At long last, the time came to address the elephant in the room. While the Grand Marshal had not expected the Lord Protector to know of the dying congregation that was known as Axis, it was one of the many things on the plate to discuss. Nonetheless, Genesis kept composure as the line of questioning, dripping with growing frustration, went on and simply collected the datapad into his hand once the Lord Protector had concluded. He took a moment to browse the contents...and found his grip tightening on the device out of sheer frustration. This "treaty", this divvying up of Protectorate territory...it was a farse. Nothing of the sort had occurred during the single meeting that Axis held. This, coupled with the knowledge of the Fringe Confederation's exodus from their midst had left the clone with the knowledge of a single fact: The Fringe was behind these falsehoods.
"To begin, these claims that you are making," said the clone, meeting the wrathful gaze of the Lord Protector, "regarding the providing the Empire with arms, munitions, or ships of war within our borders is news to me. It is unsettling that such information would present itself to you in whatever means it arrived. The Confederacy of Independent Systems has never produced weapons, munitions, vessels, or anything in-between for the Sith Empire. Furthermore, there are no war criminals walking about in our Templar Order either. Upon joining the Order, nay, joining the Confederacy itself, the more unsavory members of society are given a hearing through which the decision is made if they can even take up residence in our border. A war criminal would never have been cleared for entrance through their amnesty hearing and would have been turned over to the nation their actions have wronged."
"Now then, on the matter of Axis...I humbly advise that you take a drink Lord Protector, because this is no easy explanation. However, I will begin by stating that the information contained in that datapad is leagues from being the truth. This treaty that you were provided? It never came into existence...and even includes the Atrisian Empire, of all people, as a member? But before I can even begin to explain all that is wrong with this information, I'd like to establish with you an understanding. Many things have transpired over the course of the Confederacy's existence, things that have led to the creation and our involvement with this entity."
"Being brief, when the Confederacy was first born and consisted only of three member worlds, a vote was taken as to which direction we were to go in. In those days, the Galactic Republic and Omega Pyre had an alliance that was well known, respected, and feared across the stars. Our goal, back then, was to establish neutrality with all the larger nations in the Galaxy; and thereby secure our survival. Allying with one over the other could have dragged us into the ongoing hostilities between the Republic and Empire, and whilst we strongly disagree with all that the latter stands for, we could not afford to be involved in our infantile state. As such, we welcomed ambassadors from across the Galaxy and established the various agreements of neutrality that exist to this day."
"That changed with the events which transpired on Geonosis. As a brief recap, one of the numerous Queens which had appeared had taken to the massacring of her own caste in order to bolster her armies. The intent was a full-scale war against the Galaxy, and we intervened. The end result was successful. The Queen was eliminated...but in shooting down her vessel, approximately sixty innocent lives were lost. Twenty of which were represented by one Admiral Sharde when we offered reparations to the families effected. Now, as you may or may not be aware, Admiral Sharde was the founder of the Fringe Confederation...and went by a name that you might know better: Sith Empress Ashin Varanin."
"She waltzed into my office, masquerading as a simple mediator, then leapt into my skull and screeched her accomplishments at me. Conqueror of thousands of worlds and all that...From that point, 'Admiral Sharde' took an active role in aligning the smaller nations of the Galaxy. Whilst, on the surface, the goal was nothing more that banding us all together in the name of survival, the true goal was providing the Fringe Confederation with the means of aggressively expanding; with the assistance of newfound friends. Enter the Treaty of Ithor, which aligned our nations as neutral with the promise of mutual defense against our enemies."
"However, shortly after the signing of this treaty, Sharde paid another visit to Bothawui and felt the need to share with me the true purpose of Ithor. She leapt into my mind once more and showed me her intentions...Axis was the brainchild of the Sith Empress, with the purpose of it being to provide the means for the Fringe Confederation to expand into the Unknown Regions and into Protectorate space. Through this conversation, the Confederacy was given a choice. Either we play along and act as the public face of Axis, or the Empress calls up her old friends in the Empire and, utilizing the Black Sun Syndicate as a jumping off point, brings an unparalleled invasion upon our heads. Couple that with the additional threat of skirmishes poised to claim untold millions of civilian lives and you've got the predicament I was faced with."
"In those days, the Confederacy did not have a multitude of options. The Republic was acting pacifist, relations with the Protectorate were slim to none, and the remainder of the Galaxy's sovereign nations would not amount to enough force to repel both the Sith Empire and its younger sibling, the Fringe Confederation. As such, I did what I had to do in order to preserve the lives of my people; I agreed to be the public face of a militant alliance that would align the Confederacy, the Empire, the Fringe, and the Black Suns. However, allow me to make a single point perfectly clear Lord Protector...It was not the Confederacy who targeted the Protectorate. And furthermore, it was not the Confederacy who called for complete and total war against the Protectorate."
"This treaty that you were provided? This falsified evidence? It speaks nothing of the truth." said the Grand Marshal, rising from his seat. He slid the datapad back across the table and motioned to one of his guards to provide him with a datapad of his own. A few keystrokes upon the screen granted him access to a recording: the first, and only, meeting of Axis on Dressel. He then fast-forwarded past the pleasantries and played the recording right at the meat of the sandwich. First appeared the visage of Sargon Vynea, who said to all present: "I don't suppose the Omega Protectorate would simply surrender? No, I suppose they won't but, it was a hope. We agree this is total war? We agree though here, and now civilians shall be treated with mercy." This was immediately followed by his second, Jared Ovmar, filling the space with laughter fit for a Sith and stating: "Gentlemen, I think we are in agreement here. The Fringean Military will of course support this beautiful endeavour."
Genesis paused the recording there and set the datapad on the table before him, then exhaled solemnly.
"The point of all of this is, Lord Protector...The Confederacy did not have many options in those days. We were young, small, and did not have the ties required to put up a fight against the Sith Empire and its sibling, the Fringe Confederation. I did the best I could given the situation...but now the Confederacy has might enough to stand and fight. As such, I first apologize to you for the dealings in the shadows; dealings that sickened me to the core. I know mere words will never be enough to rectify that which has transpired, but I must say them regardless. Furthermore, I wish to express to you a fact: The Confederacy is not your enemy...and the entity known as Axis is dead. The Confederacy has taken its leave of the organization, and in its wake I see that you were provided this falsified treaty. What I do know is that, after the CIS abandoned the group, the Fringe did as well; and now I prepare for the worst. I am not here asking for assistance in any 'retribution' that may come from the Fringe or Empire in retaliation, for I am confident that the Confederacy is strong enough to face and defend our land from our enemies now more than ever."
"I am here for the sake of peace and understanding. All my cards are laid on the table, Lord Protector. The CIS is not your enemy, and I desire nothing more than to see peace, and the quelling of these terrible rumors, start between us this day. Now, what say you?"
@[member="Ayden Cater"].