|
Date: 1 APR 3008
Time: 1402hrs
Location: Airborn
Title: Reset
Date: 8 AUG 3008
Time: 0759hrs
Source: Celeste Harbour IFN HQ
Toán Harvir walked briskly into the conference room of the IFN Headquarters at Celeste Harbour and took his seat at the head of the table.
‘Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I’ve gathered you here to inform you that there has been a new development in our war against the Oratan.’
He paused to let this sink in and give himself a chance to gauge the reactions of the different groups arranged around the table. He had called all the major leaders from the different sectors of Arkadia’s colony.
‘As you all know, the influx of colonists and the completion of the revival network has allowed us to secure the colony on Arkadia. A group of colonists, calling themselves the Arkadia Interplanetary Militia, banded together to launch a series of offensives against the Oratan. Thanks to their efforts and the efforts of many other colonists, the enemy forces have been scattered. As you know, with the Oratan threat under control, I decided some time ago to stand down most military forces so they could recover from the initial assaults. However, we are now beginning to receive reports that the Oratan are gathering in multiple camp sites around Sentosa. I must consider sending the troops to the front again to clear out these settlements.’
‘Commodore,’ one of the economic advisors interrupted, ‘I must advise you that financially it is not in our best interests to send the military back to the frontline. The cost of keeping them equipped and in the field is quite prohibitive considering we could be directing the funds to help grow the colony. We would have to curtail our industrial expansion if the troops are deployed.’
‘Thank you for your input. I am aware of this issue, but let me make something very clear,’ Harvir said, focussing all his attention on the economists. ‘I am going to do what’s best for the whole colony. I’m not going to sacrifice the safety of our people simply to ensure we make a quick profit. Long term stability is far more important than quarterly figures. Clear? Good.’
Turning back to the rest of the group, Harvir activated the display in the middle of the table. ‘Now, this is some surveillance footage of one of the more populated Oratan camps. As you can see, it lacks any defensive structures and is unfortified, but these camps still pose a significant threat due to the potential numbers of Oratan they contain.’
 
He paused to allow everyone to study the footage. The camp was little more than a collection of primitive huts but the Oratan presence was plain to see.
‘Obviously, these camps are a cause for concern, but we should be able to contain them. The reason I’ve brought this before you today is because this sudden desire by the enemy to occupy territory marks the first change in strategy that we have seen.’
‘Commodore, those brainboxes you got locked away in the labs worked out how the Oratan are able to sustain such large numbers despite how many we’ve slaughtered?’ Ky Fung asked. ‘Some of my men and the civvies think the Oratan are actually innumerable, like the Arkadians said in The Signal. The colonists are a hardy bunch but not immune to fear.’
‘Our scientists have not discovered anything to suggest how they support their numbers.’ Harvir replied. ‘One of our hopes is that with the appearance of these camps we will be able to study the creatures more effectively. This may be our first chance to examine how they live. However, I’m not going to put the colony in danger while we wait for the camps to be analysed. I’ve already given Captain Chiharo the task of coming up with a strategy to wipe them out if it looks like the camps are staging points for another offensive.’
‘Commodore, it’s possible that there is some environmental factor that is driving the Oratan to make camps now. Some sort of seasonal routine or something,’ said Milton Lee’s former assistant. ‘Whatever it is, we won’t be able to find out if the camps are destroyed before we have a chance to study them.’
‘I know that, Professor, but I imagine it’s also hard to concentrate when there are Oratan trying to rip you apart. If we tried to neutralise a camp for you to study, it’d be my men bearing the brunt of such a venture. I’m not prepared to put them through anything like that at this stage. Remember and learn from what happened to Professor Lee. His insight would have been more valuable now than ever. Unless my hand is forced I don’t want to make any hasty moves until we learn more about what we’re dealing with. To aid with this I’ve set up a system that will allow everyone, from the newest colonist to my senior advisors, to be able to report any new discoveries. I’m hoping this will allow us to learn more about Arkadia, as well as the Oratan and these new camps.’
Once again he looked around the table and was reassured to see that no one seemed too unnerved by the news. Chiharo and Fung were already in a deep discussion about tactics and the scientists were beginning to talk about possible avenues of research.
‘While I have you all here, there are a few other issues that I would like to cover,’ he said before everyone became too engrossed in their conversations. ‘Firstly, I’m sure that you have all noticed that we are no longer seeing as much trade between the different planetary colonies. While our local teleporter network is still in place and fully functional, it seems to no longer be giving us access to the wider universe. A team of scientists has been has been assigned to look into the problem but is yet to uncover any information about what is causing it. Until we hear differently we are going to assume this will be an ongoing issue.’
He held up his hands as his words were greeted with exclamations of frustration. When everyone had quietened he continued.
‘There’s some good news. Somehow, new colonists are continuing to arrive through the teleporters, but once here they are forced to find passage on a ship like everyone else if they wish to travel off-world. Unfortunately, despite the vigorous scouting of our Fleet, we have received several reports of pirate activity in the area. In response to this we have seen the rise of the Arkadia Star Fleet and other such groups to combat pirates that elude the IFN, and offer more protected travel to other colonists. It’s not exactly safe out there, and that’s an economic threat as much as it is a security threat. What this means is that we need to adjust some of our procedures and manufacturing techniques so that our production utilises more materials from Arkadia itself. I have already been working on this issue with our suppliers at PTech, Herman Industries, Lorika Tek and MAKO, as well as our Gyro FAP team. They are now all ready to move ahead with blueprint upgrades. I believe this will prove to be a beneficial process as it will help us to create a more self-sustaining economy on the planet.’
‘I’m going to hand over to the representative from the Arkadian Colonial Administration for a moment. They are better informed than I am to discuss these economic changes.’
The ACA representative stood and gestured at the display. A large map of Sentosa appeared across the table.
‘Thank you, Commodore. As everyone here is aware, most of our efforts have been turned to ensuring that the colony is able to adequately defend itself once again. The Oratan invasion stretched our resources to the limit and it was only the dedicated production of materials such as Oil and Lysterium that allowed us to return to pre-invasion stocks. There had been a standing order in place for all PTech equipment to locate such materials as a priority. Once our supply of these particular resources was replenished, we had PTech reprogram the equipment to allow them to discover a more balanced variety of materials.’
The map came to life with different areas highlighted by a complex array of colours representing the known resources.
‘This seems to be the mineral distribution as we’ve been able to map it. We have once again arranged for PTech to upgrade its software to give us what we now expect to be a viable, sustainable supply of resources. They tell us that they are ready to go live with their next software upgrade, and that the changes have been fully tested on Earth. The reprogramming is a major factor in our efforts to form an effective economy, and it is our hope that this time round it will bring us the resource availability that we need,’ the representative said, returning to his seat.
Harvir spoke once again. ‘There’s one final report that I believe you should all hear because there is the possibility that it is related to the Oratan threat. I’m going to hand over to Dr Zhen now, who has been studying the phenomenon.’
‘Thanks, Toán,’ Sundari said as she stood up. ‘I’ll try to be quick so that we can all get out of here. When I’m not at the Archaeological Society I have taken to studying some of the wildlife that surrounds us. Most of you will be familiar with the research of the biologists, as well as firsthand experiences of most creatures, but just recently I’ve noticed the appearance of a few new animals. Firstly, there is the Feran, a small flying creature that has emerged along the east coast of Sentosa. There is also the Ostelok, a larger, flightless avian-like creature that has appeared near the Celeste Quarry. While the creatures themselves are interesting, what intrigues me most is the fact that they have only recently been sighted in areas with heavy colonial traffic. It seems strange that they have not been seen earlier. One possible reason for their sudden appearance might be a planetary cycle that we are not yet aware of. Supposing this is true, it could also be the reason behind the Oratan’s change in behaviour. I’m not saying this is the case, but I would like to recommend that some effort be put into studying these new animals to learn what we can about them.’
 
Sundari sat back down with a smile. Harvir got to his feet but before he could speak a lieutenant rushed into the room and saluted.
‘Commodore, Captain, we have a problem. One of the equipment supply ships has been attacked on its descent towards Celeste Harbour. It survived, but sustained heavy damage and we believe most of its cargo is now scattered around the area.’
‘Our recovery troops are currently occupied elsewhere,’ Chiharo told Harvir. ‘They won’t be able to get in there and clear the area for a while.’
‘We’ll have to finish this meeting later. I don’t want those supplies falling into the hands of the Oratan.’ Harvir said to the group, before striding towards the door. ‘Chiharo, with me. Lieutenant, I want a full report ready by the time I reach the Operations Room.’
| 
