Re: Aboard the Passelande
Iliza looks relieved to hear those words from Gwydion and she nodded, but the weariness and worry did not entirely leave her face. Still, she lay back in her hospital bed, closed her eyes, and was soon asleep Gwydion's hand still clasped in hers.
The King's eyes widen in surprise, but only for a moment, "Sabotage. To what end?" "Was House Hyle itself planning an attack on House Gehenmis that the Emergent capitalized on, or...could this be even more sinister?"
The King dismissed Brun's apologies with a curt shake of his head, "Nonsense. You have nothing for which to apologize. On the contrary, you have fufilled your duties even before being asked. You are either the most well-prepared knight in service to Avaluna or you have an incredible gift of foresight." The small smile playing at the King's lips made his attempt at levity apparent, but it was also not difficult for Brun to detect that the information he had given the King weighed heavily upon him.
"Since, you are indeed so efficient in carrying out your duties, Sir Brun, I have another request to make of you. Ensure that Baron Gehenmis, Lady Irina, Rose the technician, my niece and nephew, and yourself, of course, all report to the Bridge in one hour."
In a conference room attached to the Bridge you all gather. The survivors of Callisto Station present on the Passelande, plus King Arthur and MerLN via holoprojection.
"Thank you each for coming. Forgive me Baron, Lady Irina, for taking you away from the bedside of your loved one," his eyes meet the Baron's, then Irina's, and finally Gwydion's. "Know that I would not do so if I did not deem this matter of the utmost importance. Sir Brun has informed me that there is good reason to believe that the attack on Callisto Station is the direct result of Sabotage. Sir Brun, would you kindly explain the situation as you explained it to me for all those present?"
Irina corroborates Brun's story once he has finished. "It is just as Sir Brun has said, your majesty. The Central Core was running code which I had never seen before--code which disabled and even damaged critical systems on the station and which aggressively resisted attempts to prevent it running. I regret to say that I was outmatched by such code, and if Sir Brun had not managed to break the encryption...I do not exaggerate when I say that I do not believe any of us would be in this room now.”
Irina takes a moment to compose herself and then continues, “I had believed that the code must be some sort of Emergent invention, but when Sir Brun managed at last to break the encryption the cypher used was a holoimage of the Coat of Arms of House Hyle. I am not mistaken in this. It was House Hyle for certain.”
“Your Majesty,” Rose speaks, “What Lady Irina and Sir Brun have said is the truth of it. Though, I might be able to add a little more. I was on duty in the Central Core at the time of the attack and several hours beforehand. Everything was just as normal until right before the attack, then systems just began to react on their own. There was no warning. Twenty seconds at most between the moment the systems went out of control and what I later learned was an Emergent attack began.”
The King had listened intently the entire time, “And no clue as to how this strange code was integrated into your central computer core? There are fail safes against such occurrences. And all three of you saw the Coat of Arms of House Hyle, correct? If such an act was sabotage then why would they sign their name to the deed? Are they so brazen? Is it possible that such a thing was planted in order to sew dissent? You'll forgive me Baron, but the animosity between your House and House Hyle is something well know even on Avaluna. Could such evidence have been planted? Perhaps by the Emergent...”
“Unlikely,” suggested MerLN. “If the MerGN-A possessed the means to remotely disable a human settlement, rest assured she would not waste the opportunity by using it on, forgive me, an inconsequential Jovian station. No, she would be at Avaluna's throat in an instant. I am not inclined to believe that the station's sabotage is the direct work of MerGN-A's forces. Although, I also do not believe that this was an ordinary attack either. The Emergent forces arrayed here displayed behaviors inconsistent with their usual modus operandi. It is my belief that they had in mind a goal in addition to the destruction of the station. What that goal is or was I am unable to conclude at his time.
Thus, we have a pair of mysteries on our hands; One: Who sabotaged the station and what was their purpose for doing so? Two: What did the Emergent want with this station and was their goal in any way aligned with the first mystery?”
OOC: I went ahead and skipped ahead to the meeting, because I thought it would save the most time. If there's anything you want to do in the next hour though, feel free to squeeze it into your posts.