Cogito ergo sum

[Akhetaten]

"The Akhetaten; the latest and most sophisticated design to emerge from Juneau's dry-docks. Such firepower, such capabilities; decades of military research and development. Thirty-three years of service."

"Wasted."

First, it was the Sentinel sightings in Kepler. The anomalies. Entity. Events shadowed by the Republic's hatred of the Order, of the Technocracy. Shadowed by orders that had the Navy chasing after those that held knowledge, rather than after knowledge itself.

Then came Omicron Nu. Long lost fleets, assets, people. Now mere ghosts of their past selves. Discoveries shadowed by the war against the newly formed Insurgency.

And then came Ontario. Planet Sudbury. An alien site long left untouched that had now activated itself. An energy source; a beacon, perhaps.

"SL-40-8830, code-name Hades, lost. Deceased. Killed in action."

The survey liner that held important finds on the anomaly at Planet Sudbury. The liner that the Republic could not spare enough forces to defend. The liner that the Navy could not free from Rheinland's grasp. Gone. Destroyed. Shadowed by the war against the Militants. A mere necessary sacrifice.



Scattered across the Vice Admiral's desk were numerous reports from the past six years. Reports that all had one thing in common.

An alien threat of utmost importance being overshadowed by...

"Meaningless endeavors to please the Republic's corrupt ideals and futile goals."

It had been many years of trying to convince herself that Christopher was wrong; that the Republic is not blinded and deafened by it's own trivial, pointless, ambitions; that one day the alien threat will be recognized and proper measures will be taken to ensure that the second Nomad war does not wipe humanity.

But...

"He was right all along."

The Government wasn't going to listen, for they did not care; nor now neither thirty-four years ago.

The Order; the protectors of humanity that had emerged from the shadow of the Republic to save the world not four decades ago. Nowhere to be found; perhaps busy fighting their war on ideals against The Core, or maybe occupied scheming with the Xenos.



The elephant in the room had gone ignored for more than half a decade and Maria knew that soon all the puzzle pieces which were neglected would inevitably connect.

"Fumbling in ignorance. Incapable of understanding."

A decision laid ahead of her. One that wouldn't be easy. One that boiled in her mind for months. One she was too afraid to come to terms with.

But if she wasn't going to make the call - nobody would.