NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: This thread is intended to get Gesamtkuntswerk, as well as the region of the Heartland, reacquainted with the world outside its borders. Think of this as an exploratory quest, of sorts, but one of actual importance both IC and OOC)

High Lord Vermittler of Gesamtkuntswerk stood atop the deck of the GT Ard-Righ, looking around at the endless ocean before him. He was never much for sailing, and standing atop a modified AEGIS cruiser heading into waves at 25 knots was anything but soothing to his stomach. He showed no outward sign of it, however; he was a High Lord atop the Twin Seals' prized Taiscéalaí Ard-Righ, the crowning glory of the Royal Exploratory Navy... which meant that any hint of discomfort in front of the naval officers and enlisted would compromize their relationship. He was directly underneath the Thrones, and had to uphold the impeccability of his position, no matter how unforgiving the ocean was.

As his eyes glazed over from the continuous effort of looking attentively at nothing at all, he recalled his meeting with the Twin Seals of Gesamtkuntswerk:

It was just past twilight, and the Grand Hall of the Thrones was lit in its traditional evencandles, before the artificial lights kicked in. Shadows flickered in corners, faces were mutilated by the uncertain glow of chandeliers and candelabra placed throughout the chamber. Vermittler couldn't help but think of the House hundreds of years ago, of those savage times before modern science made things comfortable. Of course, none of that mattered. He was kneeled and bowed before the Twin Seals: Schattenmann, the Seal of Shadows, and Schmerzhaftersturmbote, the Seal of Storms. His charge primarily laid with Schmerzhaftersturmbote, who ruled over the domestic aspects of the Kingdom, but he couldn't dare to ignore the presence of Schattenmann, the head of the Royal Armies. Together, they were Gesamtkuntswerk.

"Rise, Vermittler, rise! You needn't stand on ceremony with us!"

Though he knew Schmerzhaftersturmbote told the truth, he knew just as well that any failure on his part to show due respect would be an unnecessary gamble of his career. The times of mindless execution for the meekest of slights against the Thrones were long past, but even so....

Vermittler rose to his feet, bowing once more before approaching the standing Schmerzhaftersturmbote. As always, Schmerzhaftersturmbote bore a welcoming smile on his face, but eyes that told of no mercy for nonsense. Schattenmann stood off to the side, keeping himself present but showing that this was a matter that primarily concerned Schmerzhaftersturmbote.

"Vermittler, times are changing. We can no longer stay within our borders, within the Heartland. Though there was once a time that the Heartland was a great world, we can no longer deny that there's so much more out there besides us. We must open ourselves up to the world at large, and bring the Heartland back into the whole. This is why I have charged you...."

Vermittler snapped back to the present. An orderly had asked him a question about dining; Vermittler brushed him off with a quick nod. Food on an AEGIS cruiser would never be good, but Vermittler was not always High Lord. He enjoyed the simplest of cuisines, and with the task at hand, what he had chosen for dinner was the least of his concerns. He called the nearest officer to him, and asked for an update.

"No, my Lord, there has been no change," the Lieutenant said. "We're broadcasting the message, and we've been outside of Heartland jurisdiction for days now, but so far we've no luck. Our sensors have been documenting the area around us, and the other ships in our wake have been more thorough in their sweep, my Lord."

Vermittler nodded. "But the transmission is still being pumped out?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"And what is the transmission?"

"My Lord, if my memory is accurate, the transmission is 'Greetings, stranger. We are an expeditionary force of the Dual Monarchy of Gesamtkunswerk, from the region of the Heartland. We seek to broaden our knowledge of the world, and establish diplomatic contacts with other nations. Please contact us at...' our band frequency, my Lord."

Vermittler grinned. "Yes, yes, that's right. That will be all, Lieutenant." As the Lieutenant bowed and walked away, Vermittler nodded to himself, almost forgetting the queasiness in his stomach. This was a new kind of mission for the Lord Ambassador of Gesamtkuntswerk, a challenge, to be accurate, but one he very much welcomed. Greys Harbour, Austrivum, Caselonia, Ineptia, Nastic... many names he knew so well, and to each of them he had sculpted a mental portfolio on how to act and react. But new nations, being the stranger in unfamiliar territory... that was a challenge he hadn't had in a very long time, and he looked forward to seeing what the world had to offer.

"For the glory of the Thrones."

Dawn Kradii, toying with a Rubix cube as she often did when she had nothing better to do, was utterly and completely bored. Ever sense that New Resian Charter passed and Dae Narasagi became the CEO's second-in-command, the corporation had been at relative peace, a peace which she hated very much indeed. Nevertheless, she thought, completing the red side of the cube, she had to stay vigilent. Something may come up, and she sure as hell didn't want to miss out on the action.

And that was when she heard the transmission.

She didn't think much of it at first, she hadn't even heard of the nation that the message spoke of. She shrugged it off as if it was simply white noise. But a certain phrase caught her ear.

The Heartland.

The famious isolationist region, the Heartland. Were they truly willing to make contact with the outside world? Dawn had most certainly heard of the Heartland, the home of the greatest nations and strategists of all time, and most certainly wanted to make contact with these strangers from abroad now that she knew what riches they had to offer. After all, this was no newly-independant nation rising from nothing here, this was an economic mecha that desperately needed a contact in the outside world. Naive, perhaps, but more about some things than others. She'd have to tread carefully, and if she did she'd have opened a gateway for the corporation, a gateway of massive economic gain. They couldn't deny her Dae's position if she pulled this off. She picked up her communicator and began to type in the frequency, but it rang and vibrated in her hand. Sighing, she realized that she'd have to take this one call before she brought glory to the corporation.

And it was Dae Narasagi.

"Oh, hello Ms Kradii," Dae's sweet purr of a voice came through the communicator, "could you please turn your receiver on? There's a transmission from the Heartland that you probably wouldn't want to miss."
"I'm listening to it as we speak," Dawn grunted, "What of it?"
"Oh, just checking to make sure you're aware of it, is all," Dae's voice purred back, "I already sent them a message of greeting and of opening them to our markets, so don't worry about it too terribly. I just want to keep you in the loop, dear."
"YOU WHA?!" Dawn screached, "*AHEM!* I... mean..., how... thoughtful... of... you..."
"Yes," Dae replied, "I thought it was too. Signing off."
*click*
"That BITCH!" Dawn screamed, making sure the communicator was off, "That TOTAL bitch! She stole my idea! My promotion! I am SO going to kill her!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
To the Esteemed Monarchs of Gesamtkunswerk:
I, Dae Narasagi, President of the Resi Corporation, come bearing greatings. We welcome you to the outside world, and will gladly provide you with satellite maps of NS Earth, Venus, and Mars for use as you see fit. We'll also provide you with basic specs on various nations, i.e. Klonor, Raysia, Roania, Alcona, and others. For the record, you should watch Roania closely, they have a tendancy to backstab those closest to them.
In any case, we'd also like to express our gratitude for your opening your hearts, minds, and borders to the rest of the world. As such, we'd also like to open our storefront (http://members.cox.net/resicorp/) to you. It sells only the finest wares, from robots to nanotech, all tried and combat-tested. We believe you'll find it most satisfactory.
In short, we'd like to keep good relations with your highly esteemed nation, and will do everything possible to maximise the friendship between our corporation and your nation. Goodbye, and goddess bless.

[signed]Dae Narasagi

An Adderton Air Force radio operator was flipping through the stations when he heard something. He alerted his superior who quickly reviewed it, and sent it over to his superior. The message quickly went through three levels until it landed on Damon Watt's desk. Minister Damon Watts reviewed it, wrote a response, then walked over to the communications department in the building.

The message went like this:

YOUR MESSAGE HAS RECIEVED. THE DOMINION OF ADDERTON IS WILLING TO OPEN NEGOTIATIONS WITH YOUR COUNTRY AS WELL AS TO ALLOW YOU TO DOCK AT ADDERTON YARDS, IF YOU ARE NAVY. MINISTER DAMON WATTS, MINISTRY OF STATE, DOMINION OF ADDERTON.

Eccentric chip tycoon Elison Giri had nodded off at the desk where he'd been tinkering with an electromagnet and a handful of capacitors. A field scanner sat beside him, wired to a series of rotating receptors outside.

The scanning system was Giri's own invention. He had arranged eleven hollow, spherical ether-fetchers in a matrix based on complex orbital geometry that was archetypal of the local cluster of galaxies (according to his own chartings of them by radio telescope). Then, as high-powered magnets warped the energy fields around the spheres, eight coordinated electron fields were imposed on the whirling system (according to the wave harmonies of the eight active local bodies, as elucidated in the ancient document known as the book of changes). This system mirrored the equilibrium of local space with a data coefficient of 8^11 (over 8.5 billion; higher by a factor of 10000 than any other receptor Giri had used).

It scanned the electromagnetic spectrum at wavelengths anywhere from 10^-16 to 10^24 cm. This super-low-frequency scan had allowed Giri to pick up signals whose origin he couldn't yet interpret. Usually these days he stayed up all night working with typology graphs and ancient divinatory sources, trying to figure out the meanings of these signals. But tonight he'd been listening to a baseball game from Earth, so the scanner was listening for radio. The game had ended, and Giri had fallen asleep where he sat.

When a mechanical female voice from the scanner's speaker unit spoke the incoming message, Giri jumped up awake and knocked his electronics work on the floor. Some nations seemed to be flagrantly exploring around down below, and freely offering maps and intelligence. Giri had left the surface only recently to enjoy freedom in The Holy Empire of the Fivefold Star; he was still interested in what happened down there. He listened closely, greedy for more intelligence, and didn't hesitate to browse ResiCorp's online storefront when they provided the location.

The obscenely wealthy engineer suddenly found himself wishing he was a whole lot richer.

He began an email to a friend: I have a recording you may be interested in...

To the Esteemed Monarchs of Gesamtkunswerk:
I, Dae Narasagi, President of the Resi Corporation, come bearing greatings. We welcome you to the outside world, and will gladly provide you with satellite maps of NS Earth, Venus, and Mars for use as you see fit. We'll also provide you with basic specs on various nations, i.e. Klonor, Raysia, Roania, Alcona, and others. For the record, you should watch Roania closely, they have a tendancy to backstab those closest to them.
In any case, we'd also like to express our gratitude for your opening your hearts, minds, and borders to the rest of the world. As such, we'd also like to open our storefront (http://members.cox.net/resicorp/) to you. It sells only the finest wares, from robots to nanotech, all tried and combat-tested. We believe you'll find it most satisfactory.
In short, we'd like to keep good relations with your highly esteemed nation, and will do everything possible to maximise the friendship between our corporation and your nation. Goodbye, and goddess bless.

[signed]Dae Narasagi

High Lord Vermittler read over the the communication from The Resi Corporation again and again, feeling a rush he hadn't experienced since Gesamtkuntswerk "joined" the Heartland. He had no idea humanity had spread so far, and he certainly was clueless as to who Roainia was, whether they truly backstabbed those close to them, or whether that was part of an ongoing feud. He had so much to find out, and the offer for comprehensive maps of Earth, Mars, and Venus would certainly be a wonderful start. He'd only a small glimpse at their brochure, but what he saw was more than impressive, it was innovative. Cheap, effective units, but with room for improvement... he didn't know very much about the Metal Storm technology, but he was sure that the Think Tank could certainly work wonders with this technology.

An orderly handed him a small scrip of paper. Focusing himself on the short message printed therein, he read YOUR MESSAGE HAS RECIEVED. THE DOMINION OF ADDERTON IS WILLING TO OPEN NEGOTIATIONS WITH YOUR COUNTRY AS WELL AS TO ALLOW YOU TO DOCK AT ADDERTON YARDS, IF YOU ARE NAVY. MINISTER DAMON WATTS, MINISTRY OF STATE, DOMINION OF ADDERTON.

The communication was not as informative, or even welcoming, but that's a difference between a Corporate nation and a Dominion. A government would remain neutral until it had reason to be otherwise; a corporation would do its best to welcome you into the fold while selling merchandise all the same. They would each require his personal attention, but more immediately, they would each need a response.

After writing out two messages, Vermittler turned to face the orderly and said, "Tell the Communications Chief to send these transmissions to their appropriate recipients, and alert the Comm Room to my imminent arrival. After dropping these off, please inform Captain Ua Reillé to prepare for a change in direction, and for new destination coordinants. The rest of the team is to continue with the mission as ordered."

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

Seaman Saul Fowley bowed deeply to High Lord Vermittler, gave an endearing "Yes, my Lord," and calmly walked away... until he turned the corner. Then he ran.

As was everything in Gesamtkuntswerk, formality was upheld for as shortly as possible, as to ensure that the impact of formality on efficiency is as minimal as possible. Everybody had earned the respect they were shown... unlike most Monarchies, this one was founded on the principles of self-gratifying labour, of Objectivism. There were no free rides, no welfare programs, only the strength of the individual. And this individual, just started as a Seaman but certainly capable of so much more, was completely satisfied working his hardest on being an orderly assigned to High Lord Vermittler. He would get the recognition he deserved for a job well done, and he would move on.

Seaman Fowley rounded the final turn and entered the Comm Room. "High Lord Vermittler has given me these transmissions to be sent to the appropriate recipients, and has also charged me to alert the Comm Room to his imminent arrival." He handed the two papers to the Chief, and immediately departed.

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

Comm Chief Charles Burana nodded to the seaman upon the gifting of the transmissions, and immediately turned to the transmitter. Coding the frequency for the first paper he opened, he sent out the following message:


Adderton:
Received transmission, thank you for interest. High Lord Vermittler will arrive at your nation when most expedient, but his attention must first go elsewhere. We are interested in sending another ambassador, to establish relations in the meantime. Please feed coordinants for the appropriate dock and maritime maps besides, to ensure the quickest arrival.

-High Lord Vermittler

Recalibrating the machine, Burana coded out the second message:


Resi Corporation:
Received transmission, thank you for interest. We are most interested in the offers of information-sharing you've offered to us, and would like to open relationships at your convenience. Please forward the appropriate coordinants for an AEGIS-class cruiser to dock; upon this ship sails the High Lord Vermittler, Lord Ambassador of the Thrones of Gesamtkuntswerk, who will take up discussions, again, at your convenience. A quick response is best, as there's a great world out there, and we cannot afford to wait indefinitely. Other nations have contacted us, and though you are the first to respond (and therefore get priority), we cannot cut off our arm for the chance to get a gauntlet. We await your response, and establishing a firm relationship with your corporation.

-High Lord Vermittler

Chief Burana keyed the transmitter off, and increased the volume for incoming transmissions to his headphones. High Lord Vermittler would be arriving shortly, and nobody could afford to miss a single word.

...he certainly was clueless as to who Roainia was, whether they truly backstabbed those close to them, or whether that was part of an ongoing feud...((OOC: In all honesty, I don't know myself. It's pretty much a combination of the two. :P ))
IC:YOUR MESSAGE HAS RECIEVED. THE DOMINION OF ADDERTON IS WILLING TO OPEN NEGOTIATIONS WITH YOUR COUNTRY AS WELL AS TO ALLOW YOU TO DOCK AT ADDERTON YARDS, IF YOU ARE NAVY. MINISTER DAMON WATTS, MINISTRY OF STATE, DOMINION OF ADDERTON.As she tipped the courier that brought the letter and she opened it, Dae cocked her head at the words contained within, reading it and re-reading it. It seemed to be a simple enough message, concise and to the point, the way that many of the corporation's messages were when they didn't need to be friendly. That was understandable, she thought, seeing as the nation of Gesamtkuntswerk was much larger and a considerable bit more powerful than the corporation. She wondered for a second if this was a nation of AIs, talking in only the most logical manner. The form of writing seemed to suggest that, but AIs seldom had names like "Damon Watts". Nevertheless, she would treat them all the same. After all, they were obviously sentient to some degree. Loading Prose, ResiSoft's premire word processing program, she began to compose another message for Gesamtkuntswerk.
To whom it may concern:
We are very pleased at your decision, and would love to exchange diplomats if given the chance. We do not have much of a navy, despite being an island nation, as we rely heavily on air transit, as well as some space. On that note, do you have a landing strip we could use? We'd be sure to make much more use of it than a port.

After sending this recent message, Dae decided to go for a bit of a walk around her office arcology, maybe take the rest of the day off and relax at the executive gym, catch some lunch, or just take a cat nap. But then her communicator rang, showing her that her work wasn't exactly going to end any time soon. Much to her surprise, this was also from Gesamtkuntswerk, so she picked it up expecting a call, but only got a message.

Resi Corporation:
Received transmission, thank you for interest. We are most interested in the offers of information-sharing you've offered to us, and would like to open relationships at your convenience. Please forward the appropriate coordinants for an AEGIS-class cruiser to dock; upon this ship sails the High Lord Vermittler, Lord Ambassador of the Thrones of Gesamtkuntswerk, who will take up discussions, again, at your convenience. A quick response is best, as there's a great world out there, and we cannot afford to wait indefinitely. Other nations have contacted us, and though you are the first to respond (and therefore get priority), we cannot cut off our arm for the chance to get a gauntlet. We await your response, and establishing a firm relationship with your corporation.
-High Lord VermittlerThe first to respond? she thought, That was surprising. We usually come late on to things like this. Looks like luck has smiled upon us, it'd be best not to waste this chance. Picking up her communicator, she patched in the frequency and replied in her usual purr of a voice:
"This is Dae Narasagi, President of the Resi Corporation. We are most flattered that you have chosen us as your first destination, and promise not to disappoint you. Your best bet would be to dock in Royal Harbor, the largest dock in oour capital, Resi City. The dock will have an open space for an AEGIS Carrier, as one of ours, the S.S. Adams, is currently executing a training mission to the south near the island of Bandonia. We'll simply order it to stay there for a few more days while you dock and meet here. The coordinates of our island can be found on the map we have transmitted to you, but for quick reference they are [coordinates here]. We welcome you to our shores, and will free up a few rooms at the Mar del Sol resort especially for your deligation. We look forward to meeting with your nation, and promise we'll make it worth your while."
There, she thought, setting down the comm, That out to do it.

(oops. double post. ()&*))* LAN!)

~at a SecForce Intel Insitution

"Captain- I think you might want to see this-"

A man dressed in a black sweater uniform and black beret walks over to the radio operator. He quickly scans the messages and motions the private to continue monitoring. The Captain walks over to his booth, picks up a phone painted red, and calls SecForce Headquarters in T'sing T'sau.

~At Military Headquarters, T'sing T'sau, People's Republic of Kay Son

General Lea Thomas looks over the intelligence. She bundles it up with other memos of the day and goes to her meeting with the other ministers.

~Several hours later...

(in Gesamtkuntswerk code & written backwards)

-BEGIN-
PRIME MINISTER RHENNA LIN PAK
OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAY SON
INVITES YOU TO VISIT OUR REALM.
WE ARE NOT TOO SURE ON YOUR TECH
LEVEL [AS WELL AS YOUR ALLY] AND WOULD LIKE
TO SUGGEST THAT SUCH WEAPONDRY UPON THE
REPRESENTATIVE YOUAND YOUR ALLY CAN BE LIMITED DUE TO OUR
BOUNDARY CONCERNING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S) WILL BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST
RESPECT AND THAT NO HARM SHALL COME TO THEM.
-MESSAGE END-

To: -High Lord Vermittler-

The nearest available dock is Wesport, which can be reached at these co-ordinates: XXXXXXXXXXX. Also: we have detected our message being intercepted by an uknown entity. Whether or not this entity has hostile means, we do not know.

From: Minister Damon Watts, Minister of State & Foreign Relations, Dominion of Adderton

"This is Dae Narasagi, President of the Resi Corporation. We are most flattered that you have chosen us as your first destination, and promise not to disappoint you. Your best bet would be to dock in Royal Harbor, the largest dock in oour capital, Resi City. The dock will have an open space for an AEGIS Carrier, as one of ours, the S.S. Adams, is currently executing a training mission to the south near the island of Bandonia. We'll simply order it to stay there for a few more days while you dock and meet here. The coordinates of our island can be found on the map we have transmitted to you, but for quick reference they are [coordinates here]. We welcome you to our shores, and will free up a few rooms at the Mar del Sol resort especially for your deligation. We look forward to meeting with your nation, and promise we'll make it worth your while."

High Lord Vermittler listened to the transmission himself on a set of observer's headphones. As was standard procedure, the transmission was recorded, but he always preferred to hear the voices live. Nodding to himself, he took a couple of minutes to think about what was said. He rolled around what he heard in his head, until he was satisfied he got everything he would out of his first impression. He then held out his hand, to which was delivered a text printout of the monologue. While reading it, he said to the room "If somebody could be so good as to bring a copy of the coordinants up to Captain Ua Reillé and ask him to set out at all haste, I would appreciate it. Also, if you could broadcast to the rest of the fleet that we shall be breaking away from the main task force, and pass the chain of command to the Spotter, we shall be on our way. We will join up with the task force as soon as we can, and anything of dire urgency should be forwarded to my office, but we will be heading to The Resi Corporation."

As the appropriate officers and underofficers broke into action, Vermittler studied the transcript one last time, then asked the Communications Chief to transmit his voice live to The Resi Corporation:

"Of the Twin Seals of Gesamtkuntswerk, speaking under the power and order of Schmerzhaftersturmbote, the Seal of Storms, I, High Lord Vermittler, Lord Ambassador of the Thrones, speak.

I would like to formally thank you for your interest and your accomidations in advance on behalf of myself and the crew of the GT Ard-Righ. The Captain of the Ship will no doubt wish to take advantage of the accomidations of the services available at Royal Harbour, so please alert the local entrepreneurs to our arrival. To maximize efficiency, I will look for a meeting as quickly as possible, though the length of said meeting needn't have a time limit. We will keep in contact with you to update our time of arrival, but the rough estimate is a day or two.

Again, I thank you for your hospitality, and look forward to meeting you in person.

-High Lord Vermittler"

He cut power to the mic and stood up. He had preparations to make, and he could waste no time in making them. As he walked out, his footing shifted; the ship was realigning itself to head towards the new coordinants, just as he was mentally realigning himself for the world at large.

(OOC: Please note, this does not impede on other nations' attempts to contact the task force. If you're interested in establishing relations, please post here; there are other ships in the task force, and other diplomats to service your nation.)

-BEGIN-
PRIME MINISTER RHENNA LIN PAK
OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAY SON
INVITES YOU TO VISIT OUR REALM.
WE ARE NOT TOO SURE ON YOUR TECH
LEVEL [AS WELL AS YOUR ALLY] AND WOULD LIKE
TO SUGGEST THAT SUCH WEAPONDRY UPON THE
REPRESENTATIVE YOUAND YOUR ALLY CAN BE LIMITED DUE TO OUR
BOUNDARY CONCERNING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.
YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S) WILL BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST
RESPECT AND THAT NO HARM SHALL COME TO THEM.
-MESSAGE END-

The telegram was forwarded to Lord Izoderek's office on the GT Spotter. He was only just alerted to the changing situation; now, he wondered if five ships was enough of a task force for this. Of course, it was assumed that initial contact could be established, to be investigated at a later date, but courtesy calls were under the initiative of each Lord Ambassador. Izoderek never really gave thought to what would happen were he at the helm, but that's because he wished to aspire no further. Now that the mantle was for him, he had to mull. But first, the response.

Izoderek sat behind the desk installed in his cabin and pulled out his pen well and quill; he always enjoyed the romance of the older days. Scrolling out a response in careful calligraphy (an absolute waste, as it would be transmitted electronically), he wrote:

We thank you for your interest in our nation. We will visit your realm at our soonest opportunity, but for the moment the head ambassador is otherwise occupied. We will hold ourselves to your industrial limitations, but the ambassador himself will come with only that which he wears, plus some recording devices that will likely remain concealed. We will contact you before we embark to your ports, but would like to keep in communication in the meantime. We are seeking knowledge, and welcome the opportunity to exchange with you.

Pulling a second leaf of paper, he scrolled out a telegram to Adderton.


We will monitor our transmissions forthwith; in the meantime, we will alert you before we arrive at your port. We shall do so as quickly as possible, but it will likely be several days before we do.

Lord Izoderek poured scripsand over the ink to speed its dry, then brought them with him to the door. Opening the door, he handed the two pages to the waiting servant, and said "Please see these to the Communication Room, to be transmitted at once." Coming back into the room, he sat on his bed and read up on the Treatises of Diplomacy, as written hundreds of years ago. History was the best teacher, and he was always ready for a new lesson.

To: -High Lord Vermittler-

There will be an awaiting contingent of the Diplomatic Core waiting to escort your representative to Adderton. I should warn you that much of the terrain between Adderton and Wesport is barren desert, so please prepare your representative for such a long travel. The distance is about 40 miles.

From: Minister Damon Watts, Minister of State & Foreign Relations, Dominion of Adderton

BEGIN-
PRIME MINISTER RHENNA LIN PAK
OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAY SON
ACCEPTS SUCH TERMS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED
THAT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE GIVEN
AN ATTACHMENT OF SECFORCE AGENTS
TO PROVIDE PROTECTION OF YOUR PERSONNEL.
UNTIL THEN, WE WISH YOU SUCCESS UPON
YOUR FUTURE VENTURES.
-MESSAGE END-

(OOC, tag. Ges, I noticed you informed us about this on the regional board, will follow up.)

Royal Harbour, Resi City

High Lord Vermittler stood in front of the assembled officers. As policy he himself put forth for the mission, all initial formal contact with nations are to be done in all aplomb and ceremony, to dazzle the eye and keep uninformed the mind. After all, he thought to himself, what better way to establish a formal relationship than by parading our best and cleanest uniforms? He cast his eyes on the foreign shoreline, watching the locals gape at the flag of Gesamtkuntswerk flapping in the wind. The smaller boats and ships broke before the Ard-Righ, giving the ship great berth in the dockyards. The schooners and fishing boats, especially, had the air of suspicion about them; some salutations were given, but on the whole, it seemed to Vermittler a very offhandedly curious situation. He wondered how often a foreign warship entered these ports... and the unknown flag probably didn't help the situation any.

The Ard-Righ slowly entered its docking zone, taking extra precaution to avoid damaging the dock. The plank was drawn, and Vermittler headed the proceeding off of the ship. Holding his head high and keeping his posture consistently rigid, he led the entourage off the ship, ahead of Captain Ua Reillé and two underofficers. Reaching the bottom, he walked to the awaiting salutatory party.

Royal Harbour, Resi City

High Lord Vermittler stood in front of the assembled officers. As policy he himself put forth for the mission, all initial formal contact with nations are to be done in all aplomb and ceremony, to dazzle the eye and keep uninformed the mind. After all, he thought to himself, what better way to establish a formal relationship than by parading our best and cleanest uniforms? He cast his eyes on the foreign shoreline, watching the locals gape at the flag of Gesamtkuntswerk flapping in the wind. The smaller boats and ships broke before the Ard-Righ, giving the ship great berth in the dockyards. The schooners and fishing boats, especially, had the air of suspicion about them; some salutations were given, but on the whole, it seemed to Vermittler a very offhandedly curious situation. He wondered how often a foreign warship entered these ports... and the unknown flag probably didn't help the situation any.

The Ard-Righ slowly entered its docking zone, taking extra precaution to avoid damaging the dock. The plank was drawn, and Vermittler headed the proceeding off of the ship. Holding his head high and keeping his posture consistently rigid, he led the entourage off the ship, ahead of Captain Ua Reillé and two underofficers. Reaching the bottom, he walked to the awaiting salutatory party.((OOC: Just so you know, the last foreign ship that entered our harbor was shelling the city, so the people of the Resi Corporation will be more than a little suspicious of the flagship.))
IC: As the foreigners walked down the dock toward the shining metal metropolis, Dae Narasagi and Dawn Kradii walked out of a building a bit further down the dock, turned, and approached Vermittler with an equally confident air about them. Following them out of the building was an armed consort of men, an odd sight in the Resi Corporation, who fanned out and formed four lines behind the two women. While Dae and Dawn simply walked, albeit with shoulders back and heads held high, these men marched with a military air that somehow didn't seem to match that of their bosses.
Reaching Vermittler, the Dae and Dawn stopped, Dawn holding up one hand to signal the troops to stop themselves. Then Dae, with her warm smile that won her one of the Corporation's only elections a few years back, stepped forward and extended her hand to Vermittler. She was wearing a dress of green silk that matched her eyes perfectly, and a fresh red-and-yellow haibiscus flower in her silver hair. This was her PR look, not her business look, but out of the present company only Dawn knew that. Dae liked to give the impression that she always dressed like this, even for her office work, as it gave her an even warmer impression upon the people.
"High Lord Vermittler," she began in the same voice he had heard over the radio, "Let me first say that it is an honor to meet a man as decorated as yourself in the flesh, an honor that is shared by all of the Resi Corporation. And, on behalf of all of the Resi Corporation, we would like to welcome you to our capital city. Thank you for joining us here."

*Garric Ashallond stands at a large bay window in the president's home when an advisor comes up to him*

Adviser: Sir, Remember that team that wiped the floor with us in qualifying in this World Cup?

GA: Gesamtkuntswerk? what about them?

Adv: they are trasmitting a request to open diplomatic ties to any and all countries. There is an envoy right now traveling in the ocean to whoever will respond.

GA: *thinks for a second* It is time that we perhaps begin to look at other countries in ways besides Soccer opponents. Send a reply. Tell the the Nest will welcome a visit.

Adv: Right away. *turns and leaves*

GA: Yes, it is time we start to be part of the world, and not just deal with the Marches.

Ashallond turns and stares out the window and watches the ocean pass by.

((oops))

"High Lord Vermittler," she began in the same voice he had heard over the radio, "Let me first say that it is an honor to meet a man as decorated as yourself in the flesh, an honor that is shared by all of the Resi Corporation. And, on behalf of all of the Resi Corporation, we would like to welcome you to our capital city. Thank you for joining us here."

Vermittler bowed low to Ms. Narasagi. "In the name of the Thrones and Gesamtkuntswerk, we thank you for receiving this entourage. In this city, in this nation, it is we who hold the honour of this occasion to our heart. With me here is Captain Ua Reillé, commanding officer of the Taiscéalaí Ard-Righ. Standing in company, Commander O'Flaitile and Chief Engineer Cianain, both of the Ard-Righ. They have come here today to see to the concerns of the Ard-Righ; they are here to speak the Mind of the Warrior. You and I, we will give the Speech of the Diplomats, and we will make formal and constant our contact with each other. Your nation is, by all indication, a Capitalist concern. We in Gesamtkuntswerk are very much the same, and we, as you, strive to profit from this meeting. If all your preparations are in order, I am ready to follow your lead. The Warriors shall go speak their Minds; we shall give Speech."


*Garric Ashallond stands at a large bay window in the president's home when an advisor comes up to him*

Adviser: Sir, Remember that team that wiped the floor with us in qualifying in this World Cup?

GA: Gesamtkuntswerk? what about them?

Adv: they are trasmitting a request to open diplomatic ties to any and all countries. There is an envoy right now traveling in the ocean to whoever will respond.

GA: *thinks for a second* It is time that we perhaps begin to look at other countries in ways besides Soccer opponents. Send a reply. Tell the the Nest will welcome a visit.

Adv: Right away. *turns and leaves*

GA: Yes, it is time we start to be part of the world, and not just deal with the Marches.

Sitting in his cabin, Lord Izoderek read over the latest message, this one from The Eagles Nest. The message was simple and relatively uninformative, though it gave a positively welcoming invitation to visit. He remembered reading about the Nest in the sports briefing; a concern in the World Cup, but an obstacle passed in the qualifying round. Izoderek used to have time to care about sports, but his busy schedule gave no allowance for such luxuries. Nevertheless, it was worth investigating.


The Eagles Nest:
Thank you for your invitation. At the present time, our chief diplomat is unavailable for comment, but we will forward the invitation to him. As the second highest ranking ambassador on this mission, I can all but guarantee a visit in the near future. We shall inform you when our arrival time is more defined. Please transmit coordinants for arrival, best suited to dock an AEGIS-class cruiser.
-Lord Izoderek

President Ashallond was standing at the window when the rply came in.


The Eagles Nest:
Thank you for your invitation. At the present time, our chief diplomat is unavailable for comment, but we will forward the invitation to him. As the second highest ranking ambassador on this mission, I can all but guarantee a visit in the near future. We shall inform you when our arrival time is more defined. Please transmit coordinants for arrival, best suited to dock an AEGIS-class cruiser.
-Lord Izoderek

Garric turned to his advisor. "Hmm, AEGIS class cruiser?"

"Yes sir. These are the specs on that ship" *Hands a piece of paper to Garric.*

"Hmm, I see, the Port of Nesme? That should be large enough. Then the ambassador can travel the super highway to Fort Smith, our capitol."

"Yes, that should work. Should I relay the cooridantes of Nesme?"

"Yes do so, and ensure that I am kept abreast of the situation."


We feel that the best place for your ship to dock is in the port of Nesme, located in the Northwest area of our country. We can then transport your entourage to our capital via plane or ground transport, whichever you prefer.

**Coordinates enclosed**

bump

Vermittler bowed low to Ms. Narasagi. "In the name of the Thrones and Gesamtkuntswerk, we thank you for receiving this entourage. In this city, in this nation, it is we who hold the honour of this occasion to our heart. With me here is Captain Ua Reillé, commanding officer of the Taiscéalaí Ard-Righ. Standing in company, Commander O'Flaitile and Chief Engineer Cianain, both of the Ard-Righ. They have come here today to see to the concerns of the Ard-Righ; they are here to speak the Mind of the Warrior. You and I, we will give the Speech of the Diplomats, and we will make formal and constant our contact with each other. Your nation is, by all indication, a Capitalist concern. We in Gesamtkuntswerk are very much the same, and we, as you, strive to profit from this meeting. If all your preparations are in order, I am ready to follow your lead. The Warriors shall go speak their Minds; we shall give Speech."Dae nodded to each member in turn as Vermittler introduced them, and waited for him to finish. As soon as he was done, she raised her hand and the troops assembled behind her parted, forming two lines one on either side of the dock.
"The preparations are indeed in order, your High Lordship," she said, her hand returning to her side, "and we have a transport ready and waiting for you and your entourage at the end of the dock."
Pausing, she looked back at Dawn for a second. She nodded, indicating that everything had been taken care of. This is good, Dae thought This must go off without a hitch. Every man, woman, and child of the corporation will benefit if we get a contract with these people.
"And so," Dae began again, signaling Dawn to approach her, and together they approached the Gesamtkuntswerkians (?), "we should get going. Let us remind you that it is sincerely our pleasure to have you here, and we hope you enjoy your stay."
Dae and Dawn had reached Vermittler and company, and together they began to walk down the dock between the rows of Resian soldiers. Once the company was in the midst of the soldiers, the soldiers began to march with them.
"Saftey precaution," Dawn said dispassionately, "We don't want anything to happen to any of us, and this is indeed a dangerous world."

((OOC: Now would be a good time to ask, would you prefer the Future tech or the Present tech version of the tour?))

OOC: Gesamtkuntswerk is cutting-edge present-day technology... but we would be foolish to think that the whole world is like that. Wow us, zazz us, whatever you want, but don't feel like you need to sell yourself short because of my nation's technology level. The way I'm RPing, to make such leaps would cost way too much to be a tangible decision, so no worries. And yes, my people are called "Gesamtkuntswerkians."

IC:
Vermittler nodded to the guards. "Understandable. The world is very dangerous, and only a fool would think otherwise. Worry not about us, however; I assure you, we are amply armed to protect ourselves in the event of any unforseen attacks. The Twins have desired it, and so it is done.

Your city is beautiful, and there is no doubt that we shall enjoy our stay, though I must remind that this stay will likely be brief. But, for the moment, these moments will be shared between us."

(OOC pt. 2: Feel free to take the reins here, for the transportation to the room/hall/wherever. If you'd like to sort this out, feel free to send a telegram)

Bump....

A very disheartened and disappointed bump.

Desmond Howard, Chief Secretary to the King knocked once as was his habit, then enterred the inner office.

"You Majesty, I believe you should see this.", He said, handing a sheaf of papers to the king, Paul Emil II by the Grace of God King of Grays Harbor, West Olympia, Alterdamm, Channelview and mostly ignored in Aldeshar. *whew* too many bloody titles!

Scanning the papers quickly, his left eyebrow shot up in surprise.

"So. The Twin Seals are trying to make contact with the outside, eh? Just like them. We've done quite well with just Wysteria and Texas for trading partners."

"I suppose , Sir. May I speak freely?"

"When have you ever not, Desmond? Yes, go ahead, you know I don't stand on formality." Paul Emil answered.

"This may not be such a bad thing. Think of the possibilities. Increased trade for ourselves and Aldeshar. GH products spanning the world!" Howard said, "I don't think the merchants will disagree with me, Sir."

"I can see your point, I suppose, but it also opens some sticky wickets as well. How are we to tell who will pay up and who won't? And what of the quality of their merchandise that comes into KGH?"

"Valid points, Sir. *ahem* I believe thats why we have a Minister of Commerce?"

"Why do I put up with your impertanance, Desmond, tell me that."

"Just lucky I guess, Your Majesty"

Vermittler nodded to the guards. "Understandable. The world is very dangerous, and only a fool would think otherwise. Worry not about us, however; I assure you, we are amply armed to protect ourselves in the event of any unforseen attacks. The Twins have desired it, and so it is done.

Your city is beautiful, and there is no doubt that we shall enjoy our stay, though I must remind that this stay will likely be brief. But, for the moment, these moments will be shared between us.""We do not doubt your rediness to protect yourself," Dawn says simply, "we merely mean to augment that."
"Ms Kradii here is a bit of a military mind," Dae explained, "While she has no official military position per se, she somehow has ended up running most of it."
Looking down the dock, Dae notices that a limo escorted by a dozen HumVees has just pulled up, right on time. Everything has gone perfect so far, down to the timing.
"Ah, our escort is here, and right on time!" she exclaimed, "You and your immeadiate company should come into the limo with Dawn and I, Lord Vermittler. Our armies will follow us in the HumVees."
Dawn extended her hand forward, and the majority of the Resian troops rushed into the HumVees, opening and shutting doors as quick as they could. They left just enough room in the remaining cars in the motercade for Vermittler's escort. The remaining troops assembled behind Dawn and the others, and one of these stepped forward through the dignitaries and opened the door to the limo, saluting Dae and Dawn as they moved in.
"Come," Dae said before she entered the limo, "We have much to see and talk about!"