<:: Encrypted Transmission ::>
<:: Priority - Alpha ::>
<:: Sender: Siri O’Neill – Defense Central Command Datalink – Northrop-Grumman ::>
<:: Recipients: Valsharess Kaymiril VII, Annastrianna d' Maril ::>
Greetings and Salutations.
We at the Northrop-Grumman Corporation have been aware of your friendly relations with the Greater Prussian Empire as a whole for some time already. In light of this situation, I wish for diplomatic talks to commence between our two nations so that the relations between one another can greatly improve. I believe that it can be beneficial for both of us if this occurs whether embassies are exchanged, free trade is opened up, knowledge is exchanged, or perhaps a military defense pact is sealed. Of course all of these things take time but a first step should be taken if such a thing were to happen.
If you are interested and wish to take part in this, please reply back at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your time.
[signed]
Siri O’Neill
Chairwoman of the Northrop-Grumman Corporation
<:: Text Ended ::>
<:: Transmission Sent ::>
Kaymiril 21-07-2006 00:15
Teril d' Kestal was the one to receive this diplomatic transmission, as he was Kaymiril's Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Valsharess would want to know of any Greater Prussian communiqué, in any event, but first and foremost it was his duty to know.
He read through the message, and then made the brief journey to the Valshanth. He was greeted by a servant, and led to the office of the Valsharess.
She looked up at him from her work as she entered.
"Uncle Teril, what do you have for me today?"
The older Drow smiled at the young Valsharess -- he was married to her mother's sister, and his own brother had been selected as the former Valsharess's husband.
"The Chairwoman of Northrop-Grumman sent a message inviting us to open diplomatic relations with her nation."
The Valsharess nodded. "Then reply to her, telling her that myself or my representatives would be happy to meet with her in either country, at a date both parties find best."
The aging diplomat bowed slightly, and returned to his own office to write the letter.
- Code: Select all
Transmission
Encryption level: high
From the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kaymiril
To the Office of the Chairwoman of the Northrop-Grumman Corporation
Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro, Chairwoman.
I write to you by the command of my Valsharess, Kaymiril VII. She has received your message, and desires to make the first step in the good diplomatic relationship between Kaymiril and Northrop-Grumman.
She would be happy to arrange a meeting for the earliest convenient date for your representatives or ours.
Gre'as'anto tlu xuil dos,
Teril d' Kestal, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Now all that was left was to arrange the details, and to anticipate the meeting.
Northrop-Grumman 21-07-2006 01:07
The later transmissions between the Chairwoman and the Minister of Foreign Affairs were quite brief and had quickly bolted back and forth through the airspace between the two nations. In only a short amount of time, the details of the upcoming meeting were swiftly arranged by both parties. The Corporation would be sending three representatives to Kaymiril: A typical arrangement for any diplomatic meeting that it was a part of. But the decision this time was mostly made by the rather poor condition that the nation was in at the current time. The capital city and the headquarters for the Corporation still lay in ruins as was the home of the Chairwoman and Chairwoman. Neither had wanted the diplomats to see the nation in this terrible shape so the meeting would be held elsewhere.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Almost a day later, a small cylindrical shuttlecraft cruised steadily through the upper atmosphere as the evening sun cast its glow across the silver-tan hull. At the twin joysticks of this vessel, Chairwoman Siri O’Neill weaved it through the puffs of clouds that reached up towards her, totally relaxed in the peacefulness of the flight. She gazed back towards her passengers, smiling a little as her son and her advisor chatted some about the upcoming meeting. A little too low for her to listen, she looked back up at the screen in front of her. It displayed the time remaining until they entered foreign airspace. Ah well, she thought leaning over to transmit a new message. Almost there.
- Code: Select all
This is Puddlejumper Alpha from Northrop-Grumman.
We’re requesting entrance into your airspace and a place
to land. Over.
Kaymiril 21-07-2006 01:17
- Code: Select all
Puddlejumper Alpha, you are cleared to land at the reserved area. One of our guidance shuttles will join you momentarily to take you to your landing spot.
Even as they got the message, a small craft pulled up alongside them.
>Transmission
Greetings, Puddlejumper, this is the Mrigg Blyn. Please follow us during the descent.
Transmission<
__________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, the young Qu'essan -- the eldest daughter of the Valsharess -- was preparing to greet her mother's guests.
She looked to be a child no older than seven or eight in human years, but she was actually nearing fifteen.
Her job was to greet the diplomatic guests when they arrived and bring them to her mother.
Northrop-Grumman 22-07-2006 02:16
To the three delegates, the rest of the flight was largely uneventful, as was most trips to the place where a diplomatic meeting would be held. The three were certainly glad though when the puddlejumper touched down with a loud clank upon the designated landing zone. The vessel was not a particularly fast one and lacked hyperspace capabilities so the trip had taken quite a few hours, but it was definitely faster than jet aircraft.
A few moments after landing, the large rear metal door slowly swung down much like an old drawbridge and gently came to a rest upon the ground. The first person who emerged from the puddlejumper was a blonde haired fair-skinned elf who scanned the scene around her very carefully before moving forward. As she approached the Honor Guard, her ankle-length green dress with gold hand-embroidered in the shape of leaves carefully flowed with her movements. Those who were close to her knew that this unarmed appearance was quite deceiving for no matter where she went, she always carried a weapon or two or three.
Stopping in front of the Honor Guard, her green eyes watched them closely. “Good evening, I am Chairwoman Siri O’Neill,” she said. “I assume that you all are our escorts today. Please, lead the way.”
Next out of the vessel, a male Drow stopped to the left of the Chairwoman and smiled a little. He was dressed in what most humans would consider rather medieval-appearing clothes, but they suited his rather warrior-like role rather well. Most of it was brown in color, a type of rare leather to be exact. And of course, he kept a few of his weapons with him that included several steel daggers that were fastened to his belt and a longsword in its scabbard that also hung from his belt.
The final person to leave the puddlejumper was a female Drow, who took up a position to the right of the Chairwoman. A little uncomfortable in these particular clothes, she tugged slightly at her black robes with one hand while the other held a long wooden staff that rested firmly on the ground. For the most part, she remained emotionless as she looked up and examined everything around her. It was a new place for her and certainly different from what she was used to. But nevertheless, she was interested in it all.
Kaymiril 22-07-2006 16:07
The head of the Honor Guard made a bow to the Elven woman who had stepped forth from the foreign craft.
"Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro, Chairwoman O’Neill. It is our duty and honor to escort you and your party to the Valshanth."
He stepped aside, clearing a path to an open-air transport.
"The ride will be brief, and if you have need of anything please do not hesitate to ask it of the Valsharess's servants."
The ride was to take them through some of Kaymiril's most beautiful scenery. Unlike other nations, Kaymiril did not show off buildings that reached into the infinite skies, or cities that belched pollution and boasted industry -- instead it showed off the gemstones of the land its people had lived in and with for the many centuries previous.
"We will ask that you check your weapons upon entering the Valshanth, though, and these will be returned to you upon your departure."
Northrop-Grumman 22-07-2006 18:32
The three delegates each welcomed the pleasant, but short, ride to the Valshanth in their own way. Remaining perfectly silent a distance away from the other two, Chairwoman O’Neill gazed out across the landscape, admiring the beauty of it. It was certainly refreshing for her to be out and away from the constant reconstruction of her own capital city. The loud blasts of dynamite, the high-pitched clanging of the reinforced steel I-beams hitting each other, and the bulldozers scraping the rubble away had slowly been getting to her, and she was tired of it all. This trip did indeed come at an excellent time.
Sighing a little, the Chairwoman glanced back towards the two Drow delegates that were sharing in a little conversation with each other as they also looked out upon the scenery.
“Was this the way things looked when you were Valsharess?” the young male Drow asked politely.
The other seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before she finally replied. “Not at all. Many millennia ago, cities dotted the landscape of our land, full of millions of Drow. Beautiful cities of dark stone that rose high into the sky aided by the wondrous technology of our allies. But like anything, the ravages of war ripped them out from us, laying everything to waste…”
An eerie quiet followed afterward for several minutes until the head of the Honor Guard mentioned the weapons that the delegates were carrying. As would be expected, the Chairwoman did not take this lightly. But fortunately the others knew this, and when she was on the verge of making a very unwise comment, the one male Drow cleared his throat and looked right at her.
A single voice forcefully pushed through his thoughts and rang out in his mind. What do you want?
Aren’t you being a little too uncourteous to these people? He unfastened the scabbard that contained the sword along with the row of daggers on his belt and carefully handed them over to the Honor Guard while the other Drow stated that she had no such weapons, only her simple wooden staff.
I certainly do have a right to protect myself against anyone who tries to threaten me, do I not?
Of course, but they have so graciously provided us with an escort and transportation for our safety. You need not worry about them trying to attack you either. They’re just being cautious. I know that you would do the same if you were in their position.
Considering what he had said, the Chairwoman looked from him back to the head of the Honor Guard. “Alright,” she replied to him. “I think that will work out.” She gently pressed upon the fabric of her dress that rested around her waist. With a loud clank, a leather belt fell out from under it onto the decking of the open-air transport. Around ten small daggers and many assorted kinds of throwing stars. But she was not done with just this. Reaching down the side of her dress a little, she unfastened a holster from her leg that dropped to the ground. That contained a small nine millimeter pistol. Leaning over to the other side, another strap was loosened and a black metal lightsaber fell.
After picking up each one, she handed them over to the head of the Honor Guard and replied, “I believe that is all of them.”
Kaymiril 23-07-2006 16:04
The guard had already taken the younger Drow's weapons, and the staff was to be permitted in the Valshanth...
And then the female elf dropped enough weaponry to arm half of the remaining Kaymirilian ground army.
His eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch, and he took the weapons.
"Thank you, milady," he said mildly.
A servant offered them drinks, and soon enough they were being escorted up the stairwell to the entrance of the Valshanth, where Qu'essan Arisderana d' Maril was waiting.
She spread her hands in greeting and dipped forward a little in a slight vow.
"Gre'as'anto lueth verve dro, and welcome to my mother's nation. We hope you have enjoyed the sight of Kaymiril thus far. If you will follow me within, my mother the Valsharess awaits you, Chairwoman Siri O’Neill and guests."
Though she was a young child of no more than fifteen, her movements were graceful, her mannerisms regal, and her language fluent. She was every inch the Princess that her mother before her had been, and if it was fated for her to someday be Valsharess, she would bear that title, too, with dignity.
Northrop-Grumman 23-07-2006 17:00
Upon reaching the entrance of the Valshanth, Chairwoman O’Neill cocked her head in curiosity at the sight of the Qu’essan. She was quite surprised to see someone that appeared to be so young greeting her and the other two delegates. Ordinarily, an older person, whose job would be to do just that, would be sent do escort her in to meet a leader not a young child such as this.
Bowing her head along with the two Drow delegates, she replied to the Qu’essan, “Greetings to you, too, young one. Of course, I, along with the rest of this delegation, have certainly enjoyed the little tour through your nation. It is quite a beautiful place.” She smiled and gestured towards the entrance. “Now, let’s not keep your mother waiting.”
Ending with that, the Chairwoman turned and followed her into the Valshanth as the other two delegates kept closely behind.
Kaymiril 23-07-2006 22:51
Aris was accustomed to the odd facial expressions she got when she announced herself their escort. Of course, they didn't realize that this WAS part of her job as Qu'essan, but that was okay.
The corridor they were lead through seemed fairly straight, but some fake paneling would be easily visible to the two Drow, meaning that with a few commands the straight path to the Valsharess' throne room could be completely closed off.
When they reached the end of the hallway, the Qu'essan opened the doors and retreated, while the Valsharess herself stood and spread her hands in greeting.
"Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro, Chairwoman O’Neill. I am Valsharess Kaymiril VII, and it is my honor to host you and your entourage here."
Northrop-Grumman 24-07-2006 22:23
Lagging a little behind the rest of the delegation, the one male Drow glanced every now and then at the fake paneling in the corridor and wondered what it was for, in his usual curious attitude. He was fairly certain that this structure held many secrets and hoped that he may be able to find out what some of them are. But hearing the Chairwoman begin speaking, he hurried down the corridor to where she was.
There, the Chairwoman was standing before the Valsharess, smiling widely. “It is an honor for us to be here, Valsharess Kaymiril.” She gently pushed her hair back away from her face. “I am certainly grateful that you have allowed my delegation and I to personally meet with you. And I would like to say that the escorts that you provided for us on our trip here were quite courteous and attentive to our needs. They and the rest of the land of Kaymiril that we have witnessed have displayed the best of your nation and I am quite impressed.”
The Chairwoman nearly forgot about the rest of the introductions when the male Drow came to a halt next to her at the end of her greeting. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and continued on. “Oh! I seem to have forgotten to introduce the rest of my delegation to you.” Gesturing to the one beside her, she began. “This is my son, Alakantar.”
He respectfully bowed his head to the Valsharess. “I am pleased to meet you.”
“And this is the personal advisor for the Chairman and I, Ire’arra Aleanrahel.”
Bowing like the other Drow, she spoke with barely any expression upon her face. “I am grateful to be in your presence, Regina Kaymiril.”
Kaymiril 24-07-2006 22:33
The Valsharess held out her hand, and a table rose from the floor, complete with four chairs.
"Please be seated. I am glad to hear that your voyage was pleasant..."
The Valsharess waited until her guests were seated before taking a seat herself.
At this, goblets slid up from the table's paneling, to the right of each person seated, filled about midway with a mild Kaymirilian wine.
"We are always pleased to see representatives from the Greater Prussian Empire. Now, if I may ask...how did a young Drow come to be the son of an Elf?"
Northrop-Grumman 25-07-2006 11:23
The Chairwoman chuckled. “I am not at all surprised that you asked this question. It does happen quite often I must say.” As she took a sip of the wine, a pleased look came over her face, an indication that she liked it. Setting the goblet back down onto the table, she began. “Around twenty…twenty-one years ago, one of the worst winter storms hit Northrop-Grumman, burying it under several feet of snow and covering everything in a thick layer of ice. Most people, of course, stayed home, but my husband and I chose to go into work anyway. To make a long story short, two lifesigns were detected on Hutcheson Island, a restricted zone, by one of our battlecarriers in orbit. Both seemed to be suffering from this weather and also it was determined that one was an infant and assumed that the other one was its mother. So we teleported them into the capital building’s sickbay to see what we could do for them.”
“In contrast to Alakantar who came through it rather well, his mother was barely being kept alive by the life support systems. The hypothermia had gone on for too long. But, unfortunately, very little conversation was spoken between us before she passed away.” She sighed a little. “At that point, my husband and I decided that the best way to care for the young Drow was to adopt him, and so we did.”
Kaymiril 25-07-2006 22:19
The Valsharess smiled.
"A noble gesture."
It was...especially from an elf. Elves and Drow traditionally had enmity issues, so it spoke volumes of the Chairwoman's character to adopt a Drow infant as her own.
"It is indeed a pleasure to host you, and I will be glad to create relations between our two nations."
Northrop-Grumman 25-07-2006 23:09
“As will I,” the Chairwoman replied kindly as she nodded. She was definitely looking forward to these talks and the possibility of a lasting friendship with these people.
She stroked her chin gently, thinking. “Perhaps, we should begin with a basic embassy exchange. Our capital city’s Embassy District would be the best location for one because of both its proximity to the capital building and the security that it provides with its ever present police forces and walled borders. I believe that we can clear a sizeable space for a structure of your choosing. What do you think?”
Meanwhile, Alakantar had pulled a small datapad out of his belt and powered it up. He was preparing himself for any questions that the Valsharess had about this embassy location.
Kaymiril 26-07-2006 12:09
The Valsharess' eyes lowered thoughtfully.
"I like the thought of an embassy exchange, but new embassies are high profile -- at least in Kaymiril, and I hear your capital is a little hectic right now already. I propose that first we exchange students, and a year after we exchange embassies. Many Kaymirilian citizens also speak Common, even if your student does not, so language barriers will not be all-pervasive. It will also grant each nation a learning period, so that when embassies are exchanged, the ambassadors are not completely ignorant of foreign customs and expectations. I just sent an Ambassador to Gronde recently who knew nothing about the nation or culture, and she tells me that that is the hardest part of her job."
Northrop-Grumman 27-07-2006 11:16
The Chairwoman nodded a little. “I understand your concerns completely and would like to try out this student-exchange. I believe that it would be quite beneficial to both of our nations. Now, of course, finding the right student would be rather difficult…” Her voice trailed off as she began to think.
“I am a college student so I could go,” Alakantar replied, breaking his mother’s ‘train of thought’.
She looked over at him curiously. “Hmm?”
“Well, who else would know about what the ambassadors would need? I mean, I’ve been to many of our embassies abroad and know quite a few of the ambassadors themselves. It would be rather easy to relay what they need to know.” He chuckled a little. “Besides, you know me extremely well and what I am like so you don’t have to worry about me making the Corporation look bad or anything like that.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Definitely…and I would see this as an excellent opportunity to live amongst fellow Drow and learn more from them, something I’ve been wanting to do for years.”
The Chairwoman rubbed her chin and thought it over for a moment before she gave her answer. “Alright, I don’t see any problem with it myself.” She turned her head towards the Valsharess. “Would this be fine?”
Kaymiril 27-07-2006 14:32
"Your son is quite welcome here, Chairwoman O’Neill. I would send my eldest daughter in exchange, but she is yet a bit young to venture beyond our borders. Instead, I propose sending my cousin Jaril. He is the youngest son of my Uncle's family, and well traveled enough to be highly adaptable. His father was the one who arranged the details of today's meeting."
She then turned to look at Alakantar.
"We have a few options for you. If you are magickally inclined, we have seven major cities whose primary function is to train specific types of mages. If you lean more toward the military, the Military Academy in Vashano is a mere fifteen miles away. If you seek a more general education, the nation's finest university is located just outside of Mithdelmar. Each is home to a very specialized sample of the nation."
Northrop-Grumman 28-07-2006 01:31
“I believe that would work out just fine,” the Chairwoman replied, taking the goblet from the table once again. “I’m sure that he would find our society rather unique in the way it functions. I know I certainly did when I first stepped foot in it.” She chuckled a little and took a sip of the wine.
Alakantar paused for a moment as he ran through the options through his mind. He wasn’t particularly magickally inclined, but he rather liked the military and was always interesting in it. Although he could have a taste of that whenever he wanted since being the son of the Chairman and Chairwoman allowed him such privileges. After a minute, he made up his mind. “I think the university outside of Mithdelmar would be the best for me. It does sound to be a place that I’d like to attend." He smiled and continued. "Of course, I can imagine that your universities are probably not like ours at all. So I think that it would be a really good eye-opening experience for me.”
Kaymiril 28-07-2006 01:44
"Our universities teach our young aristocrats how to interact suitably with others -- politics, if you will -- by throwing it right at them. There are classes, but the purpose is really not education. Anyone who attends comes from a family with sufficient money or education to provide them the education they receive, already. As far as your education has been up to this point, do you even speak Drow?"
Northrop-Grumman
28-07-2006 01:55
A little disappointed in his own abilities, he sighed. “I haven’t had that much of an opportunity to learn since no one from Northrop-Grumman knew how to speak it. Ire’arra here came to our nation only a few months ago, and I have since only learned a few words here and there from her, not exactly enough to get by in a conversation. I would like to learn though if given the chance.”
Kaymiril 28-07-2006 02:05
"Perhaps you would care to take Jaril with you at your return to your own nation, or even return here soon and be hosted by one of our noble families. You won't last long in one of our facilities without being able to speak our language. Think on your options for a few moments, waelin uss."
She turned back to the table at general and picked up her glass, taking a sip of her wine before looking back to Siri.
"We look to already have an agreement for cultural exchange, leading to eventual solid diplomatic relationships. Perhaps next we should speak of trade?"
Northrop-Grumman 31-07-2006 17:29
Alakantar thought carefully about the choices given unto him before he replied. “I think that I ought to do the latter because, honestly, it would be better if I am…immersed…if you will…in a society that speaks that language predominately rather than my own, that does not. So yes, that would be best.”
Beside him, the Chairwoman was nodding a little, watching her son and listening to what he was saying. Although few could tell by her facial expressions, she was worried about him going away, worried that he would be away from her protection. It troubled her, but forcing the emotions down, she took another sip of the wine before she answered the Valsharess. “I think that is a very good idea.” She rested the goblet down on the table. “To start this off, I should ask…what are Kaymiril’s primary imports and exports?”
Kaymiril 31-07-2006 18:00
"I will speak with my uncle and see if his family would be willing to host you."
The Valsharess thought for a moment.
"Our primary export is silk, which is better than you can find almost anywhere, and at a far lower cost. We also export some foods that are unique to Kaymiril, and are beginning to consider exporting some of our alcoholic beverages...not much, at first...we'd have to see if there was a market.
"As for imports, we mainly import plastics and large machines for agriculture. That's all we import en masse, with other such trinkets and treats as make children happy."