Chapitre 145: Chapter 10: The First Domino
'So start from the beginning again.' as Brakagi and Jozzor feigned as academic visitors from Rocky words and sat down on the lab which is hastily restored after a bit of 'melt down' by Caliditas and a quick patch job is performed over it, 'the why and the how.'
'The why is something we all share.' Brakagi said, thinking back to what drove him forward in his political journey, which led him to be removed from power and thrown into the prison in the wild regions, 'we were all betrayed or failed by the system, the human dominated system, the one that brought their unbearable tendencies to our society. I was removed from my position for challenging that paradigm by the government that got their funding from the current paradigm, Jozzor had his honors taken away from him, and you struggle to get funds to do what you want to do.'
Jozzor nodded hard as he locked his sights on Brakagi, and Caliditas is scrubbing her chin hairs.
'Sure, I don't care what happened to you, or him.' Caliditas said straight forwardly, 'I want to perform solar research in whatever way I wish. All I want is complete freedom.''The New Rockies Government will offer full academic freedom to all researchers.' Brakagi said as his voice shook of passion, 'the old Rocky system was sufficient, but not any more. The current human system is proven to be failing. We....we need a new future!'
'Cool, that's a good speech to give to the public.' Caliditas said, her chest rising and falling as the calm voice struggled to hide her very own excitement, 'here is what I can offer. I can analyze your plans, I can help you formulate them, and apart from that, my special talent can be of use too.'
'That would be greatly appreciated.' Brakagi said, turning his head towards Jozzor, 'when I was locked up in the prison, I have had plenty of time to think about what I did wrong. I was a foolish rock trying to resist the flow of water all by myself. I had no help and few allies. Most importantly, I didn't allow the public to understand my dreams.'
'I was too high and mighty.' Brakagi admitted.'I think a bit of there is still there.' Caliditas said, and Jozzor turned and glared at her, 'what?! I am straight forward as that.'
'You...' Jozzor has been trying hard to suppress his anger, but Brakagi cut him off before he spewed out anything he might regret.
'Your honesty is what I value, and thank you for pointing that out.' Brakagi said truthfully with his whole attention on Caliditas and her messy fur, a drastic contrast to how well groomed his is, 'Can I count on you to look out for me for the foreseeable future?'
'You...Of course, but it's not...' Caliditas wasn't expecting this response, and she looked away shyly and responded before trying to change the topic of conversation again, '....talk about the how! Yes, the how!'
'We need to turn the court of the public opinion on outside, not only with our people, but we will need to communicate with the rest of the people in the galaxy too.' Brakagi said, 'to do that, we need every media everywhere to be talking about us, our message and our mission. The bulk of the plan will happen in two stages.' Then, he gestured towards Jozzor who's been setting up interference devices around the table as the conversation was going on.
What ever is happening on the table is galaxy breaking stuff, and it would be wise to keep it within the circle.
'There will be something happening in the light, and another thing happening in the dark.' Jozzor explained as he turned on a flat hologram and showed the cosmic map of the Olympus system. The binary system of Olympus with two young suns closely orbiting each other and supporting barrages of outer planets that have been fully terraformed and with swarms of habitats both around the planets and the suns, 'Leader's power will allow this stable orbit to be unbalanced.'
'That's impossible.' Caliditas shook her head straight away.'So is your feet burning the metal.' Jozzor reminded.
'No. That's not nearly the same.' Caliditas rebutted, 'not even close. Whatever you say you can do is a system level use of your artifacts. That's impossibly large number of magnitudes above what I can currently do.'
'We are enhanced, so that will make the task easier.' Brakagi said before admitting, 'my power is not to destroy systems, but rather to give things a shove in the direction of instability. It is a lot easier to upset and destroy something.''Even taking that into account!' Caliditas said, leaning forward and suppressing her voice so that she is almost hissing, 'I have overused my artifacts, you know what it feels to feel like you are sinking into lava?''I feel I am being split into a million bits.' Brakagi said.'And I was literally almost torn into two parts.' Jozzor said before there was a short silence on the table.
Are all artifact users this reckless?
Sounds about right.
'This will have to be done.' Brakagi laid it all out, 'to kick start all of the events of our plan, we need something immediate and big, but it will also be something the galactic government can very easily respond to. That's the entire point.''The orbit of the twin suns of the Olympus system will be upset, but the changes will occur extremely slowly in human time, but within the blink of an eye in cosmic timelines.' Jozzor explained, continuing the thread after Brakagi, 'initial modelling will suggest that there will be two full standard months before full catastrophe will occur. In the initial few days, research and monitoring systems will easily be able to pick out this anomaly, and the results will be published.' as he is speaking, he glanced over to Brakagi who nodded.
'This is where you can come in.' Brakagi explained, 'if your observations are accepted, you get the credit. If yours are ignored or rejected, then you have easy excuse to leave. That's a rough plan for what your role is in the plan initially.'
'Evidently.' Caliditas said with arms crossed, 'don't put me in a role just yet. Continue as if I am not here.'
Jozzor made an impressed look before continuing, 'Regardless of the few days of advance warning from this station, eventually the habitats and systems will learn of this change, and they will have ample time to mobilize enough ships and habitats that will move everyone out of here. However.....'
'It will be expensive as hell.' Caliditas completed the sentences, 'it's all about the god damn money, even when things looked like we are in the post-scarcity time, even for us.''I suppose you can never truly leave scarcity behind, only shift it to somewhere else or something else.' Brakagi said, nodding his head towards Jozzor for him to continue.
'During this time, the plan in the dark will also occur at somewhat the same time. I have ample evidence that the GBI is being the manipulation of leader's removal of power earlier, and my inside source indicated such files are indeed recorded in the GBI headquarters. Leader will first perform his act to shift the stable orbit and we will raid the GBI headquarters to retrieve such details.'
'So the two key players of this plan will be trying to sneak into the headquarters of one of the most secure locations in the galaxy.' Caliditas said sharply, 'and that is after one has moved the sun out of orbit, with possibly lasting consequences on his body.'
Brakagi and Jozzor shared a look, and for the first time today the sharp remarks of this scientist has stopped them in their tracks. They haven't ran through the details of the raid just yet, but things don't exactly sound pretty when she puts it that way.
'The purpose of this plan is to show the removal of me from power then was done by outside influence, and that influence will also be shown to be corrupt at the exact same time.' Brakagi explained, 'do you have any ideas for what other options we might have?'
'How would you know there exists such a record?' Caliditas asked, 'it wouldn't be exactly walking into a trap, but...'
'Standard protocol, record for future training and learning.' Jozzor said, 'a thing the current Rocky government took from their book.'
'We can figure out the details later. But the idea would be show further evidence of governmental interference and tempering to rally the Rocky crowds and regain control of the Rocky government.' Brakagi further explained, 'this will also be figured dealt with later.'
'You meant to tell me later?' Caliditas said, glaring at Brakagi.
'It is the first day we have met.' Brakagi said.
'Fair.' Caliditas gestured towards Jozzor to continue.
'The later stages of the plan constitutes offering aid towards the galactic government with funds that I have funneled over the years, it won't be much, but it will at least be one of the first sub-galactic governments to offer aid and plans for a resettlement, and of course further acts of corruption will find their way in this process too, which will also be exposed.'
'The final stage would be force the system to resettle to another binary on the edge of the Rockies system. That will be the new Olympus, and we will have much more influence than we do now.'
'That...is one hell of a plan, if anything.' Caliditas had to give it to the grand vision of Brakagi.
The one cosmic anomaly that will change the history of the galaxy forever. Brakagi is almost certain that a series of bad decisions driven by money and economics is what will allow his plan to succeed, though so many of the details will have to be ironed out.
'So...are you in?' Brakagi said with an awkward chuckle.
'Fuck yeah.'
In order to fully settle on the actual details of the first step of the plan, Brakagi, Jozzor and specifically Caliditas needed more time to model the effects and speed of Brakagi's actions. The actual process itself should be simple enough, as Brakagi can simply use the personal solar observatory that Caliditas has access to. However, the amount of adjustment Brakagi made needed to be precise here.
Brakagi will be trying to gently give the smaller of the two of the Olympus system's binary stars a gently shove away, though he doesn't not need to directly shove it, but rather manipulate it at a systems level. Caliditas is in charge of plotting out a course that will achieve what Brakagi wanted and giving him precise instructions when the artifact is activated.
However, the modelling of the spiral of galactic bodies isn't that easy, and writing and testing the code will take quite a little bit of time. During this time, Caliditas also went ahead and showed the two where she also played with the power of her own artifacts. She has been finding ways to train that ability by incinerating waste products and abandoned machines in the research station, and Brakagi can perhaps practice his power a little on the same things.
'Can we trust her?' Jozzor asked as Brakagi began to probe on an old centrifuging device by placing his hand near it. He then opened his eyes and looked towards his top lieutenant.'Why not?' 'It's just...she is too cooperative.' Jozzor said, looking at Brakagi frankly, 'it is the first day we have met, and she is already working on what we wanted.....what if she betrays us?''Then we will just have to do this by ourselves.' Brakagi looked down at the machine and took a breath in, 'you will get us out of here, and we will just have to eyeball it. It wouldn't be precise, but it will be close enough.'
Then, he activated the ring of Instability and instantly probed into the inner workings of the machine in front of him. The power is off, but the battery still have quite a lot of charge left in it. Brakagi traced his fingers along the pathway of energy within the machine. He is now able to cut off and manipulate such pathways as long as overloading it, so that's exactly what he did.
And finally, it's time to turn up the dial.
A crackling sound emanated from the machine as the smoke began to rise and slip through the gaps of the cover. Then, the entire thing melted down and away almost as if it was touched by Caliditas' artifacts.
'That was simple enough.' Brakagi said, kicking the melted piece of metal and plastic chunks to the side, and he reached out a hand towards Jozzor, who slung shot both of them back into Caliditas' lab.
She was still working on the modelling of the celestial bodies, but a first pass of the model showed in a hologram that the orbit will begin to decay over two months and the planets will be sling shot away. Initially, Brakagi anticipated the impact to be coming from the supernovas of the suns that he will be blowing up, but that really defeated the purpose of a painful yet avoidable destruction of the galaxy.
Supernovas happen way too quickly, and gradual decay of the stable orbits are what suits the current purpose more, and it also meant that his task is also easier.
The modelling continued on for a little while longer in the lab, but Brakagi have decided to try to probe on the system first. He has done this before, probing the systems and inner workings of celestial bodies. To his surprise, it wasn't as tiring as he thought it would be, because he is indeed viewing things from a systems level rather than trying to process all of the information at once.
When the artifact is activated, all Brakagi saw in front of him is the really a flow chart of information, and as long as he can frame the focus inside his mind, he can freely adjust the level of systems that he is currently seeing, going down to the plasma flow within each star to the binary orbit of both stars as influenced by the rest of the planets, habitats and stations in this solar system.
Things do become a lot simpler and clearer when you step back. The system is remarkably simple, and the binary orbit is really what that there is.
'Ok, try this.' Caliditas said, breaking Brakagi out of his probing of the suns, 'I have tried a range of solutions, and the timeline is always somewhere in the ball park of two standard months.' She demonstrated a range of vectors to move the smaller sun in. All of those solutions will lead to the orbits decaying and ejecting planets away from the solar system and/or lead to devastating solar winds that will destroy whatever comes to close.
However, all of that is something that will happen in the future, and all of that can be prepared for.
'I know this may feel like a big deal,' Brakagi said, looking over at Caliditas, 'but this is probably the easiest step of the plan.'
'Yeah alright, don't beg me to revive you when you passed out then.'
Brakagi chuckled lightly as he memorized the ranges of solutions. The smaller sun can carry on its previous velocities, but Brakagi will need to adjust the trajectory and push it inwards towards the other sun first, which will lead to it accelerating towards it before barely missing and sling shotting planets away in two months time.
Should be a simple enough task.
Bringing his hand up to shoulder level, Brakagi activated his Ring of Instability and probed the suns once again.
He can now see it. The stars are within the palm of his hands, and he can almost feel its heat warming up his palm. He can see the trillions of life on the settled planets all around the system, and how his actions will change their lives forever. He saw Olympus Prime, and the trillions living around it.
He saw everything. The system wide view of the entire system, beyond the stars, beyond the closer orbits.
What he does now will forever change the fate of everything in this system.
Brakagi placed his hand on the orbit, and he hesitated. Is this what he wanted to do? He know possibly trillions will die, he know that the galactic government will value money and economy over lives, and he know...he know the failure of the system will be what killed them, not the cosmic anomaly that he will now cause.
Is it worth it? Is the price of exposing the failure of the current system worth it?
Brakagi thought the Ring of Instability granted him some sort of supernatural power that will aid him in combat, however, the power he is now wielding is way beyond supernatural. This is the power of a god...
Swallowing hard, Brakagi placed a finger on the smaller sun, and pushed it inwards.
There was a flashing light, and Brakagi found himself back in the lab and standing near Jozzor and Caliditas who were both staring at him.
'Did you do it?' Caliditas asked, and Brakagi was about to answer before a searing pain ripped through his entire body. He dropped onto his knee and winced in pain, though the pain of the recoil is nothing compared to what the rest of the galaxy will endure, and it was nothing compared to the pain of his previous failure.
'Did you do it?' Caliditas asked again, and Brakagi nodded hard before passing out on the floor.
As the first piece of domino falls, the fate of the galaxy is now forever changed.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone