Chapter 548: 4th & 10 (1/2)
CONFEDERATE SENATE RECONVENES
The Terran Confederacy of Aligned Systems reconvened as representatives left protective posture and rejoined their colleagues in order to bring about order and stability during these difficult times. Many of the representatives had sheltered in heavily protected systems in order to deny the Unified Council the ability to strike directly at the legislature in order to disrupt the Confederate government.
While greetings and welcomings were joyful, the Senate has a long road ahead of it. With the unconditional surrender of the Unified Council, tens of thousands of worlds await their announcement of their disposition. Additionally, with nearly a dozen races and systems joining the Confederacy, new seats were opened and representatives for those races and systems were sworn in.
Among the newcomers is the Harmonus Empire, the Telkan Forge Worlds, the Akltak Soaring Worlds, and many others, including the long awaited return of the Pubvians, who have exited their long self-imposed exile.
Among the subjects to take up is the establishment of secure trade and travel lines through the Long Dark as well as continued prosecution of the Autonomous War Machine War.
[Would You Like to Know More: [Y]es [N]o?]
Brentili'ik watched the news cast on the Tri-Vid channel, then turned the Tr-Vid in her office to the Confederate Senate Public Viewing Channel. The screen flickered for a moment then cleared.
There were nearly two thousand seats, all arranged by grouping. She watched the camera pan over the Senate, then focus on the Speaker, an elderly looking Terran. She listened to the speeches, droning on and on, saying very little with many many words.
Typical politics, she thought.
The camera panned again and Brentili'ik frowned. There were dozens of Terran Descent Humans in the seats. Two Pubvian seats. Dozens of Treana'ad, Rigellian Compact, and other seats, all with a Representative Senator and their staff.
She paused it and leaned forward, staring.
After a minute she leaned back and pressed a button on her desk.
'Yes, Madame Director?” her secretary asked.
”Send for Quetrax, tell him I need to see him immediately,” Brentili'ik said, never taking her eyes from the Tri-Vid.
It took nearly ten minutes for her door to open to admit a nondescript very average looking Telkan into the room. The newcomer waited for Brentili'ik to engage the privacy modules, internally raising an eyebrow at how she closed the curtain. He sat down as Brentili'ik took her seat behind the desk. He looked around, noting the paused Tri-Vid.
”Watching the Confederate Senate deliberations?” he asked.
”I was,” Brentili'ik admitted.
”Learn anything new from the distilled boredom?” Quetrax asked.
Brentili'ik nodded. ”I did. I also discovered a question.”
Quetrax frowned, his whiskers twitching. ”What would that be?”
Brentili'ik pointed at the screen, where the Telkan Senator sat.
”Who is that?” Brentili'ik asked.
Quetrax frowned. ”Someone from your office put in the Senate?”
Brentili'ik shook her head. ”I would have remembered that. I would have remembered someone I would have briefed into the ground. I would know everything about them,” she said. She pointed at the image of the Telkan again. ”I do not recognize that Telkan.”
”He seems very familiar,” Quetrax mused, leaning forward slightly. ”Perhaps I have met him?”
”I feel the same way, but I do not recognize him,” Brentili'ik insisted.
”May I, Madame Director?” Quetrax asked, holding up his hands to chest level and cocking his wrists.
Brentili'ik nodded, typing in the security code to allow the other Telkan to bring up a holographic keyboard and display. The Intelligence Services Chief typed for a long moment then looked up.
”Got his data,” Quetrax said. He made a flicking motion and the file appeared on Brentili'ik terminal.
She opened it up and perused it.
Birth, early life, education, service in the war that was not really distinguished in any way, appointment as a Terran liaison, assistance in the recovery efforts, appointment to the Senate. Biometric, place of birth, education records, letters of recommendation. The written orders appointing him as the Telkan Representative Senator.
”Everything looks in order,” Quetrax mused.
”Except I didn't sign any of this,” Brentili'ik insisted. ”I swear, I know him,” she said, staring at the picture. She put her finger on it and rotated it slowly. ”I know I know him.”
Quetrax tapped a few keys and moved his finger through the hologram several time. ”Give me a second. I'll cross reference him with our database.”
There was silence for a moment, the whole time Brentili'ik kept staring at the Telkan in the picture. Finally, Quetrax's holographic system pinged.
”Got him,” Quetrax said, tossing it up to one of the wall mounted Tri-Vee's. The Telkan's picture appeared, along with his match.
”Um, what?” Brentili'ik said, staring at the hologram.
”That's impossible,” Quetrax said.
The hologram insisted, though, displaying the data.
82% MATCH
VINCENT IMMA ADULTELKAN
PLANETARY DIRECTORSHIP RUNNER UP
Brentili'ik jabbed her finger at the data. ”Get that overly clever Telkan in here.”
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The male was young, maybe 20, and obviously worried. Sweat slicked his fur and his whiskers trembled as he was escorted by armed security into the office of the Planetary Director. He saw Director Brentili'ik sitting behind the desk, tapping a pen on the desk.
”You,” she snapped.
”Good afternoon, Madame Director,” Fespal said. ”Uh, do I bow?”
”Oh, sit down,” Brentili'ik snapped. She pointed at Quetrax. ”My Chief of Security and Intelligence.”
”I remember you from the Tri-Vid special outing you,” Fespal said.
The Telkan made a silent snarl. ”Hang all journalists.”
”Am I in trouble?” Fespal asked.
Brentili'ik shrugged. ”That entirely depends on what you've been up to for the last year of so.”
”How so?” Fespal asked. ”I've been learning aircar and groundcar customization. Paints, optional lights, enhanced VI and software, superchargers, interiors, stuff like that.”
”Not staying involved in politics?” Brentili'ik asked.
Fespal shook his head. ”No. The whole '3 Podlings' campaign was a GalNet/SolNet joke that got out of hand.”
”Well, the person you used for the pictures and biometrics apparently has gone into politics,” Brentlili'ik said, pointing at the Tri-Vee.
Fespal stared, then shook his head. ”That's impossible.”
”How so?” Brentili'ik asked.
”He's not real,” Fespal admitted.
”Then how did you come up with biometrics to fool the system?” Quetrax asked.
Fespal held up his hand datapad. ”I found a program on SolNet that would make an amalgamation of data. It had a bunch of filters and output settings. It's a really old program. It can scan images, like a couple dozen, and out out an amalgamation of the data.”
Quetrax frowned. ”And you used it?”
”I had a friend who writes code expand it a bit, then we used the Public Population Registry to scan biometrics and pictures to load into the system to generate a Telkan,” the young male said.
”That registry is to allow people to find family members that survived the war, or Telkan returning home to find family members, not for datascraping,” Brentili'ik said stuffily.
The young man shrugged. ”All data is used for datascraping. Data is valuable, Madame Director.”
”So Vincent Adultelkan was basically a generalization of all the Telkan you had available,” Quetrax said softly.
”Yes. I can send you a copy of the software if you wish. It's pretty basic, but still fun to use,” Fespal said.
”Please,” Brentili'ik said. She looked at Quetrax. ”Any other questions you have for him?”
”Not right now,” the Intelligence Chief said.
Fespal nodded and left, the relief obvious in his posture as he quickly went through the door.
Brentili'ik went back to staring at the broadcast she had paused. She tapped a button and the broadcast kept going over the various reps, IDing them as the camera passed over since she had full verbose mode on.
”There's another thing bothering me,” Brentili'ik said.
”Aside from the fact that our Representative Senator doesn't exist?” Quetrax asked.
”Even more,” Brentili'ik admitted. She requested a zoom out with a population breakdown.
Terran Descent Humans made up 11% of the Senators.
”What?” Quetrax asked.
She tapped another set of buttons and the Senate SolNet site burbled up the data.
”One hundred thirty eight Senators that, with their staff, total nearly fifteen thousand Terran Descent Humans,” Brentili'ik said.
”Well, that's how many systems they have that are signatories to the Confederate Charter,” Quetrax said.
”Uh-huh,” Brentlili'ik said. She zoomed in one Terran. ”Except, tell me where, anywhere in the galactic arm, hell, the Universe, that there are fifteen thousand humans left.”
Quetrax felt himself go cold, felt his ears press against his head and his whiskers press against the side of his muzzle as Brentili'ik did another wide view pan of the Senate.
”Those aren't real people,” Brentili'ik said.
Quetrax turned and faced Brentili'ik.
”Then who are they?” he asked.
”I don't know.”
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>HIGH SPEED SECURE CHAT ROOM GENERATED
>HANDING OUT SECURITY KEYS
>FIVE (5) MEMBERS LOGGED ON
>MANTID FREE WORLDS HAS JOINED THE CHAT (KEY VALIDATED)
>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS HAS JOINED THE CHAT (KEY VALIDATED)
>BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS HAS JOINED THE CHAT (KEY VALIDATED)
>DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS HAS JOINED THE CHAT (KEY VALIDATED)