The United Galactic Republic [IC|Sci Fi|Political|Open]

[Novas Arcanum]

Ecumenpolis World of Cosmopolis

Portal to OOC|Portal to Galactic Senate

---

Welcome to Cosmopolis
Bustling capitol of the Galactic Republic, if you can make it here you can make it anywhere they say. Cosmopolis is a politician's wet dream, home to two point five trillion people of countless alien species, this world is the place, to gain recognition, campaign for legislation, and plot your way to power and prestige. Your senator will start here and may enjoy the sights and activities of the city world or leave to commit to other duties across the galaxy.

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[United Auroran Empire]

The attendant runs down the alleys and dark corners, clutching in his hand a pad with the senators words and code-phrases attached. Several rights and lefts, and confusingly an elevator, leaves him at the door of the most rinky-dink ,ash covered, grime filled, and downright condemned apartment building. He walked inside, his other hand gripping his Naval-Issued Axial 900 Handlaser. He walks down the hallways of flicking holo-lights and piles of trash outside doors. He arrives at door , waves the pad across the door and a series of locks open and the door rusting. Inside was a pristine wall-to-wall computers and display with coordinates and mathematical figures dancing across them. In the center is a giant holo-dispaly. The attendant walks forward and enters the code-phrases and awaits for the image to appear. A tall and tactically dressed Axial woman stands with her arms behind her back, looking down on the attendant.
"What is the issue? Where is Roxlany?"
"Roxlany has urgent news. Your operation is going to face issues in the coming days and you are recommended to go into hiding for a time being or move your operation to the alternate locations previously discussed in the what he called "Briefing Omega".
"What is the reason for this sudden change?"
"The Senate is discussing the piracy problem, and I believe your group may be attacked. And that may prove to be an issue when its found out that the Senator funded your incursions."
The Axial nods and the connection is shut. The attendant walks to the other side of the room and pulled a series of plugs and levers before leaving the room.
Not before taking a canister and tossing it in the room, flame quickly enveloping the space as the door closed.

The authorities will see it as an electricity fire, and now foul play will be seen. And a connection will not be found. All in the efforts of cornering the market.

[United Auroran Empire]

Senator Roxlany stands and leaves his pod, knowing the bill has now gained too much popular traction to fail. He glides down the hall, his loyal attendant at his side.
"Leah, I must tell you now that you cannot come into the office while i negotiate with Senator Cael. I expect most of this meeting to be around the logistics of arms manufacturing. I knew this was going to happen, which is why I had you go do that task earlier. See I need pressure on the senator. Shipyards can't build if they're under," Roxlany paused,"duress." Leah Armistay walked with the Senator, pad in hand , moving many files around before handing it to Alexis Roxlany. "Excellent, thank you Leah." And before she was about to leave he turned to her ," Oh and do grab me that bottle of Chorian Red Wine, the 2 century old one. It has helped convince ole Valerius to my way of thinking before and I do think it will help again." As she left , Roxlany received an invite to Cael's office, and soon moved that direction. On the way there his attendant came back with the wine he sought after and was told to go speak to the head of shipping to finalize the orders. He stood at the door to Cael's office, examined the wine bottle, and stepped in.

"Dear Valerius, what a victory this is for our faction. Now, lets hash out those arming rights."

The political game goes on.

[Sarderistan]

Valerius Cael

---

Cael gestured for his guards from the Chorian Intelligence Service to stand aside. After a moment, Alexis Roxlany entered his office, striding inside with bottles of wine in hand. Chorian, he noticed, but he wished to keep his head sober for now, considering what a snake the Axial had been, literally. He had gold ornaments about his cloth instead of scales. Cael's AI secretary closed the door for them, and he gestured for his guest to sit down.

"Senator Roxlany, what a honor. Please sit down. I imagine you have been tired after fighting such a hefty battle for your precious Republican military," he cupped his hands. "Do you need glasses?" He rose and placed two ornate glasses, straight from a contraband cache in the Outer Rim. "Let me hear this proposal of yours regarding the arming rights."

[United Auroran Empire]

Roxlany very nonchalantly took one of the glasses, and popped open the bottle of wine. Now there were many reasons why he chose Chorian wine. One, he was drawing upon the senators nationalism to enjoy things from his own culture quite a deal more than others. The second is that this wine is made from a certain berry ,which when crushed and fermented, creates the strongest odor one can think of. And Roxlany knew that Senator Cael would have his mind dedicated in some capacity to the mere scent of this wine. Roxlany poured himself a decent glass and swished it around in his mouth before swallowing. His tolerance was far to high for some berry juice to alter. Besides, the image that someone just drank alcohol before a political meeting? Feigning Weakness!

After putting down his glass he leaned back into his Chorian leather seat, allowing himself to appear comforted.
"Now I know we both have people to talk back to at home to about the arsenal of the Republics Outer Rim patrol. Shipyards are our game. However, there is no need for ill-harboured feelings. This a is a fleet thats supposed to patrol the entire outside of our galaxy. It is going to need side. So I propose this," Senator Roxlany took a long sip from his glass," an arms race. Our people only benefit from this. Think of the economic boost this will give. And before you try to secure total shipbuilding rights for yourself, think on this. Are you honestly in a position to build a fleet large enough to patrol the entirety of the outer-rim in as quick a time as those other-senators are wanting this to be done? No, i don't believe you are. Resources will be drained at an alarming rate and only a 1/3 of the ships will be made. Now however, if we were to have an economic rivalry, the economy would receive gigantic boosts. Every industry would be drawn on to create. To me, this seems like the sensible option." Roxlany stood from his chair and reached into his robes, making it obvious to the guards present that he was not pulling a fire-arm, and placed a holo-pad on the desk of Senator Cael. " On this would be my proposed numbers, I had my attendant crunch the numbers. You'll see that no side is producing less than the other, as this whole competition is built around producing more." Roxlany pours himself another glass, however placing it instead on the desk of Valerius Cael.
"Isn't this whats best for our people?"
He was smiling a cruel smile in his head.

[Sarderistan]

Valerius Cael

---

Valerius had spent times of his life on beers and wines, so it is only natural that he took a large gulp of the wine. Sour, he thought, somewhat unusual, but strong regardless. He poured himself another glass. He saw Roxlany drank the vintage also, but he knew that the man was too smart to let wines cloud his thinking, especially on occasions like this. He sat comfortably in the leather couch.

"Sensible. The more variants the Navy had in storage, the harder it is for any group to develop a counter. However, I must disagree in the point of Choria could not create a fleet fast enough." Cael sipped the wine again. "As you see, I believe Axial has the capacity of one habitation sphere, one resourceful planet to mine. Your vessels may be advanced enough, Senator, but they would need a massive amount of time to bulid. Where Axial has but one, Choria has a dozen; mining planets and asteroid belts with enough material to last millenias, shipyards in four different planets, at least, each with the capacity of frigates. We mine our own photons and harboured our stars for fission fuel, and we own the factories of nearly all vessel compliments and armaments known to the Galaxy." He finished the glass.

"I would have to agree nonetheless. A competition would save the costs of a large producer, at least."

[United Auroran Empire]

Roxlany picked up his most prized chain, the globe with the ring . His most prized chain, as the King himself gave it to him for overseeing the construction of the Axial titan class flag-ship "Rexlander's Mercy. He turned it over in his hands, looking down and away from Senator Cael. " Axial may be our most valuable resource , Senator. But do not muddy your thoughts with superiority. She is but one in our control." He looked up at the senator. "And I do think you truly underestimate the size and production of the Ring. Its not even fully operational and we dominate a third of the shipbuilding in the galaxy. But we didn't come together now to wave our economic and imperialistic, " he thought on the word ,"gains. No we came here to discuss how to fund our new police force. And it is just that, a police force. It is just armed to take on pirates. Something you may want, considering pirates have been becoming braver and braver in recent years. Why, they attacked a mid-rim world not even a month ago. One only three systems away from your own." He set down his glass, and put his hands together. " And let us not forget the other 1/3 of shipbuilding in the galaxy. No, I think its wise to come together in this economic adventure. Better for us both, worse for those trying to emulate our might. And, as a bonus, security and peace of mind for the Republic and ourselves."

Roxlany stood and walked over the desk once more and swipe a few pages on the data pad he dropped earlier. "We will split it 50/50 on all parts, but all with the spirit of an arms race. Any extra ships is pure profit to you and I."

Then he looked Cael straight in the eyes. "That is if this bill is passed at all. I believe we should return to our pods to oversee our victory."

[Rhyssua]

Sceptarys smiled at the neon-lit board floating above him. On the board, hundreds of numbers fluctuated up and down, each number corresponding to a symbol. In particular, he focused on one of the numbers, accompanied by the symbol of Axial's shipbuilding ring. The number flashed, then jolted up two points. Then five. Seven and a half. Ten.

Hello, Sceptarys thought, glancing across the board. A challenger?

Another symbol, correlating to one of Choria's most prosperous shipyards, started climbing at the same rate. Quickly, Sceptarys bought a handful of shares, then watched as both stocks rose in value. Fifteen. Twenty-five. Thirty-five. The Chorian stock pulled ahead. Then the Axial closed the gap, then surged ahead. The two seemed locked in competition. An arms race, Sceptarys realized.

Sceptarys watched in amazement as the two stocks climbed up to the top of the board. He belatedly realized that he should've bought more shares; he compromised by selling half of his shares from each company. He'd be able to buy more later anyway.

Taking one last look at the Exchange board, Sceptarys left the building and headed for the Senate building. He knew what his vote should be. The upcoming arms race would be very profitable indeed...

[Sarderistan]

Valerius Cael

---

"My apologies, senator. I may have been too rude." Valerius gave him a slight bow. "We did not came all the way here to gloat, either. But there may be a more profitable way for us, to provide the Republic with a working police force. This is not like we're going to war, after all. Left unchecked, they might have gone too strong, and our, sorry, Axial and Chorian hegemony," he paused, "might come down." As they walked through the corridor up to the Senatorial hall, Cael pondered his thoughts. "A joint-stock company would suffice for this. Half controlled by Axial, and the other half, Choria. That way, there is no need for an arms race, where we'd only be supplying the new law enforcement and weakening our own in the process..."

[United Auroran Empire]

Senator Roxlany smiled at Cael's words. A deal in the making. A new powerhouse in the galaxy. The combined forces of Axial and Chorian shipyards, with only profit being made. While walking down the hallway Roxlany reached into his pocket and took out an ID card, and handed it to Cael." This is the contact information to His Majesty's Industrial prowess, have your people get in contact with them. Don't worry, they have been tipped off already to expect large orders and new economic opportunities." He stepped into the elvator pod that would take him directly to his own , and left Cael with these parting words.
"And do keep in mind those pirates I told you about. I hear they're quite well armed."
And with that the door closed and he ascended.

And it was all he could do not to chuckle.

[United Auroran Empire]

36 ships. 36 well armed ships. 1 battlecruisers,1 fleet carrier, 12 corvettes,20 destroyers. Too many starfighters. This is what made up the flotilla of Space Pirate Maximillian Palanius. Otherwise referred to as "The Siren of the Rim". And she was confused of the Senator's games. They had been nothing more than a pirate force , shooting up trade ships in the rim for the better part of 12 years. Now, there was this sudden change. A moving of here fleet from their usual outer-rim safe-spot to a dangerous spot in the mid-rim? The ramifications of his game were beyond her understanding. But they were paid handsomely, they slept well, and armed suitably. Her capital ship, a Duke-class battlecruiser was part of the Senator's glorious donation to the pirate fleet. Back when it was nothing more than 5 ships and most of them were retrofitted freighters. And now they had Axial Warships making up their fleet. They were in-debt to the man. And so they do his bidding when he calls on it. However, this was a strange move. To roll up onto some mid-rim world and shoot up their shipyards so that they're unusable for a few years? What political chess game was he playing?

She mused on these thoughts while in transport in the FTL field. They would be arriving soon and she'd instructed her flagship, The Royal Knuckles , to pull off a high-speed attack on a crucial shipbuilding depot and resource storage within the space Prime. The attack would last all of 2 minutes, as that is the minimum time it takes to fast charge the FTl drive. Her ship was towing a small large frieght ship behind , with plans to fling once immediately out of warp to then remotely activate the FTL drive on the freighter, creating a very crude FTL torpedo Then their ship would leave as it came, into the warp/ At best, they write it off as a terrorist attack(which is what the black box on the ship is full of info of, should it somehow survive the vaporization of an FTL collision) and at worst they find out her group did it and she had to move systems.

The stars slowed infront of her, and her battlecruiser entered the outskirts of Chorian Prime. No doubt they had noticed her, as she was huge target. But thats why the freighter is here, to mask her size with it.

"Detaching Freighter, 30 seconds until recharge" an engineer called out.

The frieghter was detached and boosters activated,slowly righting itself in direction of the shipyards. Its FTL firing up.

A hail came over the comms, asking what the Freighter was doing here. The Siren only ignored their calls.

"Starting dual FTL engines in three, two, one..launching."

The ships warped at the same time, as to mask the different signatures the best they could.
The Royal Knuckles traveled into deep space, out of sight to the Chorians.
The Freighter went straight into the shipyards at lightspeeds, a missile of death and destruction.

[Sarderistan]

The Orbit Citadel, Choria Prime

---

The Citadel was a massive super-structure, nearly half the size of Choria's Moon, so large that it possibly have its own gravitational pull. It serves in mamy ways as the gateway to Choria's homeworld and capital. With a docking capacity of more than seven hundred corvette-class ships and many more in peak, it is one of the largest such stations in the Galaxy. It sports nearly all kinds of armaments known in the galaxy, lasers, blasters, photon and gamma rays, antimatter, nuclear fusion and fission; many others. The Citadel served as the pivot point for Choria's Planetary Defense Shield, a shield system that pulls directly from its star's energy to create a planet-wide shield that could withstand even the most destructive orbital bombardments.

And at its peak, the dreadnought Fury. A magnum opus of Chorian engineering, the dreadnought can field nearly a million personnels inside, as well as a massive array of armaments, not far different from the Citadel's. It hosted more than a hundred thousand starfighters, and boasted three dozen FTL engines - each nearly the size of a little town - powered by hundreds of antimatter chamber, a substance by itself is a powerhouse. Fury could took a small planet by itself. The Celestial-class super-dreadnought stood vigilant above Choria's moon - as there is no shipyard capable of docking it - becoming a space station in its own right. Its construction had taken the best part of Choria's two standard year tax income, and had lasted more than four decades to bulit. But here, the commanders can realize that something had clearly gone wrong.

Over thirty ships warped in and warped out the same time - usually Choria is not a place to make such warp-jumps, not without permission, of course. The industrial and trade center are tightly managed, and the new regime, under President Tallaras did not take lightly for incursions, and Chorian space is to be controlled tight by all means. In the Citadel's command bridge, Rear Admiral Mara Kaan watched as the fleet - a battle fleet - went off from their space, leaving a freighter hovering up to the Citadel's shipyard parts.

"Unidentified vessel, state your docking number and purpose," one of Kaan's lieutenants reached out to the ship. "Unidentified vessel, you have trespassed into Republican territory without permission. State your docking number and purpose." Still no answer.

"Something is not right." Kaan could feel that something is wrong with the freighter. No docking numbers - all ships going to Choria Prime had been registered to keep track. An intruder. "Lieutenant, don't waste your time. Citadel shields at eighty percent, now." Her lieutenant startled. "Rear Admiral, that would disrupt-"

"Do as I said." The shields, gleaming light blue and near-invisible to naked eye, went up covering the Citadel and all orbital stations at once. "Patch me up with Fury."

The face of Captain Zed Theras, commander of the dreadnought, flared on the Citadel's massive screen. "Captain Theras, ready your armaments. The Surface Fleet will raise the shields now, at once. Twelve ships." As she said the orders, the Citadel's own defenses warmed up, though silently, as not to disrupt the construction and trade inside.

The Republic-class cruisers Liberty and Star of the Republic approached the freighter and flared up their own shields. Several corvettes moved from the drydock, doing the same, and blocked the Freighter's way, effectively surrounding it. From the far distance, she saw the freighter's FTL-drive engines lighting up. "Liberty, send your torpedoes for the engines. Disable the dri-"

Kaan's orders has been interrupted by a blinding flash of light and thunder. The Citadel has been rocked, and although the impact wasn't considerably devastating, the bridge was still shaking. "What the hell was that?" One of her lieutenants screamed. Through all the shaking and vibrating, the bridge cleared, and the screen once again flared up. This time not with the face of Liberty's captain, but the Citadel's status and its shields. She could see debris floating up in space distant. The automated voice informed them of the space station's conditions. "Shield power is currently at 42%. The Citadel's operability is currently at 92%. Power sections status: Slightly Depleted."

She could see the remains of what had been Chorian ships before, and the damned freighter. "Fleet reports, Captain Theras." The man's image had flared up again on a small screen. "Liberty, partially destroyed. Star of the Republic, mostly intact. Talon, mostly intact. Constellation and the other two Corvettes," she saw the captain sighed, "Destroyed." A swept of rage and distraught filled the room. She gazed at the screen. "Shipyards?"

"Shipyard status: Operable."

[Rhyssua]

"I must admit, this is a very unusual proposal."

Sceptarys leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. He'd expected this reaction, but as he presented his plan to the Grandee, he could see the man's eyes start to widen in understanding. Soon, both Sceptarys and the Grandee were smiling. It would make things much simpler, and reduce the tax burden on the Hegemony, in case the police force bill passed into law. Unless the taxes were uniform regardless of need, in which case the plan would be aborted and burned with ruthless prejudice. But business was business.

Daritha Xim seemed decidedly uncomfortable talking with a Republic Senator. She shifted around in her seat, while Sceptarys remained perfectly still. He hoped that the pirate queen would see the logic in it, and choose profit over extinction.

"If the Republic does create a new police force," Sceptarys said. "The first thing they're gonna do is crack down on people like you."

Xim smiled at 'people like you', but otherwise said nothing.

"Our plan allows you to continue doing what you do best," Sceptarys continued. "And the pay is much better than you could make through piracy. After all, they'll be cracking down on your customers, too."

Xim's smile deepened into a scowl.

"Not a threat," Sceptarys clarified. "Just stating the facts. Piracy is a hot topic right now, and so far the bill looks like it's going to pass. Well?" he asked. "What do you say?"

Xim screwed her lips in thought, then shook her head slowly.

"I know you people," she said, a hint of a sneer entering her voice. "You couldn't get that Senate of yours to agree on the color of space. I'll take my chances."

"Unfortunate," Sceptarys said, steepling his fingers once again. "I'll simply ask someone else then. In other news, did you receive the fruit basket I sent you?"

"Yes," Xim said, the sneer more pronounced. However, a slight edge of suspicion had entered her voice. "I won't be needing it."

"Neither shall I," Sceptarys answered. "By the way, have you heard about the latest developments in nanotech? I heard that you can make nano-explosives now, that'll pass any test short of a microscopic analysis. Goodbye."

Before Xim could respond, the transmission burst into static. Sighing, Sceptarys switched off the comm and sat in silence. He regretted it; Xim would've made a fine police officer. However, she was small fry in a very large ocean. He had instructions to approach eight more pirate captains with his offer, and to shut down as many black-market operations as his position would allow. Except the ones controlled by the Hegemony, of course.

This would continue until he either got a new police force, or ran out of fruit baskets.

[United Auroran Empire]

The scene is the office of Senator Alexis Roxlany III. Files are being deleted at an alarming rate from a certain folder, and the attendant of the senator is in the other corner of the room. Resting on the table next to her is a safe, three folders missing from them. She picks up on the folders she had taken out and was examining its contents. A long,long series of financial payments. Log discussions between the Senator and some space captain. The receipts of purchase for several Axial warships , and the subsequent logs of him giving the ships away for free to a group known as "The Surfers". Numerous other discussions, records of attacks against shipping fleets, regular attacks on outer-rim planets, purchase receipt of a medium-scale freighter, list of spies and recorders in every other major shipyard system.

Leah drops the piles of paper in the fireplace, roaring with flame.

"Oops."

She does this two more times, until all physical files are long gone. She checks the hard drive she moved all the files on the private network to , before deleting them all. She took the hard drive and put it in her backpack. After moving the safe back in place and moving the coals around a bit, the office( and for that matter the entire galactic republic) is now free from information about Roxlany's sin.

Leah takes out a hip flask of pure Axial Alcohol. It was made with ship fuel and is the hardest drink in the galaxy. Non-addictive too, to the surprise of scientists everywhere.
She takes a huge drink.
"I do not get paid enough for this."

Much later

Leah,once more, walked the streets of the sprawling ecumenpolis, snaking down alleys and backroads until she once again came across a run-down, shanty , and dirty building. How the senator did any of this before he hired her was beyond the realm of thought. Leah was already out of breath from the extremely long travel to this location, and could not imagine the seventy-something year old senator doing this. She entered the building and what little breath she had was taken away.

Wall to wall filing cabinets , holodisplays, server racks. Wires and huge cables were running from the ceiling to the floor, making large arches and loops wherever they rest. A large display rest in the middle of the building. Leah approached it and pressed a few buttons, and up came a diorama of her home world. And several other floating objects.

Other worlds within Axial control. Masked in gigantic planetary camouflage barriers. Each one almost hollowed out to create planetary industrial giants. She had always wondered how they got the resources produce so much and on such a large scale. She always believed the lies that it came from the Iron Giant. This made much more sense.

She sighed a huge sigh. There was a reason the senator wanted this gone. And she could completely see why. This would complicate things a great deal. She took out of her bag her issued firearm and a pile of very very illegal combustibles. She placed them around the whole building. Whiling walking out the building, she turned around and fired once. The building lit up like a bonfire. And she shrunk away into the city once again, bag clinking full of hard drives.

Insurance, should Roxlany's ambitions outweigh her patience.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

All manner of devices across the galaxy turned on, almost all at once. Trillions were watching, as they had it on the radio, on the smart television, on the quantum computer (After all, holoscreens weren't for everyone) and on the holographic billboard. In fact, thanks to a few bribes, many were forced to watch it whilst at work. They were all listening in. With every sense, they were ready to be spoken to.

Vaitil fixed up his pure, vantablack suit. If his crimson eyes and blood red skin weren't intimidating enough, his clothes certainly were. He opened his mouth and began his speech:

"Order. Authority. Justice. The three things we need more than ever. Even the strongest advocates of freedom, such as myself, agree: in the light of new dangers to our democracy and to our republic, we require a leader which can bring order. One which can bring true justice. I am that leader. I am a strongman and I am a democrat. I do not follow the ideals of the left nor the right, neither fascist nor anarchist, only that of the rule of law. It is the laws of the universe that turned a fiery, dense clay, into a dimension of trillions of living things. Of the highest beauty. It is the laws set forth by government which keep civilised society. I am a centrist and I am a man of the law. All those who stand against me stand against the law. They stand against order. They stand against nature. And like nature, I shall burn them to ashes. Our enemies shall shatter like glass. Their homes hit by an inferno greater than that of hell. Their friends and their families, all executed in front of them. And in the end, they shall be hung from their guts, as they deserve. Stand by me or against me: that is my declaration. I hereby declare that I am running for President of the Republic!"

Billions, if not tens of billions, immediately began declare their support online, on every forum, for Vaitil. It began to trend on every network, on every planet: #PresidentArmais. The grand campaign was about to begin. To those who were not naive, they knew that this wasn't his strongest card. He was about to let slip the dogs of war upon his enemies. Who would dare run now?

[Rhyssua]

"So what do you think?" the man asked, taking a sip of the brandy. Sceptarys smiled and poured himself a glass. It was top-shelf stuff, and something you could only get with a Senator's salary. Personally, Sceptarys despised it, but it was useful in loosening tongues. He took a sip, making sure to conceal his expression of disgust. It tasted like old-fashioned motor oil.

"At best, Vaitil is a populist who'll say anything to gather votes," Sceptarys said, shrugging. "At worst, he could be extremely dangerous to both the Hegemony and the Republic as a whole."

"How so?" the man asked, draining his glass. Sceptarys gave a small sigh and refilled it. It was expensive, yet the communications tycoon was chugging it down like it was water. Disgusting.

"He's trying to erode national sovereignty in the name of his so-called "freedom." Strongman? Definitely. Democrat? Hah, not a chance."

The tycoon nodded slowly, although whether he was drunk or genuinely understood Sceptarys was impossible to determine. The man did seem to be holding onto his seat, as if afraid it would throw him off. But there was still an intelligent gleam in his eyes, so he may have understood what the Senator was saying.

"So what do you plan to do?" he asked.

"First, I'd like some of his campaigning to accidentally get blocked," Sceptarys began, giving a small smile. "I'm sure a man of your influence can accomplish this. Second, I'm going to invite him to an interview, or a debate with the other candidates. In either case, I'll destroy his support."

"You won't declare candidacy?" the man asked, tilting his head in confusion. Sceptarys laughed a little and shook his head.

"Corruption is expected from a Senator, but is scandalous for a President. I have far too much influence as a Senator to give it up running for office, where every bank account, friend, interview, and interaction will be scrutinized. No, I'll find someone I actually like, and endorse them instead."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

[Deletti Spaghetti]

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

[Delete Spaghet]

[United Auroran Empire]

Roxlany was sitting in his office, when suddenly a cold shiver went down his spine. He shook visibly.
"Sir? Is there something wrong?" Leah asked from the corner, doing what paperwork that Roxlany himself could not get to in time. Who knew that partly funding a new police force with military grade hardware with a joint company of two vastly different shipyards while keeping it all under wraps and secret could be so difficult?
"I sense dirty politics." Roxlany sighed. It was a joke, the room had exceedingly gone down in temperature due to the fire having gone out from the Senator's file burning.
"Rich, sir. Coming from you of all people." Leah smirked and threw paperweight at a holopad from across the room, which turned the heating on.

"I know , I know. But if I cannot speak of it , then who can?" He returned to his paperwork. The Chorians were a bureaucratic people, or at the very least the paperwork he was sent was drafted by a vengeful spirit. He half-wondered had Cael found out about his ruse and that this was but a step in the direction of vengeance. The secure channels between him and the captain(shortly before being burnt to the ground) had told him that his attack was successful in its purpose. Showing the Chorians that they are vulnerable where it hurts. He never even dreamed of destroying but one shipyard, he knew that any self-respecting shipyard had shields and defenses that most planets lack. He of course knew from experience. King Rexlander, shortly before his withdrawl from the public eye, put into orbit around the ring( a feat of engineering that is still discussed in the galaxy, as it defies all physics) innumerable satillites and shields. He had done his research before making his gambit, and was quite certain that the only thing that could break the defenses was a full blown war-fleet. And the only countries he had to worry about were the Chorians and ...

He paused and remembered a forgotten variable.

"Who are the Ukete again?" Roxlany asked his attendant.

Before the attendant could answer, his display came to life. The only people who could access the displays like that were the Senate President and the Heads of State. The president would have no reason to talk to him which means-

"Hello Alexis."

"Honoured to speak with you again, King Rexlander."

Leah left the room, taking with her the paperwork. The environment was just too dreadful for her.

"Believe me there is no honor in this chat." Roxlany's blood turned cold. "There has been a disaster. A terrorist has launched a freighter at light-speeds into the shipyards of Choria Prime. Killing thousands aboard ships." The King paused."The freighter was of Axial design. Yet, I look into our records of that model freighter and i'm perplexed. It was a sister-ship project, to see if we could make two medium-level freighters the most efficient for long travels. However, we only have accounted for one of those freighters. The other has mysteriously gone missing from our fleet. Now we see it as reappeared. Roxlany I only contact you about this because the project was conducted in YOUR shipyards and went missing under YOUR watch. I merely wish to know what happened."

"Well you see, your sire, I remember this well. It was the week after construction was finished, a pirate group came in and held us hostage at rifle-point while their crew came and stole the freighter. I reported it instantly."
King Rexlander only stared at Roxlany before offering a small smile. " I knew it. There was no way you could be at fault. Just checking up on things, wanting to see if the stories matched. We'll be seeing eachother soon. Goodbye Alexis."
With that the connection turned off and Roxlany slumped in his chair. Too close. What he said was the truth, but he did not want to give the full truth. Pirates did come in and take the ship. However, its because he invited them to do so.

Roxlany was exhausted after perhaps one of the most exciting day in his political career. It only exasperated when he turned on the Holonet for comfort only to see the Senator broadcasting his candidacy for Speaker. He face-desked.

[Rhyssua]

Sceptarys held a hand in front of his face to block out all the irritating camera flashes. The compound eyes made his species' vision already poor; he didn't need all these pesky reporters driving him to premature blindness.

When the cameras stopped flashing, Sceptarys stepped away from the podium and started speaking. He had notecards, but they weren't a script. They just outlined his basic platform, and some key points and phrases he wanted to include. Sceptarys always considered himself a pretty good improviser.

"Good morning, afternoon, and evening, peoples of the Republic," he said, giving a little wave and a winning smile. "My name is Sceptarys Nuusan, the Sarvolyan Hegemony's Senator to the Republic. As the race for Speaker began, I couldn't help but notice that everyone seemed to leave out the little guy in their grand plans for the Republic's future."

To be fair, he was leaving out the little guy too. Not that anyone would know or even remotely care. He just needed to act pretty and talk to the right Senators; the common people were left out of the equation.

"Everywhere I look, I see two things," he continued, raising his index finger. "One: everyone is calling for a larger government. What these politicians fail to realize, is that a larger, more powerful Republican government will gradually erode national sovereignty, until the entire galaxy may someday be ruled by a unitary government based in Cosmopolis. As the Republic's power expands and its government enlarges, it must impose checks on itself to prevent any infringement of its members' ability to make their own decisions. The galaxy is a diverse place, filled with a diverse array of peoples, cultures, and governments. A bigger, more powerful Republic would chip away at that diversity, and I cannot stand for that. That is why I stand for a smaller, more limited Republican government."

On cue, the five people Sceptarys had planted in the audience started a round of applause. However, Sceptarys was perceptive enough to notice that the majority of applause began a moment before his plants did. His smile widening, Sceptarys continued.

"The second thing I see when I look at the Republic is smaller nations and governments being swept by the roadside, as larger nations grapple for supremacy within the Senate. Even more disturbing, several nations have opted to seal themselves off from the rest of the Republic, both politically and economically. This is contrary to the very spirit of the Republic; a voluntary union between friendly governments, so that all parties may benefit. Part of this unwritten agreement is to open markets to trade within the Republic, which helps all member nations prosper. I'm certain that it's this unique economic interaction, not a large intrusive government, that holds the Republic together. As a result, I staunchly support laissez-faire economics, and encourage all member nations to open up their markets to one another. Instead of an inefficient, bulky government aid program, I propose that the Republic provide economic incentive for companies and governments to do business with smaller, less prosperous nations and worlds. These trade deals will be aimed not at exploitation, but development, so that all nations within the Republic may gain status as equal partners in a profitable and amicable relationship. With this, ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, I announce my candidacy for President of the Senate."

Even more applause. Sceptarys let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, then posed for pictures. Now, the smile on his face was genuine.

[Aureumterra]

Igreturn
Queen Akya J’linn silently paced in the balcony of her palace. Igreturn, the manufacturing and industrial giant of the mid rim was starting to make its presence heard on the national scene. However, interesting things have been happening, namely rival shipping companies pitting themselves against each other. Now, things had gone so far as for a ship to ram itself into a shipyard. She thought Igreturn, an established state, could take advantage of these corporations going against each other. With that, she would negotiate on the basis of the minerals and metals produced by Igreturn and its colonies, which are important to portions of the company’s operations. The Crown of Igreturn owned and controlled significant portions of the Igreturn based manufacturing companies as well, so she could use it further as leverage with the companies. She walked back into the palace, her pace undisturbed by the guards opening the doors. She entered into the throne room as her advisors bowed. She placed her slender Igretur form onto the throne, and summoned a messenger.

“Send this message to Choria” The queen told the messenger, handing him a note.

To: Choria
From: Her Royal Majesty Queen Akya J’linn

I would like to negotiate a deal on behalf of many Igreturn manufacturing companies, we would like you sending a few representatives to an audience with me in Igreturn, where we can discuss our proposed deal.

“Also your majesty, the Senator has arrived for a while back on Igreturn.”

[Sarderistan]

President Tallaras

---

Ava Tallaras saw her ministers gradually entering the highest room in Choria one by one. The Meridian Tower, it is called; not because it was situated directly in Choria's Prime Meridian, but also because the dates and times shown in the planet originated from the tower's peak. A shining beacon of Republicanism and national pride in Choria. One of the tallest building in the nation, and one of the most protected in the Galaxy. Tallaras' guards stepped aside while the ministers took their seat and convened. The door was closed.

She started the meeting. "Ministers, what do we want to discuss here - is very important for Choria's continuity. Already we have the galactic police force bill passed, which is, albeit beneficial in some ways, could threaten our sovereignty as a nation." A murmur of agreement swept the room. "While I believe our Senator-" someone cut her off, "I do not trust Valerius Cael the slightest. Who might know if the man had done anything in that damned world, conspiring with those galactic-ists and making deals that undermine his own nation? Conspiring with Axial." Many spit at the word's mention.

"You will respect all governmental authority of Choria, Minister Thardus, including the Senator and me." Tallaras gave the man a venomois shot. "Meanwhile, you all have knownn that the Galactic Senate's presidential candidacy has been opened. I seek to confirm who should we place as President..."

One of her ministers spoke out. "There are currently two candidates officially," the minister said. "Senator Vaitil Aramais, the first. A strongman candidate, dedicated to order and justice. A centralized government is his promise. The second, Senator Sceptarys Nuusan of the Sarvolyan Hegemony. A popular one, I think. His campaign promises are based on more regional authority, and minimizing the effects of Cosmopolis. He wants us, sprawling markets, to deal with lesse backwater worlds not in 'exploitation', but in development. Although I rarely see the difference between both." Tallaras cupped her hand. The two candidates cannot bring anything of change to Choria, only making it worse. She thought of it again. If she was to choose the lesser between two evils, it would certaibly he the demon that allowed her to keep her ideals, her nation, her money. Choria.

"Ministers, we lead this nation. I am sure the People's Assembly would certainly follow our decision. These men, these candidates, truth be told, they bring nothing of good note to Choria. But we still need to choose." Agreement swept the room. "Think of it as the lesser devil. The demon we know, that we can make dealings with. One that did not infringe at our liberties, as a sovereign nation too much." They knew whag she meant. An hour later, the council was adjourned, with Choria's full support going to Senator Sceptarys Nuusan of the Hegemony.

Tallaras entered her office with a sigh. She gestured for her secretary. "Casta, any further reports?" The secretary opened her appointment and message boards, and soon holograms of various size went flying in the room. "Sort it out, please. The important ones only." Her secretary brushed off most of the holograms, and picked one in particular. "An appointment, Madam President. From Igreturn." Now this would be curious. She saw the letter from Queen Akya J'linn. The monarch wanted to struck a deal with Choria regarding her manufacturing companies. Wise, she thought. Choria is, if not the largest, one of the largest industrial bases in the Galaxy after all, sporting tens of systems and thousands of smaller space bodies. "Who would you sent, President Tallaras?"

"Ava, please. We're not in someone's hearing now," she smiled. "Director Vaznic will seek the audience in Igreturn. Meanwhile, ask for a discreet meeting with Senator Sceptarys Nuusan. Here in Choria." She dare not trust appointments like this to that drunken oaf of a Senator. If Sceptarys wanted to win, he will attend.

[The Seven Archangels]

Kalyani Avakaur

---

A soft but noticeable bump that shook through the vessel indicated to Kalyani that the Vyrillian shuttle had landed at its destination. At last, her long trip was over. She slowly unbuckled herself from her chair as a man in a sleek, contoured silver and black uniform appeared through the door to the cockpit, his face hidden behind his orange-visored helmet, and his hands behind his back, holding onto something she could not quite see.

“It was an ho-honor to escort you, um, lady senator.” The young, awkward Vyrillian pilot managed to stammer out, much to Kalyani’s amusement. At home, she appeared much as a heroic public figure of Vyrillian tenacity and cunning after the incident. A consequence of her actions that she had not intended.

She stood up from her chair and nodded in return, “it was a smooth transition from the Kali.” She commented, and the pilot nodded uncertainly. She continued anyway, “I appreciate it; these old bones never liked reentry. I would have aches and pains for a week every time.” She smiled at him, and the pilot chuckled. As she turned to depart, the pilot held out his hand, holding a datapad.

Ah. It was one of them. She understood now.

“Uhm, ma’am, could I bother to ask for your print?” He requested, as she noticed a slight tremor in his hand.

She merely raised an eyebrow before signing on the pad with her index finger in swift, elegant loops. “I was not aware the signature of an old senator was valuable to some.”

“Ah, yeah, uhm, I collect prints.” He started, and then nodded appreciatively when Kalyani finished, resting his hands behind his back again, holding onto the pad still. “Of people, that is. Well, famous people, but I have prints from the Company’s CEO, many of its managers, some admirals, a director. I collect them.”

“Ah. I’m proud to be amongst such esteemed colleagues. Achee Hava.” She spoke the familiar farewell.

“Aur Sabhaag.” The pilot returned with a bow, and watched as Kalyani walked towards the rear of the shuttle.

She paid little heed to the two chrome and red-painted battledroids that stood stooped and unpowered on either flank of the exit. As the ramp lowered to the platform below, she snapped her fingers and willed the droids to life. The droids obliged and whirred to life, quickly and wordlessly taking position on either side of the aging senator as she departed in her usual confident, steady stride to the crowd that awaited outside the shuttle.

----

Alia Devair waited impatiently for the ramp to lower and for the guards to finally let her greet the new senator. She had to be briefed, now, about the latest bill that just passed. A Republic-funded and operated police force? That was terrible news. She tapped her foot in a mixture of anxiety and restlessness, watching as the ramp finally began to lower all-too slowly for her liking.

“Come on, come on…” She whispered, as she watched light flush into the compartment behind the door of the elegant shuttlecraft and reveal an older woman, surely in her seventies, dressed in a tight-fitting gold embroidered blue silk dress with a more decorated cyan and gold shawl draped over her right shoulder, around her waist, and hanging loosely off her arm. She wore golden jewelry, with an antique bracelet, necklace, and earrings that all seemed part of a valuable set. Her ebony hair was done up in elegant buns behind her head, and her sharp, though weathered face showed her age, but also her conviction. Though shorter by a few heads than the two well-armed guard droids she had escorting her, she seemed to stand taller than a mountain as she calmly walked down the aisle towards the Senate Hall.

Alia was stunned, if only for a moment, before pushing her way past the stoic guards and through the glass double door to greet the new senator.

Her new boss.

She ignored the crowd, which were held back behind guards and holographic barricades, and continued in stride towards the woman.

“Senator.” She spoke as soon as she was within hearing distance.

“Ah, Alia, a pleasure to finally meet you.” The woman spoke, but did not break stride, and Alia began walking beside her.
“Senator, I need to speak with you.” She spoke more urgently, though the woman seemed untroubled and even uncaring.
“Others have spoken highly of you, ever since you had to take up the responsibilities of the late Senator, Lucian Wrona. Some even considered handing you the position of senator, and not I.” The woman spoke clearly enough, despite her heavy accent.
“I appreciate your compliments, senator, but this is urgent. The recent bill that passe-“
“Yes, the GLEE bill that proposes the creation of a law enforcement agency to enforce galactic law independent of the sovereignty of the constituent nations. It is rather ironically named, is it not?” The woman spoke, and Alia was stunned silent for a moment, her eyes furrowed in surprise.

The woman turned toward her and smiled, “I’ve done some homework during the eternity it took traveling here. I will hear what you have to say on that soon, but a report has already been compiled and sent to the Director.”
“I… I see.” Alia stammered for a moment, looking down and then back toward the senator. “Then… I suppose you will want to know your schedule, ma’am?”
“Yes. I suppose I should set to work immediately, shouldn’t I?” The senator sighed, then looked towards Alia, and smiled. “Though there is one advantage to this new job.”
“Ma’am?”
“It will be a pleasure to work with you, miss Devair.”

[Rhyssua]

Two copies of the same letter are slid under the doors of the offices of Lialora Farixys of the Thaelic Union State and Kalyani Avakaur of Vyril Dynamics. Transmissions could be hacked; a piece of paper written with invisible ink was so archaic that nobody other than the recipient would have any idea what to make of it. Not to mention, it added a personal touch to the message that Sceptarys couldn't quite explain. The letters read:

Greetings, Senator,

If you are reading this letter, then I am approaching you not as a Senator, but as a member of the Hegemony interested in talking business. The various guilds within the Sarvolyan Hegemony have worked tirelessly to ensure a standard of quality and a fair price for the goods it distributes. As a result, the Hegemony Guilds have become an indicator of quality and fair business on the galactic market, sort of like a sponsor. That being said, Hegemony would like to invite your government and/or company to join them in a partnership. I, Senator Sceptarys Nuusan, will meet with you to iron out the specifics, but the basic agreement goes as follows:

-Your government (or whoever provides the products), shall transfer a generous portion of their goods to a corresponding Guild in the Hegemony.
-If the products are deemed acceptable quality, they shall be sold by the Guild on the market, at a price befitting of its quality (higher than the same products would get from an unverified seller). If the goods are deemed unacceptable, they shall be returned to the provider free of charge.
-The increased Galactic exposure and the support of the guild will increase profits for the products. After extracting a modest commission of five percent (negotiable to a point), the remaining profits will be transferred directly back to the provider. Profit margins compared to non-guild transactions average about seven and a half percent more, and in a few cases as much as eleven percent.
-In addition, the Hegemony and its guilds will provide free shipping and handling.

Please reply if your government or company is in any way interested. May the opportunities be plentiful.

-Sceptarys Nuusan

[The National Dominion of Hungary]

Lialora Farixys - The Luminant Halls, Cosmopolis

---

The Emyaar woman leaned back, feeling her body sink into the sofa, pillows receding before her as she took another deep breath and slowly swirled the khiafa in her glass. The finest drink from her homeland provided in the finest vessel of the Inner Core, she had a weakness for the small luxuries. Well, both small and large to be quite honest, it was good to be the Grand Celestial Supreme's daughter indeed. She was a in a very poor mood, the damn centralists in the Senate had passed a new law, authorizing and outlining the formation of a police force subject to the control of the Galactic Republic. It was obviously a violation of member-state independence as the law enforcement and judicial systems were no longer the highest legal authorities within the borders of the state. A nation needs only a few things to be a nation, but a sovereign judiciary and law enforcement systems within it's own border are two of those things. It was, at least in her eyes, a disaster. It wouldn't do, it wouldn't do at all but with a large helping of luck and shipload of elbow grease even disasters can be unmade.

She leaned forward after taking a sip and placed the glass on the table before her, a soft chime as she moved, caused by the copious amounts of jewelry that adorned her. It was late in the evening already, most of her staff in the lower floors of the Luminant Halls were already asleep save for some close attendants and bodyguards. It was time to wind down, wind down and plan for the coming moves in the Grand Game that needed to be made for the Union State to prosper and achieve it's aims. She would soon change out of her gaudy, elegant white and gold robes of the kind that such a high ranking Celestial of the Union would don. It was time to change into something quite light and then make her way to the pool, the room her pool was in had a glass roof, allowing a brilliant view of the sky and the majesty of Cosmopolis, the world at the center of civilization itself. She liked to meditate by the water and then take a short bath before going to bed.

This evening however, she was sadly disturbed by an attendant who entered the room with a note delivered to her door. Lialora simply asked for a towel as she rose from the warm waters and the girl quickly carried out her command, leaving the note on a small, elegant table before leaving the Emyaar Senator to attend her correspondence. Lialora would smile as she realized the material delivering the message, illusory ink, also commonly called invisible ink. Ah, the feeling of paper in her hands, like she was a noble lady of ancient times, long before the Emyaar sailed the stars, she appreciated the sentiment. The message itself was of mixed interest to her. The economic proposal was intriguing but it would be up to each corporate entity within the Union State to deal with Hegemony Guilds on their own terms, all she could do was to advise the Celestial Council to open the doors for them to deal with any Thaelic companies eager to strike a bargain with them.

She was much more interested in Sceptarys´ bid for the position of Speaker. While she did not jump with joy across her office as she read the man's manifesto he was a much, much lesser evil than that damnable Centralist Vaitil and his bid for so-called order. She could see Sceptarys in the Speaker's seat, especially if she was close by his side to make sure his time in office would do as much as possible to promote the interests of the Thaelic Union State. She called for the attendant at the door and told her to produce a small piece of paper and so the Emyaar Senator would go to her office one more time before drifting off to sleep.

Heartfelt salutations to you Senator Nuusan, I hope this message finds you and your kin in good cheer.

As an Emyaar talking business I say that there is a good chance that the Thaelic government would be interested in opening the Union State to the guilds of the Hegemony, the Guilds would be free to make deals with those Thaelic-based Corporations interested in making such partnerships. Some revisions may be needed on an individual bases in such cases regarding the needs and outlooks of the corporate entities in question.

I would be glad to meet with you Senator Nuusan, both to discuss these economic ties between our good nations that you have proposed, and to discuss your bid for the Speaker's seat. I must say that it was heartening to see that there are those committed to something other than the erosion of our national sovereignty as member states of the Republic. The passing of Galactic Law Enforcement Establishment Act sets a dangerous precedent of further intervention by Cosmopolis in the affairs of it's member states, something that would only grow worse with Armais in the Speakers chair, I am sure you agree.

I have the honor of being Lialora Farixys, Senator of the Galactic Republic - representing the Thaelic Union State.