111.02.04
Minmatar Republic Space
System: Classified
Casiella Truza looks around the room at her management staff. A conference table occupies the center of the space, with a small holo console in front of each chair. Proud paintings of past Minmatar heroes drape the walls, though no one in the room paid them even the scantiest of attention. Two Caldari men, one with a nasty scar over his right eye and the other with abundant evidence of cybernetic implants jutting out from his face and skull, look right back at her, as does her young aide Verokina (albeit with slight hesitation) and the holoavatar of a modern-looking Gallente woman with short, white hair. Other aides stand around the walls, though only a few sit in the chairs provided for them.
Clearly, Casiella is the center of gravity of the room. Though this might strike some observers as odd given her small, petite frame, other more astute observers would note the intelligence in her eyes and the confidence of her posture. To kick things off, she inquires about the progress of the research project and an update on the security concerns that her staff had brought to her attention. “Raimo first, then Joron.”
One of the Caldari men, the obviously-implanted and nervous Deteis, glances around the room before speaking with a hint of hesitation and a faintly metallic, raspy voice. “Uploads proceed normally. We have reached 27% completion. To date, our processing facilities have not reached capacity and the original design continues to appear solid.”
The group murmurs with approval. The second Caldari man – large, bulky, and imposing – nods and winks at Casi. “Not had any security breaches, neither. The usual constant probe signals but no real surveillance or shooting.” The gruff Civire grins, rippling the scar that extends above and below his right eye. “‘Course, if they do, I dunno if we got the guns to hold ‘em off.”
She frowns at hearing his report. “Cloaked scouts won’t show up unless they make a mistake anyway. No CONCORD or Cartel activity, though?”
He shakes his massive head. “Not a bit. CONCORD ain’t come out here in a whle and the Republic doesn’t do more then keep the gates and stations clear.” He leans forward to rest his hairy forearms on the table and clasp his hands together. After chewing on the inside of his right cheek for a few moments, he continues. “Not sure which is the biggest threat we got. Those three, podders, or even the Elders.”
The Elders haven’t shown themselves since the raids on Yulai and the Amarr Empire eight months ago. While nobody truly doubts that they keep an eye on things, they appear not to care a great deal about day-to-day events within the Republic. Even still, Casiella and her conspirators prefer that their project not draw attention.
She looks him in the eye without flinching. “Anyone in any of those groups could present a problem. We can repel minor attacks from podders, but I’d estimate that a midsize battleship squadron could turn our facility into so much salvage. And if they get to the labs and such, we’ll all face something like Eturrer’s fate.” The room goes silent like night on a desert moon. Immolation at the urging of shrieking, bloodthirsty hordes has a sobering effect on them all. “But we always knew this wouldn’t be easy. I can see about getting you upgraded defenses, but should we move the facility entirely to reduce the threat?”
Raimo shifts uncertainly. “Null-sec will essentially remove us from most CONCORD surveillance but presents a number of significant logistical challenges. We cannot store the original research data in a secure location, as we do here, and the podder threat out there easily increases by an order of magnitude or more.”
The holo avatar brightens slightly, drawing attention to herself without too much obtrusiveness. A Gallente woman and Casiella’s old friend from university, Avelle Lournache has significant experience navigating the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Federation governmental research community. “That might not be necessary. You could be relocated to the Federation in an affiliation with the University of Caille. Support for a full infomorph project will be easy to find and you need not publicize the other trials.” She smiles gently at Casiella. While their friendship had always remained exclusively at that level, Casiella has never doubted that Avelle wouldn’t object to deepening it further. They both know that that will never occur, though.
Casiella looks back at her, considering this carefully. “To where? High sec?” A curt nod. “And yet, if the Federation looks closer, that could mean real trouble for us.”
Joron clears his throat abruptly. “I don’ think we’re ready to run any flight trials anytime soon. Maybe we just need to get kind of close to null-sec so we can run ‘em out there when the time comes. This Shakor type seems like he’s always lookin’ for a reason to rile his people up, so gettin’ away from the Republic might be handy.”
This draws a sigh from Casiella. While she’d visited Bille in the Gallente Federation recently to consult with Avelle, the fact that she’d worked in the Republic for so long meant that she hadn’t developed the sort of contacts and reputation there that could streamline her manufacturing and trade activities. And, in the end, those funded this research project and the others. “Avelle, could you check with your agent…”
“But of course, my pleasure it would be.” Joron rolls his eyes and snorts but (thankfully) does not otherwise comment on Avelle’s response.
Casiella rises from the table and nods at him. “Darkdust, coordinate the planning with input from Lournache and Hamateha. I want to get underway as soon as the cruiser blueprints complete processing. Let Verokina know my bits as soon as you have them. I know you’ll have plenty, but until then I need to keep our ISK flowing and, at least for now, the White Rose Society in the dark.” She turns quickly to leave, nodding at her chief aide as she does so.
And Avelle just looks with longing at the doors as they close behind Casiella.
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