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As she heard him speak to her about everything that came to pass she nodded her head. Stairing out below at the people who were walking to and fro she breathed in and than out. Earth was indeed the crown jewel of the Milky way. It was why the ITF had a moon base established so that it could keep a close watch on the Earth. Know that she knew possibly who they were up against there was no time to waste at all. Turning upon her heels she turned towards the commander and thank him for the information which had been given to her. It made sense that such a massive fleet was trying to decide where and when to fuel up so that when they returned to face Earth such a thing wouldn’t be a distraction. Biting her lip the girl paused for a minute from the door before turning her head towards the male. [i “I hope that everyone will decide to vote for us to go to war. If not than all hope will be lost.”]

Of course, even without the consent, she’d planned on mobilizing the Earth’s military. She didn’t see any other choice and so as she left his room and headed back to her palace she was in deep thought. Those around her sensed the change in the atmosphere and were quick to ask her what had happen to make her even more serious. Putting a finger to her lips she quiets them. She would rather not discuss what with them what happen till they were safely back at the palace. Furthermore she knew her older brother would be coming to the meeting and so she needed to inform him of everything which she’d heard.

Approaching Prince Leon, she sat down and relayed everything which she was told and as he listen his brow furrowed before getting darker and darker. Just earlier today he had a dream of their deceased brother. His words-mysterious then-was now something which was making sense to him. Biting his fingernail Leon stood up and walked towards his fireplace. He had been a pacifist since the passing of his younger brother. Death changes people sometimes for better or for worst. Turning his head towards her the prince spoke up.

[center [b “Earth must be protected; it seems regardless of if I want to or not Earth will go to war”] ]

Dash stewed for a little, reliving the memories of his greatest failure. When he thought about it, he was still unbelieving that out of all of his battalion, he was the only survivor of the attack. And what rubbed salt on the proverbial wound was that it was his idea for the attack as well. His orders killed all of his soldiers, his friends and family. The only reason Dash sat here now as an Ambassador was because the top brass believed it was his fault for the rogue armada's retreat, but was still stripped of his command for insubordination and dishonoured... Which is why he had to prove himself again, to regain his position and honour.

At the mention of Lo Teu, his ears perk up. [b “It wasn't Lo Teu.”] It couldn't have been, could it? Dash would surely be dead if that were the case, but the methods of attack were [i very] similar. The calculated savagery was still there, but perhaps slightly more goal-oriented considering their 'retreat' in the end. [b “Perhaps they had run out of fuel, or perhaps they had just [i finished] refuelling. If I may,”] He takes the Princess' tablet once more and indicates an uncharted section of the Rularian asteroid belt. [b “They came from this direction. Our gravity well is stronger than Earth's, so our asteroid belt is thicker and more abundant with resources. Most of our fuel comes from fracking the asteroids. Then, hmm... If they didn't take Rularia, then perhaps we were never truly a target. Just one for refuelling.”] It'd make sense for them to do that, unless their fuel stores was an oversight. Perhaps it was the same for Nakira since they're coming from so far away. Nakira is a self-sufficient System as well and also somehow didn't fall to this enemy... Or perhaps there was another reason for its survival.

Placing the tablet back on the table, Dash looks to the Princess who had grown even more serious. He stands, crossing his hands behind his back and meets her gaze with a measured one. [b “I unfortunately did not see the Captain. I heard him, or rather [i someone] when I was within comm range.”] When he was floating nearly dead in space. [b “I don't believe its Lo Teu, [i can't] believe it, but even still, if we are being faced with someone using his tactics or even his progeny then the galaxy is in even greater danger than I believed.”] Then it would also be imperative for them to discover this rogue galaxy's true intentions as well. It was likely these people didn't do anything for free, which could also indicate if they are in fact receiving outside help. There had to be more to this than violence for the sake of violence.

With a few steps, Dash joins the Princess at the window, looking out in to the vast beauty that the planet held. Surely Earth would fetch a high price; it was a planet many envied in the universe. [b “Earth is the crown jewel of the Milky Way. It is not safe.”]

She could tell it all. The way he spoke was such pain and despite him trying to hide it was showed clear as day how much the lost affected him. A great warrior was always able to hide the depths of their suffering and keep it within check. However as the male went on describing the methods which he so talked abut and how well the enemy attacked and what not the princess who had been sipping her lemonade suddenly widen. The way he’d talked about them cutting off communication from other others and isolating them seemed to be an all to familiar tactic which she’d heard of before but yet didn’t want to believe. Setting down the lemonade she slowly stood up and walked towards the window taking in all which the ambassador had to say. It was almost incredibly identical to; but he was a ghost of a distant past. He had been the most fear Captain of all the cosmos. Even though she’d never travel out past Jupiter she’d knew her older brother had had the chance to travel to different galaxies. Sometimes the ITF offered aid to foreign galaxies. Those in charged had hope to influence the rest of the cosmos to take up there practices. And she’d heard her brother talk about one of the greatest pilots to ever existed.

No one knew where it came from. Only that his tactics were brash and unrefined. He didn’t fear dying or being hurt and those that followed him shared the same sentiment. Kamikaze ships would crash into entire planets destroying it within minutes and countless lives were lost. As the man grew his tactics started to grow more and more refine. Then as if out of thin-air, he vanished from the cosmos. A man who had struck so much fear into the hearts of many. Turning upon her feet she shook her head. If he was still alive than he would have been well over hundreds of years old.

Far, far, far away from here was a small Galaxy consisting of planets that only existed to hunt and sell other planets to the highest bidder. They were infamous but so far they’d only stuck to that quadrant of the universe. To travel all the way here to this side. It was clear that some rich was founding there mission. Richer than anything or anyone’s wildest imagination.

[i “On Jupiter I had to take a tactician’s class. There we learned of Lo Teu the ghost. It was said that he’d come from no where isolating entire solar systems. First he’d cut of lines of communication and then he’d attack mercilessly. He was herald to be the greatest military pilot to live. Yet, all of his battles took place several hundred years ago. I.. don’t think it’s possible that he had descends. But this cruel and merciless style of attack which you’re speaking of does indeed seem to reminiscent of what we discussed in the classroom.”]

[i “I believe that the only reason why he retreat is because he ran out of fuel. Lo Teu lived in a galaxy that, even with our fastest ship, would take almost a hundred and ten Earth years to travel to. I’m worried about this technology you spoke of. If it does outclass us than we might need to do more than we’ll have no choice but to get Earth involved. If the very blood of Lo Teu is what were up against.. Did you see the captain? How did he look like?’]

She was extremely serious when it came to asking this question seeing as she had to make sure that she wasn’t just overreacting.

The chefs always sounded a little amused whenever he asked them for what they referred to as 'simple' dishes. On his planet this would be extravagant. Perhaps soon he would work his way up the food chain to more elaborate and complex, but for the time being he liked where his little food adventure was. So once he called the kitchen, he retrieves two glasses and the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge as they sat down and began their conversation. When the good Princess asked him about the battle, he had to take a second to think about it. Dash knew it was why she was here, and he was happy to dispense the details—more people needed to know what they were up against—it was just unpleasant.

Perhaps she had noticed it, but she bought him some time when she turned her tablet towards him, revealing the intricately detailed map of asteroids and asteroid clusters. There were details like projected paths and trajectories, and other things pertaining to their mass and movement. Quite smart and forward thinking of Earth to do this. [b “Yes, its smart to do so.”] He agrees, taking the tablet to glance at it. [b “It also could give us an indication to where our enemies may hide or set up ambushes.”] He comments, looking at the incomplete mapping of the Rularian System's asteroid belts. After this conversation, he'd have to ask their tech's to forward the Princess the complete mapping of the Rularian System's belts. They did a lot of work mining out in the belts, so they had detailed charts as well, but just for their own System.

Dash hands back the tablet before filling their glasses with some lemonade. He supposed it was time to share his tale. [b “They possess technology unlike our own, having evaded our System's outside sensor's for what must have been weeks. We had been preparing for them, but it wasn't enough. They destroyed our Deep Space Communications first so we couldn't signal to other Systems, isolating us from the rest of the galaxy.”] The Rularian System was self-sufficient, so it wasn't uncommon for them not to keep outside contact. But that was something that they were changing now; still being self-sufficient but keeping in more contact with outside System's for mutual protection... Dash didn't know if that would be enough, though. Not with this enemy.

[b “We battled for months without sleep, and although our soldiers fought valiantly it was only a matter of time before we would fall. They had enough numbers and firepower for a stable blockade of the System, forcing us in to a war of attrition, whittling down our resources and defences. They turned their weapons loose on innocent people, and even destroyed one of ours moons while it held reserve forces. We were nearly overrun, defeated.”] He pauses for a brief moment. There was something else. Something that still didn't sit right with him, and it wasn't just because of his own failure. [b “We resorted to more guerrilla tactics, and there was a key moment where it seemed the enemy flagship was within our grasp, but we were still outgunned and outnumbered...”] Dash takes another second to collect himself, a faraway look in his eyes. He could still hear the enemy leader's voice over the comms, as if taunting him. [b “But what doesn't make sense is that they left after that battle despite their victory. They garnered heavy losses, sure, but were still in fighting shape. I consider the Rularians lucky for that; other Fringe Systems have either been wiped out or enslaved by this rogue galaxy.”]

Putting his hands in a steeple, he rests his elbows on his thighs and looks to Sophia more seriously. [b “These beings are monsters, Princess. The worst kind the universe has to offer; sentient, and they cannot be reasoned with. Whether we vote for the ITF to go to war or not, they [i are] coming and they [i will] kill or enslave anyone in their path.”]

He was a man of practicality. A trait which she had personally admired a man. As he had offered her a grilled cheese and a lemonade she politely accepted before sitting down and getting straight to busy. Closing her eyes, she thought of words to say about the coming council meeting. Her vote, once cast, could not be taken back and it would be hard to decide on whether it’d be worth going to war for. So she needed to know very well what she Earth was facing and whether or not Earth would need to cast it’s vote to get the ITF involve in the war and finally, once again, deploy its military. So she looked at the male and spoke;

[i “You were on the front lines of the battle yes? I want you to tell me all that you know and don’t spare me any details.”] Her words came out as concise as she could manage without stumbling or tripping over her tongue. This was the choice she’d decided, and this was the path she would walk regardless of if anyone agreed with her decisions or not. So, sitting back on her chair she wait for the male to start discussing her what he’d saw. Likewise, she slowly pulled out a tablet and started to show him what she’d had planned.

It was something Earth had tried it’s best to keep secret from even the ITF which was the mapping of the asteroids through the solar system and beyond. Even the Rularian System which Dash was from had been mapped partially. Clusters of asteroids were surrounding planets and were ever changing and forming. Some were as small as moons and others the size of Earth and bigger. It was mostly for Earth’s own survival that they continued to watch and monitor the movement of the asteroids through the milky-way. Touching her one cluster of rocks, she expanded it and slowly started to speak once more before he even had a chance to explain his battle experience. [i “Earth has been secret mapping the Asteroids and clusters of asteroids. I suspect that in case of battle, some of these rocks would be very helpful in hiding and trapping the enemy. We’ve even have some mapped out in your solar system; when it comes to fighting a foreign enemy it’s best we have an idea of the terrain. So that we can use it to our advantage”]

Her words came out once clear and concise. It was clear that she’d had been train in military tactics and how to lead and army of soldiers when it came down to it. Her teachers had pushed her to rely on her intellectual skills. In the heat of battle when both opponents are equally physically yoke it would be the one with the sharpest intellect who’d win the day. That was what was beaten into her during her studies abroad in foreign planets. It was clear that Dash was well older than her and had more experiences with combat than she. So she was eager to learn from him as well as ready to decide on her planet’s fate. No, eager was the right world. She was anxious.

The people of Earth weren't afraid of living lavishly, as he was put up in some kind of expensive hotel or resort, a whole three floors of which was temporarily anointed a Rularian Embassy, temporary amenities put in place for his convenience and comfort. Rularia and Earth only really dealt with each other in the capacity that they were both members of the ITF, so there was no formal embassy on either planet, but he wasn't sure if his people would show this kind of... Extravagant accommodations. The Rularian's were a practical people's, many of their things less pleasing to the eye and dull in comparison to what Earth had to offer. And the food here? [i Extraordinary.] So many complicated flavours, varieties of dishes, and ingredients that pleased his canine-like palette. Dash had to admit he quite liked it here so far; the only thing is he had to remember to some times duck through doorways as he was just as tall as some of them.

The three floors gave the Commander enough room to maneuver and not feel stifled, so once he unpacked his things he gave the place a cursory look around; mostly for surveillance bugs but also to get a lay of the land. Plenty of the space were just rooms, but the hotel also had a swimming pool, a gym, a spa, and a professional kitchen he had access to. The chefs was instructed to make Rularian dishes for him, but he ended up speaking to them and requested solely dishes from Earth. They were surprised, but he assured them that he was quite fond of the flavours. After that, Dash was back in his room, reading more about Earth, its history, and people of interest who may be attending. There was word of a woman from Saturn coming as well as a human from Jupiter with famous war hero parents. Plenty of others were rumoured or there was only rumblings about, like another ambassador coming from Nakira. If that were true, then perhaps he could find another ally in this, as Nakira was also assaulted by this rogue gallery. First, in fact, if his intelligence was right.

As he poured over some more files, his ears twitched; he heard them before they even knocked, and his head cocked in the direction of the door. Visitors. How strange. He could have swore he had activated the 'door not disturb' sign on the door. However, the explanation soon came in the form of a feminine voice. Young Princess Sophia the Second of Earth. That was quite fortuitous for him; he had been devising a way to get in to contact with her without breaching some kind of Earth custom he might be ignorant of. Apparently he shouldn't have been worried at all. She was just as proactive as he's heard.

Rising from his desk, he walks over to the door, looks through the peep hole to confirm, and then opens it to the Princess. [b “Princess Sophia, its an honour.”] He bows his head some and then looks to her retinue that surrounded the door. They all looked like trained professionals, but despite this, Sophia's sabre resting on her hip didn't escape his notice, but he was unsure if it was ceremonial or for actual combat. Even so, he could appreciate always wanting to be armed; Dash always was.

Opening the door wider, he lets the Princess in to his room, eyeing her security as they were either content to stay in the hall or were ordered to do so. Either way, Dash shuts the door to give them some privacy. [b “May I offer you some lemonade? Perhaps a grilled cheese sandwich? I've become quite fond of them since I've come to your planet; there's nothing like it back home.”] He tells the Princess crossing the room, meeting her eyes. She had a certain look in them, one that was usually reserved for someone far older than she was. An intelligence that didn't just come from a spoiled upbringing. They were the eyes of a warrior.

[b “I know you're not here simply for diplomatic relations. You know my stance on the war effort as I know yours, so please,”] He gestures to a pair of couches in the common area. [b “There is no need to mince words with me.”] Dash sits down on one of the couches, placing a grey tetrahedron object on the coffee table, Rularian words brightly scrolling down and across it, indicating the device was on. The device was to make sure there wouldn't be any surveillance in to their conversation as he wanted to ensure the Princess' and his discretion. Not that they were panning treason or anything, just as a formality. [b “Ask me anything you need.”]

Of all the perks which came from being royalty on Earth the one which stood above was this: the ability to gather intel. In a game of chess lives were put at stake. She’d heard that they were going to be greeted by people who had already face the invading galaxy. The rumors had spread in hush whispers. Voices spoke of an encroaching darkness which threaten to flood the ITF and snuff out the light of several planets which had fought so hard to be at peace with one another. So; in order to make the best decision it was best that she sought one who had engage with the enemy and had first hand detail of how strong they truly were. Sending lives to die was not a thing she took lightly. War was such thing which she had studied for and fought for and-unbeknownst to her father-she’d planned on following her late older brother’s footsteps and fighting for what she’d thought was right. Death did not scare her. The inability to not act was her greatest fear.

Slipping into her civilian clothes she followed her royal guards out towards the palace gate. Despite being guard by trained soldiers she carried a saber on her left hip. Its handle was decorated with golden and vermillion. A rose was etched into the very hilt of the blade and its curve was beautiful. As the procession marched out into the open, the princess closed her eyes and open them again. Inhaling and exhaling she breathed in the air around her. Many people were bowing as she walked the streets and her eyes turned towards the children running around. The mothers which bowed and grinned admiring her beauty. Men softly traced the curves of her figure underneath her outfit before looking away in embarrassment. Her mind drifted towards the teacher’s she had on Jupiter when she studied politics there. She thought of Yajdo, her marital arts teacher on Mars. The fate of these lives would be discussed and might or might not be fought over in less than the week. Sophia had to make sure that she was making the right decision in voting to strike first.

She’d learned it in her war studies back on Earth. One of the greatest advantages a military leader could have was knowledge of the terrain. Ever since before the existence of other life forms and the ITF was known, the scientist on Earth were always studying and mapping out asteroids. There was fear that someday, somehow, an asteroid would destroy the Earth. So they were constantly making maps of said field. That had no change in the past several centuries and many Scientist had gone out to map asteroid fields and gone even further out past their solar system. The princess was sure that with this knowledge it would come in handle if Earth agreed to join the war. As her thoughts continued to be tossed around in her head, she soon found that where they had finally come to the place where she needed to be. Knocking on the door softly she asked for Ambassador Dash before introducing herself.

“Ambassador Dash? This is Princess Sophia II of the royal family from Earth. I… want to discuss something with you.” She held her breath opening that he didn’t find her impertinent But such things could not wait till the time had come to discuss openly with the others. She had to strength her resolve here and now before heading out to cast her vote towards war.