32 Crowning Achievement

I wake up with the space and start off the day with a healthy dose of training. After my training, I instruct Ordis to contact the Corpus Board of Directors and request a meeting with them. I then head over to the Traveler, as it has ample accommodations for receiving such guests. 

     Once aboard the Traveler, I go to the Hunting Grounds to do a little combat training, with Birdy and Bot. As soon as the Directors arrive, I exit the Hunting Grounds, in my Primed and Augmented Nidus with Birdy and Bot in tow. I walk to the Hangar to escort them up.

     "Greetings, Chairman Bek. I'm curious, have the other Directors run off somewhere or did you perhaps come here alone?"

     "Ahh, yes, a pleasure to meet you, Dark Star. As for the others, they all agreed that it would be for the best to simply send myself and, in the aftermath, they've agreed to abide by whatever arrangements that we might come to. That said, is it not General Nyx and the Lotus that lead the Tenno? I'm aware that you have a prominent status with them but I wasn't aware that you are part of the leadership."

     "Officially you are correct but unofficially you never heard me say that and today's meeting is between you and the two you just mentioned. Am I making myself understood, Chairman?" 

     It takes him a second to process what I've hinted at but he recovers quickly. "Ahh, yes, I see. Then I'm in your care, Emissary Dark Star. Please, lead the way."

     'So far so good. If anything, this is for the best, as it means fewer people with my secrets in their heads.' I lead the Chairman to the elevator. At the top floor, we get off and go to a Board room, with too many chairs, that had been prepared for this meeting. Upon entering, I walk Nidus to the corner and enter Operator Mode. I leave Nidus behind, with Birdy and Bot, and we each take our seats and get down to business. 

     Hek looks a tiny bit flustered, by my sudden body change. "As the host of this meeting, I'll start us off by making my intentions clear. We the Tenno have heard your desire to remain neutral towards us and normally we would be willing to acknowledge this desire and leave you be. When considering recent events, however, the presence of those amongst your ranks, who would bring such a tremendous

force against us despite your instructions not to, makes dealings with your faction as a whole a dangerous thing for us. 

     "In short, Chairman Bek, before this provocation, we could have cooperated peacefully but now it's clear to us that there are rogue factions amongst your number, who would seek our undoing regardless of their leadership's position on the matter. Unless there's someway for you to ensure that these rogues are dealt with, there's unlikely any chance for us to remain on peaceful terms, as unfortunate as it may be. Your thoughts, Chairman?" Beks face has been getting paler by the second listening to me speak. Which is a bit disappointing, I would have thought that he would have more composure than this.

     "Yes, well, Dark Star, you see I'm very much opposed to any actions taken against your people and as I've already stated the other Directors, and I mean all of them, they all are willing to abide by my decisions. Also, we are willing to make a generous show of goodwill in order to perhaps make this whole business of rogues a bit easier to digest."

     "Hmmm, no, I'm afraid that won't do. You see, Chairman, we will expect some compensation for this recent attack but the matter of these rogues is not something that can be so easily swept aside. If you cannot find a way to ensure that none of your fellow Directors or Investors will ever raise another army against us, I'm afraid that these negotiations will have to end here. I'll not risk my people's lives, for some pretty gift and a few sweet words."

     "Dark Star, please listen? If I could do what you are asking, I would absolutely. It's just that the way that Corpus society functions it doesn't allow for me to accomplish such a thing. You must believe that what you ask is beyond my power or else I wouldn't even hesitate."

     "I see, so it's a societal problem then. If what you say is true, however, it simply lends credence to my assessment that even if some individual Corpus can be trusted your faction as a whole is simply not an entity that the Tenno can afford to be entangled with...I do, however, have a solution to this problem, as I had suspected this might be the case. I don't think you'll like it but I'll share it with you, if you'd like to hear it?"

     "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to hear you out. Please continue, Dark Star."

     "Right then, my proposal is simply this. I propose instituting a puppet monarchy. Falling short of that some kind of controlled central government will probably do, wherein those tasked with enforcing the law would be an offshoot of our Tenno faction and loyal to us whereas the ones who would actually make the laws would be those Corpus controlling the central government. It would essentially be a central authority, who maintains order through the use of Tenno allied mercenaries. 

     "If the monarchy option tickles your fancy, I can make sure that the first monarch is you. Honestly, a Corpus monarchy would actually be much easier for us Tenno to engage with, just as it's easier to engage with just you, as opposed to a room full of bickering fools."

----------POV Change----------

     'This Tenno...what an inscrutable person! To so casually suggest forming a puppet government and directly offering to make me the head should I favor a monarchy, it's the most brazen thing I've ever experienced. However, I knew, the moment that I left to come here, that there was little leverage, for me to use against the Tenno's leadership and that it would mostly be a series of concessions. 

     'When he hinted at the fact the he was actually the brains behind this entire Tenno movement, however, it slowly occurred to me that there was truly nothing that I could do during this meeting but agree with any request that he might make.

     'But, of course, I can't agree to something I can't accomplish. And now this...this is a set up. He knew all along that it would come to this and has been leading me towards this outcome the entire time. He even acknowledged as much, before making his proposition. 

     'There was also that moment, when he transferred his real body outside his Warframe. I had seen this happen before on that one transmission but seeing it in person, from this person, was different. The person in the transmission was a child and this one before me was a full grown man. A man sculpted from toned muscle and carrying himself with an almost regal air. His countenance invoked an image of Orokin nobility that hasn't been seen for millennia. 

     'I don't know what kind of person this Dark Star really is but I'm absolutely certain that he's not the kind of person that we Corpus should ever cross again. Not directly, indirectly, tangentially, or otherwise. Someone capable of masterminding all of these organizations, battles, and technologies is someone towards whom I will only ever show the utmost deference and acquiescence to his every demand, no matter how difficult it may be no matter how much pride I have to swallow. Because, unlike some recently dead fools, I actually know what's good for me. Ruling over all of Corpus society as their sole monarch, even if it is as a puppet, that is very good for me.'

     "Dark Star, I'm not going to lie. I'm a bit concerned, about how you might accomplish such a feat, but if you say that it can be done then I'll follow your lead. If you are willing to lend me your aid, I would gladly accept the position of the Corpus' first monarch. I'm assuming you have some sort of plan."

     "Really? And so quickly! I can already see that you're much smarter than Nef Anyo and his ilk. I'm glad that you've chosen to cooperate, Chairman, and yes I do have a plan. 

     "Once you've returned with the Specters and Tenno that I'll assign to you, you will announce that the talks with us have fallen through and not only could no agreement be made but we also made it clear that, due to the recent attack and the presence of other Corpus who might seek to do so again, we will be treating you as a threat much like the Grineer.

     "Once they understand that your Tenno escort is to prevent any further attacks and that their lives may very well be at risk, tell them that the only way to avoid extinction is to alter the ways of their society, to ensure that roguelike characters aren't allowed to wield massive armies against their allies. First lead them to the idea that their lives depend upon immediate and drastic action. Then lead them to the notion of social engineering and finally towards the benefits of monarchy. 

     "Some of them may suspect you, but, with no evidence at hand, they can only speculate. Deny any accusations and bring the focus back to your collective survival. If they seek to choose someone else as their monarch, feign disinterest, trivialize it, and go along with it, while reiterating the importance of focusing on your survival. If this happens, I'll rectify the situation once our alliance comes into play. 

     "Then introduce the problem of policing rogue actors and remind them that a Corpus police force in the eyes of the Tenno will be no different than a Corpus army. Remind them that corruption could easily seep into any militaristic organisation that they could build. Don't suggest anything too quickly always give them time to preempt you, so that as few of these ideas as possible come directly from you. You then only need help them connect this problem with your Tenno escort. 

     "As soon as they've adopted the idea of implementing a monarchy and relying on allied Tenno forces to maintain order, hold a vote to solidify and finalize your decision. Then you can contact General Nyx and request an audience. Everything else me and my people will handle. Do you think this is something you can do?"

     "Well, that is quite the plan and to be honest it's much more subtle and passive than what I had imagined. I can see now how you're able to so easily maintain control over both Tenno organisations and still accomplish all that you have on your own. That being said, I believe that I'm more than capable of producing the results you seek. Also, while I was a bit hesitant and even reluctant at first, I'm actually a bit excited at the prospect of working with you, Dark Star. Was there perhaps anything else that you wished to discuss today?"

     "Ahh, Excellent! I'm glad to hear of your enthusiasm. No one likes lethargic milquetoast allies. That will be all for today, though. I'll speak with you again, once you've become King of the Corpus. Have a wonderful rest of your space, Chairman. I assume you remember the way back to the hangar?"

     "Ahh, yes, of course, Dark Star. Until that time."