Zoe and Grimshine sit across from Harlock, around a large circular table, all anxiously waiting to find out what Greta has brought them together for. Grimshine never liked the cold. Give her an overclocked engine one second away from exploding any day rather than sitting in a cold room waiting for the “Ice Queen” of the Draconian empire to arrive.
“This will-they-won’t-they tension is pretty thick,” Grimshine jokes, looking for a reaction from Harlock.
“Keep your pet on a leash, Zoe,” Harlock snaps back.
“Don’t talk about my sister like that. She at least had my back when I needed her.”
“Yeah, and what about having my back? A lot of good people died because you were holding out medical supplies. People you once called friends.”
“My friends would have stuck with me while I fought the fight you were too scared to face.”
“Oh, you mean all those friends you led to their death?”
Grimshine breaks out in laughter at the fight she’s started. “I guess it’s won’t-they,” she chuckles.
Zoe takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. “Look, you reached out saying we needed to talk. Greta put this whole thing together. Let’s just hold off on tearing each other apart until we hear everyone out. So, what’re we dealing with?”
“He doesn’t know,” Greta says entering the room and making her way towards her seat. “None of us rightly do. I called this meeting because there’s something out there, and I don’t think it has an agenda other than killing. As much as I’d love to see all your ships sink to the bottom of the sea, I realize since it’s coming from the North, I’ll sadly not last long enough to see it happen.”
Harlock breaks in, “The great Greta Spader called her worst enemies together to play nice and save herself?”
“Don’t flatter yourself by thinking you’re my greatest enemies. I wouldn’t have given the call if I didn’t believe you had potential to serve some purpose.”
“So what do you know?” asks Zoe.
“Likely somewhat more than you. Something seems to be coming from the North. Using one of Vassago’s repurposed drones, we tracked several unmanned scouting ships sent North. Each time we observed black tendrils crawling from the sea and over the ship before all contact was lost. ”
Zoe and Grimshine look at Harlock as if waiting for him to chime in, but he doesn’t respond. “Well, are you going to tell her what you told us?” asks Grimshine.
“I haven’t agreed to any alliance yet, so that information is privileged to you two,” grumbles Harlock.
“Are you serious right now?” Zoe asks, amazed at his stubbornness.
“For all I know, this is another Draconian trap, I’m not about to-”
Grimshine interrupts, “Harlock’s stooges found some black goo.”
“Goo?” Greta asks, turning her attention to Harlock. “Is that the scientific term?”
“We don’t know what it is,” Harlock answers. “Could just be some oil sludge from a bad engine.”
“You know as well as I do you don’t believe that,” asserts Zoe. “Aside from this, we don’t know any more than you do.”
“Well,” Greta replies as she rises from her chair, “I must confess thanks to our spies we have already seen your primitive analysis, and our scientists were able to devise a solution to repel it. Sadly, our recent clash with this new enemy, and…our own squabbles, have left us shorthanded in the way of resources to build this new technology. Not to mention, I’ve been slightly impressed with some of your designs of late, and could see where some of your engineering techniques could enhance it.”
“All due respect, Greta,” Zoe says, “but all you’ve got for us is theoretical Draconian techno-wizardy that hasn’t even been field tested.”
“And you still haven’t convinced me yet that we should work with you,” Harlock grunts.
“Despite your stubbornness, Harlock,” Greta replies, “You care about your people too much to not mount a defense with the one person you know is smarter than you. Me.”
“Now,” Greta says, making her way to a monitor, “As for Zoe’s concern, this is more than a single piece of technology, designed to enhance a ship. This is an entire new class of hull. Something bigger, stronger, and more customizable and upgradable than anything else we’ve designed. The Dreadnought once represented the pinnacle of our fleet—our largest and most dangerous hull, as such we’ve designated this entire class of designs as Dreadnoughts. If this can’t repel our new invaders, well, I don’t believe anything will. I present to you—the Agamemnon.”