Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Astra City

as written by Sokka

Sunseeker listened to the others plans silently.

"I agree with Dirge, this is not a game and our decision here will decide the fate of our nation, however I find it hard to put my support toward either of these plans. " He said.

He turned to Rhea. "Minister Vareos you mentioned the 10 million lost along the western coastline, and others mentioned the beasts roaming the midlands, not to mention the rift in space." He said taking a breath that was almost a sigh. "Westeria is not the only place experiencing these anomalies and I cannot see how moving the citizens of Westeria city can effectively ensure their safety in evacuation."

"Where would we go? Can we even guarantee that anywhere is safe from these anomalies where may they begin to appear next? And what of Shintenchi, what will they think if we abandon Westeria City?" He asked
 
as written by Sentry

Ganbaatar listened carefully to the banter, shifted in his seat, and set his jaw in thought. The shadow of his brow hid his eyes entirely, they were so furrowed. His hands folded atop his bronze cane, and at last to speak, he tapped it upon the floor twice.

"Rubano speaks truth. These certainly are Westerians we speak of," He leaned further back in his chair, gazing at his fellow parliament members from below those furry brows. "They will not abandon their homes. They will fight whatever monstrosities threaten them." Gan raised a finger, leaning toward the group. "The same way they have resisted true TNG control for years. They do not need us. That city is a breeding ground for villainy, which in turn, has given birth to its heroes. Westeria city will hold without our aid. We concentrate our efforts in Shintenchi. We concentrate our efforts in finding allies. In building our military." He turned to Torinn.

"Indeed, I agree, we must sacrifice parts for the whole. If Westeria falls, we shall rebuild. If our aid goes there now, we will lose more than we have gained. Then we run the risk of losing it all."
 
as written by Script

"I am not, Minister Dirge, 'fretting' over a single territory. I am not unaware of the severity of the situation, and I would thank that you don't insult my intelligence by implying such to be the case." Elanis replied curtly to Max. "What I am doing is ensuring that our duty to our citizens in the region is met. That is not placing them before the rest of our people, it is not 'special treatment', it is our responsibility, as it would be to any region suffering the same crises. Abandoning them simply is not an option I will consider. To do so would be monstrous." He glanced from Torinn to Ganbaatar. "We cannot 'rebuild' the lives that will be lost if we ignore our people in Westeria and its surrounds. It is in no terms an 'acceptable' loss."

He turned to Rhea, then. "However..." his expression became grim. "Perhaps the Prime Minister is right with regard to the anomalies. I had not put adequate consideration into the possibility of another event of the magnitude of the one on the western coast taking place. There's no arguing that the anomalies have been most severe in the Midlands... even if there's no guarantee that anywhere else is completely safe," he glanced towards Sunseeker, "the disturbances grow lesser in their impact the further away from the region you look."

His hand rose in a fist to his mouth in thought. "But yes, where would we send them? Any cities or towns we send them to will bear a heavy strain, and we will need to source food and welfare for the camps since the majority of the refugees will likely be unable to find work once moved away from their current livelihoods. Evacuation would also be subject to the same concerns that Minister Dirge had regarding supply lines, unless a more direct method of transport can be provided."
 
as written by Ronin

"Arcane means are always an option," Rubano offered, "our Oracles can sustain portals directly to safe locations. It would be more efficient then conventional transport - though more draining on our resources. Oracles are among our most formidable marine archetype. I don't want to see too many of them stationed in Westeria evacuating civilians."

"Ministers, I still maintain that Westeria should not be abandoned - but if Parliament is not willing to take a risk by putting the defense of the city in the hands of its people, then I side with Ministers Vaeros in her motion to evacuate the city and save as many lives as we can before pulling out. Better to secure even a fraction of the population then abandon the people of the city to their fate without proper guidance or equipment." He paused, forehead wrinkling above his brows.

"...but, as Minister Nuetari pointed out," Rubano sighed, "evacuation could prove to be just as costly as a full-scale takeover of the city. We would need to organize millions of refugees. Feed them. Care for them. Find them shelter and medical attention." He shook his head. "Getting them out of the city in the first place would be a logistical and tactical nightmare.

"Ministers, I maintain that our most cost-effective and humane option is to put the defense of the city in the hands of its people, primarily the police force. If we give the Westeria PD temporary emergency powers and properly equip them with the resources they need to take back their metropolis, we could effectively regain control of a key territory without sparing a single troop. The police force is still the dominant power in the city. Let us take advantage of that and show the people of Westeria that the TNG has not abandoned them ... without abandoning our advantages on other fronts by pooling too many resources into one campaign."



As it was, the Parliament floor seemed particularly divided on the issue. Rubano, Rhea and Elanis all seemed supportive of finding a way to preserve the people of Westeria - though disagreed on how they should do so. Dirge, Torinn and Ganbaatar believed they should abandon Westeria in order to better secure their other territories. Sunseeker, perhaps the swing-vote of the debate, had yet to completely pledge himself towards either side.
 
as written by Sokka

Sunseeker listened to the suggestions, weighing the options as they were proposed. He nodded conceding to the correction that the anomalies seemed to be isolated.

"If there is a place to evacuate then it may not be entirely out of the question, however I have to agree that a full scale evacuation would be impossible. Regarding granting the WCPD emergency powers would provide us with an alternative however we would need someone to lead the force. As bleak as the situation seems, I believe abandoning Westeria would only comback to harm us later. "

"There is one thing that we would be throwing away by abandoning Westeria entirely. If we are indeed under threat militarily, If we abandoned Westeria we would be sacrificing manpower. We can rebuild ships, factories, businesses but we cannot replace lives. If we abandon them without an evacuation I can see this having no other effect than this turning the people of Westeria City against us. If we abandon the city entirely though we risk political fallout with our enemies but maybe a bolstered police force might provide us with some control over the situation. " He said before turning to Rubano.

"I agree with your suggestion Rubano, Grant WCPD emergency powers and allow them to bolster their strength with local support. The people of Westeria, have proven on countless occasions the ability to rally together. Let the locals organized their own defense. However, an evacuation should take place, a limited operation that takes the most at risk individuals, military volunteers, persons of interest, allow them the opportunity to evacuate, while minimizing minimize the resources needed in such an operation. " He said.
 
as written by Lobos

"If you really believe in this expenditure of critical resources, at least pause to properly format your plans. So you grant a police force emergency powers. You might as well declare martial law at that point, because there are factions within Westeria City that will reject that out of hand. You might very well start a border war within the confines of the city." Max's voice gave no other impressions than his utter contempt for the idea. "While the bulk majority might very well listen to reason, you seem to ignore the sheer number of powered civilians residing within and around Westeria City, and not all of them see the WCPD, or the TNG it represents, as friends."

The man let that sink in a moment, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he continued. "The complications of an evacuation of any scale are legion, but the proposal of Sunseeker on selective evacuation carries its own risks. Those not selected might very well, and quite within reason, claim favoritism among the selected, and then not only are we leaving them behind, we are perceived as stripping them of valuable resources of their own. No different, nor any less vicious, than corporate headhunting. Furthermore, since you so kindly brought up the subject of Oracles, Rubano, how reliable are they?"

"Just not long ago, we lost a good number of them, as well as other men and women, in the precursor attack when they attempted to handle one of the subjects in full flight of the city. Potent as they are, they are not infallible, and exceedingly poor choices were made in that debacle. I'm reluctant to consider them an entirely stable platform to base a plan on, in the advent of that incident. There was a weakness exposed, and you do not so quickly exploit wounded assets." Dirge ground out pointedly.

"Whatever plan is settled on, do recall, I am quite involved in the method of exactly how to execute that plan. There are precious few things from a logistical standpoint that I see are possible in that aspect of the nation at this point in time, hence I stand by my stance to withhold action."
 
as written by Ronin

"Declaring martial law would still be a more ethically responsible action then abandoning an entire city to its fate, minister Dirge," Rubano retorted, "I find it interesting that you concern yourself with matters such as 'favoritism' when your suggestion would have us withdraw all aid from Westeria entirely." He shook his head. "'Favoritism' would be a compliment in light of the things we would be accused of - not just among the denizens of Westeria, but among all TNG cities. How can we expect our regions to trust us to defend them if we can't even defend our capital?"
 
as written by Tiko

"And how many millions more will be lost to us should we choose to simply abstain from a decision and wait?" Rhea inquired with a glance to Max. "Our duty is to our people. I would sooner remain behind with those we abandoned than simply leave them to their fate."

She shook her head.

"If we begin abandoning our own by the millions, then this government is already defunct," she explained. "We cannot simply abandon them. An evacuation will commit a great many resources, but it is a short term solution. By pulling our people from the region, we do not commit ourselves to an ongoing war to regain control of it. When a natural disaster sweeps through a region, what do we do? We evacuate our people until it is safe to return. That is what I propose. Many will choose to remain behind - those whom Minister Dirge has spoken of - but that decision rests on them, not us. We cannot pick and choose who to aid, based on our assumption of who might want it - or worse - who we feel deserve it most.

"On the matter of the oracles I stand with Minister Dirge," she continued. "Until we know the extent that they have been compromised in their earlier altercation, we cannot rely upon them. I propose instead that we reach out to the mage academies of Celestia and Everia, as well as the Elysian Vanguard. Neither will aid us in war efforts, so it does not detract from our remaining military resources that may be required in the event of another attack upon our nation, but both would readily lend support in relocating willing civilians from the region, as well as protecting them from these unnatural occurrences and threats in the process.

Citizens with families and ties in other regions can be assisted in reaching their destinations, those without fall on us to assist. As for where to relocate them, I propose we send them east. The Eastlands are both prosperous and not as densely populated as the Midlands. Furthermore, the region remains largely unharmed by the anomalies that have torn through the Midlands. Should these anomalies continue to spread, then we will look to other solutions, but for now we need to deal with what sits before us. And that is that millions more of our people will be lost if we do not act immediately to begin a full withdraw of the region for all bodies willing."
 
as written by Script

"It is telling, I think, that none of us can front an answer to the possibility of another large-scale event such as the one on the west coast, that the Prime Minister mentioned" Elanis stated, "Under any other circumstances, I would not support the notion of abandoning the city itself. However, Ministers Rubano and Sunseeker, we must acknowledge the possibility that it will occur. No amount of gumption or might can help our people from the threat of simply being wiped off the face of the planet by a shift in reality."

He sighed. "We have a responsibility to save as many lives as we can. In this instance the Prime Minister is right - that is best served by evacuating those who are willing. Much as I hate to displace so many citizens on an if, the scale of the anomalies in the Midlands is such that the possibility of another cataclysmic event like the one on the west coast is very real, and not one we can ignore. Our infrastructure across the Midlands is already compromised by the loss of dozens of towns and cities to the west, not to mention the other settlements disrupted by smaller scale anomalies.

"I agree that the Eastlands are a good starting point for evacuations, though I think perhaps we would be better served by spreading the refugees out across our other intact territories to lessen the burden on any one region in terms of overcrowding. Gonthar and Therrier-Paix are also relatively unharmed by the anomalies - they could serve as overflow destinations should the number of evacuees be greater than can be reasonably sustained in one locale.

"It will be a costly enterprise both in the short and long term, but we cannot put a price on the lives of millions. Once we have evacuated our people, we can address the issue of analysing the events in the Midlands more thoroughly - perhaps in this we can again call on the academies and Elysian Vanguard. Once we have more information we can consider a firmer course of action for the region, but in the meantime, our priority should be the people's safety."
 
as written by Sentry

This was going one direction, Ganbaatar thought. There would be no abandoning Westeria, though there would be no fighting to take it back, either.

With a grunt, he nodded. Though not in full agreement, it was true that full abandonment would come to bite them later. Putting himself in the position of the Westerians, he would not stand for it if his homeland had also been abandoned in such a manner. With such a thought in mind, he put perspective forth.

"My brother's lands are not so strained by population and resources. We may also send refugees there, should it be needed."
 
as written by Sokka

It seemed that the parliament was beginning to come to a consensus. "I agree it is our duty to ensure the safety of those in Westeria. I will support an evacuation however, if we may be facing a war I still have one suggestion. We should encourage military recruitment by using spokespersons during the evacuation. It would lighten the load on refugee's if we had a portion going to boot camps and it would jumpstart our recruitment, and gain us valuable man power in case the Aschen or any other threats make a move on us militarily." He said.
 
as written by Lobos

Fingers drummed the table before him, eyes shifting between faces. They settled the longest on Rhea and Torinn, before Max sighed, heavily.

"So long as the mages of the Elysian Vanguard and the Academies agree to go forth with the evacuation, I'll support the action. While I don't believe it necessary, it quells the political issues trouble some of us," He turned his look to Rubano and Elanis. "As well as the question of morality. If that is the course we take, then so be it."
 
as written by Ronin

"It appears that the majority has spoken," Rubano said, "if the choice is between the evacuation or complete abnegation of our capital, then I cast my vote to evacuate the city of Westeria as best we can, and to approach the Vanguard and the academies Celestial and Everia in aiding in the withdrawal."

The minister cleared his throat. "I do have one suggestion - that we open up more then just the Eastlands to the Westeria refugees." He looked to Sunseeker and Ganbaatar. "The hospitality of our eastern friends is humbling, and I am glad to receive your help in this matter, but I remind Parliament that Westeria is a culturally diverse metropolis. While many citizens may find eastern society agreeable, there are doubtless others that will find it extraordinarily difficult to adapt to this new environment."

He held up a hand. "I propose that we also open Gonthar as a refuge option for Westeria evacuees. Though still a farcry from Terra, I believe many civilians may find themselves more comfortable in the northern tropics then the eastern grasslands and mountains."
 
as written by Tiko

"Gonthar is still recovering from a natural disaster of its own that has left its cities swollen with refugee camps from the volcanic eruption that displaced thousands. The last thing they need is more refugees being unloaded onto them," Rhea answered.

"However with that matter decided, we need to look to the matter of the Aschen Empire. There is no question that they will return. It is only a matter of when. Turning to the Invictus for aid has bought us valuable time, but we need to make further contact with the Invictus, to determine how far that aid will extend. We also need to determine how long it will take to get more Triremes spaceworthy. As I understand it we had several in production that were not among those destroyed, but that they're still months away from completion. We don't have months. We need to divert whatever resources and funding is necessary to move that time-table up."
 
as written by Script

"I agree on both counts," Elan stated, "I fear relying too heavily on the Invictus could prove dangerous in the long term, but we don't have the luxury of picking and choosing our allies."

He paused, "Do we have any reports on the nature of what has replaced our cities in the west? I'm afraid I'm largely in the dark as to the specifics of that event."
 
as written by Lobos

"As of right now, little." Grimacing, Max signaled an aide at the door, taking the offered papers and glancing at them. "It seems to have happened during the Aschen conflict, though we haven't been able to analyze any data yet. At best, we know the timing of that event to that of the Aschen activating Planck Fields was very closely related."

"Of the nature of the new lands, we still don't know. We haven't had the time to survey them, or to investigate into the matter yet, but it's on the agenda.
 
as written by Tiko

On the agenda...

The thought was a sobering one, rather than reassuring. The agenda at the moment extended far, and was only growing day by day.

She knew what needed doing, but it was a decision she was hesitant to make. She looked to Max first, and her intentions were painted there upon her somber gaze. She knew he would support her, but many of the others she could not be so certain of. Neither Elan nor Sunseeker were apt to quick and concise decisions, though she suspected the latter would be a strong voice behind her, once his mind was made up.

Ganbaatar and Torinn would likely throw in behind her, if it meant swifter military action.

Rubano... that one was a harder read. She looked to him briefly as she weighed the matter in her mind. They had fundamentally different views on some matters, but she believed they shared a kinship in their desire to protect the people of Terra. His support would go far in balancing Ganbaatar and Torinn's more pragmatic ideologies.

When she spoke again, it was with clear and precise intention.

"It is clear that the ills we, and the people of Terra, face are too many to count," she began. "What we have discussed here and now does not even begin to scratch the surface of what must be done if this government, and its people, are to survive the coming storms." She paused, and her eyes shifted to the vacant seats. "Already we are too few, and our infrastructure has been gravely damaged. In the wake of these events, and those yet to be faced, I move to claim emergency powers until such a time as this administration is whole again, and the threat of Aschen reprisal is behind us."
 
as written by Lobos

"Seconded." Max spoke, the Minister of Defense fully behind the Prime Minister. The need for action was great, and circumventing thenumerous issues and meeting of having to debate every course of action was something that could save lives in the long run.
 
as written by Script

"I..." Elan hesitated. There was no doubt that now was a time for swift action, much as his personal philosophy favoured considered decisions. Rhea was a capable woman, but she'd also proven herself to be ruthless. He wasn't sure that if the negotiations with the Aschen had been conducted more formally, they might have avoided the disaster.

Of course, that had been impossible at the time. But it showed that Rhea was more uncompromising than Elan was sure he was comfortable with.

But there was no telling when reprisal from the Aschen would come, and nor was there any promise that Parliament would be in a functional state for weeks, if not months.

"... I will support this. But I would like to remind everyone that these powers should be exercised sparingly, as and where necessary for the immediate security of our people, and no further. Wherever possible, procedure should be followed, with exceptions made only if the time taken to do so would cost lives."
 
as written by Sokka

Sunseeker nodded slowly as the priminister spoke. He knew that this had been coming, and when she suggested emergency powers, he just gave a nod in agreement as she spoke. It was too chaotic to have a meeting about everything given the current state of affairs and giving emergency powers would prove to the people the severity of the situation. Hell it may even assist in convincing others to evacuate and increase the numbers joining the military.

"I support the motion for emergency powers." Sunseeker stated.
 
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