NationStates Jolt Archive

In a shocking and controversial speech by Guanyan leader Abron nul Karhoff today, the Guanyan government announced that they are putting an end to their rigid isolationist policies. When asked about this unexpected policy reversal, Karhoff had little to say about it.

“We can no longer ignore the multitudes of other peoples and other cultures that neighbor our own. I feel that it is vital to both the safety and the economic well-being of our great nation to interact with other nations, both politically and in trade.”

He added, “Now get that camera out of my living room. I’ve told you damn press a hundred of times to stay out of my house. Who the hell let you in, anyway?”

Clearly this marks a milestone in Guanyan history. So far, those miniscule Guanyan foreign relations which exist have been limited to a select few outsiders, mainly the now-fragmented Grand Duchy of Klonor and the Resi Corporation.

Karhoff also revealed plans to open communications with several international groups and alliances, both military and otherwise, in the interest of learning more about the interstellar political situation. Groups to which he has reportedly sent communications are the Triumvirate of Yut, Arda, and the NDA.

What effect this will have on the lives of Guanyan citizens is yet to be determined. We’ll be bringing you more information as Administrator-General Karhoff tells us more about his plans for our country. This is James Roshaw, Guanyan National News, reporting from the Administrator-General’s front lawn.

[code:1:29a36c1c44]Transmission initiated….
Opening Communications Link…
Redirecting…
Connection Established.
Masking Origins and Destination Patterns…
Transmitting….

Origin: Guanyan Office of Foreign Affairs
Destination: The Dominion of Dread Lady Nathicana
Destination: The Imperial Dominion of Melkor Unchained
Destination: The Federated Segments of Scolopendra

Message: Greetings. My name is Abron nul Karhoff, and I am the Administrator-General of the Guanyan Empire. If you have no previous knowledge of our existence, that is to be expected. Until recently my nation enforced a very strict policy of isolationism. I have decided, however, to bring my people into the international sphere. It is with that goal in mind that I have contacted you. I wish to open relations you’re your august nations and alliances in order to learn more about that which lies outside our precious scope of knowledge.

Trade is a possibility if you are interested as well. My nation excels in genetic research and spacial-vehicular engineering, weapons and warships in particular. It is with great trepidation but with greater hopes that I do extend this hand of friendship to you. I eagerly await your reply.

Yours in friendship and good will,
Abron nul Karhoff,
Administrator-General
Guanyan Empire[/code:1:29a36c1c44]

BUMP

"What do we know about them?" White-furred hands clasp together, large body leaning forward.

No previous contact, the automata replies with a slight frown, hands tapping gently behind his back. No idea as to ideology. The fact that this message is getting sent to, essentially, three alliances of note--the NDA, Metus, and the Trium--makes me think that they're going to play all sides against the middle.

"Most everyone does that anyway," mutters the intelligence advisor, arms crossed, hair bobbing slightly as he speaks. "SIS didn't come up with much other than the basics. Two-five-gee-pop, seems to be along the lines of an iron fist in a velvet glove, sells things and seems to have a national sense of humor. My call is that we just do what we generally do and be the nice neighbor."

"We're still looking into military strength," adds the lantern-jawed Hawke, "but they seem to be more in the habit of selling military strength than using it."

Speaker-Rrit listens quietly, then nods. "Follow standard low-intensity contact protocols, then. We say 'hello,' open relations, perhaps look into trade, remain friendly yet politely reserved. See where it goes from there."

Right, sir. Kommetrez nods. I'll get right on that.

* - * - *

###BEGIN TRANSMISSION###
~>Route: Automata AK1 - TYL(Sat->Earth) - Guanyu
:
{On behalf of the Federated Segments, I return your greetings, Administrator-General,}
{and I hope this message finds you in good health. The Segments and the greater}
{Triumvirate of Yut as a whole looks forward to peaceful and mutually beneficial}
{relations in the future. Our nation, and our alliance, is always open to new people and new}
{ideas in the sharing of wisdom and experience, and so we would be happy to help}
{you in your quest to learn and eagerly await the lessons we have to learn from you}
{in kind. While we are open to trade, we are generally self-sufficient in genetics and}
{weapons technologies; nevertheless, we believe it is an avenue worth exploring.}

{May all your endeavors end in success.}
:
~>Route closed
###END TRANSMISSION###

---
http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/alshai_kommetrez2.gif (http://www.silentrequiem.net/triumvirate)
Advisor Automata Alshai Kommetrez
International Relations Section
Federation of Scolopendra

[code:1:0cffdf9da6]Transmission initiated….
Opening Communications Link…
Connection Established.
Masking Origin…
Transmitting….

Origin: Guanyan Office of Foreign Affairs
Destination: The Federated Segments of Scolopendra

Message: We thank you for your kind words. In order that we might learn more, not only about your nation but also about the universe outside our Empire, we ask that you send a delegate to meet with our representative at the coordinates [string of coordinates here]. The meeting, should you agree, will take place on one of our Masada Space Fortresses, and I personally guarantee the safety of the delegate. We await your reply.

Go in wisdom,
Abron nul Karhoff,
Administrator-General
Guanyan Empire[/code:1:0cffdf9da6]

"It still bugs me they're trying to mask all this," Garbo says with a frown.

"It does not matter." The kzintosh shakes his head slightly. "They are emerging from isolation. They do not wish to reveal whatever center transmits this. They also want to maximize chance for success... thus, they ask everyone. Their concentration on defense is not completely alien."

We've got nothing else but face value to go on, Kommetrez replies, but I would still like some guarantees. We could send Hesche... he did well in Vrak.

"True... hrr..." The kzin rubs his chin. "Still, relations with Vrak have cooled."

Not his fault they joined the Order. We should probably fix that.

"Still... it's not quite dangerous enough to be worth sending in Hesche," Razak offers, "and ever since that risky r-brane stunt with... whatshisface that started with an X I think... anyway, Simmias would be displeased if we kept sending him everywhere."

I could go, Kommetrez offers. I suppose I'm sufficiently uber to keep myself out of trouble. Besides, thanks to the Archailect connection, We can share Our knowledge, which seems to be what they're interested in. I can take Magician as well.

Speaker nods. "If you wish. Hesche will maintain IntRelate while you are out."
Right, Speeks. I'll leave immediately after I call ahead and accept the invite.

* - * - *

The well-worn but equally well-kept geometric avian shape swoops towards the indicated coordinates, piloted by the mere thoughts of its single occupant. The Angelan sighs quietly to himself, sighting the battlestation, and makes the appropriate forward announcements and follows landing procedures when clearance and direction are given.

"Still no response from the Dominion or the Ardans?"

"No, Administrator-General, but I expect we'll get one from each soon enough."

"Is that a guess, or do we have intel no one has bothered to tell me about?"

"Just my guess, Sir."

"Well then Domin, I'll have you greet the Scolopendran delegate. Use your informal title, of course. It wouldn't do to welcome them as the Minister of Foreign Intelligence. But then, I'm sure I don't need to tell you your business. Off to it, old friend."

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

Domin Yabrant sat in his quarters on one of the four Masada Space Fortresses stationed in the Guanyu Theta system. This station had been chosen for the crewmen, which were, as a whole, far more tolerant of outsiders than the average Guanyan citizen. His thoughts, whatever they may have been, were interrupted by the buzzing of his comm unit.

"My Lord Admiral, the delegate is here. Craft type is unknown. I assume the usual precautions can be waved here?"

"Indeed, Captain. Have three Broadsword class vessels escort the craft in. And yes Captain, I know the Broadswords are classified as internal only and no-sale. We have nothing to fear from this delegate if we do nothing to precipitate action."

"Yes, Sir. As ordered."

Three of the newest vessels in the fleet, the newly commissioned Broadsword class Dwarf Cruisers, approached the Scolopendran vessel. 2.4 km long and bristling with heavy weaponry, the ships were quite a spectacle.* On the command of the lead ship’s captain, a transmission went out on standard radio frequencies.

[code:1:5b253880ec]“Welcome to Guanyu Theta. Please follow us into the station’s docking bay. Admiral Yabrant is waiting for you there.”[/code:1:5b253880ec]

The three ships took up escort formation around the Scolopendran ship and led it into the docking bay. In the bay, Domin Yabrant was waiting in full dress uniform. He stood at the foot of the ship waiting for his visitor to show himself. The soldiers in the bay continued their work despite an obvious curiosity toward the ship and its passengers.


*OOC: In Guanyan culture, this kind of force is a show of respect. It’s an indication of how valued the escortee is.

OOC2: Guanyans are, in case I didn’t mention it, very tall. The average male is over 7 feet. Domin is 7’3”.

“What do you make of it?”

The dark-eyed man looks expectantly at the darkly-garbed gentleman sitting across from him. Antonio Pellegrino, Intel Minister for the Dominion, looks back at the recently appointed Chancellor and shrugs, spreading his hands a bit.

“Cesare, you know as well as I do how cautious we’ve always been about those who seem to have more to hide than ourselves. Still, they have admittedly kept themselves isolated for so long, I’m not sure I could blame them in being a little paranoid themselves.”

Calabrese snorts, scanning through what information they’ve managed to gather on this Guanyan Empire. “I don’t like it. I doubt she will either, especially …” He trails off meaningfully, never taking his eyes from the brief analysis on his datapad.

“Well, their pride in their genetech and military might could be construed one of two ways, or perhaps a bit of both. Offers and warnings, discreetly blended, perhaps? Our own genetic facilities have been making progress in leaps and bounds, but as they say, knowledge is power,” Pellegrino notes carefully, tactfully ignoring the reference to the earlier coup attempt.

“And the three alliances they’ve chosen to contact – what of that? It almost seems as though they’re feeling out balances of power here. One alliance for each side of the equation, with ourselves being one of the heads on the more neutral front. Still, we’ve ties to all three in one manner or other.”

“No need to remind me,” Calabrese murmurs, scowling a bit. “I take it you believe contact could be valuable then?”

“Likely, though we’ll need to send someone both skilled in reading people, and in cautious discussion. Tact and Not to mention, someone we can afford to lose, if necessary,” Pellegrino says quietly, his brow furrowed.

“Skilled and expendable? You don’t ask much, do you? I’ll settle for ‘able to take care of themselves while putting our interests foremost’. In fact …” Cesare ponders for a moment, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers.

“No, Cesare. Oh, no. Definitely not,” Pellegrino begins, sitting forward in his chair as he looks at Calabrese suspiciously. Having attended the same academy, he knows all too well that look of contemplation.

“And why not?” the man answers, a stubborn cast to his face. “You think Evangelista is better suited to this? She’s a skilled negotiator, true, and she’s a damn good public face, but I think we need someone a bit less opposed to doing what may be needed, should the situation arise. She’s far too soft.”

“Surely we have another who—“

“No, no I think I’ll take this one myself. It’s been far too long since I was off-world anyway, and I want this first contact to go well.” Holding up a hand to halt any more dissent, he fixes Pellegrino with a determined gaze. “You send whatever protection you feel you must, and keep Nathicana updated on all actions and reports – that ought to allay any suspicions that way. She’s been far too busy with reordering things, dealing with the Imperium, and nipping off to all these little meetings she’s been having with God knows who every now and then. This is well within my right, Toni.”

Pellegrino looks back at the man, frowning quietly for a moment before responding. “Just you keep your wits about you. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’re not only still breathing, but have been given such a high post on account, but whatever it is, she has her reasons – and I’d hate to disappoint her with getting you killed off on some exploratory trip.”

“Of course, of course,” Cesare replies with his typical slick smile. “Just make the security arrangements while I get a response out.”


Relay transfer
Calabrese, Cesare sec code <del on send>
Diplomatic protocol

To Abron nul Karhoff, Administrator-General of the Guanyan Empire, Greetings from the Dominion.

We are intrigued by your inquiry and wish to learn more of you and your people. I myself am prepared to meet with you, if a suitable destination can be arranged. While much of who and what we are is public enough knowledge, I will attempt to compile what I can for your perusal.

http://home.mchsi.com/~ketri/wsb/links/cesare_calabresesm.jpg
Cesare Calabrese
Dominion Chancellor

Abron nul Karhoff paced in his office, surrounded by his chief ministers. He was clearly troubled by the transmission he had received from the Chancellor.

“Erik,” he said, addressing the People’s Minister (Press Secretary), “Give me a rough estimate of the damage assessment were I to meet this Chancellor in person.”

“Well, Sir…I’d have to say I don’t suggest it politically. Many of the moderates would start leaning toward the extremist view, and xenophobic groups would come out of the woodworks everywhere. That being said, I don’t think you can afford to miss this opportunity. In a dictatorship, the personality of the leader is a very important aspect of the political situation. Our best bet is to convince them that you aren’t going to do anything underhanded.”

Karhoff nodded. “That’s pretty much what I had guessed. The real question is where. I can’t bring them to the capital, but it wouldn’t do to meet on a fringe world either.”

“Sir,” broke in the Minister of Defense, “May I suggest the compound on Guanyu Ceta 4? It has the security we need, and it is a core world. Perhaps-”

“Actually, I think the real question is do we tell the people. I don’t think it would be wise, Sir.”

This proclamation, coming from the Minister of Justice, was followed by a few moments of utter silence. They had all been trying to avoid that particular issue.

“Damn it all, Morgan, you know I don’t like keeping secrets from my citizens.” Karhoff thought for a few seconds. “In this case, though, you may be right. Very well. The military base on Guanyu Ceta 4, two days from now, and no one outside of this room is to know.”


[code:1:8f58d9f5ad] Transmission initiated….
Opening Communications Link…
Connection Established.
Masking Origin…
Transmitting….

Origin: Guanyan Office of Foreign Affairs
Destination: The Dominion of Dread Lady Nathicana

Message: Despite the concerns of my cabinet, I am willing to meet with you personally to discuss our further relations. Coordinates are attached to this message. You have my assurance that I will do my best to be frank with you, and I ask that you do the same in all cases where security does not prevent it. You may bring bodyguards if you wish, though I assure you that you will be in no danger. I ask only that you not bring any weapons to the conference yourself. I, in turn, will permit your guards to scan me to be sure I carry no weapons on my person.

With hopes for the future,
Abron nul Karhoff,
Administrator-General
Guanyan Empire [/code:1:8f58d9f5ad]

"Send word to the Tempted Betrayal - we'll be taking it on this little venture," Calabrese says, looking over the latest message. "If a fleet wouldn't put their back up, I'd send one of them, so help me. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."

"Oh, now you're having second thoughts? I swear, Cesare ... At least know we've got six soldati ready to go - two of them, Black Company ops, the other four carefully screened. There will be no 'accidents', I assure you." Pellegrino gives the other man a level look, handing over a kevlar vest. "Wear this anyway."

Arching a brow, Calabrese takes it without a word, simply nodding in response.


Relay transfer
Calabrese, Cesare sec code <del on send>
Diplomatic protocol

To His Excellency, Abron nul Karhoff:

Understood, and accepted. Be expecting one of our ships, the Tempted Betrayal, at the rendezvous point at <time>. I will be accompanied by my guards, and will as requested, not bear any myself.

I look forward to meeting you.

--Cesare Calabrese
Dominion Chancellor


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

Orders were relayed, plans finalized, and a shuttle was sent for the new Chancellor. Impeccably dressed, his suit covering the kevlar vest nicely, Calabrese boarded the shuttle waiting for him at the airport, and made the quick trip to the large waiting Excelsior (http://www.silentrequiem.net/angelus/excelsior.html) class Angelan vessel, accompanied by his guards.

Once all was in readiness, the alien craft powered up its jump drives ...

And appeared at the coordinates given some relatively short time later.

"This is the Dominion ship Tempted Betrayal, to the Guanyan Empire forces," went out the message over an open channel. "We are here to deliver Chancellor Calabrese to his appointment with your Administrator-General. Please advise as to proceedure."

"Welcome to the Empire, Honored Lord. Preparations for your docking at Pad Seven are complete. Just follow the nav buoys in."

----------

Karhoff stood, all nearly eight feet of him, awaiting the Chancellor at the Entrance to the Landing Pad. He wondered how Domin was doing with the Scolopendrans...

Kommetrez pops open Magician's dorsal hatch and hops out, brushing out nonexistent wrinkles on his sky-blue-and-black standard uniform. Looking up at the tall people arrayed about, he smiles a little and spins up the usual Angelan built-in gravitic augments to raise him to eye-level while his cheerful eyes glow a slight brown. "Sorry, but it'd be a pity for this old man to start getting cricks in his neck from simple conversation."

He looks thirty-something.

Medium-brown face smiling broadly, mustache and goatee moving to match, he extends a hand. "International Relations Advisor Alshai Kommetrez of the Segments. Glad to meet you." Internally he adjusts for the shift in his center of balance, simply looking like a little wafting in the wind to outsiders.

Oh please may I not regret trying to show off. I wasn't born with these... should've practiced more...

Domin walked forward slightly and shook the man’s hand. “My Lord Advisor, welcome to the Eternal Empire. It is my honor and my pleasure to greet you. I am Admiral Domin Yabrant. Call me Domin. Shall we go to the conference room? You may bring bodyguards if you wish.”

(OOC: I’m assuming a positive response here.)

At the Advisor’s nod, Domin turned and made for the corridor to the conference room, his two man security detail falling into step behind him. He was careful to take small steps so as not to inconvenience the human. He did not speak until they reached the room.

After instructing the two door guards not to interrupt him unless it was urgent, Domin entered and took a seat on one side of a simple wooden desk and gestured to the chair on the other side. The chair provided for the Advisor was much taller so that neither of them would have to crane their necks to look each other in the eye.

“Rejik, Korth, you may leave. I trust the Scolopendran representative.” He did not mention that he was quite capable of handling himself if push came to shove. His guards knew that already. They filed silently out of the room, each bowing to the Advisor on the way out.

“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Domin looked Kommetrez straight in the eye. “The reason you have been asked here is twofold. The obvious reason, of course, is to explore the possibility of mutually beneficial relations, trade or otherwise."

"The other is too learn about your culture. The second is more of a personal interest of mine, although my superiors have expressed an interest in it as well. I am always more comfortable when I know something about who I am dealing with.”

Alshai winces just a little bit. "Just 'Advisor,' please. The 'Lord' part makes me sound like an autocrat. No offense taken or meant, just a heads-up."

He's by himself, floating along quite easily at the Guanyans' pace. There are some advantages to being not-quite-human-anymore. Nevertheless, Kommetrez appreciates the gesture of the height-equalizing chair. The less time he has to spend on gravs, the better... just old-fashioned that way.

"Then we have the same objectives in mind," Kommetrez replies (OOC: I'm just going to leave off the usual Angelan bold-facing... gets annoying at times) with a soft smile, "as beneficial relations and learning about others are always the primary objectives of the IntRelate Section.

"To address the second objective first, the Federated Segments is a merit-based democratic republic containing and open to a wide variety of peoples, cultures, and even species. Defining our 'culture' is generally difficult, as the secular federal culture is quite distinct from the local culture of each subset, both adapting to the other rather than one trying to dominate. In short, I suppose it would be accurate to say that we are on average intensely idealistic in our support of what we believe in, such as democracy and the rights of the individual as earned through citizenship; however, we are willing to accomodate others within a certain extent so long as our rather broad sense of morality is not violated. In essence, as long as a culture does not enslave or kill subsets of its population and is willing to consider the equal status of all sentience, we are generally content to interact with it in some form or another.

"Personally, I am Automata Alshai Kommetrez, born Alshai Kommetrez seventy years ago in the Sinai Peninsula on a form of Earth that has ceased to be." A soft, sighing chuckle. "Retired after twenty-five years of service in the Scolopendran Mobile Infantry with the rank of Major. Former Supreme Emperor of the Segments, a post I resigned after I switched bodies." He gestures nonchalantly to his medium frame. "I was offered the rare opportunity to join the machine-intelligence network of Angelus, and I took Us up on Our offer." Alshai smiles diplomatically. "As such, I can act as Our voice when need be. That is one of the reasons I resigned; I was feared as a security risk. Nevertheless, I've come to be accepted among both my native and adopted peoples."

He grins warmly. "And you?"

Domin considered the being across the table from him. An Automata, that explains why something about him seemed wrong to me. Well, it looks like I was the right one for this meeting after all.

“As for the Empire, I’ll give you a brief background on recent history.” He smiled ironically. “First, you must understand that the average lifespan of an Imperial subject is far beyond that of humans. Most Guanyans live to the age of about two thousand standard years. Some live even longer. The oldest living citizen is nearly seven thousand years old, and shows no signs of failing health. My grandmother, actually. In any case, I tell you this so that you may understand that when I speak of things that happened centuries ago, it is to our people recent history. I lived through most of what I am about to relate to you myself.”

“Until about 250 years ago, the Empire was ruled by a religious dictator who called himself the Ralak Jilam’uen, meaning ‘Hand of God’. He was strict and rigidly conservative. New ideas were crushed as quickly as he could find them. He was not averse to using torture and intimidation to maintain his hold over our people. We hated him, but we feared him too much to do anything.”

Domin fell silent for a moment, obviously looking back into the past. Then he continued. “His right-hand man was known as the Administrator-General, and his name was Abron nul Karhoff. For centuries Abron had ordered the executions and torture of countless innocent citizens. Though he did not show it, he privately detested his Lord. After serving for more than four hundred years under the Ralak, he finally decided to lead an uprising against him. He shot the Ralak in the face himself, then fried the corpse down into a pile of ashes with his weapon. I was there.”

“The people feared that Abron would be a harsh leader like his predecessor when he took the reigns of state after the coup. We soon found that we were mistaken. He immediately abolished the tyrannical policies of the Ralak and instituted an entirely new governmental format. He retained his old title and set up Ministries to handle the day-to-day workings of the Empire. Slowly the stain of his predecessor left him in the eyes of the people and we accepted him as our ruler. In the past two and a half centuries, he has done nothing to make us regret it. Many of our citizens remember the Ralak, and that is part of the reason the people are so loyal to Abron.”

“Our government as it stands now is something of an oddity. Democracy is an enigma to Guanyans, so Karhoff remains the leader of our nation both in name and in reality. He has total power here. Despite this, he dislikes impressing his will on the people, and thus he allows them nearly total freedom to live their lives as they choose. Although there are subcultures of the Guanyan race, all of the Empire’s subjects are Guanyan.”

“Until recently we have had little contact with outsiders, and what is construed by others to be xenophobia is really more caution, as many Guanyans do not know what to make of other races yet. This prompted much of our recent increase in naval buildup, as a precautionary measure. The three ships that escorted you in are the latest in our new line of battleships.”

Domin paused for a moment to have a sip of a greenish-purple liquid that sat in a cup on his desk. He gestured to a glass of clear liquid sitting on the Advisor’s side. “Ice water. Feel free to have it tested for poisons if you so wish.”

“As for myself, I was the leader of a rebel faction during the last seven hundred years of the Ralak’s reign. When Abron took over he gave me command of the Fourth Fleet, and I worked my way up through the ranks until I reached my current position as Admiral and Viceminister of Defense, second in command of the entire Guanyan Aerospace Navy. I also have more experience with outsiders than most Guanyans due to an avid hobby I have of studying and interacting with them.”

He took another sip of his drink and smiled slightly. “I also currently hold the second place title for finest sharpshooter in the Empire.” His smile faded. “Although at the moment we are not sure if I have recently been elevated to first place, as our finest shooter has disappeared on a first contact mission to Eris Kallisti.”

“Of course, there are some things I did not tell you, as I suppose there are some you declined to mention to me. I’m sure you understand. Now, is there something else you would like to cover before we move on to affairs of politics and state?”

Calabrese steps briskly from the shuttle, surrounded by six soldati dressed in solid Dominion black, their long trench coats serving to blur the lines of body armor possible concealed weapons. The entire group walks with a purpose, the guards casting wary eyes at their surroundings, while Cesare focuses on those he has come to meet.

Christ, they’re huge …

His smile is warm, and hides well any private misgivings or concerns. Holding out a hand in standard greeting fashion. “Cesare Calabrse, Dominiion Chancellor,” he says in a clear voice, looking up expectantly.

(OOC: Domin considered the being across the table from him. [i]An Automata, that explains why something about him seemed wrong to me.
Other than the fact he's floating around? ;) )

Alshai chuckles softly, taking up the ice water. "No, I'll take your word for it. If you were trying to kill me you could have done so far more efficiently earlier. Even if you are trying to kill me, We are too resistant to poisons to take offense." He raises his glass in a small, jovial salute. "Kam pai." After taking a drink, he nods.

"Yes, trust can be a difficult thing to manage especially when one fears the worst. However, someone must take the first step else nothing gets accomplished... so we usually try to take that first step. That is why we have a small shuttle carrying a small man and no bodyguards; it is a simple sign of trust. The worst thing you can do is kill me and destroy my ship and my nation loses very little while it gains a valuable warning.

"I don't expect you to, of course. I'm simply saying why we're prone to trust others." Kommetrez smiles broadly as he leans back easily. "We used to be even more trusting in the past, but we've discovered that to be a weakness. Now we're a little more wary; just an adaptation to reality.

"So, to put it bluntly... I trust you already." He smiles. "While I appreciate the offers of poison testing and other things intended to put me at ease, they are essentially unecessary. I only hope my trust can be seconded... because the only reason I 'declined' to tell you some things is because there is simply so much to tell and I'm not aware of your interests.

"If there's anything you'd like to know, please ask."

His smile is warm, and hides well any private misgivings or concerns. Holding out a hand in standard greeting fashion. “Cesare Calabrse, Dominiion Chancellor,” he says in a clear voice, looking up expectantly.

Karhoff walked forward and shook the Chancellor's hand, drawing outraged gasps from a few more conservative Guanyans in the small crowd of off-duty military personnel that had gathered to see the foreigners. Ignoring them, he spoke in his melodious baritone voice.

“As Administrator-General of the Empire, I welcome you to our home. For security reasons we should remain out here for the shortest possible time. I trust my men, but there are some deep seated xenophobic sentiments present in our culture, I’m sad to admit. It wouldn’t do to have anything happen to you or your guards while you are here.”

Karhoff flashed a brilliant smile. “And I suspect that if we stay here much longer you will develop neck problems. I have arranged for chairs specially designed to eliminate our height difference. Please, all of you follow me.”

As Karhoff turned and began walking to the conference room, a compliment of twelve bodyguards, all eight feet in height but of varying builds, took up formation around him and the Dominion delegation. They carried their large, two handed weapons with the confidence of veteran warriors. The guns looked rather simple and unthreatening despite their size, but the speed with which the crowd parted was a testament to the lethality both of the weapons and the men and women who bore them.

When they reached the room, Karhoff made a peculiar hand gesture and seven of his guards stationed themselves outside the room. The remaining five entered with Karhoff and the delegation. He then seated himself in a well padded chair and motioned for the Chancellor to do the same.

“I can have seats brought for your guards if they would like, but I suspect they would rather stand. Speaking of guards, I would like to explain the number of guards I have here. It was not possible from a political standpoint for me to speak with you alone, so I have done the next best thing. In our culture, the host having one less guard present than the visitor is an expression of trust.”

“Before we proceed to other matters, is there anything else you require?”


Domin thought for a moment. Then he spoke: “Actually, what I would really like to know about is the Triumvirate of Yut. Now that the Empire is emerging into the international sphere, I’d like to know, in your own words, what the Triumvirate is, what its principles are, and what the possibilities are for the Empire if we should choose to look into membership.”

Welcome back to the world, hope we have fun, may ye have ten thousand years of long life.

-President Senator Aron Toko
The Allied States of Saiogena

Calabrese took careful note of Karhoff’s demeanor … and the reactions of those around him, filing it all away for later notes. His smile never faded however, and to any looking, he appeared not to notice anything but the decidedly tall leader before him. The soldati accompanying him parted the way soundlessly to allow Karhoff access at a slight hand gesture from Cesare. He shifted the soft leather briefcase he carried to his left, and shook the offered hand firmly, his smile broadening.

“I thank you for your most gracious welcome, Administrator-General,” he said, bowing respectfully upon stepping back from the handshake. “Please, it is no trouble. As you lead, so shall I follow.”

The small group walked briskly, the tails of the long black trench coats of the soldati billowing slightly behind them as they passed. Cesare followed along with a quietly confident gait, glancing about now and then to take in their alien surroundings and the guards flanking them, seeming as unruffled as his guards, who walked with the cool precision of men well-practiced in their duties, and outwardly, unruffled in the least. They carried UV rifles, set on low power for stun as directed. Glimpses of holstered handguns could be seen from under their coats when they moved now and then. If there were other weapons, they were as well hidden as the majority of their features, set behind the mirrored visors of their helmets.

Calabrese glanced around the room as they entered, then nodded, taking a seat as indicated, the soldati setting up three to either side of him, spread out and back enough not to hover. “I’m certain they’re quite fine, thank you,” he said, getting comfortable. “I appreciate the gesture, and hope you understand that the presence of guards on my part is equally appreciated, and merely the unfortunate requirement of a gentleman of the government travelling abroad these days. As for my needs,” he continued, bringing up the case to his lap with deliberate slowness so as not to arouse any suspicions.

“If I may be permitted to offer up a bottle of Dominion wine? It is a tradition of ours, discussing business over a friendly glass. If perhaps you might have a couple on hand?” He draws a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto from his thick case with the same care and carefully measured motions as before, offering no threat while appearing altogether casual about it all.

Alshai smiles broadly. "Ah yes, the Triumvirate. It is a relatively tight confederation of nations that has expanded beyond all initial expectations--although this is not a bad thing--and continues to grow. Our basic principles are outlined in the charter; essentially, we believe in peaceful, nonagressive growth and expansion via freedom in trade and flow of information between our nations; mutual defense against all enemies but no support for wars of aggression without provocation that threatens the whole; the prevention of genocide wherever we can through whatever means necessary and the political struggle against slavery. As long as those two cardinal sins are avoided and the masses are not oppressed into subsistence, we are rather open-minded.

"For admission we'll need to get to know you better, of course," the dark-skinned man continues, "but as far as I can see at the moment there is nothing barring you. The admission process is a relatively simple affair of finding a sponsor who will vouch for your stance on international issues and your past history of international conduct then a vote by the Council on the matter. If it all goes through, you become a member equal to all others except the First Among Equals, who simply reserve veto power... which has to date never been exercised."

One of the guards took the bottle from Calabrese and pulled a small device from his coat. As he scanned the wine, Karhoff explained:

“Please excuse Thomas for his abruptness. I don’t suspect you of trying to poison me, however, some substances that are lethal to Guanyans are not harmful to humans. We have to make sure that there is nothing in the wine that might be harmful to me.”

The guard handed back the bottle, nodding to Karhoff. “Excellent. In that case, I accept your offer with thanks.”

After Calabrese had opened the wine and poured it into glasses brought by one of the guards, Karhoff spoke: “Now to the reason for this meeting. My main areas of interest are, to put it simply, political and trading relations between the Empire and the Dominion and the possibility of Guanyan relations with the NDA as a whole, as a potential future member or otherwise.”

“Let us start with our national relations. The first thing I would like is as much information as you can give me on scientific or technological strengths of the Dominion. I, in turn, present you with the same information about the Empire.”

“As I stated in my initial message, the two main areas of Guanyan technoscientific work are our space fleet and our genetic research. Our most recent project is the development of what we call ‘biotech’, the creation of living machines. We are in the process of assessing the viability of creating sentient space ships and ground vehicles. This would of course be a significant improvement over even the most advances artificial intelligence units. We are also working on a new weaponry system known as DTEMP, or Direct Transmission Electro-Magnetic Pulse. The DTEMP would potentially allow us to disable enemy spacecraft or other mechanical units in spite of most counter-EMP measures.”

Karhoff smiled easily and nodded to Calabrase. “Your turn.”

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

“The familiarity necessary to apply for membership will come with time. This brings me to another issue, trade. I will give you a general idea of what we have to offer, and you can tell me what you have that might benefit the Empire.”

(OOC: Scolo, what he would say here is above in my response to Nathi in the long paragraph from “As” to “measures.” Consider that reposted here.)

“So,” Domin concluded, “I suppose it’s your turn to indicate interest in those fields and tell me what the Segments has (have?) to offer.”

"Synopsis," grunted Warlord Garrand, pushing aside another menu window. The floating white screen vanished as he pushed it aside, peering at the new display in front of him: Jay Reaven's face.

The Foreign Minister looks down, examining some document that Garrand couldn't see. After a brief pause, he looked back up. "Guanyu--a state that until now has been rigidly isolationist--has contacted us and several others regarding the establishment of diplomatic and possibly trade contact. Toro and his boys have got sketchy details at best, and their governmental structure is rather confusing, at least from without," he said with a sigh. The shuffle of paper could be heard as Reaven flipped through his documents. "What interests me is their choice of contacts," he continues, raising a brow. "Apprently they tapped not only us, but Lady Nathicana and Scolopendra as well. We three were the only recipients of the message. The transmissions sent to the others appear to be duplicates. Toro and the DDIA are looking into that now."

Garrand strokes his beard as his gaze travels slowly about the room. He lifts a brow. "Interesting choices." His hands fiund their way to his desk, and he spreads them a bit, hunching over his desk ever so slightly, peering at the holographic representation of the Imperial Foreign Minister's face and shoulders. "What do you reccommend, Mister Reaven?" he asked intently. "What do you make of all this?"

Reaven shrugs. "Either they have no idea what they're doing or who they're talking to--not likely given that isolantionism and stupidity are not necessarily mutually exclusive--or they're trying to get a finger in every pie they can. Only thing I don't understand is why they didn't contact anyone else," he says. His head bobs as he shifts his weight to the other foot and crosses his arms. "I think contact might as well be established: new diplomatic contacts are not to be shunned, but we should definately avoid taking this for face value," he explains, finishing with a slight shake of his head.

Garrand nods. "Make it happen. Arrange for a meeting if they're receptive. I'll have Economic Affairs run me up an analysis of their offered exports and see if there is, in fact, a place for Guanyu in our market. Don't be a prick."

Reaven laughs. "Fuck you too old man," he says jokingly as he bows. "I'll get right on it. Expect an outgoing transmission in a half hour or less."

Garrand grunts and scribbles something down on a sheet of paper. "I want the report on my desk by 0900 tomorrow morning. You'll be a stain on the carpet by noon if I get chewed out by the Man Downstairs for not having briefed him on this."

Reaven only laughed again as his image disappeared.

***



Your missive has not fallen on deaf ears, despite what you may have thought. It seems I'm always apologising for late replies and general tardiness, but alas I must do so again.

At any rate, The Imperial Dominion may or may not be interested in taking Guanyu up on this offer. First, of course, our emissaries must meet, and we've got our share of questions, as I'm sure you do. It is my beleif that new diplomatic ties are beneficial more often than not, so I would of course be more than happy to host a representative from Guanyu, or vice versa.

Unfortunately, trade contacts will be difficult to make and harder still to maintain, as my Lord is a very cautious individual. I'll not presume to think he trusts anyone at first, but we'll not be having any such problems so long as Guanyu proves to be an august and honorable entity.

Regards,

Foreign Minister Jay Reaven [signed]

[code:1:fec78a0602]Transmission initiated.
Opening Communications Link…
Connection Established.
Masking Origin…
Transmitting…

To Minister Jay Reaven:

Your offer is most appreciated. Please transmit coordinates and a representative will be sent to discuss our potential relations.

Boris Yeltsin,
Defense Minister,
Eternal Empire of Guanyu[/code:1:fec78a0602]



(OOC: I'm going to assume you transmit the coordinates and my representative arrives safely.)

The GANS Haelionis, personal Scimitar-class warship of High Augur Samuel Jossin, flowed into the system. A transmission was immediately broadcast from the ship.

"This is the GANS Haelionis, carrying the Guanyan representative to the Imperial Dominion, requesting permission to land."

"All of those seem quite useful," Kommetrez replies, "especially as they compliment current projects with our allies quite well. The Sakkrans have several Pakayag-class bioships on exploration duty (I apologize if I mispronounce, but the tongue is new to me) and the Eniqciri have been working with living computer technology for quite some time now. Given our current problem with Angelic Skies, a raiding group splintered from Our own Archailect of Angelus, such a weapon as you described would be a most effective counter to them.

"Our strengths are somewhat more esoteric than most," Alshai continues, "the Segments' primary skill that it seems to do better than most others is in the creation, application, and maintenance of biomes and ecosystems. We have a great deal of experience in ecological modifications ranging from complete terraformation to ecology reclaimation from the detrimental effects of pollution and hostile foreign elements. We can assist in successfully integrating both 'natural' and gengineered species and subspecies into viable self-sustaining ecosystems; likewise, we can maintain closed life-support systems quite efficiently using the same principles. We are also relatively effective at research--although this is uncommon--and we have a national tendency to build things with a particular robustness more sturdy than many other design philosophies, but the actual 'strength' of this is often argued to little result." He chuckles softly with a slight smile.

"Through the Triumvirate we have access to the extremely strong research and production centers of the major mechanoid nations of the multiverse along with their strengths; several trading powerhouses such as Karmabaijan and Menelmacar; and military-industrial strongholds such as Cetaganda and Sunset. We have a wide and varied consumer base with constant wants and needs for an equally wide and varied range of products with a broad selection of economies to deal with which leads to mutual profitability. We also have broad connections economically to various other trade organizations such as the WBO, KIST, and major Solar System markets via Menelmacar, Sunset, and broad connections politically to other alliances such as MIDAS II and the NDA via the Dominion."

Domin leaned forward with interest. "Ecological manipulation, you said? That could be....very useful. We've had some problems recently with degradation of some chemicals in rural areas on Guanyu Ceta Two, and this has caused some problems with the food supply. The problems are minor now, but threaten to become more serious. Tell me, how difficult do you think it would be to adapt this science to the chemical/gaseous nutrients that the Guanyan physiology requires?"

"Hmmm." Alshai rubs his thin black goatee a little in thought. "I'm not now and have never been a terra-engineer, but from what I can gather from Our knowledge it would be a matter of identifying the new factors--which you already know--observing how they process through the ecosystem in its various cycles and forms, then evaluating methods to modify those cycles to better fit the holistic health of the area."

He nods. "Ya... it shouldn't be difficult because the basic concepts are the same; the only difference is that there are a few more variables mixed in to be cognizant of. While that makes the individual problem more complex, it does not increase the difficulty so much... like adding terms to a particular equation. It means more work, but it doesn't make evaluating the equation any more difficult. Just time-consuming."

"Well, now we know what you have that we need. The question is, what can we offer you? We have other strenghts other than those I mentioned already. Is there anything you can think of that might be valuable to the Segments?"

"We always have a curiosity about other cultures, and thus everyone almost always has something we want." Alshai grins with closed lips. "Raw materials are also always a necessity; while our own colonization and mining efforts are nominally sufficient there is not enough of a surplus to keep us comfortable. Also, your long age will be able to give us glimpses on your personal history and your knowledge of biotechnology can be collated with our own. The more one learns, the more connections one makes and the more useful every individual bit of datum becomes.

"Also, our own economy is rather socialistic and thus we find our greatest profitability in mutually beneficial trade with others as opposed to the internal generation of wealth. Access to your markets for our products would be most useful in this regard. Combined with the examination and evaluation of how you do things and the application of any resultant beneficial modifications to ourselves, what we have the most to gain from future relations is self-improvement. Any culture that fails to continue to improve itself stagnates and eventually falls, so we consider the rather abstract benefit of self-improvement as quite important."

"Raw materials we certainly have in abundance. We also have refining methods and metal alloys that allow us to create metals far stronger and heat-resistant than standard metals, even those used in most space vessels. It would not be difficult to arrange for a team of our biotechnicians to work with your scientists for the mutual benefit of both nations."

"As for a market for your products, that can be arranged, but it will take some time. We will have to feel out the best areas to seed the new products into our markets."

Domin seemed almost hesitant to continue, but after a few seconds he continued. "There is also another area that could be profitable for both nations, but I don't know if you'll want it imported into your markets. As an unavoidable side affect of our genetic research, we have gained an impressive knowledge of hallucinogens, carcinogens, and assorted medical drugs. I have heard that many cultures have problems with disease. Perhaps we could help if you have any such issues. The only drawback would be that the recreational drugs would certainly follow the medicinal."

"We have long since removed any addictive properties of the drugs, but they still interfere with logic and reasoning abilities. It's entirely up to you whether you wish to open this avenue of trade. As for the rest of what we've discussed, a free trade agreement seems beneficial to both of us."

Alshai chuckles. "Personal responsibility is one of the cardinal virtues in our culture," he explains as he folds his hands together, "so if someone wishes to enjoy themselves in the comfort of their own home where they do not and can not harm others then it is not a concern of the state. I myself have been known to enjoy the occasional smooth spliff back in the day... not like it would do me any good now," he says with a lighthearted smile, "but there have been times that such things were relaxing. Due to the... difficulties of using certain drugs in moderation trade in them will be regulated, of course, but we've no problems with that and hope that you don't mind either. We simply adapt as the situation demands.

"As such, we're quite willing to share in medical technologies. I simply think it's wise to warn you ahead of time that, depending on the strength of the recreational pharmaceuticals in question, their sale, purchase, and perhaps even volume of import will be regulated to some extent."

"That's one of the nicer things about our nation. It is not in the Guanyan nature to disobey those in charge, so If the Administrator-General says we will only export a certain amount, then the people will do as he says. Smuggling won't be an issue."

"Well then, is there anything else you would like to discuss? I think we've covered by objectives for this meeting."

"Outstanding."

The automata thinks for a few moments. "Well, we're an idealistic people. You probably know that; it isn't like we make any attempt to hide it or apologize for it. We've no complaint against autocratic systems--although we do prefer democracy--as long as they indicate that we have some sort of common ground on basic ideals and virtues. What are your nation's stances on military expansionism and sentient rights?"

“Ah, an excellent question. I’ll address expansionism first. With the kind of space we have, expansion has never been necessary for the Empire, and we have no desire to engage in it in the future. The Guanyan culture involves a strong belief in both property rights and civil behavior, so we don’t look kindly on those attempting to expand at the expense of others.”

“As for sentient rights…well, that’s being hotly debated at the moment. Freedom of mind and body are very important to us, so things such as free speech and freedom of choice are considered to be natural rights. The Administrator-General would never think of restricting the rights of the people.”

“The current question, however, is religious. As with many religions, the Guanyan faith proclaims our people to be the chosen of Jilam, the Creator. This causes some more conservative factions to urge the government to treat aliens, pardon the term, as lesser beings. The Administrator-General himself, though deeply religious, believes that all sentient beings have equal value both in the eyes of Jilam and, ideally, in the eyes of the law.”

"The term is accurate." Alshai the Alien bows respectfully with s jovial almost-grin. "'There are no bad words, only bad context. One cannot be afraid of words that speak the truth.' That is not altogether unexpected; a certain amount of ethnocentrism is to be expected in any culture by definition--a given group of people only have their own context to compare others by. A certain amount of ethnosuperiority is also to be expected as most people continue to follow certain habits or do certain things or claim membership in a given group because they prefer those habits or things or groups over others. The only trouble comes when people decide that their personal preference has any basis in objective reality and they try to coerce others to think the same way."

He shrugs. "We have Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Shintoists, Wiccans, pagans, Deists, spiritualists, and Jews who all look at each other and think that their personal ways are perhaps just a little bit better than the others but perhaps also the other person's way has validity as well. We have Arabs and Europeans and East-Asians and Indians and Africans and Americans and kzinti and all sorts of other things who take pride in who they are, which automatically assumes just a slight amount of superiority over other groups in a personal context--else there'd be no reason to take pride in it. As Scolopendrans we admittedly think that we're just a smidgen better than everyone else or else we'd join them, and as overarching Scolopendrans we realize that to the secular government above all these little subsets are one in the same. As such, we have no complaints if others wish to think of us as lesser, as that is their perogative. There is nothing wrong with benign ethnocentrism--our nation exemplifies that, being a collection of hundreds of ethnocentric groups within an ethnocentric group--and it is simply impossible to extirpate without godlike capacities to truly see everything from every angle."

Kommetrez chuckles, leaning forward to take another sip of water. "Now, if your more conservative elements want to say that we're going to Gehenna, then that's their perogative. If they try to convert us peacefully, that is also their perogative although we reserve the right not to pay attention. If they try to coerce us or take some sort of action against the untermenschen," he says with a less jovial expression as before, "we will of course take exception to that. Second-class citizenship is not necessarily an evil; we have a second class of citizen ourselves. However, if that second class is oppressed then it does become something that we simply cannot tolerate. I wish your Administrator-General luck in moderating the opinions of your conservative elements and I extend the offer--in good faith, this is just something we do--that if you have any 'lesser beings' that you fear may come to ill ends due to this movement we are willing to accept them into our own culture."

Kommetrez smiles again. "That's just how we try to help."

Foreign Minister Jay Reaven sat quietly at a conference table, his hands folded in front of him. Two other men stood near the doorway, conversing quietly. His eyes darted at the massive iron door at the front of the hall; coolant hissed from the doorway in tightly controlled bursts as the partition is lifted into the ceiling. The two men stood at attention as Dash Hattori walked through. With a cursory nod to his subordinates, Dash produced a longish metal rod from his sleeve. He cleared his throat with a nod to the Minister and watched as the transparent screen activated.

"Coordinates for this hall have been sent, Master Reaven," started the Marshal. "They are en route and should be arriving shortly. Would you like for myself or one of my colleagues to stay onhand?"

Reaven leaned back in his chair and scratched his head. His stylus bouned almost effortlessly from knuckle to knuckle. He squints at the Easterling. "See if Marius wants in on this meeting," he suggests. "He's always had a good head for economics and trade. You should probably stick around too. Tell Narotama to keep the rest of the Marshals at beck and call."

Dash nodded. "Very well. If you need anything, you know how to page the attendant. I'm off to round up Marius, and I will return as soon as we've reported to Captain Suharto."

Reaven nods, and goes back to swuinting at a painting on the wall showing a cantina in Near Harad. "I'll see you then." He turned his gaze back down to his own holopad as Dash closed his and set it on the table.

"This is the latest report from Toro on Guanyu. Nothing much, but theres a memo in there about possible trade openings." The Easterling bowed, and was gone.

Jay Reaven
Foreign Minister of the Imperium
First Speaker of the Imperial Dominion
http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload5/Reaven.JPG

“Subjects of the Empire are exclusively Guanyan, so racial bias isn’t an issue internally. As for Guanyans trying to convert outsiders…” Domin chuckled, “I don’t think that’s very likely. It might be worth mentioning to a few of the priests just to see the shocked expressions on their faces.”

Domin’s face took on a thoughtful cast. “Although there are no non-Guanyans in the Empire, there is a faction that has been growing in the last few hundred years that expresses dissatisfaction with life in the Empire. They are not militant, nor do they dislike the government. They are merely….unfulfilled, I suppose. Perhaps a place could be found for them in the Segments?”


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

The High Augur swept into the hall followed by two towering bodyguards. His attire was rather eccentric, even for a Guanyan. From the waist down, glistening black leather covered him. His shoes were leather as well, the carefully engraved symbols glistening. He wore no shirt, but incredibly intricate tattoos of mystic-looking diagrams and symbols wound their way around his torso, arms, stomach and back. His head was shaved and the tattoos extended up his neck to cover his scalp as well. A navy blue cape flowed behind him, seeming to move with a life of its own. It was adorned with a drawing of a creature, strongly resembling the dragon of human mythology*, that caught the light and shimmered beautifully. Despite all of this, his most distinctive features were his eyes, glowing green like those of a predatory jungle cat. A fearsome intelligence lurked behind those eyes that seemed to pierce everything and see through all pretenses and deceptions.

Looking directly at Reaven, he spoke clearly and abruptly. “You are Minister Reaven?”

*Here's the cape:
http://moderators.united.net.kg/NS%20Pic%20Hosting/dragon_pic3.jpg

http://moderators.united.net.kg/NS%20Pic%20Hosting/Characters/Jossin.jpg
Samuel Jossin
High Augur of the Eternal Empire of Guanyu
Master of the Deliquati
Lord of the Dragon

"Well, they are free to come and try to find fulfillment in the Segments," Kommetrez replies, "and I wish them luck. We always look forward to meeting and learning from new people."

"Very well then, I believe our business is concluded. I assume military treaties would be better left for a time when our two nations have had a bit more interaction, but perhaps we can meet again in a few years to discuss it. Or was my assumption incorrect?"

Reaven strained a brow as the Jossin strode into the room, his hands still folded on the table in front of him. He looked the guards over and exhaled sharply. "Indeed, I am," answered the man, placing his hands on the table and standing, reaching his full height of 6'3". He looked up at the Augur and extended his hand, leaning over the table slightly. "On behalf of Lord Melkor and the Imperial Dominion, I welcome you to Ali'Staan. I understand you're looking to establish contacts in the international community. If that is in fact the case, coming here is a good start," he said with a firm nod.

He looked down and pressed a couple of buttons under a small display on his desk. "So then let's get right down to it, shall we?" he asked with a smile. Sitting down, he gestured for the Augur to do the same. Text scrolled on a small screen on the table before Jossin as he sat down. Reaven pulled a keypad out from a desk compartment and struck another few keys. "Alright, give it a second to connect. Using this terminal, you'll be able to access our pertinent diplomatic protocols. You can check our local regulations for building and staffing embassies, and a myriad of other diplomatic protocol besides. Two of the Imperial Marshals will be on hand shortly to discuss trade possibilities."

He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, bouncing that stylus across his knucles again. He cocked a brow at Jossin. "So tell me a bit about your people in the meantime. What's Guanyu like?"

Jay Reaven
Foreign Minister of the Imperium
First Speaker of the Imperial Dominion
http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload5/Reaven.JPG

Jossin removed his cape before sitting, handing it to one of the guards. He considered Reaven for a moment, then spoke.

“The Empire spans several star systems and is ruled by Administrator-General Abron nul Karhoff. Theoretically he wields absolute power over the people, but he prefers to allow them as much freedom as is reasonably possible. The government and military, which are so closely intertwined that at times it is hard to separate them, control the economy with an iron fist to insure that corporations do not greedily defraud the people.”

“Guanyans themselves are similar to humans both physically and culturally, with a few differences. As you’ve undoubtedly notices we are taller than humans. We also have somewhat different respiratory methods, a much longer lifespan, and a few other minor differences. Mentally and culturally, Guanyans are on the whole more patient than humans due to our ability to take the long view of almost any situation, deeply religious, and far more intelligent than humans.” (That last was clearly his personal opinion, and was stated with a clear tone of superiority.)

“We also are instilled from birth with a strong sense of loyalty and what you humans would call “honor,” and a very powerful attachment to others of our species.”

Reaven tightened his jaw ever so slightly, and tilted his head a bit, nodding after a time. "Not too terribly different from us, I suppose,"" he answered pensively. "How did Guanyu establish such a large empire, then?" he asked crossing his legs and clasping his hands over one knee. "Colinization, conquest, what? Any problems with revolutionaries ever?"

"Whether by God's will, or just luck, the Guanyan homeworld is far from any worlds that hold indigenous life. After discovering space travel, the Empire expanded slowly into the unoccupied surrouding systems. We have had dissenters from time to time, but none militant. The concept of raising a hand in anger toward another Guanyan is...inconceivable I believe is the word...to us. The Administrator-General does what he can to meet them halfway when it is possible."

Jossin shook his head, the changing angles causing his forehead tattoo to gleam for a moment. "I will never understand the tendency of other beings to harm each other for such petty reasons." There was none of his former arrogance in his voice now, only sincere sadness.

OOC: Don't know if he said anything, but I think Scolo's gone camping for a while. Just making sure no one gets uppity. :)

OOC: I'm leaving Monday morning around 6:00 for a "camping trip," I'll be back Saturday afternoon.

"Whether by God's will, or just luck, the Guanyan homeworld is far from any worlds that hold indigenous life. After discovering space travel, the Empire expanded slowly into the unoccupied surrouding systems. We have had dissenters from time to time, but none militant. The concept of raising a hand in anger toward another Guanyan is...inconceivable I believe is the word...to us. The Administrator-General does what he can to meet them halfway when it is possible."

Jossin shook his head, the changing angles causing his forehead tattoo to gleam for a moment. "I will never understand the tendency of other beings to harm each other for such petty reasons." There was none of his former arrogance in his voice now, only sincere sadness.

Reaven shifted his jaw and leaned back in his seat a bit. He scribbled something down on a screen in front of him, the dropped his stylus, turning in his seat to the second, smaller display. Text scrolled past. "Looks like the terminals are up. Excellent timing," he said with a grin, gesturing to the screen at Jossin's place. "In situations like this, protocol would dictate for us to send one or more observers to your country to get a first-hand look at its workings."

Scrolling down a bit, he continued. He lifted his gaze from the screen and looked over to his counterpart. "This agent wouldn't represent any obligation or any sort of binding agreement on behalf of the Imperium, and we usually like to have at least 24 months of observation..." he gestured with his hands. "'Getting to know you' type stuff. You're encouraged to send one to us as well." He cleared his throat and continued quickly. "After this trial period is when we discus sEmbassies and the like. If you'll check your screen again, you can see our zoning policies and personnel restrictions for these structures. Most of them are built here Ali'Staan since it's a decidedly more hospitible environ than Angband or Utumno."

He pushed another button, and furrowed his brow. "Now trade is a completely different game. Given that you've contacted the Triumvirate with the same message as us, I won't lie to you: Lord melkor will not look favorably on any sort of open trade with Guanyu so long as you're openly trading with Scolopendra, Karmabaijan, or any one of a host of other Triumvirate members. They'll feed you a line of bullshit about it, but if the shoe were on the other foot they'd feel the same way." He held up a finger. "This does not, however, rule out production and/or distribution contracts with your major corporationsand one or more of ours. Details would still need to be worked out, however: I'm certainly not talking about the immediate future here."

He cocked a brow and leaned back in his seat again, corssing his legs and clasping his hands over his knee. "Tell me, what do you know of us? You seem like a peace-loving people, so naturally I'm a bit curious as to why you chose the Imperium as an opening contact."

"Very well then, I believe our business is concluded. I assume military treaties would be better left for a time when our two nations have had a bit more interaction, but perhaps we can meet again in a few years to discuss it. Or was my assumption incorrect?"
"That sounds quite acceptable." Kommetrez smiles, nodding in a sort of seated bow. "We look forward to working together in the future; hopefully any future relations will be mutually beneficial ones. If you'd like to send a more permanent envoy or ambassador to the Segments you're more than welcome to. It could facilitate further dialogue and ease the burden of commuting, so to speak."

He smiles a little with a small chuckle. "If you don't want to send one immediately, that's acceptable as well. The offer is simply open in appropriately Arabesque hospitality to be accepted or declined as you deem best. I am the standard point-of-contact for all things concerning international relations, and I can give you contact information for Advisor Spoilsport of the International Trade section if you wish to investigate that route as well."

"Tell me, what do you know of us? You seem like a peace-loving people, so naturally I'm a bit curious as to why you chose the Imperium as an opening contact."

An odd expression, somewhere between indecision and fear, flitted across Jossin's face. It disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and was replaced with determination. "Yem nak ri'yesh." he uttered under his breath (the Guanyan equivalent of "I'm going to regret this").

“I am under direct orders by the highest echelons of the Church not to reveal this information to you. However, I must hope that the Administrator-General will trust my decision and forgive me.”

“When contact with outsiders was first discussed, your Imperial Dominion was not one of the initial contacts planned by the Guanyan government. It was only my personal urging that convinced the Administrator-General to change that. My reasons were…complicated.”

“My title, High Augur, is not a governmental office. You may have already guessed this. I am the Commander of the Church Armies, one of the highest ranking members of our religious order. I wanted contact established with you because I believe that this world, Arda, is mentioned in our holy texts. I will try to explain this as briefly as I can.”

“It is said that before Time itself there were two brothers who lived in the darkness called Lam, the Void. One of these brothers was our god, Jilam, and the other was Ji’ren, Lord of the Eternal Flame. If my theory is correct, you would know it better as the Flame Imperishable. When Ji’ren began creating things to fill the Void, Jilam experimented with this idea by creating the first Guanyan. This angered Ji’ren and they parted ways.”

“Long after, Jilam’s attention was drawn back to the world Ji’ren created when one of Ji’ren’s servants created two Trees. One contained the essence of the Flame, and therefore of Ji’ren, but the servant unknowingly instilled the other with the essence of the Stars, which are part of Jilam’s domain. These Trees were later destroyed, and the essence of Jilam’s Tree taken to form a glowing orb in the sky above the world, you would call it a moon. I believe that Arda is the world spoken of in the legends. That is why I wished to come here, and see for myself if the moon of Arda holds the spirit of our god. All other considerations are frankly secondary.”

"That sounds quite acceptable." Kommetrez smiles, nodding in a sort of seated bow. "We look forward to working together in the future; hopefully any future relations will be mutually beneficial ones. If you'd like to send a more permanent envoy or ambassador to the Segments you're more than welcome to. It could facilitate further dialogue and ease the burden of commuting, so to speak."

He smiles a little with a small chuckle. "If you don't want to send one immediately, that's acceptable as well. The offer is simply open in appropriately Arabesque hospitality to be accepted or declined as you deem best. I am the standard point-of-contact for all things concerning international relations, and I can give you contact information for Advisor Spoilsport of the International Trade section if you wish to investigate that route as well."

"We already have someone in mind for an ambassador. I believe he will fit in quite well." A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Domin's mouth.

"His name is Renik Ashur, and he's fairly close to an automata himself. He's had so many cybernetic implants over the years that he's at least as much machine as Guanyan."

"I will most certainly inquire of your Advisor Spoilsport as soon as I have made a full report to my superiors. If there is nothing else, you are free to depart."

"Excellent, then." Alshai rises from the table with a slight bow in midair. "It has been a pleasure, but there is always more work that needs to be done.

"Until next time." With that, the Advisor excuses himself politely and returns from whence he came. The report is quite favorable.

As Kommetrez's ship cleared the docking platform, Domin made a split second decision. He tapped his comm. "Ryan, I want that rep given a military fanfare. Full flag."

Seconds later, the sixteen Broadsword class Dwarf Cruisers in the system arranged themselves into two lines, facing each other. At precisely the same moment, All sixteen fired their Shatterstar-II missiles, filling the space between them with brilliant and beautiful star-shaped blasts of pure destructive power. The ships then fired seven volleys of an odd, irridescent beam weapon, the light slashing through the sky in a peculiar pattern. The display served two purposes. Officially, it was a sign of respect. Unofficially, it was a pointed reminder of the power of the Guanyan Fleet.

Calabrese covers any consternation at the man’s manner and direct approach in sipping his wine slowly, savoring it. When he finally does speak, it is in a careful, measured tone, with the proper hint of apology.

“While I am honored you would choose to be willing to share so much of what you know so freely, or at least, share the fact that you have such technology, I am afraid that in many matters, I am not at liberty to disclose what to us, is still rather sensitive information.”

Casually, yet slowly enough not to be seen as a threat, he takes out a crisply-folded white handkerchief, and sets his wine glass down on it, so as not to mar the table. After taking a moment to think, his eyes focused on a point somewhere above Karhoff’s head, he nods and continues, eyes going back to focus on his host.

“Our advances have been more along the lines of useful science. For example in finding more hardy, profitable crops, and working towards cures for some of the less pleasant maladies that plague our race. In technology, we tend to be overshadowed by those who have gone before us, and have indeed assisted us greatly in our advance into space, though we have for the past while been working towards developing systems of our own. Leaps forward in communications has been a recent point of pride for us. The field of genetics is not unknown, and we have progressed impressively in several areas of shall we say ‘interest’ to our nation and it’s continued growth and security.”

“As for trade, that would of course require knowing what it is you need, and what you have to offer – and of course, vise versa. I’m certain our Trade Minister would be most helpful in that capacity, having a much clearer understanding of all the intricacies and details involved. In the area of political relations, it would seem we are already on the path, so to speak, with this meeting here,” he says with a charming smile, pausing to briefly sip from the wine glass, then replace it on the table again.

“Relations with the NDA would require a bit more time. I would think that given how little we know of one another, even still, talk of membership would be slightly premature, though not entirely out of the question, of course. Are there perhaps other things you would know of the Dominion, or our alliances that I might assist with in the meantime?”

“While I am honored you would choose to be willing to share so much of what you know so freely, or at least, share the fact that you have such technology, I am afraid that in many matters, I am not at liberty to disclose what to us, is still rather sensitive information.”

Karhoff smiled, obviously not surprised. “That is hardly unexpected. There are reasons why I feel comfortable disclosing scientific advances so openly, but I don’t expect everyone to reciprocate.”

“Our advances have been more along the lines of useful science. For example in finding more hardy, profitable crops, and working towards cures for some of the less pleasant maladies that plague our race.”

Karhoff began to look interested. “Medicine is one area in which we may be able to help you. We long ago eradicated all known diseases in the Empire, though new ones spring up every once in a while. I’m sure our doctors could adapt their work to human physiology.” His face took on a thoughtful cast. “Tell me, is disease still a common problem in many nations? I had heard reports from my Foreign Intelligence chief but I would like an outsider’s perspective.”

“As for trade, that would of course require knowing what it is you need, and what you have to offer – and of course, vise versa. I’m certain our Trade Minister would be most helpful in that capacity, having a much clearer understanding of all the intricacies and details involved”

“Materials are in great supply due to the size of the Empire, so actual trade goods are not so much the issue. Commodities are of course a different matter, there could perhaps be profits to be made there. Science and technology are the real focus of trade here, but perhaps that will be better discussed at a later date.”

“Relations with the NDA would require a bit more time. I would think that given how little we know of one another, even still, talk of membership would be slightly premature, though not entirely out of the question, of course. Are there perhaps other things you would know of the Dominion, or our alliances that I might assist with in the meantime?”

“Actually, I would like to know about your culture. Religion, how the people live, what the society is like. I don’t have any agents in the Dominion, so I know little about you.” He smiled. “That was my Intelligence Chief’s suggestion. I believe, knowing him as I do, that he did you a great compliment in suggesting we’d be better off not inserting agents in your nation.”

"Tell me, what do you know of us? You seem like a peace-loving people, so naturally I'm a bit curious as to why you chose the Imperium as an opening contact."

An odd expression, somewhere between indecision and fear, flitted across Jossin's face. It disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and was replaced with determination. "Yem nak ri'yesh." he uttered under his breath (the Guanyan equivalent of "I'm going to regret this").

?I am under direct orders by the highest echelons of the Church not to reveal this information to you. However, I must hope that the Administrator-General will trust my decision and forgive me.?

?When contact with outsiders was first discussed, your Imperial Dominion was not one of the initial contacts planned by the Guanyan government. It was only my personal urging that convinced the Administrator-General to change that. My reasons were?complicated.?

?My title, High Augur, is not a governmental office. You may have already guessed this. I am the Commander of the Church Armies, one of the highest ranking members of our religious order. I wanted contact established with you because I believe that this world, Arda, is mentioned in our holy texts. I will try to explain this as briefly as I can.?

?It is said that before Time itself there were two brothers who lived in the darkness called Lam, the Void. One of these brothers was our god, Jilam, and the other was Ji?ren, Lord of the Eternal Flame. If my theory is correct, you would know it better as the Flame Imperishable. When Ji?ren began creating things to fill the Void, Jilam experimented with this idea by creating the first Guanyan. This angered Ji?ren and they parted ways.?

?Long after, Jilam?s attention was drawn back to the world Ji?ren created when one of Ji?ren?s servants created two Trees. One contained the essence of the Flame, and therefore of Ji?ren, but the servant unknowingly instilled the other with the essence of the Stars, which are part of Jilam?s domain. These Trees were later destroyed, and the essence of Jilam?s Tree taken to form a glowing orb in the sky above the world, you would call it a moon. I believe that Arda is the world spoken of in the legends. That is why I wished to come here, and see for myself if the moon of Arda holds the spirit of our god. All other considerations are frankly secondary.?

Reaven arched a brow. "Then you must also know of the rather extensive history that exists between Lord Melkor and the Elves of Arda, specifically the Noldor."

Leaning back in his chair again, he purses his lips. "What then do you think of that history, and who do your people tend to side with? What do these 'texts' say about Melkor exactly?"

Jossin peered at Reaven, obviously looking for something. Apparently satisfied, he spoke: "We know that He Who Arises in Might was party to the destruction of the trees, if that's what you wanted to know. We also know that he opposed the design of Ji'ren. This does not concern us."

His eyes narrowed with something between anger and contempt. "As for the elves..." he hissed the word through clenched teeth, "we do not...look upon them kindly. Even the most tolerant of Guanyans has an inherent dislike for them. My position on the matter is more vehement."

Bump, since it's been a while.

Reaven takes careful note of Jossin's reactions--as any good emissary would. After a time, he nods approvingly. "Well then it would appear we're on the same page, but one thing troubles me about your discord with the Elves," he says pointedly, pursing his lips and tapping his stylus idly on the desk. "How exactly do you plan on hiding this distate from the Triumvirate of Yut, whom you've also contacted? That alliance is rife with the vermin," he snorts, hiking his chin slightly. "And furthermore, What is the reason for this discord?"

Jossin nodded. "We are...aware that the elves are influential in the Triumvirate. This concerns us, and steps are being taken to determine the strength of that influence, as well as the designs of those who wield it. The Imperial government has no real wish to join the Triumvirate of Yut in any case. We merely sought to gain information about them, and to create a bond, however slight, that will make them less quick to engage us in military action in the future, should the situation arise."

Jossin's gaze shifted away from Reaven's face, and he seemed to be thinking deeply about something. After a few moments, he spoke again.

"In many cultures our dislike of elves might seem a simple unreasonable racial prejuidice. When one takes into account that because Guanyans live far longer than humans, many living Guanyans personally remember our first contact with elves, this theory becomes less likely. About twenty two hundred years ago, Guanyan space vessels first sought to explore outside our borders. This was about four hundred years before my own birth, but I know many who remember vividly what we call the Time of Closing. Our Navy soon discovered that there were three major powers in close proximity to the Empire, or relatively close, given the vastness of space. These were Klonor, Sol, and Alfheim. The Klonori and Solians we avoided, as we had never encountered humans before and they seemed to us a rash and impatient race, opportunistic, greedy, and wasteful. We did not know yet that their lifespans differed from our own."

"The Alfrek, as they called themselves, were a different matter. They were more akin to us, being possessed of the patience of the longer-lived races. They even had some physical similarities to Guanyans." Jossin touched his own slightly pointed ear. "When we attempted to contact them, however, we did not get at all what we expected."

Jossin's head snapped around violently and his eyes, filled with fury, stared straight into Reaven's. "Four ships were sent to make contact. Each had a crew of seven hundred. They were also carrying many diplomats. Not one ship survived."

"That was not the worst of it. The ships were destroyed so quickly they could not even send a warning back to our people. Four more ships were sent to discover what had happened. These were large, better armed and armored. Each had a crew of eleven hundred. They too were summarily destroyed, but this time one survived long enough to send word home. Outrage and consternation rippled through the government. They foolishly decided to chastise these murdering outsiders. The next fleet was the single largest expedition in Guanyan history. Nearly four hundred thousand Guanyans left home to wreak vengenance, many grieved by the loss of comrades or family who had died in the first two attempts to make contact."

"The battle over Alfheim Prime lasted for twelve days. At the end of it, two ships limped home to tell of the disaster. Two, out of a fleet of nearly fifty. Fearing retaliation, the government ordered that the borders be sealed. No further contact was to be made with any outsiders."

"With a few exceptions, that policy continued until a few months ago. But as you can see, it has been...discontinued."

"Well, there you have it."

“Excellent,” Calabrese replies. “I am pleased that maintaining security is not grounds for outright suspicion among your people. It is refreshing. As for your medicinal research, I am quite certain our doctors would be interested in learning and finding new possible cures for those maladies that remain.”

“It is an odd thing, I suppose, that even in this day and age, with the advancements that we have and enjoy, that there remain maladies that we have yet to find a cure for. By the same token, there are many that we have eliminated the risk for as well. I would not say that disease is common, although in some nations it is more prevalent than others due to various sociopolitical factors,” he continues, then pauses to take a slow, thoughtful sip of his wine. “And yes, time enough for details later on trade.”

The next bit gives the man pause, and he sips his wine quietly as he formulates a response of some sort. “Well now, that is a question that could take a bit of time in answering,” he finally says, head tilting as he looks away for a moment to order his thoughts. “Interesting way of framing your compliments, by the by …”

“Our culture is a varied one, having the advantage of having many influences. In ancient times, the lands were fought over both by local warring interests and foreign invaders, all of whom left their marks. Northern barbarians, eastern mystics, it goes on. We began politically as a loose group of city-states, each with their own cultures, leaders, warring factions, who eventually were brought together under a central leadership during the period known as the Renaissance in some cultures on Earth. The Catholic Church had a firm hand in influencing the politics of the region for much of its history as well. Naturally, the leading families remained the controlling nobles, and when succession faltered, coups were the answer to solving who would lead. Over time, the nobility fell out of favor, as the military grew in strength and influence, and when the time was right, a military leader seized the reigns of government, beginning the series of dictators that our nation has been ruled by for the past couple hundred years. Power was gained by those who could take it, and those who could not hold it were thrown down. The Church grew rife with corruption, and as such, was an easy target as well to weaken and bring to heel. Not always pleasant methods perhaps, but there you have it.”

He pauses to whet his lips, then continues on, brow furrowing slightly as he tries to remember. “The name ‘Dominion’ was chosen due to our varied past; an attempt to encompass all the many groups and heritages that make up our nation. Traditionally, each new leader has either taken or been given a title at their ascendance and that title has in some way been connected with the Dominion for the length of their rule. It makes documentation and the like slightly transitory, but it has served a purpose. Recently, the Dread Lady has reintroduced the nobility, and has made a move to end the ah … takeover approach to succession, and take a title that until now, has not existed in the Dominion – that of Empress.”

“We have no official state religion, although I would guess that the majority are Catholic. We have never put restrictions on worship, so long as they uphold the laws as anyone else is expected to. Rule is of course, absolute under our current leader, people are allowed to live their lives as they see fit under the same premise the churches operate under, we tend to be a rather proud, determined people who have adapted to progress rather well, considering the speed of it over the past several years. There is of course more, but for a real feel, I believe one has to experience it for oneself. Words alone tend not to adequately describe, nor am I a skilled narrator of history nor student of sociology I’m afraid,” he finishes with a pleasant smile. “I hope that at least offers some insight.”

Karhoff considered this for a few moments, then leaned toward Calabrese, his eyes bright. (OOC: Literally, since his eyes glow.) "This Dread Lady you speak of. I have heard much of her in the area of international politics, which gives me some small insight into her character. I would like to ask you, however, to tell me more about her, both as a leader and," he paused before continuing, "as a person. I realize this may be a delicate topic, and ask only that you tell me what you feel comfortable with disclosing. To a culture like that of the Guanyans, where a leader has absolute power, one cannot trust any group if one does not know the leader of that group."

Calabrese leans back into his chair a bit as Karhoff leans forward, covering his motion with another casual sip of his wine, and getting more comfortably settled. Glowing eyes were a phenomenon he had witnessed in only one other being thus far, and that had been Alkanphel, minion of Melkor. He found the parallel … unsettling to say the least.

As for the question, that too gives him pause. After all, this was the woman whom he had once blamed for what in his mind had been a fall from grace during the Mars colony transition. That had eventually lead to his attempted coup, that had inexplicably failed. Assistance from allies was what he had gathered. That, and the luck of the devil himself. His own eyes flicker with a brief heat before he answers, smiling pleasantly.

“Well now, that is quite the compliment coming from those so admittedly … isolated as yourselves. Ah, Nathicana. How to properly describe?” He ponders a moment longer, weighing his words carefully. “She has a mixed reputation amongst our people, depending on who you ask. She has traditionally been a rather secretive sort, avoiding too much public display when she could. This has been changing of late with her new reforms to government, but she still seems as sharp as ever. She is a challenging opponent, and it would seem, is considered a valuable ally by some. While her moods can be mercurial, she does, I admit, take the governing of our nation very seriously, and very personally. As a person, I can guarantee you she is full of surprises. While some things you can count on with her, the rest …” he spreads his hands and shrugs, smiling wryly. “Tenacious. Driven, one might say at times. Very much in control, and taking a personal interest in the day to day happenings of the Dominion. A very ‘hands on’ leader.”

He relaxes a bit as he takes a final sip of his wine, setting aside the glass for now, and again settling in. “And what of yourselves? As you said, it is good to know one another, and I am afraid I know little enough of yourselves. Please, if you would, your own cultures and customs, beliefs and ideals. I am intersted to learn.”

Karhoff's eyes dimmed slightly as he sat back with an expression of slight disappointment. He frowned in thought for a few seconds, then began.

"I suppose the first thing I should explain is the structure of our society. Althought there is only one sentient species throughout the Empire, there are two subspecies of Guanyans, the Me'si and the Me'lam. The Me'si are slightly smaller and their ears come to a very sharp point at the top. The Me'lam, like myself, are taller, and have only a slight point to the ears. The only other physical difference is eye color. Me'lam have green eyes, and Me'si have brown."

"Each has their own place in out society. The Me'si tend toward invention and design, and are superb engineers. They live solely in underground complexes on Guanyu Ceta 2 because they have a strong attachment to their planet and therefore cannot travel in space. Scholars theorize that this accounts for the physiological differences. The Me'si never adapted to surface life or space travel."

"The Me'lam make up the regular citizens of the Empire. All military personnel, except in R&D, are Me'lam. We are also the builders, the teachers, and the doctors of the Empire. Luckily there are no racial prejudices between the two groups. Perhaps it is because most Guanyans are not purely one or the other, but rather have ancestors belonging to both."

"Moving on to our government, which is fairly simple. As the Administrator-General I am Emperor in all but name. There is a current movement to change the title to Emperor, as a matter of fact. I have advisors whom I respect and heed, but make no mistake. Within this Empire, my power is absolute."

Karhoff smiled. "That is not to say I am a tryant, however. The people are allowed to live their personal lives almost free of government influence. The government provides for and protects the people, but it does not attempt to control them. In the eyes of the law, all ways of life have equal merit. Thus my power is used to make decisions for the people as a whole, not to make rules for them to follow."

"I suppose the next logical step would be to explain our religion, as it is tied closely to government. All Guanyans share a single religion, though they are not forced to worship in the same manner, or even to worship at all. Our deity is Ji'lam, the Lord of the Void, who we believe created the stars. His brother, who is only tangental to our faith, is said to have created the planets of this universe. I have heard that many outsiders know of him. The name we give him is Ji'ren, but he is known to others as Eru or Illuvatar."

"Unlike many nations, there is no separation of Church and State here. I myself am a priest of Ji'lam, and the Church is considered almost a government office. They even have their own arm of the Navy, headed by the High Augur of the Faith. Since our religion does not command its followers to do anything but follow their own conscience and do no injustice to others, there is no conflict of interest."

"As for ideals, our culture stresses loyalty to family, friends, and Empire, as well as honesty. We also place great value on personal freedoms."

Karhoff leaned back in his chair. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"An interesting mix," Calabrese replies thoughtfully. "We have no such divisions among our people as to racial strengths and interests, or a mingling of faith and government. There are so many different religions and belief systems within our nation, I don't see how we could, even if we wished it, though we as a people do have a rather strong Catholic tradition. It is interesting as well that you acknowledge the same deity as some of the elven nations we are aware of. Are there, perhaps, ties there? I find it difficult to believe such names would be mere coincidence, yet I see nothing of elven heritage present here."

Karhoff started a bit at Calabrese's last comment. "How dare-" he paused. "-of course, you meant no offense. You could not know. A warning, Chancellor. The surest way to enrage a Guanyan is to suggest he might be Elven. Wars have been waged over such insults. It is one of the very few things that can anger one of our people to the point of combat, or even murder."

"There are many views on the subject, but I believe that we were created in the image of our god, and the elves were created in the image of theirs. Since our scripture states they are brothers, it is not suprising that there are some physical similarities. That, however, is where it ends."

"I suppose you would want to know the origin of what no doubt seems to you an unreasonable racial prejudice. It began when-"

The door suddenly opened and an aide stepped in, bowing apologetically to the Chancellor and Karhoff. "My Lord, I apologize but something has come up. Please, proceed to your office."

Karhoff frowned. "I left orders that I was not to be disturbed. Very well, but it had better be urgent." He turned to Calabrese.

"I will return as soon as I am able. My sincerest apologies."

A few minutes later, a clearly audible shout rang from a few doors down the corridor. The words were in Guanyan, but the anger in Karhoff's voice was unmistakable. He returned shortly thereafter, his normally turquoise skin tinged with blue. (A sign of anger or intense irritation.)

"Now, to continue where we left off," Karhoff said as he shut the door behind him.

(OOC: Insert story Jossin just told a few posts back to Reaven here. For an explanation of why he had to leave for a bit, see http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=343584)

Reaven heaves a sigh, and leans forward suddenly, tossing his stylus absently on the table. "Sad as it is, such acts are commonplace when dealing with Elves," he says pointedly. "I grieve for your loss at the hands of these devils. Despite our efforts, we have been unable to subvert this threat through direct force," he laments, folding his hands over one another. "It's generally our... preferred method," he says, a grin spreading across his face at the emphasis.

He clears his throat and leans back a bit. "All very interesting. Tell me--what does your nation know about the Five Kingdoms?" he asks, idly tapping a finger on the desk. "Besides what you know of Lord melkor from your texts, of course."

"Very little, actually. Most of what we hear is no doubt more exaggerated reputation that fact, as we have been...out of contact, shall we say....with our agents there for some time. My compliments to your counterintelligence people."

Calabrese tactfully affects an expression of casual disregard for the interruption, pouring himself a bit more of wine as if the shouting in the hallway were nonexistant. He does not, in fact, recognize the presence of Karhoff until he is addressed by him, not wishing to make over the incident. Such attention would, in the Dominion, be considered rude, after all.

"Sono spiacente," he says smoothly. "Please, let me offer my apologies. Insulting you was never my intent. As I said, I see no commonalities save the name, hence the curiousity. There are, perhaps, other cultural faux pas we ought to be aware of? Clarity, I find, is never a bad thing, especially when making new acquaintances."

Karhoff considered this. "Indeed. It is difficult for me to say what things are particular to our culture, since there is so much I don't know about the culture of various outsiders. I'll try to make some educated guesses, however."

"There are only a few topics that one must be very cautious of when speaking with a Guanyuan. One, as I mentioned, is any mention of Elves. I have heard that in many foreign nations it is commonplace to make comments about a woman's pleasurable appearance. Such comments to a Guanyan female, even if meant as complimentary, would be highly unwise. It's a mortal insult to say anything about a woman's appearance or make lewd suggestions without first asking her if she is engaged in a relationship. Even if she is not, any unwanted attentions would earn the offender a quick death. Courtship is very...hazardous among our people. If one is not aggressive enough, the woman loses interest. If one is too aggressive, she'll kill you. It is one of the few areas where the government looks the other way in cases of 'untimely fatalities.'"

"Another item to be aware of is that arrogance is considered an insult. We are strong believers in equality, and the insinuation that one person is better than another is grounds for petitioning a duel, which is usually granted." Karhoff blinked as a though struck him. "Oh, you would not be familiar with the dueling system, of course. We are not so barbaric as to have duels to the death, but for more serious insults or offenses, one may request permission to have a hand to hand combat engagement with the offending party. Such engagements are refereed by officials appointed to the task."

“That should cover it. As an outsider, of course, any cultural…faux pas is the term, is it not…you or another foreigner made would be considered in light of the fact that you meant no offense.”

"There are many species in which it is deemed the female is more deadly than the male, your Majesty," Calabrese replied with a wry smile. "Had the context been different, I would have almost thought you to be describing our own Dread Lady in many ways."

"Ignorance is not something we tend to look on as an excuse. The wise do what they can to learn and adapt to new situations and cultures rather than rely on the gracious nature of others. I thank you for your candidness. In our own culture subtlety is appreciated as well, and duels, while not a present custom, have not been unknown. I imagine our peoples have more in common than one might think," he said, stretching slightly in his chair.

"You have given me much to think about, and in time, I believe more questions will be raised. I thank you for your hospitality, and for your invitation to come and learn more about you and your people. Of course," the man said, pausing. "That does bring me to one final thought. Your choices for representatives, if I may be so bold. Why these three in particular?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask about that."

Karhoff's brow furrowed in thought, creating a suprisingly humanlike expression. "There is a saying among my people that translates roughly to 'there is nothing more dangerous than a charismatic madman.' The Dominion is tied most, if not all, of the major alliances in the galaxy. We needed to know what to expect from you. The reasoning for the Segments was much the same. As for Lord Melkor's land...one of my fellow clergymen requested contact with them because of possible religious significance. I'm sure you understand why, since you already noticed the link between our religion and the Valar."

Karhoff rose. "If that answers your question sufficiently, my men will escort you to your ship. Perhaps we will see each other again someday. For now, please convey my respects to the Dread Lady. Safe journey home, Chancellor."

Calabrese nods at the reply, smiling thoughtfully. "Your majesty, you have given me much to discuss with the Lady. I will indeed pass on your regard when I speak with her next. I'm certain she will have questions as well. There is far too much to be learned of one another at one sitting, after all. I hope that this is not the last time we have the opportunity to speak. I thank you for the honor of having been recieved by you, yourself."

Rising to his feet, he bows respectfully, then extends his hand to the Emperor. "It has been a pleasure, your majesty. Best wishes to you and yours. Let us hope this has been the first step in a new direction for us both."

Karhoff stared thoughfully at the door through which the Chancellor has just departed. Absently, he spoke, apparently to the empty air. "You can come out, Domin."

Part of the wall slid away to reveal Domin Yabrant, the Director of Intelligence. His features clearly revealed his curiosity. "How did you know I was there, my lord?"

"You should have been the one to brief me on the Hessman situation. The only reason Boris would have done it was if you were tied up with something. With your ship in-system, I could easily guess what that 'something' would be. I ordered that compartment built myself, after all."

Domin smiled. "Nice work, my lord."

Karhoff frowned. "Domin, I want you to give the Chancellor an escort to the edge of the system. Two Scimitars will do. You know the reason. Both reasons, actually." He paused. "I also want you to put a full level three net in the Dominion. If that man is any indication of the government as a whole, they're too dangerous to leave unwatched. Put your best agents on it."

Domin sighed resignedly, "My lord, we already talked about this. It would not be wise to-"

"Enough!" Karhoff's eyes bored into his friend's. Domin was startled by the intensity of that glare. "No more arguments, Director Yabrant. You will set up the net. That is an imperial command."

Domin bowed and left the room, obviously flustered by the sudden formality. It was the first time in many years that the Emperor had used his title rather than his name. Something's bothering him, and it's more than just the Hessman incident. Something about that meeting has him spooked, and Abron doesn't spook easily. I wonder what it could be?

The Intelligence Director frowned thoughfully as he headed for the shuttle that would take him back to his ship. He would have to look into it when he was setting up the spy net. He sighed at that thought. He might lose a few of his people in that endeavor. Well, everyone in his department knew that was always a possibility. That's what Black Ops agents are for, he thought wryly. By the time he boarded the shuttle, he had put the incident out of his mind completely, and was focused entirely on how to manage proper security at this mad "Opening" the Emperor had planned. How would he deal with the strict "no weapons" customs of formal Guanyan parties? Perhaps energy blades, yes, that might do it....