Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves's Story

The figure that strode through the door's into Gambit's was unusual, though in a very singular way. Clad in black trench coat and an undecorated officer's cap, he was neither particular tall or large. What drew the eye was the fact that there was not a spot of exposed flesh on him, his face wrapped in midnight silks, even his hands, grasped behind him, covered in supple leather. His appearance was of the moment, but something about his presence commanded attention.

The two men who flanked him had something to do with that. One wore power armor, a compact modular rifle held loosely in hand, while the other was more flamboyant than his companions. His formal-casual appearance was various shades of violet, and though he was unarmed he moved like what he was: an assassin. Obviously guards, but a retinue so small?

Either very skilled ones, or a minor officer.

Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves tilted his head towards the armored individual, who lifted a gloved hand to flash a sharp, short hand-sign. The smallest of nods, and he glanced to the other.

"I agree with Captain Stone, Vice Admiral. The room is clear, despite the armed individuals. Nothing we can't handle." A soft chuckle came from Jenovan, his voice surprisingly soft. It was the tone that held the iron edged command. "Very well Jet, Ethan. So this is the infamous Gambit's Bar? I'll admit, I expected more from Dylan's briefings."

Striding towards a corner table, the admiral took a seat in the farther chair. Jet and Ethan pushes the spares aside and likewise sat, the latter's held splitting apart to reveal a weathered, scarred face. Tapping out orders for the three of them, Grieves looked first to the Steel Wolf Captain as he set a small device at the center of the table. The air around the trio blurred as if being buffeted.

"Captain, your assessment?" The privacy field blocked all but the tone of sound, while making it all but impossible to lipread. The soldier took a breath. "The reinforcements delivered by the Devastator and her parasites have bolstered our planetside assets by about 110%. Fleet's up 30%, but against most of those sailing the black we're now about equal to most fleets. Short engagements, but your flagship gives us a very decisive edge."

Glancing to Jet, the assassin shrugged. "Husk's arrival means we can eliminate virtually any target of opportunity that arises, assuming proximity. The delivery of our Talons and Hawks are of greater worth. Intelligence is nearing 90% accuracy within a 72 hour window, and specialist support gives us some...interesting alternatives to military strikes."

"Excellent. Our arrival came with a price, however. Mori and Mjolnir have been set back at least three months, granted the Hellhole finishes its expansion in time."

Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves is also here.

The DWU Devastator and its escorts slid through the dark infinity like shadowed blades. A super-carrier class vessel flanked by its detached parasite cruisers, they sailed with an almost delicate precision, their gravity drives smoothly reacting to the incoming summons.

Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves looked out upon the almost silent bridge of his ship, the operating crew reclined against their crash couches, interface headsets set snugly against the contact ports of their implants. His wrapped face tilted as a holo blinked into the air at his command post, hidden eyes quickly scanning his navigator's update as the message played.

"Comm open channel with Taiyou operators."

"This is Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves of the Dark World Union Devastator, adhering to approach vector. Intentions are diplomatic in nature, Taiyou Control."

Stated as safely as possible, considering the surprising lack of intelligence regarding the Empire's structuring. The admiral made a note to inform the Scouts of the oversight.

Grieves leaned in closer to the almost instant navigator's summary, blessing the efficiency of the linked crew and AI network. Despite his preference of now antiquated style of command, he couldn't complain at the results, even if he technically was the weak link.

Aside from his particular talent, and fleet strategic planning, of course.

"Acknowledged."

Muting the link with a sweep of his hand over the holo-display, the Admiral turned his attention to the escorts that drew near. Tactical's summary joined Nav's, and his perusal made him snort. They were indeed here on diplomatic reasons, but Devastator alone massed more than the trio, with far heavier armament in the form of her primary eight 200mm Abyss Cannons. Quantity becomes quality at a degree, however. Of course, that's why we made carriers to begin with.

Drawing closer to the planet, Grieves felt more keenly than most the shift from grav-drive to counter-grav, the singularity of the planet now strong enough to reverse for power. Thrusters flared occasionally for slight course adjustments as the trio closed ranks.

"Envy and Spite to rear quarter, forward eight docks." His words carried swiftly through the neural network, reaching his cruisers within seconds. Even as final approach was made, the paired vessels lagged behind, parasite cables beginning their ballet to link and sync momentum. By the time that Devastor dropped to a massive landing pad on the surface, the cruisers resembled oversized engines with their connecting pylons fully engaged on the forward quarters.

Jenovan left ARG I.S. in executive command, already moving through the ship's lifts to meet his escort of paired Agents. After a brief, formal greeting, they departed for the shuttle bay, where they boarded a waiting Owl dropship. Settling at the landing point, the Vice Admiral disembarked.

"Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves, your Highness. Thank you for your hospitality, especially on such short notice." The Admiral himself was slightly shorter than the Crown Prince at 5'8", though his heritage was left an enigma from the silk wrappings around his face. Indeed, he seemed not much different from the black coated Agents that stood a pace behind him, save for his rather plain cap. All three carried but sidearms at the belts each wore.

"A rather impressive sight, Niihama. Rather reminiscent of home, although on a grander scale." The Admiral inclined his head at this. Traditional political precursor chatter, but then he shifted quite readily to business. "As I stated on approach, we came with diplomatic intentions. It recently came to light that our original estimates on your Empire's position with the Aschen...situation, as we have come to call it, was not as we first believed."

Jenovan's eyes narrowed on Takayama, curious as to see the effect of his statement. His choice of garb was not as eccentric as it seemed, for it made him a rather tricky negotiator.

"Of course." Keeping pace, a subtle twitch of his fingers signaled the Agents to fall behind. The Admiral had chosen the pair for their combination of talents. One an astropath, projecting the meeting back to a cyberpath, who fed the thoughts into a holobank. The other was the bodyguard, a powerful telekinetic far more adept with him mind than the sidearm he carried.

Jenovan continued as they walked towards the Palace. "It was as we thought then. Original, preliminary reports far outdated pointed towards an alliance of sorts, though this has thus far been altered. Our own position is regards to the Aschen State is...still under discussion with those higher than I. My apologies for the incorrect assessments of our first intelligence agents."

Having spoken, Grieves clasped his hands behind him as he strode forward. His visit was meant to be a preliminary, an evaluation. Policy had already been decided, of course. This was merely a measuring of potential allies. Or customers.

"It is not so much born of hostile actions as it is a matter of business." The Vice Admiral was very careful in his choice of words. This was a matter of allowing certain information to be known while preserving that more closely guarded by Dark Rain. "Some time ago, a portion of our military forces which hire out as mercenaries were engaged in a contract with the Aschen. They were slated to receive more than our usual fee to withhold actions during conflict with Terra, and yet payment never arrived."

"This would normally be resolved through legal means in the form of a suit. However, conflict was resumed in what we were told was a diplomatic armistice." Jenovan shrugged. "It was ruled that though the fees would be dropped, investigation was necessary. And a course decided based on the findings. As seen, they were not found in favor."

Dancing around the more blunt truth that in addition to aggressive expansionism, the Aschen simply couldn't be trusted was more difficult than he cared for. However, it was better than explaining what the UDW's answer was. He doubted many could understand the severity behind the reaction, in absence of a detailed history of its inception.

Jenovan studied Shimizu carefully, searching for clues in facial expressions, body posture and language. Anything that might betray the politician's thoughts. As he followed the Crown Prince to a table, he took a chair. That the accent had shifted had not gone unnoticed.

"Should the Aschen surrender to Union demands and commence the demanded reforms, Dark Rain will retract their interests. There is no need for the surrendered fees to be paid, for they were discontinued with the shift in political sentiment. And as gracious as your offer for recompense is, I could not accept. Our fee policy, if not waived in this case, demands the debted to pay."

He paused a moment to regard his Agents, not surprised to note their careful surveillance of that around them. His brief attention drew attention, however, and though no visible signal passed between them there was a notable stiffening of their postures. Business was as hand.

"To your second question, it is not so much a question of what can be done for us, but rather what we may do for you? Thus far, Dark Rain forces have been keeping a low profile within Terran space, and though our availability as a large force is unavailable at this time..." The Admiral adopted a measured posture, placing his fingers together before him as he settled back in his seat. "Smaller units are available for services, should you require them."

"Understandable. My own superiors reaction was born of much the same incident." Jenovan's skills as a negotiator showed, the admiral not even missing a beat. This meeting, though as oft happens in negotiations bloomed nothing, had been highly informative. "This revelation is quite unexpected, giving the source. Very well.

"Sometimes one must ask forgiveness, rather than permission. Until such time as surrender of the Aschen Confederation occurs, it is the policy of Dark Rain to treat them as we have expansionist political entities that become perceived as a possible threat."

Grieves leaned forward, knowing that doing so would let at least the outline of his features come into view. "Shift their focus inward. Forcefully. It has been a pleasure meeting with you, Crown Prince. Should the Taiyou ever desire the services of Dark Rain, please do not hesitate to pass on a message. Any intranet messaging system will do."

Gloved fingers tapped at the console of his command station, shrouded face observing the array of holodisplays around him. A skeleton crew manned the bridge around the Admiral, ship time reverted to standard home-world time. Paperwork and reports to sift through, and for once, Jenovan was simply thankful for the peace night cycles brought. The war as his various scouts and transmissions from the Scouts, Agency, and even Midnight were filing was simple lunacy.

"Who the hell are you all shooting at, you fools?" The man softly whispered, pausing to rub the bridge of his nose through the cloth covering his face. Admiral he may be, the wars he'd witnessed in these sectors was depressing. Vast losses of life, and for what? Momentary gain of systems whose worth was questionable in the first place? A simple relief to Jenovan that thus far, the UDW home systems had escaped notice.

I'd almost say it'd be more humane to start jumping fleets and simply taking them out to the last ship. And then keep doing it, until not one other politic has armed ships flying around. A sentiment only harbored for the moment, for he knew all to well a few sects within the military and the government who would enjoy that all too well.

Numerous thrums of sidearms exiting standby mode, Jenovan flicking a hand to close his displays. The bridge crew one and all had turned to level arms on the intruder, and so he abstained his own weapon to rise and step around to see this strang woman for himself. And on seeing her, promptly swore.

"A.R.G., assume control of internal turrets. Cover the Empress." His other had flicked through a series of signals, an odd thing for a naval officer to know. The skeleton crew turned back reluctantly to their stations as menacing turrets dropped from the ceiling to swivel soundlessly onto target.

Admiral Grieves strode forward, crossing his arms before him. "Well, technically you are. Which brings to mind, what in the Abyss is the Empress of the Aschen doing on my ship, much less my bridge? And, if memory serves, a dead Empress at that?"

Jerking his shrouded head to the left, he turned and headed towards a bulkhead, twitching a finger across for the camera at its top. The door slid aside with but a quiet hiss. "In here."

A few moments later, the pair were ensconced in the Admiral's private quarters, which though larger than expected, was still naval standard. Which meant Grieves sat on the other side of a small, two person table, gesturing at the other seat.

"Sit, and speak. Though I'm not sure what I can do to help, given the situation caused by the last representative of the Aschen. Raphael's lucky the fleet was simply recalled when the check never came."

Jenovan stared at Kianna for a long moment, then held up a finger for a moment. "A.R.G. Line to Ryder. Now."

But ten seconds later, a holopane flickered into existence at the side of the table, a man rubbing his eyes before sliding a pair of glasses onto his face. His appearance was one of waking from sleep, and it was clear he hadn't even bothered with a shirt. "Jenovan, what the fu-"

His eyes caught the other in the room and widened. Grieves spoke before Dylan could. "Kianna, repeat what you just told me, if you would."

"You have our attention, Kianna. I won't bother asking about how you are sitting here after watching that execution." Dylan recovered admirably, expression settling into a hard eyed gaze. "Iblis will be discussed at a later time, I hope. So, as I see it, Varden, Taiyou, and UCON. I'll try and get voices to the Varden and UCON, but Taiyou has been crossing lines here with the Council. Kianna, do you have a particular request, and any suggestions?"

Jenovan, for his part, had opened a new holodisplay, and from the icons gleaming on it was perusing the tactical situations in various sectors. The cant of his wrapped head indicated he was listening with one ear, even as a second pane opened that his fingers began to play over.

Dylan's face watched stonily as she spoke, his expression that of a mask. When she had finished, however, he sighed. "I will admit, that my initial anger with the Aschen has been eased somewhat with recent actions, yet there are some that Mollem has enacted that still don't rest well with those in the UDW with clearance to view the reports. We will agree to aid the Aschen, under the conditions of reforms will be enacted and certain crimes handled when the situation is stable again."

"Jenovan, make for Aschen space with your fleet. Attach the []Hellgate[/i] to the Devastator and get it charging. I want a gate opened when you arrive, but in the meantime I'm sending Dragnipur under TD." The admiral nodded, excusing himself to exit the room. Dylan watched for a moment, waiting for the door to hiss shut, then his gaze returned to the woman within. A weight seemed to emanate from his image, almost like a pressure in the air.

"All I will say, Kianna, is this had better be fair play. All cards on the table visible, no tricks. If you're playing fair, the Taiyou at the very least are about to get their fleets hammered out of Aschen territory, and I plan to maul them badly enough they won't be returning soon."

The pressure seemed to focus, a sensation like a hand at Kianna's throat. "Betray us, however, and Dragnipur will be armed for the reprisal."

"That is why Jenovan's fleet is merely making a stop, dropping Hellgate along the Taiyou axis." Dylan himself did not notice the blunting of his influence, the subconscious nature of his mental actions simply happening, regardless of effectiveness. "The Devastator and her attached fleet will continue through to meet this Pegasus threat. I would recommend getting a message to your people and shifting fleets around, concentrating your forces along the axis of threats you can handle on even footing. I'm also activating Pariah fleet to aid the Terran system."

"Business aside, two questions. Who is this young woman, and what is Pegasus Project?"

The degree of Ryder's gaze sharpened at the name, and he uttered but a single statement in regards to it.

"I trust she is hale. What manner of technology can Jenovan expect from the Project?" Dylan had moved past the mention of Whisper, simply making a mental note to keep track of it.

"Haven't crossed them, that I know of. However, we'll see how Altaran technology matches up against our own." Off screen, the man tapped out a message to intelligence to start looking into it. "Any other immediate concerns?"

Alright. Gimme a bit, got some stuff IRL.

The hypercarrier Devastator carved its way back into real space, arriving at the coordinates Kianna had provided. All around the immense starship, supercruisers, battleships, and destroyers materialized as they disengaged their tunnel drives, immediately launching their smaller escorts and fighter swarms. The battlegroup was by no means a full fleet, but as the parasite cruisers undocked from his ship, Jenovan stared out his bridge's display at the arrayed vessels and found the sight satisfying in a deadly way. The formation spread itself, the nearly eighty vessels clearing the firing lines of the hundreds of Abyss Cannons that bristled from every ship. Fighters, bombers, platforms and AIM mechs swarmed through the vacuum, moving to join their squadrons and reach their assigned coordinates.

His bridge lie in their couches around him, yet the Admiral himself sat strapped into his command seat, his holodisplays glaring before him. "Com, open lines to the battlegroup." A moment later, a light to confirm the connection. "This is Admiral Grieves to the Devastator Group. We hold this line, ladies and gentleman, and we show the Aschen why the Dark Rain are feared across half the stars."

Though he could not hear it, across the bridges and halls of his vessels, the sound of a simultaneous salute, fists crashing into chests and breastplates, answered his words. Eyes turned and stonily watched the space for the ships of the Pegasus Project Kianna had spoken of, the naval pilots and soldiers aware of the standing orders.

Shoot on sight, and terminate with extreme prejudice.

The Admiral took a moment to stretch his own arms, and as they settled back down, a muted glow came from his eyes, strong enough to shine through the silks that shrouded them. A sign that in addition to the vessels under his command, there was another weapon in the battle to come that was being wielded, and it lay solely in Jenovan's hands.

Nearly a week after his meeting, Dylan Ryder found himself standing on yet another bridge, the reminiscing with the two men who stood at either side of him at an end as they looked on at the images before them. Glancing at the one to his left, he nodded at him.

Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves nodded back, his voice calling across the compartment. "Navigation, bring us to a stop. Communications, get us a listening post and a long range hail. Scan, keep an eye around us. Fire control..."

The orders continued to rattle off, Ryder turning now to the man on his right. Jonathan Killian looked as composed as ever, his hands on the top of the walking stick he'd adopted sometime in the past year. The air of a calculated gentleman looked back at him, bringing a slight smile to the councilor's face. "Ready for some diplomacy, Jon?"

The voice that responded still held the tone of the Irish in his lineage, though the accent was purely Void, Town-District. Mirthful eyes glanced back to the screens, a chuckle sounding in his throat. "But of course, my comrade. You aren't the only one fluent in the language of politics, eh Dylan."

"I suppose not." Jenovan's tapping at his shoulder brought Dylan back to the task at hand, and he nodded, gesturing for the two of them to walk to the comm pad with him. Once all in place, the councilor settled his hands before him, looking at the viewscreen expectantly. "Long range hail, begin."

"To the Aschen Command of Tal'Dor Anchorage, this is Councilor Dylan Ryder of the United Dark Worlds, more commonly referred to as the Dark Rain. This is an extreme long range hail to any comm stations listening. With me are Vice Admiral Jenovan Grieves of the UDW Navy and Jonathan Tetra of our Intelligence Branch." The comm station would pick up audio and video of the men, digital programming creating a background of a conference room. "We are aboard the UDW Devastator, requesting permission to approach. We are here for diplomatic talks, and our escort will remain at the edge of Aschen space while we do so. Our weapons are powered down, but until we receive confirmation of peaceful intent, our shields remain active. Awaiting your response."

The personnel of the Comm station gave them a thumbs up, the men relaxing for the moment as the message was transmitted.

There was silence, static. No response to the hail. Perhaps no one was listening? Perhaps no one received the hail. Or perhaps they were being ignored.

Ten minutes went by, and there was no response on the comms, ten minutes turned to twenty, twenty to thirty and still no response...


----


Exactly forty nine minutes and thirty seconds had passed, before a massive ship flickered in, roughly half an AU from the UDW Devastator


The Ship itself was nearly sixty kilometers in length, it's imposing, bulbous form contrasting against the black envelope of space.

A fully immersive, three-dimensional interface surrounded Chairman Inviere on this strange ship, which had made haste from Langara once the hail was forwarded through FTL Communications arrays. The Chairman stood at the center, transmitting thoughts through a conductive neural podium resting under her hand. This allowed near instantaneous communications and dissemination of directives to all six Synced Artificial Intelligence systems.

Inviere didn't even utter an order, and the communication screen was brought up, along with weapons banks mounted on the front of this massive vessel. They weren't your typical Aschen weapons either, rather they were strange domes of shimmering white materials, which glowed and pulsed with a strange energy, only swiveling slightly to draw a firing solution.

Any attempts to garner any sort of scan on this strange vessel resulted in feedback that would threaten any machinery with an eruption of sparks and glitches, along with a healthy sheen of static and strange space. The ship did not, in any way shape or form resemble anything the Aschen had ever managed to build. Nor did it resemble any known Aschen vessel.

---

The Screen moved forward, completely immersing Inviere in a holographic representation of the Dark Rain ship's bridge, likewise on the bridge of the UDW Devastator, there would be a white flash, and a shimmering translucent apparition, that inevitably solidified to the form of Gina Inviere. This was not teleportation, as any moves to grab her would result in them passing right through her. Little more than a highly advanced holographic representation.

"UDW Devastator, this is Chairman Gina Inviere, of the AHSC Flagship Foreshadow. State the nature of your diplomacy and the reason for seeking us out. Due to the lockdown, travel through Aschen space is strictly forbidden, passage will require one of our vessels.

Of whom do you seek an audience?"

Dylan and Jonathan took the sudden appearance in calm, Jenovan betraying a tension. The admiral gave a curt nod to Comm, resuming the dialogue. Their response was directed along the same frequency as the address.

The Councilman broke the silence. "Intelligence reports that a regime change had occurred, and we wish for an audience of the current ruling party of the Aschen. The nature of our diplomacy is a solidified agreement of alliance between our two nations, enabling the beneficial exchange of trade and mutual protection. Mr. Tetra?"

The man stepped forward, his posture measured. "As a demonstration of this willingness, we request that this ship be allowed to continue, escorted. To aptly demonstrate the technologies we have available, this vessel is a fine subject, as well as carrying products ill suited for exchanging between ships. The shipboard AI can be commanded to lock out all requested controls to the Councilor here, and its crew complement is only the standard Navy enlisted to operate its functions and technicians who can demonstrate the fullest measure of what we bring."

Grieves stepped from the two man, answering a wave from Sensor array. Sparing him a glance, Dylan returned a steady gaze to the projection.

The Devastator remained as it was, the weapons on its surface locked in place. However, there was no such method of locking its main cannon in place, the yawning bore at its bow simply resting in opposition to the unusual spheres. Aside from the primary power plants, life support, and the lit shield projectors, the vessel was still and silent.

The shimmering hologram of Inviere simply shook her head. "I'm sorry, but the conditions of the lockdown are very strict. If you want to demonstrate technologies, those arrangements can be made, but for this initial contact. I cannot allow your vessel passage. I also cannot allow you to bring any weapons into Aschen space." She said, shifting her weight and bringing her gaze on the men before her.

"Yes, Democracy has prevailed in the Aschen core, we managed to overthrow the Empire and re-establish the Aschen Confederation. Any contracts the Divine Shadow has made with your group are void, that does not mean however, that we are opposed to meeting and negotiating with your people. But we can't back an illegal regime." Inviere explained

"All negotiations would be with the Quorum and the President, but because of recent events we have to be very strict with our lockdown."

"Do you have ways to board this ship?" Inviere asked.