NationStates

Eliot Reymont smiled as she recognised the arrival of the Kouralian diplomatic vehicles. In stark comparison to the previous socialist arrivals, the United Kingdom of Malgrave and the Royal Union of Kouralia shared a considerably healthy and strong diplomatic relationship. It wasn't exactly known how the two nations had come to share such a close bond, but it was suspected that Kouralia's and Malgrave's shared internal issues with extreme political elements, the shared political system and their decision to reenter the international community at around the same time led to the two nations becoming quick partners.

It was also known that the somewhat eccentric and intellectual nature of the Malgraveans tended to work together well with the more levelheaded and physical nature of Kouralian society, and the successful economic, cultural and military partnerships that had been formed in the near two-decade alliance seemed to prove that thought. It was at that point that the pleasant feelings turned into confusion, the Kouralian delegation seemed to be waiting for something, and apart from a rather amusing scene as one of the Kouralians approached the Ring of the Ancestors nothing appeared to be happening, that was until one of the Kouralians made a small gesture that sent the rest of her colleagues into a frenzy of activity.

Of course, the Kouralian ability to tap into their connection with their religious figures was known in Malgrave, but it was something else entirely to see it in action, and the image of someone creating what appeared to be a transportation portal next to the Ring of the Ancestors was somewhat offensive to some of the Malgraveans present, as surely the Kouralians could've used their own ring to transport the Kouralian delegate?

All of that was forgotten about when the Kouralian delegation made their entrance through the portal, the presence of horses in Epping tended to mean that the Royal Guard was escorting the Queen or the Queen-regent during the procession before the ceremonial opening of parliament, but this time it heralded the arrival of Elena Campbell, the widely respected Kouralian Princess and the only foreigner awarded with the honorary title, the Protector of Ascension.

"Comrade Campbell," Eliot said bowing in traditional greeting to the Kouralians, "It is a pleasure to welcome you to the United Kingdom of Malgrave on Ancestor Day. I hope that your rather unconventional method of transportation was comfortable, and we are quite thankful that the horses were able to return home safely."

Eliot bowed one more time before the assembled Kouralians before motioning to them to follow her inside to the central tower of the ASG headquarters, on the top familiar images could be seen detailing Malgravean history and their connection to the ancestors.

"You'll be escorted by the current Chairperson of the Gabriel Narutowicz Pioneers and a senior member of the Ancestral Study Group, Emily Lowwe," Eliot said to the Kouralians, rather unaware of the connection between the pair already, "I believe that she is also known internationally with her work with the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Universal Technology."

Emily Lowwe bowed to the Kouralians as they entered, although notably, her bowing speed was lower to that of the other Malgraveans, "It will be a pleasure to guide the Kouralians around the ASG centre today, we have quite an interesting day ahead of us," she said either not noticing the identity of the Kouralian leading the delegation or not wanting to make a fuss, "If you just follow me I should be able to guide you towards the appropriate room," in stark comparison to the Kouralians, the young Malgravean was wearing a crumpled t-shirt that highlighted a famous scene from the crossover episode with the The Juanita and Lyudmila Show, combined with her trusty labcoat and an extremely worn pair of skinny jeans, a hint that she had been working constantly until Ancestor Day and didn't have much time to prepare for the arrival of the foreign delegation.

The Internationale was played by the Malgravean orchestra as the Soviet delegation entered the premises of the Headquarters, forcing the dignitaries to straighten themselves out in reverence. The Commissar-General quietly hummed the familiar tune under her breath, giving the unusual gate-like object a glance of interest. It looked like a prop from a sci-fi movie but knowing Malgraveans it might have well been a real device meant to pull the Moon into the Earth or something like that.

Malgrave wrote:"Comrades," Aurelia said bowing in greeting, "It is an honour to welcome delegates from the Soviet Republic. I hope that I can provide an insight into Malgravean history and our connection to the ancestors during this important national holiday."

Zarema smiled politely. The whole event felt a bit cultish, but inwardly she rationalized - perhaps this "Ancestor worship" was a religion, but it was still progressive compared to most others, promoting scientific progress. Even if it was at odds with the greatest science of them all - the omnipotent science of Marxism-Leninism and dialectical materialism. There were definitely similarities between the Soviet cult of science and Malgravean ideology that could be capitalized upon while ignoring the...idiosyncrasies. After all Malgrave was one of the closest states to Socialism in the greater Mystrian region so finding some common ground was important.

The Commissar greeted Aurelia with a raised fist salute, a gesture that her entourage echoed. She knew that the woman was from the state security without even looking at the uniform - there was just some kind of aura, some magnetism that after decades in the NKVD you just learned to detect. Despite the typical awkwardness associated with Malgraveans their security services were not to be trifled with - the Soviets knew that better than anyone.

"Rot-Front comrade," Zarema responded casually, lowering her fist and instead extending her hand for a shake. Bowing was not in vogue among the Soviets, it seemed. "Please tell me all about your history. I admit I am not very learned on the Ancients."

Upper Cantemir wrote:Hereditary Princess Nicoleta listened intently, nodding along as the defense minister explained some of the details of gender dynamics in Malgrave. Nicoleta thought of her sister Iouliana, internally noting how envious the strong-willed Princess would be of a nation where women could serve at all in the military. "Most interesting..." Nicoleta noted ponderously, "perhaps we have more to learn from the Malgravean nation than just your ancestors." After Nicoleta seemed satisfied, the rest of the group slowly massed at the elevator. All stared warily at the doors, except the Hereditary Princess who was able to contain her deep concern under a constant august presence.

Almost to distract himself from the frightening moving room before them, the Foreign Councillor cleared his throat. "You mentioned earlier, Defense Minister, there were historical events that impacted your catalogue?"

Katia De Campo either didn't recognise or understand the Cantemirian reluctance around the elevator, the Junior Colonel had grown up without giving much thought to the technological level of her own nation compared to some of the other more backward nations in the region, and so the Malgravean just pressed one of the buttons on the lower end of the panel to start the journey.

"I understand that change is inevitable after entering the international community," Katia said as the elevator started to climb, probably a rather startling fact to the Cantermirians, "When Malgrave re-entered the international community the government was forced to make several legislative changes, most notably the establishment of enforcement agencies for immigration and emigration, alongside the ongoing reforms to end the State of Emergency."

After a short elevator journey, the Cantemirian delegation would find themselves inside a series of interconnecting open-plan rooms, not unlike a museum, complete with cabinets that housed artefacts dating back to the first discovery of the Malgravean homeland.

"It isn't widely known but Malgrave's first formed as an international organisation dedicated to promoting engineering and scientific endeavours across the world, with consultation and technology transfers being the prime form of income for the organisation. In the early 1900's that changed and the United Kingdom of Malgrave was formed in 1910, with a form of elective monarchy being established in order to prevent political squabbling and fit in with some of the major nations in the region." Katia said as she passed over an incredibly old black and photograph, the image detailed a short young human woman and an even shorter neko woman in front of a mixed crew of approximately 20 sailors in traditional and somewhat dirty gear, "Luana Caivano, the neko on the right side of the picture, and Claudia De Campo discovered and settled the land that would eventually develop into the first homeland of the Malgravean people, a quite handy success story of Malgravean engineering as several prosperous communities were developed within a decade," Katia said, the pride in her voice evident as she walked past cabinets that highlighted the early stage of the Malgravean nation, with fervent construction and smiling faces on display.

Katia's earlier pride turned to a frown as she arrived at another series of pictures and artefacts, these ones highlighted the construction of military fortifications and contained remains of military equipment and a few personal letters sent from soldiers to the home front, "Sadly, the Imerian Royal Federation claimed the island and after a series of failed diplomatic negotiations they cruelly attacked the island. As you can see a brave effort was made by the military, and civilian volunteers but the sheer size of the Imerian war machine meant that it was impossible to hold onto the islands," the Malgravean said as she motioned towards a rather dramatic painting depicting several warships providing cover for civilian vessels as they moved off into the horizon, "It was decided that the continued survival of the Malgravean people as an independent civilisation was of utmost importance, and so the vessels of the Royal Navy valiantly sailed out to combat the Imerian High Seas fleet despite the overwhelming disadvantage they faced, while on the ground elements from the Roy...Army and the Royal Marines delayed the Imerian ground offensive to allow for the maximum numbers of civilian ships to join what is known as the Great Exodus."

In fact, in addition to the photographs and the smaller artefacts from the defensive efforts, the Cantemirian would be able to see larger exhibits dedicated to large-scale models of some of the ships that carried the Malgravean people, and the construction supplies, food and important artefacts needed to establish themselves in their new homeland, although notably missing was a livestock ship since it eventually succumbed to damage inflicted while trying to leave harbour.

"Despite the valiant efforts of the Royal Navy a few of the civilian vessels were incapacitated or destroyed entirely, the loss of the ship carrying future livestock led to Malgrave adopting a diet less focused around meat, although modern historians now correctly highlight that the old homeland still tended to rely on fish due to its island nature," Katia said as she turned her attention towards the models of the civilian ships, "I have heard that the conditions on the civilian vessels weren't that great, and it is a miracle that hundreds didn't perish due to the situation, although that was before MIDD so their immune system was far superior, if you have any questions about the exhibit I will be happy to answer them. I did receive quite a comprehensive education on the Great Exodus." the Malgravean said leaving the foreigners to explore the small museum area at their own pace.

"Of course, Comrade Reymont." Elena said brightly, giving a bow in greeting to the Foreign Minister that, while appearing effortless, contrived to precisely match the depth of her own. Of course, with the Princess acknowledging the greeting, the suited Kouralian diplomats merely inclined their heads in recognition of their esteemed greeter. "I apologise for the suddenness of the arrangement - if a full disclosure of my travel plans was indeed made: please do pass that on to those who prepared and authorised Sir Kataryah and Sacerlaas here to complete the portal ritual. An unfortunate development prevented my earlier departure." As she spoke she gestured to her associates. "I do hope I've arrived in a timely-enough fashion."

After she bowed again, and at Eliot's gesture the three Kouralians followed the scarlet-clad Minister inside the towering central edifice of what was, to all intents and purposes the highest temple of the Malgravean faith. As soon as they passed through the doors and into the modernist interior, Elena couldn't help but think the similarities between the Ancestral Study Group headquarters and the temples of home grew. Spanning the towering hallway's ceilings were paintings depicting the Malgravean History, recent and ancient, and followed a central theme of linking the Malgravean peoples to the venerated 'Ancestors.' Unfortunately, while a known patron of the arts in Kouralia, Elena's fascinated stares at the paintings could only help her work out that they were gud and dramatic.

So intent was she on the paintings that she was only half paying attention as the Foreign Minister introduced their guide, and it was only when Emily started speaking that the Princess fully snapped back to the present. Standing there in front of the traditionally and fancily attired Kouralian was a raven-haired woman clad in what was barely appropriate wear to wander the streets through celebrations across the Capital, and by the gods did she look good to Elena regardless.

"Hello there, Emily my dear." She said warmly, half leaning aside and down as if to catch the eye of a much shorter person - which of course the petite Malgravean was. As she stood in the hall before the Foreign Minister and visible to a multitude of Malgraveans and of course the Kouralians, Elena couldn't launch herself the few steps between herself and the scientist before embrassing her and spinning her lover around, she had to clasp her hands in front of her and content herself with a beam as wide and excitable as Eric Pickles reading a vexillology book.

"If your surprise presence is anything to go by, today should certainly be exciting, or at least end so." Elena added.

A wave of differing emotions flowed through Emily Lowwe as soon as she laid eyes upon Captain Eunomya, firstly she was incredibly pleased to see her partner on the day of the ancestors, as she was led to believe that the Kouralian had to return to the homeland in order to conduct some personal affairs, although the fact that she had just completed a rather challenging three-day stint in the lab meant that it was rather hard to remember what the Kouralian was saying at the moment, but in addition to sheer delight she was also confused, the Malgravean was informed that she was supposed to be guiding a representative from the Kouralian government around the ASG centre before the start of joint celebrations, but the last time she checked Elena was a mere Captain, and she thought that the strong alliance would merit sending a high ranking member of the government or perhaps a senior noble.

"Elena? I am here representing the Royal Institute and the Gabriel Narutowicz Pioneers, and I am prepared to answer any questions you might have about the organisation or my homeland," the Malgravean said the pride she held in her position quite evident in her voice, "If you follow me I should direct you towards one of the exhibits you'll be seeing today," Emily said motioning for the members of the Kouralian delegation to follow her to the elevator before adding, "I am incredibly pleased to see you today, Elena, although I am somewhat confused as to why the Kouralians would send a Captain and not a senior member of the government."

As Emily walked and talked the Kouralians would notice the continuation of the paintings, with scenes depicting the discovery of the first Malgravean homeland and the uncovering of the Malgravean people's connection to the ancestors followed by tragic scenes as they were forced to leave their old homeland by the Imerians, with typical nationalistic flair showing the Imerians brutally murdering civilians as the Malgraveans bravely defended the evacuation fleet, from that point onwards the paintings moved to the reestablishment of the Malgravean nation and the sheer level of hardship that existed, with a lack of basic supplies and political extremism on display, it then quickly moved on to the events of the Malgravean civil war, with several notable battles depicted as the forces of the Malgravean government moved back the separatist movements and restored order to the country. In the most recently included scenes, a few Kouralians could be seen, as the Malgravean people moved back into the international community and found friendship, solidarity and more people that shared a connection with the ancestors.

"You should be able to find suitable common ground with the exhibit in question since it highlights the role the Royal Marines and the Roy..Army played in securing the safe exit of the evacuation fleet," Emily said as she approached the elevators, the Malgravean was still partially distracted by the presence of her partner but she hoped that her official tour duties would get her back on track.

Mike acknowledged Nadzieja’s commentary on Pakosc and how pro wrestling might be more popular there with a nod. He could also get the feeling that Nadzieja wasn’t quite enamored with the world of sports entertainment. That was fine by Mike--it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea after all. Besides, Pakosc might be a nice place to visit for a state visit in the future, so hey, no skin off his back.

For their parts, Coach and Yogi noted the occasional bit of difficulty Nadzieja had also with translating the occasional abstract concept into Common/English. Coach himself knew that there were some things in Kobosh, for example, that didn’t quite translate into English and vice versa, like how many things were considered by kobolds to be sandwiches--even sushi.

But, those thoughts and others soon were interrupted by two major vistas within this rather expansive space.

The first vista was the panoramic view of both the distant mountains close to the Rohanian border and the visuals of Epping itself with the river and the residential areas and cultural center in the distance. Festivities were in full swing, as were the security checkpoints at the government center. It was a lot to take in, and if the panoramic windows were meant to impress visitors with the thriving nature of Epping and the surrounding areas, they succeeded with the Dornalians at least. The Dornalians came from big cities themselves, working within the urbanized environs of Southern California, but they weren’t going to deny a beautiful view when they saw one. Mike acknowledged the sight with an attentive stare, with Yogi nodding along and saying to Mike, quietly, “Yogi appreciates panoramic view of Malgravean city.”

Mike then nodded, making a mental note to check out the festivities proper along with the rest of the party when they had the time--well, assuming things went well. Coach merely nodded and added, “Finance Minister wasn’t kidding when she was talkin’ about large public celebrations. Those crowds are huge!”

Then, Coach turned around, and he then coughed and directed the party to look at the other vista, as he saw Nadzieja was preparing to continue the tour.

The item in question wasn’t a vista in the traditional sense. But here too, the Dornalians couldn’t help but pay attention when Nadzieja discussed the Ancestral Recognition and Control Centre’s main attraction--a chair with gel-sacs on it, with more of the patterns around ASG central. Any questions as to the potential artistic connection or rationale for using the designs on the chair were quickly answered, albeit indirectly, as Nadzieja discussed the purpose of the chair. The Dornalians looked at one another. Malgraveans could be eccentric, and many of the Dornalians had heard tales of objects which determined someone’s fitness for a task. Sorting hats, magical swords in stones, so on. But a technological--or maybe even magical?--wonder chair selecting monarchs indirectly through measuring ancestral connections? This was interesting.

The comment about foreign barbarians--the one which was quickly self-censored--certainly caught the attention of the Dornalians, although they were polite enough not to comment on the Freudian slip. In particular, Norton himself wasn’t offended--the last Foreign Minister, Tom Plume, had politely explained during their talks that the Malgraveans had spent a considerable time in isolation from the outside world, more focused on sorting out a civil war than pursuing foreign adventures. As such, even with an opening to the outside world, Norton figured some old habits would slip out once in a while.

Norton nodded at the Finance Minister’s story of the chair, and said, “A most impressive item. I can see how given its abilities and importance to the nation, it is worth protecting at all costs.”

As Norton stroked his chin, and Yogi and Coach nodded in acknowledgement at the majesty of the chair, President Haggar appeared curious and asked the Finance Minister, “Out of curiosity, Comrade Finance Minister, how did the Malgraveans first figure out this chair’s ability to measure one’s connection to the Ancestors?”

Allanea wrote:

She rode proudly. Here, among the Malgraveans, she chose not her silvery dress of the Queen of Allanea, but an outfit for which here she was better known – the working suit of a thaumaturgic-archaeologist, black and covered with dozens of pockets. A small, black leather bag hung at her right hip that would no doubt hold a variety of tools, such as a woman that was both archaeologist and Dark Wizard was expected to carry, and at her hip was a sword, in this case less a weapon than a badge of honor – not so much as Queen and Empress, but as Freewoman. Her mount, too, was a reminder not of her station as Queen, but that of an archmagi, for it was a Nightmare – a black, demonic steed, its hooves seeming to blaze fire, and flame emerging from its mouth as it breathed. An elegant gold circlet upon her brow was the sole reminder that Cassiopeia Blaken-Kazansky was not merely here as a scientist, but as a representative of the nation and the alliance that she lead.

The Malgraveans and the Allaneans – and, more importantly, the Malgraveans and Cassiopeia, specifically – have had a relationship lasting year. Sometimes there had been misunderstandings and deception, but othertimes there had also been genuine mutual assistance. Cassiopeia had met quite a few Malgraveans – some as talented students, others as less-than-talented students, yet others as diplomats. She was fond of the Malgravean people, in fact, even though there were quite a few differences of culture and politics that formed between them and the Allaneans and unbridgeable gap. Their passion for science and knowledge, and their capability to dedicate themselves to intellectual pursuits and work meticulously on them for years remained, to Cassiopeia, an admirable quality.

This, and the knowledge that the Dornalians would be here, made the event attractive for Cassiopeia, and of course she would have to attend. As ever, she had multiple plans for that visit… but of course such was her nature.

It could be said that the current relationship between the Allanean and Malgravean government was quite confusing, especially if one looked at the differing policies that existed on paper. Malgrave enjoyed an economic system of extensive taxation, social welfare and active trade unionism, and the role of pure private corporations had long been replaced by extensive state-run interests and workers cooperatives and self-managed enterprises while the Allaneans enjoyed what was termed hypercapitalism by figures in the Malgravean government, on the cultural front the Allaneans and Malgraveans shared some common ground with the decriminalisation and legalisation of certain narcotics but differences soon emerged as the Malgravean government employed a strict practice against smugglers attempting to avoid taxation or legal restrictions, and other cultural publications were still subject to scrutiny by the everpresent Ministry of Cultural Sensitivity.

All of these differences, however, didn't seem to matter when it came to the growing trade relationship between the two nations, the Malgravean government was always looking for people to invest in the Research Colony and diversify the national economy and Allanean private interests were always looking for the next investment opportunity. In addition to the purely economic interests, an educational transfer relationship had also formed, the establishment of a private Allanean educational facility on an old abandoned island meant that Malgravean students could now openly study fields that could've possibly resulted in negative incidents in Malgrave or a reduction in diplomatic reputation, and in return the Allanean student could receive a new approach from the Malgravean educational system, including the new university in Omsk that specialised in teaching ancestral connection studies...or magic for short.

In any case, Prime Minister Rachel Berry was keen to make a good first impression before handing the Allanean over to their carefully selected guide

"Comrade Blaken-Kazansky," the Prime Minister said bowing as per the local traditions, "It is a pleasure to welcome you to the United Kingdom of Malgrave during Ancestor Day. I must apologise as I don't have much time to spend greeting you and explaining the various rooms in the headquarters of the ASG, but if you follow me I shall be able to escort you towards the guest that we've selected to act as your guide for today," the short Malgravean woman said, pausing briefly before she guided the Allanean into the central building of the ASG, the familiar sight of the ASG lobbying echoing the central themes of the early-days of Malgravean history and the establishment of their connections to the ancestors.

In a short space of time, Cassiopeia would be able to spot her guide for the celebration, a rather tall man (at least for Malgravean standards) standing at around 1.7 metres tall, Stanisław Lem looked like he was still teaching, with the Malgravean sporting a light brown coloured suit and red tie that had been clearly tailored to suit the somewhat energetic and eccentric method of moving around.

"Comrade Blaken-Kazansky," Stanisław said bowing rather abruptly, his hair remaining rather stable despite its earlier unkempt appearance, "It's a fine day to explore our connection with the ancestors, and of course teach our new friends in the international community about our link with the ancients and our drive towards ascension," the former teacher said, his arms moving rather erratically as he spoke, "If you wish I can take you towards a more military-themed exhibits or we can see some of the projections and simulations of ancient technology that have been created by various Royal Institutes over the decades, but well I leave the choice up to you," Stanisław said once again bowing lightly towards the Allanean monarch, the Malgravean was comfortable visiting both facilities but he wanted the delegate to select.

"My dear friend," – Cassiopeia said, "I have, you understand, inspected quite a few military facilities in my time, and indeed have planned quite a few. On the other hand, I am quite interested in discovering what I can about your Ancients, and of course as you know, thaumaturgical archaeology was one field in which I have made my mark, back in the day before I became somewhat of an adventurer. Indeed archaeologists often become adventurers, one touches the other you could say. But at any rate, please lead on, I would be most happy to see the exhibit."

Workers SFSR wrote:"Rot-Front comrade," Zarema responded casually, lowering her fist and instead extending her hand for a shake. Bowing was not in vogue among the Soviets, it seemed. "Please tell me all about your history. I admit I am not very learned on the Ancients."

Aurelia Wyrzykowski smiled politely at the Soviet delegation as they made their introductions, but the Minister didn't accept the offered handshake, the gesture was still a rather recent form of greeting to the Malgravean people, most commonly associated with the energetic introductions of the Dornalians or the Kouralians. In Malgrave the handshake was seen as a risky gesture due to the increased risk of spreading diseases, and it was only cautiously accepted with close international partners, and the Soviets clearly didn't fill that requirement.

"Sadly due to the loss of our original homeland the Ancestral Study Group doesn't know that much about the history of the Ancients or Ancestors, Comrade Gromova," Aurelia said as she walked towards a series of elevators, "We were only able to secure a small fraction of the artefacts that used to be available to us, but we have been able to ascertain that the Ancients advanced to such an advanced level of technological and cultural understanding that they were able to leave their physical bodies behind and ascend to a high level of existence. At the same time, we understand that they laid the foundations for the group of people that would eventually go on to form the Malgravean nation."

At that moment the elevator arrived and the Minister gently guided the Soviet delegation inside, the Malgravean was rather interested in watching the Soviets reaction to the artefacts they were about to see but she managed to keep a rather calm facade.

"If you wish to know more about Malgravean history I should be able to provide you with a rather detailed account," Aurelia said as the elevator began to climb, of course, she suspected that the Soviets had their own account from the Malgravean Socialist Republic, and from what she knew of the Commissar-General it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that she had visited Malgrave during her own career in the intelligence service, "I studied Ancestorism and History at Karlino University, although our history is comparatively short to other nations."

Zarema shrugged as Aurelia refused the handshake, chalking it up to general Malgravean quirkiness. Besides, who knew if the Malgravean wasn't experimenting with some deadly chemicals and viruses beforehand. Minor breaches of etiquette was something only an aristocrat or a bourgeoisie would fuss about, anyway.

"That sounds very fascinating," the Soviet woman quickly shifted her attention to the topic at hand, "Is anything known about ze Ancient society? They must have achieved a very advanced stage of fully automated communism. I believe study of ze Ancients can greatly benefit our understanding of dialectical materialism."

She paused and coughed. Obviously she knew a thing or two about Malgrave from her tenure in the NKVD and was given a quick cultural briefing before the visit, but Aurelia seemed rather enthusiastic about the topic. Zarema scrambled for questions to ask, as she did not want to appear apathetic.

"Well, I would like to learn more about ze Malgravean migration. It always seemed like such an unusual event, an entire nation just up and moving elsewhere."

Aiyana had considered whether or not she wanted to go to Ancestor Day for some time; there were to thoughts that dominated the actual consideration of the ritual and feasting, she was sometimes affected with melancholy but on the other hand it would be interesting and in a way it had potential to be amusing, to see what ways the descendants – a phrase that seemed amusing in her mind – celebrated their heritage.

Heritage was something strange she felt, at times, it was a universal hominid concept, but what did it quite matter? The Malgraveans were more admirable for their struggle to become like the Ancestors than they were for any link to them, she knew they had modified themselves genetically, that was the strangest and saddest thing.

Malgravean Immunodeficiency. She knew it couldn’t be said to be her fault in any way, of course, it had been the nightmare of her youth, and that was the other reason she wanted to stay away. She had a degree of psychic power, and like many she had gone out of her way to volunteer her skill at times, and more so because she had long been supported when she had had a political career, by the medical lobby. She still did, but more frequently in Isasrach’s extensive hospitals.

The stargate chamber of the Mictlan System was a substantial structure built into a shielded station within displacement range, there were less defences than she had gifted the Malgravean example, but it was more than adequate, and more importantly gave solidly impressive view of the system through its high windows.

She did not need to dial the stargate, there were many others travelling to Malgrave today, a riot of people and species, perhaps, she reflected, they needed to expand the lobby a little, as she ducked under someone’s leathery wing, “Excuse me,” she said, and settled into a chair, perhaps, yes, perhaps indeed.

She held a narrow box in one hand, and tucked it under one arm, examining the hand written text on it, she’d written it in her mother tongue’s cursive script of course, the translated label ‘Rosario & Family.’

The Stargate opened, the inner track illuminating, target glyphs then spinning to position, as another five hundred light years away did the same.

“Seats one through sixty, please proceed through the stargate in an orderly fashion.”

Aiyana checked her seat number.

Well, now this reminds me of the old days, she thought.

Workers SFSR wrote:Zarema shrugged as Aurelia refused the handshake, chalking it up to general Malgravean quirkiness. Besides, who knew if the Malgravean wasn't experimenting with some deadly chemicals and viruses beforehand. Minor breaches of etiquette was something only an aristocrat or a bourgeoisie would fuss about, anyway.

"That sounds very fascinating," the Soviet woman quickly shifted her attention to the topic at hand, "Is anything known about ze Ancient society? They must have achieved a very advanced stage of fully automated communism. I believe study of ze Ancients can greatly benefit our understanding of dialectical materialism."

She paused and coughed. Obviously she knew a thing or two about Malgrave from her tenure in the NKVD and was given a quick cultural briefing before the visit, but Aurelia seemed rather enthusiastic about the topic. Zarema scrambled for questions to ask, as she did not want to appear apathetic.

"Well, I would like to learn more about ze Malgravean migration. It always seemed like such an unusual event, an entire nation just up and moving elsewhere."

Aurelia maintained a neutral pose during the Soviet delegations questioning about the ancestors, although she felt rather incensed that someone would compare the scientific progress achieved by the Ancients to the political ideology practised by the Soviets, a regime had provided the building blocks for the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Malgrave and supported them during the critical early years of their history.

"We used to have an extensive collection of records on Ancient history but sadly due to historical circumstances we were only able to secure a limited selection of artefacts from our former homeland. It's known that the Ancients constructed settlements across the galaxy...and perhaps the universe with these worlds being connected via space-faring vessels and the Ring of the Ancestors, with a working example currently stationed just outside of this very building." Aurelia said with mixed emotions, the loss of the homeland was a rather sour point for most Malgraveans but the presence of a Ring of the Ancestors was quite welcome news.

As Aurelia finished the elevator opened to reveal a hallway reminiscent of a history or an engineering museum, with exhibits on display highlighting models and design drawings on predicted Ancient technology.

"Malgrave used to be an engineering and scientific consulation company, we provided assistance to ongoing research and construction projects across the world and used the funds from these endeavours to finance research into the Ancestors. At the start of the 20th century, a team of explorers led by Luana Caivano and Claudia Lowwe discovered an island that contained a large complex filled with technology and cultural items from the Ancients," Aurelia said as she passed by a recreation of the building, a colossal stone-clad structure surrounded on all sides by columns, "At that moment it was decided to move away from a simple consultation firm and form the Malgravean nation, so that everyone with ancient ancestry could be called to one location and work towards achieving ascension. Sadly the imperialist Imerians had claimed the island for a small number of fishers and farmers and after a few years they savagely attacked the Malgravean homeland," the Malgravean added as she moved past a rather uncomfortable looking chair covered in intricate patterns of the ancestors, a strange Gel-filled sac on the end of each armrest, "A decision was made to evacuate the Malgravean homeland and re-establish the country on another land mass. It was thought to be an impossible task given the strength of the Imerian force positioned against us, but we managed to gather a large enough fleet together to transport a portion of the Malgravean people, and suitable levels of supplies to prepare ourselves to establish a second Malgravean homeland," Aurelia said with a sad smile, "Sadly a segment of the Malgravean population couldn't be rescued due to time restraints or their role in delaying the Imerian advance, and several artefacts couldn't be rescued in time. In fact, it took the sacrifice of several hundred brave Malgravean volunteers to ensure the safe retrieval of the Ancient control chair, although the one in this room is just a model."

New Dornalia wrote:

Mike acknowledged Nadzieja’s commentary on Pakosc and how pro wrestling might be more popular there with a nod. He could also get the feeling that Nadzieja wasn’t quite enamored with the world of sports entertainment. That was fine by Mike--it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea after all. Besides, Pakosc might be a nice place to visit for a state visit in the future, so hey, no skin off his back.

For their parts, Coach and Yogi noted the occasional bit of difficulty Nadzieja had also with translating the occasional abstract concept into Common/English. Coach himself knew that there were some things in Kobosh, for example, that didn’t quite translate into English and vice versa, like how many things were considered by kobolds to be sandwiches--even sushi.

But, those thoughts and others soon were interrupted by two major vistas within this rather expansive space.

The first vista was the panoramic view of both the distant mountains close to the Rohanian border and the visuals of Epping itself with the river and the residential areas and cultural center in the distance. Festivities were in full swing, as were the security checkpoints at the government center. It was a lot to take in, and if the panoramic windows were meant to impress visitors with the thriving nature of Epping and the surrounding areas, they succeeded with the Dornalians at least. The Dornalians came from big cities themselves, working within the urbanized environs of Southern California, but they weren’t going to deny a beautiful view when they saw one. Mike acknowledged the sight with an attentive stare, with Yogi nodding along and saying to Mike, quietly, “Yogi appreciates panoramic view of Malgravean city.”

Mike then nodded, making a mental note to check out the festivities proper along with the rest of the party when they had the time--well, assuming things went well. Coach merely nodded and added, “Finance Minister wasn’t kidding when she was talkin’ about large public celebrations. Those crowds are huge!”

Then, Coach turned around, and he then coughed and directed the party to look at the other vista, as he saw Nadzieja was preparing to continue the tour.

The item in question wasn’t a vista in the traditional sense. But here too, the Dornalians couldn’t help but pay attention when Nadzieja discussed the Ancestral Recognition and Control Centre’s main attraction--a chair with gel-sacs on it, with more of the patterns around ASG central. Any questions as to the potential artistic connection or rationale for using the designs on the chair were quickly answered, albeit indirectly, as Nadzieja discussed the purpose of the chair. The Dornalians looked at one another. Malgraveans could be eccentric, and many of the Dornalians had heard tales of objects which determined someone’s fitness for a task. Sorting hats, magical swords in stones, so on. But a technological--or maybe even magical?--wonder chair selecting monarchs indirectly through measuring ancestral connections? This was interesting.

The comment about foreign barbarians--the one which was quickly self-censored--certainly caught the attention of the Dornalians, although they were polite enough not to comment on the Freudian slip. In particular, Norton himself wasn’t offended--the last Foreign Minister, Tom Plume, had politely explained during their talks that the Malgraveans had spent a considerable time in isolation from the outside world, more focused on sorting out a civil war than pursuing foreign adventures. As such, even with an opening to the outside world, Norton figured some old habits would slip out once in a while.

Norton nodded at the Finance Minister’s story of the chair, and said, “A most impressive item. I can see how given its abilities and importance to the nation, it is worth protecting at all costs.”

As Norton stroked his chin, and Yogi and Coach nodded in acknowledgement at the majesty of the chair, President Haggar appeared curious and asked the Finance Minister, “Out of curiosity, Comrade Finance Minister, how did the Malgraveans first figure out this chair’s ability to measure one’s connection to the Ancestors?”

Nadzieja smiled as the Dornalian delegation appeared to enjoy the view offered by the ASG centre, the Malgravean understood that the Dornalians had technological and engineering marvels that gave them the ability to create far-larger cityscapes, and vast facilities across parts of the known universe, so it was agreeable to see that Epping and the surrounding region seemed to be pleasing enough to the guests.

"We are quite fortunate that the weather has been quite pleasant today, if it was cloudier you wouldn't be able to see the more mountainous regions near the border with Rohane or the faint outlines of Aurora," Nadzieja told Yogi, "It is even said that you can see the original landing point from this location, although I don't think my vision is good enough for that."

Nadzieja couldn't help but laugh briefly at the kobolds rather blunt assessment, her country frequently held celebrations designed to boost the unity and cooperative spirit of the Malgravean people but Ancestor Day was unquestionably the most popular event of the year, and certainly provided a boost to the national economy.

"I believe its capabilities were discovered by accident, Comrade," Nadzieja told the Dornalian, "As I said earlier it requires an enormous amount of power to operate, something that currently restricts its usage to important national events, however, when it was initially discovered it was established that it contained a small retractable housing for a strange type of power crystal," the Malgravean said pressing a small button near one of the gel-filled sacs, an empty casing rising for a few seconds before turning to its previous position inside the base of the chair, "It was discovered that this strange power crystal contained an incredibly large amount of energy, enough to ensure that the chair could be operated for brief periods of time suitable for experimentation. In these experiments, it was observed that those with the strongest connection to the Ancestors had an easier time harnessing the controls made available during the usage of the control chair," the Malgravean said frowning slightly as she added, "Sadly, the energy crystal was eventually depleted over the course of a few hundred experiments, and then it was stolen by the Imerians during the chaos of the Great Exodus."

It had only been a few months since the C'tani had placed a new Ring of the Ancestors outside of the Headquarters of the Ancestral Study Group, the placement of the Ring, and the subsequent invitation to explore a world possibly settled by the Ancestors had sent a clear message that the C'tani were interested in forging a close relationship with the Malgravean people, something that settled minds across the country concerned about the possibility of another Atumite invasion.

The Ring of the Ancestors had been used hundreds of times since that date, the device used to ferry Malgravean delegations across the universe, and accept a similar amount of foreigners that were just curious about the establishment of a new addition to the gate network or had official business with the central government. Despite the Ring's near-constant usage it's activation still caused a sense of excitement to build-up in every one that happened to be around the device when it was receiving an incoming passenger, although the increasingly paranoid nature of the Malgravean people was also partly to blame.

In short order, the previously idle Royal Marines had formed up beside the activating Ring, although not so close as to be obliterated by the ejected matter stream, as the new arrivals streamed through the Ring they'd be greeted by a small team from the Department of Immigration and Diaspora Concerns, the Malgraveans had agreed not to restrict anyone from using the Ring of the Ancestors but that didn't mean they couldn't check anyone entering the country for banned goods or run their identification against the COPNET and SIS database.

Eliot Reymont recognised Aiyana the second she exited the Ring of the Ancestors, and she quickly made her way over to greet her new C'tani friend, the Foreign Minister had experienced a few pleasant conversations about future reforms that were planned by the government, and she hoped to give her some good news about proposed policy changes.

"Comrade Aiyana," Eliot said in highly accented common, the Malgravean bowing in the traditional greeting, she understood that she could've spoken in Malgravean Ancient with the C'tani but for some reason she couldn't help shake the feeling that her friend was somewhat uncomfortable around the language, although that didn't stop it from it being spoken by everyone around her, "I am glad that you have decided to visit Epping on the day of the Ancestors."

OOC: Collabed with Malgrave
The HQ

“I see…” President Fluffykins nodded as she examined the murals of the Ancestors. “People of the stars who gave wonders to the world. I suppose any notes of Silverdale History may be of use, there was a space princess called Blanca who gave noticeable figures and fought dangerous monsters and an evil crusade from the cosmos. However, they never left much artifacts or a gate, as they seemingly retrieved all their magical technology and spaceships to go home.”

President Fluffykins then asked. “So, I’m curious about these gates the ancestors left behind. I heard they could transport a pony across the galaxy if they know a combination of codes. Is there any exhibit that allows the children to decipher such patterns?”

Catherine nodded silently in acknowledgement of the Silverdalean Presidents comments, although the Malgravean was quite confused as to how this Blanca, and the apparently advanced civilisation that she led related to the Malgravean connection to the Ancients, or the current ongoing celebration.

"In the days before the Great Exodus, we were able to uncover an artefact that allowed us to understand the Ancient language, and we've taught that language to subsequent generations of new Malgravean citizens," Catherine said, "We also teach Common, High Kouralian and a few Dornalian languages now, but the average Malgrave is more comfortable speaking the language of the ancestors," she said before adding, "As for the symbols on the gate we've managed to obtain a few safe addresses from our friends in the C'tani, but they simply can't be deciphered. It would be quite like trying to guess a specific Silverdalean phone number without knowing any outlying information."

“True enough. It would be no doubt ineffective to dial up random phone numbers to call a specific number. However, a nosy pony on the phone doesn’t compare to a possible code to another world unknown form the books. It would be worthwhile discovery.” Fluffykins replied. “Of course, if you’re doing a shotgun approach with sending robots across the galaxy. I don’t recommend, say using a spell to go into any dimension. Chances are you may end up in a molten rock or a nightmarish place.” She coughed by that last part.

"I meant that it would be virtually impossible to gain a stable connection by just randomly inputting symbols," Catherine said, the Malgravean understood that the prior connection established before the so-called Great Humiliation was acquired from certain nefarious dealings with an eccentric archaeologist instead of any effort from the MalTec supercomputer assigned to the task, "I have been led to understand that the symbols relate to the position of the planet in the universe, and some other factors that change gradually over time. It would be like trying to guess a specific phone number without knowing the system used by the country in question, or failing to address the possibility of the person moving home."

As Catherine spoke she started to guide the Silverdalean President and the rest of her entourage towards a series of elevators near the rear of the building, the Minister had been briefed previously about the rooms that will be visited by the other representatives and she wished to showcase something somewhat unique.

"If you have any other questions about the Ancestors or just general Malgravean history I will be glad to provide answers," Catherine said as she summoned the elevator.

“I do have one question about the Ancestors. At least on top of my head.” Fluffykins nodded as she pondered for a second. “How did they achieve their ascension to another realm to existence? I heard talk about Malgraves working their way to ascended, but is this even possible?”

“We are unaware about the specific measures that the Ancestors used to ascend to another plane, but we believe that they advanced to an incredibly state of technological and cultural understanding,” Catherine said, “It is the duty of every Malgravean citizen to contribute towards the collective journey towards ascension, as it is believed that we shall enter a new period of enlightenment when we eventually gather the technological or cultural means to reach ascension on a national scale.”

As soon as the elevator doors opened President Fluffykins an the rest of the Silverdalean delegation would be greeted with a series of large-scale models of cities, the population centres ranging from rather simplistic designs reminiscent of older architectural practices from the 1900’s to vast skyscrapers and grand technological marvels that quite clearly didn’t belong to the current technological understanding of the Malgravean people.

In addition to the grand designs of the cities, the Silverdalean delegation would also be able to see smaller models of predicted ancient technology gathered from recovered texts and pictures, with the prime display being a small spaceship called a Short Range Ring Transport Vessel designed for ferrying small groups of people and supplies through the Ring of the Ancestors.

"It is quite interesting to see how the design of Malgravean cities has evolved over the years, although circumstances at the time forced the design of Aurora to be somewhat disorganised compared to other population centres," Catherine said as she pointed to the earlier design in the room, in stark comparison to the other cities, Aurora wasn't divided into clear sections for commercial, industrial, government or residential purposes, instead the different zones flowed into each other with residential and commercial properties both meeting each other on the beach, and the usual government sector being non-existent, a prime example being the headquarters of the Royal Navy that was stationed in a rather prominent location near the civilian port

“Epping was designed to be the future capital of the Malgravean people, and despite the struggles of the civil war period it was constructed in an orderly fashion. You can see that the planners were able to create a specific sector of the city for the central government, something that has made it quite hard for terrorist forces to strike against the central government with any efficiency, and the cultural district has proven to be quite popular with tourists since leaving isolation.”

“Well you’re quite lucky to establish new and planned out cities for Malgrave Miss Catherine.” Ms MelonHeart started to explain. You see, some of the oldest Silverdalean cities are quite ancient as in thousands of years old and the layouts can be a little… ineffective for modern day traffic and railroads. Just to put it mildly.”

“That’s what Earthling towns are like Lilly.” Fluffykins nodded. “For cloud cities, its an easy kick and fluff to transform an entire town’s layout, but at the capitol? Oh don’t get me started.” Fluffykins new that while the captain is a transport hub to all directions of Silverdale, it was mostly built in mind for hooves, wagons, and canals. Today it was a circle and jigsaw to try to get the most out of the otherwise centuries old plans for road layouts. It’s quite a nightmare at rush hour.

“I believe that similar cities across the world face similar issues about trying to accommodate the needs of new technology and a growing population, but Malgrave is a rather young country compared to others and the Great Exodus forced us to start from scratch,” Catherine told MelonHeart, “We also recognised the need for planning for future population expansion when designing cities after Aurora, and well the automobile has always been rather unpopular compared to public transport systems. You should also be prepared to hear some rather blunt comments if you discuss those issues with the Minister of Science and Engineering, she will probably recommend destroying large sections of the cities to improve the efficiency of the local transport system.”

As Catherine started talking she moved over towards the display of an incredibly advanced city, with no traditional roads visible. “We don’t have a lot of information on the internal layout of Ancient cities, but we do have a few images of the skylines. It often showcases an incredibly advanced array of skyscrapers, and some have suggested a forcefield of sorts to protect the populace from extreme weather events and foreign threats. As you can tell we have attempted to imagine what an Ancient city would look like, we imagine an area that has abandoned the car and even methods of public transport entirely with public teleportation stations and waling.”

Ms Melonheart winced at the idea to destroy large sections of Silverdalean cities to improve transportation. “To be frank that’s a massive issue if we ever attempt to do so. However since were focusing our business here, I’ll leave that mind blobbing discussion much later.”

Fluffykins nodded and thought “no fucking kidding melon chest.” Unless godzilla and a parade of megafauna rampanged in all major cities in Silverdale, there is no way that purposely would fly in Congress. “Agreed Ms Melonheart.” She then looked down at the display of the advanced city that the ancients constructed in the past and mused for a second. “How intriguing. So the ancients used a technological forcefield to create a city shield without the means of magic or wait…. So I call your people invoke the ancestors to cast arcane spells right? So that means the ancestors are the masters of magic and able to use magitek to perform these feats, right?”

“I personally wouldn’t be in favour of such a move, although I can already think of several arguments that the Minister of Science & Engineering will make to try and change your mind on the subject,” Catherine said internally wincing at the language used by the Silverdalean President, such language was typically unheard of amongst the Malgravean people and its use by a high-ranking member of a foreign government certainly came as a bit of a surprise, and she made a note to check with her colleague at the Ministry of Cultural Sensitivity about the language used in Silverdalean cultural productions, “We believe that the forcefield that protected the city of the Ancestors was a pure technological construction, one that didn’t involve the use of these arcane spells or magitech,” she said before adding, “We believe that the Ancestors unlocked certain abilities as they moved closer to ascension, and today the Malgravean people are able to harness some of these abilities, we don’t typically invoke the name of the Ancestors but instead speak their language. It is a field that is called Ancestral Abilities in Malgrave, and thanks to assistance to our comrades in Crystal Spires it is now being taught alongside foreign forms of magic in Malgravean magical universities.”

“Us folks in Silverdale heard much tales of Ancestral magic and their discoveries, and their used amongst side within our joint military cooperation. It’s quite strange with arcane and source of some divinity, but it seems to perform adequately.” Now what is the root of Ancestor Magic is debatable, which Fluffykins knew all that can be handle by her Vice President or her experts on the matter.

“It was discovered quite recently due to our contact with the Spirean people during reconstruction works,” Catherine said with a smile, of course the connection had been officially discovered quite a few decades ago but it had been classified until very recently and the Spirean situation had provided decent cover, “It doesn’t have any connection with divine powers though, it is more like a state of evolutionary advancement that transferred over to the Malgravean people when they were created by the Ancients, since then it has been utilised by our military and security services to provide a boost to their efficiency. I believe that the Silverdaleans also utilise..magic in such a way?”

“Indeed. Our Armed Forces and Police Force used magic with great effects throughout our history with magic, such as the creation of entire magical domes to provide shielding for entire cities against assaults. For a practical example of Silverdalean magic usage is to create rations from berries, creating fires at an instant, healing frostbite and injures, and endure the harsh elements of winter. Every Silverdalean Soldier receives such arctic training and magic ensures many of our ponies survive such training, and how to combat threats like monsters to home invasions if it ever occured. For me, I use a magic pistol that uses the element of fire. It’s my favorite type of element you see” Fluffykins said. It was her choice of arms for personal defense.

“Of course, as a dashing Pegasus, I can rest on the clouds and mold it. For a practical example for a corps of pegasi is to shape the weather for favorable conditions. But this is more natural magical abilities.” President Fluffykins explained. “Oh, as for my pistol, I entrust Lilly Melonheart and my agents for my personal defense, so such personal defense weapon is left behind.”


“I haven’t really thought about using magic to create rations before, what is the process of turning a simple berry into an effective ration pack? Is it transformation magic that utilises the matter contained within the berry to create a suitable ration or does it simply prepare it into something edible?” Catherine said pausing as she thought over her own questions, she would certainly have to speak to the Professors over at Omsk to see if they had developed or were developing similar methods for the Territorial Defence Force, “In Malgrave certain healthcare officials were initially quite reluctant to use what you call magic in medical treatment. It was feared that relying on these abilities would cause the already weakened Malgravean immune system to decline at an increased base, but after a few safe studies and this magics official embrace by the Ancestral Study Organisation, although we still prefer to develop non-magical treatments,” Catherine said before adding, “It’s quite curious how you use magic to shape the weather around you. I wonder have Silverdalean institutions carried out any research into the impact of weather control methods on the climate? It would be rather dire if controlling the weather had long-term negative impacts for the climate, and well I am rather glad that you have decided to leave that pistol behind. It is against the law to carry firearms or weapons inside any ASG centre, and the penalty is rather severe.”

“Since the stone age! With the first evidence documented by cave painting as well,” Fluffykins joked lightly. “But our pegasus ancestors knew these abilities since prehistory and its effects. This includes the druids before the modern creations of the Weather Center and the National Weather Bureau. Of course, our nation knows about the negative impacts for the manipulation of the climate, as a rather unpleasant penguin tried to send our lands to become a frozen wasteland. Not to mention the wrath of the goddess Airus, but these long term impacts can be reverse, even if the Barren Sands of the West says otherwise.” She then added. “Yet the key factor by our weather achievement is to make our heartlands, Summer Isles, and Dawn Mist Region into fertile agricultural centers for most of the year. Without it, we predicted our civilization would be backwards and won’t develop later on until the last millenia. All except the penguins with their water wizardly, and fire that produce steel. Those plucky birds will give you quite a surprise.”

Ms Melonheart then snapped her fingers. “Or we’ll be living in tree cities and eating berries like the wood elves. Although those elves prefer to be called the Emerald Dragon Tribe.”

“You’re forgetting the steaming steaks that those elves eat too!” Fluffykins replied to Ms Melonheart.

“It is good to hear that you’ve researched the possible negative ramifications of influencing the climate with magic, and I am quite thankful that evil....penguin wasn’t able to establish an eternal winter in Silverdale, as a Malgravean I have to say that would’ve certainly meant that tourism to your country would’ve been made impossible, as we Malgraveans are known to be incredibly sensitive to the cold weather.” the Malgravean said before adding, “You mean that Silverale uses magic to ensure that it’s agricultural sector remains viable? I must admit I am rather sceptical about using ancestral abilities to further agriculture, but I will wait for the study currently being performed by the magical academy in Omsk before I make my final decision on the matter,” Catherine said, after everything she was still the Minister of Health and her opinion held weight on the government's decision to allow such practices to happen in Malgrave. “I believe we’re still got quite a bit to learn about each other, wood elves? Penguins? I’ll have to visit Silverdale some time in the future.”

“Yes, as us Pegasi can use weather factories and hard labor to make farming possible.” Fluffykins pointed towards any nearby window with any clouds. “As in a good swift kick on a cloud can break it, or cause the rain to fall or lightning bolts. Good for scaring people and making a good predictable schedule for needed rainfall.”

“True enough.” Ms. Melonheart wrote something down in her folder. “It’s easily to demonstrate Fluffykin’s ability to do so. Without the obvious lightning strikes of course.”

“That would be bad press of course.” Fluffykins joked. “But yes, Summer should be the best time for you to visit. You can visit the Tiniest Village of Fairy Penguins and Wood Elves at the Green Cove, known for the oldest toy factory in Silverdale.”

“Thank you for your welcome,” Aiyana said, and though Eliot thought that the pronunciation of the language struck her as wrong it seemed that it did not seem to trouble Aiyana, who raised her hand to her chest in a distinctly C’tani gesture, pressing it to her heart and then moving her hand away in an encompassing gesture that welcomed the other person into her heart, the gesture of greeting, it was known by the Necrontyr, “Your absence has weighed heavily on my soul,” she said, in ancient, the phrasing was correct, but her accent was still a little off, she smiled nonetheless, even if she seemed absolutely certain she couldn’t learn to pronounce the language the way that Eliot did.

Many of those with her hailed from the world of Aryand, a C’tani world with a great number of humans and Necrontyr alike on it. One of the several cultures there was the Nephrekh, who were the most ardent adherents of Ancestorism – in fact they had been experimenting into ascension long before they had heard of Malgrave and its people – there called Ascension, rather than Ancestral study – some of the practitioners had been born elsewhere. Of course more than a few of the travelers made a point to shake their heads at any complaints about weapons, for the restrictions imposed by the Malgraveans were considered quite odious.

It was, though none actually pointed it out here, considered spitting into a whirlwind to take sidearms of travelers when mages existed; such things were sensible enough in aggregate but when one was only selectively disarming some of the population it was considered largely misguided to attempt it. All the more when some percentage of that population might explode into daemons without even willing it. The risk of crime was considered of course, or rather the potential effect on crime of access to weapons, but it was considered quite secondary, which was of course why the C’tani also carried knives and sharp weapons, though very few were a match for daemons of the greater sort it was a cultural institution.

Aiyana neither traveled with a weapon nor did she protest however; she was a mage after all, or at least and in her case very much more literally, possessed of Ancestral Abilities, as the Malgraveans described them. If she had wanted to she would have been able to easily kill any unarmed blunt (a mundane human) without difficulty, a simple touch for the simplest power would render them asleep, and after that it was not difficult to kill someone without an alarm being raised.

Still, she did not protest, and indeed it was on the top of the list of desires of the Great Civilization’s travelers to Epping, but that would come another time.

“It does seem to have quite a carnival atmosphere, doesn’t it?” the former C’tani minister said, slipping her arms around Aiyana’s shoulders and drawing her into a hug.

Two dogs had come with her, and she smiled broadly, “This is Rianda, and this is Aurau,” the second dog’s name was an onomatopoeia and she seemed to smile slightly, stroking the head of each, “shake hands dears,” she said, and each hound watched, tail wagging from side to side, and putting a paw up one at a time, clearly a trick they’d been trained to do.

Allanea wrote:"My dear friend," – Cassiopeia said, "I have, you understand, inspected quite a few military facilities in my time, and indeed have planned quite a few. On the other hand, I am quite interested in discovering what I can about your Ancients, and of course as you know, thaumaturgical archaeology was one field in which I have made my mark, back in the day before I became somewhat of an adventurer. Indeed archaeologists often become adventurers, one touches the other you could say. But at any rate, please lead on, I would be most happy to see the exhibit."

Stanisław seemed to be visibly relieved that the Allanean Queen seemed to hold an interest in learning about the history of the Ancients and their connection to the Malgravean people over some of the military objects that were present in the ASG for historical reasons, as while the Minister of Education had undergone basic training in the Territorial Defence Force he wasn't as comfortable around weapons as the Minister of National Defence who still held a position in the Active Reserve.

"I understand that the dangerous nature of the universe often forces many archaeologists to become adventurers, quite a few explorers of the Ancestral Study Group have often been forced to defend themselves from various threats," Stanisław said with a frown, as although he didn't have access to the full reports he knew that citizens like Amelia Lowwe faced danger on a regular basis, although he began to cheer up as he remembered the Allaneans interest in the Ancients.

"It is important to note that Malgrave didn't always exist in its current form as a nation state. I suppose the closest connection to the previous form of Malgrave is that of a consulting firm, although the founding members of such a firm are said to have been given the inspiration after they each accidentally activated a piece of ancient technology that allowed them to view each other's memories. In that time period, Malgrave acted as a source of engineering and scientific knowledge to several governments and international corporations, however during one of these routine survey missions one of most premier explorers, a young neko called Luana Caivano stumbled upon an extensive work of Ancient ruins that highlighted the process known as ascension, leaving your physical body behind and joining a higher plane of existence," the teacher said showcasing an excitable aura that had inspired a generation of students.

"It was that discovery that led to the realisation that Malgrave must transition from a simple consultant firm into a nationstate dedicated to exploring their connection with the Ancients or Ancestors as they are known, sadly certain historical events led to the Malgravean people being forced to leave their initial homeland however it is a dream of many to return and witness the glory of the Ancients once more."

Eliot seemed pleasantly surprised that the C'tani politician had decided to speak in Malgravean Ancient, so while she recognised that her pronunciation was slightly wrong she was willing to let it go after all the language of her people wasn't widely known due to her homelands decision to enter a period of isolation for several decades.

"It is no problem, Aiyana," Eliot said purposefully forgoing the addition of comrade to the C'tani's name, a signifier of the personal connection that they had forged during recent travels, "I am truly blessed to be able to spend time with you on such an important occasion, my heart sings for your soul," she said turning a light shade with a pink for a moment as she recited a particular local phrase, although she switched the repeated usage of heart for soul to fit Aiyana's own greeting.

"In previous decades the festivities would've been more muted and contained to individual residences, so this environment serves as a reminder that we've moved on from more uncivilised acts of violence and as a collection point for our charitable efforts across the region," she said with a soft smile as she returned the hug, the Malgravean turning to greet the two dogs despite her minor discomfort around the animals.

"It is good to know that dogs don't find travelling through the Ring of the Ancestors to be an uncomfortable experience," Eliot said as she shook each of their hands, "Although I must say that the room we'll be visiting before the initiation of a joint celebration is one that the dogs or any other animals cannot enter."

Eliot bowed once more towards the Former Minister before she started to lead her throughout the central lobby of the ASG headquarters, with the politician being able to witness the journey from their original homeland to their current location, with the strife of resettlement and the pain of the civil war period radiating from the depictions, although in addition to that a deep desire to return to the former homeland was clear to see, with the Imerian ban on Malgravean travel to the island province only seeking to further inflame the Malgravean urge to return to the land that their direct ancestors called home.

In a relatively short space of time, Eliot and Aiyana would find themselves inside a room that spanned the entirety of the top floor, with the vast panoramic windows affording the couple a wide look of the city and their wider surroundings. If Aiyana had made herself familiar with Malgravean geography then she'd be able to recognise the faint outline of the mountainous regions of the Pakosc-Maldon-Tillingham region that lay near the Rohanian border, an area that had experienced heavy fighting during the civil war period and had proven a key staging area for terrorists and smugglers following the collapse of the separatist republics. In a Northerly direction, the C'tani would also be able to sense the beginnings of the city of Aurora, the first city that had been settled by the Malgravean people after their forced exodus, the rather chaotic nature of the city in stark contrast to the planned nature of other Malgravean cities, of course, Aiyana would also be able to get a wider look at the crowds that had filled streets and parks across Epping, with only the Government Sector feeling empty in comparison, the presence of clearly marked TDF checkpoints and unseen SIS surveillance hinting at the Malgravean's own paranoia and desire for security.

It wasn't the surroundings that sought Eliot's attention but an incredibly elegant chair situated in the middle of the room, the presence of ancient symbols dotted around the piece of furniture and the high-tech nature of the gel-filled sacs situated on each armrest indicating that the device was Ancient in origin, the Malgravean deeply bowing to the object as a sign of respect.

"We are standing before one of the few objects that were recovered from the original headquarters of the ASG during the Imerian invasion," Eliot said her voice showcasing the awe that she held for the chair, "It is said that several hundred Malgraveans, including our courageous Paragon Queen, remained behind in an unwinnable situation to give staff members enough time to secure the chair and transport it to an awaiting merchant vessel."

"Fascinating indeed, " – Cassiopeia said, "And in a tangential way similar to the history of Allanea, which as you may know has been founded by people who left their homelands to establish a society where they could be freer. But tell me please, how proceeds your people's journey of exploration?"

Herself, Cassiopeia had been, at one point in her life, an arcano-archaeologist – that is to put it bluntly, an adventurer, and her own practice of archaeology was limited to seeking out valuable artefacts in elder tombs. Her adoptive mother, however, had been a real archaeologist, a researcher of ancient culture, the sort of scientist who carefully brushes the sand away from a millennia-old coin to uncover a phrase in a forgotten language. From her stepmother Professor Bellatrix Monfort, Cassiopeia learned some of the methods and principles of this science.

"In truth," – she said, "there are two questions. One is – how is the research organized, and the second, how much success have your people had with it?"

It was safe to say that the celebrations were in full swing across the entirety of the ASG HQ, with foreign delegations from a multitude of locations and esteemed guests from all over Malgravean mingling together and exploring the wide manner of artefacts that had been saved by the Malgraveans during the great exodus, or discovered by an archeological team in more recent times.

In fact, it was hard to imagine that just a few years ago the entire Malgravean nation, including the location of the ASG HQ was threatened with orbital bombardment, the subsequent humiliation suffered by the Malgravean people during the conflict had spurred the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter into a formal relationship with the Dornalian Republic, a spacefaring race that had the capabilities to provide the Malgravean people with the means to defend themselves if the Atumite forces had plans to return and threaten Malgrave with orbital destruction.

It was predicted by several analysts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the relationship between the United Kingdom of Malgrave and the Dornalian Republic would be a rather short one after all not much was known in Malgravean circles about the Dornalian people aside from a few minor references to repairs to an exploratory mini-submarine, however after securing the A-Class Battlecruiser the bond between the Dornalian and the Malgravean people grew stronger, with trade in everything from episodes of kangaroo court and corvid cream flowing into Malgrave while MalTec electronics and episodes of Adventurer High seemed to gain a wide number of fans in Dornalia.

It was that strong relationship that had spurred Eliot Reymont to call a meeting with her opposite Dornalian number, the Minister of Foreign Affairs didn't share as close as a relationship with the Secretary of State as her predecessor but she respected his professionalism and saw fit to inform him of recent changes that were going to be happening to the Malgravean political landscape in the coming weeks, along with some other information about military pursuits. In order to talk without being interrupted or spied upon by any number of guests, the Foreign Minister had requisitioned a small office, an open affair that looked out onto the theatres and restaurants of the cultural district.

The Secretary of State was surprised at the sudden desire for a meeting, at first. The thought came to him afterwards that it wasn’t too much of a surprise after all. Big gatherings like this offered the chance to network with other diplomats and leaders, especially on matters of great import. And, it so happened that from the Dornalian perspective, the Dornalians and Malgraveans also had a rather cromulent relationship. One which would make contacts like these even less surprising.

So, Norton took up Reymont up on her offer and found himself in the small office. Nodding and smiling, he said, “Comrade Minister, you wanted to speak to me?”

Eliot bowed in the traditional greeting before responding, “You are quite correct, Comrade Secretary. I wish to discuss several matters that will be of importance to the Dornalian and Malgravean people over the coming weeks and months. If you may take a seat?” Eliot said referring to a couple of black faux leather chairs.

Norton sat down, nodding. “Sure.” Norton wondered what the discussion was to be about, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I mean, there are many things to discuss after all, as regards to Dornalian-Malgravean relations. Which one did you have in mind?”

“I’ll start with the matter that primarily concerns the Malgravean people, although I believe it is apt to inform our partners of such a change,” Eliot said as she took a seat, “You are aware that the current Prime Minister had led our nation since the terrorist incident that struck Epping in 2009, yes? It was a rather turbulent time period in Malgravean history and it took a considerable amount of energy to maintain a united nation in the face of such crisis and organise an emergency general election. In the time following the kidnapping of our Queen a similar amount of energy has been required to maintain the sense of social solidarity and hard work ethic that Malgrave is known for. I understand that you’ve seen that the Minister of Science & Engineering has been flooded with work, and her work schedule is starting to look rather stacked even by the most eccentric of scientist standards,” the Foreign Minister explained, “In light of the heavy workload accumulated by the Prime Minister she has taken the decision to step down from her current position in order to concentrate on her family life, and the numerous charitable efforts the ASG has on the Mystrian mainland. Nadzieja Brzezicki, the current Minister of Finance will take over the position of Prime Minister in the coming weeks and I will assume the role of the current Deputy Prime Minister in addition to my role as Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is my hope that the current levels of partnership between the Dornalian Republic and the Malgravean Kingdom can continue into the future, as that is rather dependent on what I intend to say next.”

Norton nodded. Okay, things seemed mundane so far. State Department briefings had noted that there had been a change in cabinet positions, including the Prime Minister’s seat. As to the last part, Norton made his thoughts clear:

“Of course. The Dornalian Republic is committed to the current level of involvement of diplomatic relations with the Malgravean Kingdom. Support, commerce, technology, et cetera. There wasn’t any change when Tom Plume stopped being Foreign Minister, and I don’t see any reason why relations would change now.”

The statement was met with a raise of an eyebrow, finding the inquiry rather curious.

Eliot seemed to relax a bit more after hearing the Dornalians confirmation, of course she suspected that the Dornalians really wouldn’t care about the small change of government as from her understanding they seemed to be highly pragmatic individuals but still a little certainty worked wonders, “It’s good to hear. In that case you should be aware that the incoming Prime Minister wishes to present Malgrave has a strong presence in the international community, as although the current Prime Minister made great strides in that regard by authorising Operation Infinite Reach and Operation Open Hand against the scourge of the slave trade certain nationstates that don’t fall under that guideline still pose a significant threat to the peace and stability of the Mystrian region, and Malgraveans are quite fond of stability and peace,” the Foreign Minister said, the rather bloody nature of the previous civil war was still a large factor in Malgravean thinking, “As I understand you are currently having in trouble in one of your embassies, correct? I assume that preparations are being made to rescue those unfortunate beings trapped in the compound?”

Norton nodded, soberly. The fact the Dornalian Embassy was under siege in Furumvine was not exactly a state secret. After all, the news had been discussing the Embassy Siege for a long time, and even as Norton and the President were busy with the Ancestor Day festivities, Norton couldn’t help but keep tabs on the situation.

“That would be correct, Comrade Minister. The Embassy of the Colonial Republic in Sartorma, Furumvine, is currently under siege. We’re working on plans to get our people out--by force if required. We’re moving some people into the region on temporary platforms, for now, ready for the order to strike.” The tone of voice suggested that perhaps, a peaceful solution was uncertain. He then paused, and stroked his chin, going, curious, “Thank you for asking, though. What did you have in mind, regarding the Furumi situation?”

Eliot paused as she thought how to respond, after all she was rather certain the source of her information didn’t obtain it in a rather open or legitimate manner, “I have been reliably informed that the Dornalians are making preparations for the complete occupation of this Furumvine nation with assistance from the Rohanians and Hyperborean government's respectively,” the Minister said letting the information hang in the air for a while, “I can safely say that the United Kingdom of Malgrave isn’t interested in taking part in any large-scale offensive operations, as our appetite for such endeavours is rather non-existent following the large-scale loss of life that our population suffered during the civil war and the resulting anti-terror campaign, despite that situation I can say that the Malgravean government would be glad to offer our logistical support to the Dornalian Republic during such an offensive operation. I believe the combined efforts of the Territorial Defence Force, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force will ensure that your forces receive ammunition, fuel, appropriate medical attention and everything else that is associated with a large-scale offensive operation. It has also been suggested that Operation Industrious Beaver, a fake cooperative training arrangement will be held between elements of the Dornalian and Malgravean Armed Forces in order to ensure that the enemy isn’t tipped off about the activity that will surround such a logistical support operation until the date of the invasion itself.”

Norton nodded at the offer. He was a bit surprised as to how Eliot learned of the war planning on the Dornalian end. Again, he then realized it wasn’t so much of a surprise--Malgravean SIS and the Dornalian ERIS agencies may have worked together as brothers in arms, but you had certain wags in the Intelligence Community that were more than a bit concerned as to how powerful SIS was--especially in terms of its Empowered capabilities. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for SIS to have learned of this somehow. Norton quietly made a note to himself to have the Marshals and the Postal Inspectors change up the codes and clearances.

At any rate, Norton stroked his chin and said, “Interesting. Operation Industrious Beaver, eh? A fascinating proposition. It has promise. And also, for all we know, we could get some legitimate training done.” Pausing, Norton then added, “But, to clarify, we’re merely reaching out to the Hyperboreans as of this point. Also, as for the Rohanians, well, as you say, we are to coordinate operations with them and they may want us to use their facilities.”

Norton continued to mull this over, as he wanted to see how Reymont responded.

“I imagine that the Ministry of National Defence would approve of being able to get some legitimate cooperative training done during this arrangement, as you can suspect the tactical analysis performed after the conflict with Atum stressed the failings in proper coordination between allied military assets and any movement to change that would be welcome,” Eliot said with a smile, the Foreign Minister understood that as a former military officer the National Defence Minister had a rather personal interest in ensuring the strength of the armed forces and she made a note to have a small discussion with her during the celebration, “As for the Rohanians? We understand that they can be somewhat insistent over using their own technology, so it isn’t a surprise to hear that they are willing to offer their own facilities for usage during the operation. I have to assume that these facilities are being offered for free? Or are the Rohanians charging the Dornalian government for the use of these bases? It would be best to have all the decks on the table to copy a Dornalian phrase.”

Norton understood the phrase--however muddled as it was, a recurring trend amongst Dornalian-Malgravean banter--and noted Eliot’s concern over the situation. The Rohanians were a proud folk--perhaps a legacy of history and the past, with the unification of several kingdoms and so on. Still worth noting in any contingency plans.

“Well, I said may--there hasn’t been anything too concrete yet in terms of basing arrangements. I just know that as you say, the Rohanians can be rather particular about the use of their own resources for operations. We have been speaking to the Rohanians--so far mostly in terms of materiel, but given recent developments regarding an attack on their leadership, we think they may want to do more than just give resources, shall we say.

As for the legitimate training opportunities involved, we are certainly game for actual joint exercises to be done under the aegis of any hypothetical or actual Operation/Exercise Industrious Beaver, particularly to strengthen mutual cooperation and keep skills sharp.”

Eliot nodded in response to the Dornalian’s language, the Foreign Minister understood that negotiations were still ongoing between the Dornalians and the Rohanians in regards to the Furum situation, so she didn’t expect to receive up to date information on the progress of these talks, especially in a somewhat improvised location.
“I’ve read an interesting report on that particular incident, so I understand that the recent attempt on the life of the Emperor might result in the Rohanians taking a different view on their involvement in the conflict.” Eliot said, the Foreign Minister not elaborating if she had read a news report, seen something from cooperative efforts between Malgravean and Rohanian law enforcement agencies or activity from the SIS, although considering the nature of Malgravean politics it could be a mixture of all three, “I believe the Minister of National Defence is currently attending these celebrations, so if you get a chance you should talk to her about Operation Industrious Beaver. Katia De Campo was quite well-regarded in our Royal Marine before she entered politics, so I imagine she’ll be quite pleased to hear about the potential for mutual cooperation in the military sphere.”

At that moment the Foreign Minister paused briefly to respond to a notification she had received on her MalTec Ascension, the Malgravean giving an apologetic smile to her Dornalian counterpart before she continued to speak, “In regards to the cost associated with such a large-scale offensive operation and the number of armaments and assorted logistics I believe that it would be beneficial for MalDef and the Ministry of National Defence to not make any undue profit from this situation. It would be a breach of our principles of social solidarity and anti-fascism to charge your government anything beyond the simple costs associated with such a transfer.”

Norton nodded, saying, “I’ll get in touch with her after our meeting. Hopefully, we can at least get a dialogue going in that regard--I’m sure it will work out.”

Pausing, Norton then took in the update from Eliot, asking, with a tone of utmost curiosity (and having a feeling his instincts, given what he knew of Social Solidarity and Anti-Fascism principles among the Malgraveans from his days chatting with Reymont’s predecessor), “Just so we’re on the same page here--and I hopefully had my corvid cream this morning--you basically just said that any Malgravean logistical support for this operation against Furumvine will be at minimal cost charged to the Dornalian government?” Norton’s tone seemed intrigued in a most positive manner by this proposal, a tone underscored by a stroke of the chin and a “hmmm” sound.

“You are quite correct, Secretary Norton. In this situation the Dornalians would just cover the basic costs associated with the level of logistical support offered by the Malgravean government,” Eliot said thankful that her Dornalian counterpart had enjoyed the smooth taste of Corvid Cream earlier, “In addition to the logistical support offered during the operation I have also been made aware through the Ministry of State Security that the Special Investigative Service are available for deployment in the aftermath of your successful liberation of Furumvine and the associated instability that comes with establishing a post-war government. If you are familiar with the time period following the destruction of the illegitimate National Workers’ Republic then you should be inwardly familiar with some of the operations conducted by the SIS at the time, even if you don’t have access to the reports. It was a time of great activity as several high-profile political, economic and cultural figures of the old regime who managed to escape the initial sweep from the Territorial Defence Force were tracked down, brought before the courts and then executed and disposed of by the proper burial unit.” Eliot said instinctively shuddering at the mention of the phrase burial unit, “I imagine that the experience the SIS has in routing out fascist collaborators and eliminating them would be quite beneficial to your plans in Furumvine, especially when coupled with large-scale engineering projects designed to put the populace back to work, another thing that I add the Malgraveans are great at organising, oh and re-education facilities to reverse the brainwashing that the current Furum government inflicted on their own population.”

Norton kept on nodding, listening to Reymont as she discussed SIS's experience in postwar denazification. Certainly, Norton as well as the nabobs at ERIS had some inkling of the Post-Civil War manhunts--their scope, relentlessness, and their effectiveness. That monograph from the BLAND Corporation comparing the Malgravean post-war and Dornalian post-war reconstruction regimens was certainly eye opening.

"Thanks for clarifying the cost matter--my instincts were correct there, just wanted to make sure. Now, as you say, we are familiar with the SIS's capabilities in regards to denazification, and more help for rebuilding is always appreciated.” Leaning forward, Norton then said, with a smile, “So, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to involve SIS--I know the Dornalian government’s various organs in the law enforcement and intelligence community would be involved in efforts to neutralize the residuals of the old fascist order in post-war Furumvine to prevent further security risks and to minimize the risk of the old order returning to post-war Furumvine. I imagine the other potential partners in the coalition might be up for this effort as well.”

Curiously, Norton then said, perhaps acting on a cultural tic of the Dornalians, “Although optics-wise, I imagine it may be better, when we get to that point, to cast what you call ‘re-education’ as ‘deprogramming.’ Makes it seem more...therapeutic.”

“As I said earlier I think it is good to have all decks on the table so that everyone has a clear understanding of what is being proposed,” Eliot said before adding, “I suspect that the Ministry of State Security and the SIS will be pleased to hear that they’ll possibly have authorisation to conduct intelligence operations in Furumvine following the successful invasion, as I said earlier one of the key Malgravean values is our commitment to anti-fascism, so we are quite pleased to lend our support to this cause.”

At Norton’s suggestion that re-education be renamed deprogramming Reymont’s eyebrow rose in surprise, the Malgravean had never heard objection to the phrase before when it had been used to discuss historical incidents of re-education in the NWR territories but she supposed that the Dornalian had a different history with the term, “In the eyes of Malgraveans I don’t believe that the term re-education would cause many issues, as Malgrave has already undergone one regional re-education project following the integration of the NWR but I understand that foreign audiences, as eccentric as they are might have some issues with the phrase. In that case we shall use the term deprogramming in all official documentation or press releases deddicated to the matter and I will ensure that the press office coordinates with their Dornalian counterparts in order to avoid any cultural misunderstandings in the future, give the old tyres a quick punch just in case.”

Norton nodded and said, “Indeed” to the last part, noting it was a confusing matter for the Malgraveans. He helpfully left out the part where Reymont was more correct than she knew, given that to Dornalians, “re-education” had more negative connotations. But hey, this was their house, and he had a feeling things could have gotten a bit more awkward.

So, Norton refocused on the endorsement of SIS activity and MSS operations in postwar Furumvine. Norton then added, “Now, as for the intelligence activities in Furumvine in the postwar situation, that is good to hear. Again, you’ll likely see SIS working alongside Dornalian and other coalition partners. I understand ERIS has a good working relationship with the SIS, for example. Either way, the more enthusiasm and skill we can bring to the table, the better. So, I’m glad that you’re glad to come onboard.”

Thinking, Norton said, “Right. Just thinking if we needed to address anything else….”

“I can’t think of anything else to suggest,” Eliot said musing over the talking points of their meeting, “We have discussed Malgravean logistical support to the liberation efforts and the additional assistance that our intelligence services and engineering efforts could provide to the post-war situation. I suppose we could talk about the role of Royal Malgravean Construction, MalTra and other Malgravean interests in the reconstruction efforts, and the role of local labour but that could be discussed between department officials, no? I also assume that the Malgravean reputation for efficient large-scale public works projects is taken into consideration by the Dornalian authorities when these contracts are being considered, so unless you have anything to add I think we can wrap this meeting up.”

Norton shook his head, saying, “I don’t have anything else to add. I think we’ve got some activity started for future activities, Comrade Minister, at least.” With a smile, Norton said, “I think that concludes our business for the moment. Besides, there’s plenty of Ancestor Day activities to do, can’t miss out.”

OOC: Done with Mal as a collab.

"I am flattered by the suggestion, Claudia," Tyroth said in response the offer to research the origin on Draconids, "But I feel this is a matter that I feel is best left to our own people." The Dystans were known to be among the best in Mystria when it came to matters of archiving history and obtaining relics, given the long lives and large amount of adventurers, with many discoveries found by Tyroth himself. They could also be immensely stubborn about asking for aid from other lands. Perhaps it was a bit of draconic pride within them that made them feel that way? "If you wish to look at our airships, I can take you for a tour later on, but I would first like to settle our matters here, and also rendezvous with Rylux if he does indeed intend on meeting us."

James meanwhile offered one of the glass tubes with blue lightning to Claudia, "Here, from a fellow researcher to another. It looks simple enough, but it's basically a battery able to be recharged with lightning magic. See, Mages have energy that a lotta people don't have access to, and they can be used to power devices like this. There's more than just lightning magic y'can do this for, wing magic can help fly airships, fire magic can help with heatin', that sorta stuff. A lotta people make the mistake that magic and technology can't be combined, or that tech has made magic obsolete. But no, I know better. If combined, great things can happen... so long as this remains in the right hands. I'm from Corneria originally, and I know that they used to do terrible things with this sorta stuff. It's a tool, able to be used for good or bad. It's the user that makes all the difference."

“The Stargate is quite comfortable for any animal so long as it’s in regular use,” Aiyana said, “or so I’m told at any rate, you’d have to be thinking of something quite physically exotic to be uncomfortable with them, of course getting anything that doesn’t like water to step into the puddle is a challenge I imagine.”

She bade the dogs wait outside the building, though she doubted they were going to come to much mischief within.

Her reaction to depictions of Bjornland was muted, and she mused thoughtfully at some of them but she said nothing, she wasn’t here to discuss policy after all, and the suggestion of negotiating access rights with the Imerians wasn’t one that she much cared for, she felt the attachment the Malgraveans had to their former homeland was a curiosity but she was not particularly rooted in love of the soil.

She knew what it was to come from a land that was lost forever.

Several Million Years Ago

Cyla Urbanus watched from the viewing gallery of the Monitor ship as they approached the portal, the portal was guarded heavily, the ships of the Monitor Force hanging like needle-encrusted daggers pointed toward it at strange angles, their weapons trained on the portal. The majority of the ships were similar, a tapering forward section and a single formidable underslung weapon, just under seven hundred meters long, flaring at their rear section to a The structure before them was a cousin to the common stargates that dotted worlds throughout the great spiral of the galaxy, but far larger, made of nine vast ships each with gently curving shapes lined with dispersal crystals on their forward side the chevron-ships were ready.

The object the expeditions’ ships orbited would in time come to be known as a black hole, part of the invisible galaxy of older stars, corpses of the lost galaxy. The slow evaporation of the black hole had been tapped by the ships before them, one of the few sources of energy capable of providing the power they needed to complete their mission.

Their mission was one that none present would have chosen a few centuries ago. Cyla certainly wouldn’t.

“Cyla,” her companion spoke, “are you ready?”

She turned to study the other woman’s face. “I know what is needed of me,” she said, she had always been concerned with duty, more than most. That was why she had joined the Monitors, after all.

She turned to look toward the interface-chair sat in its control niche. The ship she was on was one of many in the expedition. On one of the screens around the chair, a countdown showed, until the moment their required task would begin. She stopped short of sitting in the interface chair, and let her hands run over the controls nearby, running a test almost by rote.

“All craft, please attend,” the voice was that of General Hippaforalkus, relayed across the expedition. “we are about to engage the ship-gate, I know that many of you are angry, I would like to remind you all that although our cousins will resist us violently, we are not travelling to punish their aggression against us. We have a larger mission than revenge. I know that every one of you will stand by the traditions of the service and the ethos of our people. Our families are watching; make them proud today.”

The Present

A tear trickled down Aiyana’s cheek, and she wiped it as she looked at the artworks on the walls around her. She rarely remembered her old life so clearly, it had long passed beyond the limits of the human mind to recall, and her long sojourn in stasis had left her with only the web of thoughts tattered before her present life.

As they arrived at the upper floor of the structure, she stopped in her paces as though she had walked straight into the glass around the edge of the room, her eyes on the thing before her. It was hauntingly familiar, the image of the interface chair from her memories; perhaps the strong impression that the people here had of the object had subconsciously brought the memory to the surface.

She was aware that her mouth had moved awkwardly, stopping short of articulating unasked questions. Her question was one that was doubtless an abuse of power, she doubted that most tourists would get to sit in the relic, but she asked anyway, and when Eliot assented to it, she took the liberty of not probing too deeply if the Malgravean minister truly had the authority to say yes.

She stepped up to the raised area around it, and stroked her hand along the armrest of the interface chair examining the structure, the chair itself was a mixture of materials, burnished metal with a mother of pearl sheen to it. She sat herself on it, leaning back, her hair framed by a headrest that glowed with a lantern-light seen through dark glass as crystalline interface elements set to work, and she set her hands onto the panels beside it, which flowed, memory gel seeming to become animated as it melded with her. She leaned back, and the chair responded, cradling her.

The interface chair was active, but there were no holo-projectors for her to share what was in her mind as she sat in it, though whatever she was doing was clearly something of significance; certainly, amongst the strongest initial responses one might have seen.

The Ctan wrote:She stepped up to the raised area around it, and stroked her hand along the armrest of the interface chair examining the structure, the chair itself was a mixture of materials, burnished metal with a mother of pearl sheen to it. She sat herself on it, leaning back, her hair framed by a headrest that glowed with a lantern-light seen through dark glass as crystalline interface elements set to work, and she set her hands onto the panels beside it, which flowed, memory gel seeming to become animated as it melded with her. She leaned back, and the chair responded, cradling her.

The interface chair was active, but there were no holo-projectors for her to share what was in her mind as she sat in it, though whatever she was doing was clearly something of significance; certainly, amongst the strongest initial responses one might have seen.

"I'll have to inform the Ministry of Transport to update their travel advisory information regarding the transportation of animals through the Ring of the Ancestors in that case. We are still somewhat new to the Ring and so the regulation surrounding it is occasionally prone to error, much to the chagrin of quite a few civil servants."

A wave of discomfort flowed through Elliot as she witnessed Aiyana wipe a few tears away from her face, of course the Malgravean was aware of the fact that many of her fellow citizens and visiting delegations from foreign-based ASG centres had had an emotional reaction to being in the presence of the artwork or any of the number of ancient artefacts on display at the ASG HQ but she wasn't aware of any unrelated foreigners having such an emotional response.

It was a feeling that transformed into a sensation of confusion and awe as the C'tani delegate came face to face with the Control Chair, the Minister of Foreign Affairs herself was always personally awed whenever she had the opportunity to come face to face with such an important part of her peoples connection to the Ancients, however she didn't expect a member of a civilisation who must have consistently been in contact with technological wonders to share such a fascination for the Ancient object, and she couldn't control her shock as the C'tani figure seemed to be able to effortlessly control the features of the item, a key requirement to those Paragons lucky enough to be considered to become the next reigning monarch.

"I haven't seen the Control Chair react so quickly to a first-time user in over a decade, Aiyana," Elliot said her voice shaking slightly before she managed to steel herself, "I know that first-time users can usually be a bit nervous and the experience is often short-lived. In that case, it takes practice in order to learn all of the ins and outs of the device, and even then they usually broadcast what they are doing," she said before adding, "I am almost tempted to say that you've done this before. I'd very much like to know what you are up to."

“Oh,” Aiyana said, she spoke after a long moment of consideration, she had wanted to sit in it, but she had not quite thought it through. The image of Eliot kneeling before her came unbidden, and she shook herself mentally. Her eyes opened, and she looked at her, she was a little embarrassed, her own identity was her own business but she did not want the attention that would come with her telling them. “I have used some… related technologies before,” she said, “I was probing its readiness system to find out where it comes from,” she already knew the answer to that one. “How much do you know about the device? The place where you found it wasn’t its original housing, at least I don’t believe so,” she said without explaining why, “I would speculate that when you found it, its weapons had been expended defending against some attack. Interfacing with it I can tell,” she already had, “that it can call flocks much more extensive than your artwork suggests.”

“And I think I can tell you where the ammunition store is, too. Sadly there’s no output systems here to actually display coordinates,” she said, “so if it’s where I believe it is, it will be a little bit of a bother to find it.” She pursed her lips.

She had tried to keep peace for many years, and to shape the perhaps-eventually-great civilization to something wise enough to use the power it had, perhaps she would one day be able to say they’d lived up to that, but there were times that hadn’t been the case. She was only one person, and not any sort of god or supreme sage, but her contribution had been enough to rest.

She had, until recently, not known this history; the universe was infinite, and she had not heard of this, to come face to face with it, that was something else. “I need to rest,” she said, and think, she stood up, and looked at Eliot again, directly in the eye, “at least mentally. I am willing to wager,” she said, “this place has a killer cafe and gift shop. Am I right?”

Allanea wrote:"Fascinating indeed, " – Cassiopeia said, "And in a tangential way similar to the history of Allanea, which as you may know has been founded by people who left their homelands to establish a society where they could be freer. But tell me please, how proceeds your people's journey of exploration?"

Herself, Cassiopeia had been, at one point in her life, an arcano-archaeologist – that is to put it bluntly, an adventurer, and her own practice of archaeology was limited to seeking out valuable artefacts in elder tombs. Her adoptive mother, however, had been a real archaeologist, a researcher of ancient culture, the sort of scientist who carefully brushes the sand away from a millennia-old coin to uncover a phrase in a forgotten language. From her stepmother Professor Bellatrix Monfort, Cassiopeia learned some of the methods and principles of this science.

"In truth," – she said, "there are two questions. One is – how is the research organized, and the second, how much success have your people had with it?"

"We have received considerable amount of assistance from the Dornalian Republic in our exploration activities across the galaxy as the Ancestral Study Group has been able to purchase a small amount of reliable small transport craft in order to aid our exploration efforts. It has taken quite some time for the ASG to get used to the new form of travel, however thankfully the Dornalians have also provided assistance on that front as well. I understand that the Allaneans also have a considerable space-capable fleet as well, do they lend their services to those interested in archaeological investigations or do they also acquire private vessels of their own?" Stanisław mused, the small possibility of another cross-party research agreement crossing his mind before he focused on the second question posed by the Allanean figure. "We have had some minor successes with our understanding with the technology of the ancestors, for example the control chair and the ring of the ancestors are now able to be fully utilised by the Malgravean people, however the loss of our initial homeland to the Imerians resulted in quite a few artefacts being lost and their secrets remain unknown for now. In terms of organisation the ASG has quite a few departments dedicated to the research of various archaeological artefacts in multiple fields, for example a piece of pottery that depicts an ancient harvest ritual wouldn't be classified or studied in the same department as an electronic item dedicated to surveying and providing recon to field teams."