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Futuristic ᴄᴏꜱᴍɪᴄ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪᴛꜱ [ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇᴅ]
- Thread starter moonrise
- Start date
moonrise
☕️ status: Wɪʟʟ Bᴇ AFK Tɪʟʟ Mᴏɴ~
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Year 2319
Alpha Quadrant
Sector-001
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Year 2319
Alpha Quadrant
Sector-001
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Three years.
The Venus Rebellion, a desperate and bull-headed movement born out of tragedy, neglect, and suppression, had raged on for three years now; persisting, burning strong yet steady, like an undying star fighting the relentless gravitational pull of the universe. Smaller stars burned longer and would continue to share their modest brilliance with the galaxy for decades, eons, and were the only tangibility known to man to have been touched by unmatched longevity– a promise of the closest thing to eternity.
On the other hand, larger stars died so much sooner, hastily expending themselves until there was nothing left to spend. The ambitious dying star would then collapse within itself and go out with one last, big bang. Many years would pass and all that would remain was a cold and dead remnant of a once-glorious star. Such was the fate that the Venus Rebels hoped to befall the Earthian Government and the pretentious fake political entity of unity it so nobly dubbed the ‘United Planetary Federation’.
In much less words, the daring commander of the rebel forces would express his overall opinion towards the oppressive and cramped hive mind that was Earth and the UPF with: fuck them.
His name was Nathan Hale, though over these last three years of his bold crusade, he had acquired many others. Earth sought to paint him as a traitor, a threat to the galaxy. Unfortunately for them, propaganda didn’t work so well when actual footage displaying the subjugation and suffering of Venus greeted every holoscreen, commlink, public terminal, and interweb portal. Those who were previously silenced had found their voices again. As it turned out, the battle of public opinion was perhaps even more crucial than those fought with blasters and ships.
That was why Nathan’s allies and his loyal crew aboard The Temptress, had risked everything to capture IRIS-6-5000, the space station that sat at the center of the mass communications relay network, housing the only prime satellite in this corner of the galaxy that was powerful enough to transmit a signal to every device at once. Not too long after that, The Temptress received a separate transmission from the UPF: they wanted to discuss peace terms.
Back on Venus, Nathan was little more than the son of a miner, and a troublemaker to all who knew him. Official accounts would state that the Venus Rebellion only lasted three years, but the truth was it had been much longer than that. For decades tensions had been brewing and each accident followed by a pacifying-but-meaningless public apology had only served to stir the pot that was already boiling over. In response, Nathan forged himself into a soldier, a leader, a symbol of rebellion, Earth’s biggest headache.
But he himself had a headache now, and he made that known from the way he groaned and sat on the edge of the long desk of what had become known as the ‘war table’, burying his face in his hand. Moments ago, he had finished dismissing the rest of the crew, following the briefing on what was to go down once they docked. And brief, that briefing was.
“Nobody leaves the ship after we touch down, other than me and Lexy. I don’t want these stuck-up assholes getting any funny ideas about impounding my baby. Cool? Alright, good talk, guys.”
Nathan had left out the part where The Temptress used to be a First-Class United Planetary Federation frigate starship. There was no way they could recognize it now, not after all the tampering and modifications a few extraterrestrial shipmates had done to it. Still, the bigheads also knew that there weren’t too many non-UPF ships with a warp core that ran on Venerium, the very same coveted mineral that had caused this rebellion in the first place. Sweet, sweet poetic justice.
Only his second-in-command and fellow bitter Venusian, Alexander Collins, remained in the room with him now. “What’s the scoop, Lexy?,” Nathan asked as he idly combed a hand through his hair and looked over at his friend, “any chance the holofeeds are saying the UPF plans to give Venus independence and make me president?” As if.
His tone, light and humorous despite his exhaustion, implied that he wasn’t serious about the question, not that he was ever serious about much to begin with. Yet he pressed on anyway, as he always did. “Pretty sure I’d hate that job. I’ll take being named Mr. Galaxy, though. I mean, c’mon, with a face like this it’s embarrassing that it isn't already official. They’ve got my face on just about everything these days.”
The same face currently held uncertainties and a look of subtle wariness, the kinds of things Nathan would never allow the rest of the crew to see on him. He also didn’t get any sleep the night before.
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Three years was much too long. There was only so much the UPF and its council of senators could mitigate and conceal over that course of time. Despite all those tireless efforts to contain and rectify information that insisted on spreading like a disease, it had only taken a single day for everything to come crumbling down. That single stunt the Venus rebels had pulled on IRIS-6-5000 had ruined everything. And a few hours from now, Earth Senator Audrina Reegan along with the rest of the Galactic Council, would be meeting with the primary man responsible.
She had heard many things about the leader of the rebellion. It was impossible not to hear about him these days. His methods were unrefined and unconventional. From the beginning he’d been fighting a losing battle, forced to rely on cheap tactics in desperate hopes of making a splash within the pool of a galaxy where he was the equivalent of a flea, a tiny nuisance.
Well, the man had succeeded and the splash he made had been a big one, rippling throughout every star sector under UPF control. She couldn’t help but wonder if all those rebels she thought of as fools for choosing to give their lives to a cause started by a disgruntled renegade– with no proper training or military background, had seen something in Nathan Hale that she and the others hadn't, couldn’t.
His face, smug and thoroughly unashamed, was being displayed on the holoscreen in front of her now. Audrina supposed if she looked hard enough she could see a few reasons why others could be charmed by him. He wasn’t exactly terrible-looking, for a Venusian common, despite his disheveled dark hair and the tiredness his eyes tried to mask with determination and confidence. Still, he was rather young to have accomplished such a feat, and couldn’t have been much older than somewhere in his mid-twenties when the rebellion had begun.
Young, bold, and an underdog. Of course the people would eat that up.
Audrina hummed absentmindedly, rhythmically tapping her nails against her desk which didn’t even need to pretend to be tidy. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the headline below Nathan Hale’s image. Written in big, bright and bold letters was the phrase:
The Hero of Venus To Meet With the Galactic Council Later Today, Will the Peace Talks Bring Peace to Our Galaxy?
A scoff passed through her lips before she shut off the feed, not caring for whatever optimistic and outlandish speculations the reporters and anchormen might hope to spit out. All of it sounded regurgitated these days. Just yesterday the reports were calling the man a menace for all the space stations, facilities, and outposts he’d blown up in the past two months alone.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was the result of the peace talks. Audrina hoped, as much as any of her peers, to contain the chaos. But for that to be possible, she also had to hope that Nathan Hale would be pliable, able to be encouraged to see the bigger picture. Unlike those starry-eyed reporters, she was not an optimist. That man did not fight in a rebellion for three years to be told how to feel about it by those he blamed, and perhaps, rightfully despised.
“Senator Reegan, Ambassador Marlow is here to see you,” came the voice of her secretary from the commpod that sat at one corner of her desk. The only other thing she had on her desk was a digital pad containing the briefing notes for the peace talks. Audrina didn’t bother reading it. There wasn’t anything in there that she didn’t already know.
“Let her in,” Audrina replied, her voice patient yet firm. She had been expecting a visit from Thalia, a young woman possessing more brain cells than half of the Galactic Council combined. Ambitious as any woman worth her badges and pins ought to be, but also clever enough to not threaten the fragile egos of certain men in power. It was regrettable that Audrina, currently a bit more than twice as old as her visitor and mentee, had now ascended the ladder as far as she could; forced to give up her own dream of becoming Chancellor.
But in Thalia Marlow she saw an opportunity, a candle that would not be snuffed out so easily.
As the secretary escorted the young ambassador into the office, which was collectively as neat as the desk, Audrina gave the secretary a permissive leave and gestured to the seat in front of her. “I see you’re as punctual as always,” she smiled, folding her hands together as she stole a glance at the holopod displaying the time, “the peace talks aren’t due for a few more hours.”
“Have you already finished pouring over the briefing notes?,” she had to ask, though she had a feeling that was likely the case. On special occasions, ambassadors were allowed to sit in on big meetings, but Thalia had been one of three Earthian ambassadors requested to attend this time. That was more likely to be the matter of the young woman's interest right now.
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NightNurse
Junior Member
Alex listened to the chattering of the crew as they left the war room, the door sliding behind them as the last ones filtered out. The crew was divided on whether or not attending the peace talks were a good idea. Some thought it was a trap, that they would be rounded up and thrown out an airlock the minute they landed in Cap space. Alex couldn't say that wasn't within the realm of possibility, but for once in their lives the rebels seemed to have the upper hand. With the capture of the IRIS-6-5000 station and the release of the carefully crafted broadcast, Earth was on the defensive. If they killed The Temptress' crew now, more freedom fighters would take their place. Public opinion was shifting, and Alex understood that meant Earth had to tread lightly.
"Damn, you guessed it." He smirked. "The peace talks are a lie, it's actually a crowning ceremony." Bullshitting with Nate was a welcomed reprieve from the stress of entering enemy airspace.
"Of course you'd hate being president. Too much paperwork, not enough blowing shit up." He scoffed, teasing his friend. Call him a pessimist but he doubted Earth was going to roll over and give up now. Stubborn bastards, they were. Selfish, deplorable, greedy bastards. Alex couldn't say he was looking forward to sitting down with their leading political and military figures although he was at least levelheaded enough to realize the importance of trying. He knew their rebellion couldn't last forever. Capturing the station had been a victory, and they had held their own against Earth for this long but Alex knew sooner or later their freedom crusade would be ended. One way or another.
"They have your face on everything to scare Earth's children into doing their homework and loving their military." He grinned. "Eat your vegetables kids, or Mr. Galaxy will get you."
He leaned against the table, folding his arms across his chest as his expression became slightly more serious. He could tell his friend was exhausted. He masked it well in front of the crew, but Alex knew him better than that. He couldn't say he had gotten much sleep either. The UPF's message requesting peace talks had stirred everybody up.
Three years he had been Nate's second in command, as their rebellion dragged on. He had been skeptical at first, so sure Earth would strike them down before their small band of rebels could even attempt to land a blow. There had been others not willing to throw their lives away for a chance at a better life when Nate had started stirring up discontent back home. No, stirring up anger. The discontent had been there since Venus had first been colonized.
"Are you even willing to negotiate with them?" He asked. With it just being the two of them left in the war room, they could talk freely. "They're not liberating Venus, I'd bet on that. I would say they'll just try to pacify us but they have to know better than that at this point." Whatever was going to happen, Alex couldn't say he was looking forward to it. "I'm not sure what to expect from them."
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Three years, two months and seventeen days.
The Venus Rebellion had been projected to last three months. If that, actually. The military and council of senators hadn't taken Nathan Hale and his band of rebels seriously. After all, how dare a bunch of lowly miners attempt a rebellion against humanity's greatest empire? What right did they have? What chance of survival? When the Chancellor had first heard of the budding rebellion, he had laughed.
Thalia Marlow hadn't.
She had only been an Ambassador for a year, had only seen glimpses of the truth about what Venus and its people endured. It hadn't taken her long to figure out that being an Ambassador meant little more than being a flashy public relations officer, smiling at press conferences while telling Earth that Venus was doing fine. Even when they weren't. Especially when they weren't.
"So yesterday he was a war criminal, and today he's the Hero of Venus."
Thalia looked up at Rian, her bodyguard and confidant as he stood in front of the holoscreen with his arms crossed. She scoffed softly, glancing back at her reflection in the mirror as she continued braiding her hair up away from her face. Every screen in her small office was playing a different news station, all of them chattering away on mute about Nathan Hale and his continued attempt to liberate Earth. Capturing the IRIS-6-5000 station had been an invaluable victory for the rebels. The already delicate situation had become much more precarious as soon as the rebels released all of that footage. None of it doctored.
"He finally did something smart, not just flashy." She said thoughtfully. "I thought when he captured the station, he would broadcast a manifesto. We could have handled that, better than we're handling this anyway." She gestured vaguely at the screens as she stood up. The UPF had been mostly silence on the breaking news, only confirming the peace talks. They couldn't risk the rebels having even more footage than they had already released, ready and waiting to dispute any claims of lies on Venus' part. Venus wasn't lying, that was one of the worst parts of this entire situation.
"You don't seem optimistic about the peace talks." Rian commented as the pair left Thalia's office. The rest of the station would be abuzz with activity ahead of the meeting with the Venusian rebels. For now, these hallways were quiet. The UPF had long ago secured the wing of the station that held the offices of the senators and staff. They had increased the security too, hence Rian's presence.
"I can't say that I am." Thalia frowned slightly. "I think the military is mad they can't just kill him, because the last thing his cause needs is another martyr. The senate likely won't be able to agree on anything, as usual. Who knows how the Chancellor is going to put his foot in his mouth this time." She scoffed quietly. "I don't know if terms exist that would please both sides. At least an attempt will be made. Hopefully." It was a delicate situation that gave Thalia a headache.
"Well, I'll be standing guard when everything implodes." Rian waved her off as they approached Senator Reegan's office. Indeed he would. Thalia smiled, exchanging pleasantries with Audrina's secretary as she headed into her mentor's office.
The senator was perhaps one of the only members of the senate that Thalia respected. She had taken her under her wing soon after the Rebellion broke out, able to see the intelligence and potential Thalia knew she possessed. They had grown closer with Thalia's work during the Rebellion. More often than not when Thalia gathered any useful information, she gave it to senator Reegan.
"I can practically recite it from memory." Thalia smiled at the older woman as she took a seat across the desk from her. The only part of the briefing notes that had come as a surprise was the request that Thalia attend the conference. Usually, she lingered in Audrina's office once the bigger meetings were over for the senator's insight into what had occurred. That was what she had expected to do today but instead, she was along the list of requested attendees.
"Did you get me on the attendance list?" She arched an eyebrow at her mentor. "People are practically coming out of retirement trying to be there and here I am, requested." She thought that perhaps it had something to do with her father, although his military status had never gotten her very far before. It wasn't like she had become an Ambassador with her family name alone, she doubted she would be requested for the peace talks just because he was missing. Nothing was ever that simple.
"Damn, you guessed it." He smirked. "The peace talks are a lie, it's actually a crowning ceremony." Bullshitting with Nate was a welcomed reprieve from the stress of entering enemy airspace.
"Of course you'd hate being president. Too much paperwork, not enough blowing shit up." He scoffed, teasing his friend. Call him a pessimist but he doubted Earth was going to roll over and give up now. Stubborn bastards, they were. Selfish, deplorable, greedy bastards. Alex couldn't say he was looking forward to sitting down with their leading political and military figures although he was at least levelheaded enough to realize the importance of trying. He knew their rebellion couldn't last forever. Capturing the station had been a victory, and they had held their own against Earth for this long but Alex knew sooner or later their freedom crusade would be ended. One way or another.
"They have your face on everything to scare Earth's children into doing their homework and loving their military." He grinned. "Eat your vegetables kids, or Mr. Galaxy will get you."
He leaned against the table, folding his arms across his chest as his expression became slightly more serious. He could tell his friend was exhausted. He masked it well in front of the crew, but Alex knew him better than that. He couldn't say he had gotten much sleep either. The UPF's message requesting peace talks had stirred everybody up.
Three years he had been Nate's second in command, as their rebellion dragged on. He had been skeptical at first, so sure Earth would strike them down before their small band of rebels could even attempt to land a blow. There had been others not willing to throw their lives away for a chance at a better life when Nate had started stirring up discontent back home. No, stirring up anger. The discontent had been there since Venus had first been colonized.
"Are you even willing to negotiate with them?" He asked. With it just being the two of them left in the war room, they could talk freely. "They're not liberating Venus, I'd bet on that. I would say they'll just try to pacify us but they have to know better than that at this point." Whatever was going to happen, Alex couldn't say he was looking forward to it. "I'm not sure what to expect from them."
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Three years, two months and seventeen days.
The Venus Rebellion had been projected to last three months. If that, actually. The military and council of senators hadn't taken Nathan Hale and his band of rebels seriously. After all, how dare a bunch of lowly miners attempt a rebellion against humanity's greatest empire? What right did they have? What chance of survival? When the Chancellor had first heard of the budding rebellion, he had laughed.
Thalia Marlow hadn't.
She had only been an Ambassador for a year, had only seen glimpses of the truth about what Venus and its people endured. It hadn't taken her long to figure out that being an Ambassador meant little more than being a flashy public relations officer, smiling at press conferences while telling Earth that Venus was doing fine. Even when they weren't. Especially when they weren't.
"So yesterday he was a war criminal, and today he's the Hero of Venus."
Thalia looked up at Rian, her bodyguard and confidant as he stood in front of the holoscreen with his arms crossed. She scoffed softly, glancing back at her reflection in the mirror as she continued braiding her hair up away from her face. Every screen in her small office was playing a different news station, all of them chattering away on mute about Nathan Hale and his continued attempt to liberate Earth. Capturing the IRIS-6-5000 station had been an invaluable victory for the rebels. The already delicate situation had become much more precarious as soon as the rebels released all of that footage. None of it doctored.
"He finally did something smart, not just flashy." She said thoughtfully. "I thought when he captured the station, he would broadcast a manifesto. We could have handled that, better than we're handling this anyway." She gestured vaguely at the screens as she stood up. The UPF had been mostly silence on the breaking news, only confirming the peace talks. They couldn't risk the rebels having even more footage than they had already released, ready and waiting to dispute any claims of lies on Venus' part. Venus wasn't lying, that was one of the worst parts of this entire situation.
"You don't seem optimistic about the peace talks." Rian commented as the pair left Thalia's office. The rest of the station would be abuzz with activity ahead of the meeting with the Venusian rebels. For now, these hallways were quiet. The UPF had long ago secured the wing of the station that held the offices of the senators and staff. They had increased the security too, hence Rian's presence.
"I can't say that I am." Thalia frowned slightly. "I think the military is mad they can't just kill him, because the last thing his cause needs is another martyr. The senate likely won't be able to agree on anything, as usual. Who knows how the Chancellor is going to put his foot in his mouth this time." She scoffed quietly. "I don't know if terms exist that would please both sides. At least an attempt will be made. Hopefully." It was a delicate situation that gave Thalia a headache.
"Well, I'll be standing guard when everything implodes." Rian waved her off as they approached Senator Reegan's office. Indeed he would. Thalia smiled, exchanging pleasantries with Audrina's secretary as she headed into her mentor's office.
The senator was perhaps one of the only members of the senate that Thalia respected. She had taken her under her wing soon after the Rebellion broke out, able to see the intelligence and potential Thalia knew she possessed. They had grown closer with Thalia's work during the Rebellion. More often than not when Thalia gathered any useful information, she gave it to senator Reegan.
"I can practically recite it from memory." Thalia smiled at the older woman as she took a seat across the desk from her. The only part of the briefing notes that had come as a surprise was the request that Thalia attend the conference. Usually, she lingered in Audrina's office once the bigger meetings were over for the senator's insight into what had occurred. That was what she had expected to do today but instead, she was along the list of requested attendees.
"Did you get me on the attendance list?" She arched an eyebrow at her mentor. "People are practically coming out of retirement trying to be there and here I am, requested." She thought that perhaps it had something to do with her father, although his military status had never gotten her very far before. It wasn't like she had become an Ambassador with her family name alone, she doubted she would be requested for the peace talks just because he was missing. Nothing was ever that simple.
moonrise
☕️ status: Wɪʟʟ Bᴇ AFK Tɪʟʟ Mᴏɴ~
Ah, good ol' Lexy. Nathan knew he could count on the guy to help him stay afloat. Being a public menace to an entire galactic federation was exhausting work but someone had to do it. Between all the close calls, unspoken doubts, blowing shit up, and having his name and face smeared across every sector in the Earthian quadrants, it truly was a miracle that he hadn't fallen apart. His special remedy? Wisecracks, sarcasm, booze, shooting things, and feeding his overgrown ego.
Alex was good for all those things too. He'd stuck by Nathan since the beginning of this whole rebellion. And seeing as how it'd been going on for over three years now, Alex was probably the longest constant present in Nathan's life. Admittedly, it was a little difficult to make good friends when the first thing people often wanted to do was punch him in the face the moment he opened his mouth. Just a bit.
Oh, and all the debt probably didn't help much either. Rebellions didn't pay for themselves and the Venus Rebellion wasn't exactly a shining charity case. Not with the Earthian government constantly trying to sweep it under the rug. That wasn't something they could get away with doing anymore. IRIS-6-5000 ensured that.
Nathan scoffed at his friend. "Oh, c'mon. This face here? Never scared anyone," he did a loose wiping motion over his face for emphasis and a smug smirk tugged at his lips. There was a brief lull in the conversation as he leaned back to stare up at the ceiling, the low hums and buzzes of the lights and ventilation cycling in perfect intervals like a song on repeat. Moments of quiet, at least the non-mourning ones, were rare. There was always something going on and these last few months in particular had just been an endless grind of do-or-die.
But quiet didn't suit Nathan. It made him more anxious because quiet was always the calm before the storm. The storm was inevitable and he never carried an umbrella.
"I was kinda hoping to sue for defamation and maybe get some tabs cleared out," Nathan joked lightly, reluctant to acknowledge the severity of the situation. He wouldn't deny that a part of him already knew the UPF was just going to be serving up some extra well-done hot bullshit on a plate of lying and cheating bastards and with a side of gaslighting. In other words, typical politics. But the fact of the matter was that IRIS-6-5000 had been his biggest play to date, and he honestly didn't have much more planned after that. The goal of the rebellion from the start was to raise awareness, and a lot of it. That much was a success, but in the long run? The Temptress crew was never going to be able to outgun the UPF. And they could only outrun them for so long. Venerium wasn't easy to get ahold of, especially when they were barred from returning to Venus. Hell, they've pretty much been running on fumes for the past couple of weeks.
Thankfully one of the Zanurrkian alien brothers knew how to synthesize an extremely-volatile-and-radioactive-but-barely-functioning substitute from...well, Nathan never actually asked what. It was probably better that he didn't know.
At least he didn't actually need to feign ignorance right now because even he couldn't be sure of what it was the UPF was after, only that they at least couldn't risk turning him into a martyr at this point. "Whatever they want isn't gonna be good for us, we can assume that much," he sighed as he fiddled absentmindedly with a stray pen on the table, "but this is probably gonna be the only chance we get to try to make things right for Venus. For home." It was a home neither of them had seen in years. A home that turned its back on them all. But still home, nonetheless.
Nathan pushed himself off the table. "Nobody'll be able to say we didn't try," his voice trailed off as a memory of his late father came to mind before he shook it away. He turned to look at his friend with a grin. "Two cases of booze and a particle rifle model ME-7 says I can get someone to say the words 'kooky-spooky' before we walk out of that room."
Audrina donned a pleased smile at her mentee's confident affirmation. No woman in either of their positions could ever afford to be anything but confident. Appearances were naturally important for any politician, but the women needed to be flawless, lest they make themselves content to be trod upon by everyone around them. "I expected no less from you," she gave a simple nod, but she too couldn't completely hide her own concerns regarding some of the contents of the briefing notes. Specifically the part that Thalia was bringing up now.
Yes, it certainly was a surprise to have such a young woman be requested to attend a summit of this importance. The United Planetary Federation Chancellor was also going to be attending this meeting after all, along with the rest of the core senate. There would be twenty-seven officials in total, according to one of her sources. Three of them seemed to be an unusual choice and Thalia was part of that mix. But there didn't seem to be any commonalities between her and the other two.
One was a researcher and the other was a member of a reconnaissance unit that had just returned a couple of weeks ago. Audrina's first guess was that the two of them were going to be used as experts on the subject of Venerium poisoning which was undoubtedly a subject that would be breached.
"Unfortunately, I cannot take the credit for that," she answered honestly, frowning as she stared intently at the younger woman, "I'm sure I don't have to explain why this could spell bad news for you. There may be a chance that the council might seek to use you as a scapegoat in the proceedings." In their eyes, what could be more convenient than a young, naive and ambitious female diplomat so eager to make her own big splash in this political galaxy? That was likely part of the reason why Thalia was allowed to take center stage in a number of public relations appearances, many of them framed to oppose the Venus Rebellion and defame its prime instigator.
So was that the play then? For the council to throw a young woman with a promising career– and one of the very few with a good head on her shoulders– under the shuttle? Were they hoping to control the rebels by focusing their anger and frustrations toward a single individual that only acted as she was instructed to? It was an underhanded tactic, and certainly one that Audrina had no say in, but such was the life of a politician. There was no way to anticipate everything. Being able to think quickly on their feet was as necessary of a survival skill for them as it was for the troublesome rebels.
"If it comes down to that, I won't be able to protect you." Harsh, but true. They may be more familiar with one another behind the scenes but at that table it was dangerous to let anyone else know anything more about either of them. Withholding the right information was just as important as extorting the right information. Politics was a game of half-truths, after all. "Are you prepared for that, Ambassador Marlow?"
Alex was good for all those things too. He'd stuck by Nathan since the beginning of this whole rebellion. And seeing as how it'd been going on for over three years now, Alex was probably the longest constant present in Nathan's life. Admittedly, it was a little difficult to make good friends when the first thing people often wanted to do was punch him in the face the moment he opened his mouth. Just a bit.
Oh, and all the debt probably didn't help much either. Rebellions didn't pay for themselves and the Venus Rebellion wasn't exactly a shining charity case. Not with the Earthian government constantly trying to sweep it under the rug. That wasn't something they could get away with doing anymore. IRIS-6-5000 ensured that.
Nathan scoffed at his friend. "Oh, c'mon. This face here? Never scared anyone," he did a loose wiping motion over his face for emphasis and a smug smirk tugged at his lips. There was a brief lull in the conversation as he leaned back to stare up at the ceiling, the low hums and buzzes of the lights and ventilation cycling in perfect intervals like a song on repeat. Moments of quiet, at least the non-mourning ones, were rare. There was always something going on and these last few months in particular had just been an endless grind of do-or-die.
But quiet didn't suit Nathan. It made him more anxious because quiet was always the calm before the storm. The storm was inevitable and he never carried an umbrella.
"I was kinda hoping to sue for defamation and maybe get some tabs cleared out," Nathan joked lightly, reluctant to acknowledge the severity of the situation. He wouldn't deny that a part of him already knew the UPF was just going to be serving up some extra well-done hot bullshit on a plate of lying and cheating bastards and with a side of gaslighting. In other words, typical politics. But the fact of the matter was that IRIS-6-5000 had been his biggest play to date, and he honestly didn't have much more planned after that. The goal of the rebellion from the start was to raise awareness, and a lot of it. That much was a success, but in the long run? The Temptress crew was never going to be able to outgun the UPF. And they could only outrun them for so long. Venerium wasn't easy to get ahold of, especially when they were barred from returning to Venus. Hell, they've pretty much been running on fumes for the past couple of weeks.
Thankfully one of the Zanurrkian alien brothers knew how to synthesize an extremely-volatile-and-radioactive-but-barely-functioning substitute from...well, Nathan never actually asked what. It was probably better that he didn't know.
At least he didn't actually need to feign ignorance right now because even he couldn't be sure of what it was the UPF was after, only that they at least couldn't risk turning him into a martyr at this point. "Whatever they want isn't gonna be good for us, we can assume that much," he sighed as he fiddled absentmindedly with a stray pen on the table, "but this is probably gonna be the only chance we get to try to make things right for Venus. For home." It was a home neither of them had seen in years. A home that turned its back on them all. But still home, nonetheless.
Nathan pushed himself off the table. "Nobody'll be able to say we didn't try," his voice trailed off as a memory of his late father came to mind before he shook it away. He turned to look at his friend with a grin. "Two cases of booze and a particle rifle model ME-7 says I can get someone to say the words 'kooky-spooky' before we walk out of that room."
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Audrina donned a pleased smile at her mentee's confident affirmation. No woman in either of their positions could ever afford to be anything but confident. Appearances were naturally important for any politician, but the women needed to be flawless, lest they make themselves content to be trod upon by everyone around them. "I expected no less from you," she gave a simple nod, but she too couldn't completely hide her own concerns regarding some of the contents of the briefing notes. Specifically the part that Thalia was bringing up now.
Yes, it certainly was a surprise to have such a young woman be requested to attend a summit of this importance. The United Planetary Federation Chancellor was also going to be attending this meeting after all, along with the rest of the core senate. There would be twenty-seven officials in total, according to one of her sources. Three of them seemed to be an unusual choice and Thalia was part of that mix. But there didn't seem to be any commonalities between her and the other two.
One was a researcher and the other was a member of a reconnaissance unit that had just returned a couple of weeks ago. Audrina's first guess was that the two of them were going to be used as experts on the subject of Venerium poisoning which was undoubtedly a subject that would be breached.
"Unfortunately, I cannot take the credit for that," she answered honestly, frowning as she stared intently at the younger woman, "I'm sure I don't have to explain why this could spell bad news for you. There may be a chance that the council might seek to use you as a scapegoat in the proceedings." In their eyes, what could be more convenient than a young, naive and ambitious female diplomat so eager to make her own big splash in this political galaxy? That was likely part of the reason why Thalia was allowed to take center stage in a number of public relations appearances, many of them framed to oppose the Venus Rebellion and defame its prime instigator.
So was that the play then? For the council to throw a young woman with a promising career– and one of the very few with a good head on her shoulders– under the shuttle? Were they hoping to control the rebels by focusing their anger and frustrations toward a single individual that only acted as she was instructed to? It was an underhanded tactic, and certainly one that Audrina had no say in, but such was the life of a politician. There was no way to anticipate everything. Being able to think quickly on their feet was as necessary of a survival skill for them as it was for the troublesome rebels.
"If it comes down to that, I won't be able to protect you." Harsh, but true. They may be more familiar with one another behind the scenes but at that table it was dangerous to let anyone else know anything more about either of them. Withholding the right information was just as important as extorting the right information. Politics was a game of half-truths, after all. "Are you prepared for that, Ambassador Marlow?"
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