A Genuine Opportunity (Closed)

[Osandervaal]

Oversanderval Security Liaison Organisation Report to the National Security Council
10/01/1001 (Osandervaal Standard Calendar)


At the writing of this report there can be no doubt: the Kikadimite Empire is no longer a relevant force in the sector. The combined efforts of the coalition forces have dissolved the fracturing empire and are now in place to take advantage of their victory. There has already been aspirations among the coalition of international conventions on the laws of warfare and a single diplomatic body to maintain the peace we’ve created, but also far more pragmatic negotiations around calendar synchronisation, trade tribunals and standardised measurements and exchange rates.

The current situation indicates that together, Valetorian pride, Stjernean diligence, Alvian nobility, Haldorian resilience, Osandervaal integrity and even Salamite zealotry can be reconciled to create a lasting peace. Corporations and universities are reaching out to each other, forging mutual links to foster interdependence and prosperity. With no Kikadimite to listen our peoples have started broadcasting freely across the stars, knowing that only friends will be listening. With this new contact there will of course be challenges. Openness will facilitate infiltration and espionage; corruption and dissent will find themselves new homes in the trading houses and embassies we will build. This government, like every government, will need to remain vigilant in establishing new security networks and remaining agile and innovative in policy to counteract these new threats.

Recently however, there have entered new considerations. Not all peoples of the galaxy were united against the Kikadimite Empire, and hid from them, waiting for others to rid them of oppression, staking out a claim in their own corner of space or even worshipping the scourge known as the Kikadimite. At the present time no intelligence agency is able to discern the intentions of these nations; we border the erratic Avali, the enigmatic Mon; since the fall of the Kikadimite empire we have learnt of the radical Confederates, machiavellian Culnerians, expansionist Angarin and the deviants of the Great Equation.

The prosperity we have forged with our own blood may be used not for peace, but for war, shipyards building freighters can just as easily build battleships to bring war to our skies for the more we trade with each other the more commerce there is to sever. Spaceports that once welcomed diplomats may be the staging points for planetary invasions should they decide bombing us from orbit isn’t enough.

As delightful as peace seems all peoples must defend ourselves, where there was once a single tyrannical order all peoples in this galaxy are one of twelve equals yet to discover what their destiny is. Now the Kikadimite Empire has fallen all nations have the choice to go together into a new order with diplomacy and understanding, or take their own with force and violence. While all these things may seem uncertain we have before us a fact more concrete than any missile silo: for all people living in all nations, the fall of the Kikadimite Empire presents:

A Genuine Opportunity

[Kingdom of Alvia]

The Kingdom of Alvia, just two decades prior a Kikadimite Vassal now free. A freedom that had been bought in blood. The Alvian Royal Navy which had been secretly built up from a local system defense force into one of the most powerful naval armadas in the Orithyian Galaxy had paid the blood price losing dozens if not hundreds of ships in the almost twelve year long conflict with Kikadimite Empire.

Now though with the Kikadimites defeated and broken beyond all recognition the time had come to make good on the sacrifices that had been made in the name of Alvia's and the galaxy at large's freedom. Thus the vast bulk of the Alvian fleet had been recalled to its home systems and messages had been sent out to all of Alvia's allies during the conflict and even to those who had been neutral or simply unaware of the fighting. The messages all carried the same basic message.

Come to Raukotari, meet with us and your peers. Together we shall lay the ground work for our new galaxy.

One hand was open but at the same time Alvia kept one hand on the hilt of its now sheathed sword. Now that the dust had settled there was no telling what would come next.

The planned location for this summit was surface side on Raukotari in Alvia's home lands, in the very heart of capital city of Rosemont the home of Alvia's kings for centuries, the Seaside keep. The old Castle-Palace had a breathtaking coastal view of the Capital and cool sea air produced an air of calm amidst the organized chaos as preparations were made for the hopefully soon to be arriving dignitaries.

[Osandervaal]

“Osandervaal,”

Prime Minister Simon Leigh stood in the courtyard of the Legislative Assembly, journalists arrayed in front of him and his two favourite ministers behind him.

“With the commencement of the legislative year this government has already begun working hard to put Osandervaal’s interests first.”

Bartham Pellidor, the treasurer, nodded.

“The recent victory of the Democratic-People’s Coalition has brought us out of minority government and given us a strong confirmation of the Osandervaal National Democrats mandate; already our National Integrity Act is being put before the assembly only four days into the sitting calendar.”

Gina Rice, minister for foreign affairs, nodded.

“It was the leadership of the National Democrats that saw this great country survive the Kikadimite Crisis and we will ensure that it continues strong and prosperous into the new exciting future we have forged. We didn’t allow the insectoid menace to stop us from taking our destined place in the stars, to Jackaline and Crost, and now we can continue in the same spirit with no fear of being cut off from each other and murdered.”

Gina Rice (minister for foreign affairs) waited a moment.

And then nodded.

“We have earned our future with our own sacrifice and endeavour and we will ensure that our contribution to the new peace is not overlooked; rest assured Osandervaal, the next four years are going to be the most exciting chapter of our nation’s history as we race into the future faster than we did in a century, and it will be this government that takes us there.”

He stopped for a moment.

“Prime Minister! Prime Minister!” The platoon of journalists began baying for his attention just as he and Rice turned around and starting walking back inside. Pellidor stepped forward and lazily raised his hand. Without opening his eyes, he pointed his hand to the right.

“Treasurer, when will the property seized under the War Measures Act be returned to its original owners?”

“An excellent question.” Pellidor put his fingers together.

“This government understands the concern some citizens have for what the nation took in its fight against the Kikadimite. It is true that we are all looking forward to the end of loss and sacrifice that many of us have endured, in different ways.” He looked the journalist and smiled.

“That doesn’t my question at a—” Pellidor pointed to the left.

“When will the government admit that the millions of credits sunk into the Tempora expeditions are a part of a failed feel good exercise that will give us nothing but a few museum exhibits?”
Pellidor smiled, and put his fingers together.

“An excellent question.”

---

“What’s happening Gina.” Leigh and Rice sailed through the hallways of the cabinet wing with staffers fluttering around them.

“We’ve made initial contact. The diplomatic teams are optimistic. This is our chance Simon. The Avali and the Mon have surfaced for good.” Simon looked at Gina, confused. “Not literally, the Mon are still underwater.”

“Right.”

“They’ve had no contact with any human nation at all and we’re in a central position relative to the two of them.” Simon watched a staffer crash into a special constable for about a second.

“Isn’t that because they don’t like anyone else?”

“Not important. We like them.” She clicked her fingers and pointed at Simon, another staffer coming in front of the pair, walking backwards rapidly.

“Prime Minister. Newspoll results are:
-Stellar Topographic: The Mon are a “dignified, mysterious people” living in “oceanscapes of our imaginations.” 59%.

-Raladyre Woman called Avali fashion and homewares “functional and exotic,” 64% favourable opinion.”

The Prime Minister nodded. “What about the Equation?” The staffer turned the page.

“A Current Affair ran a programme calling them “depraved Kikadimite worshippers” and “morally repugnant to all civilised peoples.” He stopped for a moment. “19%”

Simon looked at Gina and the staffer. “Nineteen percent are in favour of that?”

The staffer raised his eyebrows. “with 28% ‘undecided’. I—” Just as he was set to continue he backed into a doorframe and threw the Newspoll results in the air. A female staffer quickly stepped over him and took the Newspoll results before they hit the ground.

“And as for Alvia—” Rice cut her off.

“We’re sending someone to Alvia no matter what the polls say. This is too good an opportunity to ignore.”

[The National Confederacy]

The Grand council of the Duce has announced as of last fortnight that there are signs of life far away from our system. These aquatic beings which frolic like dogs in their ecosystem have appeared to achieve interdimensional travel, concerns whether or not these filthy beings are hostile is still up for debate. The armed forces have rallied together in anticipation of an attack and have begun to urge the Council to open of the Nova 8 chemical weapons storages to strike the xenos first. The Council, remains undecided and continues to stand by their defensive doctrine and insures that if an invasion does occur the weapons will be released onto the homeworlds to cull the enemy and leave our people unharmed. General Radec of the Mud trooper initiative says that any invading force will reckon invading since the army has for gone massive reforms sine the great war, but until then we must be calm and vigilant in the face of disgusting extra-terrestrials.

[Sol Mon]

/// Ministry of Defence System Situation Report ///

With the breaking of isolation and the establishment of trade and communication with some of the Human countries and the expansions of ties with the Avali. Although most of these Humans are worthy of respect, not all of them have proven themselves. The survivors in "The National Confederacy" are a truly disgusting backwards people, failing to understand that the resulting situation of their nearly destroyed planets is a direct result of the actions of themselves and not some dark foreign force. The local Human country is "The Republic of Osandervaal", a prospering country with strong institutions of Democracy; we could benefit significantly from closer relations with them, their people lack the religious zealotry or the rampant Xenophobia and self-destructive tendencies of some other Human countries. The other major Human country near us is "The Federal Republic of Stjerne" an obtuse system of governance we haven't seen since before the Unity Actions, this country is an offshoot of Alvia, a Kingdom of human mutants, the mutant aspect of Alvia has carried over to Stjerne. The Ministry of Societal Maintenance has expressed interest in acquiring these mutants to stop possible mutations within other populations. We have the ever-reliable Avali at our back, they have shown us significant goodwill with them nearly immediately allowing us access to their digital networks, and we should take advantage of this to show honour towards the Avali people as they could be useful allies in the Human-dominated system.

Thankfully, all of these foreigners seem to be land-based. They should exhibit significant difficulties in launching a planetary invasion; especially so if they rely on orbital support due to the natural situation of our worlds, as well, we cannot initiate a ground assault onto their planets until we properly develop a land going force. Now that the Kadimite Empire has fallen it may be in our best interest to reinstate the Parliament that was dissolved during the beginning of the system occupation. The popularity of our Family for saving the population from a brutal invasion at the hands of Kleptocrats and foreigners will only last for so long if we don't have a significant enemy. As well, I recommend sending an ambassador to the summit that the Humans keep pushing for.

Minister of Defence,
Prince Kala'Pass

[Stjerne]

Presidential Log, Stardate 809.1:
It’s been mere months since the Kikadimite Empire was defeated at high cost and the recovery efforts have been going as smoothly as can be expected. Four of the five Watchtower class starbases are back to full capacity, the Oasis class outposts are once again habitable and the fleet rebuilding, while slower than desired, has not hit any major issues.

Recently, an official transmission from the Raukotari system was received requesting our presence for post-war negotiations. I have given the order Starfleet Command to dispatch one of our Constitution class multirole explorers to transport our ambassador to the conference. Hopefully the conference will go smoothly, but I’d rather hedge our bets to make sure we can get all of our people home safely should the worst happen.
Besides, there’s no harm in showing the flag.
-R.G. Freeman, President of Stjerne

Admiral’s Log, Stardate 809.1:
The fleet status is about as good as could be expected. The rebuilding effort has been agonizingly slow. Out of the 226 ships we’ve been able to recover, so far only 30 have been brought back up to operational status. Over my objections, the Entente is being converted into a museum ship. We need more ships in the field, not a tourist attraction. Still, projections are optimistic about the fleet rebuilding projects. I for one cannot wait, it’ll be good to explore again.
Recently I’ve received orders from the President and the Council to send one of our explorers on a diplomatic mission to the Raukotari System. I’ve ordered the Endeavour to be immediately diverted from her duties in the Solitas system for the mission. She’s already in the right position to pick up the ambassador and I’m not about to divert any of our vessels from their frontier patrol or recovery duties and the hulks still in Solitas are safe from external groups or pirates from hijacking them. By the time I record this, she should be leaving Tranquillity starbase on her roughly 15 sector long voyage.

I don’t know the ambassador personally, but I do know Endeavour’s captain. There aren’t many I’d trust more for a mission of this importance. Afterall, Endeavour is going to be the first Stjernean ship since the Entente to visit Raukotari and the very first to do so in a time of peace.
On a more personal note, I can’t help but be envious of my subordinates. I knew when I accepted this position following the loss of Command during the Battle of Solitas would keep me off the bridge of a ship, but I don’t think I anticipated how much myself I’d leave behind on my old command. There are times I can't help but think about commanding the Entente on a deep space exploratory mission once again.
-Fleet Admiral M. Grey, Chief of Starfleet Operations

[Veneerus Avali]

The avali Held their own during the Kikadimite and stayed within their influence during the reign. They however lost a decent chunk of fleet towards the end when the kikadimite's were looking to make a huge resource grab to prevent their fall.

Oracle report(inbound info) 08.09.01 AKEF
Military repair status: 90% of damaged fleet repaired.
Received transmission from Kingdom of Alvia [Human.]: Wants to have a diplomatic summit.
Received Trade Request from Mon
Received Various requests from traveling packs and requests to pick up supplies.
Nexus Links: STABLE

Oracle report(Output/ Outbound) 08.09.01 AKEF
Send Reiku Of The Spero Pack As Ambassador. Mission Figure out what the humans want and if there is any trade things of value. Ship assignment: Exploratory ship Eagle eye
Assign Stacia khalan as body guard. Mission: Protect Reiku at meeting and use emergency teleport beacon in-case of emergency.
Approve Trade Request for Mon
Dispatch Trade ships to move around supplies and Finish repairs on Last 10% of current fleet.

Send Report to all Avali Nexus pods: Approved by Council Member Khrozma. Sent
Send Trade Reply to Nexus Pod Mon: Approved. Sent

---

The Avali Reiku would stumble back in shock, overwhelmed even as his eyes went wide
"M-me a-an ambassador? T-this such an honor, Oracle, truly! I t-thank you for such an opportunity and I shall do my best to not fail my position in this! Thank you again, and again, with all my heart! I shall do my very best to represent our people and bring pride to our nation!"

Stacia getting this assignment would scramble to her feet and get herself ready. She grabbed he Rail gun rifle, Hard-light Long-sword, and her custom Power Armour. Making sure she installed the off world systems into both hers and the ambassadors.
Getting to The Eagle Eye she waited for the person she was contracted to Guard during this visit.

[The Salemite Ethno-Free State]

Bridge of Blessed Charles, Edge of the Lawrence System, 21st inst.

"If that's what they're sending then they must be running on fumes." Admiral-General Suleiman remarked at the size of the Outremer fleet that had violated their space. At this distance they were only visible thanks to the sensor suit of the Charles. He couldn't see his own fleet either for that matter, the Vantablack exteriors and stealth systems made the fleet essentially undetectable, with the exception of the lone Saint Class shadowing them, and that was only due to the fact that it was large enough to block out a noticeable amount of the spatial landscape.

That alone should have made the enemies turn back. Back when the Kiks were still relevant in the Upper Disk Saint Class ships had gone head to head with Behemoth types, a match up that was much like that of a lion and a tiger. Additionally the Outremer had been fighting them long enough to know that such ships never operated in isolation. They should have turned back. They should have never even attempted such an operation.

Regrettable as it may be, mistakes like these were to be viciously punished, and it was Suleiman's job to administer that punishment, "The heathens are intent on killing themselves. The operation is to commence."

Within one second of the thought leaving his mind a rapidly red shifting object streaked towards the lead outremer ship for only a split second, the next instant an explosion many times larger than it erupted from its hull.

---

Royal hunting grounds, Jaffa, 21st inst.

"Princess, are you aware of your father's decision for you to attend the Rosemont Convention?" Sarah's thought entered Marie's mind causing her to have to pass up what would have been a centre of mass shot on the Sproose.

Marie rolled over on to her back, glared at her body double/head of security/friend, and thought back, "Of course I am! Who do you think forwarded the Alvian invitation to him."

"Oh so you've prepared for this." Sarah responded as Marie rolled back over, put her ski cap back on as it had fallen off when she rolled over the first time.

"About as prepared as I can be to attend a congregation of heathens. Still is seems like an ideal opportunity to advance our interests. Priority one getting allies, priority two getting a frame work for a lasting peace or failing that a framework in which would grant us an advantage in any further conflict." Marie thought back as she once again lined up the sights over the Sproose's hearts. Having accomplished that she placed her index finger on the trigger and pulled-

"Oh the Outremer States have announced that they will be unilaterally halting hostilities for the duration of the conference!" The shot went wide, and the startled Sproose galloped forward, its antler-like branches caught on two trees snapping its neck in a manner which was repulsive to observe.

"Damnit Sarah! Do you know how expensive it is to get a Sproose shipped down from Hell?!" Marie shouted.

"My apologies princess, I thought that news would please you." Sarah though back.

"Yes, it's good to know that at least Suleiman is earning his pay check." Marie transmitted back as she angrily slung her hunting rifle over her shoulder.

[Angarin]

As the nations across the region starts to open up and reveal their intentions, one in particular resonates for its lack of movement and resolve.

This nation, known as Angarin, have remained as a bystander as all the other nations were being affected by the great issues afflicting the region not for a lack of interest, though, but for a personal decision of first trying to build up it's own power and trade influence before entering into the world stage, perhaps not realizing that it may be too late for them by when that time comes.

That was the debate its president was having with himself, the Vice President, Leaders of Congress and even his own ministers were already asking him to stop waiting and to give that jump Angarin needed and, the arguments they did were right but his mind was still filled with doubt. Was this the right time?

Perhaps this was being rushed and all he would be doing was throwing his nation to the gutter, perhaps he was going to destroy it all by trying to show what little power he had or perhaps he would find the help Angarin needed against any potential invader, he wasn't sure.

As the night flowed and the moon showed its silver beauty, helped with the shining of the everlasting stars surrounded by the dark void of space, his mind was trying to decide whether or not he would pass the Congress decision, a decision that would change Angarin the same way that the world was changed when the last massive extinction happened, the difference being that it would be his influence what would determined the end of all of this.

Finally, as fast as the passage of a comet, the answer came to him under a simple premise, that it was better to move and accept the consequences, than to not do anything and suffer for a lack of foresight. He looked at the files of the few nations they were checking on, he noticed one in particular called the Kingdom of Alvia, and decided that it was for the best of everybody to do this before it was too late.

With his decision made, he signed the bill presented to him and called his whole staff with the tone he only use for his most important decisions:

"Call the media, it's time to move forward and they need to inform our citizens who our new ally will be".

[Sol Mon]

Minister for Trade, Infrastructure and Industry Robert Orson busied himself in the mirror, looking at himself from various angles.

“Minister.” He turned around.

“Simon! If it isn’t my favourite project manager!”

“I’m Samuel Long, Simon is the prime minister. I tell you what, the Mon are going to love this.” He tapped the poster rolled under his arm. “Chesrear Expeditionary Corporation have really done it this time.”

“You came with a result quick… did you do any consultation at all?”

Long rolled his eyes. “Did you do any consultation about the interpreter? He’s a member of the OPU.”

“What?” Hearing his title mentioned the interpreter came from the ship’s hallway. He looked familiar to Orson. “Hang on… you’re the bastard who was stealing my election posters! Who made this muppet the interpreter?”

“Allegedly stole and defaced your election posters. And it’s because only three people in Osandervaal speak Mon.” He crossed his arms smugly.

“Why not the other two?”

“The other two—”

“People who stole and defaced my election posters. Of course. I really—” He stopped for a moment. “We have to go in. I’ll deal with you later.”

---

"Under Minister Kla'Long!" Orson opened his arms as he approached the Mon, ignorant of what the gesture probably meant to a race of eels. The interpreter quickly translated with none of the enthusiasm.

"Minister for Trade Robert Orson!" Kla'Long, followed nervously, opening his arms in a moment parroting the Human hoping that this was a sign of friendly greeting and not aggression.

"I do hope you find the accommodations we have provided acceptable, our xenobiologist are far more familiar with the Avali than they are with humans," composing himself slightly.

"Excellent." Robert turned to the interpreter. "They are already familiar with our customs. Now, tell him this:" Orson's faced opened in a cavernous smile,

"The Osandervaal National Democrats are committed to fostering free and fair trade, and peace and prosperity across our part of the galaxy. This is why we are taking the extraordinary step of engaging with you here today! We are interested in embarking on the construction of a range of trade and consular services so we can," he stuck his fingers together, "mesh together."

The interpreter said something much shorter, and didn't sound much like the clicking the underminister replied with. He also did not mesh his fingers together. Orson lent to the side.

"That sounds fucking awful, can they actually understand you?"

"I am glad to hear that you are here to foster friendly relationships between our kind, I thank you for coming to use in such a friendly manner. I have been infused with the power of my Emperor to agree on behalf of the country on manners such as trade and the establishment of diplomatic structures between our peoples, " Kla'Long glances at the human interpreter. "Should they be beneficial.”

Orson took a moment to look to the interpreter but liked what he heard. "Fantastic, now there are obvious difficulties involved with... biology. Which is why I have this gentleman here to facilitate.
The third man, better dressed than the other two, stepped forward with his right arm extended. After a second of it awkwardly hanging there he quickly jerked it up into a big thumbs up.

"Nice recovery" whispered Orson.

"Samuel Long, Chesrear Expeditionary Corporation." He unfurled the poster rolled under his arm but it kept rolling back up, and wouldn't stay flat until he got some help from the minister to hold it open. "This is why our first plan is an ambitious shore complex designed to accommodate the pair of us. We're thinking limited business and commercial facilities and then common, "park" type areas." He finished with a grand sweeping arm motion but the poster rolled back up and hit the minister in the face.

"Hello Samuel Long Chesrear Expeditionary Corporation," giving a confused thumbs up, he could feel the Emperor flinch, although he was not sure if it was at the radically long name the human gave or the mimicry.
"The establishment of such a facility could only enrich each other's people economically and spiritually, we as well wish to establish such constructs on Overtonn for spiritual and material enrichment."

"Fantastic!" The minister exclaimed. "Let's get out of here." He and Samuel both whipped out thumbs up, seeing as the Mon was so fond of the gesture. He leant to the interpreter. "Thumbs up."

"I'm not doing that."

"Thumbs up or I build a spaceport next to your house." The interpreter threw on an unconvincing smile and brought his right thumb to bear.

Kla'Long, gives another very confused thumbs up, completely unsure of the Human's insistence on using it. As soon as the Humans were out of sight he sinks below the surface and disappears to the darkest depths of the sea.

---

"Well, I think that went about as well as it could of," Kal'Long repeated to himself, rubbing his face, sticking his head above the ocean for such a time caused it to itch and it made him exceedingly uncomfortable.

Soon after diving into the deep sea his entourage regrouped with him, a xenobiologist Kal by the name of Kal'On and their Kala overseer.

"Why didn't you inform me of their insistence on using their thumbs?" Kal'Long demanded from the young xenobiologist.

"I had no idea they do that! Do you think I studied the humanities? Do you think anyone studied the humanities? The only other species we had contact until recently is the Avali, we don't even know for sure if those Human-like things are actually mutants or entirely different species or not!" flinching from the harsh tone Kal'Long took with her

"What does the Empire pay you for?" turning to the Kala, "I want you to project what happened into directly into the xenobiologist, the human's insistence on body language is something we should have known about and I should have been informed of before this, now, unless we have some other forgeiner to meet then we should return immidatly!"

[Haldoria]

Kerthew Heigh read over the edited message, diligently reading it over. Although he and the cabinet had done this hundreds, if not thousands, of times, he still felt obligated to do a final check before presenting it to the president. Arnold still didn't quite seem to understand his position, but he took it very seriously and aligned with their goals, so no one in the party was particularly concerned. Really, his first hint that something was up with the documents he handled was that they always had to go through the Prime Minister first, no matter what. Shrugging his shoulders, he knocked on the door to the president's chambers and upon hearing the buzz of the door unlocking, stepped inside.

"Ah, Kerth! So what news do you have for me?" Arnold leaned forward in his seat, his salt and pepper hair falling just short of his dark brown eyes.

"Sir, I would prefer you used either my title or family name. Nicknames are unprofessional."

Arnold shrugged, snatching the papers out of Kerthew's hand, quickly reading them over. "So they're essentially calling a meeting of sorts and we need a representative?" Kerthew nodded, refraining from any complaints about repeating exactly what had been written. Arnold shuffled the papers and straightened them out, looking up at him. "Well, we'll have to send you, Mr. Prime Minister."

[Valetoria]

"If we're all accounted for, I'd like to begin with the less interesting topics before we address the koric in the room." Empress Tunala Mulhar, the fifth ruler of the Valetorian Empire, began as she took her seat at the round table. She seemed calm and tranquil as always, her silver eyes scanning the room before smiling softly. "General Tress, I hear we're ahead of schedule?"

"Indeed, your Majesty." High General Menkin Tress declare with that same, calculated and clear tone he'd give during any of his rousing speeches. "Though our ground forces have been severely lessened due to casualties sastained during the war for liberation, I'm happy to report that with the aid of the new Champion androids and AI controlled platforms we've been able to compensate for our lack of manpower." With a tap on his personal PDF, he projected a series of graphs, tables and charts to highlight his point, as well as several images of the new war machines. "To boot, our recruitment campaign across the new colonies of Prosper-4 has been a success, Ensign is already bursting with new soldiers and officers in the making and the exceptionals are being shipped to White Wolf as we speak. At this rate, we should have a standing army stronger then any Valetoria has seen before, on top of the droid army we're assembling." Tress was a stern figure, years of warfare and bloodshed against the Kikadimites had hardened his resolve and behind his golden eyes there was a fire seldom seen. He was tall, heavily augmented and wore the standardized crew cut his men were expected to wear with pride. Though he was rarely seen smiling, he was beaming with pride before his Empress.

"Excellent, I trust you will not fail in your duties to lead the new wave of soldiers in the coming years of prosperity." Empress Mulhar congratulated as she shifted her attention to the man to his right. "Commander Alan, you have something to tell me I believe?"

"Yes, your Majesty. Unfortunately, the PDF is likewise feeling the growing weight of an understaffed Garrison. We're spread thin across Sigma and Blockade and although the drones help, we need more personal. The Snake Eaters are still at fighting force, even after our loses, but the other garrisons need a surge in numbers." High Commander Leonas Alan reported as he placed several printed reports and estimates on the table before sliding them over to the Empress, who in turn picked them up and scanned them thoroughly.

"You will have your reinforcements Commander, with the war over we finally have the luxury to go at our own pace, but right now we need to also ensure we don't fall behind in our civic departments. The war put severe strain on our production of luxuries, exports and food, thankfully our numbers are returning to more appropriate, sustainable levels and we can even brooch the subject of trade, though that is a topic for later. I believe we should be able to soon remedy our lack of defense personal, but should an emergency occur we will redirect personal from the army branch." The Empress alleviated the Commander's concerns but he still seemed troubled. He was a young man, only recently gaining his place within the upper stratum of Val'Kala, but he was talented. A smart individual with the ability to see further down the line, what the people of Valetoria needed in their leaders, Empress Mulhar believed. It certainly helped he looked like the poster boy for the Valetorian military, clean cut, strong and with just the right amount of physical augmentation to not upset the technologically backwards.

"Thank you, I understand that your job is difficult but a stronger defense force will ensure a safe, stronger future for us all." The Commander finished with a small bow before taking his seat. The Empress neatly compiled the lists and reports before handing them to her assistant, who finished pouring her a cup of tea and resumed his stance next to her.

"I wish to start by saying that although we're all faced with an arduous task I thank you, your Majesty, for your swift and decisive action in working towards rebuilding what we've lost. As we speak, we're already working towards rebuilding the 4th royal fleet. It will take some time, but we will no doubt be able to bolster our numbers with warships that will put our pre-war navy to shame." High Admiral Kara Farfiel announced with gusto, causing the Empress to frown, if only for a split second, going unnoticed by all but her assistant. The admiral was a great tactician and cool under pressure, but the empress found her...Tiring. She seemed to feel a need to brown nose and suck up to her, even after gaining her seat among her chosen few. Her admiration wasn't born out of a desire for a higher position, for there was none, nor was it born out of some form of deceit, she simply loved her leader, and that over abundance of admiration was exhausting. Still, from her well pressed suit, polished metals, slick hair and neural modifications and her unwavering resolve, she was exactly what the empress desired from her admiralty.

"And how is the production of the new Kalen class flagships proceeding?" The Empress inquired before taking a long sip of her regina tea.

"Well, if we continue as we're currently working at we-"

"We will be producing sub-par ships, your majesty." A monotone, screeching voice interrupted the admiral as one of the two holographic people present cut in. "I apologise that I can not be here in person to remind the dear admiral that quality trumps quantity. These new models may be better than our new...Neighbors, but if you would give me more time I can reshape some of these toys I've been given into something truly spectacular. My drive core is a true darling, but it is only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. I beg you, let me cut up my specimens and spoils of war and I will forge something beautiful." Researcher 'Constellation' pleaded, its mechanical voice though lacking in emotion carried its clear desire for some unknown treasure. It was obscured by a large, blue coat and hood and an overabundance of facial modifications that made it impossible to distinguish if it was either man or woman.

"I can not simply wait for you to dig something up, we need a stronger naval fleet and I will not wait, whatever technological marvels you create will simply have to be integrated into current models." The empress declared as she put her tea cup on the table and addressed the researcher directly. "Do not think I don't respect your work or appreciate what you've done for our people, if I didn't I wouldn't have assigned you to White Wolf nor granted permission for you to preform your...Unorthodox procedures. Still, I can't postpone the manufacture of our new warships. While we're on the subject, how is your research going?"

"Quite well, your Majesty, quite well. I would smile, but uh, I'm sure none of you would notice. The drive core was quite a nice little gift but if I continue at this rate I may uncover something particularly juicy." It sounded pleased with itself, though it's hard to tell given the extent of its augmentation and replacement parts.

"Good, will you require any aid from Cryptic? She's currently in the middle of an expedition into Sector-44 but we should be able to establish contact by the end of the week." Empress Tunala asked as she picked her cup back up and added some brown sugar to her tea.

"Hmm...I would hate to interrupt her work, but should she find herself finished with whatever is down there, I'd enjoy the company of someone who can actually comprehend what I'm trying to accomplish around here."

"Noted. Now then, onto the reason we're here, I've come to a decision on how to approach our Alvian friend's request." She announced, sitting back into her seat. "I'm sending a representative of the Empire to hear out what they have to say and possibly forward Valetorian interests, namely trade."

"Are you certain this is the right path forward for the Empire?" General Tress asked, raising a brow at her.

"Of course, we went through all the pain of bolstering their losing war along with the rest of our allies, might as well harbor good relations."

"And who do you intend to send, your Majesty?" Commander Alan pressed further. Sipping from her tea, she simply gestured towards her assistant who was quietly tapping away at his PDF.

"I would be honoured to represent you, and the empire, your highness." He spoke up, his serene, soft voice seemed to cut through the relative silence of the dark room as he smiled at her before going back to his PDF.

"Along with sending him, I intend to send a small contingent of royal guards for protection and I've already assigned a vessel for transportation. Specifically, the EFS Evermore." Empress Tunala stressed her point as she displayed a holographic image of the titular vessel. "It's one of our new models and with the aid of Constellation's drive core the journey into Alvian territory should be swift. If anyone has anything they'd wish to be addressed in his meeting, I'd advise informing him or I soon as he departs tonight." She finished as she allowed them to raise suggestions, question said suggestions and question the necessity of this whole ordeal, all the while Empress Tunala sipped her tea and watched with her ever pleasant smile.

---

"Any last minute requests, or should I simply go with what's already been jotted down during my visit?" The Empress' assistant asked with a grin as he stared down below at his waiting vessel and the small retinue of armoured guardsmen waiting in the landing bay for his arrival.

"No, but if I think of something particularly interesting I'll be sure to call you on your comline." The Empress assured as she stood aside him. "Do try your best not to get shot or maimed, it is quite annoying having to replace limbs or organs and Cryptic is getting tired of my personal requests." She joked as he began walking towards the lift down into the hanger.

"And how do you think I feel when I gotta have them replaced? No need to worry, Alvians are generally agreeable and not prone to sudden outbursts of sudden limb removal. If all goes accordingly, I should be back within the end of the fortnight with a souvenir or two to boot. Hopefully the Empire doesn't collapse without me here to deal with all the busy work and petty lords." He quipped as he stood in the center of the lift, arms behind his back as he began slowly descending.

"Hmph, I certainly managed well enough before you took care of the lords and I can certainly find someone to distract them while you're away. Safe travels." She parted ways with a genuine smile as she walked away, to assume her usual duties, as he stepped aboard the EFS Evermore with his personal entourage and a mission in mind.

[Osandervaal]

“Minister.”
“Minister.”
“Minister.”

Simon Leigh, Gina Rice and Robert Orson all faced each other on the video link. The minister for trade went first after Gina turned and smiled at him. “We ahh… made a good impression. They’re great fans of the ol…” He put his thumb up. “Two problems though.” His voice began to rise, “some muppet made a member of the Progressive Union my interpreter. Pain in the arse he was.” Gina, with her nine interpreters sitting behind her, smirked. “And ahh… the project is overbudget.”

“What?” The prime minister exclaimed. “How can you overbudget when you haven’t even started? Get that stooge from Chesrear in here!” Simon slammed the table. “He’s clearly the brains of your operation.” After a moment of absence, during which Gina polished her glasses pointlessly and conspicuously, Orson returned with Samuel Long Chesrear Expeditionary Corporation.

“Prime minister…” he leant over the table with one hand in his jacket, “unfortunately we have to revise the plans as the facility in mind needs to have… more water, for the Mon.”

“Why did that not occur to you in the initial draft? They're fish people.”

Orson chimed in, “eel people.”

“It was considered an irrelevant detail in the draft phase—” Samuel was cut off by Leigh.

“Gina, you’re not going to Alvia anymore.” She flicked her hair smugly. “That honour is going to this fuck up over here.”

Long pointed to himself, confused. “me?” he mouthed. Before the prime minister could explain the definition of “fuck up” he turned to Gina.

“Give me some good news, please.”

“We won’t have any building issues, as our plans include air conditioning,” she looked at Simon. “Or any interpreter issues. I have nine.” She said, as if the nine people sitting behind her couldn’t be seen.
“Why are you wasting our money on nine interpreters?”

“One,” she gestured to the blue Avali next to her. “To interpret, and eight,” she gestured again, “to stand behind me and nod.” Gina beamed.

“Good girl. I’ll talk to all later.” The video was terminated and Gina stood up.

“Alright team, let’s do this.” All nine interpreters stood up. The Avali was first behind her.

“Madam minister, the interpreters, the journalists and the showing of teeth, why is all this necessary?” Gina donned her coat and kept walking to the ship’s door.

“Khaumi, I want there to be so many pictures of me on Avali media they think I’m the prime minister. If you act like a celebrity people will eventually think you are one.” With that the doors to the ship opened and they made their way down the stairs. They were immediately bombarded with hundreds of camera flashes from the stockade of newspaper interns, braving the cold. Gina looked ahead, smiling broadly and locked on the building a short distance away. Khaumi followed close behind her, and the other eight arranged their heads in the perfect angles to direct attention towards Gina. As she made her way to the Avali representative a critical though entered her head:

“That Chesrear project manager and the fish man have the same surname…”

---

"Official Rahyu, great to see you!" As Gina walked through the doors of the reception building she outstretched her right hand.

Khaumi turned to face Rahyu, translated, and turned back.

Rahyu Was holding a tablet in his hand that was labelled P.O.I (portable Oracle interface) on the back of it. He seemed to have a program running to build off the translation provided by Khaumi and Gina talking. There was also an image of a somewhat AI Avali. Before replying to Khaumi he would turn the tablet around to show them what was running and so the Oracle AI could better listen in.
"Welcome to Looganas" he responded in a few peeps and chirps. He lightly grabbed her hand with his gloved one. She would notice that it was very cold. "I hope you don't mind that we are indexing their language to easily communicate with them in the future. It also probably best that we move this to somewhere more suitable for talks" Rahyu peeps again gesturing to them to sit down. The seats were all sorts of different sizes and shapes. There being some Avali ones and some human ones.

"Of course." Gina and Khaumi sat down, the rest of her entourage standing up. "So of course, we're here for a very obvious reason, aren't we?" She smiled broadly. "We want this to work for the both of us. The apparent reality is unless you're involved with the post-Kikadimite community you're going to fall behind and others will try and take advantage of you. You don't want that. We don't want border issues and spy networks; at the time it seems that trade and understanding is good for both of us." Gina finished her demonstration of smearing an imaginary planet against the table, still smiling, as the interpreter continued.

Rahyu listen to the other Avali and thought over what she said and replied with "I thought these talks were going to happen at the summit we were invited to. But As far as it goes We are willing to trade and leave our borders open with certain limitations. Which would mostly be that We would allow your military fleets to pass through as long as we were notified and that they stayed away from the Avalon systems. Most of our packs not involved with government tend to show distaste for humans on their home system but are okay with them in our so called 'settled worlds'. This mostly comes from our past interaction with humans before the Kik. We are also willing to trade some of technology" he smiled his 4 ears perked up in curiosity. He also flipped over the tablet again so they could see it showing that the AI had also suggested these proposals and that it was learning more of their language.

Gina leaned back, considering. "We... weren't really interested in military access at the point, but it's certainly nice of you to offer. There are some points that need to be addressed: "this distaste for humans" you mentioned with the... pack Avali. That's going to be a problem. At this point we don't know how the rule of law is applied and it needs to be said now: if this is going to work, racially motivated crimes can't be tolerated in any extent. Doesn't matter where they occur, and your rather unique form of political organisation isn't going to absolve you in the eyes of anyone. An "incident" won't just kill trade from Osandervaal. Something happens and you'll be restricted to trading exclusively with the Mon, and you definitely can't afford that." She folded her hands out in front of her. "Essentially what I'm saying, is that if trade and consular services are going to work we're going to need a guarantee that any murder, or harassment, or assault is not going to be overlooked at any level of your government apparatus." She continued to look straight at the Avali while Khaumi translated.

The Avali gives a bit of a shocked peep as she says some of this " Well we don't just let Avali go around murdering people. There's still laws in place against this regardless of species. We just can’t fully anticipate how some of the avails that live on the home world would react to humans being there. As with your race I would assume you have xenophobic peoples. Humans are very much permitted to come to any planet but Avalon. Most of the packs outside of Avalon trade with small human nomads and the such. if this makes any sense. I would assume our dear friend Khaumi over here grew up on one of the outer planets " he said still quite shocked at the fact that she had thought the Avali would let their citizens murder humans under racial fear aspects. " But this planet is estimably our all-inclusive planet. We have built special housing for the mon here based of their technology we have examined and put small Avali touches to it."

"I understand that. I'm sure your murder laws don't make reference to race; the issue is the strength of the institutions enforcing them. I, however am confident that this guarantee is sincere." She looked at her staffers who all nodded furiously. "It would be unfortunate if we had to introduce our physical security for mere commerce. This bring brings me to you question." She leant forward. "I'm sitting here, with you. No one else is party to this conversation." The eight staffers behind her nodded in agreement. "I've just laid out my concern. I feel it has been resolved; I have permission and plans from my government to put down billions of credits into this; if we work together those credits will be turning into concrete, steel and hydrogen before the month is out. My government does not believe we'd be getting anything done by sitting in a room of 10 governments talking about vague concepts like diplomatic integration or declared neutral ground. I'm not going there because I don't want to indulge in a popularity exercise for the king of Alvia wanting to look like a world leader to his people. I'm here in front of you to look like someone who wants increased demand and lower prices at the same time. It's not impressive, but that is the sort of thing that people actually feel." Gina made sure to watch Khaumi say all of it without simplifying.

"Well our AI reports to me that it would suggest in favour of building more trade past the ones we have currently. We would just need to set up What you would like to trade currently. We would also like to have some data on your species in order to better build you a Habitation area on the planet. Which in turn would allow us to give you humans an area to connect to this planets nexus pod to easier trade things and show off stuff we can export to you and the like." he smiled as he slid the over another tablet device that seemed to be built for data collection and had various things related to Avali culture and language on it as well. " I hope this is okay" he said with a soft peep.

"The... whole point of investment is that we're the ones building the supporting infrastructure. That's our investment. If you were interested in participating then I would highly recommend that you consider investing in any planet in Osandervaal. And as for the other concern of yours— what ends up being traded is not my portfolio. It's not anyone's portfolio. We're here to build the infrastructure. Business friendly environments always draw private investments; the specific supplies and demands are something that will be sort itself out once the markets here open."

"Oh. I see" he replies with a somewhat drawn out peep. " Well yes We have land or platforms that we can let you guys build on. And Building on your planet sounds okay. We can that way bring a small nexus pod there that can be used for trading as well. It would also help us transfer scientific information more easily if needed. " The Avali pulled stood up and went over to the table and pressed a few buttons showing off the planet. " Where would you like to build?" he asked smiling putting out his left hand forgetting which hand she had used earlier.

"These are details, details beneath us. I think it's best if we a had a recess." She put her hands together. "There is the more important issue of Avalon to discuss."

[The National Confederacy]

After 20 years since the Great war our nation is divided amongst those willing to butcher their way across the galaxy and those who seek to preserve our interest. The Council of the National Confederacy would agree to aid in the summit with other leaders in order to abstain from future conflicts. Our planets are near uninhabitable and ridden with chemical gases; a venture the government would rather no longer bear witness to anymore deaths. The Armed forces however have mobilized and stand ready to defend the fatherland until their last dying breaths. Other leaders should take the hint and realize when our xenophobic and hateful culture opens up to outsiders they should get their slimy extra-terrestrial cadavers to this 'summit of nations'...It brings us little joy too.


civilian factories continue to rebuild from the war*

[Kingdom of Alvia]

"Intelligence confirms that the last known Kikadimite Behemoth has been destroyed, along with all known major hives."

"And the minor hives?"

"Locked down by various forces both ours and those of other nations. Most of them are in the final stages of being cleared."

"Waypoint Station has also been restored to full operational capacity, orbital defense satilites have been set up in our other star systems. The fleet has been recalled to home for the summit as per your orders your Majesty."

King Aedian of House Wester nodded his head. He sat at the head of old council table surrounded by his advisors and government officials.

"And what of the new galactic community?" He asked.

"We've begun sending our merchant shipping to and recieving shipments from the nations of Stjerne, Osandervaal, and Angarin. The Prime Minister will be having a confrence communication with Stjerne within the day. As for the summit, we have recieved numerous responses from various nations, even the National Confederacy."

This caused some stir at the table. There was a mumur of disapproval and more than few scowls. The King however held up his hand for silence.

"We will greet our guests with honor and respect. Regardless of who they are our where they hail from," he said. "A standard must be set."

[Stjerne]

[ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION: INTERNAL MEMO: WATCHTOWER, ARCHER TO UTFORSK, SOLITAS ]
TO: THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF STJERNE
FROM: THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Mr President,
Upon review of the available data, our experts have reached a consensus on the matter. They believe that the Alvian Trade Agreement will be highly beneficial for Stjerne in both the short and long term. Additionally, they recommend opening a up our research facilities to Alvian scientists in order to boost our productivity. The Kikadimite’s interference has eroded our technological edge. Long term projections indicate that we must open up a technological gap for the sake of security should diplomatic and economic measure fail to preserve the peace.
If we want Starfleet to be able to continue its missions of peaceful deep space exploration and pure scientific research, it is imperative that trade is opened up with our neighbors, Osandervaal and Sol Mon, as soon as possible in order to discourage any opportunistic attacks during our recovery.

[ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION: INTERNAL MEMO: UTFORSK, SOLITAS TO WATCHTOWER, ARCHER]
TO: THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
FROM: THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF STJERNE

I have taken your suggestions under advisement. The trade and research proposals with Alvia I completely agree with, draft up the paperwork and have it on my desk as soon as possible. As for trade with Osandervaal and Sol Mon, I agree with the former but not the latter. The Sol Mon are currently undergoing significant internal changes following the fall of the Kikadimite Empire and they should be allowed to stabilize first. Additionally, there are potentially dozens of cultural issues that could crop up. Draw up a proposal for trade with Osandervaal, but for the Sol Mon I plan on assembling a team of cultural and linguistics experts to analyze all data we have on them and their current transmissions to ensure a smooth official first contact.

______________

[ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION: UTFORSK, SOLITAS TO ROSEMONT, RAUKOTARI]
TO: JACOB HASTER, PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF ALVIA
FROM: ROSS G. FREEMAN, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF STJERNE
REASON: OPENING OF TRADE, RESEARCH AGREEMENT PROPOSAL

Mr. Prime Minister,
After running your proposal by a panel of experts, it is my pleasure to officially accept your trade offer. I presume the matters relating to any of the ships attacked in international space by criminal elements will be addressed at the conference, hence their absence from the trade papers.
Additionally, on both my own instincts and the advice of said experts I am offering an exclusive research agreement between the Universities and Think Tanks in Utforsk with those on Raukotari. We need to stand together in this new galaxy we find ourselves in, and that means putting aside our differences in favor of our common blood and steel.
-R.G. Freeman, President of Stjerne

___________________

[ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION: UTFORSK, SOLITAS TO EMBARDON, LYNE]
TO: SIMON LEIGH, PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF OSANDERVAAL
FROM: ROSS G. FREEMAN, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF STJERNE
REASON: OPENING OF TRADE

Mr. Prime Minister,
I would like to propose the opening of mutually beneficial trade lines between our two great nations. Specifically between Utforsk in the Solitas system and Raladyre. Our experts indicate that these lines will have the greatest possible benefit between our nations and in the potentially trying times to come we need to ensure that we maintain a healthy, growing relationship with our neighbors.
-R.G. Freeman, President of Stjerne

[Angarin]

The preparations were made, the journey was long but hopeful and there was an air of slight optimism surrounding President Eloy's mind as he was getting closer and closer to Raukotari to meet the Alvian representatives to have their first trading deal in a long time.

It was common for the Angarinians to be cautious but it was never known if them being paranoids was something that they were used to or if it was exclusive to their shy president. Regardless, he was fighting his current fears and was trying his best to try and give a good first impression to whoever the Alvian government sent to receive him, they were sure that humans were the ones in charge and the idea of a Parliamentary government wasn't strange to him but he would always feel concern over the idea of meeting a new individual.

In the end, both he and his diplomatic body reached the Heartlands of Angarin and managed to see how its population moved around the city. The ever moving species were a sight to behold as they were proof of how a nation could be build with multiple races co existing with each other and making the social structure work like a well oiled machine. Never again would the president of Angarin put into doubt the possibility that there could be countries that weren't ruled by madness and it bring him hope of one day be able to have a city like this instead of the madness of a nation he had back home where most of the people that went to see him was by accident (like an ice cream truck flying into his window) or that the most common news he would hear on the TV was on the level of seeing a crocodile receiving voting rights. The Angarinian body would have stayed there for a long while, looking at the marvel that was presenting beauty to their eyes if it weren't for the fact that he was being waited by the Alvian diplomatic body and it would've been rude to let them wait for a longer time.

Later that day, as they entered into a beautiful building that Eloy hoped one day to replicate, he would later be told that it was the Building used by the Prime Minister but he was always too skeptic to believe he would be received that way by anyone, and it was here where the representatives of this two nations would talk. Eloy wasn't sure who was the one greeting him, he never got pictures of the Royal Family or its Prime Minister but he knew that, whoever was sent, he would try his best to treat the man in front of him with as much respect as possible.

The Alvian, well formed, diplomatic, with a well meant lexicon that reflected his good intended nature along his nice clothing of a quality rarely seen by the Angarinian public, was asking what kind of trade could be made between the Kingdom of Alvia and the Republic of Angarin and the answer that Francisco Eloy Vargas could give him was something that would make a marketing magnate proud, for he managed to convey the message that exporting Angarin's processed metals and minerals as well as their new renovable energies would give both nations a boost in their economies since they would now have a reason to compete on the market of selling materials for construction and research.

President Eloy knew that any attempt to open diplomatic relationships with the kingdom would have to go through its parliament the same way his congress would have to approve the deal he was making right now but he was sure that this first meeting would be the one that would give Angarin that economic boost it needed to start making the many projects it devised.

And so, as the day was ending and the Angarinian diplomatic body, who, to the mystery of its president, somehow managed to get many trinkets and other electronic goods even though they never left his sight, was leaving, they couldn't stop from seeing the heartland one last time and hope that, in a time shorter than they expected, Terra would have the same splendor. The construction of a consulate was still pending but the economy was among the first things needed for them and they knew that this was a step that was made on the right direction.

In that moment, with the speed of lightning crossing the mind of its president, he realized that he now had to prepare the encounter with the Alvian diplomatic body that would be sent to Terra. With the reconquering wars on Planet X and Tundra, the current race for the local and regional elections as well as the current debate on whether or not it was constitutional to legalize the scientific experiment necessary to create real live furries as well as having to deal with the androids about to earn the ability to vote, a single emotion crossed the mind of the paranoid president that ruled a mad nation:

Fear.

[Culneira]

"Hello, are we on yet? Is this thing working?"

"We are live, Your Majesty."

"Ah, very good!" spoke the holographic face of His Majesty King Thelmius III of Culneria, as it projected itself out to all the major cities of Culneira. "My people, rejoice! For today, we finally throw off the shackles of fear and isolation that have kept us away from the other nations of the galaxy. For too long, the Kingdom of Culneira has hidden away in the shadows, kept our heads down to avoid the threat of the Kikadimites. But I am proud to announce that, thanks to the noble actions of our neighbours, that threat has at last been eliminated. The galaxy is at last free!"

"And so, we as a nation can at last open our borders and our resources for trade with powerful new allies, taking our rightful place as a leading nation amongst the galaxy! As the gods will it, Culneira will stand, FOREVER!"

All across Culneira, a raucous cheer emanated from the streets as the civilians applauded, but there were a few in the shadows that lingered, frowns upon their faces.

---

"What do you think, my boy?" King Thelmius asked of his eldest son and administrator of the Herculis System, Prince Ralius, as they made their way down one of the many corridors of the Grand Palace.

"A wonderful speech as always Father, by I can't help feel that you are too optimistic about these other nations. If even one of them turns out to be as ruthless as the Kiks, who knows what might happ-"

"Then we will be ready this time. The Kiks caught everyone off guard when they originally attacked. If we can learn the lessons from our history books, that will not happen again."

The two walked in silence before coming to a large wooden door. Inside lay the council chambers, where many of the king's advisors sat, or were holographically projected from across the three systems of Culneira. Set into the table was a large interactive star-map, currently showing the territory of Culneira and its surrounds.

"Ladies, Gentlemen" the king acknowledged as he sat in his chair, carved from a proud mellowgold tree. "What news do you have for me today?"

"Our scouts have reached the borders of a nation calling themselves the The Confederacy of the Salemite Ethno-Free State" replies the holographic face of the administrator of the Invlinti System, Prince Elgius. "We've had a few brief conversations over comms, but they haven't entered our space, so we've kept to ours"

"Very good," said the king, before turning to his Chief Intelligence Officer, a man named Thomas Griltin. "What do we know about this confederacy, other than they have a ridiculously long name?"

"Surprisingly little, unfortunately," Griltin replied. "The Salemites appear to have some limited telekinetic ability of sorts, likely due to an evolution isolated from other planets. They're also shorter than the average human, suggesting they may have cross-bred with another species sometime in the past, which would go further into explaining their special abilities"

"Hmm, interesting... Very well, continue monitoring the Salemites, see if we can get a bit more information about their culture and practices. I don't want to go to speak with them and turn them into an enemy because we insult them by offering them a glass of water."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Now, about this summit that the Alvians have requested. I've thought long and hard about it and decided we cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by. Therefore, as our top diplomat, I will be sending Princess Fiuri as the representative of the Kingdom of Culneira. Fiuri, we need allies in this changed galaxy. We must endear ourselves to them as much as possible, and show them that we are no threat to their hard-earned peace"

"Of course Father," the princess nodded.

"Well, with that out of the way, let's get this council session started properly"

---

"Your Majesty, if I may have a word?"

King Thelmius looked up from where he had been dozing, a book by his side. Council sessions could really drive one's mind away, he thought. Looking up, he saw his Chief of Police, Razen Gan, standing before him.

"Ah, Commissioner Gan, sorry- you appear to have caught me napping. What can I do for you?"

"Your Majesty, we believe we have located the headquarters of the Anti-Royalist Movement" At the king's blank look, he continued. "The ones who have been transmitting the propaganda against yourself and your model of government. If we act quickly, we can take them out before they realise we're onto them."

"Comissioner Gan, has this movement actually done anything except voicing their dissent through the HoloWeb?"

"Well... no, they haven't. But they are a threat and must be dealt with."

"And then we would prove them right. There is nothing illegal with what they are doing. They are perhaps a touch aggressive in their words, but in some cases they are perfectly in the right. We should have responded quicker to the plight of the low-lying farmers when the sea-beasts attacked."

"But... Your Majesty..."

"Moniter them by all means, and if they do anything illegal, then you have my full permission to, what is the phrase, 'throw the book at them'. Until then, just keep a close eye on them"

"Yes, Your Majesty"

[The National Confederacy]

Earlier this week the National confederacy's original council was killed by a terrorist bombing presumable from the outsiders in other galaxies. In response; the Armed forces have taken control and declared martial law and the nation will go dark; chemical weapons are on standby and as the terror of another civil war looms; a small frequency is sent out across the system to stay away and let the national confederacy solve their own issues.



okay folks; this is my way of saying Im gonna be gone for work until the end of august because I'm currently writing this at a tim hortons and all, good luck and no one pull an Iraq

Col.Rooster

[Veneerus Avali]

Reiku was sitting in the ship heading to the meeting of all the current civilizations. "I wonder what we are gonna see at this meeting. The oracle hasn't given me much information past that im supposed to represent us at it." He pulled out his tablet to check if there was any more information on it regarding what else was needed. It pinged a short while after with a message detailing information regarding some exploratory fleet movements. "We have sent a few ships to check out the rest of the galaxy. Please make sure the others at the meeting are aware of this. They are not armed and are just checking whats out there. Thanks Reiku." Having finished reading the message he nodded and then proceeded to lay back down in his cot.

---

Stacia was sitting on the bridge with the bridge crew talking about what back up plans were in place in-case anything happened at the event. "So i want you guys to have the ship ready for warp jump at any sign of hostilities. We will have our locator beacons on the entire time so you can beam us up right before." she said as she pulled out a chip sticking it in the bridges navi computer "But lets hope it doesn't come to that! Anyways im gonna head to my quaters and get everything ready for keeping us cooled down while down there."

Making it to the armory she started to pull out components from her and Reiku's Armour and put in cooling units into the slots. She also put the locator beacons in and set them to the ships radio lengths before hanging them back up.

---

"Foreign Relations Officer Rahyu, I am glad to see another non-human people flourish in in these times of turmoil," Kal'Long opened, glad to finally meet the Avali ambassador. "I must say, this facility you have created is quite exquisite."

Rahyu nods and responds with " The same can be said to you. We haven't found any other non human species during our scouting of what's changed since the kiks fell. And we wouldn't have been able to build it to support your race if you hadn't given us so much info on your species. I hope you've been enjoying the nexus pod and its features? There are many things you can learn about us and our culture.and if you want to teach us more you can add anything you want to it too!" smiling he sat down on the cushion across from kal.(edited)

"Later perhaps, I understand that the Avali are rather... casual when it comes to official business but we cannot afford such in-formalities at the moment." The Emperor, and by extension, the Imperial Government did not find issue with the casualness of Avali trade relations, the merchants and ship prefects, did however. "We need to officialize the trade relations between out peoples, the lack of official allowance and compressive list of contraband in Avali holdings has caused our economic ties to be straddled, uncertainty is one of the greatest threats to economic growth." Kal'Long pauses for a moment(edited)
"I have brought with me the traditional documents that that will officialize our relations, these of course include access to Avali trade hubs and the establishment of permanent diplomatic missions on both of our respective capitals, of course, any Mon citizen who is arrested in Avali lands would be extradited to the Empire, it's only natural"

He nodded " i understand that trading trough the nexus pod can be quite confusing and doesn't seem very official. Do understand however that most of what we do is official due to it being run trough our oracle ai. We just usually act casual about it because that's how most of us live our lives from time to time.We can however set up more offical way for trading as our Oracle ai has recently informed me that it wishes we set up more ongoing trades with you without the need of approval from it. We can get you a list of all things we clasify as contraband sent over to your nexus pod by end of day. and We can also set up a system for you to let us know when your sending to us ahead of time if you want to it would also let us make sure we can protect incoming and out going trade ships. " The avali pulled out his tablet and pressed a few things and a document showed up that explaining the rules the avali would fallow with arrests and such " we also already took the liberty of typing stuff regarding law breaks up. We don't condone breaking laws in foreign lands"(edited)

"The forwarding of information would very much be apricated, I am sure the Emperor would be interested in seeing the list of contraband by the end of the day, as well. We apricate the gesture but our navies do not need help protecting the merchants and prefects, they alone could strike fear into foreign navies."
Kal'Long replied, somewhat bitterly, handing over the treaty.

Rahyu read over the treaty and signed it. He then also took a quick scan of it with his tablet and sent it to both the nexus and the oracle to have it be enacted as soon as possible.

"Very good, it was fantastic talking to you Rahyu and I believe we made good progress today. I can guarantee this will set the framework for further cooperation between our peoples."(edited)

Rahyu nods and replies with " Yes i hope we can bring our species closer with these trades. We are also open to helping you with anything else you need.." he fished with a bow.

Kal'Long bows his head slightly along with the Avali and sinks below the surface of the reflecting pool.

---

Oracle report(inbound info)
Military repairs: Complete
Updated Trade polices with Mon
Updated Language base with basic osandervaal words

Oracle report(Output/ Outbound)
Set up customs office on loognas for screening of trade goods.
Set up Embassy on Avalon built by avalis to make sure Both races needs are meet living wise and safety wise.
Explore galaxy for threats and possible resources.

[Haldoria]

Kerthew once again found himself straightening his tie in the mirror and contemplating his current course of action. He was going to be the one to attend this fancy interplanetary meeting of sorts, not the president. While it was typical for him to be sent on any sort of complex venture (typically through some well placed maneuvering from his party or well placed advice from the president's advisors to Mr. Haldoria himself), he hadn't expected this call. While Haldoria had a presence in intergalactic affairs, it was usually just long distance dispatches between planets. he had never even seen an Avali in the flesh before, for nation's sake. Dusting off his shoulders, he supposed that now was as good a time as any.
___________________

Propping his bleached snakskin boots on his desk, the president himself took a shot of something that reeked of alcohol. He was well aware of what was going on, but there were certainly some advantages to his position. Like being able to send others to boring meetings like this interplanetary one. Really, who was interested in all that dull stuff? He enjoyed the more simple, yet exciting parts of his position. Publicly firing the standard weapon of the army was much more fun for him than sitting through a diplomatic meeting where he'd need to weigh the pros and cons of decisions in some air conditioned room with a bunch of old foreigners. Truly, his was the better job.
__________________

Finished packing the last of his bags, Kerthew brought them outside, knowing there would be someone to load them onto the the transport. Despite the relatively short notice for the meeting by Haldorian standards, he figured it was understandable given recent events combined with cultural differences. With one last aggravated adjustment of his clothes, he was off, heading for the transport.

[Osandervaal]

“I fixed it for you, Minister Reilly.” The Avali interpreter handed the device back to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“Thanks Khaumi. And call me Gina, “minister” sounds like I’m in question time.” On the ship back to Overtonn the two were alone, the other eight “interpreters” drafting speeches Gina wasn’t going to give.

“Gina, what are these for?” Khaumi flicked through a roll of stamps on the table.

“They’re stamps,” Gina raised herself from her lounge chair. “Why do you have those?”

“One of the crew said I needed them to send letters. I want my letter to be the very first that arrives at Looganas when the postal services open.” He licked one featuring a Dignity Class.

“Archaic things. Don’t know why we still have them.”

“They’re cute.” Khaumi held out a roll and it unfurled to the floor. “Gina—”

“Stop talking Khaumi.” Gina narrowed his eyes at him. “Talkback’s on.” She lowered herself back into her chair and put her hands together.

“You’re listening to the Embardon Breakfast Show, this morning we have Prime Minister Simon Leigh here.”

“This is beautiful.” said Gina as Simon was welcomed.

“So Prime Minister, passed your big election issue, National Security Act. The party must be feeling pretty good about themselves now.”

“Alan we feel good every day we are in government and have felt optimistic each day we were in opposition. This legislation is what this country needs to keep Osandervaal safe.”

“Not everyone is happy though, some have said that unrestricted military callouts by local governments is the death of civil society. You don’t think that allowing the military to be deployed whenever a governor gets slightly nervous is a bit extreme?”

“Well obviously I don’t put much stock into what the radicals and degenerates scribble on their…”

“Gina,” asked Khaumi, “How many stamps do I need?”
“One.”

“Fair enough Prime Minister. I’ll say I support the troops just as much as you do. Now our next question is from some concerned listeners: our investment into the Avali planet of Looganas costs more than everything on Looganas combined. It seems to everyone that the Avali have seen what you’ve asked for, tried to get rid of you by only allowing you a backwater and not their capital, and your government dumped a huge load of resources in it to save face. I’ll admit, I like the National Security Act, but I really think you and your foreign minister need to explain this one.”

Gina frowned.

“Alan. Alan! Alan! Oh, Alan the Avali government is just as keen as we are on this project, their minister for trade we spoke to, I’m told, was passionate and engaged with every step of the negotiations. Loved them. We put ports there, not because they were goods to trade but because goods will come. Invest, show confidence, lay the foundations and trade will come! This is an area governments have to lead on, and we have invested a great deal into not just trade, but trust. We trust the Avali, ambitiously so. We exposed ourselves, but we did so in believing in peace. The Avali didn’t know what to think so our Foreign Minister Gina, did a great job and told them what to think. She told them: think peace. She told them this was so much bigger than trade.

“Prime Minister—”

“Looganas is small now Alan, but once upon a time so was Raladyre. With what we’ve done, there is no reason that Looganas cannot be the Raladyre of the Avali.”

“Raladyre is your richest planet isn’t it?” Asked Khaumi.

“Yes, bigger than Overtonn. Nicer too.” As the show was drowned out by tearing paper Gina looked over the chair to Khaumi again. He was opening a letter with some traditional Avali blade. “I’m trying to listen Khaumi, you don’t need a sword to open a letter.

“So only one listener has asked this, but this woman, Ms Anslett, hard working mother from Tempora, she puts in a lot of effort to hear this show out where she is. Wants to know what you the government is doing about the missing teenagers on Tempora. I want to know that if they’ve wandered into some temple and fallen victim to some kind of ancient demon they’ve awoken; if they’ve done that then how can the government justify paying for planetwide exploration when five teenagers can find more in an afternoon.”

“Shit.” Said Gina. Khaumi dropped his blade, clattering on the table. “He wouldn’t have been briefed on this.”

“Alan, I’ve been on this show before. I know you, you know me so I’ll go out there and say that that is an utterly absurd conclusion, just ridiculous. No doubt we will find the children and everything will be fine, this government firmly believes that there are no such things as demons.”

“Interesting position Prime Minister. Newspoll says 81% of Osandervaal are strongly opposed to demons, and the opposition has already taken a strong anti-demon stance.”

Gina sat up. “Who is this bloody 19% who like everything?” Simon was silent for a moment.

“Alan. The opposition’s anti-demon stance doesn’t go far enough. The Osandervaal National Democrats are so anti-demon that we outright deny their existence. No demons in Osandervaal, not one. And there never will be one. But I mean why are you asking me this Alan, surely the question we need to be asking is why the opposition is so soft on demons? I’ll tell you why, it’s because Latham is too spineless to stand up to the demon apologists in his party. I’ll tell you strongly: There will be no demons in a government I lead.”

“See Khaumi? This is what I meant.” She meshed her hands together. “Any other politician would have pointed out that search and rescue is not the responsibility of the national government, and people would have complained because they are too stupid to know how the government works. But not Simon. Simon affirms our opposition to demons, and then says the opposition is pro-demon, that, Khaumi, is why we won the election. I hope he dies early or fucks his secretary, because I won’t be the Prime Minister while that machine of a man is in office.”

“You seem to respect him. Gina, what do you think about Tempora?” He picked up the blade again.

“Oh don’t get me wrong Khaumi, it’s sad, and I really do hope they find those kids but… I mean, it’s not my portfolio.”

---

“I told you we were lost”

“Shut up Tim.”

“Be nice to your brother, it wasn’t his idea to come down here.”

“Still followed us down here.”

“He’s eleven.”

The five of them stood in one of many chambers in the byzantine undergrounds of the temple. In the low light the hieroglyphs of the wall cast strange figures dancing across the hallways.

“I don’t want to die…” squeaked Tim, quickly cut off by his brother Charlie.

“We’re not going to die, we can get out of here easily, there’s enough with us to last down here for at least two weeks.”

“Yeah.” Said Pauline. “The tombstone would be real fuckin embarrassing: local teen kills friends, brother through his astounding stupidity.”

“Guys—” Rebecca cut in. “Whether or not it was a dumb idea isn’t important now, if we’re going to get out of here quickly we have to stay calm and think properly.” She walked over to Tim.

“You’ve always wanted your brother to treat you like an adult, right now we really need you to be one. Everything is going to be fine. Charlie.” She looked up. “If we find that pot or something you have to split it with your brother evenly.”

Charlie didn’t particularly care what he was saying but Pauline felt the need to contribute. “Of course! The magical amphorae that would solve all of our problems and get us off this fucking desert.” Jacob rolled his eyes again.

“The plan checked out, the government is keeping all excavation under control, we get one, even half a pot. Can sell that to some private seller for enough to get all of us off of this rock and into some cheap land in one of the new development zones. Go to university in Raladyre and come back when the price of land there has doubled. We sell it off and get rich before we even start a job.”

“Private seller?” Replied Pauline. “You mean black market? Four teenagers, sixteen-seventeen, with black market dealers—” Rebecca cut her off.

“He was going to charge well below possible price, so messing us over wouldn’t be worth it. There was a plan here Pauline, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Charlie—” Tim stopped himself. “Rebecca, can I have another—” They all stopped when they heard a set of footsteps from a hallway. They echoed off of the stone temple walls so none of them knew where they were coming from or how many they were. They were paced, hard and deliberate. Jacob looked like he was about to run but Rebecca put a hand on his shoulder. Sand slowly trickled from cracks in the ceiling and the walls, and a dancing blue light snaked across the walls.

“Just walk quickly.” Rebecca whispered, pushing him down one of the hallways as she grabbed Tim’s hand. “And stay together.”

[The National Confederacy]

The recent turmoil in the NCA has resulted in a military takeover and the urge to isolationism grows stronger in the National Confederacy. The Army fearing war has put more research into military technologies and factories in order to prevent a xenos attack. The NCA admiral declared that any foreigner who goes into NCA territory will be executed to high decree; thus beginning the era of the slogan "I don't give a damn" a new chapter. A new capitol ship has also been launched in commemoration of Admiral Mauser, the new Duce of the National confederacy and the NCA's elected representative in senate congregations.

"Only the strong will survive, there is no place for the weak; and in the end we will not be judged on what we have destroyed, but what we have created"

-Admiral Mauser Kordone

[Kingdom of Alvia]

Alvian News Network Report:
Diplomatic summit:
Diplomats have begun to arrive from across the galaxy for the sumit being hosted by his Royal Majesty King Aedian of House Wester. In a statement to the press the King said, "With the Kikadimites defeated we must now work to ensure a more stable and free galaxy in which our citizens may live without fear of foreign aggression."

Not much has been revealed as to what His Majesty is hoping to get out of this confrence though it is generally believed that topics such as international law, laws of war should the worst happen, multiple trade a research deals, and potentially the formation of a united defensive alliance. For the moment however all of this is just speculation. More as we learn about it.

Alvian Navy continues new production, is the Army being left behind?:
Despite the last major engagement with the Kikadimites having been months ago and the conflict declared over, the Alvian navy has continued production of new warships. In a statement by Naval department, "We intend to restore the Fleet to its proper stength. Many ships were lost to the Kikadimites and have yet to be replaced."

Meanwhile the Army has been seeing little growth, many recruitment centers have shuttered their doors and Parliament recently cut the budget armies production budget by almost half. In a statement by the office of the Prime Minister, "The intention of these measures is to restore our combat forces to pre war levels of combat readiness." Outstanding orders of equipment and parts will still be filled but there are currently no plans for any majo expansions of the Kingdom of Alvia's ground forces.

[Sol Mon]

"54 dead, 124, wounded, my Emperor," the Tertioaugustani, palace guards psychologically connected to the emperor, reported emotionlessly to his superior. After a moment, "My Emperor?"

"Dismissed," Kala'Soot groaned, rubbing his face. The last week has been an utter disaster, with the announcement that the state of emergency declared when the Kikadimite Empire entered the region wouldn't be lifted the Empire broke out into riots, the most recent one numbering almost a thousand broke through the palace gates, forcing the Tertioaugustani to intervene and use lethal force. Thankfully the Ministry of Structure foresaw a possible upheaval over this announcement and wired a series of emergency instruction to security forces detailing the best ways to counter the riots quickly, thankfully, his son was out of empire on a luxury ship en route to the summit, along with Kla'Long, and he hoped the government could cover this all up with a very large rug before they return, his son was very popular with the liberals, far more than he has ever been, and their personal relationship has soured recently, he didn't think it completely impossible that his son would come back with the Navy and force his abdication, he hoped that putting him into the military would make him more of a traditionalist; instead it made the Navy more liberal.

"Your concerns aren't unreasonable, you wouldn't be the first one to be overthrown by their child," hissed the Minister of Integrity, there always seemed to be on the hidden entrance to whatever room the Emperor seemed to be in at the time. "There are things that can be done to stop such a thing from occurring,"

"Minister, I strongly suggest that you cease this line of conversation, you may be... great at your job, but not even you can slither around a lead bolt, I lead the Empire through the long night. I lead the Empire through reunion. You should remember who leads the Empire; if I could save this Empire from oppression then I can save my son from himself!"

"Yes, of course, my lord" flinched the Minister, sliding back into the cracks he flowed out of. The Emperor considered the Minister of Integrity to be scum, the only reason why he is in government is that the Emperor isn't sure that he can't slither around a lead bolt and he couldn't delegate the task of keeping him in line to someone below him without the fear of the Minister taking to much power. As the Emperor reaches for his communicator on his desk to call the Minister of Structure to his office, there is a knock at the door, "Come in?"

"Erm, yes, I was told by the Minister for Integrity that you needed to see me, My Emperor?" eeked the Kala'Aloo, the Minister for Structure.

The Emperor groaned.