Private Kade. I, Spy.

[Her]

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Tag: Evan Kade

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The hallway was illuminated by flashing orange lights depicting eyes and Aurebesh symbols lining the pictures as they played on the advertisement boards. Someone had done their due diligence close-by. A table had been set-up on the edges of the hallway where one of the walls could be found. A tea pot, two cups and an assortment of other things to go with them (such as milk or sugar) were displayed neatly in-between two seats. It had all the trappings of mere business and yet the two participants in this conversation were aware enough that this was nothing but straightforward or normal.

At the end of the corridor a lift door opens and walking over the threshold emerged a woman as they made their entrance into the hall. The soft klick-clack of their boots echoed along the hallway as she walked up towards Evan. She stops near the table and lowers her gaze to the steam coming up from the base of the pot.

"I know why you are here," Her said to Evan as wisps of steam disappeared in the artificial air around them. "I admit that I am tired of the pleasantries that I have to adopt with those who I work with, and considering this is unpleasant work, I would rather skip to the heart of our conversation. Shall I pour you a cup of tea while you tell me about yourself?"

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[Evan Kade]

Evan regarded the woman for a moment, his expression giving away little beyond a faint hint of amusement at her bluntness. At least she was saving them both the trouble of pretending that this was an ordinary meeting. His gaze briefly flicked toward the second cup before he pulled out the offered chair and gestured toward it. "Please. Sit." He waited for her to do so before settling into his own seat. Rather than immediately launching into an explanation of himself, Evan reached for the teapot and poured himself a cup, taking a leisurely sip as though they were two acquaintances meeting for an afternoon conversation rather than two people arranging business in a corridor.

"I suppose that the short version is that I'm a watcher," he said eventually, lowering the cup into his hands. "An observer. I tend to notice things." His blue eyes moved briefly toward the corridor, taking in the flashing advertisements and passing surroundings before returning to her. "People, mostly, places, conversations, the things that people say when they don't think that anyone is listening. The things that they don't say when they know that someone is."

He made a small shrug as though he favored neither over the other. "I don't always need to interact. Usually, it's better if I don't. Watching from the sidelines has it's advantages. But if the situation calls for me to step in, I can do that too."

Evan took another sip of his tea, entirely at ease. "I can be whoever the situation requires. A stranger who happens to be standing nearby. Someone who belongs in the room. Or someone who absolutely shouldn't be there." His expression shifted into the faintest smile. "It depends on what you're paying me to be."

He leaned back slightly, studying her over the rim of his cup. "As for who I am...That's a considerably less interesting question." His smile remained. "I've been a courier, a merchant, a traveller, a security consultant, a researcher, a man looking for someone, a man running from someone. I've had military training, according to one person. Yet according to another, I've never held a weapon in my life." He gave the tiniest lift of his shoulders. "People tend to believe whichever version that they find the most convenient."

He paused to savor another sip of tea. "But you didn't bring me here to hear about my childhood. You already said you know why I'm here." Evan set his cup down and fixed his gaze upon her. "So perhaps you should tell me what you need watched."

Tag: Her

 

[Her]

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Tag: Evan Kade

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"It depends what you're paying me to be."

Her took the other seat after Kade made his invitation and begun pouring the tea. She didn't go for the tea pot, however. Instead, Her slipped a case out from one of her pockets and produced a cigarette from it. Seconds later there was the familiar yet distinctly awful smell of smoke hanging in corridor that even the artificial air scrubbers above were having difficulty in getting rid of. As she smoked the cigarette, Her thought about the man to her side and what he had said about himself. Her considered every detail carefully and bounced it off the other things that she knew about the men, women or others that were on Mahporeem.

More questions came to mind.

"So perhaps you should tell me what you need watched."

"There was a summit here in Corrox that was held recently," Her explained to Kade as she lowered the cigarette from her lips and exhaled a plume of smoke away from the would-be spy. "It revolved around a business plan of a new subsidiary recently acquired by a pharmaceutical company regarding the construction of a two-way hyperlane between Mahporeem and a star system located along the Five Veils route. A number of individuals involved in the summit have expressed interest joining in on the project of the Svivren Pass."

Lowering the cigarette down onto an ash tray situated in-between the tea pot and cups, Her turned her hand towards a remote on the table and lifted it towards the advertising board. There she programmed the blinds covering the windows which overlooked Corrox to close before the boards begun to play a recording of the Tarsai Summit.

"This is a security recording of the event," Her continued to explain to Kade. "What I want is a detailed background check and information about every individual that was in attendance. How would you go about gathering this for me?"

There was no audio coming from the advertisement boards while they were being used to play the recording taken of the summit. It's angle suggested some type of security device that was positioned in the corner of the room while the individuals in play entered and begun talking to each other. Whoever had taken the recording seemed to have removed or edited out the audio so there was no sounds to be heard. However, the distinctive faces of each attendee was caught and captured by the camera as it hung there as the quiet observer.

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[Evan Kade]

Evan's attention shifted toward the advertisement board as the recording began to play. He made no immediate comment. Instead, he watched. The absence of audio didn't bother him. Not particularly. Sound could be useful, certainly, but it was hardly the only thing that people revealed about themselves. Faces were captured clearly enough. So were clothing, posture, proximity, and the subtle ways that people positioned themselves around one another. Who approached whom. Who seemed comfortable standing together. Who kept their distance. Who appeared to be listening and who appeared to be waiting for an opportunity to speak.

His eyes moved across the screen with quiet concentration. He took note of faces first. Then the clothing. Then the groupings. He began mentally cataloguing them, attaching names where he could and question marks where he couldn't. There were a few people in attendance that he already knew of, though knowing of someone and actually knowing them were two very different things. That, at least, gave him somewhere to begin.

Evan leaned back slightly, his expression remaining almost irritatingly calm. "Interesting." His gaze remained fixed on the recording for another moment before he finally looked toward Her. "Asking me how I would go about it is rather like asking a locksmith to explain how he opens a particular door. You've given me the faces of the people involved in the summit. That's enough for me to get started." He glanced back toward the screen. "The rest comes from elsewhere."

Where elsewhere was, he did not elaborate. There were public records, business dealings, professional associations, financial connections, old acquaintances, employment histories, travel records, personal disputes, rumors, and a thousand other places where information could hide. Some of it could be found without ever speaking to another person. Other information required considerably more creativity. Evan had never been particularly fond of explaining which was which.

"Of course, what I can find and what I can confirm are two different things," he continued. "And if you want a detailed background on every person in that room rather than a collection of names and whatever happens to be publicly available, I'll need to dig considerably deeper." He reached for his tea and took another unhurried sip. "The good news is that I'm quite comfortable digging." His gaze returned to the silent images of the summit. "The better news is that I don't need you to tell me how to do it."

A faint smile touched his lips. "What I do need to know is how much time you've given me." He set the cup down smoothly. "What's your deadline?"

Tag: Her

 

[Her]

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Tag: Evan Kade

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"What I do need to know is how much time you've given me. What's your deadline?"

Her admired the smoke wafting up from the lit cigarette as she considered Kade's question. Raising a cupped fist to her lips, Her coughed into it for a moment and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand to clear the bile that had built up there. Reaching for a napkin Her cleaned the back of her hand and went to pour herself some of that tea after all to quench her dry throat and mouth. Smoking always has it's affects. Still, as she poured the tea, Her considered the deadline in question. How long did she have to build the Svivren Pass?

"Eight months," Her muttered before taking a sip of the tea. As she replaced it back on the table, Her reached out for the cigarette and took another drag on it. "But I would need to know more about these people within three," Her then admitted while wisps of smoke came out of her nose and mouth as she answered Kade's question.

There were many moving pieces that were in play. Her needed the Svivren Pass to be established by eight months and yet the people involved were numerous enough to pose logistical issues to the construction project by themselves. Everyone brought into the project had their own ulterior motives that could either slow down or change the principles in play entirely as Her sought to obfuscate the true ulterior motives behind the hyperlanes construction. She needed to know how to leverage these people who Her called their associates and yet they were beginning to smarten up to the idea that letting this peculiar, enigmatic woman know enough things about them was not in their best interests.

That was why she needed Kade.

"Tell me what you need to give me useable intel within three months and I will arrange it for you to have," Her explained. "What kind of access will you require, for example? I can put you in a room with these people..."

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[Evan Kade]

Evan listened without interrupting. Three months. That was more than reasonable.

The faint smile remained as he lifted his tea again, taking another measured sip before setting the cup down. His gaze lingered on Her for a moment, considering not only what she had offered, but the fact that she had offered it so readily. "Three months will do." He leaned back slightly in his chair. As for access, I don't need you to put me in a room with them." The amusement in his expression was subtle, but unmistakable. "Not directly, anyway."

Evan had his own people. Trusted slicers, researchers; contacts who could acquire records that weren't particularly interested in being found. People who could watch a door without looking like they were watching a door. He didn't make a habit of doing every part of an operation himself. That was how amateurs got caught. If someone else could perform a task without knowing the entire purpose behind it, there was no reason for Evan to put himself in unnecessary danger.

"I've already got people I trust to handle the less visible parts of the work. I'll give them what they need when I need it." He paused, his fingers resting loosely against the side of his cup. "What would be useful from you is knowing where and when these people are going to congregate." His eyes returned briefly to the recording. "Not necessarily official meetings. Those are usually the least interesting places to observe someone. I want the receptions, private dinners, business gatherings, conferences, clubs, fundraisers and regular establishments. Anywhere two or three of them might happen to cross paths." He looked back towards Her. "If you can tell me that one of them will be at a particular restaurant on a particular evening, I'll make use of it. If six of them are attending the same function, even better. But you don't need to arrange an introduction unless there's a reason to. Just give me the opportunity and I'll decide what to do with it."*

That distinction seemed important. Evan wasn't looking for access. He was looking for proximity. The difference there was considerable.

"As for being put in a room with them..." His mouth curved upward slightly. "If circumstances make that convenient, I won't complain. I can be remarkably sociable when there's a reason to be." He took another sip of his tea. "But I'd rather not have everyone involved know that you're helping me. Or that I'm looking into them." His gaze settled on Her again, both calm and unreadable. "The less that they know about what I'm doing, the more useful what I find is likely to be." He let that sit for a moment before adding, almost casually, "Give me the names, the faces, and whatever you're able to tell me about where they'll be. I'll handle the rest."

Three months was enough time. More importantly, it was enough time to let other people do the looking while Evan remained exactly where he preferred to be. Somewhere nobody thought to look.

Tag: Her

 

[Her]

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Tag: Evan Kade

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"What would be useful from you is knowing where and when these people are going to congregate..."

"As for being put in a room with them... Give me the names, the faces, and whatever you're able to tell me about where they'll be. I'll handle the rest."

Her left the cigarette and tea on the table as Evan begun to explain himself. Smoke continued to wasp up and blended with the steam rising from her tea as the blonde turned to look out through the windows to settle her crimson gaze upon Corrox. She listened to Kade speak and didn't take a moment to interrupt him. The way he explained himself was thorough enough. What remained to be seen was if he could produce enough information or dirt that Her could use against the various individuals that were present in the Tarsai summit. Could Kade give her something that she could use to coerce or bribe them into involving themselves in the Svivren Pass on her terms?

"I have listened to you," Her replied softly to Kade as he finished talking. "The job is yours, Mister Kade."

Her continued to look down at the city below. It was a smog covered place and to her eye it looked dirty. Pollution seemed to be everywhere. But there was an honesty to Corrox that Her lacked. It wasn't trying to hide what it was. The Mahporieem were different to their compatriots who came from the other regions in the Galaxy. Corruption manifested itself in different ways, however; and Her was the best when it came to the corrupting.

"I can set up a chequing account here in the city," Her explained as she moved the conversation to payment. "It will be controlled by my hedge fund, naturally. I can set-up a payment scheme by next week that will give you access to funds. But I won't surrender control of the account or transfer the funds within to another until the job is complete. This is to assure that I protect myself and my organisation. I am sure you understand. . ."

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[Evan Kade]

Evan remained quiet while Her explained the arrangement, his expression giving little away as he considered the terms. There wasn't much to consider. Three months was more than enough time, and the arrangement regarding access to information suited him better than being handed introductions that might compromise the investigation. As for the expense account, retaining control of the funds until the work was completed was hardly unreasonable. Her was protecting her interests, just as Evan intended to protect his own.

He gave a small nod. "I understand." His fingers settled loosely around his cup before he lifted it again, taking another measured sip. "And I'm satisfied with the arrangement." There was no need to negotiate for the sake of negotiating. The account would cover the expenses required to acquire information, move between locations, maintain his various identities and pay the people he trusted to handle the parts of the investigation that were better left outside his direct involvement.

More importantly, Her had agreed to provide the information he actually needed. "You provide the names and opportunities. I provide the results." He gave her a faint smile. "The account remains under your control until the work is finished, and I submit whatever expenses are necessary along the way. That's perfectly acceptable."

He set the cup down and leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'll begin once the account is established and you've provided me with the relevant information from the summit." His gaze shifted briefly toward the windows, settling on the smog hanging over Corrox before returning to Her. "Three months should give me enough time to learn considerably more about these people than they intended to tell anyone at Tarsai."

Evan then rose from his chair, adjusting his jacket. "Then I believe we have an agreement." He offered her a polite nod. "I'll be in touch when I have something worth reporting."

And with that, the business was concluded. There was no handshake, nor any unnecessary ceremony. Just two people who understood the value of information, and the considerably greater value of keeping quiet about how it had been obtained.

Tag: Her

 

[Her]

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Tag: Evan Kade

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Her turned away from the smog-filled city below and picked back up the cigarette she had left on the table. She then put it out in the ashtray. As the last strands of smoke wafted up from the formerly lit stub Her performed a small clean-up of ritual in front of Evan quietly. Her cleaned the rim of the cup that she had been drinking out of until the lipstick was wiped away. With both hands she silently collected that same cup, the teapot and other miscellaneous items onto the tray situated on top of the table until everything on it (except for Evan's tea) was ready to be carried.

Just before Her turned to leave she picked back up the remote and used it to program the same screen that had previously been playing advertisements or footage of the Tarsai Summit. Replacing the feed was a stream of text situated beneath a curious, enigmatic logo. Upon closer inspection it was a dossier of some kind.

"Three of them will be conducting an audit in Corrox," Her explained to Evan as she cleaned the remote of her finger prints. "The subject of the audit concerns potential discoveries pertaining to an ecological disaster occurring on Mahporeem inside two years. It will be a good place for you to begin, I think."

Her glanced up at Evan as she leaned across the table to pick up the tray. A small satisfied smile met the spy before she turned and walked down the hallway carrying the tray of items with Her leaving Evan to read and collect the dossier that she left behind in the hall as it continued to display itself on the board.

VŪM " THE AUDIT OF MAHPOREEM " DOSSIER MIR–I/771.04–Σ: " THE MAHPOREEM QUESTION " ​ MAHPOREEM IMPERIAL REMNANT MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & BIOENGINEERING ECOLOGICAL & ECONOMIC AUDIT PRELIMINARY DOSSIER — RESTRICTED CIRCULATION Subject: Planetary Ecological and Economic Stability Assessment — Mahporeem Classification: Restricted / Investigative Audit Status: Pending Commencement Location: Mahporeem Issuing Authority: Ministry of Science & Bioengineering, Mahporeem Imperial Remnant I. PURPOSE OF AUDIT The Ministry of Science & Bioengineering has authorised a comprehensive ecological and economic audit of Mahporeem following the emergence of a number of irregularities within planetary resource, industrial, agricultural, and environmental records. The audit has been commissioned under the presumption that the observed irregularities may represent isolated economic disturbances, environmental degradation, or temporary resource shortages. However, sufficient inconsistencies have now been identified to warrant investigation into the possibility of a systemic planetary decline. The precise nature of this decline remains undetermined. The Ministry therefore stresses that the audit is investigative rather than confirmatory. No conclusion regarding the long-term viability of Mahporeem is to be reached until the relevant ecological, industrial, economic, and demographic evidence has been examined in full. II. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES The audit shall seek to establish: The present ecological condition of Mahporeem. The remaining quantity and accessibility of critical planetary resources. The sustainability of current rates of extraction and consumption. The extent and origin of recorded pollution. The relationship between environmental deterioration and economic contraction. Whether existing industrial systems remain viable under projected resource conditions. Whether agricultural and biological systems can continue to support the planetary population. Whether current economic models are concealing a more substantial ecological deficit. The projected consequences of continued resource depletion. Whether Mahporeem possesses sufficient capacity to recover from its present trajectory. The expansion and subsequent annexation of neighbouring star sectors, star systems, and planets for the purposes of elevating potential ecological or economic burdens on Mahporeem. Particular attention shall be given to discrepancies between official economic indicators and independently observed environmental conditions. A planet may continue to report economic activity while simultaneously consuming the foundations upon which that activity depends. The audit is intended, in part, to determine whether such a condition exists on Mahporeem. III. AREAS OF INVESTIGATION Investigators will examine the following sectors: A. Resource Extraction Mineral reserves Fossil and combustible resources Freshwater availability Agricultural soils Atmospheric and biological resources Rates of extraction versus natural replenishment B. Industrial Activity Manufacturing output Waste production Atmospheric emissions Industrial contamination Abandoned and non-operational facilities Dependence upon increasingly scarce materials C. Ecological Stability Atmospheric composition Climate irregularities Biodiversity decline Soil degradation Oceanic and freshwater contamination Habitat loss Unexplained ecological anomalies D. Economic Stability Resource-linked markets Food and energy prices Industrial contraction Trade dependency Employment and population displacement Government expenditure Infrastructure deterioration Long-term economic projections E. Civilisational Resilience Investigators will assess whether the institutions governing Mahporeem retain the capacity to respond to a prolonged ecological and economic emergency. Particular concern will be given to the possibility of a self-reinforcing decline, in which diminishing resources cause economic contraction, economic contraction prevents environmental remediation, and environmental degradation further accelerates resource scarcity. IV. THE UNRESOLVED QUESTION At present, there is insufficient evidence to state that Mahporeem is approaching planetary collapse. There is, however, sufficient evidence to establish that the possibility cannot be dismissed. Several models produced during preliminary analysis indicate that continuation of present trends could eventually result in a condition in which the planet's ecological systems, industrial economy, and resource infrastructure become mutually unsustainable. The projected endpoint varies substantially between models. Some terminate in severe economic contraction. Others indicate widespread resource exhaustion. Several produce environmental conditions incompatible with the continuation of present population and industrial levels. A small number terminate considerably earlier than expected. The Ministry has therefore instructed auditors not to disclose or speculate upon a singular mechanism of planetary failure until the underlying evidence has been independently verified. The question currently before the Ministry is not how Mahporeem will collapse. It is whether Mahporeem is already entering the sequence of conditions that could make collapse unavoidable. V. INVITED OBSERVERS AND PARTICIPANTS The following organisations have been invited to attend the audit: MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & BIOENGINEERING Mahporeem Imperial Remnant R'ayne Asara The Ministry will provide scientific oversight, archival records, environmental measurements, planetary modelling, and access to relevant Imperial scientific facilities. The Ministry's representatives will retain responsibility for the scientific integrity of the investigation. ZENITH POINT VENTURES External Economic and Infrastructure Observer Nolle Tron Zenith Point Ventures has been invited to participate in recognition of its extensive experience in planetary investment, infrastructure development, resource logistics, and economic forecasting. Its involvement is considered particularly relevant to determining whether existing economic structures have contributed to, concealed, or inadvertently accelerated the conditions presently under investigation. Zenith Point Ventures will be granted observer status subject to the discretion of the Ministry of Science & Bioengineering or Mahporeem High Command. Its representatives are not authorised to alter, suppress, or reinterpret scientific findings. Specially Invited Participant Vūm has been formally invited to attend the " Mahporeem Ecological & Economic Audit " in an advisory capacity. The basis for Vūm's inclusion has been classified under Directive MIR–I/771.04–Σ, with the originating authority declining to provide further clarification at the time of invitation. Available records indicate that Vūm possesses information, expertise, or interests considered relevant to the long-term viability of Mahporeem. The precise nature of this relevance remains subject to review. Vūm's representatives will be permitted access to selected audit proceedings, subject to Ministry of Science & Bioengineering clearance and any restrictions imposed by the Mahporeem Imperial Remnant. Particular attention is to be given to any testimony, documentation, or observations provided by Vūm concerning resource depletion, ecological instability, planetary infrastructure, and the projected economic consequences of continued environmental deterioration. It is further noted that Vūm has, in previous communications, made reference to matters which appear to correspond with certain unexplained elements of the Svivren Pass proposal presented during the " TARSAI SUMMIT " . No verified connection between Vūm and the Svivren Pass has been established. Status: Invited / Participation Pending Clearance: Restricted Relevance Classification: Undetermined Cross-Reference: MIR-I/771.04–Σ / " SVIVREN PASS " VI. THE SVIVREN PASS Among the more unusual matters scheduled for examination is a proposed development referred to in preliminary documents as: " THE SVIVREN PASS " Little verified information concerning the project has been made available to the audit team. Existing records describe the Svivren Pass variously as an infrastructure initiative, a strategic intervention, and, in several older documents, simply as a means of passage. Its precise function remains unclear. Certain economic projections appear to assume the completion of the Svivren Pass despite no corresponding infrastructure expenditure being visible within conventional planetary accounts. Several ecological models also contain unexplained references to a "post-Pass condition", although no technical definition of the phrase has yet been located. The Ministry has therefore requested that all documentation relating to the Svivren Pass be submitted for independent review. Of particular interest will be the question of why a construction project of apparently limited economic description appears repeatedly within long-range planetary survival projections. No conclusion has yet been reached regarding its purpose. The Ministry advises all personnel against assigning significance to the project beyond what can be established through evidence. VII. ECONOMIC WARNING INDICATORS Preliminary observations have identified several indicators requiring immediate scrutiny: Declining accessibility of critical resources despite nominally stable reserves. Increasing energy expenditure required to obtain essential materials. Rising costs of environmental remediation. Accumulation of industrial waste beyond projected containment capacity. Declining agricultural productivity in several regions. Increasing dependence upon long-distance resource transport. Infrastructure requiring disproportionate resources to maintain. Economic growth increasingly dependent upon extraction rather than production. Increasing divergence between official economic statistics and environmental measurements. Individually, none of these indicators necessarily constitutes evidence of planetary collapse. Collectively, however, they may indicate the emergence of a resource-depletion feedback cycle. If confirmed, the consequences may extend beyond environmental damage and into the fundamental economic architecture of Mahporeem. VIII. PROVISIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT Current Classification: " INDETERMINATE " Ecological Risk: Elevated Resource Risk: Elevated Economic Risk: Significant Industrial Pollution Risk: Significant Agricultural Stability: Under Review Long-Term Planetary Viability: Undetermined The Ministry emphasises that these classifications are provisional. The audit has not been established to demonstrate that Mahporeem is doomed. It has been established because there is now sufficient evidence to ask whether the planet's present trajectory remains reversible. Should the audit determine that ecological degradation, resource exhaustion, economic contraction, and institutional instability are mutually reinforcing, a planetary emergency declaration may become necessary. IX. FINAL DIRECTIVE All participating parties are instructed to approach the audit without predetermined conclusions. The existence, purpose, or eventual role of the Svivren Pass is not to be treated as evidence of a solution. Likewise, the possibility of planetary collapse is not to be treated as established fact. Mahporeem remains, officially, a functioning planetary economy with substantial ecological and material reserves. The purpose of this audit is to determine whether that assessment remains accurate. The Ministry of Science & Bioengineering further recommends that all findings concerning resource exhaustion, pollution, economic decline, and ecological instability be treated as interconnected until proven otherwise. There may be no single crisis. There may instead be a convergence of smaller crises, each apparently survivable in isolation, gradually producing conditions from which recovery becomes increasingly difficult. And should such a convergence exist, the final stages may already be underway before Mahporeem recognises them. END OF PRELIMINARY DOSSIER MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & BIOENGINEERING MAHPOREEM IMPERIAL REMNANT

[ WARNING ]

Have you ever felt like you were now apart of something bigger than yourself?

[ THREAD EXIT ]
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