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Chapter 95 - The Administrator[]
Tharkad Shipyard
Gasthaus station
Tharkad system
Lyran Commonwealth
3150
Day 4...
Things had degenerated into a shouting match. To Trillian's relief, Sharon was continuing to keep her mouth shut, but that didn't stop others from arguing and bickering loudly.
In this case, the bickering was between Yori Kurita and Julian Davion. Arguing about whether or not to extend the cease-fire, with Stone favoring it-on his terms.
"You're reactivating the Republic's grand fleet! House Davion has begun a crash program of naval rearmament! I can not leave my people unprotected from your aggression!" Yori Kurita was snarling, "Which is what your 'proposal' entails! The Combine has the right to develop our own fleet and technology!!"
"An aggressor state? Please!" Stone scoffed, "YOU attacked first!"
"We attacked the Republic, and only after your promises proved to be vacuous! House Davion attempted to invade us!"
"You certainly punished Caleb for that but, you turned around and-"
"-And counterattacked! yes, we did that. You and your Republic allies have recovered. Admirably. I'm not going to sacrifice the stability and safety of my realm for a cease-fire in hopes that you won't use your alliance as an advantage to attack the Combine. I'm not an idiot, Julian. Our realms have been at war more often than not for centuries, you're building a new naval power, you have an ally with the largest and most advanced fleet, and they have an ally with a massive and well trained army. I will not give up the Combine's navy to influence your cousin into giving up hers." Yori was adamant, "What I will offer, is this: Honor in the matter of the Republic's betrayal of the Combine has been satisfied, the Combine is whole again. I intent on remaining so. I am offering you the honest chance to end this war on a high note; you've won back what you lost from us...mostly, you can have peace with honor. At least, until you break it with us, and we can go our separate ways."
Yori turned to the assembled delegates, "The Draconis Combine is surrounded on three sides by hostile nations. some-" she looked to Julian Davion, "Have reasons, others-" she turned to face Stone, "Ambitions, and still others because we have recent history." she faced Bekker. "I'm offering peace, but I will not disarm my people while surrounded by enemies who wish us harm."
Julian glared at her, "Why now?"
"Ask your cousin why her Chief of Naval Operations so desperately wants to seek beyond the Periphery." Yori said, "I believe the Lyrans know there is another enemy-like the Clans, out there, one nobody here is prepared for. I do not want to repeat Takeshi's mistake, so I will offer you a break from this...conflict, to fortify my own nation, and invest in our own reconnaissance to discover this invader before they devour our nation."
"Who was it that saved the Combine last time?" Julian asked.
"That was a different time, Julian." She said. "I sincerely doubt you would come to our aid as Hanse or Victor did. Even if I could believe, my position would remain unchanged. Take the peace that is offered, and we can all hope I'm wrong, but the Combine will not be unprepared again."
Sharon got to her feet, "Highness, I'm not feeling well, I'll be outside." she muttered.
"Go ahead." Trillian said.
"Wait! what is she talking about??" Nikol Marik demanded.
Sharon hurried without answering, from the room.
"Is there something you're not sharing?" Bekker demanded.
"I-dammit, Sharon!" Trillian looked helplessly at the closed hatch, before turning to the others. "This is a long story but the summary is, one of the Coast Guard patrols may have found...anomalous artifacts...almost twelve years ago. I haven't let Sharon go looking, I understand she's commented on it before, but-"
"So there is something to it?" Danai Centrella Liao asked.
"We're still looking into the matter-why are you all staring at me? it could have been a prank!"
"You don't know." Nikol said, "Do you?" "Not definitively, No." Sharon answered.
"Why haven't you shared this intelligence with us!?"
"Because it's not intelligence. At least, not yet!"
SaKhan Lankeneau of the Snow Ravens stood, "What do you have?"
"A crash site, some physical samples, some dried up bodies...but the site's centuries old. There is nothing concrete so far that can even indicate that the point of origin is the right point of origin...it's Sharon's hobby project, maybe you should ask her."
"Where is she, where did she go in such a hurry?" Daoshen Liao asked, in spite of himself intrigued.
"Outside. She goes outside when she needs to...meditate? think? I'm not sure where she'll be out there, but I feel like I need to defend my Admiral from this-"
"I move that we debate a requirement that the Lyrans share their naval technology and all samples of this 'alien' culture." Julian announced, and turned to Yori, "Your proposal is accepted. Let's draw up a peace treaty but, only if you back me on getting this information they're sitting on to everyone."
"Acceptable. The Draconis Combine seconds the Federated Suns position on all data pertaining to possible extraterrestrial nonhuman intelligences."
"Does this mean we are convening a Star League again?" SaKhan Lankeneau asked.
"More like a Whitting Conference. I oppose the demand that the Lyrans share their naval technologies, but support international pressures to require they release all data on extraterrestrial entities of nonhuman nature...." Daoshen said, "...and categorically a uniform declaration that the previous naval treaties be rendered the dustbin they deserve to be. Stone gets nothing. The Confederation will give the Federated Suns a peace on their border. As Admiral Ngo pointed out four days ago, the Republic is nothing but a collection of used up worlds with a trillion or so welfare recipients. There may be more important considerations than the national pride of holding what has been drained of worth by centuries of war."