Why not both? [RESTRICTED]

[Kajal]

Sunset

For a moment, Jeren (formerly known as First Ambassador Tavaar) looked slightly confused.

Or he would have, at least, if he hadn't been thinking in slow motion. A moment later, of course, and he remembered. He was wearing a nametag, and nearly everyone else present could reasonably be expected to have headware connecting them to the shared databases of the Triumvirate.

He'd still have to do something about slowing time down in his head whenever someone caught him off guard, though.

"Oh, it was... quiet. To be honest I spent most of it sleeping," Jeren started. "They don't exactly give the Diplomatic Corps the fastest ships, but I had been studying all night before leaving so a few hours of rest was a nice bonus."

Another brief moment of slowing down time, courtesy of the Zero-One designed encephalon implants, and Jeren figured out that A.) he was starting to ramble, and B.) he should figure out what to say next.

"I imagine your trip was somewhat shorter, being somewhat more local?"

Good. He'd been thinking he should ask about the weather, how things in Sunset are at the moment, any number of other topics... But it was best to keep it simple. That way, Erika would actually have a chance to respond naturally.

[Sunset]

Kajal and Locals

"Depends on what you mean by 'local'," Erika grinned. "It wasn't exactly Andromeda but my first stop was a colony out on the Periphery to pick up a couple retirees, get them reactivated and up to speed, and then it was off to Earth to drop them off for a fact-finding mission in Tarasovka. Then the Supreme Emperor called the Council and here I am. If anything, Katryna had the shorter trip," she said, looking over at her daughter.

"I was in Menelmacar with my partner visiting his parents," the younger woman nodded. "I got the message to pack my bags for a diplomatic jaunt and a couple minutes later Siri's gravship was parked on their lawn. I'd never seen an elf scurry until then."

[Scolopendra]

(Pre-meeting hijinx can continue at will, but it's probably time to kick things forward a little.)

Later, as necessary: Meeting Time

Mballa nodded quietly to herself from one corner of the deck. Now that most everyone who was going to show up had and there'd been some time to socialize, things could finally get down to business. It had taken a modicum of effort to learn that not everything could be transactional, as government in the Segments often was. Still, with a few 'minor incidents' here and there, it struck her as reasonable to head off any more. With a command from her headware the Council chamber's chimes sounded with a soft insistence, and she injected herself into the requisite pause after them.

"I know we're not really on a schedule," she said as pleasantly as she could, but the position of command couldn't help but inject some of her Iron Dame persona into the situation, "but we may as well get to business. If we could take our seats at the table?"

She led by example, walking over to her own seat in the middle of the First Among Equals dais, standing behind her chair until everyone else had been seated. There'd inevitably be one or two stragglers, so she found herself needing to explain: "Sitting down last is a sign of respect, since everyone else gets to relax first. It's how I was trained." After getting that sorted out, she sat down last and leaned forward.

"We all know what brought us all here, and we're all approaching the matter at hand with our particular perspectives. Each one can be valuable." She looked over the arc of the table in a broad sweep. "Now, we could all put forward data and arguments for our individual positions and work it out very rationally and scientifically, but I think we can agree that the strength in our alliance doesn't really lie in its scientific mechanisms. By all rights, actually, quite a few of us probably shouldn't get along as well as we do, thinking in terms of raw data. Therefore, we need to recognize that by considering the Taraskovyan Empire, we're not considering just another member of another alliance. We are considering bringing into our fold a friend: someone we may not always individually agree with, but someone we can collectively rely on. That reliability, whatever our mechanistic mismatches, is our strength.

"With this in consideration then," she continued, folding her hands under her, "the decision is much greater than just strategic and tactical considerations--and as it's bigger than that, and we're not necessarily in agreement, the arguments against should take the lead and be fully addressed, especially since we're doing this privately. There is no face to lose by any of us or by the Taraskovyans; nothing said here is going to be broadcast on the screamsheets in real time. Let us be honest and even blunt.

"So." The Supreme Emperor leaned back. "Grievances, concerns, fears, misgivings. Let's hear them."

[Reploid Productions]

Greetings on arrival

The mechanical drake and the shipmind both offered polite bows at Mballa's approach and greeting, Zeroel speaking up first, "We will certainly relay the well-wishes. Lady Firefury was apparently most ardent in her desire to attend personally."

Well, it was a diplomatic dodge around what really happened, which amounted to the disembodied reploid being forcibly penned in the capital complex by a bunch of wards set by the Keepers to ensure that the hotheated fool didn't go gallivanting off and cause trouble, but at least it was still an honest statement of events. After all, Firefury had been quite vocal about the entire affair; Tsume did not envy Najoedo or any of the others back in Arpia having to deal with her.

"Well, once things are done here, I'm planning a stop over at Camp R, and I suppose if there's any staff into thaumaturgic or psionic... well, weirdness-" Tsume shrugged, not one to hide his relative lack of understanding of that particular field. "- our own researchers may need whatever assistance we can get in getting Firefury's situation sorted and resolved."

[Scolopendra]

Wibbly-Wobbly Time

"Well, I certainly understand," Mballa said with a nod, and then a look. Not a look at the Arpeans, no, but the kind of look one gets when they recognize something internally. She sniffed sharply then politely cleared her throat from behind a fist. "My apologies. Something caught in my throat. Organic inefficiency and all that." After another sharp sniff the woman settled herself and continued like nothing had happened. "And I mean that understanding from both angles--both her desire and the, ah, issues preventing her from doing so."

The Supreme Emperor did look appropriately apologetic. She imagined what it'd be like if ishe was a ghost and Rezah had to take over for her. She found herself slowing things down so she could imagine it properly. Well, I'd be deemed unfit for service and Rezah and Kraisee would be breveted up. The creation of the Brevet-Emperor title would actually be justified. The good old Segments, where everyone's expendable--she thought of this as a good thing--and we don't have to worry about nonsense like pretenders to the throne appearing out of nowhere to assert nonsense legalism over political reality. Okay, that's enough smug patriotism.

Everything sped back up to normal. "Agent Simmias would never forgive me if I didn't take this opportunity to repeat the OPO's offer of assistance in that regard. Even though Camp R is Trium level and therefore HELLSING-administered, the OPO could still provide a more... ah... open-minded counterweight to them."

[Cetaganda]

Gregor settled into chair and looked around the assembled delegates. It seemed like there were many new faces, although intellectually he knew many could hardly be considered newcomers. It would be more accurate to say that he'd been missing often enough that he hadn't adjusted to the changing nature of the council's makeup. For some time it seemed like he was always caught up in his own nation's internal issues, like the absorption of Ravenspire or the needed reforms of governance and society brought about the advances of technology, both home-grown and from their allies. Too often he had missed out on the more friendly gatherings that had long cemented the Triumvirate and only made it to the formal occasions or attended meetings remotely.

[Tiburon]

Pre-Meeting Socialisation

The trip from Tethys to Titan had been brief and indeed quite unremarkable, the short trip up the Saturn gravity well requiring little more than a small intraplanetary shuttle rather than the much larger craft of many of her farther-flung comrades. The flight's serenity, however, dramatically belied Saraswati's nervousness about her entire endeavour. It had seemed like a wonderful opportunity when she received Ipolla's message, but those tiny, nagging doubts in the recesses of her mind had grown exponentially by the time the tiny black craft made its final approach and docked at the terminal.

She'd been at her post now for a grand total of about 800 kiloseconds*, yet she was about to delve in one of her most important tasks as Minister-President. Especially given how much she had emphasized Akasha playing a more active role in Akapendra and the Triumvirate during the election, this summit meeting would effectively set the tone of her entire administration for cycles upon cycles to come, at home as well. Failure here could cost Akasha even more dearly internationally than Brugière-Hamidullah's total inaction, and it would definitely make her a laughingstock at home if not amongst the rest of the Council.

The two aides flanking her as she made her way to the council chamber looked somewhat aimlessly at the general outline of Port Aurora. The skyline wouldn't be at all out of place anywhere in Akasha, given the same general utilitarian approach their cultures took to all sorts of issues, and her aides in particular had spent countless hours here before on behalf of previous administrations. The city's general familiarity to Akashan sensibilities was absolutely no comfort to Saraswati, on the other hand, who couldn't help but be reminded of Heisenberg-Sarabhai City, and with it the fears of coming home to a jeering public and press. An informal meeting. Yeah, right. It's only everything that I want to work for and my reputation for the next several cycles on the line. Yeah, no pressure at all, she thought to herself.

Stepping inside the chamber itself, the bustle of the room and the conversations already underway merely exacerbated that worry slightly. Oh, great, and I'm fucking late too. This is just wonderful. Ugh, I just got here and already I need a drink. She made her way over to the drinks table, while her aides went off in different directions to catch up with old friends. At least I'm not the only one with a glass right now, she noted dryly. Making a first impression as an alcoholic was not exactly the best way to repair Akasha's reputation on the international stage, to say the least. She poured herself a glass of a Dominionese Torcolato wine. Merely watching the golden liquid fall into the glass seemed to give her a measure of comfort. Hah, perhaps it wouldn't be a totally undeserved impression.

Her glass now several ounces heavier, she turned towards the crowd once more... and immediately bumped the majority of her right forearm directly into the stomach of Naiya D'Aquisto, Imperatrice of the country whose wine was now sloshing perilously close to the rim of Saraswati's glass. After a split-second, her eyes grew wide and her face completely blanched. "Oh god! Ahh! Ohh, oh jeez, I'm so so sorry!" was all she could stammer out as she practically leapt backwards, her eyes now darting between Naiya and the glass, threatening to empty a couple of drops on both women.

*About nine and a half days.

[Sakkra]

The oval mushroom-like shape that served as Ghrrgg's seat held his weight quite nicely. His tail wasn't as mobile as the standard Sakkrans, so it kind of just laid out straight behind him. Small jets of steamy vapor escaped his jointings as he settled in. Mouthplates gnashed and claws gesticulated, which translated on a display from his BioComp on his chest. A holographic display made it easily visible to anyone interested.

"Thank you for holding meeting, Supreme Emperor Ipolla. Herpetological Empire has not immediate concerns, fears or worries. But curiosity, yes. One is knowledge Taraskovyan Empire has of member nations here. This is asked because Imperial DataFeed has little information on fine details of Taraskovya. Question is; What information can be shared here, and what can we share with them?"

[Zero-One]

Meeting Time

"I can field that question," announced the mechanoid queen from her seat. "As the Taraskovyan's currently informal sponsor, it would only be appropriate. First, starting with what I can share here: I do have some knowledge as to their opinions of us collectively and individually. Collectively, the Empire considers the Triumvirate a stable, peaceful, and secure alliance with interests broadly aligned to theirs. They trust us to consider their best interest without dragging them into unwanted and unneeded conflict, as other alliances might. Our powerful military and defensive posture suits their generally non-aggressive policies well. Likewise, access our free-trade zone and markets would be mutually beneficial, and our combined diplomacy can only strengthen one another. In totality, they think us to be a force for stability, if not good, and would like to both benefit from and contribute to this. They prize stability.

"Individually... starting with the Queendom, they think of us as intelligent toasters." She grinned momentarily, lips kept closed in deference to the 'Pendran at the table. "They're still not entirely certain what to think of mechanoids, but it's not universally bad and the fact that the Empire and Zero-One get along so well is indicative to them that diametrically opposed parties actually can make good partners. That's actually the reason why I agreed to support them in this; this is a dramatic change, even over time, and I consider it a definite mark in their favor.

"With regards to the Akapendran Combine and the Republic of Sunset, the Empire recognizes them as liberal federated republics. It finds their federal structures familiar; the liberalism reminds it of Knootoss, which it gets along with relatively well and so that's actually positive. It also considers them to be far more responsible, stately, and stoic than Knootoss, which is in its collective mind even better. While the diversity of our liberal republics are still in excess of the Empire's, the Taraskovyans are more than diverse enough themselves to appreciate it.

"The Taraskovyans know very little about the Herpetological Empire." Shodey nodded to the deep one. "They know you're reptilians, and intelligent. Lacking relations or knowledge they don't have an opinion one way or the other, but they would probably get along with you well enough--again, their diversity is sufficiently informed to make them increasingly tolerant of others that don't quite fit into their norms.

"Generally, the Empire doesn't know anything about the Shogunate, Sneaky Bastards, or Cetaganda. This is again due to a lack of relations, which should be informative: the Taraskovyans tend to mind their own business and are not overly curious about those they don't think they share relationships or concerns with. Obviously this will change if they fully enter our sphere of influence.

"On the other hand, they do know and respect the Dominion well, especially for its tendency to stand up for and to its own allies." The gynoid smiled at Naiya. "It appears you've got a reputation to live up to, my niece-in-mind."

"They also know the Serene^Union and Menelmacar, but for less positive reasons. They've mostly dealt with the former through intermediaries like Der Angst, especially after the Skeelzanian War when direct relations were strained by perceptions of Taraskovyan defense of Skeelzanian trade. Their defense would be that the Empire protected all foreign shipping in its sphere of responsibility, including that of the Serene^Union. As for the Menelmacari... they recognize many similarities between the two Empires. There's also a history of each acting against the others' interests, though from their perspective none of these actions have been particularly major.

"Finally, they view the Federated Imperium as close allies of the Menelmacari but otherwise have no pre-formed opinions about them. They, like Zero-One, did assimilate Kajali populations on Mars, so they do understand and appreciate Kajali culture in broad strokes."

She paused to lean back, accentuating the break in her monologue. "With what they know of us out of the way, what we can share with them is information about ourselves. What we know about them, on the other hand..." She called up a diagram, presented to each delegate on a screen in front of their seat. It could be further projected hologrammatically both individually and collectively should it be willed.

The diagram was somewhat complex.

"The technical details are better left to specific Diplomatic Corps or Combined Services briefings. In short, the Taraskovyan Empire is a complex federation of various sub-states under the aegis of the Shakhovskoy-Karetsah dynasty, which still technically holds autocratic authority but is in reality limited through a constitutional system and a parliamentary form of government. They're generally more socially conservative than most Triumvirate members and certainly have a stronger emphasis on religion. Nevertheless, they do get along with Knootoss, something that we have only ever been able to do in fits and starts, so I do not see social incompatibility as an issue."

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

The Sakkran clearly had other things occupying his mind, and she hadn’t been terribly direct to begin with. A small matter, easily dismissed. Vitras on the other hand, was another problem entirely, and one she was curios to sort out, along with the riddle of whatever it was her mother had not revealed about the timeship debacle.

It was with those thoughts she was preoccupied with when she turned and this time, entirely lacking purpose or intent, collided with another woman. It was half a thought to influence the wine to keep it from splashing over, and only a fraction of the time the impulse arose was spent in deciding against it. Even the hint of power or ability here could be dangerous. And if that meant a stained shirt or pants, so be it. Instead, she offered a steadying hand, her touch light but reassuring, as was the smile she immediately called to bear.

“No harm done at all, see? No doubt it was my fault entirely – my apologies. I’m afraid I’ve been letting my thoughts wander far too often, given the beautiful setting, and all the new faces. Please, Naiya D’Aquisto of the Dominion. It looks as though they’re preparing to get started. Perhaps you’d like to sit next to me?” she asked, by way of invitation – halfway prepared to lead the way over to the seating area where the representatives were gathering.

----- ----- -----

Once they were settled in and the talking had begun, Naiya paid attention to not only what was being said and how it was phrased, but the expressions and reactions of those in attendance, attempting to gain any insight she might.

She smiled politely and nodded to Shodey at the comment, acknowledging quietly the inherent challenge and complement there. That could both be an asset, and a hindrance in the case of the Kaeneians. Especially considering who was leading their group here.

The system the Taraskovyans had in place for governing was complex enough to make Naiya think immediately of headaches, points of failure, needless complexities, and room for betrayal and compromise. She couldn’t help it. Looking over the chart Shodey was showing them, the young woman wondered idly how some of the others viewed her own governance. She hadn’t visibly changed much in her ascension. In fact, hadn’t seen any need to as yet.

“As you’ve already suggested, it might be best for those who are directly against, or have valid concerns about allowing a new member in, to voice their opinions first,” Naiya noted, glancing around at the rest of the table, and hoping for more positive than negative to come out of the discussion than negative.

[Reploid Productions]

The Meeting

"To be honest, the Shogunate's intel regarding the Taraskovyans is rather lacking, and I daresay with our focus turned so sharply inward lately that we've been a bit negligent there." Tsume studied the diagram presented, as did Zeroel next to him. "Studying this, though, their interest in stability does give me some concern, given such an intricate governmental structure."

"Well, from the information available currently, I don't see any reasons to automatically refuse their membership." Zeroel countered, the shipmind's avatar looking thoughtful. "And unless I'm wrong, this get-together isn't to cut right to a membership vote. We have time to begin establishing diplomatic relations and sending out feelers ahead of a formal vote."

The mechanical dragon nodded at his colleague, studying the diagram and running through the information Shodan had given thus far. With the home country in the midst of some potentially dramatic, albeit subdued shifts, it was important to maintain good international ties out in the larger community. At the same time, it was important to be cautious and not rush into anything without giving it due consideration, and it had been a very long time since the last time the Triumvirate had considered adding a new member nation to its roster.

"I think the most concerning thing is the specifics regarding how they are 'more socially conservative' than most of us, as well as how much sway which religions hold over their governmental system. Prizing stability is all well and good, but I'm a tad concerned that such stability could be at the expense of one or more groups' rights."

[Sakkra]

“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever managed to brew a proper pot of Paroo,” she noted to Ghrrgg, smiling close-lipped out of a lifetime of habit. “Not to Sakkran standards in any case. Hopefully the Scolopendran effort has been more of a success.”

It took a moment for Ghrrgg to notice that he was being addressed in a subtle manner. One eye was kept on Naiya D'Aquisto while his brain prompted his BioComp.

Code: Select all

Query; Ocular cue
Res; Naiya D'Aquisto; Imperatrice Dread Dominion
See; Joint report First General Gaarm/First Admiral Shaar
Throne Ascension
Notations made; Classified: First eyes only

Well, that's SOMETHING to go on. I suppose. Maybe. Ghrrgg shifted slowly in a turn and bowed his head a touch as his BioComp scrolled out the translated text from the grinding of his plates. "Good Cycle Imperatrice D'Aquisto, Naiya." But by then, a collision occurred between the Imperatrice and another female not of his acquaintance. Oh my.

[Zero-One]

"I think the most concerning thing is the specifics regarding how they are 'more socially conservative' than most of us, as well as how much sway which religions hold over their governmental system. Prizing stability is all well and good, but I'm a tad concerned that such stability could be at the expense of one or more groups' rights."

"The short answer," S.H.O.D.A.N. offered, "is that the Taraskovyans have never been proponents of burning people at the stake before and they're not going to start now. To be quite honest, they're far too legalistic for that.

"Previous to the most recent religious reforms, the overarching Imperial policy restricted non-Christian religions from public worship. This effectively meant that adherents were permitted, but temples and public prayers were not. These restrictions have since been lifted. The only Imperial-level restrictions remaining are against religions which practice sentient sacrifices, something I doubt most of us will find overly concerning. Authority to develop religious policy has since been devolved to the regional--and sometimes, from there, the provincial--level.

"Overall," the gynoid continued, leaning back into her seat, "there's a distinct trend towards what we'd consider complete religious freedom. Large portions of the central United Kingdom of Cardinia and Dakathia have adopted fully free policies, as have the Kingdom of Belovodie, Duchy of Zoria, Duchy of the Isles..." she began to count on her fingers, "and the Dominions of Acarionne, Praksa, Os Sanglants, and Antedammian League (for as much as that's worth, as the successor territory to Der Angst). Most of the remainder haven't bothered to update or particularly enforce any religious restriction laws and are expected to follow the Imperial lead. Notable exceptions include the Dominion of Tarvalak, where organized religion follows the general Subcontinental Hinduism model of local tribal cults with little mixing or conflict, making religious tolerance a matter in the few municipal governments of cities in the region and where said tolerance becomes useful for trade and order; and the Handalarian Lordships, which are absolute monarchist sub-states made up of the descendents of slavery-supporters exiled after a civil war long ago. The ancient Taranthian Church of the Seven Deities is their state religion and all other religions, including Orthodox Christianity, are effectively restricted from public worship through bureaucratic red tape.

"Finally, as their intercessor, I'll note that even the Lordships are not out of the range of religious laws in the Triumvirate. The al-'Arroda Halish Mohyeet Segment of Scolopendra contains hundreds of minor colony worlds founded by religious isolationists, most notably Dar-al-Din, which is itself a titular theocracy controlled by a Wahabbist Sunni ulema. Not to embarass the good Supreme Emperor," the grey-skinned avatar said with a nod and a teasing smile towards Ipolla, "but these outliers are permitted as a matter of pragmatic convenience: they either have no opportunity to enforce any restrictions they may have, or those restrictions are only inconvenient rather than oppressive. It is my estimation that if either the Dar-al-Dinnyuni or the Handalarians happened to start economically or physically oppressing minority religions, the Scolopendrans or Taraskovyans respectively would react most similarly to stamp it out--albeit for decidedly different base motivations: idealism versus order."

[Tarasovka]

Everybody loves conference calls. And conference calls in fluid time, everybody loves that even more

"Now joining," the female robotic voice said, followed by the presentation of the new participant in a voice quite well known to those participating in the conference call. "All your noms are belong to me."

There was a couple seconds silence before a voice ventured to guess. "Ambassador Kweedrat Menek, I presume?"

"Indeed so. And Stanislav, I presume?" Timur returned the favour.

"Good thing you've joined, Timur. We were about to call it," Stanislav said with a grin in his voice.

"As we were discussing, Timur," the voice of Taraskovya's Foreign Affairs Minister the Duke of Var-Vilena and Southern Aphyr entered the fray. "I will be up for a call later today with Her High Excellency the Chancellor of the Empire. Among others she will definitely ask for an update on that Yut mission of yours."

"Not much update I can provide since my update on the interview in Tiburon*, Alexei," Timur said pensively. "From what I know their Council should be meeting as we speak. Informal meeting. I have not yet been approached for any further travel or interview from any other country, but I wouldn't expect it immediately after the meeting."

"You already got sleeper agents in Yut, Timur?"

"Nah, Stanislav. I just read Scolopendran press."

"Any update on your evaluation?" The Foreign Minister interrupted the exchange of jokes.

"Not really. But we shall see how this informal meeting goes depending on how much I have to run about making pretty hambil eyes to everybody," Timur chuckled.

"Good enough! That will fill in a whole two minutes of my time in the call with the Chancellor," Alexei said. "I call it for today. Off to your work, everybody!"

*-*-*

OOC:
* I consider that this interview happened along the lines of the Scolopendran one. Since I never got that g-mail invite
Also, an elaborate pokety-prod.

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

"To be fair," Naiya began thoughtfully, when the opportunity presented itself. "They offer less of a problem overall than some of our past and current members have on occasion. I should know - our nation is among them."

She smiled wryly at that. No one familiar with her mother and her brand of politics could rightly argue against that claim, and she wasn't about to pretend otherwise. "Complexity need not be a deterrent. Sometimes, it is a strength. It would seem in the area of religious freedoms alone, there's been ample change, and as S.H.O.D.A.N. has pointed out, there are existing variables within the alliance that have not presented insurmountable problems."

"It has been a very, very long time since the Triumvirate has introduced some new blood. Leadership in some instances has changed, we have lost some due to one thing or another, in particular the ebbs and flows of multiversial shifts. But at the core, we remain who and what we have been for a good couple of decades, if not more in some instances. The world out there is changing as well. And while it seems less certain that we need to gird ourselves against unfathomable horrors or endless foes, I would venture that having more friends as opposed to less would be in our collective best interests."

"We needn't agree on every point. Every one of our nations is different, and we still have standing disagreements on numerous issues amongst us. But that hasn't stopped us working together, towards common goals, and being by and large both affective, and mutually beneficial. I can see the Taraskovyans as being more an asset than a detriment in this regard. Our own experiences with them backs this up, along with their record of dealing with those they have allied themselves with," she concluded, her gaze having traveled around the circle as she spoke, her expression open and relaxed.

"Are there any other points that representatives have a firm position on that would stand against closer ties? I can't say that I know everything there is to know about our potential new friends, nor that I understand all the concerns on the parts of our allies. I'm hoping to come to a better understanding through our discussions here. And if there is ample proof against them that I'm missing, would like the opportunity to examine it."

[Kajal]

"While it goes without saying that some of us have had some more... Irrational disagreements with the Empire in the past, I would hardly say that such disagreements are remotely close to arguments against the Empire." Jeren interjected.

"Rather, i would like to note that despite the Federated Imperium's political leanings at the time of the New Trenton conference, the Empire still maintains healthy trade and cultural exchange with Kajal today. It would have been a simple matter at the time to rebuke the Federated Imperium; instead, that incident appeared to result in a period of self reflection and evaluation that, in the Federated Imperium's opinion today, contributed to positive changes in policy and government."

Jeren paused for a moment, as he pulled in more information via his headware. He hadn't been in the diplomatic corps at the time of the New Trenton fiasco, and nor had the government of the time had any real interest in diplomats less than a few hundred years old. It had lead to a decidedly hawkish administration, and now, young diplomats like Jeren were working to clean up the remnants of that era.

"If I may put it bluntly, the Federated Imperium screwed up. That the Empire has chosen to continue maintaining cultural and economic relations, for the large part as if the New Trenton fiasco was not a textbook example of what not to do, that speaks volumes, I think."

[Sunset]

In Tarasovka...

“Let’s give this place a try,” Kimiko pointed to a sign hanging just next to the larger marquee entrance to a playhouse. Just inside the lobby, and off to one side, another sign indicated a rooftop club. A pair of burly looking men with dark, craggy features and massive fists stood to either side of the narrow alcove and as they approached, one stepped forward and looked the pair over before looking back at his companion who nodded and jerked a thumb back to point at a sign.

Kimiko read it over, ‘Cover...’ Ouch, spendy. Even for an expense account. But not her money so she nodded and the first man stepped back and allowed the pair into the small elevator.

After a minute it opened into a small, tasteful lobby where a receptionist was waiting. Before they could start, she’d stepped over and was helping them take off their coats before returning to her place behind the counter and hanging them up. She turned to a register - old fashioned and elegant - and the keys softly clattered.

Cover paid, the doors swung open and they entered the club proper to find themselves in a hushed open hall with clusters of booths along both walls. A waiter; No, a maitre de ushered them to an open booth and within moments a waiter was at their table. There were no menus given, though they had an order pad in hand, and for a moment they looked a bit surprised.

‘Umm, AR?’ Kimiko checked the air around them. While there were plenty of people with augments, the bar itself was strangely quiet, as was the waiter.

“What’s the catch of the day? And the special?” Sun-Ye asked.

The waiter raised an eyebrow at this. “The chef has several fish available… The north sea salmon is excellent, and I recommend it grilled and lightly coated in fresh herbs and lemon. Would mad’am care for an appetizer?”

‘Maybe we’re just expected to know the menu?’ Kimiko looked over at her partner.

‘Or we can just order whatever we want. Hold on...’ Sun-Ye pulled up the club’s web site. ‘Five-star chef… Extensive wine list… Yeah. Order whatever you want.’

“Chef’s choice, something Tarathian… And a bottle of Alanaryn ‘53.”

‘Alanaryn? Sounds… elvish.’

‘It is. In Carnil there’s this winery on the west slope of Pavonis Mons. I stopped there on my way back from an operation in… Anyway, wine was great, and there was this field hand who...’

“And for mad’am?” The waiter turned to Sun-Ye, interrupting the unheard conversation before it could turn saucy.

“Oh, I’ll have the same.”

The waiter nodded and left, and while they waited the pair looked around. It was obvious that they had chosen a more upper-crust locale but not completely obvious until they started to break down the numbers.

‘Didn’t see any of those at the bar,’ Kimiko directed a subtle look towards a group of young people sitting out on the terrace.

Tarathians, the minority non-humans in the nation, were almost in the majority here. Their gray and ashen skin made them stand out from the pale skinned humans and, even among a crowd that was well dressed, they were often somewhere above the cut.

‘Mhmm,’ Sun-Ye nodded. ‘Subtle racism or is it cultural?’ “Thank you,” she smiled to the waiter as their drinks arrived.

‘Could be neither. They aren’t human, so perhaps they are just generally more… whatever. If you want a numbers guy and you have a human and a skri, who do you hire?’

‘The skri…’

[Sakkra]

One of Ghrrg's eyes was fixated on the display while the other scanned its field of vision for reactions and 'tells' from the assembled. "Hearing both positive and negative comment and reaction so far. Nothing about blood feuds and announcements of holy war or such. This is pleasing. Our Empire has no dealings with Tarasovka so it is not exactly with open arms we go. There will be questions of 'How reformed from their past are they?' of course. A suspicious thought will be had. Unavoidable. Reforms sometimes are detrimental. The cycles will tell of this, one supposes. Is there knowledge of dissent for these reforms?"

[Zero-One]

The mechanoid queen nodded in response to the question, looking for a moment like she was startled awake. "The reforms occurred in stages, building one on top of the other. This appears to have had the general effect of smoothing out the transitions and reducing overall social stress," she explained as she leaned forward over her folded hands. "Historically, Taraskovya has consisted of both humans and elves, both of which were classified as 'human.' The first sapiency reform built off of this precedent to recognize the sapiency of 'organic non-humans'--meaning 'not humans or elves'--and this passed with a comfortable fifty-eight percent majority in referendum. The second reform built on the first to expand sapiency to mechanoids; this passed with a closer four-percent margin. Both turnouts were less than fifty percent so, for the majority of the population, it just isn't an issue. Apathy can work to our favor sometimes." The gynoid allowed herself a slightly mischievous smile at that.

"There are of course reactionary movements, but we all know those always happen. They have been limited to political and social opposition, all very much within the confines of the law, and the issue is not expected to cause civil unrest due to the aforementioned dominant apathy. Standard historical trends would tend to indicate that as the reforms continue to have no meaningful detrimental effect and increased exposure to 'non-humans' lacks any significant social penalty, they will become the status quo that goes mostly unquestioned except by extreme reactionaries with effectively zero probability, barring Black Swan events, of turning their displeasure into a culturally meaningful movement. They will, however, remain louder than their population share would suggest and so a combination of concentrated ignoring and counter-agitprop would be standard operating procedure towards them going forward.

"As the religious reforms are devolved to local governments, they are tailored to the social needs of each locality. While this can of course lead to the suppression of certain non-sanctioned religions in limited areas, as per the statues against the building of temples, it is different from oppression in that under the law and, by extension, legally-regulated civil society religious adherents are treated as equals. Small-scale local intolerance and bigotry is probable but well outside of the scope of our considerations, as I think it would be unfair to hold the Taraskovyans to a standard we ourselves have difficulty meeting."

[Sneaky Bastards]

Meeting
Asami traced the lines on the diagram with her finger as she looked it over, trying to make sense of it all while she listened to the comments and concerns raised by the other representatives. Somewhat complex was a pretty accurate description of the thing. She filed the diagram away for further review later on when she could spare he full attention to it.

"The lack of relations between our two governments and our somewhat isolationist nature has left us little information on the Taraskovyans to work with. Going by the information that's been provided so far, I can't really think of any issues we would have with them, at least any that haven't already been raised already. However, nothing I've heard so far has really raised any red flags with me." Asami said as she looked up from her screen.

[Scolopendra]

The Supreme Emperor and sole First Among Equals found herself glancing between whomever was speaking, Sirithil, and Silaco. The first was a matter of politeness, the second was a matter of expectation, and the third was just distracting. Her thoughts could be summed up as a mixture of 'well, isn't she going to bring up any objections' with regards to the elf and 'stupid sexy Silaco' with regards to the Secretary-General. She'd been told--or at least it was common knowledge--that the Menelmacari could be stately and quiet at times when it may not be the most appropriate. This was apparently one of those times. Things were beginning to drag on and, well, she had to intervene without shutting the door for good.

"We've had a healthy question-and-answer session," Mballa injected into the momentary silence, "and barring any new concerns being brought to the table I'd like to take a quick straw poll of our opinions so far. Nothing binding, of course."

Actually, this is going to act as our vote. Kaenei's already briefed me that Vitras (who basically is the Kaeneian government at the moment) is going to vote 'no' and cannot be convinced otherwise. Unless Siri speaks up, I'm going to assume she votes in the negative based on history.

The vote is OOC binding but reversible, either by more IC debate (if it comes up) or IC overruling by leaders back home. ICly we'd just repeat the process officially. Tara's been more than patient with us so I'm expediting things a bit by compressing the 'official' vote into this straw poll.

[Zero-One]

"I'm obviously in favor," S.H.O.D.A.N. answered, leaning back with a smile. "I think the Empire has a great deal of value that it could bring to our alliance, and this would reinforce the increasing strategic alignment between us that has been happening over the past several years."

[Sakkra]

Ghrrg clacked his mouthplates together as he gesticulated. "Self has no logical reason to have opinion either way. Curiosity is not logical, though, and that drives toward an affirmative. Curiosity and hopefulness. Self posts an affirmative."

[Sneaky Bastards]

"I have no objections and see no reason not to move forward with the Taraskovyans." Asami raised her right hand a bit for everyone to see and made a thumbs-up gesture. "We all benefit from their inclusion in the alliance... well, most of us anyways."

[Kajal]

"I am also in favor," Jeren replied. "Despite some more colorful interactions in the past, our dealings with the Empire have been quite positive overall. I see no reason why this would not continue to be the case."