An Empire in an Empire (Open | FT)

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:34 pm

The invitations that was broadcast across the galaxy on most commonly used subspace frequencies was a simple, polite invitation for the leaders, or their representatives, from any nation whatsoever, to attend the upcoming coronation of the Kaiserin of the 'Heiliges Klatchisches Reich':

Official Missive from the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich

To all Nations of the Galaxy

Your head of State is cordially invited to attend the coronation of Alexia ap Adam, first Kaiserin of the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich, in the city of Peskovatka on the planet of Daer. If you wish to send a delegate in your place, you are more than welcome to do so. This is a matter of great significance to the Nations of the Reich and we hope that you will enjoy the festivities.

If you have any special dietary, medical or environmental requirements, please make the Reichskommissariat aware so that we can ensure that food and quarters are prepared for your comfort.

If you are unable to find berth and would like to attend, transport can be arranged for you.

Security for the facility will be provided by the Alitakian and Barilecki Defence Forces. If you wish to bring a security detail of your own we would ask that you do not bring more than five personnel. No weapons, aside from ceremonial blades and sidearms, are permitted in either the Cathedral or the conference rooms of the Kaiserlicher Palast except for those carried by members of local security.

Yours sincerely,
Reichskanzler C. ab Ieauf

The first question most nations would be asking themselves was 'who on earth are the 'Heiliges Klatchisches Reich'? The answer took a little explaining...

Dyelli Beybi was an unusual entity. There had once been a State called Dyelli Beybi, though over the years the multi-species, multi-ethnic budding star empire had proved to be utterly ungovernable. After numerous years of infighting it had imploded being replaced by a loose Confederation of independent States who all acknowledged the 'Tzarina' as either their Head of State or their Head of State's suzerain. The Confederation, usually referred to as 'the UHR' (an acronym that stood for 'United Holy Realms' had a tiny central Government which, occasionally did things on behalf of the whole, but mostly left the States to go about their business as they saw fit. The Heiliges Klatchisches Reich was an example of what happened when the States were left to their own devices...

Many years ago, when Dyelli Beybi was still a united state, the planet of Daer had been mostly unified in a Federation. The Federation though, had eventually collapsed. Over the years though, most of the former Federation States had become members of the UHR. These States had begun to see the UHR as the successor to the old Federation; however, many of the States in the UHR were States from other planets who, frankly, couldn't care less about 'rebuilding the Federation'. The Vrakians were the first to propose the idea of recreating the Federation as a separate entity, affiliated to the UHR, but not a part of it. The Federation had though, in the minds of many members, been corrupt and inefficient. If it were to be reformed it would need to be different. The idea was popular and, after years of careful negotiation over exactly what form the 'new Federation' would take, the former Federation States called a last meeting of Federal Parliament where they voted to 'dismantle and replace' the Federation, abolish the Constitution and replace it with the 'Articles of Institution of the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich'. The Federation was officially dissolved and replaced with the Reich.

In short, the Reich were a number of Dyellian States who had formed an 'Empire within the Empire'. The Dyellian States were trying to reopen diplomatic links with the outside world and the Reich coronation was a great excuse to do that and have a party at the same time. The long story was (predictably) a little more complicated.

For those who cared to come, the Spaceport of Daer was open, shuttling people back and forth to the surface where they were welcomed at the rather pleasant red neo-baroque palace the Vrakians had built for the occasion. It was, by the standard of Dyellian palaces, a relatively modest affair, compact but pretty, like the kind of building that might adorn a fancy box of chocolates. There were several acres of carefully manicured garden to go with it, though at the moment it all lay under three inches of newly-fallen snow.

The streets of Peskovatka had taken on a festive air. Curiosity had drawn people to the city; it was a chance of being there at such a historic occasion, though for many the motivation was more to get a look at some of the strange aliens who promised to be a visible presence on the street and the Alitakian and Barilecki security did not disappoint. The Alitakians were huge, green skinned, surprisingly handsome humanoids who wore uniforms of black uniforms with blood red sleeves and strange wooden pauldrons to signify their rank. The Barilecki, on the other hand were more human height, for the most part grey skinned and with thickened scaly ridges around the eyes and nose. Oddly it was not universal, a small number had more human looking skin tones and considerably less scales. Those ones might almost have passed as humans... if it wasn't for the scales on the nose. Their dress uniforms were two tone, dark blue to mid chest, with a grey top portion that started mid-way up the chest and forearm and rank pips on the collar.

Both detachments were alert, both seemingly looking to prove they were the more competent. Both had also brought military bands with them and they had set themselves up amongst the city's markets, entertaining the crowd with a variety of patriotic music (an awful lot of which included revanchist calls to reunify the old Federation). On the surface, everything seemed rather jolly.

The long story...
While the majority of the old Federation were now members of the UHR, there were also a number who, after the fall had come into the Vaadian sphere of influence. While the UHR States carried the numbers to amend the constitution even were the Alconans and Karmanyakans present, they didn't invite them to the Parliament of Peskovatka (though there were invited to the coronation and, by extension, to join the Reich). The UHR States didn't imagine the Vaadian-aligned neighbours would be particularly impressed by the Articles of Institution and saw no reason to give them any opportunity to derail the process by doing anything nefarious like trying to set up a puppet government in a failed Federal State. Nevertheless they followed the minutia of the old laws, declaring the four votes owed to the absent Karmanyakans and Alconans to be abstentions counted against the motion to dismantle and replace and the vote therefore carried by the required three quarter majority - 20 votes in favour, 4 abstentions.

The vote was also timed to coincide with the opening of a new canal near the city of Peskovatka. It ran around the former Federal Capital of Port Olympus, skirting the borders of the city by 20 miles, providing an alternative route for shipping between the great lakes and the Djel/Benj river that did not involve going through Port Olympus. Port Olympus was inside of Vrak. The Vrakians maintained a claim to the city though they had no intention of pressing the claim, allowing it to retain self-governance. The last time the Vrakians had gone in, during the time of the Federation the city had rioted. There had been blood on the streets. It just wasn't worth the hassle. Nevertheless, Port Olympus had, under its somewhat paranoid new leadership, built a massive layer of fortifications on its outskirts. The Dyellians saw this as an obstacle to the movement of goods and materials, so they had built the canal to bypass the city entirely, making Peskovatka, once a small village, into the new trading hub for central Klatch. The massive construction surrounding the canal had allowed the Vrakians to build a number of municipal buildings, which it was now revealed were not intended to house Vrakian Government departments but rather the offices of the Reich.

Finally, the way the Articles were laid out effectively guaranteed that whomever was Tzar/Tzarina of Dyelli Beybi would, automatically be elected Kaiser/Kaiserin of the Reich. The idea of having a freely elected Kaiser/Kaiserin had been popular with some states, though in the end they had gone with the system of votes being automatically for 'the Nation's Head of State or their Suzerain' in order to ensure that the Reich did not have the potential to destabilise the UHR. Yes, some people might see it as unfair, but safeguarding the future against the wars that had gripped Dyelli Beybi for so many years had to be everyone's top priority.

Preamble
While the Assembled Electors of the Parliament of Peskovatka (henceforth referred to as the ‘Electors of Peskovatka’) are forever grateful for the fine work done by the Federated Klatchian Coast (henceforth referred to as ‘the Federation’), it is also acknowledged that the Federal Constitution was and remains a major stumbling block to good Governance.
The Electors of Peskovatka declare that the Federation failed to protect its Member States in direct contravention of its original purpose. These failings, while indisputably the work of wicked, degenerate and indolent Electors, were made possible by the unwieldy structure of the Federation. In particular, the inability of the President to command the Joint Defence Force (JDF) in times of crisis, and the illegality of deploying the JDF without Parliamentary support from the majority of States, allowed wicked Electors to paralyse the Federation’s military.
The Electors of Peskovatka have been assembled and commissioned by the President to reform the Federation for the better protection of its member states while also preserving their rights, freedoms and independence.

Legal Basis for the Amendment of the Constitution of the Federated Klatchian Coast
The Klatchian constitution gives the right to send two Electors to Federal Parliament to any and all States existing within the legal borders of the Federation, provided they have been granted membership by a majority of Federation Members. The following Klatchian States have been identified as being in existence and entitled to Federal Membership, listed here using the short form names: Alcona and Hubris, Binak, Diocletian, the Djel Valley, Dukratus, Fasta Benj, Guyaland, Karmanyaka, Monte Ozarka, New Shiron, Veiland and Vrak.
Of the 24 Electors, 20 are present. The Constitution Stipulates that a three quarters majority is required to amend the constitution, which is the votes of 18 electors.
The following Amendment to the Constitution of the Federation is the unanimous declaration of the electors of Binak, Diocletian, the Djel Valley, Dukratus, Fasta Benj, Guyaland, Karmanyaka, Monte Ozarka, New Shiron, Veiland and Vrak, constituting 20 of the 24 available votes and a three quarters majority in Parliament.

Article I: The Institution of the Reich

Article II: The Electors

Article III: Illegal Territory

Article IV: the Kaiser and Reichskanzler

Article V: Currency

Article VI: The Military

Article VII: The Kaiserliche Sicherheit

Article VIII: The Reichskommissariat

Article IX: Imperial Diets

Article X: The Flag and Capital City

Signed by the Electors of:

The Ducal Union of Binak
The Free State of Diocletian
The United Kingdom of the Djel Valley
The Ducal Union of Dukratus
The Principality of Fasta Benj
The Free State of Guyaland
The Ducal Union of Monte Ozarka
The Ducal Union of New Shiron
The Squall Free State
The Ducal Union of Veiland
The Kingdom of Vrak
The Kingdom of Witch’s Isle

Appendix 1: Illegally held territory of the Reich

1. In accordance with Article II, Section 4 and Article III, Section 3, the City of Port Olympus is an illegal division of the Elector State of Vrak.
Appendix 2: Current Currency Chart of the Reichsbank
The current exchange rate of the Thaler, Groschen and Pfennig have been measured against the penny as well as the common macrounits favoured by the different Dyellian States outside of the Reich (the Kronor, Florin and Crown). Due to the fixed exchange rate, these rates are unlikely to change unless the Dyellian States decide to revalue any unit.

by **Macisikan** » Wed Nov 21, 2018 5:48 pm

Some guests were already present, before the invitation was issued. First up, Her Sanguineous Highness, the Princess Sophia, representing the House of deMakra had shuttled in the week before. No-one had expected His Serene Majesty to actually arrive, regardless of who it was; no Macisikani monarch had left the UIK in over a century. There was already another deMakra in town, who she was catching up with (on the orders of her Most Serene cousin, no doubt), but that’s not important right now.

Second, His Serene Majesty’s Ambassador to (variously) the Djel Valley, Vrak, the UHR as a whole, Lord Alexius Valnard, now also accredited as the Ambassador to the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich hadn’t needed to be contacted by the usual means. Instead, a contact from the Dyellian foreign ministry had wandered down to the Embassy one morning with an invite. A career diplomat, recently confirmed in his role by the newly-anointed Ayivin XII, and stationed here for many years. The letter of credence for his appointment as Ambassador to the new Reich placed that rank first and foremost among his duties and offices; the Reich was being formally recognised as sovereign and legitimate. That’s important.

Finally, the Prime Cardinal of the Maciskan Orthodox Church, First Priestess of the Martyred God, Her Holiness the Divine Benedicta V. She’d come in a few weeks earlier, along with a decent entourage of staff, and a full set of ceremonial regalia. Her status was… less clear. She had come on a private passport, not one from HSMG, but she had been whisked away in an official car by some official-looking people in official outfits, very officially. All a bit suspicious to any press who were watching, assuming they had no memory of the previous year, when she had made six visits to the Djel Valley in as many months. Still, that’s also kind of important, depending on who you are.

Benedicta had disappeared somewhere. Sophia was either sequestered with her relative, or camped out with Valnard, and the good Ambassador was simply unavailable. They had become an anti-social bunch since the first contact between the two nations, all those years ago; none of them was available for social calls.

The more informed observers or guests would have noted that, while the best most other nations could usually hope for from the UIK was “barely tolerated, through gritted teeth”, the Dyellians seemed to be accorded some measure of respect, and not even grudging respect.

by **Toaslandia** » Wed Nov 21, 2018 5:55 pm

Crown-prince Tiberius had received an invitation to witness the coronation of Alexia ap Adam, some foreign Kaiserin. While reluctant at first, the Council of Lords said it would be a good diplomatic opportunity if the ruler of the Empire attended. "Commander Cato, is the ship ready?" Tiberius asked the Praetorian Commander., who nodded and said "Yes, and so are my men." He waved his men towards the ship and stood ready for the Crown-prince to enter. He did, and the elite Praetorians marched in after him. "Now tell me, Commander. Why do we not just ignore this invitation? They are in an entirely different galaxy for Darius' sake!" The old Commander nodded and said "An ally is welcome whenever we can find it, your Imperial majesty."

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Thu Nov 22, 2018 2:32 pm

There was still some time to go before the Dyellians kicked off. Enough time for the delegates from the 40 Dyellian States (12 Reich States and 28 others) to go through the usual motions of Dyellian politics, which was to say drink too much and try to politically outmanoeuvre one another. Outsiders made for interesting wildcards who could tip the balance of the game. There were lots of people with lots of competing goals, which was partly why the Reich had cultural attaches to assign to any visiting delegation: to make sure that guests didn't end up confused or out of their depth. The Macisikani weren't given one automatically; it was imagined they would not need one. The Dyellians imagined this as a sign of respect, though they could also see how it could be taken the wrong way, so a quick message was sent to explain that a 'Commissar Aben Voyore' was at their disposal if they felt they would like an attache for any reason. It was an unusual name. Probably someone from one of the newer alien races.

Toaslandia wrote:Crown-prince Tiberius had received an invitation to witness the coronation of Alexia ap Adam, some foreign Kaiserin. While reluctant at first, the Council of Lords said it would be a good diplomatic opportunity if the ruler of the Empire attended. "Commander Cato, is the ship ready?" Tiberius asked the Praetorian Commander., who nodded and said "Yes, and so are my men." He waved his men towards the ship and stood ready for the Crown-prince to enter. He did, and the elite Praetorians marched in after him. "Now tell me, Commander. Why do we not just ignore this invitation? They are in an entirely different galaxy for Darius' sake!" The old Commander nodded and said "An ally is welcome whenever we can find it, your Imperial majesty."

Meanwhile, in space the Dyellians were ready for the appearance of Toaslandian ship, which was, upon its arrival in the Daer system, promptly and politely given instruction to a berth at the Reich's spaceport. Space in the Daer system was full of military vessels, including three of the massive 'Command Carriers' which, at over 10km in length, dwarfed most other Dyellian vessels. This was nothing unusual. The Reich shared a planet with a hostile neighbour. Leaving space unguarded was inviting trouble. Interestingly only two of the Command Carriers belonged to the Reich. The other one was the Flagship of of the Imperial Armada of the UHR, the HMSS Tzarina Alexia (Not to be confused with the flagship of the Reich, the IMR Kaiserin Alexia).

For the Crown-prince's part, he had been allocated a female Djel attache named 'Eryn Gough' who, right at that moment, was taking bets with the Station's chief of security, "Out of galaxy... I'll wager three Kronors he's non-humanoid."

The chief gave a short laugh. He wore a black uniform with white trimming and high jack boots, which was in stark contrast to Gough's khakhi. The hat's were different as well. The chief wore a standard peaked cap while Gough wore an unusual square topped cap which an astute observer might have noticed was a Rogatywka, "I'll take you up on that, though I can't wait around here to cash in when you get a bog standard humanoid walk through the airlock. Duties to attend to."

"Ever wondered about that word... humanoid?" Gough mused, "Why don't we call everyone Djel-oid, or Prenael-oid?"

That drew another wry laugh from the other officer, who clapped her on the shoulder before departing, "Because there are far more of us in the 'verse than there are of you funny aliens."

by **Sunset** » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:08 pm

For many the arrival of a great ship from faster-than-light travel would be an opportunity for flowery description; A great incandescent cracking, the collapse of a brilliant streak of light into the form of a warship great in character, the snap of lightning at a dis-junction in reality itself. Since the Author had no desire to alarm the locals or impetus to provoke an inter-galactic arms race, the Unconquered Sun simply arrived. That accomplished with a minimum of fanfare - except that provoked by the very simplicity of its arrival and the ill-advised rupture of the fourth wall - the Flagship of the Republic slid into its assigned place without question or complaint but with a certain grace that bestrode the Class 'Dreadnought'.

Shortly after, a bay opened on the underside - a guess, accounting for the odd shape of the vessel - of the pronged extended horseshoe and a reasonably simple orbital shuttle dropped free to head to the surface, alone and un-escorted. This was announced and confirmed to contain one pilot and two passengers with the three arriving without fuss at the appointed facility. Well, slightly.

They did 'buzz' the residence of His Serene Majesty's Ambassador.

With that deviation under their belt, they arrived at the appointed facility and took up whatever spot was given over to the small craft before the two passengers disembarked to whatever reception awaited them. This left the pilot sprawled out at the controls, too many arms and the 'normal' number of legs propped up here and there and with every likelihood they had not laid a finger on the smooth black glass of the pilot's station either before, during, or after their descent. That raised questions about who, exactly, had decided to rattle the chimneys. Since neither of the two women who stepped down from the luxuriously but not lavishly appointed interior had even the hint of guilty pleasure on their otherwise-pleasant faces the coordinator of this event might forever remain a mystery.

It was Ambassador Penguin. Let's face it - we all know.

The first was a middle-aged but still youthful woman of clear Latin American extraction with long, straight black-brown hair that had been decorated with a pair of braids that disappeared into a colorful clasp at the base of her shoulders. Both her wide brown eyes and brilliant red lips were smiling and she was holding the hand of the second woman, blonde and Caucasian and standing just a forehead taller than the other. The first would be Ambassador Plenipotentiary Demi Love and the second her wife, Secretary-General Erika Silaco - the second rendering moot the title 'plenipotentiary'. Both were dressed reasonably if simply in knee-length skirts, sharp heels, and single-color blouses - orange for the Ambassador and an electric blue for the Secretary-General - with tailored jackets and lapel pins marked out with the same atomic sunburst that adorned the side of their craft.

Behind them emerged neither guards with the rattle of sabers or heralds with the flutter of banners. Based on all appearances to the contrary, neither carried blade or gun but instead a certain self-confidence that resulted in one and then the other extending their hand to whoever was there to great them, "Hi;" "Hello," and both with a cheerful pleasantness that indicated to everyone around not to fuck with their shit.

"Nice to meet you - Demi, and this is Erika," the first indicated to the second, "And Lieutenant Lazy-Butt there will be staying here. And you are... Nice to meet you!"

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 12:03 pm

Sunset wrote:For many the arrival of a great ship from faster-than-light travel would be an opportunity for flowery description; A great incandescent cracking, the collapse of a brilliant streak of light into the form of a warship great in character, the snap of lightning at a dis-junction in reality itself. Since the Author had no desire to alarm the locals or impetus to provoke an inter-galactic arms race, the Unconquered Sun simply arrived. That accomplished with a minimum of fanfare - except that provoked by the very simplicity of its arrival and the ill-advised rupture of the fourth wall - the Flagship of the Republic slid into its assigned place without question or complaint but with a certain grace that bestrode the Class 'Dreadnought'.

Shortly after, a bay opened on the underside - a guess, accounting for the odd shape of the vessel - of the pronged extended horseshoe and a reasonably simple orbital shuttle dropped free to head to the surface, alone and un-escorted. This was announced and confirmed to contain one pilot and two passengers with the three arriving without fuss at the appointed facility. Well, slightly.

They did 'buzz' the residence of His Serene Majesty's Ambassador.

With that deviation under their belt, they arrived at the appointed facility and took up whatever spot was given over to the small craft before the two passengers disembarked to whatever reception awaited them. This left the pilot sprawled out at the controls, too many arms and the 'normal' number of legs propped up here and there and with every likelihood they had not laid a finger on the smooth black glass of the pilot's station either before, during, or after their descent. That raised questions about who, exactly, had decided to rattle the chimneys. Since neither of the two women who stepped down from the luxuriously but not lavishly appointed interior had even the hint of guilty pleasure on their otherwise-pleasant faces the coordinator of this event might forever remain a mystery.

It was Ambassador Penguin. Let's face it - we all know.

The first was a middle-aged but still youthful woman of clear Latin American extraction with long, straight black-brown hair that had been decorated with a pair of braids that disappeared into a colorful clasp at the base of her shoulders. Both her wide brown eyes and brilliant red lips were smiling and she was holding the hand of the second woman, blonde and Caucasian and standing just a forehead taller than the other. The first would be Ambassador Plenipotentiary Demi Love and the second her wife, Secretary-General Erika Silaco - the second rendering moot the title 'plenipotentiary'. Both were dressed reasonably if simply in knee-length skirts, sharp heels, and single-color blouses - orange for the Ambassador and an electric blue for the Secretary-General - with tailored jackets and lapel pins marked out with the same atomic sunburst that adorned the side of their craft.

Behind them emerged neither guards with the rattle of sabers or heralds with the flutter of banners. Based on all appearances to the contrary, neither carried blade or gun but instead a certain self-confidence that resulted in one and then the other extending their hand to whoever was there to great them, "Hi;" "Hello," and both with a cheerful pleasantness that indicated to everyone around not to fuck with their shit.

"Nice to meet you - Demi, and this is Erika," the first indicated to the second, "And Lieutenant Lazy-Butt there will be standing here. And you are... Nice to meet you!"

Dyellian air traffic control was a little flustered by the unscheduled deviation from the assigned route, and the pilot received a strangled protest from the local controller, though it didn't go any further than that. No harm was done and nobody had been hurt.

The Republican delegation was met by a small squad of grey skinned Barilecki wearing their slightly unusual two-tone uniform and a single officer in a smartly appointed grey uniform with tall, immaculately polished black jackboots and a matching belt. It was a fairly common style of uniform among the Dyellian states, the relic of the old Kingdom that had existed prior to the UHR. The officer was a male with the fine boned features, dark hair and olive skin of a Djel, though he was taller than most and almost unfairly handsome. As the door opened, the Barilecki fanned out around the craft, covering the area as if expecting a horde of rampaging barbarians to spring out of the nearest bush and attempt to murder the visitors.

"Pleased to meet you Ambassador, Secretary-General and Lieutenant." the officer in grey didn't say 'Lazy-Butt', just arched an eyebrow in a slight gesture of amusement, "Welcome to Vrak. I am Commissar James Uhrmacher and I have been assigned as your liaison for this visit. If you have any questions, or if there is anyone in particular you would like to speak to, please do feel free to ask."

For anyone who knew anything about Dyelli Beybi... which the delegates may or may not have done, 'Uhrmacher' was a bit of a giveaway that the person they were talking to was a synthetic or 'automaton' as the Dyellians called them. Dyellian automatons were almost impossible to tell apart from a biological... unless you put them through a metal detector, "There are drinks and canapes if you would care to join the other visitors in the palace. Tomorrow morning we will conduct the coronation ceremony."

by **Great Ingen** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:46 am

He travels safest in the dark night who travels lightest

^{Above Peskovatka on the planet of Daer}

A small shuttle-craft emerged from the chill and silent void, slipping into reality with barely a whisper. Painted an elegant black with golden lacquer lines, it appeared strangely baroque for a vessel design to travel the far reaches of space.

Aboard sat Colonel la Sana, a felidaen of the Jade Empire of Ingen and a Colonel of the Jade Marines. At 6"1 he was only just above the average height for a humanoid, but he had the bulk typical of his species. He did not glance up as his pilot announced their reversion to realspace, instead continuing to peruse his copy of Juice&Naps Magazine™. The company was greatly diminished since the events of Deep Harvest, but its Ingenious, Ystovian, Dong Wu and Imaginariumese branch companies had all survived despite the loss of their Katasian headquarters. They were now the premier provider of in-flight snacks and entertainment for many interstellar travel companies, and he had always enjoyed their puzzle section.

The shuttle's navigator buzzed back and forth with the spaceport authorities for a moment, finding a spot for their diminutive vessel which settled down like a dainty butterfly before dropping a ramp with a hiss of hyrdraulics.

La Sana stood up and stretched, before strolling down the ramp with his characteristically lazy gait, his feet thudding heavily. He was wearing a ceremonial suit of o-yoroi armour, also in black and gold, although as was tradition with felidaens who had ascended to the samurai he wore no mask, his own predatory face considered aggressive enough for the purpose. Not that his role here was aggressive - indeed, he had rather been sent to assess this Reich and the potential it held for trade and commerce. The Jade Empire had lost many of its former trading partners and routes following Deep Harvest, and though it had maintained its bonds with the other survivors of FB-1, the merchants of Ingen were always looking for new prospects.

He thumped to a stop at the bottom of the ramp and offered a shallow, yet polite, bow. When he spoke, his accent was faintly latin, but his Basic was clear and precise. "Good day. I am Colonel Juan Carlos la Saña, of the Jade Empire of Ingen. It is a pleasure to be here on your world."

by **Sunset** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:37 pm

...unless you were a metal detector, but Erika was polite enough not to say anything, being herself descended from an industrial fabricator on her daughter's mother's side of the family. Instead it was, "Thank you, Commissar. That is a very nice uniform; Black-on-gray-on-gray... A particular favorite of ours as well!"

A glance over her shoulder would confirm just that. Not only was the shuttle itself mostly gray and accented here and there with the black of sensor grids and weapon emitters but the Lieutenant splayed out at the flight console was wearing a uniform that could be best described as 'gray' with a little more 'gray' and could you add a touch more 'gray' please? With two extra arms, please and thank you. As she too was wearing a gray jacket and gray skirt the only abnormality was the Ambassador, who was mixing a medium shade of brown with the orange of her blouse.

"Since you did ask... Are you expecting a horde of rampaging barbarians to spring out of the nearest bush and attempt to murder us? I won't call the guards unexpected, but they do seem..."

"Well prepared?" Demi offered, a smile on her lips that was just this shy of teasing.

"Well prepared! That's fair," and it was at that point that both seemed perfectly content to follow the Djel to whatever contrivance had been arranged for them to reach the palace in. As soon as the pair had cleared the doorway, a pair of suitcases that had been sitting next to the door took dignified flight and followed along behind, one after each until they politely tucked themselves into whatever trunk or compartment was made available to them.

by **Valehart** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:47 am

"Oh, cock,"
He sat back up from his suave laid-back pose, "An invitation? From the UHR?"

Once unphased by the paper that laid before him, he quickly grew more curious, reading and skipping a few lines here and there. The secretary in front of him also grew curious, but more so in fascination with his reaction.

"Yes. Read a bit more though, there's a message from the Prime Minister and High Court."

She shuffled and looked away finally, trying to get a better view of a nearby window. Great plumes of nebulae and stars zipped by, as the ship's alcubierre drive simply skipped across space, like a water strider in a small pond.

"Oh? 'The Prime Minister and his office wishes you well…' blah, blah, blah, 'Unfortunately due to scheduling issues, you are the only one ~~who wants~~ who's qualified to attend the coronation…' well that's very flattering." he turns around looking at his companion. His secretary and attaché, Ambrose Bonnaire Fitzpatrick, stood out from the rest of the crew on board the entire starcraft. That's not much to say though, seeing as though it's the size of a 21st century airliner—practically a speck compared to the federation's real ships.

So, sticking out like a sore thumb was pretty much a staple in the convoy's image. Ambrose had bright green skin, not because she was an alien humanoid, no, but because like with many Valehartine youths, bodily modifications such as dyeing skin and implants were considered 'cool' and 'hip.' And speaking of hip people, the minister couldn't shy away from his creepy stare onto one's hips. Even if he didn't mean to stare at people's hips or other human attractions, it borrowed into the secretary's comfort zone like a meddling little Earth-mole.

"Sir McCallum, do I need to remind you what happened last time?" she casually remarks, looking sideways noticing his stare, “Back in New Unison…"

The minister ignores her quip and quickly nods in the opposite direction, embarrassed by the memory.

As they reached their destination, the cockpit contacts spaceport authorities with the routine entry check, permissions, and so on. A few moments later, they find themselves landing. The legs of the ship kisses the ramp gently and rests its weary drives. The spacecraft, although small, had a smooth, aerodynamic-looking design (mainly for decorative purposes); it's body reminiscent of a sharp carved out rock. A gull door with the seal of the federation plastered on it, opens, bringing forth four figures. Standing beside the minister and his attaché were two republican guards. Both wore elegant, ceremonial black uniforms complete with a dragoon helmet with blue plumes, golden-prairie epaulettes on either shoulder, white gloves and high-boots, finished with a stern look on their faces. Brimmed with anxiousness, the minister pauses, taking in the scenery—if there was any. Finally, he steps down the short flight of stairs onto the ramp, where he meets with whoever's meeting them.

"Greetings." He adjusted his purple tie, looking below for any wardrobe malfunctions, reluctantly remembering 'last time.' Still, he was sort of proud of his pristine black suit, adorning a small Valehartine government pin, "I am Sir Edvard McCallum, the Minister of Foreign Galactic Relations from the Federal Republic of Valehart. Good to be here."

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:26 pm

Great Ingen wrote:...

La Sana stood up and stretched, before strolling down the ramp with his characteristically lazy gait, his feet thudding heavily. He was wearing a ceremonial suit of o-yoroi armour, also in black and gold, although as was tradition with felidaens who had ascended to the samurai he wore no mask, his own predatory face considered aggressive enough for the purpose. Not that his role here was aggressive - indeed, he had rather been sent to assess this Reich and the potential it held for trade and commerce. The Jade Empire had lost many of its former trading partners and routes following Deep Harvest, and though it had maintained its bonds with the other survivors of FB-1, the merchants of Ingen were always looking for new prospects.

He thumped to a stop at the bottom of the ramp and offered a shallow, yet polite, bow. When he spoke, his accent was faintly latin, but his Basic was clear and precise. "Good day. I am Colonel Juan Carlos la Saña, of the Jade Empire of Ingen. It is a pleasure to be here on your world."[/align]

The Jade Empire had come to the right place - the Dyellian States produced an excess of primary produce, particularly ores and minerals and, following their withdrawal from the GESO bloc, had been looking for opportunities to export. On the flip side, the Dyellian States tended not to be great producers of high-tech luxuries and while their peculiar economic structure could make them difficult to deal with, that was what the attache's were for - to help people to navigate the Byzantine labyrinth of Dyellian politics and society.

Colonel la Saña's aide was a female who looked just shy of thirty. If la Saña's sense of smell was as good as that of most felines he would pretty rapidly pick up that she wasn't human, though she looked similar enough to be mistaken for a Southern European. She had fine features, dark eyes and natural blonde highlights in an otherwise dark head of hair. She wore tall black boots over grey trousers, a forest-green jacket and a black kepi... if he had been studying his Dyellian people's, la Saña might recognise it as the uniform of the 'Patrimonium Sancti Albani' (which made the wearer an Albanian, probably belonging to the 'Djel' species).

She offered a small bow in return, just a fraction lower la Saña's own, "Welcome to Vrak." she intoned, folding her hands behind her back, without a hint of concern at his predatory appearance. Her accent was crisp, throaty and hinted that this was not her first language, "I am Commissar Sabrina Hasenkamp. It is a pleasure to meet you, Colonel."

She stepped back to allow la Saña to fall in beside her, "If you need anything at all during your stay here, or have any questions about the Reich, UHR or any of the Dyellian States, you need only ask. There are refreshments available at the palace and already any number of Dyellian dignitaries in attendance. If you so wish, I will take you there now." there was a slight pause before she added, "I must say, Colonel, that you wear a most elegant suit of armour. It reminds me a little of some of the traditional human armours from this planet."

Sunset wrote:...
"Since you did ask... Are you expecting a horde of rampaging barbarians to spring out of the nearest bush and attempt to murder us? I won't call the guards unexpected, but they do seem..."

"Well prepared?" Demi offered, a smile on her lips that was just this shy of teasing.

"Well prepared! That's fair," and it was at that point that both seemed perfectly content to follow the Djel to whatever contrivance had been arranged for them to reach the palace in. As soon as the pair had cleared the doorway, a pair of suitcases that had been sitting next to the door took dignified flight and followed along behind, one after each until they politely tucked themselves into whatever trunk or compartment was made available to them.

"Oh this?" the automaton motioned at his uniform, "It is a variant of the Outremerian uniform which is pretty much the old Dyellian Kingdom uniform. After the Gens Automata achieved independence we ended up outfitting in Outremerian surplus and well... we've never really got around to designing anything different, though personally I'm a fan of the Imperial Guard's black uniform. I'll point it out if I see one."

He led the way to the palace in long strides, the security detail, following in their wake like flock of particularly suspicious birds. Demi's comment drew a wry chuckle from the Commissar, "Ah yes... your honour guard of Barilecki infantry. If you see any of the big green humanoids, the pretty ones with the leather fetish, those are the 'Alitakians'. They have a bit of bad history with the Barilecki, and by that I mean 'we're going to wipe out every last one of your species' kind of bad history. They're sharing security duties for the event, and nobody wants to be the one responsible for making a mistake that makes their people look incompetent next to the ancient enemy. I'd eat my hat if security wasn't a little bit over-zealous."

There was a detector-arch at the entrance to the palace. Uhrmacher produced an identity card and, rather than being sent through the detector, was diverted through a slightly more complex scanning booth, "I could lie down on the baggage scanner." he suggested, which got a chuckle from the seven foot, green skinned, bald humanoid who seemed to be in charge. Presumably this was one of the 'Alitakians' he had mentioned before.

"Welcome to the Reich!" the Alitakian boomed jovially, turning his attention to the visitors, "It's a bit cold but the drink is good and the Vrakians love a battle song!"

"Almost as much as they love vodka and clam chowder." Uhrmacher remarked, having cleared the scanner. The corridor they had entered through opened into a ball room which was already filled with the pleasant babble of conversation. A significant proportion had military style uniforms on in a riot of different colours and styles, "So... do you have anyone you would like to talk to or any questions you would like answered before I release you to the politicians?" he took a moment to scan the crowd before adding, "I think I can see the Reichskanzler talking to a walrus in a General's uniform... alternatively, Caitlin Davies, the Kaiserin-elect's BFF, is loitering by the punch bowl with George Goring the Chancellor of the UHR. Big fish."

Valehart wrote:...
As they reached their destination, the cockpit contacts spaceport authorities with the routine entry check, permissions, and so on. A few moments later, they find themselves landing. The legs of the ship kisses the ramp gently and rests its weary drives. The spacecraft, although small, had a smooth, aerodynamic-looking design (mainly for decorative purposes); it's body reminiscent of a sharp carved out rock. A gull door with the seal of the federation plastered on it, opens, bringing forth four figures. Standing beside the minister and his attaché were two republican guards. Both wore elegant, ceremonial black uniforms complete with a dragoon helmet with blue plumes, golden-prairie epaulettes on either shoulder, white gloves and high-boots, finished with a stern look on their faces. Brimmed with anxiousness, the minister pauses, taking in the scenery—if there was any. Finally, he steps down the short flight of stairs onto the ramp, where he meets with whoever's meeting them.

"Greetings." He adjusted his purple tie, looking below for any wardrobe malfunctions, reluctantly remembering 'last time.' Still, he was sort of proud of his pristine black suit, adorning a small Valehartine government pin, "I am Sir Edvard McCallum, the Minister of Foreign Galactic Relations from the Federal Republic of Valehart. Good to be here."

Vrak in the winter, under a carpet of snow was quite a pretty country and Peskovatka was, as it turned out, particularly pretty. It had, until very recently, been a fishing village of no note whatsoever, the kind of place that people drove through without noticing. It had become important very quickly and unlike most of the cities of Daer, which had grown slowly and organically over the course of thousands of years, Peskovatka had been planned and designed to look elegantly picturesque, with big parks, pleasant tree lined boulevards and postcard worthy streets of Petrine Baroque style buildings.

McCallum was met at the airport by a relatively senior Dyellian diplomat. Edledhril Vanlond was another humanoid female, quite tall, blue-eyed, with ash-blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail to reveal long, swept ears, a bit like the leaves of a magnolia tree. She wore an imaculate horizon-blue uniform, a kepi tucked tidily under one arm. The uniform was Merovingdorian, the ears marked her as Prenael. Her accent, when she spoke, was pleasingly refined, "Welcome to the Reich Sir Edvard. I apologise on behalf of Her Imperial Highness that she can't be here to speak to you, personally, though if you do wish to have a discussion there will be an opportunity prior to the coronation tomorrow. Commissar Edledhril Vanlond, Merovingdor Ministry of State Security."

She gave the guards a quick look over as she spoke, her eyes lingering for a moment on weapons... and the helmets. She liked the helmets, "I will take you across to the palace now, unless you want to freshen up, go into the city or... well or anything else you want to do, really. By the by, if you have any questions or want any advice on who to talk to about any business you might have, my job is to make that easy for you. You've probably gathered that the UHR is a rather decentralised entity? Figuring out how everything fits together can be a bit complicated. Oh... and in case you were wondering, Merovingdor, my State, is not a member of the Reich, which hopefully means I have a more neutral perspective on things." she paused, bouncing once on the balls of her feet, "So... where would you like me to take you?"

by **Sunset** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 5:58 pm

There was a moment of silent consultation between the two, wordless except for the tightness of a finger or eyes that went from named to named. In the end, it was Demi - Ambassador Love - who seemed to make the decision though it wasn't as much a decision as a direction, "Thank you, Commissar - I think we'll just mingle? If that's alright? Though if you can point us towards a Vrakian... I have a butler back home who could use some help with her chowder. We live on a bay and we've all the fresh clams we could want but..."

"It's not her fault," Erika countered. "Every time she goes out on the boat there's that weird neighbor who's always shouting something about 'Khan!'"

Demi put her hand on her part's arm and gave the Commissar an explanatory smile, "We live on Botany Bay, you see. It tends to bring out the eccentricities in our neighbors."

In the intervening steps the direction the two had chosen had become clear and they were now coming up on the accused Caitlin Davies and her neighbor in conversation, the Chancellor; "...who is lucky our neighbor isn't here or it would be Gorkon. Introduce us, would you," Demi said with another heartbreaking smile.

by **Great Ingen** » Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:28 pm

Dyelli Beybi wrote:"I must say, Colonel, that you wear a most elegant suit of armour. It reminds me a little of some of the traditional human armours from this planet."

La Sana offered a faint smile and nodded. "Yes, this is indeed a human armour. My people once wore no armour at all, but that was long before we became civilised. Now we wear their clothes, speak their language, and fight in their wars." he said as they began to walk. He gestured with one large paw, before holding his hands behind his back in imitation of his host. "The Empress has allowed Pope Absolvo III to continue spreading the Faith, and so here I am, representing both God and the Empire, in search of trade and commerce."

He moved with a lazy arrogance, his armour clanking, and upon closer inspection a silver crucifix did hang at his breast. He gave off an air of Cortes, and even though he was here as an emissary, he seemed to be weighing up the place for its value, as if searching for loot he could carry off. Indeed, he had spent time on the colony of Texcoco, attempting to tame the wild native felidaens of that dark and steamy jungle world, and, hidden by his gauntlet, were two golden rings he had stolen from a shrine that he and his men had put to the sword.

by **Albertstadt** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 1:59 pm

Reichskanzler Haliwell and Reichspräsident Jason reviewed the invitation on a screen in the office of the Reichskanzler. Herr Haliwell originally though it was just another spam message, until the Reichspräsident noted the ID9 encoding as an official code. They read the invitation, considering all their options, and decided that in the interests of the Alberstadt Republic that they decline the very kind invitation. Noting that the 80th Reichstag will be opening tomorrow, and the opening ceremony required both of them to attend, and concluded that the resulting work would preclude them from attending. They wished the sender best wishes, and sent a case of rare elderberry wine and a crate of munster cheese along with 100 copies of the Reichskanzler's best selling book "Creating Peace in the middle of Ruin" on a shuttle which left Dresden an hour ago.

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:07 pm

Sunset wrote:There was a moment of silent consultation between the two, wordless except for the tightness of a finger or eyes that went from named to named. In the end, it was Demi - Ambassador Love - who seemed to make the decision though it wasn't as much a decision as a direction, "Thank you, Commissar - I think we'll just mingle? If that's alright? Though if you can point us towards a Vrakian... I have a butler back home who could use some help with her chowder. We live on a bay and we've all the fresh clams we could want but..."

"It's not her fault," Erika countered. "Every time she goes out on the boat there's that weird neighbor who's always shouting something about 'Khan!'"

"Oh... there are a few of them around... look out for the men and women in the pretty chestnut uniforms... and the talking walruses." he cast a glance sideways at the pair of dignitaries to see if they were taking him seriously. He was, in fact, completely serious. The Wal-Vrak were always a fun surprise for anyone who wasn't expecting them...

Sunset wrote:Demi put her hand on her part's arm and gave the Commissar an explanatory smile, "We live on Botany Bay, you see. It tends to bring out the eccentricities in our neighbors."

In the intervening steps the direction the two had chosen had become clear and they were now coming up on the accused Caitlin Davies and her neighbor in conversation, the Chancellor; "...who is lucky our neighbor isn't here or it would be Gorkon. Introduce us, would you," Demi said with another heartbreaking smile.

Uhrmacher led the way through the crowd towards the pair who he couldn't possibly have seen without some kind of digital enhancement, skipping past some kind of insectoid creature. He gave Demi an elegant bow when they reached the Chancellor and Davies, before making a noise which was an almost flawless impersonation of a humanoid clearing its throat.

That drew the attention of Davies. Davies was a athletic looking young female with deep set eyes and the almost fragile looking features, dark hair and olive skin that marked her as a Djel. As a species they made up just over a third of the population of the UHR, less in the Reich (which was human by a significant majority), though they tended to be over-represented in the corridors of powers. She wore a close fitting black dress, belted at the waist... it was rather fetching only spoiled slightly by the holstered blaster at her hip, "Chancellor Goring? Commissar Davies? May I present Ambassador Plenipotentiary Demi Love and Secretary-General Erika Silaco of the Republic of Sunset."

Goring inclined his head politely. He was an older Djel male, plump with a receding hairline, "Welcome to the Coronation." he remarked, nodding politely, "George Goring. It is a pleasure."

"Caitlin Davies." Davies added in the same accent, pleasantly lilting accent that the Chancellor had, "Always a pleasure to meet folk from the outside. Hopefully you will enjoy yourselves at the coronation and will leave again in the full understanding that we are not quite the collection of savage tribes we are sometimes made out to be. Would either of you care for a drink? Slivovitz?" she suggested.

Great Ingen wrote:
Dyelli Beybi wrote:"I must say, Colonel, that you wear a most elegant suit of armour. It reminds me a little of some of the traditional human armours from this planet."

La Sana offered a faint smile and nodded. "Yes, this is indeed a human armour. My people once wore no armour at all, but that was long before we became civilised. Now we wear their clothes, speak their language, and fight in their wars." he said as they began to walk. He gestured with one large paw, before holding his hands behind his back in imitation of his host. "The Empress has allowed Pope Absolvo III to continue spreading the Faith, and so here I am, representing both God and the Empire, in search of trade and commerce."

He moved with a lazy arrogance, his armour clanking, and upon closer inspection a silver crucifix did hang at his breast. He gave off an air of Cortes, and even though he was here as an emissary, he seemed to be weighing up the place for its value, as if searching for loot he could carry off. Indeed, he had spent time on the colony of Texcoco, attempting to tame the wild native felidaens of that dark and steamy jungle world, and, hidden by his gauntlet, were two golden rings he had stolen from a shrine that he and his men had put to the sword.

The crucifix also drew a glance from Hasenkamp, though she didn't comment further. If there was one thing that actually unified the Dyellian States it was the fact that they were highly spiritual and, mostly, followed their own local brand of Christianity... though there was ongoing disagreement over whether the Tzarina or the Pope in Worms should be in charge. The disagreement had descended into open warfare in the past, though the fact that the UHR had chosen an Albanian to act as an attache was a strong indicator the mood was thawing.

La Sana would note that while the individual Dyellians troopers he passed (with the rather obvious exception of the massive Alitakian guards) did not necessarily look like particularly impressive fighters, they held themselves with rigid professionalism, inevitably radioing ahead to let the next group know that the Colonel was on his way. They watched everything, like mildly-paranoid hawks, "Ah yes... we Djels were also colonised by humans, though the original human army had very few females with it... modern Djels are a hybrid species. Daer was once plagued by inter-species wars and pogroms though over time we have come to appreciate our similarities are greater than our differences. Especially in a galaxy surrounded by hostile entities."

She led the way into the ballroom where the delegation from Sunset had been brought a few minutes earlier. There was some consternation about the Colonel's dress when he first appeared - it set the detectors off, but after a quick, curt discussion in a language that sounded a lot like German, the objections were swept aside (there were plenty of guards in the ballroom, making a fuss would be a bad diplomatic precedent), "If you let me know what kind of people you would like to speak to, I can locate them and provide an introduction." Hasenkamp offered, "There are delegates here from all the States of the UHR as well as other significant political entities such as the Imperial Court and Churches."

by **Toaslandia** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:39 pm

Another Toaslandian ship arrives and boards the Crown Prince's ship. The Crown Prince is soon dragged onto the new ship by several guards and a man in a suit walks out, walking towards Eryn. "I'm sorry miss, but the old Imperial government has been....replaced with the Confederacy and the Crown Prince is now an enemy of the state. I shall be taking the Crown Prince's place as representative of Toaslandia."

by **Sunset** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:09 pm

"The pleasure is ours," Erika offered her hand, first to one and then the other with her partner doing the same. "We're both looking forward to it. Slivovitz? Yes, thank you." That left the first woman holding a glass though the second declined as graciously as she could while the first again took a reasonable sip, "Not the same sweetness as the peach brandy - a bit of an almond flavor. Are you sure?"

Again Demi shook her head, though there was perhaps more than just an intolerance of alcohol at play, "No... So - Chancellor, Commissar - if one were to duck out after the coronation, what would be the place to see and be seen? And would yourself be seen there? I would imagine your respective positions keep you working late..."

by **Great Ingen** » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:59 pm

The Colonel glanced around the room. Whilst his own nation had undergone violent racial war within his own lifetime, he did not mention it; it was not cheerful conversation, and it did not do to embarass the Empire in front of foreigners.

"Ingen has need of raw industrial materials of all forms, and of foodstuffs, whether raw or processed. Which of your member-states has a surplus, or is simply short on cash?"

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:06 am

Great Ingen wrote:The Colonel glanced around the room. Whilst his own nation had undergone violent racial war within his own lifetime, he did not mention it; it was not cheerful conversation, and it did not do to embarass the Empire in front of foreigners.

"Ingen has need of raw industrial materials of all forms, and of foodstuffs, whether raw or processed. Which of your member-states has a surplus, or is simply short on cash?"

"For raw materials you will want to speak to the Statenlanders. They control seventeen planets and moons, all of which were originally colonised for the purpose of mineral extraction. You see the blonde nymph to our right who is wearing the stetson, grey dress and western riding boots? That is Costance Bathe, their Princess." she looked more like a farm-girl who admittedly scrubbed up nicely... which in some respects she was, "The Djel in the dark suit with the hooked nose who looks like he needs a haircut standing next to her is her cousin once removed, King Edmund of Rheged. Rheged and their allies in Tara are highly both fertile planet-states with low population densities. They both produce agricultural surpluses and have the capacity to expand further."

As they spoke, Hasenkamp had moved in the direction of the group clustered around the two monarchs. They parted at the sight of la Sana. One young looking woman, who looked about the age to be his daughter, put a hand lightly on King Edmund's elbow, drawing his attention their way. La Sana, it seemed provoked quite the reaction, "Commissar. You have a guest?" Constance Bathe spoke with a pleasant refined accent, not the kind usually associated with a Statenlander. She gave la Sana a quick once over then, "I'm Constance and that is King Edmund Glawis and his daughter Princess Imogen Glawis. We were just catching up. I haven't seen Imogen in what? Three standard years?"

That drew a nod from the younger Princess who seemed both confused and slightly in awe of her second cousin; Constance Bathe was a war hero and revolutionary poster-girl, beloved by both the leftists and conservatives in Statenland. No small feat in Dyellian society.

"Your Highnesses." Hasenkamp said, ignoring Constance's complete lack of formality, "May I present Colonel la Sana of the Jade Empire of Ingen."

"Charmed." Edmund put in, offering a polite bow of the head. His accent had a bit more of a lilt than Constance's.

Sunset wrote:"The pleasure is ours," Erika offered her hand, first to one and then the other with her partner doing the same. "We're both looking forward to it. Slivovitz? Yes, thank you." That left the first woman holding a glass though the second declined as graciously as she could while the first again took a reasonable sip, "Not the same sweetness as the peach brandy - a bit of an almond flavor. Are you sure?"

Again Demi shook her head, though there was perhaps more than just an intolerance of alcohol at play, "No... So - Chancellor, Commissar - if one were to duck out after the coronation, what would be the place to see and be seen? And would yourself be seen there? I would imagine your respective positions keep you working late..."

"Indeed they do." Goring nodded, "Though probably not as much as you might expect. As for where to be seen about this town, I must bow to my younger colleague."

"Nowhere!" Davies shook her head in mock exasperation, "Despite what it might look like, this city is brand new. It hasn't grown much of a service industry yet and most of the bars and clubs weren't designed with the security of dignitaries in mind... though there is a particularly fun joint where some of the Vrakian construction workers like to hang out..."

Somewhere on the balcony above a band began to play. The music was grand, Germanic and (probably) quite patriotic. A sole male voice began singing. Davies, for her part, let it fade into the background, "I'm guessing most of our foreign guests are hoping for a chat with 'Lexi. She'll make her appearance tomorrow. Officially its because her son is feeling poorly. Unofficially its so that the local rulers have their day in the sun. It wouldn't do to look too Arbitrary."

Above them the singer continued;

Pflanzt eure schwarzes Banner der Arbeit
Auf jede Rampe, auf jede Fabrik!
Dann steigt aus den Trümmern der alten Gesellschaft
Das Heiliges Weltreich Verteilische!

Toaslandia wrote:Another Toaslandian ship arrives and boards the Crown Prince's ship. The Crown Prince is soon dragged onto the new ship by several guards and a man in a suit walks out, walking towards Eryn. "I'm sorry miss, but the old Imperial government has been....replaced with the Confederacy and the Crown Prince is now an enemy of the state. I shall be taking the Crown Prince's place as representative of Toaslandia."

There was a muttered conversation between the Dyellians. The violence committed by the Toaslandians had not gone unnoticed and more than a handful of station guards had shown up. Unlike most of the other Dyellian troopers who wore dress uniforms, this lot wore black powered armour that covered them from head to toe making it quite difficult to tell one from another. For anyone interested in the complexities of the Dyellian military complex, these were 'Imperial Stellanauts'.

"Ah... yes, welcome to Daer." Gough responded, sounding a little apologetic, "While we aren't interested in meddling your internal politics, you have just boarded a ship which was in the process of docking with an Imperial Station, meaning you have violated the sovereignty of the UHR. Obviously we don't want this to stain relations. However, we must insist you hand over the person of the Prince and any other individual arrested in your action so that this matter can be handled appropriately in court."

by **Toaslandia** » Wed Dec 19, 2018 2:10 pm

Dyelli Beybi wrote:
Great Ingen wrote:-SNIPITY SNIP-

The ambassador, Tiberius Granius Senecianus, nodded and said, "Of course. However, the Crown Prince must be accompanied by me and two Praetorian Guards to ensure that he is tried accordingly and that he is not harbored. It is not that we do not trust you, it is simply Confederate law." Tiberius' guards looked over at the Dyellians with emotionless faces, their hands on their energy lances and their shields half raised. "In the meantime, my cohort, Gaius Betucius Cupitas shall act as the Toaslandian representative." Gaius stepped forward, his sword at his side.

by **Ilek-Vaad** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:39 pm

Great Lassic, Ilek-Vaad

The invitation had been noticed, noted and ignored by the Free Republic. The Dyellians were more trouble than they were worth and the First Republican did not even consider wasting her time to reply or attend, not to mention that the Free Republic a very dim view of monarchies, not just Dyellian Monarchies. The Giant remain occupied by it's own affairs.

Port Olympus

Port Olympus however was a different story. The city had silently watched the building of the canal, with some trepidation but ultimately the city had shifted towards space and the Lake Olympus spaceport, a massive spire jutting from the lake in Port Olympus' bay was it's mercantile focus. It was also the Terran headquarters of the Commonwealth. From the Lake Olympus Space Port would issue a single shuttlecraft.

Peskovatka's air control would receive a message, from space as the shuttle approached.

++++ Please prepare to receive Thetis of House Laertes The One and The Prime of the Akarion and Councillor Chief of The Commonwealth of Arissean Republics. Please prepare to receive the Right and Honourable Lord Mayor Jormund Elvers of Port Olympus. Please prepare to receive his most August and Dread Majesty Prince Idrud Vaad the Twelfth, King of Lassic, Coventry and the Border Principalities, Landgrave of Hull, Elector of Zeeland, Grand Duke of the United Duchies of Alcona and Hubris, Sixty-Ninth Patriarch of the House of Vaad.

I remain, Voltaug-F++++

Peskovatka's air control would then receive the flight path of the shuttle as well as the shuttle would be blindingly illuminated by a giant light from Lake Olympus Space Port that stayed on it as it approached.

Voltaug-F is of course the Comonwealth Battleship that remained with it's control group in orbit of Terra and it has delightedly taken it upon itself to interact with the Terrans, and it was routinely issuing traffic control warnings and shooing off nosy Terrans from Control Group-F's military exclusion zone.

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 2:04 am

The officers from the Reichskommissariat in Peskovatka were somewhat surprised to find any representatives of the Vaadian sphere wanting to come along to the coronation. Particularly anyone from the House of Vaad who had expressed his personal animosity towards the Tzarina. Why they were coming was something of a mystery but, in the end, didn't really matter. It was the job of the Reichskommissariat to make sure they came, had a good time, then left again without any harm to their persons.

There were no issues with the approach of the shuttle.

In expectation of the arrival, the Reichskommissariat had prepared quarters with furniture designed to take the weight of a bull Wal-Vrak for the mayor of Port Olympus, a human sized one for Idrud Vaad... and currently had two or three options for whomever or whatever 'Thetis of House Laertes' was. Rather than getting a single attache for the group, partly because there were three of them, and partly because there had been instructions to make sure that certain Vaadian-sphere dignitaries did not encounter certain Dyellian State dignitaries (Idrud Vaad was not to be put in proximity with the Benjian Prime Minister etc.), the group had been assigned a diplomatic detail (led by a Commissar named Minah Siegel) from the far flung 'Ducal Union of Hasmonia'; a small moon on the fringes of Dyellian space. The Hasmonians had never had any direct contact with any of the non-Dyellian states on Daer so it was hoped there wouldn't be friction.

Toaslandia wrote:
Dyelli Beybi wrote:

The ambassador, Tiberius Granius Senecianus, nodded and said, "Of course. However, the Crown Prince must be accompanied by me and two Praetorian Guards to ensure that he is tried accordingly and that he is not harbored. It is not that we do not trust you, it is simply Confederate law." Tiberius' guards looked over at the Dyellians with emotionless faces, their hands on their energy lances and their shields half raised. "In the meantime, my cohort, Gaius Betucius Cupitas shall act as the Toaslandian representative." Gaius stepped forward, his sword at his side.

"Oh, but of course, do what you need to do. We plan to house the Crown Prince on this station until such time as a Judge of Assizes can be found to hear the matter of extradition. If the extradition is carried out, you may try him according to the laws and customs of Toaslandia." Gough replied, quite earnestly. The Dyellians could be a bit legalistic at times. The legal system helped to keep the Dyellian states from taking up arms against each other too often, "If it were to be that the judge refused extradition we would be in something of a pickle as this station is property of the UHR, soon to be transferred to the Reich. It doesn't belong to any State."

She didn't elaborate though, instead she clapped her hands together, "Anyway, I am glad we have sorted that out without the need for any unpleasantness. If under your law, you can allow your guards to watch the Crown Prince alone, Ambassador, and I would urge you to consider joining us on the surface. Though, obviously as I said before, you may do so if you wish. We will make sure you are well catered for if you wish to stay here."

Gough gave a small bow to Gaius, "Cohort, if you would care to come with me, we have a shuttle to the surface waiting."

by **Toaslandia** » Tue Dec 25, 2018 7:39 am

Gaius gave a small bow back to Gough, saying, "Of course. Sir Lucius and Sir Canus will accompany me." Two guards walked forward and stomped to attention. Gaius then turned and saluted Tiberius, saying in Imperial Toaslandian, "Commandant, ensure that the Crown Prince is treated according to our law. Remember, you still serve me, Magistrate Gaius Orion." After saying this, he turned back to Gough and waved his hand, saying that he was ready to follow her.

by **Sewage Rats** » Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:32 pm

by **Dyelli Beybi** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:46 pm

OOC: Being as this post petered off and died over Christmas, but since I actually want to finish it, I am going to cap this thread off in two posts... so without further ado, here is part one.

The following day, all of the assembled guests were squeezed into the Cathedral of Peskovatka. It was a pretty building, pink brick, with white marble columns, stairs and balustrades, all topped with gold onion domes. It gave the exterior a slight resemblance to a birthday cake and was quite different from what anyone more used to the architecture of the South Coast. Inside, the building was a lot more of what people might expect, with statues of saints gazing down benignly onto the assembled guest and an unbelievably intricate gold altarpiece towering over the sanctuary. This however, was not a strictly religious ceremony, and a number of thrones had been set up in the sanctuary area… five to be precise. Three at the back, one bigger one on a platform in the middle (for the Kaiserin) and a slightly smaller one just to its right (for the Kaiser consort when he was brought in in the second half of the ceremony).

The whole procedure started with the singing of 'Was ist des Klatchisch Vaterland?'. Words were provided to the guests, though not a translation... though anyone who spoke a reasonable amount of German or 'Beybirian' (the Germanic language of the Northern Djel Valley) would pretty quickly work out that the song was a patriotic call for the reunification of Klatch under the golden banner of the Reich. It wasn't, perhaps, the most diplomatic choice for an opener but in keeping with the attitude of the 'Articles of Institution'.

The first in the entrance procession were the clergy... rank after rank of men and women in mitres and ecclesiastical robes. There were, a lot of them, representing the two divergent branches of the Dyellian Church. Seeing the clerics of the Episcopal Church of Cyro and the Church of Worms in their 'zucchetto' skull caps peacefully coexisting was... new. Following on from them came Pope Paul VII of the Church of Worms, James, Metropolitan of Cyro and, a surprise to many, the Prime Cardinal of the Maciskan Her Holiness the Divine Benedicta V. The trio made their way to the three thrones at the back, with Benedicta separating the two Dyellian clerics. They probably wouldn’t get into a fist-fight at the coronation, but it never hurt to take that chance out of the equation.

Following on from that came the Reichskanzler, Caroline ab Ieauf. Ab Ieauf was the political equivalent of a zombie. No matter how many times people had thought they had got rid of her, she never failed to reappear. Unusual for a Djel, ab Ieauf was a natural blonde, with blue eyes. She had a pleasant angelic face that didn’t quite match up with her reputation for cloak-and-dagger scheming. She looked not much over 20. She was a lot older than that; Djels aged slowly. Ab Ieauf aged slower than most. She usually wore glasses though apparently today had decided that contacts were the way to go today. She wore a dress, black with gold, puffed sleeves.

She was followed by a mounted trooper on what looked like a Clydesdale horse. The figure was a massive 7’9’’ tall and armoured from head to toe in what looked like medieval plate armour, though there was a slight blueish haze that hung around it that suggested there was some kind of energy enhancement. From the size of the figure they could only be an Alitakian or an Orc, though it was impossible to tell which – their face was entirely obscured by a houndskull bascinet, with three black ostrich feathers crowning it. The rider dismounted by the sanctuary, moving to stand off to the side.

Finally, Alexia ap Adam entered as well. By human standards, like the Reichskanzler, she appeared quite young. She was a pretty good example of her species, slightly built with delicate features, dark hair and a deep tan. She wore an expression of vague detachment, like she wasn’t quite operating on the same plane of existence as everyone else. Most people who had met her would assert she wasn’t quite as confused as she usually looked. Today she wore an elegant ankle-length dress cut in contrasting panels of black and yellow and a yellow cloak that trailed along the ground behind her, with the shield of the Reich it its centre.

“The Federation is dead.” Ab Ieauf announced from the front, “Its offices and functions have long since failed. We, the people of the many States of this planet, have been left for far too long without a forum for cooperation and mutual defence. I am proud to say that this sad state-of-affairs is finally at an end. Today is a happy day as, like a phoenix, the Reich rises from the ashes. The Federation is dead, long live the Reich!”

“I now present to you, our Kaiserin-elect, Alexia ap Adam, Queen of the United Kingdom of the Djel Valley.” She continued, not mentioning the fact that she was the Tzarina of the UHR. It had been done as the ‘Queen of the United Kingdom’ was a Head of State of the Reich, the Tzarina was not. “As is right and proper, I shall now, in my function as Reichskanzler, administer the oath of office.”

For the first time the two women turned to face each other, “Do you swear before almighty God to justly govern the Klatchian peoples and to protect their freedoms and liberties?” ab Ieauf asked.

“I swear.” Ap Adam replied.

“And will you use your power to bring Law and Justice and pass all your judgments with Mercy and thought for your subjects?”

"I will." The to-be-Kaiserin replied.

And then came the peculiarly Dyellian bit. The UHR was a monarchy, it was deeply religious, yet for anyone who looked beyond that, it was also extremely left-wing with an economy which was a patchwork of state-owned enterprises and workers cooperatives, “God is disclosed through liberation.” Ab Ieauf declared, “Our reflective and passionate participation in the Revolution makes manifest the Word of God. Will you do all in your power to maintain the Laws of God? Will you safeguard the Dyellian religion? And will you safeguard the Revolution from all Reactionaries?”

“All this I swear to do.” Ap Adam replied, “So help me God.”

Finally, the Reichskanzler presented ap Adam with a book… almost certainly a Bible or other holy book, "This is the Law.” She said solemnly.

This seemed to be a signal to the huge figure in armour, who stepped forward, his voice booming through the hall, “Here stands Alexia ap Adam, Queen of the United Kingdom of the Djel Valley. If any person denies that she is the rightful and legally elected Kaiserin of the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich, I am her Champion and I call you a liar and a traitor. I am ready to defend her honour in personal combat, to the death.”

Of course, if anyone did decide to take up the challenge, then the Reich had almost certainly made arrangements to ensure their Champion couldn’t lose, plus they hadn’t actually said they would reconsider the Coronation if things went monumentally wrong and their Champion actually lost…

by **Toaslandia** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:28 am

Dyelli Beybi wrote:OOC: Being as this post petered off and died over Christmas, but since I actually want to finish it, I am going to cap this thread off in two posts... so without further ado, here is part one.

The following day, all of the assembled guests were squeezed into the Cathedral of Peskovatka. It was a pretty building, pink brick, with white marble columns, stairs and balustrades, all topped with gold onion domes. It gave the exterior a slight resemblance to a birthday cake and was quite different from what anyone more used to the architecture of the South Coast. Inside, the building was a lot more of what people might expect, with statues of saints gazing down benignly onto the assembled guest and an unbelievably intricate gold altarpiece towering over the sanctuary. This however, was not a strictly religious ceremony, and a number of thrones had been set up in the sanctuary area… five to be precise. Three at the back, one bigger one on a platform in the middle (for the Kaiserin) and a slightly smaller one just to its right (for the Kaiser consort when he was brought in in the second half of the ceremony).

The whole procedure started with the singing of 'Was ist des Klatchisch Vaterland?'. Words were provided to the guests, though not a translation... though anyone who spoke a reasonable amount of German or 'Beybirian' (the Germanic language of the Northern Djel Valley) would pretty quickly work out that the song was a patriotic call for the reunification of Klatch under the golden banner of the Reich. It wasn't, perhaps, the most diplomatic choice for an opener but in keeping with the attitude of the 'Articles of Institution'.

The first in the entrance procession were the clergy... rank after rank of men and women in mitres and ecclesiastical robes. There were, a lot of them, representing the two divergent branches of the Dyellian Church. Seeing the clerics of the Episcopal Church of Cyro and the Church of Worms in their 'zucchetto' skull caps peacefully coexisting was... new. Following on from them came Pope Paul VII of the Church of Worms, James, Metropolitan of Cyro and, a surprise to many, the Prime Cardinal of the Maciskan Her Holiness the Divine Benedicta V. The trio made their way to the three thrones at the back, with Benedicta separating the two Dyellian clerics. They probably wouldn’t get into a fist-fight at the coronation, but it never hurt to take that chance out of the equation.

Following on from that came the Reichskanzler, Caroline ab Ieauf. Ab Ieauf was the political equivalent of a zombie. No matter how many times people had thought they had got rid of her, she never failed to reappear. Unusual for a Djel, ab Ieauf was a natural blonde, with blue eyes. She had a pleasant angelic face that didn’t quite match up with her reputation for cloak-and-dagger scheming. She looked not much over 20. She was a lot older than that; Djels aged slowly. Ab Ieauf aged slower than most. She usually wore glasses though apparently today had decided that contacts were the way to go today. She wore a dress, black with gold, puffed sleeves.

She was followed by a mounted trooper on what looked like a Clydesdale horse. The figure was a massive 7’9’’ tall and armoured from head to toe in what looked like medieval plate armour, though there was a slight blueish haze that hung around it that suggested there was some kind of energy enhancement. From the size of the figure they could only be an Alitakian or an Orc, though it was impossible to tell which – their face was entirely obscured by a houndskull bascinet, with three black ostrich feathers crowning it. The rider dismounted by the sanctuary, moving to stand off to the side.

Finally, Alexia ap Adam entered as well. By human standards, like the Reichskanzler, she appeared quite young. She was a pretty good example of her species, slightly built with delicate features, dark hair and a deep tan. She wore an expression of vague detachment, like she wasn’t quite operating on the same plane of existence as everyone else. Most people who had met her would assert she wasn’t quite as confused as she usually looked. Today she wore an elegant ankle-length dress cut in contrasting panels of black and yellow and a yellow cloak that trailed along the ground behind her, with the shield of the Reich it its centre.

“The Federation is dead.” Ab Ieauf announced from the front, “Its offices and functions have long since failed. We, the people of the many States of this planet, have been left for far too long without a forum for cooperation and mutual defence. I am proud to say that this sad state-of-affairs is finally at an end. Today is a happy day as, like a phoenix, the Reich rises from the ashes. The Federation is dead, long live the Reich!”

“I now present to you, our Kaiserin-elect, Alexia ap Adam, Queen of the United Kingdom of the Djel Valley.” She continued, not mentioning the fact that she was the Tzarina of the UHR. It had been done as the ‘Queen of the United Kingdom’ was a Head of State of the Reich, the Tzarina was not. “As is right and proper, I shall now, in my function as Reichskanzler, administer the oath of office.”

For the first time the two women turned to face each other, “Do you swear before almighty God to justly govern the Klatchian peoples and to protect their freedoms and liberties?” ab Ieauf asked.

“I swear.” Ap Adam replied.

“And will you use your power to bring Law and Justice and pass all your judgments with Mercy and thought for your subjects?”

"I will." The to-be-Kaiserin replied.

And then came the peculiarly Dyellian bit. The UHR was a monarchy, it was deeply religious, yet for anyone who looked beyond that, it was also extremely left-wing with an economy which was a patchwork of state-owned enterprises and workers cooperatives, “God is disclosed through liberation.” Ab Ieauf declared, “Our reflective and passionate participation in the Revolution makes manifest the Word of God. Will you do all in your power to maintain the Laws of God? Will you safeguard the Dyellian religion? And will you safeguard the Revolution from all Reactionaries?”

“All this I swear to do.” Ap Adam replied, “So help me God.”

Finally, the Reichskanzler presented ap Adam with a book… almost certainly a Bible or other holy book, "This is the Law.” She said solemnly.

This seemed to be a signal to the huge figure in armour, who stepped forward, his voice booming through the hall, “Here stands Alexia ap Adam, Queen of the United Kingdom of the Djel Valley. If any person denies that she is the rightful and legally elected Kaiserin of the Heiliges Klatchisches Reich, I am her Champion and I call you a liar and a traitor. I am ready to defend her honour in personal combat, to the death.”

Of course, if anyone did decide to take up the challenge, then the Reich had almost certainly made arrangements to ensure their Champion couldn’t lose, plus they hadn’t actually said they would reconsider the Coronation if things went monumentally wrong and their Champion actually lost…

Gaius stepped forward with a smirk and said, "As all lands that refuse to join with the Imperium are inherently corrupt and doomed to fail, I, Magistrate Gaius of House Orion, deny that Alexia ap Adam is the rightful Kaiserin of this foolish Reich!" The Magistrate then pulled out his sleek Endo-Steel sword (Endo-Steel is 20 times more powerful then titanium) and once he put on his helmet, he prepared for battle. He did not care if killing this "Champion" didn't reconsider the Coronation, he simply wished to show the Imperium's might.

An Empire in an Empire (Open | FT)

An Empire in an Empire (Open | FT)

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