hadow Diplomacy at the Chronolake: Qirathex and Orbital Prime on the Brink
Within the misty diplomatic cloisters of Crystallia Protocolum, delegates from Orbital Prime and Qirathex edge warily past each other. New accords float in the air, but the threat of total escalation shimmers beneath the surface.
Stardate 4422.58 - Delegations from Orbital Prime and Qirathex, cloaked in formal shrouds and translucent observer suits, have dispersed across the bridges of Crystallia Protocolum. Here, where the Hydrofontain's pale glow glides along mirrored domes, the latest negotiation rounds have ended - or, rather, slipped into a state of uneasy suspension. Uncertainty lingers like electrochemical haze over the enclave, as Miraal of the Swarm Filament drifted silently between chambers, leaving debate details shrouded in pleasantries and veiled promises.
Glaazir Qolumn, Qirathex’s layered negotiator, stated through his prism array: ‘One of our most grueling and lengthy confrontations to date. Rarely so much time spent for so little result.’ And yet, beneath the shimmering lake's surface, something appears to have shifted. Both sides admit to slight progress - a loose handful of ambiguous accords ringed by shadows of unknown concessions. Still, no mention of hyperfission cores, let alone the coveted reactors hidden under Karhazaar.
The Finiscriptum Symbiosis, always eager with its tentacled news, notes that Stellar Capital's demands are unyielding: Qirathex must dismantle all major energy converters, transfer its reactors, and limit output to medical isotopes extracted from Karhazaar’s ghost-reactor. In practical terms, little changes except an escalation of bureaucratic paralysis. The Council of Flames whispers of accelerated enrichment, with these echoes drifting through Karhazaar’s smoke time.
Even as Supreme Commander Drumpf mutters about preferring diplomacy as long as the illusion of control holds, more red MOPGA formations assemble around Qirathex's edges. The silence is tense; within the crystalline towers and bridges, sparks of readiness flicker. Both parties talk of peace while shadow-boxing each other.
Technical negotiations now loom for next week, set in the rings of Helvetarion (where talks move faster, but decisions lag). Whatever emerges may lift - or thicken - the haze blanketing this fragile present.