tealruby Wrote:No matter what anyone says, it’s always personal. All of it it. (sic)

She’s always have known it could happen, would happen. It’s part of the job. That doesn’t make it hurt any less. All part of a week in the life of Hermione Granger, ex-witch and Green Lantern of Sector 2814.

(07-16-2024, 11:17 PM)Norgarth Wrote: Beware of Chicken (original flavour)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/beware-of-chicken-xianxia.910799/page-1958?post=103213212#post-103213212

Yrsillar Wrote:"One issue remains which frustrates me. I have not yet seen any input from your central authority, not even the presence of an observer such as myself," Cao Chun said. "How are we to know that the agreement made here will not simply be overruled when their attention turns this way?"

His statement cooled the atmosphere that had been beginning to rise.

None on the White Sky looked particularly happy at his statement.

Dzintara merely snorted. "They have no authority to do so. Perhaps if my own Twisted Pines and the eastern badlands also voiced disapproval, but by themselves? Merely trying would unite the rest of us against such a motion in the great althing."

Jaromila shot the other woman a quelling look. "We honor the heroes of the Glittering City and the Defenders of the Polar Gates. They have their privileges, but to supersede us on this matter is not one of them. Perhaps if the Hierophant chose to speak against it… but if the will of the gods was so against this summit, it would not have reached this point. I do not know the limits of authority of your empress and her land of the Celestial Peaks, but I speak truly when I say the Glittering City cannot do this."

Cao Chun scrutinized the woman across from him before his eyes flicked over the rest of those on the White Sky, who were united in their show of affront at the idea. His expression smoothed, and he looked thoughtful.

Ling Qi wondered whether he was giving the words she had spoken to him more weight or merely contemplating the weakness this presented among them. She did not think it was quite so simple and clean as Jaromila presented it. Given the tale the other woman had spun of her parents and the family her mother had broken from, the great clans of their center could certainly exert force on the provinces. However, she did believe that Jaromila was correct in that they could not be so crass and high handed as to openly annul this deal.

"Very well then," Cao Chun said. "I have no further issues."

Dr. Zyn ch'Mordan Wrote:By 0753, the Suleiman and her squadron made contact with the Romulan vessels at the rendezvous point in the Berengaria system’s Oort cloud. Captain Harley West of the Suleiman signaled the Romulan ships to follow the escorts at impulse speed until they reached orbit around Berengaria Prime, a transit that would take a little under 4 hours.[fn9] Again, the Romulan flagship made an ambiguous reply but complied with the Starfleet orders. At 0947, a little over halfway through the planned journey, Lance Corporal Marowl detected a momentary spike in gravimetric distortions on sensors.[fn10] These distortions could indicate the presence of additional unknown vessels but could just as easily be cosmic background radiation. Marowl and Lieutenant sh’Attal were unable to confirm what they were. Leaning toward these being sensor ghosts, they dutifully passed this information up to Colonel McEntyre. Out of an abundance of caution, Colonel McEntyre ordered the base to raise shields and begin bringing the surface-to-space phase cannons online.[fn11] It would take about an hour to bring both systems up to full power. It would also require rolling brownouts in the civilian areas of Nafarroa, as Starfleet Logistics Command – in its infinite wisdom – had not yet given them enough fusion reactors for the base to have a fully independent microgrid. About twenty minutes later, at 1005, the Praetor Sartorix and her screening cruisers came to an unexpected halt. Captain West hailed the Praetor Sartorix as soon as she came to a stop, demanding to know why, but got no answer.[fn12] Instead, the Romulan vessel sent out an immediate subspace voice signal on all channels. Everyone – the Starfleet defense squadron over Berengaria, the Coalition Rapid Reaction Task Force, and personnel on the ground at Coalition Starbase One – all heard the same thing.

“I am Commander Rokar, herald of the people of the Romulan Star Empire. Arhem lhir’fhaihuhhru h’ta deihuit u’ fvillhu Rihanh.”[fn13]

Within moments of that declaration, the world of Berengaria would begin to burn.

Footnotes

9. Harley West, Captain’s Log – Supplemental – USS Suleiman the Magnificent, (SLM 2X09), May 18, 2156.
10. CSB1 (Lt. Col. John McEntyre, Base Commander’s Log – Coalition Starbase 1) 1X08.
11. Ibid.
12. SLM 2X09.
13. Rokar, Captain’s Log – IRW Praetor Sartorix (May 18, 2156. Declassified by Romulan Free State 2388). This roughly translates to “I am the last argument of the senate and praetor of the Declared.” As this was spoken in Rihannsu, the language of the Romulan people and one that the universal translators did not currently recognize, Starfleet assumed it was simply the command to begin the attack.

tealruby Wrote:Pete replies back to Wally. Hermione’s with her man this time for the return of serve.