The Nexus

[Ironwatsas]

Somewhere in Kusari... perhaps amidst the swirling clouds of the Crow Nebula, perhaps in deep space between two systems, perhaps on a planet or asteroid yet unknown...

...the Den of minds calculating, ruthless, and soulless. An academy of their shared cruelty and dark intellect. Yet also, a place of creation, innovation, ingenuity, and design... if in the most malign ways possible.

As much a testament to humanity's creative intellect as well as it's capacity for sewing destruction and pain... though only so many of it's inhabitants could safely be considered human, anymore...

To the Consortium, the term 'Nexus' had several meanings. Many distinct locations. Ships, space stations, and a small number of labs constructed on allied bases. All locations from which the organization launched it's operations.

In this case, the 'Nexus' was a re-pressurized and re-engineered slave liner, partially re-built with components from several other vessels, all captured by the Consortium for their crews and pressed into service as a mobile command center.

***

The interior of the ship was essentially gutted and entirely replaced with Consortium technology and hardware. A mixture of Strange, monolithic, unorthodox hallways and catwalks, and utilitarian laboratories and machines. The concept of aesthetics was utterly irrelevant in Consortium engineering, every aspect of the ship focused on utility and space maximization...

Amongst one of the many rooms and terminals deep within the ship, a seemingly out-of-place looking woman monitored a large control interface, displaying several data-screens. Technical readouts, communication codes, Holographic maps. Most of them written in texts unreadable to most, yet this woman seemed fixated on this information.

One of the communication screens flickered and activated, displaying a man, seemingly a scientist, who bore the scars of severe Cybernetic augmentation...

"ZF, we're almost at quota for Emulsion processing. We will need additional storage tanks prepared." The man spoke, his voice warped, disrupted, and emotionless.

The woman replied, in a much softer tone. "Additional tanks will be acquired. Overwatch still wants the full data upload on Project 'Cavanaugh'. How is that proceeding?"

"First samples of the Mutagen are almost ready... however we're at the point where we don't have the technical expertise to continue. You will have to forward it to Zio or Clarke soon."

The woman nodded softly. "I will see to that. That will be all."

The comm screen flickered out, and for a brief moment, the woman stood alone, before dematerializing and disappearing. She was infact, a hologram. Part of an artificial intelligence, one of several used by the Consortium for force-coordination.

***

The woman re-appeared in a large, open room. Vaguely resembling a cross between a bar and meeting hall, and a command center. While few drinks would be served here, it did serve as a place for the elite of the Consortium to inter-mingle, and co-ordinate their operations. Being the only person present, the holographic-woman patiently waited for several other individuals to arrive...

---

All that begins must end.