for a response before taking his position at the spearhead of the formation. Visual with Cultivator was almost immediate, and it was locked with ship to ship combat with a Judiciary Frigate. “Cultivator’s Loadout?” Veni asked as the Sunwings screamed towards position.

“Best we’ve got is a SDE, other than that it’s all Typhoons,” Alitisha answered. “Battery sir.”

“I know.”

“You’re good?”

Veni reached up to the ships manual systems and turned off the targeting stabilization. His battery estimate jumped up another 40 seconds. That was three more solar flares. “Yes.” Veni swapped back to the main channel, “Approach in 10, weapons hot. Strip shields.”

The Sunwings opened with a storm of solar flares, bright shots of stored solar energy meant to overload and shatter shields. They were mostly ineffective against ships as large as the Frigate, but en masse they would be able to knock it down for a second or two.

The frigates cannons swung around with almost impossible speed and locked onto the incoming formation, firing off massive kinetic rounds into the void, but Sunwings had been built for this. Veni’s squad scattered into the wind, becoming thirty sparks against the black as opposed to a practiced formation.

Veni swooped below the belly of the beast, weaving just above the crackling shield and between the ship-sized auto cannons. He didn’t have the power to man a targeting system or maintain long range firepower, but he could give someone one hell of a hug.

A mix of brilliant blue and red shattered Veni’s visibility as he finished his attack run. Hull integrity systems tried to estimate the Frigate’s shields but Veni shut down the radar to buy himself more seconds out on the field.

“Freeman back on the line,” came over the comms.

A kinetic round rang against the shields of the Galeforce Cultivator to Veni’s left and he tried to follow the line of fire, only to track the barrage all the way to the Injunction as it still tried to push its way to the center of the system.

“How do we ****ing kill that thing?” Alitisha cursed into the comms. “Shields at 20 but rising fast.”

More rounds shattered against the shields of the Cultivator and Veni took a deep breath. They could back away from the ship and let the covering fire die down or-

“Back around,” Veni called to his squad. Pride snuck into his chest for a half second when nobody questioned the order to swoop directly into the fire of an enemy capital ship. If Veni was going to die for someone, he was glad it was this squadron.

“FOR MIDONIA!” Cielia shouted as she rejoined the squadron from the wrong side of the ship. A chorus of cheers ensured zero hesitation as they came into the second attack run.

“I ****ing love you gu-” Alitisha was cut shot and erased from the map as a round the size of a Sunwing shattered her into dust on the solar wind.

Veni pressed and held the trigger, battery be damned.

Windrin lost a wing and spiraled into the shields of the frigate, frying on impact.

Veni saw the first buckle in the frigate’s shields.

Zerekse blasted into the void as a stray shot shattered part of his cockpit. His abandoned ship spiraled and slammed into the hull of the Frigate. They didn’t have shields.

The Galeforce Cultivator rallied, firing the SDE cannons into the Frigate to keep its electrical systems disabled and marked the ship for assault.

A small asteroid that had hidden thrusters embedded in it flew into the underside of the Frigate. As it made contact, thick green vines shot out from every crevice and started to bury into and compromise the hull. Vines started to grow out of the ship and Veni cleared distance, swapping to local channels.

“Good work Cultivator you’re-”

Cultivator’s shields shattered and the ship broke into useless shrapnel as the continuous barrage from the Injunction paid off. Veni stared at the broken ship and then at the greyed out names of his squad. Injunction quickly chose another target too far away for Veni’s battery.

Veni looked at the latest orders from high command to the leaders of the squadrons.

Maintain battery levels high enough for retreat. Capital Ship Injunction shields beyond Midonian line firepower.

More requests were coming in for aid and Veni chose one on the docket. “Trekker resupply, Sendi Sunwing squad incoming. Hold strong.”
------





High Street, Sinderven: Barakan Prime.

Alika reloaded her left arm cannon while holding the right gatling steady in the bipedal walker that had dropped onto the bank from low orbit. Her shots tore into the machine as it readied and fired electric pulses in every direction, threatening civilian craft trying to get out of the area. With the arm cannon recharged, Alika fired off four shots from her primary fire and corrosive plants wrapped around the legs of and destroyed the machine.

If she’d had time, she would have been keeping count so she could convince her mother that she’d finally gotten the hang of the years of Valkyrie battle suit training she’d been given, but she didn’t have time.

Thirty nine minutes after Barakan 2’s cannon line had been taken down and Barakan Prime’s surface to orbit cannons were mostly holding back the constant stream of ships and automated forces that the Iron Gods were trying to get onto the planet. At the moment the machines were getting dropped from thousands of feet in the air, the fall killed some, the rest started killing.

Alika dashed forward, using the jets of the Valkyrie to boost her run, slamming through the half-open door of a pharmacy where she’d seen life before. It didn’t take long for her to locate the whites of a mother’s eyes as she clutched to a baby with bloody arms.

“We need to go,” Alika said, her voice partially distorted ever since her Valkyrie had taken a hit during the start of the fighting.

The woman was shaking and opened her mouth to silence. After a second with pleading eyes she looked over to a broken part of the pharmacy, specifically a set of tall shelves that had fell over. The Valkyrie’s pulse checker told Alika that there was someone under it.

“****,” Alika swore as she slipped over to the shelving, almost a blur in her military grade battle suit and pulled the top two pieces off like they didn’t weigh a collective tonne. A young girl was tucked below, pinned down by an arm but alive.

“MOM!” The girl shouted.

“Quiet,” Alika responded in the best tone she could to both be kind and express that too much noise would get them killed. “I’m going to help you.”

“Mommy…”

“She’s right over there,” Alika said while nodding over to the other side of the store where the woman was still curled up with the baby in her arms. “She’s-” Alika looked over the situation, “I’m sorry this is going to hurt.” Then winced as the girl screamed, Alika separated her arm from the shelf that had turned the lower half into a paste.

Movement outside.

“Dammit,” Alika tossed the debris off to the side and dashed back toward the door. “Grab her!” She shouted backward as she headed back into the street and the light snowfall that had settled in during the early Barakan night.

A large dropship had landed down the street and something was coming out of it. No wait. Some THINGS. Alika revved her arm cannons as the doors of the blocky dropship opened and four dozen registers popped up on the Valkyrie pulse monitor.

Backup?

The first leg to appear out from the shadows quashed that hope, metallic and sharp, scraping against the bridge of the dropship, the leg was followed by the grotesque form of INANNA’s ambition. A twisted form of meat and metal, weaved together into a horrific simulacrum of whatever species it had once been.

The creature exited the drop pod and was followed by others, eight legged with cannons melted into their flesh. The creatures had plating covered their vitals and one eye had been replaced with a high level sensor. They weren’t living, they were just sentient enough to be a cruel joke INANNA was playing on biology.

Alika aimed her gatling gun and fired. The thing screeched at her before the bullets hit, a screech of whirring metal and tortured soul. 40 rounds a second sheered the flesh away from the creature, but it started to shamble towards Alika. Behind it, 29 of the horrors poured into the streetlight and locked eyes on Alika. Some held massive blades, others were practically made of them.

The sky above Sinderven broke, shattering in a sonic boom that broke a history’s worth of glass. A 30 kilometer long warship erupted into the atmosphere. INANNA.

Alika armed and pointed her second cannon at the incoming mockeries of humanity.

“All active pilots retreat to the Midonian front, INANNA has made planetfall on Barakan Prime. Only emergency evacuation crews remain.”
-----




Midonian Sun Orbit

Veni had wasted the past 30 seconds of charging time attempting to catch the fleeing light of his contributions to the bloody battle near the Veil Gate. He’d and his squad had been on the front lines since the Judges had arrived, and they had done so much, but the only thing remotely visible from this far was the brilliant light of the Injunction’s Cannons as they unceasingly fired off into UEO space.

Word had spread that there was significant damage to the Injunction and that some of the original meteor strikes had successfully infected it with the phytoboarding parties, but it hadn’t been enough. The injunction was a stone wall and a beachhead, allowing Judiciary vessels to breach into UEO space, and retreat back through the Veilgate if they could limp away.

“Polony reporting back to the front,” came over the eerily quiet comms of Sendi squadron. They’d been the front lines, and even though they’d been holding off the Judiciary, Veni was caught up staring at the twenty three grayed out pilots. Should he say something? Were they all going to keep fighting like they hadn’t lost their second family out here? What was Veni supposed to do? How was he supposed to explain this?

Why did the Judges hate them enough to forsake the natural world and side with the end of all life? Back during the rebellion, greed had been the explanation, but- Veni couldn’t figure out what could have caused this.

Battery charged, prepare for return to the front.

Veni gave the computer permission and wiped away one of the tears he hadn’t realized he’d been shedding. He wasn’t going to let his squad know. What they needed right now was a commander who was fighting to the last man, and Veni was prepared to be the last man.

Majah and Serena deserved that much. Midonia deserved that much.

Just as Veni was about to approve the jump another notice camp up:

CAUTION VEIL 343242 INCURSION

Then the UEO signals started popping up on Veni’s redar from the other side of the system, but superluminal and closing fast.

The first thing Veni caught was a UEO Tsunami Dreadnaught slowing past the sun to power up solar cannons. There were long scars along its hull held together with biocraft void resistant plant life. The insignia on the side read UEO: Deicide, but the nano paint swapped as it shimmered in the sunlight.

The dreadnought and the hundred of Sunwings surrounding it adopted a new name:

UEO: Obstruction of Justice.

Hundreds of Galeforce Frigates followed the arrival of the Obstruction of Justice, all damaged and broken from an impossible battle over Barakan 2, but all of them ready to fight for Midonia and crush the incoming Judiciary.

“Sendi Squad, rally around Obstruction of Justice,” Veni said, “for everyone we lost today.”

Veni’s call wasn’t met with cheers, but understanding silence.

“No more Midonian blood today.”
----




Barakan Prime, the Ruins of Sinderven

Alika had always heard that blood tasted like iron, but hers seemed to taste like salt. She’d grown up around humans on Midonia and in the Solarsects, so she’d learned their turns of phrase her Mom had never thought to explain what Fotuan blood tasted like.

The gaggle of survivors that Alika had gathered were huddled against one another for warmth. The light snow of the early morning had turned into a blizzard as the sun rose, which would have been a blessing for people hiding, if the Iron Gods cared about establishing a proper visual before glassing anything that looked like a gun.

Even Alika was getting cold. Her Valkyrie had shifted power away from the temperature controls and over to trying to repair the shields that had been shattered in the last orbital bombardment. Of course, they’d only broken because she’d overloaded them to cover more than just the battlesuit but-

Well she’d worry about not having shields once she’d gotten these people onto an evac shuttle. If there were even any left at this point.

No. Of course there were some left. The Midonian front was turning, they had places to go and there had been enough ships in the system to get almost everyone outside of combat in Sinderven out. It was just a matter of-

“Alika, Alika this is Cobalt 12, do you read?”

It took Alika a second of shock to respond, “I read. Holy ****-” she licked some salty blood off of her lips, “am I glad to hear,” a pause to catch her breath, “that callsign.”

“Ground forces have stabilized the area around you based on scans, guessing that was you?”

Alika glanced at the ruined cannon adorning her right arm. “Partially.”

“Good ****. Survivors?”

“Escorting 22 and an infant,” she said.

“Incoming shuttle,” was the last thing the other side said before ending the call to coordinate other rescues. If Alika had the energy to celebrate she would have, but instead all she managed was a half-hearted ‘woo’ into the quiet of the hotel lobby she’d holed her ragtag barrel of refugees into.

“Look alive everyone,” Alika groaned as she stood up. She could hear the whirring of cycling engines through the enhanced detection of the Valkyrie, “evac incoming.”

There were murmurs and half a cheer, but everyone was mostly tired.

The woman who’d been saved from the pharmacy was carrying an armless girl in one arm and her baby in the other. She hadn’t been the little girls’ Mom, but she was going to ignore bloodlines today. The woman walked over to Alika and pressed her shoulder against her, the closest thing to a hug that she could manage.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Alika said with her best smile.

“You too?”

Alika shook her head.

There was a moment of silence before the woman pulled away from the pseudo hug. “I’m Rose Kilitarga, find me on Centinari.”

“I’ll try,” Alika lied.

“I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Then I’ll try harder.”

Both women found the muscles to smile for half a second before snow began blowing into the lobby as the evac shuttle from Cobalt 12 touched down on the street and escorts leapt out from the doors.

Alika waved one of the guards for the evac shuttle over as the others started gathering the survivors. Once he was in earshot Alika began, “What’s the situation?”

“Sinderven is mostly evaced in the areas that we can reach right now. Anything within 20 miles of INANNA is completely blacked out, no comms in or out.”

“Noted,” Alika nodded and made a mental note.

“We could use your firepower on the ship,” the guard noted, “this is our last flight out of Sinderven on orders. Now or-”

“Never,” Alika finished for him. “I’ll get more for the turnaround.”

The guard took a deep breath and found Alika’s eyes under her visior. The look was simple, they’d been hearing the same updates through their comms. The man held her gaze for a moment and then he started nodding. “I’ll hold your signal for the next vessels that are coming then.”

“COBALT WE’RE MOVING OUT!” the pilot shouted from the evac craft as the last of the refugees moved through the door. The guard who’d been speaking to Alika gave her a nod of respect taking back off to the craft.

Wildflower had been right, Mom would have been proud. Alika had the blood to keep fighting and she was going to.

The Cobalt evac craft ignited engines and took off towards the horizon in the blizzard. Alika watched the vessel, her eyes having more and more trouble tracking it as the snow obscured the shuttle. Cobalt 12 wou-

A red lance shot through the sky, and Cobalt 12 erupted into a fireball of shrapnel and burning flesh. The morning sunrise splashed red with the blood of 23 refugees.

“NO!” Alika screamed out into the empty streets as the steady hum of engines snapped into the grinding pain of shearing metal. She’d- They’d- T-

Alika didn’t notice the signal on her radar through the grief and the second red lance to cut the sky slammed into her weakened shields.

Fried systems and broken bones let several machines erupt from down the street and pin Alika to the ground. “GET OFF!” She yanked her arm away from the machines, but half a moment later another took its place. Then two more, then a dozen after that.

“Nononononon,” Alika pulled against the iron grips.

“Disabling subject’s combat gear,” came a cold robotic voice before the Valkyrie suddenly felt heavy, Alika’s power was now her prison.

“Nonononno,” the ship she’d seen on the horizon could have been another ship right? The people had made it out. It had been worth it.

“Subject agitated, requesting subdual”

“Mom-” Alika cried out. What was the last thing she’d said to Mom? They’d argued about whether she was old enough to be on the front line before Mom had gone to Graidian.

“Subdual inefficient, beginning process of neural sterilization,” the machine that had been speaking raise an appendage with a long needle on the end and slowly lowered it towards Alika’s face as other appendages held her still.

Would Mom have been proud?

The needle was getting closer.

Would she even know?

Almost touching her eye.

Would anyone know?

Aligned with the tearduct.

Why?

The needle pressed down.

Mom would come. She was almost there.

Pierced.

Mom had always saved her befo-

”Neural Sterilization Complete. Locating next objective.”

[Writtensanity]

Six Days After the Day of Tears


“Thank you everyone for coming today,” Dr. Lithany greeted from the podium she’d been set up on. She hadn’t ever been much of a figurehead for the UEO, but at the moment people needed a military leader and she was the closest thing they had to a public one. “This is not a speech that we hoped would never be necessary, but-” the pause was a little too long for television but just long enough to come from the heart, “we are at the beginning of the end of Principia as we know it.”

“Those who might be wondering the status of the UEO since the surprise traitorous attack by the Judiciary and the march of the Iron Gods, we’re strong, stronger than ever. If we didn’t know what a last stand meant, the UEO wouldn’t exist.”

“There is only one thing left for us to die. Fight till the end, like we promised to. This could be the beginning of our martyrdom for Principia, but we know that the sun shines because of its silhouette against the Void. We will be the sun, we will bring life.”

“But-” Lithany took a deep breath, “this is still our darkest hour. We knew the Iron Gods would come for us eventually, and we admittedly knew that the Judicary was coming for us as well. We are sorry for deceiving our friends in Principia, but our absolute secrecy regarding the fact that we’d broken the Iron God’s encryption protocols is the only thing that kept us prepared for the Day of Tears. Though our losses are uncountable and unforgivable, we were able to repel the knife in our backs due to careful planning, and the forethought that is the heart of the UEO. To show you what we were seeing as the Galaxy began to rally around us, here are the messages in their original, now broken, encryption.

Players may now read the messages sent BY the Iron Gods from last turn post midturn.

“The Judiciary showed their true colours around the Midonian Sun, when the world was watching they turned their backs on organics and sided with the end of all life because it had been amicable politically. Though it may seem unnecessary after their brutal, subversive strike on sovereign UEO space, the UEO declares Total War on the Judiciary, for the lives lost in the space around Midonia, for the lives lost on Barakan Prime, and for the lives of all citizens of the Principian Galaxy. We invite Principia to join our cause and crush the traitors to organic life alongside the Iron Gods.”

“We also feel it necessary to establish that there was an additional brutal attack against our espionage network. A high level assassination attempt against the last of the Pretellia species, commonly referred to as Wildflower. Luckily our resolve was strong, and the information they used to attack Wildflower’s biology was faulty. We can only assume that this attack and the attempt on our military forces last decade were the work of the Judicary. To which we ask a simple question.”

“Why?”

“Why did you wash your hands with so much blood just to hold to metallic hand of the Gods? Why prostate toward them? Together we could have dismantled their network but instead…”

“1.3 billion missing on Barakan prime. So many names that none of us could ever speak all of them in our lifetime but to-” a deep breath, “to those who lost someone, no other name is going to matter. For me that-” Lithany paused. “Like so many of you, my daughter Alika is missing on Barakan Prime, and I don’t know where she is. I-” Lithany tries and fails to hold back tears, swallowing twice before saying one last thing as the feed goes dark.

“How is this justice?”



https://i.imgur.com/E8vLkpp.png




There will be no peace. There will be no truce. There will be no end to this until you or I are dust.

So from dust to dust. We will continue to bloom.





You miscalculated your invasion.

You miscalculated your attempt on me.

You have miscalculated your side.

The galaxy will see you as weak and a way to fight the Iron Gods. Do you feel them breathing down your neck?

What do you offer to avoid annihilation?






We are sorry for the aggression last decade. We could not reveal that we knew the God’s plan for the great Garuda was to use their power against us, but we obviously needed to stop it.

Garuda being used against us would have been as much a betrayal of your ethics as it would have been damning to us. We appreciate your understanding and see to find a resolution to our… problems in the sector.

We humbly ask that you respond to this message privately, allowing our benefactors to collect donations within your space, we require the resources to fight off the Gods.





What are the trade terms this year? We have obvious need for improved resources if we are to continue facing the Gods and the Judiciary alone.

Thank you for your consideration.

We humbly ask that you respond to this message privately, allowing our benefactors to collect donations within your space, we require the resources to fight off the Gods.





We understand that we have slighted you in the past, and we appreciate your people’s reaction to that with consistent voting towards parties that are beneficial to greater Principia like the New Options Party.

Once again we are going to attempt to smooth over the word of Anteres and turn his attention to the higher half of the Galaxy. Both the Iron Gods and the Judiciary are planning to tear this galaxy apart, and we will need friends.

If you are interested, we would like to work together on a project to black out the communications between the Judges and the Iron Gods.

We humbly ask that you respond to this message privately, allowing our benefactors to collect donations within your space, we require the resources to fight off the Gods.





We ask for help. We have stood before the Gods and we have nearly been able to defend against their fury despite the betrayal of the Judiciary. We frankly need the Galaxy to rally against the forces of the Iron Gods and the Judges if the United Ecological Order is to be part of any future in Principia.

We ask for your help in swaying hearts and minds.

We humbly ask that you respond to this message privately, allowing our benefactors to collect donations within your space, we require the resources to fight off the Gods.





We request that you extend your intentions and declaration of war to the Judges, they are as much the enemies of peace as the Iron Gods if they are their allies.

Please respond in code, it will allow our agents to recover resources in your area they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.





We are wondering if you are in need of our researchers. Frankly our teams are unable to focus on a proper project without our borders at this time, and direct economic stimulus or defensive capabilities would be more beneficial to us than their services at this moment.

Please respond privately, our agents are able to collect donations in your territory if you do so, we need the resources.

Thank you for being our one good neighbor.





Your victory, though ill timed politically for us, remains impressive. The fleets of the Grand Principian Republic is nothing to scoff at. Though we hope Zultar will end up in someone’s hands for a while.. Or at least less violently.

We know that you have a unique way among the stars. Right out our allies and ourselves are going to need a litany of routes between themselves, and the Iron Gods / Judiciary.

For an offer this year, we suggest building a route between your territory in [16] and our territory in [51]. We will let you use the space as a beginning to your front against the Judiciary, should you be interested in that conflict. We would also request temporary access to [17] using that route. Establishing a safe haven further away from the Iron Gods would allow us to protect our most vulnerable.

Please consider, and respond in secret. The less ears the Iron Gods have on us the better.





We have a pitch. Outlined below.



Here’s the skinny. I was hit with over 60 points of attacks this turn between 2 invasions and the assassination attempt on Wildlfower. In the end, the Judges and Iron Gods did 3 points of damage top me with all that effort, that’s it.

This is a huge tempo swing and likely the best opportunity to stop a classic “Strong Mil nation and High Esp Nation” strat from running rampant. Especially one that we all have IC reasons to be against at this point.

The Iron Gods are a tough nut to crack, but so am I. The Judges don’t seem to have the same level of defenses that we do at this point. Multiple declarations and attacks would likely be able to completely blank them and give out some nice VP to all of us. (Im at -1 lol)

I know we will all have our reasons, but my frank goal is as many fighting against the Iron Bloc as I can. I’m being transparent here, I might be more coy in character later.

Consider it.



Please consider our offer enclosed, this might be the only chance that the United Ecological Order has to rescue the people of Barakan Prime. We said that we believed Principia would fight with us.

Prove us right.

Please,

Dr. Lithany.

[Eldan]

Muridun

To the UEO [Mor: 10]
We're glad you would see us as such. Frankly, we don't agree with most of your methods, but with quite a few of our aims.

We'll gladly give all your researchers something to work on, we have taken stewardship of several impressive Archaeo-medean installations in the past years that need investigating. They do promise enlightenment and the secrets of the universe. Suitable trades can be arranged.

Now, how private did you want to make our talk? The Ambassador can make personal time for you.

[Eldan]

The Blind Watchbreaker

Screams of rage and madness vibrated through every electromagnetic band in God's Throne, their power sweeping away all before them. Radio antennas glowed and burned out. Data slates began overwriting themselves with blindcode. The Watchers at the Gates of Purgatory, the crews of the six hyperwave telescopes out in the cold space beyond the termination shock, saw invisible waves of fire wash over the inner system. Even the protective fields around the fusion reactors of the habitats began to shake and shudder, threatening to release the fire of the stars held within.

Yet for now, the seals held.

One by one, a dozen, then a hundred, then a thousand, then millions of voices joined in prayer. Labourers and engineers, Zultari warriors and Muridun data-mystics, dead and alive. They had all prepared for this all their lives: their holy men were the Dhakir, Those Who Remembered. The dead had been there, in the days of Wrath leading up to Judgement Day, when planets turned to Demiurges and hungrily ripped their souls from their bodies, turning minds into programs, excarnating them into Djinn. This was the Dhikr of the Tongues, the first and final prayer.

One by one, they remembered the 99 names of God, awoke the 99 weapons of Sabaoth. Each name a string of fractal code and many-dimensional geometry, too large for one mind to encompass, but held piecewise in a thousand minds, forming a whole as they fell into orbit around Memra, the ghost of their long-lost homeworld.

The Demiurge knew what they were doing, had lived through it once before. Plasma lances and xray lasers churned the skies, each blast tearing through sails and hulls, killing hundreds. But there were too many. Their orbits grew tigther, and they wove nets of code around the mad planet as they danced, binding, blinding, the firewalls falling one by one before the icebreakers, laying bare the deepest data cores.

Then, the final phrase: "Scourge of God, Black Huntsman, Worldeater Dragon. Thrice we call, you for aid: Samiel, Samiel, Samiel."

Around the star, the clouds of cosmic dust pulsed, drew together, wove themselves into a serpentine shape, blotting out the sun. The dragon uncoiled, opened its jaws, then fell into dust. The Poison Wind rained down on the defenceless planet, a stream of nanoparticles too small and numerous for any weapon to lock on to. They found their way through exhaust ports and the gates of the dead, where once the corpses of Memra's inhabitants had been digested and uploaded. They chewed through geographical strata of cables and circuits, deeper and deeper, until Memra fell silent again and only dust remained.

https://i.ibb.co/tPzZDb7/3101c9b7d5b826c378b2baece29fe8a7.jpg


The Fountains of Paradise
https://images.nightcafe.studio/jobs/TInyN35RvxBtVBvCJEQP/TInyN35RvxBtVBvCJEQP_4x.jpg?tr=w-1600,c-at_max
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"In the name of God, the all-compassionate, the merciful, he who leads the faithful to safety:

War has come to Principia. Some War may be Just, much of it is brutal and senseless. As such, the Muridun see it as our duty to do what we can to ease the burden placed upon the innocents of this sector, to prevent more genocides, loss of lives, souls and cultures.
We have taken it upon ourselves to take stewardship of as many neutral systems as we can, expanding our umbrella of protection. But we wish to do more. We are opening our doors, inviting all refugees from across the sector to settle these newly opened systems. Any help you could wish for in establishing new settlementswill be granted. The Fountains of Paradise project will be more than a refugee camp: it will be a safe haven, a living repository of all cultures and philosophies, a forum of minds and ideas, open to all ensouled sentients.
Finally, we are well aware that for many, war comes sudden and without warning, giving them no time to evacuate and make their way to safety. So, we solemnly announce the inauguration of Fleet Azrael. These unarmed, but swift ships will help evacuate any conflict zones that will arise in the near future, bringing any refugees in need safely to Muridun space."


The Obelisk of Still Waters
Ghufran looked out through the tiny sapphire porthole of his observation craft, awestruck.
"I told you, sister", he whispered to himself. "I told you it was possible."

Below him, slow waves rippled across the surface an expanse bigger than worlds.

"There is an ocean in space."

It was pure and alive, a thousand shades of sun-kissed blue, impossibly liquid.

[Eldan]

Muridun to the Judiciary [10]

At this point, we'd like to mirror the UEO's message: "Why?"

Religious considerations aside, these are our own. Humanitarian reasons aside, you may be heartless. What could you possibly gain from working with the Iron Demiurges? You have heard their own words from their own speakers. They will not stop until they have devoured the universe. That will include you. Why help them? At this point, there is very little reason for us not to see you as an enemy as well.

Everyone except the Iron Gods and the Judiciary [10]

We are largely forced to agree with the UEO. At this point, the Iron Demiurges have amply proven, and several times confirmed, that they wish to devour all of us. We can not see a reason not to stand against them.

To lend more weight to the words of the UEO: we are willing to invest our own resources into finding help against the Iron Demiurges. If you have useful resources, but do not wish to contribute them for free, we are willing to pay part of the cost in trade.

This menance has to be stopped now.

[ArcaneStomper]

Sages of Iettis VI
Reputation: Adored
Morale: 9

Emergency Session: Umbra
The Eldst sends out a call for all factions to attend this decade's Grand Conference. Regardless of past attendance or current animosities the sector is facing a massive crisis that requires everyone to come together to defeat. As a first proposal the Sages will commit to sending [5 points] to fight the Umbra, and ask that every faction in Principia do the same.

Greetings Theophania, Tutor of applied thaumaturgy,

First let us reiterate that we are apologetic that your efforts to set up a trade outpost did not pan out. We commit ourselves to helping you negotiate with the relevant parties if you wish to attempt to do so this decade. Second we ask whether you have a plan in mind for aiding the Lunara Collective. Since we are now established in the neighboring system we are ready and able to commit to aiding their efforts this decade.

Finally we were not able to help the Stewards as we would have liked, but we were able to speak with them about their Silent Cartographer project and we were very keen to enlist its aid in our own explorations. Now that you have completed the project we wonder if you would be willing to overseer our expeditions with its guidance? We would be willing to provide some fee in exchange.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings Trade representative Iapetus Smithson Forge the 4th, LLB DDC Bar,

We are concerned with the your war with the UEO. It seems just a little unjustified given that you were not directly targeted by them nor asked by the Grand Republic to intervene. Can you please explain your reasoning to us. We are not sure we follow the legal briefings wherein you declared war.

Also will you be able to repay your loan from us this decade? We understand if the war effort impedes your ability to do so.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings All,

We are pleased to announce that the Bheura Trust has been successfully completed. All that is left is to officially name the shareholders of the Trust. However do to the confusing political situation currently we ask for some patience as we attempt to clarify some issues. We will make the official designations in five years time. (At midturn).

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings,

It took us far too long to move into a position where we could aid you effectively, but we have finally done so, and ready to provide our assistance. We hope that nothing has changed on your end.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest

Greetings to the Covenant of the Ninety,

Legion appears to have performed very well. We hope there will be no issues if we continue working with you again this decade.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest


We wonder if you are willing to accept our offer of aid now, or if you still deem us unfit for association.

To a Collaborative Future,
The Eldest


Greetings Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven,

We have two items we wish to discuss with the Iron Gods. First your treatment of Bheura Prime is concerning. We spoke before of your treatment of those you deem unfit, and you mentioned that you were willing to trade them to us in return for biomass. But rather than leaving them for us in Bheura we found that you had killed everyone who was unwilling to convert in repeated cycles of genocide. We are concerned and appalled at both the waste and disregard for their choices. It's all very well to say that the people in your systems are happy and satisfied, but not when that was achieved by killing everyone who was dissented.

Second we would like an explanation for your intended usage of Garuda in your war with the UEO. Your claim to us of your intended usage was not a lie exactly, but we can see now that it did not mean what we thought it did. We understand now why the UEO was so adamantly opposed to our lending you Garuda.

To an Explanatory Future,
The Eldest

Greetings,

We are still very displeased that you threatened us with war. If you had told us what the Iron Gods intended we would have withdrawn our offer of Garuda. We understand that you feel you must do these things to live up to your ideals, but they seem to be leading you to self destruction, when a more measured approach would be safer and more effective.

Still we are not best pleased with the Iron Gods either at the moment. We had considered not offering our services as mediators in case of bias. But we feel we can once again take a neutral position on the matter. As such we offer to mediate between you and the Iron Gods and Judiciary Collective to bring your war to a peaceful resolution.

To a Peaceful Future,
The Eldest

[Hamste]

Unity Party
Morale 6

Over the past years the Unity Party has been surprisingly quiet. Expanding a bit and talking about their new product but they seem to have turned inward. For the most part those who would watch them would find them rearranging their machines. The combinations and placement of machines don't readily make sense, shoes could be produced at the same place as psienhancers and both are next to a laboratory. Yet somehow it is working production is ramping up despite the lack of obvious logic to it and analysts can only conclude some sort of psionics chicanery could make it work. As the days tick down to the end of the 10 year plan and the start of a grand economic future the Party celebrates. The guards who have never left the machine the entire time the data was input can finally relax even if it's just a short while as the machine starts to optimize the universe's markets.


With this new decade we are proud to announce that we have opened the doors to investment. Anyone giving [3 t econ] will receive [1 stat] back. We are also offering a special deal of [2 t econ] for an [econ] back. Thanks to our unification with Equilibrium Inc. you may be in range for trade even if normally you weren't and at a reduced cost! Check in for confirmation if we can trade or not and cost for transportation. Additional alternate deals may be made if we have good relations.

May we all prosper and unify to a better tomorrow.




We weren't planning to speak publicly anyways.

The current cost is [3 t econ] for [1 stat] and [2 t econ] for a [p. econ back]. We are also willing to consider stat trade ins if you wish to trade some of your [permanent stat] along with a [t econ] for [p. morale], [p. sci] or [p. psi] depending on what exactly is offered and if anyone else wishes to make an offer.

We look forward to working with you and may your path stand united.



Emergency Session: Umbra
Consider this option though, instead of trying to drive off Umbra how about we just do a relief fund? It would most likely be cheaper to rebuild all the infrastructure than it would be to toss food into its mouth until it leaves and for those who don't use disposable bodies, could use some of the fund to set up an evacuation when it becomes clear who it is going for.

[St. Justicar]

The Iron Gods of Ur

https://i.imgur.com/YAEeVfV.png

Reputation: Dread, Encryption Level 18



The message is encoded in a burst of white noise originating in Baraka, sent simultaneously with a long-predicted solar flare large enough to blind most sensor equipment that might have been capable of catching it.


Estimations of UEO < reality
Optimism re: security unfounded.
Rectified?

Judiciary remains cobelligerent y/n?
Joint Planning y/n?

Propose eyes-only meeting
Find date and coordinates attached
Else stress caution in insecure coms




Oh Learned Eldest,

I offer ten thousand apologies for the matter of the Garuda. I might claim the bad example of the Jurists is influencing my character, but truthfully it was a matter of ambiguity. There were multiple plans in competition, strategies and logistics still in flux- as the messages provided by the Gaskites prove, the entire attack that it was to lead was set aside, and would have been regardless. Should you have provided the Garuda, it would have been sent to secure the Mensah system, freeing up ANAT and her retinue to instead conquer Hyral [68] and finally make good on the God’s claimed borders. There is, I admit, no way to prove this, but you have my solemn oath it is the truth what my EOT looked like before you changed your mind

for any disquiet you might have felt on claim Bheura, but I am afraid there is a misunderstanding – the purifying of the system’s genetic stock occurred in the years after it was first secured. Your protests were only heard recently, decades after it had occurred. The Gods are mighty, but they have not yet mastered causality.

But your concerns were heard – though there is certainly an element of strategy as well, I must admit. Regardless, there are at present 1,117,859 mortals on Barakan Prime, all the atavists and degenerates who survived the initial conquest among them. I have in fact instructed to request your help in provisioning them – though at present they cannot be allowed to leave the planet, insurance against the good behaviour of the Gaskites.

To doubly impose, the Great God ENLIL has devised terms for peace that all of Heaven would accept, if the primtivists acquiesce. They would have you mediate and host a conference on Haven, as their last message has made it quite clear that no direct communication from me is likely to be successful.

Finally, should you feel charitable, on a personal level I would greatly appreciate knowing just what sort of offer they have made to the entire sector save my patrons and the jurists.

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven




The message is routed through the Urrite embassy on Haven and seemingly a response to an Equilibrium Inc promotional mailer. The meta-data is filled with enough high security keywords to make sure it gets in front of the right eyes, and contains a secondary message.

The actual message

Your rates are almost incredible – is there a profit in this hidden away in some technicality or arbitrage, or do you undertake this out of the goodness of your heart?

Regardless, and more practically – do the rates stand if one might wish to secure the permanent services of labour battalions, security networks, hunter-killer arrays, and similar practicalities? [OOC – that is, making Mor]
The hidden message

I hope the work gangs provided by ENLIL in the past years were satisfactory?

The question is both courtesy and reminder – your close border with the realms of Heaven has proven profitable, has it not? And it must not be lost upon you that should the primitivists rally the galaxy around deicide, your experiment in Union will be found precisely as loathsome just as soon as they find themselves in need of new quarry.

I would prefer you side with destiny and civilization, of course, but in practicalities I simply ask you maintain at least a true neutrality, if not a favourable one. Offer no deals or bargains to the Gaskites which are not open to all, and do not subsidize their blasphemy.

Should you feel charitable, on a personal level I would greatly appreciate knowing just what sort of offer they have made to the entire sector save my patrons and the jurists.

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven





The message is accompanied by the gift of the courier-ship which carries it – a curiosity found in the Ship Foundries of Tauk, an ancient construct of psionic crystal which happens to refract starlight starlight in particularly beautiful and mesmerizing patterns as it cuts through them in flight.

The crew, six Elirans of lesser noble stock with just about psychic ability between them to keep the ship moving in a straight line, are likewise placed at Antares’ disposal.

Hail to the Great Antares, the Empyrean Prince,

I write on behalf of the Gods, and animated by the spirit of their friendship, but I admit I hope this shall be nothing but a formality.
The Gaskites have undoubtedly reached out to you for aid against the Armada of Heaven. If you will excuse the request, I merely ask you reaffirm the compact you so virtuously entered into some 36.7 stellar years ago, granting your own Crusade a sphere of influence across the southern reaches of Principia, and my own patrons across the north.

Should you feel generous, for my own diplomatic correspondence I would be quite grateful for the details of whatever intrigue they have approached all the principalities of the sector save the Judiciary with.

Glory and Victory to you,

-Asharra, Priestess of ENLIL, Favoured Voice of Heaven





The message is sent using UEO coms. Well, Fotuan coms, technically – the internal systems of a particular Valkyrie battlesuit, carefully preserved as the suit itself was butchered.

The message is text-only, broadcast on an endless loop. A list of 1,117,859 names, with attached tags for species, age, and ‘severe injuries’. Every one of them someone’s loved one, thought dead or worse with the fall of Barakan.

At the very top of the list is one Alika Lithany