After quietly finding an isolated table, Amberley silently signaled for him to take a seat, as the two took this reprieve to collect their thoughts.
“From The Board of Governors to The Alliance Admiralty Board.. I commend you for your consistency?”
Ferris remarked, of course, Amberley couldn’t argue the comparison, perhaps she simply preferred that kind of environment?
“After The Stewards were purged, the only exception being The Council itself, I chose to forgo the entire experience. And instead.. I chose not to sacrifice my humanity for meager rewards, especially after considering The Alliance offered a better deal. So, I rejoined, got a better commission, and eventually became an Admiral before finally joining The Admiralty Board..”
Amberley’s logic was solid, The Stewards were more comparable to a cult, The Wardens a corporation, and The Curators a cult with a god complex..
While the fact alone that she had served during the last great war and survived only to somehow manage to become an A.I, use up The Stewards in doing so, before ultimately cutting ties, was somewhat reasonable considering her circumstances?
“Now, from what I can recall, Calisto had.. informed us of your death. I was invited to your funeral but couldn’t attend due to my scheduling. Strictly speaking, after Ernest’s return, it became evident you were bound to return sometime in the near future, so I refrained from sending flowers. I was also unaware you had a daughter?”
Amber recalled, surprising Ferris by the sudden revelations, and even Amber telling by his reaction?
“I see, the last contact I had with Calisto was the transfer of medical research involving newborns and cryo-pods. Your daughter after her revival was suffering from an advanced form of poison that forced her blood cells to decay, or more specifically, yours. There was something about The Arcadians being involved somehow, however, there wasn’t much to go on?”
After transferring her last known logs with Calisto and the research she sent to her, Ferris took a moment to breathe for a moment.
“It's an Arcadian Virus that ‘kills’ a specific bloodline with a history of ascendency. It was only ever used on unsanctioned clones. However, from these scans she shouldn’t have been revived had that been the case, and cryo-pods would offer little protection in that regard.. The Virus must not have been authentic, rather a crude watered down copy? One moment..”
Ferris examined as he realized how sloppy it was? The Arcadian Assassin, the previous attempts, and the evidence from the frigate.. it was far too sloppy, unorganized, and inefficient making use of failed revivals, makeshift temporal hiccups, and an inexperienced assassin.
None of it made much sense, however, that wasn’t important. For now, he knew the solution, but first he must return to Arcadia, but not now..
“A thousand apologies.. do you perhaps still have a method to contact her? Considering she believes I’m dead and her fragment in my implant refuses to budge, I fear I may have some difficulty in that regard?
It took only a moment for Amber to transfer the details and contacts.
“I would 'wait' until you have something substantial to show her, she won’t respond otherwise. I once attempted to track her, I wouldn't suggest it. I had better luck tracking a Curator-”
Amber remarked, and considering what he saw, she was right..
“I understand, and by chance, are you in contact with the others?”
Ferris’s curiosity got the best of him as Amber transferred their details.
“Roy as you know him is now a member of The Freestar Admiralty Board, however, after his visit to The Conclaves he discovered The Serum of Youth? I had always assumed it was guise for an innuendo. Reaper One, Audree discovered the same serum, as did Mercer & Evelyn. The others with the exception of The Board chose old age”
Amber revealed, while evidently, Roy married Blair who after seemingly dying returned even if she was now only ‘partially’ ascendant now and a former Curator? Something Ferris found strange, but didn’t question further.
Audree on the other hand learned he was alive through her ‘Calisto’ who changed her name to Cali curiously enough? So far, she was the only one who knew and wanted to get back in contact with him.
Mercer was.. somewhere? While Catherine, much like Audree, knew as much and also wanted to get in contact with him as she wasn’t up to date with what happened outside of her fragment trying to warn him?
However, Audree seemed like the most useful of the two while Catherine his maternal ‘elder’ sister figure. Unfortunately, considering the circumstances, he’d have far too many women in his retinue, and he wasn’t fond of that look or the rumors it may bright.
Audree, despite such an absurd comparison, was more comparable to that of a cat? She was fond to have around, she didn’t bother anyone, and no one knew what she did during the day, prompting him to send her details to Anora to sort out.
As he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes..
“It's been a month since I woke from Cryo-”
Ferris reminded himself, at least until the entire ship shook, and as the two walked to the observation window they saw The N.H.R. Chardonnay’s hull scorched.
And near it, an Arcadian Cruiser as Ferris’s expression changed to that of outright annoyance with Helen and Admiral Haze arriving by his and Amber’s side.
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“An Arcadian Cruiser? Here? General Quarters. Captain Welsh-”
Admiral Haze somberly remarked as Ferris attempted to calm himself, before coming to the realization he could not..
“Admiral Haze, do not engage, they will not fire upon your ship. I need to make a call, Helen for the time being, coordinate with Anora, she’s still on Sol with a small security detachment of marines. Update me if that changes”
Ferris calmly instructed as Amber directed him to her Alliance Dreadnought, and after boarding and entering its bridge he connected to New Harvest and made his call.. before making one more as a holographic screen appeared revealing a shadowy figure in the shape of a woman.
Who by her surprise hadn’t expected him to be on the other end..
“I’ve only recently left Cryo. Prior to Cryo I was shot in the head by an Arcadian Assassin, prior to that a member of The Seventh Temple, and prior to that an Arcadian Frigate bombarding me point blank range. While the very same Arcadian Agent poisoned my cloned child and shot her in the head as well. Now I have an Arcadian Cruiser destroying my ship and killing my crew-”
The next moment Ferris was shocked to the inch of his life and his eardrums almost ruptured.
He wanted The Rogue Arcadian Elements ‘gone’; he had enough troubles. She wouldn’t tell his mother, or ‘kill’ all of said elements, only most of them to allow him to do so himself. As to ‘who’ she was.. he had no desire to trouble himself further.
However, while she dealt with the elements on Arcadia, he had The Cruiser to deal with as he abruptly cut communications and reeled by the shock and the ringing in his ears.
And as The Arcadian Cruiser continued to bombard The Chardonnay he saw a small fleet of seven mismatched painted cruisers arrive from The Surface of Sol before getting in formation and firing all of their guns attempting to block The Cruiser’s bombardment.
This was naturally Anora buying random cruisers, taking control of them, and throwing it at The Arcadian Cruiser after they tried to destroy her home and almost made her waste credits buying Ferris furniture..
If that wasn’t all she ‘tricked’ a Ultor Penal Fleet of one dreadnought, five cruisers, and seven frigates to slipspace in and attack The Cruiser while it tore apart her makeshift fleet.
Of course they were free, while The Makeshift Fleet of Cruisers were just junkers she got for fifteen million credits in total. Unfortunately, neither The Penal Fleet nor her Fleet of Junkers lasted more than seven minutes as The Chardonnay’s hull began to buckle.
And after returning to Admiral Haze’s Flagship and back to the banquet hall he signaled The Admiral despite his reluctance, and Amber, and Helen to follow him to the observation window along with many of the guests who watched the spectacle undeterred..
Within moments, a Federation Fabricator Dreadnought appeared, surprising even Ferris as he wasn’t expecting that ship, rather The Super Dreadnought back on New Harvest.
Of course, the sight of a Federation Dreadnought fabricated based on a Titan but called a Dreadnought due to some absurd technicality that consisted of a great deal of fabricators, and only enough weapons to be considered a Dreadnought was surely a surprise to ‘some’.
And one Ferris never desired anyone to see..
“Anora do not-”
Ferris quietly whispered as Anora fired its main ‘particle’ cannon in one immense and continuous beam destroying its shields and engines before collecting the cruiser into its fabrication bay and activating its sanitization ray and slipspacing out.
“...”
Evidently, Ferris was too stunned to speak? What he just saw was everyone onboard that cruiser getting burned alive, kidnapped, and taken away. What’s worse, she was dropping off the Arcadian Cruiser back at New Harvest and using The Dreadnought Fabricator for her own system.
If that wasn’t all, The Super Dreadnought from New Harvest appeared, forcing Ferris to discreetly signal them to evacuate The Chardonnay, provide aid, and return it to New Harvest. At the very least Chardonnay survived, but at the cost of it becoming a Derelict?
“I requested support, that being The N.H.S Wagner. The Titan however.. I’m as puzzled as you are. Helen please tell Anora to stop purchasing derelicts, it’ll take some time for New Harvest to send a replacement vessel, what I don’t want however is-”
Ferris quietly explained before being all but silenced but what he saw next. A.. ‘Decommissioned’ Alliance Flagship, an Outdated Battlecruiser Variant, and one that the alliance was selling for one million credits just to get rid of due to technicalities and bureaucratic red tape.
And Anora bought it.. for ‘him’.. it had no armaments, no life support systems, and had been stripped down to its massive hull..
“The.. N.H.C. Constellation? Anora, care to explain what I’m seeing?”
And as he spoke it was no longer a whisper as Helen and ‘The’ Admiral Haze heard his words clear as day only for Anora to request ‘visual’ communications before abruptly using his gauntlet to project a holographic screen.
“Ferris, after all we’ve been through.. I believe if anyone’s ‘choice’ would carry weight, it would be ‘mine’. Before its decommissioning its hull, frame, and engines were refitted to the admiralty standard. It’s pristine. I called Ultor and they agreed to launch a shipyard into ‘this’ system in the ‘next’ hour”
Anora properly explained, leaving Ferris to only sigh only to be cut off once more.
“Subsequently, it hadn’t had a refit in the last century since they weren't very happy that I sent three penal fleets to fight an Arcadian Cruiser? However, they did assure me if it broke apart after slipspace reentry that they’d send another one-”
And as if on cue, something had soon slipspaced in orbit, evidently, she made up the ETA considering they didn’t in fact tell her? Unfortunately, as it was a shipyard, and its thrusters were only designed to reside in an asteroid belt, it broke apart in orbit..
Prompting Ferris to stare at the scene for several moments having realized it was either his thoughts had materialized as he thought them, or he now had the terrible ability to foresee Anora’s eventual failings?
As for Anora, she unceremoniously started another call with ‘her’ Ultor Representative without ending the first one.
“You’re making me regret choosing The Wardens. No, you didn't offend me. What truly got under my skin was watching The Shipyard you promised disintegrate in Sol’s orbit, right before the eyes of the Alliance Admiralty and representatives from every major faction in this sector. To make sticking around worthwhile, I need an additional eight percent in Ultor Shares or-”
Anora unceremoniously threatened, leading to her representative, a daughter of a senior member in The Warden Council who was currently interning in Ultor to have a nervous breakdown surprising Anora and prompting her to cut communications with Ferris.
“...”
Ferris could only rub his temples having long since transferred the audio to his neural implant and went to the bar.. only to meet The Freestar Captain from earlier as the two leaned against the bar, The Freestar Captain with a cold beer, and Ferris with an entire bottle of champagne..
“Captain Welsh..”
The Freestar Captain acknowledged.
“Captain Banks.. I haven’t seen Roy-Admiral Foster in quite some time. Did he ever manage to find that farm truck of his?”
Ferris’s words were only answered with a chuckle as Banks shook his head..