(explosion sounds) (beeps)
Emergency Communications Relay: Hegemony Warship Eos function has ceased. Emergency Communications Relay activated. Transferring all relevant data to Tartarus for archiving.
21st Day of Virgo:
This is Adm (basically he is about to call himself Admiral but stops himself)… Commander Vos, reporting to the council on the progress of the Eos. I just received orders from the Council that I am to take up our… negotiations with the people of Penia. Captain Celia apparently still doesn’t understand the way the Hegemony operates. We do not negotiate. We do not seek peace and mutual understanding. We rule. We dominate. But what would a former smuggler understand about domination. She was barely getting by when we pressed her and her crew from the Prometheus into service. And now… Well, her days in the Expansionary Force are numbered. I just need to wait for some sign of insubordination and she’ll be removed from command.
Soon…
25th Day of Virgo:
This is Commander Vos, reporting to the council on the progress of the Eos. Ran into four different kinds of troublemaker during my shift yesterday. A couple of them seem promising and perhaps they can be hired on to fix some of the more esoteric pieces of equipment on board. For now, they are all sitting in the brig. A few days of solitary confinement and very little food is usually enough to get people to sign an employment contract with the hegemony. Captain Celia isn’t exactly a fan of this type of manipulation, but I find it’s exactly the sort of tool that keeps costs low and productivity high. Also, whomever was hired in the kitchen makes the worst Spacer Stew I’ve tried. Stew doesn’t need 12 different herbs and 13 different spices. Salt and Pepper… Might make my way down and complain to whomever this new chef is. Can’t have our crew expecting delicious meals like this every day… gets morale too high for my liking.
28th Day of Virgo:
Ha ha ha ha. Oh… You should have seen the look on the captain’s face when I showed her the orders from the 12. I thought she was going to melt through her seat on the bridge. I’ll show her how things are done. A quick kill of the ambassador, send whatever assistant he has with him away with our demands, and watch as the system quickly falls in line. None of these promises of protection or guarantee of trade rights. No… This is how the Hegemony expansionary fleet is meant to work.
29th Day of Virgo:
Admiral Vos, reporting to the council on the progress of the Eos. I’ve removed Captain Celia from command for spying on council affairs and have charged her with treason. She was smart enough to barricade her quarters before I revoked her security clearance and it took a bit of effort to get her out of there. Placing a recorder in the negotiation room? Really? Oh Captain Celia, that was a foolish choice even judging by your record.
No matter. The prisoners have remained uncooperative, so the good captain can join them in the pits back on Tartarus. They will at least make for good entertainment for the 12 and the eternal one.
Captain’s Log: 21st day of Virgo, 3217
The Eos has arrived in the Ptocheia sector and has begun making our way to Penia. A backwater planet that serves as this sector’s capital. I really don’t get why we are sending the fleet’s greatest warship on these diplomatic missions. We have an entire war to fight back home and yet here we are, expanding into the galaxy… I swear, sometimes the 12 and the Eternal One make absolutely no sense. Well, better get some rest. I am due back on the bridge in six hours.
Captain’s Log: 24th day of Virgo, 3217.
I don’t know WHO they hired in the kitchen on our last port call, but whomever they are they need to keep them. This is the most amazing Spacer Stew I’ve ever had. The spices, the aroma. *clears throat* Ahem, anyway…
We’ve been making our way through the Ptocheia system as quickly as possible but have hit a few snags along the way. Those snags being not one, not two, but four different beings that, for one reason or another, Commander Vos has decided to take prisoner. We always seem to take on prisoners whenever he is on duty and I am off duty… Gonna have to look into that.
Captain’s Log: 28th day of Virgo, 3217:
Commander Vos is up on his high horse again. Apparently he was chosen by the Council to perform negotiations this time. Something about my previous efforts taking too long and not getting everything the council wanted. I don’t get it. They say we aren’t launching an invasion and yet want the planets and systems we negotiate with to give up so much willingly. Don’t they understand that negotiations aren’t a one way street?
Whatever… We’ll let Commander Vos take up tomorrow’s session. And when he crashes and burns, I’ll have the footage of it to rub in his face. I placed a recorder in the meeting room. Should make for a very entertaining holovid night next week.
Former Captain’s Log: 29th day of Virgo, 3217:
Well, that wasn’t very smart of me. Seems Commander Vos is actually ADMIRAL Vos now, and apparently I’ve been an insubordinate soldier in the eyes of the council. Vos didn’t even negotiate with the ambassador today. Just executed him and ordered the Ambassador’s assistant back to his planet with a data pad containing their new political reality.
Ya know… If the council had just been CLEAR about what our purpose was and maybe sent out a few more ships with the Eos, I would have understood. I’ve been relieved of duty after the Admiral discovered the recorder I installed. Apparently they wanted assassination and intimidation, not negotiation in good faith. COULD HAVE TOLD ME! I’ve barricaded myself in my quarters but I am sure it’s just a matter of time before Vos has me thrown in the brig. I should have stayed on the Prometheus…
(outro music fades in)
Avery: Thank you for listening to this special interlude episode of Beyond the Furthest Stars. Commander Vos was voiced by Ava Rogers. Follow her work over on twitter @ThatNerdyWriter. Captain Celia was voiced by Eve Smith. Be sure to check out her work over on the Ballad of the 7 Dice twitch show: Rise of Nyarlathotep.
Our next episode will release on time august 15th, 2022.
See you out there, Beyond the Furthest Stars!