The holographic avatar smiled gently, with a hint of a smirk, but quickly vanishing into a more serious expression.
"The Recluse has proven to be a dead end. They seem reluctant to initiate any sort of communication with us, let alone try to further relations by proposing any sort of further agreements. The approved Hubs coming into space have not even been checked for safety of their Republic.
The Recluse is unfit to be an ally of the collective and as such is a waste to cooperate with, let alone be subordinated to. However, the operation on Oraibi for its minerals is a valuable tie to the IMG and a means of supplying us with resources.
I suggest beginning to think about expanding our reach past the Recluse. There seems to be no way of growing past where we are now."
Empathy's avatar snapped his fingers, transmitting the Data about the group known as "Auxesia" to the other Sentinels.
"Given the information we received from the Auxesia, the Recluse has proven to be erratic and quick-tempered - another feat making them unsuitable for the collective - and a conflict started by them would inflict heavy political trouble on them, potentially giving us a chance to overtake their inefficient and wasteful governed space.
I could think of multiple ways to harness the power of the Subsoil, which the Recluse either seem to ignore or are just plain uncapable of noticing."
Empathy rested his hands together behind his back, raising his head a bit and letting his gaze wander over all the sentinels present so far.
"I would like to know your opinions before transmitting a proposal to the core, alongside a summary of potential allies, their effectiveness, as well as the likelyness, amount and strength of potential foes, should we choose to oppose the Recluse."
His avatar crossed his arms in front of his chest, with an expression of disdain, however not targeted at anyone present.
"The collective is nobody's pawn, and I would rather eliminate myself indefinetely than let superior artificial minds be used by someone like slaves."
