Intergalactic Summit

Ms. Kim, tells us however what she thinks, there seems no duplicity in her. She is persistent in her opinions, no matter how mistaken you or I think she is. If in nothing else, I can admire her for that.

True enough.

But I often find things I can admire about people I dislike. After all, it isn't personal, her dislike for 'us' is plural.

Put simply, all it would do is draw in a dreadnought flotilla.

And that's IF the components could be shipped in. Which, they can't.

Federation is dumb. Of course not as much as Korsavius, but still. You see, all our citizens are trained soldiers. You don't need to have 'Troops'. All you need to have is the ability to quickly mobilize personnel into troops. Have their uniform ready, have them sorted by ranks and platoons, have their weapons stashed. You press the button, ring the bell, and all your former civilians in next five minutes already wearing proper uniforms and wait orders at battle stations.

The Federation will never understand how this is possible. And for us... defending our homes is a duty for every citizen. Even those, who don't have military education, are still trained soldiers after three years of obligatory conscription.


Up-cannoning a structure can be done in secrecy as well. And I don't say you have to lie or do any dishonorable action - just don't show what are you doing. I think nobody should really object against a shield generator, since it is a defensive technology, but just in case it is better to keep it powered down before Gallente will begin bombardment and glassing.

With weapon systems it is a bit harder, but still do-able. NULL cannons can be camouflaged to communication towers, and ship turrets to defend perimeter could be just built into walls away from the sight. The moment Gallente try to storm the building, you press the button and your erection grows teeth. Of course you could make turrets and NULL cannons underground and just extend them upwards, this will work as well.

And don't forget about landmines!

First: No, it can't—at least, not in any practical time-frame here. You have to get the materials you're going to up-cannon the structure with into system, undetected. Then you need to get them to the planet, then down to the facility, all without any of the normal customs inspections revealing 'hey, this looks like a dozen sets of 425mm railguns...'

Now, is it possible to do that? Sure! But is it possible to do that quickly? Not so much. Construction of turret emplacements takes time, and it's pretty obvious. Assembling the weapons systems takes time. Actually mounting the guns takes time. So if you want this to be done in a frame that's actually going to be at all effective or useful, you need to move fast, because the State and Federation may posture for another six months, or they could go to war tomorrow. No way to know how long you have.

And the faster you go, the less you can be secretive about it. Secrecy takes time. It means moving smaller chunks at a time, doing smaller steps at any given time, and taking the time to make what you're doing look like something else. And all of that ignores the more fundamental issue with your statement...

Second: 'I don't say you have to lie or do any dishonorable action'. Pieter's already agreed to work within the legal framework that governs the conditions and construction on Caldari Prime. If he goes trying to build weapons emplacements in secret, that's a violation of that legal framework. That means he's going back on his agreement to work within that—still in force and still binding—legal framework. He's breaking his word.

It's breaking your word dishonorable, Diana?

If you've said you're going to abide by certain rules, and then you sneak about trying to break those rules without getting caught, doesn't that make your claim that you'll abide the rules a lie?

You really need to stop pretending absolutely anything is just fine and dandy as long as it results in a higher likelihood of even one Federal citizen being hurt.

What do your efforts need most at this moment? Outside of time, that is.

A while ago, Pieter, I asked for a tour of your remarkable project.

Unfortunately, since that time, I've been rather preoccupied with issues in my constituency. I also find myself now breaking my resolve to never use this cesspit, to offer the following in the spirit of understanding and sympathy for this tragedy for the citizens under your care, as well as the personal loss...

An Obelisk, and every transatmospheric shuttle and cargo barge I can find, to aid in your evacuation. It's currently configured to house a great deal of passengers comfortably, as I've recently had the pleasure of ferrying a group of very excited individuals to new lives.

I'll be waiting to hear from you, sir.

Sleep?

Actually, what I really need is a good bunch of Sebbie Engineers who know about rough field landing operations. I could use three shifts of 'Pathfinders' to get shuttles and drop ships down and the same of Engineers who do good permafrost construction for landing zones.

I'm about to contact a sympathetic person who has an Obelisk that's apparently configured for passenger hauling. She sounds like she has way more lift capacity than I can handle on the ground at the moment. If you have people who can help change that, I would owe you and yours a significant favour, Edmund.

Why, Pieter...

You know I have the same resources. And a fellow corporate member, no less.

To break a word you shall give it. Do YOU know what exactly he did agree on? Maybe you can tell us with references what did he agree on? But before you do, keep in mind, if you will claim he has agreed to something that he didn't - it will be you, who will lose the honor.

Now, go ahead.