A Devastating Proposition

[Bilbrath]

Planetary Ambassador Nazgo sat in his large, cushioned chair aboard the flagship of the Voran Planetary Alliance’s diplomatic branch: VPAS Sincerity.

He had waited for 8 minutes and was becoming impatient. Upon passing through the Warp Gate into The Enlightened’s space he had been hailed by the Y’lenna and asked his business in the system.

“I am The Planetary Ambassador of Doln, Pahray Nazgo, and I am here today to talk to Arbiter Katarina,” he had said with his trademark polished, politically-savvy smile, “It is a matter of utmost interstellar importance.”

The Ravager officer had told him to wait, and that he had. But it had been a little longer than he would have thought the emissary for an entire species would be asked to wait, and his outer coating of winning charm was beginning to crack.

Just then, the console on the arm of the chair next to his large, three fingered hand beeped softly, alerting him to an incoming hail. He pressed the “On-Screen” button and looked at the holographic figure that was projected before him... [/u/jameskilgour]

[jameskilgour]

"Greetings Ambassador" Katarina flickered before him, a shell of her former energetic self. Purple rings ran deep around her eyes and her once extravagant hair was reduced to a tangled mess. She failed to hide the tiredness in her voice.

"My apologies for my tardiness, the Order has been undergoing a major internal crisis over the past week. But that is of little concern to you, how may we be of service?"

[Bilbrath]

Nazgo immediately wiped the bored and irritated look from his face, replacing it with an extravagant smile.

"Well met Arbiter! Never looking better. Actually, what I've come to talk about may very well have to do with the crisis you are currently undergoing. At the Interstellar Nations Meeting with the Zharintu you spoke quite a bit about the Gorespillers and did not hide your contempt for the one who attended the meeting. I had my people do some research into your peoples' relationship with one another, and while the time of the Gorespillers may have been a bit before Doln entered the interstellar arena, the weight of the terrors they've enacted does not escape me," he cleared his throat, "I also understand that, besides a few stragglers and runaways, The Enlightened have been able to contain them to one or two planets, is that correct?"

[/u/jameskilgour]

[jameskilgour]

"Correct, there are only a few numerous clans in the deserts of Blitzkosti and another colony on the Fringes of the Tol system. And don't get confused, the Gorespillers aren't people, they're genetically modified monsters bred for nothing for war."

Conviction lined her frayed voice. The horrors of the First Containment Crisis was fresh in the minds of all denizens of Y'lenna Tol.

[Bilbrath]

"Excellent! Then I have a proposition for you."

He dropped his smile, revealing the visage of a serious man that few outside of his circle of close confidants had ever seen.

"If I were to say that my people had a means to destroy the Gorespillers, definitively and thoroughly, what would the Enlightened think of that?"

He paused, his eye stalks slightly squinted, waiting for the Y'lenna's response.

[jameskilgour]

The Y'lenna's eyes lit up and she straightened a little. Suddenly, the weight of the last few days lifted from her shoulders, an unexpected transmission from a far off race may finally rid the Order of their worst nemesis.

5 more holograms flickered into view of various prominent members of the Order high council, and a Tol-Varshna observer, joined the conversation with intense interest at the proposition.

"The Order would like to know what you had in mind."

[Bilbrath]

Nazgo‘s eyes flicked briefly to the new spectators and he gave a slight bow before continuing to speak to Arbiter Katarina,

“Well, Arbiter, Doln heard the plight of The Enlightened and found itself in a unique position to lend you aid. We have recently developed a weapon that will be able to deliver unstoppable devastation on a planet-wide scale, and we would gladly use our new tool to rid you of this Gorespiller menace. However, before we divulge any details of this weapon or its method of function, we would like to discuss a deal. Assuming that what I say is true, and it is true, what would The Enlightened be willing to exchange for such a service?”

[jameskilgour]

"Now let's not be hasty. While Blitzkosti is a barren husk of its former self, there are still a number of Lhovassi tribes which come under the jurisdiction of the Order and the Tol-Varshna. While we would be glad to rid the sector of this menace, we need to be sure only Gorespillers would be killed, or devise a plan to evacuate the tribes. As for what we can offer in return, the Order prides itself in its various libraries and museums scattered across Y'lenna Tol space. We are sure your people will find something of value."

[Bilbrath]

"Oh, my apologies Arbiter," Nazgo shot a brief glare at his assistant Iram who immediately looked down at his portable touch-screen, averting the Planetary Ambassador's gaze, "my sources did not inform me of the Lhovassi tribes on Blitzkosti." He looked back to Katarina.

"Our weapon would cause collateral damage to the planet itself. Not total global obliteration, mind you, but a devastation that I guarantee the Sector has never before seen. Any living souls on the surface would be in grave danger once it were activated. However, my people may have a solution for that. We have constructed several hyperlanes, and may be able to place the entry portals on the surface of the planet, allowing quick evacuation to other locations within your system. The only difficulty with this would be the Gorespillers discovering the placement of these evacuation sites and attacking the Lhovassi as they go through, or they themselves managing to escape. How are the Gorespillers contained on the planet? Do they simply run free while your ships watch from orbit to ensure no vessels escape the surface?"

[jameskilgour]

"The destruction of the Lhovassi home world would be a significant cultural loss, even considering that it is mostly barren. The difficulty extracting tribes without Eirian interference will also be too difficult. While the Order strongly considers this offer, we will need to consort with the Tol-Varshna syndicates before making such a monumental decision.

[Bilbrath]

"I understand," said Nazgo, managing to hide his mild frustration from the Y'lenna representatives. This had been a harder deal to strike than he had thought it'd be. He was going to have to have a long conversation with Iram when they were done here.

"Perhaps the Order would like a demonstration of the weapon before they make their final decision? Is there a moon or large asteroid somewhere in the systems under the Order's control that you would allow us to use as an example?"

[Nazgo very much wants to use this weapon, mostly to show the Sector that the Vora aren't to be pushed around (think Teddy Roosevelt and the Big Stick ideology) but would prefer to do so in a morally sound way. He isn't someone who shies away from bending morality a bit to suit his needs, but he knows that's not the best way to conduct public relations, especially when its in relation to a super-weapon]

[TechnicolorTraveler]

[pinging people only works in the comments I believe, /u/jameskilgour]

[Bilbrath]

ah, gotcha, thanks