It was the time and place they all agreed. The stage was set; the time was now.
The Gulf of Dipper was its usual calm, smooth as glass, the norm on the Asian Coalition side of its shores. The center of this event was about a hundred fifty miles off into the continental shelf controlled by
This simply named, capitalistic land was a buffer state of the C'Tan Necrontyr armies, and all their little greyish-brownish-black men. Its citizenry long assimilated and scattered through the cosmos, Incorporation sat as a silent, picturesque DMZ that demonstrated to all species the might of the C'Tan. The note to the world was simple: "fire one gun at us, and we'll genocide your whole world". They did rebuild it eventially.
The Gulf itself was an interesting water mass in itself.
Named after the beloved Walt Disney Company's pop culture icon, the Gulf of Dipper was just as mysterious as its namesake's radio and television series' setting.
As TS was dragged kicking and screaming from her isolation, the Gulf began seeing its first usages only in 2011, when the region of Paradoxia somehow established contact with the creepy mix of banana republics and silent isolationists that defined the LOP's landscape. In other words, Paradoxia found TurtleShroom.
The Gulf of Dipper, to its west, gave way to what some called "Oceanus Universus". This was the gateway to Paradoxia, its trail paved by very modern luxury cruise ships, packed with gamblers, with cryptozoologists proving that turtles could talk, with Mario fanboys living a Nintendo paradise, and with pilgrims longing for solace in the arms of a simpler people.
Amidst their luxury radars and technology that a millionaire can build in contrast to TurtleShroom's, well, turtle pace, the government draped a mighty mantle to chart the Gulf and beyond.
In exchange for turning unconstitutional subsidies into lawful government endeavors, the tourist firms were thrilled to bring on TS' finest astronomers, navel sailors (trained on land with the equipment at sea) and cartographers. Their sacks of money bore also with very ancient pens, papers, sextants, abd nautical primitives. As useful as they were in the Golden Age of Discovery, these relics of the past coupled the computers of today to do what the taxpayers couldn't. For one must know that TS did not possess the space prowess to chart anything west, past Paradoxia, east past Japanese Dystopia (and the continent whose very life essence they owned), north of the four crumbled Commisariats, and south of old allies long lost, and lands unknown.
-and all of this aside.
Still completely uncharted underwater, part because the Coalition was terra nullus until the fall of Comrade Commissar and its influx of refugees, and part because TS didn't need a sea route for centuries, the Gulf stood unnamed since time immemorial.
-but time has passed since time immemorial.
The Gulf had a name. The Gulf had a use.
The Gulf had a purpose that would now and forever alter the policy of the mightiest heavyweights in the international playing field… or, at least what you could get away with in praising a banana republic that only exists because it puts a melting pot to shame in its assimilation. Twenty five percent Asian, all fourth and under in immigration levels, and not a peep of racial tension. The notion of race was inconsequential in a nation if differing species!
-and even so: so powerful is the social engineering of TurtleShroom, forged in the holy bonds of church and state in de facto unity, that an Asian settling in TS was merely embraced as another raven-haired TurtleShroomer with a tan and an annoying tendency to "look at bright lights and have their eyelids react accordingly", as the PC crowd labelled "squinting".
For at last, the Dark Harvest was coming to a close.
A year of Hades on a land whose virtue made Heaven within arms' reach, the two sides of war were to diverge on TurtleShroom's decommissioned, last, and only surviving flying battleship, easily retrofitted for the waters she so deserved.
The Army of TurtleShroon, dressed in their adorable khaki ceremonial uniforms with those cute little bow ties- themselves a faithfully recreated fandom of a different radio and TV series -stood at the fullest of attention. Side by side with equally adorned Navy and WMD branches of soldiers, all the highest of their ranks, they stood at the ends of the deck, upon the port and starboard of the battleship.
A rune was painted at the bow of the ship, a familiar and much-hated symbol that every TurtleShroomer had come to know. It was the Necron Emblem, and its description surpassed terrestrial terminology, so just knowing it was C'Tani was enough. As had been agreed, a C'Tani UFO was to land and let out the highest relevant C'Tani officers, where a lengthy surrender ceremony was prepared in a matter both to revere and embarass the TurtleShroomian nation, for the pleasure and entertainment of the Necron forces.
Also demanded, but optional, was the attendance of every LOP nation willing to appear, but particularly the five Commisariats of Comrade Commissar (Shi, Tsao, Aashinian, Yue, and Khek). In addition, representatives from the fallen peoples of Haiz (the definition of pacifism) and a New Amerikan minister were summoned, although it was unsure of the latter could be reached. Saurisia was asked to attend, but again, their arrival was uncertain.
These faithful allies, or neutral traders (for he who isn't against, is for), were standing at the aft of the main deck, in front of the captain's quarters and the large, for better word, guns jutting out of the top of the ship's towers. They were primarily observers, but were also called to negotiate in the peace process.
At the bow of the ship were seats, hand-crafted from the finest of TS' Furniture Restoration industry and draped in the most luxurious of leather from the firstborn harvest of calves. These beautiful, intricate items were custom-made, horse-compatible furniture for the ultimate relaxing pleasure. As part of the many reparations to come, the furniture's support was made of the most expensive of rainforest wood and held together by sturdy pegs, each carved out of a single sapphire. The pegs alone were priceless, and the furniture itself? It was about what a casino would see every three quarters. (They'd get to keep it, too.)
The only thing they had to do now was wait. After the C'Tani ship landed, the others would arrive if they hadn't. The ceremony was expected to take a while, indeed, so food had been provided in the galley.
-but let us not be hasty. This was a time. A great and mighty time.
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