The Khan of Naerol (APP/IC/FT)

[United Cyran Systems]

It is the year A.T. 3960, five years after Archon Decius destroyed the Naerolan warlord Vexos Warmoth, the Imperial Federation is in a golden age of technology, culture, and unimaginable prosperity, and the once terrifying Naerol Sector that had been a looming shadow on the citizens of the Imperial Federation, has now been all out forgotten. Now, the garrison on the fortress world of Solaspe has received disturbing reports from the border tribes of Pozivači Boj, Almugairin min Kalak, and the Apokalyptiske Tilhengere, of a fierce warlord who has united most of the tribes, clans, and pirates of Naerol into a great horde. They claim that he calls himself the "Great Khan of Naerol", and that he is the Dainy Burkhany Khüü, the son of their heathen god of war Dainy Burkhan. These three tribes have united, and even sent ambassadors to Cyroth to see if an alliance could be made, and now style themselves the "Triarchal Union", giving up their sovereignty in exchange for unity and protection under the three rulers of the tribes, now styling themselves the Triarchs of Krigshjem, Alwahat al'Uwlaa, and Sjekirski Svijet respectively. With two new galactic superpowers forming so suddenly, Archon Decius has ordered all available fleets to reinforce the Therius System, slowing Cyran expansion to a snail's pace as fleets are unable to secure the wild and rebellious Outer Colonies. With support for the extremist group, the United People's Front of the Outer Rim, growing, Marchio Praefectus Prunus Aegon has instituted martial law, causing rioting on the factory world of Fabrica. Will the once mighty Imperial Federation be able to survive this new xeno threat? Or will the alien prevail with its tricks and false promises?

OOC

[Great Ingen]

Aboard the IJN Panoply of Lights, approaching the Cyroth System of the United Cyran Systems

A lone Hyo class corvette slipped quietly into the inky blackness at the very edge of the Cyroth System's zone of control. Painted in the stark white and shimmering jade-green of the Jade Empire of Ingen, it was a bold but diminutive silhouette against the expanse.

Aboard was Aoife Lysoyne, a diplomat of the Jade Empire. She had the appearance of youth, being in her forties in a world where people regularly lived beyond two centuries, and had shimmering golden skin and burnished golden curls on her head. Only her bright blue eyes, the colour of a winter sky, broke her natural monochrome. She climbed from her bed in her cramped private quarters as the ship reverted to realspace. Her aide and two guards shared another room, more comfortable than the standard issue bunk block that could host 12 passengers in most Corvettes, but Aoife was still glad she had her own room.

She strolled to the bridge, really just a glorified cockpit, and stared out into the void ahead of them. Unsurprisingly, there was not much to see at this distance, just a few bright dots that could be planets or space stations. They were expected, however, and she listened with interest as Captain Watanabe hailed the Cryan authorities.

System Control, this is the IJN Panoply of Lights out of the Jade Empire of Ingen, requesting approach vector. Aboard is Aoife Lysoyne on a diplomatic mission. Over."

[United Cyran Systems]

(Image)

Aboard the IJN Panoply of Lights, approaching the Cyroth System of the United Cyran Systems

A lone Hyo class corvette slipped quietly into the inky blackness at the very edge of the Cyroth System's zone of control. Painted in the stark white and shimmering jade-green of the Jade Empire of Ingen, it was a bold but diminutive silhouette against the expanse.

Aboard was Aoife Lysoyne, a diplomat of the Jade Empire. She had the appearance of youth, being in her forties in a world where people regularly lived beyond two centuries, and had shimmering golden skin and burnished golden curls on her head. Only her bright blue eyes, the colour of a winter sky, broke her natural monochrome. She climbed from her bed in her cramped private quarters as the ship reverted to realspace. Her aide and two guards shared another room, more comfortable than the standard issue bunk block that could host 12 passengers in most Corvettes, but Aoife was still glad she had her own room.

She strolled to the bridge, really just a glorified cockpit, and stared out into the void ahead of them. Unsurprisingly, there was not much to see at this distance, just a few bright dots that could be planets or space stations. They were expected, however, and she listened with interest as Captain Watanabe hailed the Cryan authorities.

System Control, this is the IJN Panoply of Lights out of the Jade Empire of Ingen, requesting approach vector. Aboard is Aoife Lysoyne on a diplomatic mission. Over."

Praelatus Primus Seuso gazed through the view port of Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha when his communications officer spoke up. "Your lordship, the IJN Panoply of Lights is requesting an approach vector. They're saying they have someone named Aoife Lysoyne on board acting as an envoy. Your orders?" Seuso scowled and muttered, "Damn xenos. Communications Officer, put them on screen." Once the Praelatus was patched through to the IJN Panoply of Lights, he straightened and boomed, "Envoy of the Jade Empire of Ingen, I am Praelatus Primus Vassenius Seuso, and you're request for an approach vector has been approved. Before you can exit your ship, you must dock at Hangar Six for a mandatory inspection. We hope you will not be bothered by this, we are simply following protocol. Two fighters will escort you. Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha out."

[Great Ingen]

Aboard the IJN Panoply of Lights

---

"Roger that. Hangar 6, awaiting escort." replied Captain Watanabe, and then turned to glance at Lysoyne. She grinned and threw him a wink.
"Oh, they sound serious, but don't worry captain. Everyone loves trade. Just get us landed and then you can take a break for a while."
She waited for a moment, watching as a pair of foreign fightercraft roared into formation either side of the corvette and then, satisifed, turned away to head back to her quarters, preparing herself for the impending meeting.

Security scanning the Panoply of Lights would easily discover that it was a well-armed, if small, corvette class ship. Boasting a single heavy energy weapon and two small solid-state turrets, as well as a pair of torpedo tubes, it was an efficient, fast and sleek vessel, but would be no match for larger destroyers and warships which dwarfed it.

Its sublight drives glowing a faint red as they lowered to minimum power, it slowly but neatly approached its assigned hangar. Settling on extending landing gear, a single ramp lowered to click gently against the hangar floor. At its top stood Aoife Lysoyne, wearing a neat white tunic with green piping and cuffs, whilst on her back was a grey cape with a white fur collar and on her feet were calf-high white leather boots. Beside her was an aide, a short young woman with olive skin in similar attire but sans the cape. On either side of them stood a guard dressed in sleek royal-blue armour with white trim and sleek white visors. Their armour was faintly reminiscent of plate armour, with a nasal strip and rim around the helmet. Slung over their shoulders were long rifles, whilst swords hung at their waists and pistols on their hips.

[Birina]

“Did you hear about this Khan that arose? The Khan of Naerol?” Jaxon Miller asked his loyal lieutenant, Vice-Chairman Christon Mills.

“Yes.” Christon responded, lounging in his sleek chair and looking at the ceiling which was made out of an entirely unnecessary but super cool-sounding substance as opposed to normal ceiling-material. If someone from the past where they had stupid, normal ceilings could read about this ceiling, they’d be absolutely awestruck by how cool it was because as everyone knows, pre-FTL civilizations totally cared a lot about what their ceilings were made from and didn’t just make them from any old crap like plaster or fiberglass.

“And? What do you think?” Jaxon pressed. He was sitting in a desk, also surrounded by a ton of really cool stuff that took a lot of creativity to come up with and made all sorts of advanced sounds and lights. Even though historically technology has been aimed at decreasing the amount of sound and light output so you’d think advanced technology would be completely quiet and unobtrusive to the extent that you wouldn’t even notice it.

“He sounds fucking terrifying.” Christon sat up and turned around to face his superior and erstwhile ally, “And… yaknow. A little derivative.” He gave a shrug.

“Mmm…” Jaxon steepled his fingers, “Do we think he’s more terrifying or more derivative?”

“I think he’s equal parts terrifying and derivative.”

“Fair.” Jaxon rubbed his temples. “Barring his… you know, general lack of originality, I think he could serve a purpose.”

“How so?”

“Well, I think we could claim that there is something important in his territory and use that as an excuse to get rid of the people in Birina who care… a bit too much about that thing and sometimes they get out of hand. Because they would go there to try and get the thing. And almost assuredly die in the process.”

“What would we call it?”

“Well.” Jaxon said pensively. “I’ve invented a totally new word for this concept. We will call it a ‘crusade’.”

“Pretty sure that’s a thing. Same publisher, different game.”

“What?”

“It’s a figure of speech, Jaxon. You’ve never heard it before?”

“Whatever. Issue a press release. Say we have reason to suspect that there are windmills in Originalia, which is what Birinians call Naerol for incredibly cultural and historical reasons. Despite us having discovered FTL a matter of months ago.”

“Of course, Chairman!” Christon shot up gave a Birinian Salute, eager to have something to do. “May the Great Windmill blow favorably upon you.”

Jaxon returned the Salute, spinning his arms slowly round his head and blowing through his mouth in the way of his ancestors. After Christon had made his leave, Jaxon demolished the rest of his bottle of whiskey, which he also did in the way of his ancestors: All at once while sobbing gently.

[Mercatus]

Cyroth Commercial Station

Keith sat in the hangar bay of the station, next to his sleek, brand-new Vortex MkII Corvette. It was unusual for him to venture outside the galaxy's fringe, but he was here for important business. A month back, he contacted an individual who he knew was selling classified blueprints for weapons, shield generators, and ships. The man was a defector of the United Cyran Systems (UCS) and had stolen the blueprints, and was now one of the most wanted criminals in the UCS and its allies. Keith wished to obtain the blueprints, and the man told him to meet on this station. He strolled through the halls and into the bar, where a silhouetted figure stood next to a window overlooking Cyroth. He raised his hand and waved, motioning for him to sit down at the table. He ordered a drink, and then sat at one of the two seats, and the figure did the same. "Greetings, Mr. Maxwell, I hope your flight here was comfortable? Those space pirates have really gotten more dangerous over the years haven't they?" Keith replied with his slightly british accent, "Yes indeed it was comfortable, pirates don't seem to be very prevalent in this system. The security here is no joke, and, may I ask who you are?" The man answered, "No, you may not. My name will be kept secret for safety concerns, you know I'm wanted dead here." Keith paused for a moment, having forgotten that fact, "Ah, yes of course. Now, what will the price be for those blueprints?" The man quickly replied with, "I do not want money Maxwell, no no no. Instead, I want something much more valuable, my safety from law enforcement. You may be asking how to go about this, but I already have a plan. There is an envoy vessel with a very important diplomat on board, heading for a Cyroth Guardian station. You are to travel there with a copy of all the blueprints and insert the digital copies into the vessel's supply manifest via hacking, which you already know how to do. From there, when the vessel is scanned and inspected by station guard vessels, they will be shot on sight and I can prove my innocence when the black box is recovered. As a sign of good will, you will be given the blueprints in advance." Keith pondered this for several minutes, and then said, "That is a wonderful deal indeed, I am happy to carry out this job." The two shook hands and Keith strode out of the bar.

Cyroth Commercial Station Hangar

Maxwell had finished arming his corvette, and boarded the vessel. Four autocannons, two lasers, and two pods of 25 missiles each were the primary weapons, and four turrets, two laser and two autocannon, were also mounted. He always heavily arms his ships in case something goes wrong, and he was one of the galaxy's most skilled pilots, easily able to take down most opponents with anything, even the lowest quality of ships and weapons. The expensive vessel slowly lifted off the hangar floor, and darted out of the hangar bay.

Cyroth Guardian Station

Keith's vessel had just jumped in, and we was astonished by the firepower surrounding the station. Laser turrets were floating everywhere, and two minefields were surrounding the structure. He then refocused on his job, hack ship, implant data, leave. He slowly made his way to the station, hacking the envoy vessel's manifest after it docked, and inserting the false blueprints

Meanwhile...

The figure who employed Keith sat near his vessel next to two of his lackeys. "He followed through." he said. "You two, board your ships, we are gonna make law enforcement forget anything to do with me." Their intention was to kill Keith, retrieve the black box, and prove the man's innocence. If that did not work, Keith had the real blueprints on his vessel, and they would convince the guards that he stole the blueprints.

[United Cyran Systems]

Hanger Six, Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha
As Commandant Hostus Dulcitius marched with the Inspectionem Viribus to the IJN Panoply of Lights, his communicator lit up. He lifted it and saw that he was being contacted by the Praelatus."Yes, your lordship? I was just on my way to-" The Commandant never got to finish as the Praelatus cut him off with a booming yell. "Commandant Dulcitius, scans have just reported that the Panoply of Lights is carrying stolen Imperial documents! They have betrayed our trust, and must be dealt with. However, I do not wish for the envoy to be killed. Her crew, however, is not a priority. Kill them if you deem it necessary." Hostus was taken aback by this, as the Praelatus usually did not share the same feelings of extreme xenophobia that ran rampant through the Imperial Federation. Nevertheless, Hostus ordered his Inspectionem Viribus to set their weapons to "lethal." On his way to the hangar, he stopped by the Station Barracks to order ten Legionaries to accompany him, along with one MX-45 Heavy Machine Gun, to the hangar, bringing his force up to thirty-one. As he entered, he noticed that the hangar doors had been shut and that the usual hustle and bustle of ships arriving and departing, drunken humans on shore leave, and the occasional brawl had been replaced by absolute silence. As his men encircled the Panoply of Lights, he spoke through a speaker. "Crew of the IJN Panoply of Lights, your vessel is carrying stolen documents reported missing from the Imperial Archives. You are charged with espionage, corporate sabotage, unlawful possession of Imperial Military documents, and high treason. Come out with your hands up and leave your weapons in your ship. Failure to do so will result in the destruction of your ship. You have sixty seconds."

NKS Wrath of Khan, Flagship of the Great Khan
Aesir Rognar, more commonly known as the "Great Khan of Naerol", sat on his bridge-turned-throneroom and watched through the viewport as his armada engaged a Union fleet. "Have they been given the chance to surrender and join me in my righteous Crusade?" The Great Khan asked his most trusted vassal, Satrap Hadi Kianian, and leader of the 'Asyad Batila, the first tribe to join the Great Khan. "Your Divinity, the heretics have refused your most gracious offer, and fire upon your holy followers. They will die a heretic's death!" Aesir nodded, noting how quickly the tribes and clans of Naerol accepted his claim that he was a god as soon as he killed some of them. Much more interesting than Imperial politics, but it still troubled him that his subjects worshiped him. He loved the lavish gifts and first pick on any loot, but the constant facade he had to maintain as being divine grew tiring. "My loyal servant, when they are defeated I wish for you to notify the other clans that we will make a push against the Union soon, and to meet at my Holy Seat of Kharaa Selem for planning." Hadi bowed low and walked away. "Finally," thought Aesir, "some peace and quite." And the Khan than meditated to the sounds of battle.

[Great Ingen]

Hangar Six, Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha

---

Aoife Lysoyne strolled calmly down the ramp, her boot heels clicking, her hands raised to shoulder height in mock surrender. "Easy now lads," she said in Basic, her voice thick with the sing-song Neusattran accent, "wouldn't want to do anything rash now would we?"

She came to a stop several metres from Commandant Hostus. Behind her, her two guards exchanged a glance, their blank visors turning momentarily towards each other. The diplomat had waved them to quiescence when the Commandant and his soldiers had come bustling into the hangar. Between them, her diminutive aide tried and failed to hide her fear.

"Now sure," began Aoife, her voice layered with good humour "You could throw cuffs on an accredited diplomat of the Jade Empire of Ingen. I'm sure your boss would give you a pat on the back for that. At a time in which your Union is under dire threat of invasion, you could mistreat the representative of the Jade Throne and so invoke the wrath of Jade Empress Takara. You could personally summon the full might of the Imperial Jade Navy to assist your enemies, lay waste your planets and take revenge for such an unwarranted insult."

She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "That being said, does it not strike you as unlikely that a government diplomat from a nation you've never dealt with before would somehow be carrying illicit documentation, and would choose to fly with said documentation directly into one of your hangar bays?"

As she spoke, Captain Watanabe had been feeding her information. The Panoply of Lights had been subjected to an attempt to hack their manifest, but Jade digital security was robust and the ship's Narrow AI had automatically quarantined the file, shoving it through a messaging gateway and into a securely firewalled system for later inspection. Not only that, but it had analysed the source of the transmission and gleaned enough crumbs of information that perhaps the Union security staff had a chance of tracking it down. More importantly, in Captain Watanabe's point of view, the Cyrans had not yet thought to block communications through the hangar. He flashed off a quick message to the Kokubosho, the War Office in Imperial City.

Code: Select all

KW205192 - PANOPLY OF LIGHTS 53XT-6 - UNITED CYRAN SYSTEMS UNCOOPERATIVE. RED MIRROR IN EVENT OF NO FURTHER MESSAGES.

"Some nameless ne'er-do-well attempted to transmit that file to us shortly after landing. We've quarantined it and haven't opened it, because who knows what evils it could contain, and more importantly we tracked the address used to transmit the data. Whoever did it was clever enough to mask their tracks, but our ship's AI did manage to pinpoint the first relay centre aboard your station used to send the message."

She shrugged, spreading her arms wide. "So let's pretend, whoever you are, that your opening remarks were never uttered, and let us instead start fresh."

She lowered her arms, hands on her hips again, and let a hint of steel creep into her voice. "I am Aoife Lysoyne, Representative of the Jade Empire of Ingen, Conquerors of the FB-1 Galaxy and August Founders of the Laptev Axis, here to facilitate trade and communication with the United Cyran Systems."

[United Cyran Systems]

Hangar Six, Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha

---

Aoife Lysoyne strolled calmly down the ramp, her boot heels clicking, her hands raised to shoulder height in mock surrender. "Easy now lads," she said in Basic, her voice thick with the sing-song Neusattran accent, "wouldn't want to do anything rash now would we?"

She came to a stop several metres from Commandant Hostus. Behind her, her two guards exchanged a glance, their blank visors turning momentarily towards each other. The diplomat had waved them to quiescence when the Commandant and his soldiers had come bustling into the hangar. Between them, her diminutive aide tried and failed to hide her fear.

"Now sure," began Aoife, her voice layered with good humour "You could throw cuffs on an accredited diplomat of the Jade Empire of Ingen. I'm sure your boss would give you a pat on the back for that. At a time in which your Union is under dire threat of invasion, you could mistreat the representative of the Jade Throne and so invoke the wrath of Jade Empress Takara. You could personally summon the full might of the Imperial Jade Navy to assist your enemies, lay waste your planets and take revenge for such an unwarranted insult."

She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "That being said, does it not strike you as unlikely that a government diplomat from a nation you've never dealt with before would somehow be carrying illicit documentation, and would choose to fly with said documentation directly into one of your hangar bays?"

As she spoke, Captain Watanabe had been feeding her information. The Panoply of Lights had been subjected to an attempt to hack their manifest, but Jade digital security was robust and the ship's Narrow AI had automatically quarantined the file, shoving it through a messaging gateway and into a securely firewalled system for later inspection. Not only that, but it had analysed the source of the transmission and gleaned enough crumbs of information that perhaps the Union security staff had a chance of tracking it down. More importantly, in Captain Watanabe's point of view, the Cyrans had not yet thought to block communications through the hangar. He flashed off a quick message to the Kokubosho, the War Office in Imperial City.

Code: Select all

KW205192 - PANOPLY OF LIGHTS 53XT-6 - UNITED CYRAN SYSTEMS UNCOOPERATIVE. RED MIRROR IN EVENT OF NO FURTHER MESSAGES.

"Some nameless ne'er-do-well attempted to transmit that file to us shortly after landing. We've quarantined it and haven't opened it, because who knows what evils it could contain, and more importantly we tracked the address used to transmit the data. Whoever did it was clever enough to mask their tracks, but our ship's AI did manage to pinpoint the first relay centre aboard your station used to send the message."

She shrugged, spreading her arms wide. "So let's pretend, whoever you are, that your opening remarks were never uttered, and let us instead start fresh."

She lowered her arms, hands on her hips again, and let a hint of steel creep into her voice. "I am Aoife Lysoyne, Representative of the Jade Empire of Ingen, Conquerors of the FB-1 Galaxy and August Founders of the Laptev Axis, here to facilitate trade and communication with the United Cyran Systems."

As the diplomat came down the ramp, he saw his men prepare to fire, and raised his hand ever so slightly to tell them to hold their fire. Now that the diplomat, who introduced herself as Aoife Lysoyne, was finished he was about to speak when he heard one of the Legionaries spit on the ground. "Filthy xenos, our grand Federation has no need for trade with your despicable empire! We survived the destruction of Terra, and we will stand alone against the threats of the galaxy! Terra Ultiones Expetiit!" Hostus had to resist the urge to shoot the man. Instead, he ignored the sudden outburst of the Legionary and said, "Ms. Lysoyne, please excuse my men for their....disposition. You are obviously of Terran origin, and therefore not a xenos. I am Commandant Hostus Vagnius Dulcitius of the LV Legio's Caput Inspectorem. I would like to apologize for this inconvenience, but I must still inspect your ship, and I would like to see this file you speak of."

[Mercatus]

"Dammit!" Keith said to himself. The fake documents were realized by the envoy and his plan foiled. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, his employer jumped in with two escorts. "Well done Maxwell, you have paved the way for your own doom and my safety. When I kill you, I can prove that you apparently stole the blueprints and I am innocent!" he said with a laugh over the comms. Keith, indignant with the ruse he had been led into, went all out. He swiftly maneuvered the Corvette in a series of graceful dodges, avoiding guided missiles and cannon fire with expertise. "Now it's my turn!" he yelled to himself as he unleashed a barrage of energy from his turrets and main guns, taking down his two lackeys with ease. He focused all of his firepower on his betrayer, unleashing four missiles and autocannon fire. His adversary piloted a Corvette as well, but had no idea how to use it as well as Maxwell. He foolishly took the missiles, ripping the front of his hull to shreds. With a quick reaction, the man fired his two remaining autocannons at Keith, and scored multiple hits, catching Maxwell by total surprise. "Damn, the wormhole drive is damaged." said Maxwell. If he engaged it, he would end up in a random system in god-knows-where, but he had to take the risk or the guards would finish him off after he killed the man. Keith then charged forward, firing his remaining missiles at his adversary. The man yelled in rage over the comm as his vessel became little more than scraps and space dust. "Good riddance, and I have the blueprints!" Maxwell triumphantly said. The guards coming out of the station cut his celebration short, however, and Keith hastily activated his wormhole drive. A blue mass engulfed the ship, and, due to instability, collapsed just as his ship made it through.

Valkyrie System

Security Level: Dangerous

Maxwell's damaged Corvette materialized back into real space, emerging with multiple hull breaches. "Damn, I've lost control, my thrusters have been destroyed, I'll be easy prey for pirates like this." His vessel floated towards a small mining station orbiting the small planet Gauss-5, with a population of around 660,000. "A station, I'm sav-." His sentence was cut short as the CO2 scrubbers failed, and he fell asleep.

A small miner's vessel approached the damaged Corvette. "What would an expensive ship like this be doing all the way out here in the Valkyrie system?" the alien pilot said. "I'm getting life signs, there is someone alive in there!" he said excitedly as he docked with the vessel, putting on a breather mask so he wouldn't be knocked out by CO2. The bald, humanoid alien had dark green skin, and was rather stocky and around 5 feet tall, and wearing a brown flight suit. He walked to the cockpit and found Keith slumped over the controls, asleep. The alien strapped a breather mask to Keith's mouth and carried him to his ship, strapping him to the passenger seat in the front. "I'm going to haulin this ship to see if there is anything salvageable, and in case he can afford repairs on this baby, especially with a wrecked wormhole drive." he mumbled to himself.

Valkyrie Mining Station Hangar

"Wake up kid! You've been out for a while now." Keith stumbled out of the cockpit of the miner's ship, saying, "Where am I?! What system is this?! And who the hell are you?!" The alien responded, saying, "Take it easy, kid, you're fine. You are on Valkyrie mining station, safe from pirates. My name is Gendol Meton, I'm a miner and part-time guard here at the station." Keith, still drowsy, responded, "Valkyrie, what system is that?" Gendol then flatly stated, "You probably haven't heard of it, considering you are from a different part of the fringe, and most travelers haven't heard of it anyways. No worries, Maxwell." "So you know my name." Keith said. "Sure I do! Everyone does, kid! Have you forgotten your own legacy?" Keith, now fully awake, responded, "Oh yeah, right, sometimes you live a life too quiet and forget you are one of the most famous people in the galaxy." Keith, bored, changed the subject, "So, Gendol, have you heard of the new Khan of Naerol? If so, what are your thoughts on him?" Gendol snapped his head so he looked at Keith, "MY thoughts? He is a terrible man who takes advantage of weak fledgling powers for his gain. The Valkyrie Republic has had to deal with their raids in this system constantly, and they have three battleships stationed at the 5th and final planet in the system, biding their time until we can no longer afford to defend against them. Our system has huge reserves of gold, uranium, carbon, and iron, core metals in ship and weapons manufacturing. We can't afford huge mining operations, so they largely remain untapped. The reason the rest of the galaxy hasn't heard of this is because barely anyone knows about this system." Keith soaked this in for a moment, "I knew he was a rather selfish man, but this? This is an outrage, using his power against the weak while the galaxy sits on their asses doing nothing. I will handle this." Gendol quickly countered him,"It's not my fault if you want a suicide run, and I'm not letting you just get yourself killed before we have an opportunity to reach out. I happen to own a spare ship that hasn't been flown much. It's old and doesn't have very much space for weapons or heavy armor, but it works like a charm in the speed department and has a functional wormhole drive. I'm sure a skilled pilot like yourself could fly it out of here and get help from powerful people." Gendol pointed toward a rusty but intact ship in his personal hangar space. Keith then ran toward it, thanking Gendol for his assistance. The blueprints he had obtained could definitely make this a combat-worthy vessel, with plans for advanced armor plating and shielding, as well as weapons. For now, however, he boarded the rust bucket and set his course for a system within the territory of Ingen.

[Great Ingen]

Hangar Six, Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha

---

Lysoyne offered a warm smile to the Commandant, writing off the angry Legionnaire's outburst. It was not the most shocking of reactions, especially when she considered how xenophobic many of her compatriots were. She knew that many Ingenious, in her place, would have simply drawn their weapons and gone out in a blaze of glory the moment they were offered even a whiff of insult, but that was why she was a diplomat and they were not. He seemed to believe she was from that fractal and confusing realm known as the Sol System, and whilst Neusattrans were for all intents and purposes human, they were a shining example of convergent evolution. She did not correct him on the matter, as humans had to stick together.

She gestured expansively toward the corvette. "Of course, be my guest Commandant. Feel free to take a look around the Panoply of Light."

Turning, she led him back up the ramp, past the two marines who grudgingly stood aside. "First we will head to the bridge, where Captain Minowara will gladly show you the files in question and we can transfer them to your data device, then you can check for contraband or secret doomsday devices, of which I can guarantee you we have probably none."

---

Medolanium System, Jade Imperial Space, Outer FTLi band

---

The IJN Tranquil Way Of Life was a Hyo-class corvette, a small 40-metre vessel perfect for escort and picket duties. Captain Koyuki Kato had grown accustomed to the duty, first at the Laptev System inner ring, then the outer ring, and now here at the outer ring of the Medolanium System. Even in peacetime, the vast Imperial war machine was constantly shifting, forcing its personnel to keep on their toes and rotating assets and personnel so nobody grew rusty or stale, but by and large picket duty was the same all over the Empire. Perhaps after their next shore leave the Tranquil Way Of Life might be transferred to escort duty, with the prospect of new horizons and maybe even a pirate ship or two to blast out of the sky.

Kato was busy studying a chess board, pondering the last move made by her pilot, Ensign Masato Harada. He was a cunning player but cautious. She constantly had to remind herself not to rush into his traps. A blaring alert made them both look up as their communications officer called them back to the cramped bridge.

"Contact on the edge of the Outer Ring, twenty-four thousand kilometers away. A small civilian craft, no friendly signal recognition."

Kato nodded. "Take us to them. Alert the Know My Enemy"

The corvette threw open a shimmering red-white hyperspace gate and slipped through, emerging directly in the path of Keith's little craft. The Faster-Than-Light-Interdiction bands were only a few thousand kilometers thick, but they served to slow intruders for long enough that defensive fleets could muster on the far side at will. As Keith's ship approached the corvette, it surreptitiously trained the Arisaka Centrefire Barrage Laser mounted in its prow directly at him, gently correcting its aim constantly as he drew closer. The comms officer flipped open a channel, transmitting both a standard greeting hail and an information packet containing Jade mercantile and customs regulations.

"Unidentified vessel, welcome to the Medolanium System. This is the territory of the Jade Empire of Ingen. Please state your identity, origin, purpose of travel and declare any illegal or restricted goods you may have aboard."

[Mercatus]

Hangar Six, Cyroth Guardian Station Alpha

---

Lysoyne offered a warm smile to the Commandant, writing off the angry Legionnaire's outburst. It was not the most shocking of reactions, especially when she considered how xenophobic many of her compatriots were. She knew that many Ingenious, in her place, would have simply drawn their weapons and gone out in a blaze of glory the moment they were offered even a whiff of insult, but that was why she was a diplomat and they were not. He seemed to believe she was from that fractal and confusing realm known as the Sol System, and whilst Neusattrans were for all intents and purposes human, they were a shining example of convergent evolution. She did not correct him on the matter, as humans had to stick together.

She gestured expansively toward the corvette. "Of course, be my guest Commandant. Feel free to take a look around the Panoply of Light."

Turning, she led him back up the ramp, past the two marines who grudgingly stood aside. "First we will head to the bridge, where Captain Minowara will gladly show you the files in question and we can transfer them to your data device, then you can check for contraband or secret doomsday devices, of which I can guarantee you we have probably none."

---

Taiidan System, Jade Imperial Space, Outer FTLi band

---

The IJN Tranquil Way Of Life was a Hyo-class corvette, a small 40-metre vessel perfect for escort and picket duties. Captain Koyuki Kato had grown accustomed to the duty, first at the Laptev System inner ring, then the outer ring, and now here at the outer ring of the Taiidan System. Even in peacetime, the vast Imperial war machine was constantly shifting, forcing its personnel to keep on their toes and rotating assets and personnel so nobody grew rusty or stale, but by and large picket duty was the same all over the Empire. Perhaps after their next shore leave the Tranquil Way Of Life might be transferred to escort duty, with the prospect of new horizons and maybe even a pirate ship or two to blast out of the sky.

Kato was busy studying a chess board, pondering the last move made by her pilot, Ensign Masato Harada. He was a cunning player but cautious. She constantly had to remind herself not to rush into his traps. A blaring alert made them both look up as their communications officer called them back to the cramped bridge.

"Contact on the edge of the Outer Ring, twenty-four thousand kilometers away. A small civilian craft, no friendly signal recognition."

Kato nodded. "Take us to them. Alert the Know My Enemy"

The corvette threw open a shimmering red-white hyperspace gate and slipped through, emerging directly in the path of Keith's little craft. The Faster-Than-Light-Interdiction bands were only a few thousand kilometers thick, but they served to slow intruders for long enough that defensive fleets could muster on the far side at will. As Keith's ship approached the corvette, it surreptitiously trained the Arisaka Centrefire Barrage Laser mounted in its prow directly at him, gently correcting its aim constantly as he drew closer. The comms officer flipped open a channel, transmitting both a standard greeting hail and an information packet containing Jade mercantile and customs regulations.

"Unidentified vessel, welcome to the Taiidan System. This is the territory of the Jade Empire of Ingen. Please state your identity, origin, purpose of travel and declare any illegal or restricted goods you may have aboard."

Keith politely responded with perfect basic, "My name is Keith T. Maxwell of the Free Terran Republic, I have no illicit cargo on board. I am here for diplomatic reasons and wish to speak with a certain Aiofe Lysoyne. If she is not available, I kindly request a layover in this system until she can speak with me. I am seeking assistance for a small republic in the Valkyrie system that has experienced aggression from the Khan of Naerol." The communications officer replied, "Unfortunately, Aiofe Lysoyne is not currently available as she is on a diplomatic mission in another system as of now." Keith, still in a polite tone, asked, "In that case, is there any way I could have a layover on a station in this system? I would appreciate some temporary living quarters as I am unable to return to my own as of now." He sat in the pilot's seat, waiting for a response while he drank a beer from the cooler. "This stuff is pretty good." he said to himself.

[Birina]

"Democracy is so important." Jaxon Miller intoned.

"So very, very important. So important that the meetings of your Windmill Committee are open to the public." He smiled and gestured at the concerned citizens and very concerned reporters below him. "I herfeby call this meeting of the Windmill Committee to order." He gave his gavel a perfunctory tap.

Committeeman Streeman, seated two positions to the Chairman's left, shot up immediately upon the gavel's strike.

"Motion."

Jaxon nodded. "Yes, Committeeman?"

"I motion for a closed chamber."

"Second!" Christon shouted. He gave Jaxon a wink.

"Those in favor?" Jaxon inquired.

"Aye!" the eight other members of the Committee resounded. Jaxon gave his gavel another swift rap.

"The chamber is now closed. Anyone who leaves cannot enter without a motion for personal privilege."

"Motion!" Herbor Hofstradtman, ancient and decrepit as he may be, was still just barely capable of lifting his hand up. "I move for a Closed Minutes Chamber out of deference for the import of our meeting."

"Second!" Streeman shouted, his puny chest puffing with pride.

"Aye!" the others shouted without missing a beat.

"The motion carries." Jaxon explained, "Which means that only Committeemen can make motions now. Including motions of personal privilege."

"But..." a reporter began, "That means if any of us leaves, we won't be able to come back in because we have to make a motion asking to come in..."

"I know. I love Democracy." Jaxon relished with a sigh, "Also you're not allowed to ask questions without a motion for personal privilege either, so... Sergeant at Arms, please remove her!"

By enacting trivial rules and depriving the audience of food and water, the Committee winnowed down their witnesses until there was only one remaining. There, her flaxen hair shining in the flickering fluorescent light, was Sonia with one hand on her nose and one leg lifted off the floor in accordance with the rules of a Closed Nose-Covered One-Footed Minutes Chamber. Jaxon gave a sigh, this time not out of the joy of Democracy (which he did love) but out of exasperation for the citizen before him trying to cruelly subvert that Democracy through her wanton civic engagement.

"Very well, Sonia. You may witness this meeting of the Windmill Committee. After you make it through the obstacle course, obviously."

She did make it through the obstacle course. As a result she received the privilege of sitting in on the Committee's meeting. She also got a speedboat.

"Well, we think the windmills are in Naerol." Vice-Chairman Christon began.

"What, all of them?" Herbor asked, glancing furtively at Sonia.

"Y-Yeeeees…" Christon replied cautiously. "We're going to launch a crusade there populated by our most... fervent and troublesome citizens. We just need someone with no military experience to lead it."

"Sonia. We choose Sonia." Jaxon announced. "After a vote."

"You didn't vote." Sonia pointed out.

"This is a Closed Nose-Covered One-Footed Minutes Chamber. You can't make statements without a motion. So no you have to accept this assignment or be thrown from the Chamber."

"Naturally, I accept. I will not return to Birina Windmilless."

"It's so interesting that you trust us in spite of our numerous deceptions." Christon said, nodding.

"Well... Something something windmills." Sonia replied as the Sergeant at Arms began throwing her out of the chamber.