NationStates Jolt Archive

"Majesty, we're almost ready for the video conference."

"Okay, Alex. Thank you." A short, indefinably ugly man waves his hand toward his aide as he pours over his notes. A moment later he stands up and adjusts his formal jacket. He ponders the incongruity of the idea of formal attire to meet an alien race of ants, then puts the thought away. I saw them at Nath's coronation, but I didn't get the chance to actually meet any of them. I have very little intelligence to go on, here. The point was not only to make an impression on the prospective allies, but the current ones as well. It would be a subtle hint to fellow NDA nations that he considered these aliens to be very important.

He stepped into the conferencing room and contemplated whether to sit or stand for the event. After a brief moment of indecision, he decided to stand. Again, the gesture would probably not be understood, but he thought it best anyway.

"Who is hosting this? Hack or someone else?"

"We are, Majesty. We've got confirmation by everyone attending the videoconference."

"Sheesh. And we haven't even gotten to meeting in person, yet."

"We're on in five...four...three..." The technician counted down silently for the last two, and then the camera went live.

The man straightened and stared into the lens. "The Empire of Treznor sends greetings to the Coordinated panNorm Hives and all our allies within the Non-Democratic Alliance. I have requested this conference to discuss acceptable meeting ground so we may learn about each other and evaluate the value of an alliance between our peoples.

"I am Devon Treznor, and I'm pleased to meet you."

The bridge of the colony vessel known as S-14 had not changed much in its fifteen million years of operation despite having been rebuilt piece by piece hundreds of times over. Its antiseptic hexagonal shape contained all of the consoles, terminals, and information systems needed to enact executive-level command of the massive generational ship during its voyage that truly defies human conceptualization. Hominids, much less humans, appeared on Earth when Alpha was ten million years from her home. When the ship was launched, the primate line had not yet diverged into greater ape/hominid and orangutan lines, and Earth itself (http://scotese.com/miocene.htm) was visibly different--most of Asia Minor was underwater, Italy was an island, and the Mediterranean arched up to encompass southern France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and most of eastern Europe south of Poland and the Ukraine.

Now, on the other hands, times are different. No longer does Alpha have to ply the stars, and thus having the trappings of a starship is inefficient. The bridge has changed, subtly--there are less controls and more communications; less consoles and more screens. Alpha's bridge is still a command room, but not of a vessel so much as a space station... and much more. For Alpha is now the capital territory of an empire of sorts, small by some estimations and large by others. The bridge is the command room of more than a people, but of a family of species intrinsically linked for survival.

The center of the bridge is dominated by a central dais, situated just above the antechamber that leads from the transport car hatch. This dais is the center of the panNorm, or at least as close to a center as the not-overly-centralized mass had. With that in mind, it seems almost overly subtle--a simple oblong couch, a few displays, and a hemispherical screen that acts as a virtual window to space. Surrounding this dais at the perimeter of the room are the various stations of the other OverCoordinators, each one dedicated to a particular need of the panNorm.

Who could be considered leader of the panNorm rests quietly on the couch on the dais, more of a supreme coordinator of effort than a traditional dictator. Her shiny blue carapace, almost completely covered in intricate patterns of matte yellow paint, is strapped into the couch lest she float away in the null gravity as the station rotates. Her flatscreen, situated on an arm to sit 'in front' of her so it can be easily seen and spoken to, blips on and relays Emperor Treznor's message.

She bows her head slowly before raising it back up in a quiet mimicry of a respectful human nod as she inserts a dull metallic cube between her mandibles, a circular speaker grille facing outwards. "We of the Coordinated panNorm Hives thank you, Emperor Devon Treznor of the Empire of Treznor, for your greetings. I am AdminCoordinator 67521 of the Blue Mother of Us All, speaking on the behalf of the Mothers of Us All and the panNorm. We always welcome opportunities to learn more and thusly become closer to those we would call friends."

Offices of the Arkhora, Deep Tsarai, Tsaraine

The nerve center of the Greater Ascendancy was never silent, even when the Arkhora was asleep; now, as Rene Seingult settled more comfortably into her chair, it was filled with a susurus of machines, the databases of Tsaraine transmitting information endlessly from here to there in the Plexus, SuperPlexus, and local nets.

>> Activate, she told the DNI circuitry implanted in her skull, and the Offices vanished into the Great Library of Tsarai. In the SuperPlexus it was quiet and calm.

>> Activate Videoconference Channel, she sent again, and squares opened in the air; there was the politely smiling face of Emperor Treznor, and the inscrutable one of the S-14 representative*. Others would appear, or disappear, as necessary.

"Kuira, esar Treznor, esen** AdminCoordinator," Rene said. "My apologies if I am late."

OOC:
*I assume the ants have a q-link thingy of some kind there, so we don't have to wait for lightspeed lag.
**I assume also that the AdminCoordinator is female...

It had only been several months since Iuthia had been admitted into the Non-Democratic Alliance, however progress was already being made into intergration of the relatively different technology levels present in the NDA.

The most important change was the updated comminication technologies given to Iuthia to order to allow for better and more secure communication with the other members of the alliance. Most notably was the installation of the secure q-link communication devices which were limited to the Lord General and other high-level Iuthian personnel authorised in it's use. There were only a few of such devices in Iuthia and they well protected. One of which was now being set up by Iuthian and Dominion technicians for the Video Conference with the PanNorm.

Other minor changes were also taking place, but many of them were smaller things more to do with Iuthia's latest data revolution as it was slowly transfering to optical computer systems.

Due to minor technical difficulties, the Iuthian connection was a little slow at first and as such they were slightly late. However the transcripts on offer helped to keep them informed of what the Lord General had missed.

>> Connecting...

>> Video Uplink enabled.
Lord General James deGritz appeared in an additional window in the conference after their security codes had been revised and confirmed to be correct. The actual image's range showed a certain degree of James's office in the background, though James himself sat behind oak desk in his formal military uniform. James was clearly in his late fourties, soon expected to be half a century old. His hair wasn't receeding, however it had now gone completely grey and was more of a military crop cut then anything fancy.

He nodded his head in recognition of the others in the conference before introducing himself.

"I'm Lord General deGritz, leader of the Iuthian people. I apologise for being a little late, we've had a little technical trouble intergrating with our newer technologies. I hope I haven't missed anything important."

OOC: Standard Fluid Time rules. If NDA folk want to be in on this, assume you're broadcasting. Nobody has to be late, but you can be if it makes you happy.

Treznor nods to the gathering images of his fellow allies. "This is not intended to be an in-depth meeting. This is a poor introduction for people who have earned the good word of our esteemed allies in the Dominion. I have requested this contact so we may discuss more appropriate meeting grounds. Thus far the locations suggested have been the Dominion, Unity Island and the PanNorm holdings on Venus. I am personally interested in viewing that world for myself, but I would like to invite representatives of AdminCoordinator 67521 to observe us on our home ground, as well."

The AdminCoordinator nods respectfully to the other NDA delegates as they introduce themselves, antennae slowly waving as she lets her first introduction stand for itself. "We, of course, understand, Arkhora Rene Seingult of the Greater Ascendancy of Tsaraine and Lord General James deGritz of the Benevolent Dictatorship of Iuthia; we simply thank you for your time. Emperor Devon Treznor of the Empire of Treznor, we thank you for granting us this opportunity and accept your offer. We are curious about your organization and its daily life, and we enjoy the prospect of learning more about it.

"We have some experience with the territories of the Dominion of Dread Lady Nathicana from Imperatrice Nathicana D'Aquisto's coronation ceremony; more specifically, we have experience with the city of Devras. That may be an optimal location if you desire a location that all are comfortable with. Failing that, our research indicates that Unity Island would be an optimal location for you to display your 'home ground,' while Alpha and Beta hives would best represent ours. We can ensure security during your visit to our hives and in the transit to and from if you so desire.

"Given a visit to Alpha, we can assure you that despite its advanced age, it is still spaceworthy." The vocoder box the ant-like creature holds in her mandibles emits a soft, melodious chuckle. "There are no security or health concerns, although we must remind you that the apparent gravity changes depending on location from the spin axis and ranges from null gravity to one-point-four times Terrestrial gravity. While the latter has been described to us as 'mildly draining,' it is not usually considered uncomfortable by those raised in Earth-equivalent gravity. There is a moderate risk posed by wildlife if you wish to explore our ecosystem in greater depth, but we can easily protect from it."

The AdminCoordinator folds her four-fingered manipulator hands, resembling thick, hard blue bones with flecks of green around the visible joints. "Does this illustrate our options somewhat better?"

Nathicana smiles, watching the interplay, listening to the various comments and trying to get a read on the various representatives - as she tends to usually do. She was more than pleased at Devon taking the lead, and thought it appropriate considering it was the Dominion sponsoring. Given that, she thought for a moment before offering a possible suggestion.

"First I would like to say how pleased we are to be sponsoring the PanNorm for inclusion in the NDA, and that we hope as many of our members will take advantage of this opportunity as can manage. Perhaps then, we could make this a two or three-pronged meet and greet of sorts?" she says thoughtfully.

"I can see advantages to each, and believe each could serve a purpose. If we are to seriously consider an alliance it is in our best interests for all sides to be as familiar with each other as is comfortable, after all. I would propose then, in the interest of keeping things both comfortable and as non-biased as possible, given our sponsorship, that we begin our meet with the PanNorm so that they can show us more of themselves and their culture, then return Earthside for a visit to Unity Island where our members can easily introduce themselves in turn. We are more than capable of hosting a social there, or, if desired, we would be happy to put something together in Devras - it would be just a quick hop relatively, after all. Regardless, however those present wish to proceed will be fine."

Treznor nods solemnly. "That plan is agreeable to me. We then ask AdminCoordinator 67521 whether she would prefer to meet in Devras initially, or would like to continue directly to our island compound for a more in-depth look at our alliance headquarters?"

"I believe," the Blue replies smoothly, "with no insult intended to the Imperatrice Nathicana D'Aquisto, that Unity Island would serve our joint purposes better. Devras, while a most interesting city, is not the most convienient location for your allies and comrades to assemble a general overview of your individual and unified cultures. Efficiency, as you may have heard, is of great importance to us and this appears to be the most efficient way to expedite our common goals.

"Also, beginning the tour in the Coordinated Hives seems optimal; as we are the outsiders, it is best if you learn more about us first. We are always ready to receive guests and can provide transportation for those interested in accepting such an offer. As mentioned previously, my cousin the WarCoordinator offers to ensure transit security in the Eärendil-Earth corridor. We have sufficient resources to allocate in that regard, also pending your approval."

Treznor nods slowly. "I think that's an excellent suggestion. We can arrange transportation to Venus under escort by PanNorm vessels, and then return to Unity Island where the PanNorm can see how we do things. Looking at my schedule, I can begin the trip to Venus in approximately twenty-five days. How does that suit the rest of you?"

>> Tanyi, how soon can we have a ship prepped for transport to Venus?

The DNI transmission made it's way up to High Stone and the offices of the Arkhreifane there, who sent back a prompt reply;

<< To Venus? I don't know, we don't have any vessels going there regularly ... I think I can get H-013 redirected to go there in fourteen days or so.

>> That would be good. We really need some kind of diplomatic transport, Tanyi.

<< We also need defence ships, exploration ships, mining ships and colony ships. Add it to the list.

>> Right, right! Esen, akashenat!

<< Eka ana za, really. Have fun with the bugs.

"Tsaraine can have a ship ready by then," Rene confirmed, "And we would certainly have no problems with a PanNorm escort."

"It would seem we have a plan, then," Nathicana says, looking pleased. "I believe that timeframe will work for us." Directing her next comments to the AdminCoordinator, she inclines her head slightly. "Your escort would be very much appreciated, thank you."

James concidered the situation for a moment as he concidered the lengthy trip which would be required for an Iuthian ship as well as the up coming events. Of course, he couldn't go himself because he was due to be in a couple months. Aside from that he had many capable diplomats who could take his place, some of which would love to spend a little time out of the planet to see other cultures.

He excused himself from the discussion for a moment and muted microphone which he was using to communicate to the others as he inquired into the capabilities of Iuthia's space assets.

"Hello, Kristine?... How long would it take to get the Carrier to Venus at our current level of upgrading?... Hm... thats not so bad, we could do it in time to greet the others then. Very well, order the lads to get to work on preparing that thing for a diplomatic operation. I'm sure you will, thanks."

He concidered the information he recieved, it would take roughly ten days for the Carrier to reach the far orbit of Venus, perhaps another day or so to fully brief and prepare a diplomat with all the equipment they would need. Though no names were confirmed at this time, he was sure he wouldn't be able to go himself.

He unmuted his mic and turned back to the display screen of which the others were on, still talking to one another.

"We can arrive safely within the timeframe, and as the Dreadlady stated herself we would appreciate any escort should would want to send. I should note that the only ship we have with enough resources for such a long trip would be our Military Carrier, though I would hope that this arrangement wouldn't be a problem as such."

The AdminCoordinator bows her head at this, a passable attempt at a human nod. "It will be acceptable as long as it maintains the decorum necessary for any guest vessel approaching the species' homeland. I am certain that there will be no problems, and the WarCoordinator assures me that a segment from the Eighth Fleet can be made available for escort purposes. We can subsidize the resources you need to expend to make such a trip, if it is necessary.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss, or any special arrangements we need to make for our guests?" Her antennae wave constantly as she speaks, punctuating her speech.

Treznor shakes his head. "I believe you've had ample time to observe human and elven physiology. Beyond food, water, sanitary facilities and the means to rest eight hours out of twenty-four, we'll be fine. I understand that Venus has been partially transformed so we won't be under too much duress. I believe we'll be able to maintain ourselves acceptably."

He makes a note to himself. Invite the Iuthian delegate to travel with us. If he thinks it's going to be a long trip, they're probably not up to the Dominion's capabilities. There's no way I'm going to wait a few months while they catch up with us. If Venus were in retrograde I might consider it, but we'll have to pour on the thrust to catch up.

"Thank you all for your participation. AdminCoordinator, I'll confer with my Alliance members on transportation, and we'll advise you of our launch window. Treznor, signing off."

He pushes a button on his desk and relaxes. The first step was finished. Now he needed to make arrangements for a quick hop to Venus. The thought amused him. He could still remember the time when the mere notion of "hopping" from one planet to another seemed like pure fantasy. The times, they were a-changin'.

"We look forward to hosting you, then. May your voyage be a pleasant one." The AdminCoordinator stretches out one bony manipulator 'claw' to the contact that cuts the connection, then taps her antennae together. WarCoordinator, you are of course in command of the transit phase. What is the status of your preparations?

The spiky Red WarCoordinator turns her head from her console, very quietly buzzing her maxillae before clacking a response, the language of the panNorm very much like several Geiger counters going off at once. Our forces are ready, cousin. Fleet Two of Overfleet Two is nearing completion. Overfleet One will be in home guard duties while we have all of these dignataries over on Alpha; this allows us nine segments for allocation to transit defense. I believe one segment should be sufficient, with five more in reserve just in case. The endoskeletals of this system respond well to numbers.

The Blue AdminCoordinator clacks her mandibles. Excellent. Act at your discretion, WarCoordinator.

On the appointed day, so we can get things rolling here for those intending on going ... Unity Island, NDA Headquarters:


Diana Sospiri, Toni Palmas, Omero Tomba - captain and crew of the the DASF Machin Shin, waited patiently as Nathicana busied herself with checking last minute preparations, as she was wont to do. Enough refreshments were aboard, enough space for comfort was to be had, all the proper arrangements had been made. She tapped a finger thoughtfully against her lip, looking over things again, running off a list in her head as they made their landing at the designated pad on Unity Island.

"It would seem we're set to go, after we've got everyone," she said finally, turning back to captain Sospiri.

"Yes ma'am," the woman answered, smiling pleasantly. "I predict a smooth, pleasant flight."

The raven-haired woman nodded curtly. "Excellent, captain. I predict we'll have everyone gathered up and settled in short order - be ready." With that, she turned to make her way out to greet those waiting, if any, and wait for those who hadn't arrived yet.

It promised to be an interesting trip indeed, and she looked forward to seeing the PanNorm that she had both heard so much about, and been impressed by in meeting, in their 'home' territory, so to speak. While never intended nor designed to be a 'human' alliance, the NDA had long been just that, regardless of small scatterings of other races within member nations. Only the more recent additions had introduced such races as nekos, and others on any large sort of scale, now including the the human-like-in-outward-appearance-yet-nothing-of-the-sort Kaeneians. S-14 was wholely alien in comparison to most - a definite departure from what had historically become the norm. She hoped that the other representatives could also find common grounds, and that they all could come to a better understanding of one another, regardless of how the meetings concluded. All things considered, she had high hopes.

The alliance had grown, there was no doubt. And to think, it had all started so simply. She was admitedly proud of the organization, and quite pleased with the caliber of nations and leaders it had drawn. Looking around at what parts of the island she could see from this vantage brought a smile to her lips as well - the product of the combined engineering and design and cooperative efforts of the alliance as a whole, even if the initial building of it was done pre-membership by the Hack.

Working together for the good of the alliance as a whole. Can't complain about that in the least, and I daresay that sort of mindset is in part what has interested the PanNorm. Hopefully we'll learn a bit more as we go along.

Ambassador Kayla Harmone was actually in the region prior to invitation from the PanNorm as part of time taken of to mourn the death of Elisa Day, honouring her memory for the work she did and the joy she brought to Kayla, and possibly many others.

It was a relatively tough time for Kayla over these past few weeks; more lost then ever, always the diplomat and never taking time for herself, Kayla wasn't sure about her personal life. Proffessionally she was concidered to be one of Iuthia's more senior and experienced Ambassadors. She was comforted in this role as she knew it in and out, it was her life. Outside of this role however she didn't couldn't get the same rush she got from a job well done, more addictive then any drug she could get at home. She didn't feel like herself and she became more... reckless. During this time she had experimented with drugs, not entirely uncommon in Iuthia, though it still had it's risks, informed or otherwise. After a particularly bad trip however, she vowed not to try any hallucinogens again, some parts of the unconcious were best to moments when you could retreat from it.

Now things were looking up again... the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps had called to see if she would mind ending her break early, they too knew her personnality well and knew they didn't really have to ask. Kayla loved her work and see was concidered to be one of the best in Iuthia, though the latest batch of kids they were producing these days showed alot of potential with new possibilities becoming apparent.

"Kayla, we would like you to be ready for this assignment in a couple days, we'll send your normal diplomatic aides along too if you would prefer. You still feel comfortable with this?" the man on the other side of the phone asked.

"Yes, Mick... I'll be fine with this. I was getting bored here anyways." She replied. Formality wasn't a priority in the IDC unless in certain occasions. They all knew through training alone which occasions would require formality.

"Very well, we'll make sure you get all the detail in by tonight at the embassy, you know the drill." Mick Lakely continued.

"Of course, Mick. Seeya around for the debriefing." and with that they ended the call.

It would be nice to get away from her troubles, to get back to her real persona as a representative of her home nation. Iuthia wasn't as beautiful as Unity Island, or even many other nations, but she was proud of her heritage... they were a honest people with a strong military tradition and freedom of an individuals affairs. Putting her worries behind her, she headed towards her car to make way to the Iuthian Embassy on Unity Island.

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

Much preparation had taken place in the following days, Kayla Harmone had met up with her usual aides: an Elven man by the name of Craig Har'dalis and a Human woman by the name of Joanna Torvek. Both aides wore the traditional grey suit of the Iuthian diplomatic corps, with Joanna wearing a grey skirt with her suit. Also in the group was a Clanger (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/Iuthia/Characters/clanger_2.gif) by the name of Lizo, he was a Blackviper Specialist who was performing the role of security liaison for this mission... an odd choice of liaison because Clangers were unable to speak English, instead communicating with high-pitched whistling noises. However given that the PanNorm technically didn't speak English either so it wasn't a concern and Lizo was an execellent, if not unusual addition to the team.

Kayla knew them all quite well of course, with Lizo being a Bodyguard in many of her previous events abroad and Joanna had been to many events herself in the past, though she was an aide in this situation. Now they were all prepared, having read the relative information and all given briefings, they left to the NDA Headquarters on Unity island... it was the day to go to Venus.

Senior Ambassador Karen Schumaker stares in fascination out a window port as the Machin Shin rises steadily above the clouds out of atmosphere. The sky turns steadily darker until she fancies that she can hear the last molecules of air slip past and the stars appear in all their glory; certainly brighter than she'd ever seen from the ground.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and turned back to join the group gathering in the Loki-class warship's main lounge. Her Emperor, His Majesty Devon Treznor was sitting on a couch with his arm casually drapped around the shoulders of the Dominion Imperatrice, the Dread Lady Nathicana as he chatted casually with the other representatives and leaders from the NDA. And still, he was watching her watch the stars without missing a beat. His capacity to multi-task so fluidly unnerved her at times, but she still couldn't put her finger on what bothered her about him.

She shivered slightly in the cool air and made her way over to Ambassador Harmone. "I'm glad you're coming with us, Kayla," she said by way of greeting. "You're probably the only one among us who thought to bring an elf. I understand the PanNorm are used to dealing with them, so you'll be making a powerful statement for us."

As the others were engaged in small talk, Kayla Harmone spent her time relaxing and watching the others, taking a mild interest in the conversations going on around her as she took her time to think about the events coming up and the possibilities.

Looking about the room she noticed Ambassador Schumaker as she approached, and gave her a nod of recognition as she walked up to Kayla. The Ambassador from Treznor was a tall blonde woman, though a little old for Kayla's preference as she looked to be in her forties. Kayla smiled as the women spoke.

"I'm glad you're coming with us, Kayla," she said, starting the conversation. "You're probably the only one among us who thought to bring an elf. I understand the PanNorm are used to dealing with them, so you'll be making a powerful statement for us".

Kayla nodded politely. Glancing in Craig's direction... like all Iuthian elves he was a short and slender with the traditional pointy ears besides his short military crop hair, popular with Iuthian men. Many Iuthian elves, like Craig had taken to more human names, though they often liked to have some memory of their heritage, as was the case with Criag's second name, Har'dalis.

"Thankyou, Karen." She replied politely, keeping with the informal tone which Karen had set the conversation. "We've had some minor contact with the PanNorm before in a conference regarding elven heritage, which is where we got the idea from. However, Craig is one of our latest generations of diplomats within Iuthia so we have a dual perpose for bringing him along. This meeting would be the perfect chance to give the man some experience."

Kayla also seemed to have mild goosebumps on her exposed arms, the cool air of the space ship unlike what she was used to in the warm climate of Iuthia. Kayla was wearing her more standard white dress for this occasion, unlike the other IDC diplomats they gave her free reign on her attire.

"Though I have to admit, we don't know exactly how comfortable the PanNorm are around elves, it wasn't a primary factor in choosing this man. The fact he was elven was a bonus. We like to have diversity in these roles to give a better impression of the Iuthian society. As I'm sure you will understand."

Karen nods firmly. "They told me you people were good, and I see they weren't exaggerating. Welcome to the team." She extends her hand in an offer to shake, then leans forward to whisper conspiratorially.

"I'm nervous about the folks coming with us, though. I mean, Emperor Treznor normally leaves this stuff to flunkies like me instead of making a personal appearance. I take that to mean he really wants these ant folk in the alliance. When I heard he was coming I pulled everything I could find out of our intelligence database. Did you know they maintain their social caste system through genetics? They literally design people for the roles they're intended to fill."

Kayla was flattered as Karen complemented her, shaking her hand and welcoming her to the team. She enjoyed such treatment from her own government, but it was always a little more special when another nation's diplomat said it, like a good well done.

"I was also surprised to hear they are coming along to see the PanNorm, though I imagine you are right, they may want to impress them or perhaps see these aliens for themselves... and a cast system? I've only ever read about them in science fiction." Kayla replied, thinking about it for a moment. "I suppose it would make sense for a race with similarities to ants. Our own information on the PanNorm is limited, though we have encountered them in the past. It would be interesting to see exactly how many similarities they have to earth ants. Though I imagine they may want to keep some of their casts out of sight, such as a dedicated warrior class." she concluded.

Karen shakes her head. "Indiastan had a rigid caste system for thousands of years before industrialisation finally pulled them out of it. But this is different. They have literally millions of tiny workers they used to maintain their colony ship that they no longer need, so they're selling them on the open market. Part of my orders is to negotiate a deal for some of them.

"These are alien creatures with very alien minds. The notion of the sanctity of life and individual freedom is alien to them. I have no idea what they'll make of our ideas. We could very well pose a danger to them and the structure of their society. Who knows? All I know is they contacted us, and the Emperor has said we're going. 'Tis not mine to question why, and all."

Kayla simply nodded. She understood Karen's situation.

"Yes... alien indeed." she agreed, thinking over the last statement, she hadn't thought about it like that, she had dealt with humaniod races all her life, she would have to be more cautious about her dealings here.

"Well, the best my people can do is to repect their culture, providing it isn't imposed on us we can leave them to make their own developements. Still, it's hard to imagine selling our own obsolete workers, not that the word obsolete is a fitting description of a individual, but I can see the practicality in a odd alien way of thinking about it."

Kayla wanted to ask about how Karen felt about buying workers from another nation like that... however she decided it wouldn't be proper to ask her a question like that.

In orbit, the promised Segment of Fleet Eight waits patiently, its size in number and volume meaningless without a standard to measure them by. The thirty-six ships of the segment are packed in a tesselated tetrahedron formation, creating the same pyramidal shapes one would get if one stacked spheres as densely as possible, and thus the most efficient use of volume. The segmented warships are in parade formation, five kilometers from one ship to another, creating a visually dense formation. Aboard the largest ship, a particular Engineer Red closes some contacts and begins chattering in her native tongue, letting the communications equipment translate her message for her.

#ComRelay : OF2-2F-SegA-1Sq-BB1 > DASF Machin Shin OPEN#

Dominion vessel, I am Coordinator 109374 of Battleship One, Squadron One, Segment Alpha, Fleet Two, Overfleet Two. This segment is tasked with safely escorting your vessel to Eärendil. Please follow the attached vector to formation position, three hundred meters negative-z of this vessel.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/s14/red2.jpg
Coordinator 109374
2-2-A-1-BB1

#ComRelay CLOSED#

The indicated position puts the hundred-meter aerodyne dropship just under the largest ship in the segment, a Swift Victory (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/swift-victory-fore.jpg)-class battleship six times the Dominion vessel's length. Surrounding it, making up the rest of the squadron and the segment, are mostly Vanguard (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/vanguard-fore.jpg)-class heavy cruisers supported by Two Stings (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/two-stings-fore.jpg)-class destroyers, visibly different by their fore and aft wavefront emitters. The smallest ships are the Little Swimmer (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/little-swimmer.jpg)-class torpedo boats, also surprisingly the most feared due to their wavefront torpedo tubes. While the Loki dropship navigates the formation to her position, these ships 'stretch out' the formation using the battleship as a center, finally achieving a far more realistic thousand kilometers between ships by the time Machin Shin takes her spot under the guidance of the Swift Victory-class ship.

#ComRelay : OF2-2F-SegA-1Sq-BB1 > DASF Machin Shin OPEN#

We are ready to get underway at your order. I have been directed by the OverCoordinators and the Mothers of Us All to answer any questions you may have, although you are to be warned that my knowledge is mostly limited to military starship technology, operation, and doctrine.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/s14/red2.jpg
Coordinator 109374
2-2-A-1-BB1

#ComRelay CLOSED#

Rene had been planning to take the H-013 to Venus - the freighter might be no luxury shuttle, but it was as fast as every spaceplane, destroyer, or cruiser in the Arkhreifiate of the Star Command. So it was a little galling, given the rather large budget apportioned to the Star Command, to find that the Dread Lady possessed - had been given, no less - a ship that outpaced it by an order of magnitude.

Calm, Rene. Envy is unseemly.

<< Envy is best satiated by aquisition, Kjathen-Yseult contributed.

Rene glared.

>> I remember that mess the Arikhenikh almost got us into, Ea. No.

I would be happier if I knew how she does it, za karkaradt!

Nathicana sat comfortably with the Emperor, enjoying the conversation and trying to relax on the ride. She shifted now and then, glancing in the direction of the flight deck, fingers twitching on occasion.

It wouldn't be appropriate to be flying. Damn the necessity for protocol and propriety and all sometimes.

If she was honest with herself she had to admit, she had developed a real taste for jacking in and flying. The feeling of oneness with the powerful ships, the freedom of movement, the pure rush of adrenaline, the view ... Almost better than sex.

Almost.

Glancing up at the viewscreen showing their surroundings, she arched a brow. "Il dio ... now that's imperssive, no?" she said, gesturing to the panning view of the PanNorm fleet. "Damn glad we're looking to have them on our side," she adds in her native language, rather under her breath.

*** *** ***

Instructions are recieved and acted on, the Dominion Loki settling in as directed with practiced ease underneath the large PanNorm ship. The crew comments quietly amongst themselves on the alien vessels, while remaining alert to any possible threats, protected or no.

<<Relay Communications: PanNorm Battleship One>>

Acknowledged. Our thanks for the escort, Coodinator 109374. Impressive ships you have there. We are of course, honored to be so well-protected.

I'm given to understand that at least one of the drives used in some factions of the Trium was your technology. If it is not too bold to ask, is that so?

#ComRelay : OF2-2F-SegA-1Sq-BB1 > DASF Machin Shin OPEN#

Yes, comrade, that is true. We developed the tesseract jump drive which appears to have become the standard superluminal technology of that alliance. That system has also become the primary technology of the new generation of panNorm shipbuilding--it has been adapted to sublightspeed travel as an inertialess drive and to defense as wavefront weaponry.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/s14/red2.jpg
Coordinator 109374
2-2-A-1-BB1

#ComRelay CLOSED#

The entire segment gets underway, at whatever speed seems mutually comfortable.

After a relatively short and uneventful trip, the formation eventually approaches the vicinity of Venus. Tens of thousands of kilometers out from the planet lies Alpha, the "S-14" colony vessel, deceptively tiny at this distance. Machin Shin and its escort fleet nears, and the long, almost gracefully simple vessel grows in size. First it grows to the size of the Moon, high in the sky of Earth, and it keeps growing. At five hundred kilometers away, its length spans a third of the hemisphere and the fleet stops, allowing the Dominion vessel to continue on, clearly dwarfed by the slowly rotating gargantuan generation ship.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/tmbs-14.jpg (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/compyart/s-14.jpg)

On approach to one of the six cavernous hangar bays, mere slits in the front of S-14's habitation torus, the detail becomes obvious. The surface is coated in transit tubes, the dotted lights of trains of transport cars speeding rapidly one way and another; here and there are turrets on stalklike supports, scanning the sky; and even then there are broad plains of nothing but flat hull.

Then, a canyon, eighty kilometers long, fifteen across, and immesurably deep, curving into the massive hull, a titanic chasm of steel shining without rust, but without polish as well. By now, the dropship is gliding right over the hull, looking as if it's about to drop into the expanse before it actually does, walls of steel coming up on either side as it slowly, gently ducks into one of the hangars set into the fore of the colony ship.

Slowing down on the deceleration strip, Machin Shin is slowly maneuvered into an airlock only marginally larger than it, then rotated ninety degrees to sit on the "floor" created by S-14's rotation. The bay it sits in is as huge as anything else, with a ceiling perhaps twice as high as the Loki and a floor that curves upwards in either direction before ending in a wall. The rest of the bay is half-filled with segmented transport vehicles and panNorm skittering about in a very orderly chaos.

A medium-sized ground vehicle, the size of a large van, rolls up outside Machin Shin on large balloon tires. Two panNorm skitter out, one Red and one Blue, both with smooth carapaces covered in yellow insignia painted on with a simple efficiency.

Treznor waits for the vessel to stop moving before he rises and faces the assembled peers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I propose a marching order, of sorts. I would ask that we form a line, sorted by nationality. We'll go by reverse seniority; newest members first. We would like to present our best face here, and naturally we'd like to demonstrate that we're proud of the allies who have chosen to be part of our effort. I believe that places Ambassador Harmone and her people in front, and I invite the Dominion representatives to bring up the rear."

Kayla simply nodded in agreement, her aides joining her as she made her way to the airlock on the Machin Shin, taking their positions by her side.

Craig, one of the newer diplomats attending this meeting, walked on Kayla's left side making her look a little taller in comparison... most Iuthian Elves were much shorter then those seen on Menelmacar, averaging at 4'5" tall. Besides his height it was clear he was a young elf, barely an adult and relatively inexperienced with such diplomatic missions.. he was part of the newer training programs and the IDC figured he could do with the experience such an oportunity would provide.

On the opposite side of Kayla on her right was Joanna, getting to be in her early thirties now she was quite experienced with these sorts of meetings, her presence mostly being to keep an eye on Craig and provide a useful second opinion. She too was a little shorter then Kayla, standing only at 5'9" in comparison to Kayla's 5'11". Like Craig she wore the a traditional grey suit, which was where Kayla differed from the others in that she wore a whatever she wanted, trusted explicitely by the Lord General deGritz.

Behind them, waddling along was the short and plump Lizo... the Clanger Security Liaison. Clangers stretched the term 'metahuman' to it's limits as their round pink bodies and noses made them look like mice walking on two flat feet. Lizo looked relatively sharp for a Clanger in a custom tailored black suit, though it was an odd contrast.

The airlock now finally opened to accept the Iuthian party inside before cycling through it's proceedure to allow them access to the PanNorm docking bay. When the second door raised, the first thought was clearly displayed on their faces... the shear size of the place. In the distance they could see ants working, seemlying without pattern, they looked like something you would expect to see from a Earth nature documentary, but on a much larger scale.

In front of them, dwarfed by the rest of the hanger, stood two PanNorm out side of a vehicle clearly designed for their transport. Kayla approached with only the momentary pause from the size of the place affecting her stride. Unlike the others she wore a simple white dress to set herself apart from her aides and more or less for comfort. Reaching the PanNorm she gave a simple bow of respect before introducing her group.

"Thanks for receiving us, gracious hosts. I'm Ambassador Kayla Harmone, Iuthian representative from the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps. The others will be out momentarily."

The Blue bows her head respectfully in response, standing about two meters from mandible to gaster, and more or less as tall (varying between around 5'7" and 6'1" as needed). Like all panNorm, her four rear appendages act as legs while her two forward appendages act as arms, ending in bony manipulators, the plates of her carapace a shiny blue that turns green near her joints. The only thing she wears is a utility vest made of webbing that contains various metal and plastic devices, obviously made only to carry things and not cover or decorate. Even the intricate insignia painted all over her carapace have a utilitarian edge to them, not looking like mere decoration nor having the creative significance of tribal tatoos. Their closest analog, it appears, would be the chevrons on a sergeant's sleeve--simple symbology repeated many times to indicate magnitude.

"I am AdminCoordinator 67521 of the Blue Mother of Us All, primary coordinator of the Coordinated panNorm Hives," she introduces herself before indicating the smooth-carapaced Engineer Red standing next to her, "and this is EngCoordinator 50198of the Red Mother of Us All, primary coordinator of Alpha Hive."

"Welcome to Alpha, comrade," the red-colored insectoid adds in a jovial voice, extending one bony manipulator in greeting. "We are proud of our ancestral home; it is somewhat more useful to understanding us than Beta Hive on Eärendil."

In the background, the panNorm continue to work, but perhaps not with the scurry usually associated with ants. Their motions are more defined, straight lines of travel, and very orderly... even though they intersect each other at odd angles and intervals, a tangled weave of insectoids skittering about, glittering almost like machines built for the very purpose yet moving in ways that belie intelligence.

Kayla cautiously went to shake the Engineers manipulator arm, assuming they were doing this out of recognition of a common human greeting. Still, you could never tell with Alien races and the panNorm were the most Alien race Iuthia had met...

"From what little I've read and now seen of your cultural home so far, there is much to be proud of. I'll be looking forward to a tour along with the others." Kayla smiled softly, not knowing a great deal about how it would go down she remained cautious. "The Beta Hive on Eärendil... thats on the surface of Venus, right? Along side Menelmacar's colony?"

Il dio, I had heard this ship was enormous, but ... this is incredible.

Nathicana watches their approach intently, trying to take it all in, remembering again the snippets of stories that those who had first come in contact with these beings had passed on. Such accomplishment, such advances and adaptation in development was more than a simple credit to the species. And to think, they had asked to join the NDA.

We have come a long way from where this all started, the three of us sitting down to discuss issues and the other's problems with the alliance they were in at the time. What was that again ... GOD? So many truly admirable allies, most definitely more interest than we had anticipated, and due to the efforts we have all made, and the quality of our member nations, it would seem no small measure of respect has been gained. I hope we can maintain it as we have.

As they land and Treznor makes his suggestion, she nods, waiting for Massetti and Pascali to take up their usual positions next to and just slightly behind her. A good choice, that, all in all, even if it did irritate her slightly that her head had been off in the clouds while he remained on task. She had been quite pleased with the recent addition of Iuthia, having full confidence in their abilities. Kayla she had not had the opportunity to know better as yet, granted, but then there would be time on this trip to remedy that.

Hearing the introduction as she exits the Loki, Nathi smiles in recognition, albeit in what has over time become her usual close-lipped manner. She opts to wait for the others to make their introductions, as intended before moving forward herself, making certain first that the two men have the packages that had been prepared with care back in the Dominion.

She was fairly certain the token gifts would go over well.

"From what little I've read and now seen of your cultural home so far, there is much to be proud of. I'll be looking forward to a tour along with the others." Kayla smiled softly, not knowing a great deal about how it would go down she remained cautious. "The Beta Hive on Eärendil... thats on the surface of Venus, right? Along side Menelmacar's colony?"
It's like shaking hands with a crab, minus the pincers--perhaps something like what shaking hands with a polite, thick-boned skeleton would be like. The hard carapace is unyielding, much unlike skin and flesh, but warm, indicating that the ant-like insectoid is warm-blooded. The grip is firm yet gentle, indicating at least some measure of dexterity.

"Thank you," the Red replies, the synthesized voice piping out of the translator box she holds between her mandibles still politely jovial, "for your recognition of our accomplishments. We hold them in no small regard."

"Beta Hive is indeed on the planet we are orbiting," the AdminCoordinator explains, "and 'Venus' does appear to be its more common name, but we hear the Quenya name far more often and often revert to it from a need to standardize."

Kayla nodded, thankful that these creatures had studied Humans and Elves enough to have knowledge of their etiquette. The hard chitinous manipulator arm was oddly warm to touch, something Kayla hadn't expected. She found herself wondering if they had the same feedback humans had when they touched things... the hard exoskeleton of these Aliens only added to the wonder she felt at how they could relate to humans.

"I'm afriad my Quenya is poor at best... I couldn't be sure that Eärendil was on Venus, or was the name of Venus. Thanks for confirming that..." Kayla turned to see the airlock openning again, revealing the Dread Lady Nathicana and her companions each walking beside her. Each man carried a box, leading Kayla to concider what Nathicana may have brought as a gift to the panNorm... mentally she kicked herself, Why didn't I think of that?

She turned back to the Engineer. "Ah, that would be others." She stated, not wanting to undermind Nathicana's own introduction.

"I am glad we have already been at least slightly helpful." A soft chuckle pipes out of the Blue's translator box as she moves slightly to admit the new guests.

Y vokh! I knew it was big, but seeing it in the flesh is somewhat different. Oh, my ...

In the docking bay the size of the vessel wasn't apparent, but Rene couldn't shake the fact that the panNorm's "Alpha Hive" was larger than some moons, larger in fact than Far Stone, out in the belt.

Exiting Nathicana's Machin Shin (followed by Yseult-Kjathen, with Kaiten bringing up the rear), the Arkhora bowed politely to the two "ants".

"I thank you for your kind offer of hospitality," she said, trying to think up diplomatic words on the fly. "It is most impressive. Words - words fail me, I fear. Most impressive."

"Thank you, Arkhora Rene Seingult I of the Greater Ascendency of Tsaraine," replies the AdminCoordinator with a courteous four-legged bow. "We sometimes forget the scope of Alpha, having been accustomed to it for fifteen million Terran years. This is, admittedly, one of the reasons we enjoy the opportunity to have guests."

Treznor steps forward with a slight bow. "AdminCoordinator, saesa omentien lle.* I'm Devon Treznor. I believe I recognise you from the coronation ceremony in Devras, but I didn't have the honour of your company then."

* saesa omentien lle: Quenya. "Pleasure to meet you."

The ants exchange silent words via pheromones and the slight waving of antennae as Devon exhibits his skill in Quenya. Nodding, the AdminCoordinator replies in the same, her pleasantly modulated voice just as nimble and fluent over the songlike speech of the Noldor as it was for the harsher English tongue. "Sa cáralmë valin hlarë ya quetalyë i Eldarissa, Devon Treznor, i aran aranië Treznorin, mal sa umná lil var mis ve lambëmma san Lambë Englinwa. Sa yando umná i lambë meldilla quettar.*"

Pausing for a moment, the Blue moves her antennae from side to side slightly in a gesture vaguely analogous to a smile before returning to English. "The pleasure is mutual, and at least now gives us the opportunity to meet and know each other better, making up for missed opportunities to do so in the past."

* Literally "It makes-us happy to-hear that speak-thou the [language of the Eldar], the king of the kingdom of the Treznorians, but it not-is more or less like language-our than language English. It also not-is the language friends-your speak." The closest translation I (as a complete neophyte) can come up with to "We are glad to hear that you speak the language of our closest allies, but it is no more or less native to us than English, as well as not being the common language of your allies."

Treznor nods gently. "Manka lle merna.* I erroneously presumed you would be more comfortable with the language of your closest allies. But you're correct, our friends are not so fluent. English it is."

He gestures back to Nathicana. "I know you're familiar with this lady, but I'll introduce her anyway. AdminCoordinator, it is my pleasure to present Imperatrice Nathicana d'Aquisto."

*Manka lle merna: Quenya again. "As you wish."

"Buon giorno, AdminCoordinator 67521," Nathicana says, stepping forward with a pleasant close-lipped smile, hand extended in greeting. "Thank you for the most gracious escort, and for having us all here. I have been looking forward to finally seeing for myself the impressive accomplishments of the PanNorm that we have heard so much about. I have to admit, nothing in the reports prepared me for the reality. Alpha is quite simply, amazing."

The two insectoids bow again, with the Blue once again leading the diplomacy for now. "It is good to see you again, Imperatrice Nathicana d'Aquisto of the Dominion. Welcome to our home. The EngCoordinator is most knowledgeable of Alpha and its systems, and therefore will be acting as primary coordinator for our tour. Would you like to see anything in particular, or would you like to embark on the tour as the EngCoordinator has planned it?"

"I must warn you, comrades," the Engineer Red adds with a quietly amused tone to her voice, "that the tour may take some time. Alpha is a large and varied vessel."

"I think I speak for all of us in saying we would hardly know where to begin with our questions. Please, lead on. We are most happy to follow along with whatever schedule you have taken the time to prepare, EngCoordinator. No doubt it will be time well spent, regardless of the length - though I would wager it would take a lifetime and then some to truly appreciate the intricacies of such an amazing creation as Alpha. Our thanks for your consideration, AdminCoordinator" Nathicana says, smiling warmly.

"Outstanding," says the AdminCoordinator as she steps back, opening a way to the vehicle, "then let us get started." The transport is essentially an open-topped wheeled vehicle apparently analogous to a deuce-and-a-half truck, nearly seven meters long and three high, sitting on twelve balloon tires of a heavy rubberlike synthetic plastic. It has high plexiglas walls to lessen the effect of wind for traveling at high speed, and its body is made up of utilitarian curves that create a segmented effect, painted a metallic color with an insignia on it--three interlaced triangles looking like a variation on an upended radioactivity emblem, each triangle a different color and bound together by a black ring with alternating brown, grey, and white spots. The forward cab molds easily to the rear passenger area, not separate as in a conventional truck. Overall, a utilitarian and efficient design, identifiable but visibly different. The inside of the truck's bed is made up to be a rather comfortably set up moving lounge, with two of the ovoid couches standard to the panNorm as well as several utilitarian but comfortable chairs around a table. Everything can be adjusted higher or lower to suit different people, and even the firmness of the cushions are adjustible, as demonstrated by the AdminCoordinator.

The Hangars

Once everyone is settled in, the truck smoothly moves into gear, advanced hydraulic and magnetic shock absorbers giving riding in it a smooth, gliding sensation. "If you would like anything," the AdminCoordinator offers, "we have several different kinds of fruits and their juices available, as well as various breads. Our protein diet is limited to cultured items supplimented from various sources, but we can obtain meats if you so desire."

The vehicle drives down the length of the bay, inbetween rows of old, almost organically-segmented fusion transports the length of Machin Shin and newer, blockier, yet somewhat sleeker tesseract scouts, the long arched half-dome of its tesseract drive a dark green under its reinforced cover. "As you can see," the Engineer Red speaks, indicating the transports as the truck passes them, "we have been upgrading our technology as time progresses. We retain the old technology as it is still useful for insystem work, but have a large interstellar capacity as well with our smaller force of tesseract-capable vessels. These you see here are Seeker-designated scouts; we have several dozens of them exploring systems that Alpha passed near or through on its journey but was unable to stop due to momentum and thrust concerns."

"Fifteen million years of travel gives us a rather large database of colonizable or otherwise exploitable systems," the AdminCoordinator explains, "and I believe that will be useful for both our future needs and the needs of our allies."

The truck turns gently into a large open cargo door into a "straight" corridor that curves up in both directions, a plethora of carts and vehicles of different makes and descriptions zipping back and forth, moving cargo pallets efficiently from one point to another. "We have several sets of hangars," the EngCoordinator narrates, "this ring works with the forward small craft bays like the one you entered through. Both the fore and aft spars have docking collars for larger ships, up to several hundred at a time total. The edge of the habitation torus has multiple cargo access bays for supporting the habitats. Really, a ship of this size demands delocalized cargo bays and transport systems throughout it." Pausing momentarily, she looks over her guests, compound eyes reflecting them softly. "If you have any questions for either me or my cousin, please don't hesitate to ask."

Treznor gazes at the Seekers for a moment, then turns to address the AdminCoordinator. "You say that you have vessels presently exploring systems you passed through. I gather you have thoughts for continued colonisation on some of them? How long would it take you to return, given your present level of technology?"

"Many of the systems we know of lie approximately fifty light years from Alpha's course, creating a 'cylinder' of explored space a hundred light years in diameter and about one-hundred-fifty-thousand light years long," the AdminCoordinator explains, looking more-or-less in Treznor's direction, or at least pointing her head at him. It could be hard to tell. "We operate on the assumption that most within a thousand light years of this system have already been marked. Optimally we could return to our origin in four years of constant tesseract travel at most-efficient speed; however, our current level of gravimetric mapping prevents accurate jumps at range and so mapping would have to be concurrent with travel, easily increasing the time required by a base-ten order of magnitude. Equipment failures and replacements would not add a significant amount to this time as they could be affected concurrent with any scans.

"Assume fourty-one years to what you call the Magellanic Cloud, the habitability of which is totally uncertain to us; this creates an upper limit. Time to travel decreases linearly with distance; the systems we know of within your galaxy are on the scale of days to years of travel, depending on their distance of here. Lowest is one day, but those are already claimed, we are sure; greatest is approximately twenty years off; the geometric mean is approximately eleven years of travel time, with half before that and half after."

Treznor nods thoughtfully, then turns to face the non-anthropomorphic alien. "Thank you, AdminCoordinator. That answered my question perfectly."

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
>> Eleven years out. Still too close for my liking, but still. At least now I know we have something to offer these people if negotiations are successful. I feel better about that.
}

(If there are no more questions...)

After traveling a few kilometers, the truck comes to a stop near a circular hatch in the floor on the side of the room, one of a countless number--this one simply isn't in constant use. The AdminCoordinator and the EngCoordinator lead the way, shouldering coolers while they narrate this portion of the journey. "The primary way to move around in S-14 is via a transport car. I suppose you'd find it most similar to an elevator," the EngCoordinator explains while the AdminCoordinator opens the door and goes in first, crawling right around like an ant--then again, panNorm have been literally crawling on the walls and ceiling in the Martian-scale gravity anyway, so this shouldn't be too surprising. "The difference is that these 'elevators' go in multiple directions, so they are operationally more like trams, and a good portion of Alpha's runtime is dedicated to finding paths for them. The distances required demand that they be constantly accelerating, or nearly so, to get anywhere in any reasonable amount of time."

The Red then hands down the coolers of juices and fruit and whatnot to the Blue, then indicates the hatch with one hand. A sort of helical ladder eases entry, but it still is obviously not designed for humans.

The Transport Car

The transport car follows the standard panNorm internal design, consisting of seven tesselated hexagonal prismatic cells which, in this case, are all open, creating a room with eighteen walls. The perimeter of the room is filled with couches top and bottom, alternating top and bottom so they don't conflict, and the entire room is covered in a thick artificial carpet which the panNorm use like velcro for their feet. The room is lit with banks of white-light LEDs along the outer perimeters of the room where the two-meter tall walls meet the floor and ceiling and the inner perimeter between the ceiling and the hatch inset into it, repeated on the floor. Next to the helical ladder connecting the two hatches is a pedestal with a light pen attached to it, hanging from a thin cord.

The AdminCoordinator continues the narration inside. "Because the car will be constantly accelerating, travel is usually on the order of minutes. We will be slowly increasing the accelerative factor in order to acclimate you to the centrifugal artificial gravity on the Ring Plain, which is approximately fourty percent greater than on Earth. The first stop, however, will be the Low-G Terraces, as they are on the way."

ooc: trying to catch up here since I've been somewhat remiss ...


The Dominion party quietly express their wonder at the sheer size of the place, let alone various comments on the alien designs, the efficient methods of utilizing space and transportation while maintaining comfort, and other such various observations as they continue along, always speaking in the commonly understood tongue.

"The span of your explorations and journey simply ... it boggles the mind," Nathicana admits as she looks around with undisguised interest. "Nothing we have experience even comes close, and among our own kind, we count ourselves as having a long, rich history. Simply amazing."

The refreshments are acknowledge with polite thanks, and assurances that they will be more than sufficient for their needs, such things being overall quite familiar and congruent to the Dominion diet, and more than pleasing to palates accustomed to a mixed variety of tastes and flavors.

<LOS Communications - Devon>
{
>> Your deep space recons, Dev? True, their needs and technology levels could quite likely render some of those worlds you deemed unsuitable for your own use quite usable for themselves. Once we get better established, and build back up some revenue for more outward expansion, I've had half a mind to take you up on some of that myself. Thinking to the future again, and the constant need to bleed off some of the population pressures.
}

Introduction to the transport car is met with varied reactions, all leaning towards curiousity, unsurprisingly.

"Just how much 'run time' is that, I wonder?" Massetti comments quietly, mostly to himself.

"More than your mind can wrap itself around, no doubt, Mas," Nathi replies, smiling, though her eyes are busy looking around as she makes her way down the ladder once it becomes her turn. "However do you manage all the various gravitational levels, AdminCoordinator? Nevermind coordinating all the travel and trasportation to and from. The sheer scale of this place ... How many do you have running ops just on such things alone? It would seem such systems would take not only enormous processing time, but bodies to monitor it all." Her eyes shift momentarily to the pedestal and pen as she moves away from the ladder to get out of the way of others entering the chamber. "The controls?" she asks, indicating with one hand, brows arched questioningly.

Treznor pauses to let his people climb aboard before nimbly scaling the ladder himself. He glances around briefly before making himself comfortable in a seat with a good view.

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
>> That, and a means to get to their nearer colonies quicker. It may take them eleven years to get to the Megellanic Clouds, but it only takes us about a week. I think they'll be able to appreciate the efficiency, in spite of the risks. And who knows, maybe they'll be able to help us refine it?
}

"For a concept of scale," the AdminCoordinator replies to Massetti's question, "Alpha's memory storage is well over one-hundred-fifty exabytes. While segmented to make access even managable, it still takes several hours for us to process even a single segment's information, primarily due to the fact that each segment is also responsible for ship duties. Technical repair and observation is the realm of the Minis, so we quite literally have billions 'overseeing' Alpha's automated systems. Operating a ship of this scale to the efficiency we require would be extremely improbable with no advanced, centralized artificial intelligence to guide it.

"As for 'gravitation levels,'" she continues, "there is not really any such thing on Alpha. It spins, and distance from the core defines the amount of centrifugal force felt due to tangental motion being blocked by floors. This is simply taken into account during the transport car's motion, with its onboard motors working harder or lesser in order to keep acceleration essentially constant."

The EngCoordinator places herself next to the indicated pedestal. "Yes, these are the controls. I simply decide the destination; the higher automation responsible for transport car pathing decide how we get there."

"Holy mother o' God," Massetti says softly, glancing over at Pascali, and exchanging meaningful looks as they get settled in. The other just nods and whistles softly, neither one quite able to grasp just how big an exabyte is, only knowing the scope as laid out is ... well ... enormous.

Nathi herself looks more than a little surprised, even having expected something on an extremely grand scale. She takes seat next to Treznor, slipping her arm casually behind him, her fingertips lightly wandering along one shoulder. "Billions ... just to oversee the systems. I cannot begin to imagine what it took to design and build Alpha to begin with, AdminCoordinator, let alone how you have managed to continue running it for so long. You'll have to pardon my limited view here. The scale this operates on, and the timeline you reference, goes far beyond anything we have encountered before. Granted, you knew that of course, but it bears mentioning all the same. Am I right in understanding that each PanNorm species has evolved and been developed to serve the various functions aboard Alpha? Is that part of how you keep it all flowing in such a flawlessly organized fashion?"

"'Flawless' is perhaps giving us too much credit," the AdminCoordinator says with a chuckle, "but we thank you for the compliment nonetheless." She points her head away slightly at Nathi's subtle gesture to Devon, but it is carefully patterned to be noticable over her normal movements. It is rather difficult for a compound-eyed creature to avert its eyes from something mildly distasteful, after all.

"It took the effort of the entire panNorm culture of the Magellanic core," replies the EngCoordinator, antennae swaying as she speaks from her box. "The industrial output of hundreds of worlds was dedicated not only to the production of one ship like Alpha, but six identical to it. The other five, as you may know, were cannibalized so Alpha could make the journey."

"Alpha is not a perfect closed system, after all," the Blue adds, "and you are only half correct. We evolved to our purposes aboard Alpha, and further adapted Alpha to better suit us, and we evolved further. If anything, our environment adapted us... we did not 'develop' ourselves." She taps her antennae slowly, shuddering slightly. "That would have been in direct violation of the Prime Directive. The True Norm used to carefully watch themselves so they would not 'develop.' We all know how successful that was."

Treznor quirks an eyebrow at the Blue as he settles back against Nathicana's arm comfortably. "Actually, I'm afraid I don't. If I may ask, what did happen to the True Norm? I confess I've always wondered why your name translates the way it has. It seems that each of you are wonderfully suited to your lives. I'm afraid our societies and cultures have much more difficulty adapting to assigned roles, which is one reason why each of us here have adopted the government roles and policies we have.

"Have your people fully colonised the worlds available within the Megellanic Clouds, or simply the core? I'm afraid I was under the impression that your colonisation wasn't nearly so extant."

The insectoids seem to communicate silently for a moment, the gentle, fruity scents of esthers coming and going as they wave their antennae in complex patterns, somehow making it look natural--much like someone using sign language. After a few moments, the Blue leans her thorax and head forward slightly, folding its manipulators on the front of the oblong cushion she's curled up on. "My apologies--apparently we are more unknown to you than we had originally estimated.

"The True Norm is long dead. It was our ancestor-species; their Mothers the Mothers of the panNorm. They lived in the Magellanic Clouds, and built Alpha and its sister hives to colonize this galaxy in order to ensure the future of their True Norm. They did this to escape increasing background radiation levels in the Magellanic core which showed a high probability of either irradiating their worlds beyond the capacity to sustain life or else cause untenable genetic aberrations and mutations. Either way, the True Norm was doomed unless they could escape that radiation.

"What you mistake for our 'colonies' in the Magellanic Clouds are actually our long-dead ancestral homes." The faceless insectoid head is completely unemotive in the human sense, but the voice piping out of the grille on the front of the AdminCoordinator's translator box is that associated with a very wry smile, which simply gets more and more wry. "Our ancestors, the True Norm, had fully colonized the core of the galaxy--with large clusters of systems being only single-digit light years from each other, it was still tenable to have a sublight interstellar domain, as it were. By now, the simple geological action of the hundreds of worlds previously mentioned will have removed all obvious trace of the True Norm's existence, most probably.

"As for the fate of the True Norm, they probably went extinct. Those aboard the colony ships evolved, over the course of fifteen million years, into the panNorm. We call ourselves that because, for a very long time, we each thought our own caste to be the True Norm. Those True Norm left in the Magellanic Cloud probably died once the radiation levels became too high.

"The short answer to your last question is 'no.' At least, negative in the sense that you had intended it."

Interesting. I wonder if that's translated to a fear of radiation?

Treznor nods solemnly. "Clearly a great trajedy. Yet your people were able to survive and adapt. There were originally six vessels like this one? Were there other fleets? How many of you survived to reach your destination?"

"It is ancient history," the Blue panNorm counters wryly but not antagonistically, "with modern repercussions."

"If there were any other fleets," the Red EngCoordinator says with the quiet amusement of someone listening to youthful, naive overenthusiasm, "they certainly took centuries to build, just as Alpha's fleet did. Sorry comrade, but we wouldn't know about them--by that time, even at very small fractions of luminal speed, we were well out of communications range."

"Including Minis," the AdminCoordinator explains, "around two-hundred-eighty billion panNorm were alive during gravitational intercept of your parent star. Not counting them, the number was closer to two-hundred-fourty million. In the four hundred years since then, our population has expanded in Beta Hive on a steeper curve than previous cycles because of the end of the Succession Wars--what I believe you would call losing a Malthusian control."

At about this point, the gentle feeling of acceleration in the transport car lessens--more accurately, the natural-feeling 'Terrestrial' gravity fades away like in an elevator going down quickly as the car prepares to constantly decelerate towards its destination. The two panNorm easily switch from the floor to the ceiling, their feet hooking into the rugged thick carpet until they strap the webbing on the couches around their carapaces--the end result being that the NDA representatives are now speaking to two upside-down two-meter long ants.

"There's going to be a few moments of null-gravity," the EngCoordinator explains, "then the car will decelerate, causing apparent gravity in the opposite direction due to inertia. You'll want to switch to the seats above you during the null-gravity period."

Treznor nods in thanks to their hosts. "Thank you. If it were feasible to visit the Megallanic Clouds and search for survivors or descendents of the True Norm, would you be interested?"

I know I'd like to see how they might have diverged from their current form.

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
>> Hmm...I remember when I last spent any appreciable time in zero-gee. Bring back any memories for you?
}

The insectoids pause once again, but this time not to communicate to each other, simply barely moving in a natural way until the AdminCoordinator shakes her head gently from side to side. "While we are indeed curious, it is not a high priority. We do not yet have the resources to expend on creating an expedition of any duration to reconnoiter and return information that could be useful to our survival. There is only an estimated two percent probability of survivors of the True Norm or descendents of the True Norm surviving the several supernovae we have observed in the Magellanic core during our voyage.

"Additionally, if any survivors of the True Norm retained the True Norm's stance on genetic purity, as we did, then the risk is greatly increased. Given the potentiality that a survivor culture could be successful enough to have parity to the panNorm militaristically and technologically as well as far exceeding our resources due to relative lack of environmental limitations, vis living on Alpha for fifteen million years, the threat of restarting a sort of larger Succession War between ourselves and a more powerful True Norm derivative outweighs the benefits of any sociohistorical gain. While this probability is almost negligbly small," the AdminCoordinator continues, "there is no risk in delaying a return expedition for a century or a millenium until we are better capable of withstanding even such an unlikely scenario."

<LOS Communications - Treznor>
{
>> It does indeed, boy. It's been a while since we took the time to truly ... appreciate the nuances of it, no? Something we shall have to remedy when we get a chance.
}

Nathicana observes the exchange quietly, more than a little concerned at some of the answers. The PanNorm and their capabilities were impressive enough. The idea that even a remote possibility that beings with far more frightening methods and means was disturbing. The lesson that even the greatest may fall over time was not lost on her either. There seemed to be more than a little lingering irritation over what had once been, now lost - for which she couldn't blame them. The question that came to mind considering all that was obvious. Did they seek such domination again?

They had been quite amicable in their dealings since those long-distant explorers had come across them, averting what would have been without question, the end. But in that meeting it had been illustrated that the potential existed. And now? She was familiar enough with the concept of greater good, and in working with others to achieve the end goals for oneself. Everyone did it to one extent or another, some with more grand designs in mind, others with simply an eye towards the usual desires of continued existance and the improvement of it. The PanNorm would eventually have need for expansion, as did they all. The Dominion itself already had colony efforts underway for similar reasons - that and diversification, planning for the future. It wasn't as though such things had not been discussed, of course. Treznor explorational efforts had the potential for continuing to offer incentives and alternatives, which were hoped to be sufficient to ease any growing pains. It all remained to be seen.

What it came down to really, was no different than any other initial relations and the problems inherent in dealing with another group or nation. Understanding how they thought, and being able to anticipate needs and actions. With such an alien race who spoke of the passage of time not in days, or even years, but centuries and milleniums, such an undertaking was much more of a challenge.

She had never been one to back down from a challenge.

"The luxury of having time on one's side," Nathicana says, smiling as she frees herself from the safety restraints, and gingerly works her way to the couch above, as directed. Perhaps not as gracefully as she would like, true, but getting the job done. Massetti and Pascali do likewise, each quietly ribbing each other in their efforts in their usual good humor. "I have always believed in having a respect for and understanding of the past while not dwelling on it, myself. Maintaining an appreciation for our origins, learning from those who have gone on before us, while keeping our focus on the present, and our plans for the future - that to me, seems as close to the ideal as we simple mortals can get. If any questions or observations have offended or brought discomfort, AdminCoordinator, please accept our apologies."

"While we have heard the phrase before," the AdminCoordinator replies, "and understand the basic underlying concept, we prefer to hold that time does not take allegiances, as it were. It is simply the measurement between events in a continuum that must be taken into account in planning for the future. Given the current hypothetical, the worst case scenario is that a more powerful True Norm derivative is coming now, at which point the best course of action is to ready ourselves militarily rather than expend our limited resources on preparing a century-long reconnaissance mission. The best case scenario is that no Magellanic True Norm derivatives exist and thus they will never come, thus indicating that there is no harm in waiting to find what may not even be there until we are ready to resist and survive the potential consequences of such an action. The past is to be understood, true, but not to be respected except in the negative light of how one respects very hot objects after touching one once. Our origins, as they were, are dead. The only record of what came before us lies in Alpha--the central intelligence of Alpha--and its copy spooled off to Beta; a voluminous and incomplete record because some data were lost due to accident or deliberate damage throughout our history in transit. This is accepted, but our history and the continuum of that-which-was up to now is an important facet in understanding any culture.

"We have not felt 'discomfort' exactly from any questions or observations; there is no purpose in being discomforted by subjects either considered taboo--such as genetic engineering of ourselves--or common knowledge--like our history--out of a lack of research. We have researched and have some understanding how endoskeletal social specialization works; as leaders, research is not necessarily your responsibility and therefore you may be excused for its lack." The Blue is perfectly pleasant in her speech, not even seeming to notice how, after the weightlessness, the ceiling becomes the floor that everyone sits on and everyone is once again in a normal, oddly-shaped room. "Learning more about us is the primary reason for you being here, correct? Then questions, no matter their content, or any unintentionally flawed basis of 'understanding' that they may or may not come from, only act to aid in achieving that goal and are therefore most welcome. You need not fear offending us to our very cores, and therefore there is no need to apologize for questions either now or in the future."

The transport car eventually slows to a stop with a soft electrical hum of opposing energies interacting outside the car's hexagonal hull. The two insectoids slip from their restraints and aid whoever needs it from theirs before leading the way out through the ceiling hatch, their four legs skittering up the ladder as if they were made for it.

That's silly, though; it was made for them.

Low-G Terrace

Probably the first thing the envoys would notice is that the gravity is about one-third Earth normal, similar to that on Mars, but the atmosphere density is still quite comfortable. Emerging from the hatch results in a blinding midday light, cut by thin streamers of clouds here and there; as the eyes adjust, they see a strange land indeed.

The hatch, inset into the ground, rests on a concrete 'patio' surrounded by greenery with a walk that heads out towards a city of domes, spheres, and spire-like hexagonal prisms several hundred meters away in the direction of the ship's fore and then vertically a few hundred more meters, huge skyscrapers pointing up towards the bands of lights that act as this place's artificial sun in the blue sky. Everywhere, blue-tinted by the refraction of light in the sky, metal is visible; the rodmium steel walls of the chamber tens of kilometers away pressing up into the blue; despite fading, the visibly curved terrace the sunlights are mounted on juts out from the wall; off in the distance, flickering in ways that could bend the mind if it was concentrated on due to, the central core can almost be seen.

The flora follows the same pattern of dramatically huge and thin, like the city of spires. The trees themselves rise higher than many Terrestrial skyscrapers, looking to be twenty stories tall with thin, snake-like branches that pop out of the top covered in large, broad leaves like green pom-poms. The rest of their slick, birch-like trunks are completely devoid of limbs. Surrounding the patio and the path is ground cover about two meters high that resembles thickly bunched-up green tissue paper, except smoother. Off in the distance, bounding through the trees, are ruminants that look like the product of the drunken night antics of an antelope, a giraffe, and a Martian War Machine.

"This is one of Alpha's two Low-G Terraces," the Red EngCoordinator says simply, quietly appreciating the surprisingly crisp and clean air before continuing. "As you could expect, living space is at a premium on Alpha, especially in the design phase. By incorporating these terraces, Alpha could have more growing and living space than if it simply had the Ring Plain. There is risk of atrophy from living here for too long, though, so populations rotate between here, the Ring Plain, and the Superstructure to make sure no individuals become too weak."

Treznor turns around in a slow circle, taking in the sights. "Do you have any cultural designs for your construction, or is it purely a matter of practicality? Some of what I see appears to be artistic, while others are purely functional. I can't determine how much of it is intentional.

"I'm also curious about your power generation systems. I had the thought that a civilisation as advanced as yours would want to invoke artificial gravity to offset the dangers of microgravity on organic bodies, but then I realised that the power requirements could be prohibitive. What do you use to keep such a large and complex system running?"

The EngCoordinator raises one antennae, leading the way towards the city. "Artificial gravity manipulation wasn't known to the True Norm when they built Alpha. While we manipulate gravity with our tesseract drives, we don't believe in expending the energy for artificial gravity when there are other, more energy-efficient ways to do it.

"Alpha is powered by hydrogen fusion; we still have large reserves left over from insertion and get more from our mining detachments. A large portion of Alpha's aft spar will remain for primary power production, but secondary power production is scattered throughout the ship. In cases of emergency, we can get additional power by drawing energy out of Alpha's rotation. We're also working on a magnetosphere loop to harness energy from Eärendil's artificially induced magnetic field."

"The shape of those buildings," the AdminCoordinator says, "is dictated entirely by utility. The sphere shaped ones are at different pressures than the outside, and act as some of our variable-pressure laboratory space. They are tall because we can more safely make them so here. They exist in the first place because it is necessary to utilize space efficiently, and pure ecosphere space is not the most efficient way to use the Terraces or the Ring Plain."

Nathicana nodded in response to the AdminCoordinator's replies, figuring that for now, quiet acceptance and understanding would suffice. Explanation had been given, and thus, there would be no further concern - at least not at offending with questions.

She accepts the assistance in getting free from her seat with quiet thanks, the others two doing so as well, being further hampered with the boxes. They all manage the ladders with varying degrees of finesse, and step up onto the patio, stepping aside so as not to impede the progress of others as they look around with interest, and no small amount of awe.

"Beautiful," Nathi murmurs appreciatively. "Call it pure utility if you must, but it is no less artful on account. I am still amazed at the complexity of this place, the many different levels and considerations that you have to constantly take into account, all just to keep it running smoothly. Simply incredible. And the plants and trees here - are these all that are left from your points of origin? Which reminds me ..." She gestures to the two men, who step forward to stand on either side, holding the boxes in front of them, one of which Nathi takes.

"From our home, to yours - I'm told that one of our little delicacies was appreciated during your previous visit. I hope that this small offering will in some part assist in saying 'thank you' for being such patient hosts." She opens the lid to reveal the solid sugar paste fruit sculptures inside, all in various colors, shimmering with a granulated sugar coating.

The AdminCoordinator peeks into the box, waves her antennae slightly to the EngCoordinator, and nods, bowing slightly. "Thank you for these gifts. Your consideration is most appropriate and appreciated; we are honored to have you as our guests here on Alpha. We shall pass these gifts along to the Mothers of Us All along with your thanks; they will be most pleased."

A few Red Soldiers, almost as if on cue, come skittering down the path, offering to take the boxes from Nathicana's assistants to ease their load if desired. Meanwhile, the EngCoordinator explains about the flora and fauna. "They were originally from our homeworlds, according to Alpha. Same thing happened to them as to the True Norm--they adapted to their environment and the old ones went extinct. There are a few smaller insects on the Ring Plain which we believe to be essentially the same species as those from our ancestral homeworlds, but that's about it. These plants here couldn't stand up in the gravity of your homeworld, much less standard Ring Plain gravity; the ones on the Ring Plain are probably more indicative of what grew back in the Greater Magellanic Cloud."

Massetti and Pascali pass off the boxes with polite nods and bows, stepping back to their usual positions, and continuing to keep a watch while taking in the sights as well, commenting quietly between themselves as the explanations are given, though never in a rude or secretive manner - simply staying out of the way.

"I am glad that the small token is well-recived," Nathicana says with a smile, reaching out here and there to tentatively touch the alien plant life as the AdminCoordinator clarifies the origins. "Adapt and live ..." she murmurs thoughtfully. "The PanNorm has done an admirable job of that, if I may say so. I look forward to seeing as much as we can of the rest - my thanks again for being such gracious hosts."

"Have you found the arrangements down on the planet surface as adaptable as you had hoped as well? How much of the flora and fauna of Alpha, if any, have you been able to transplant?"

The tissue-paper brush has the consistency of extremely fine paper with a not-quite-waxy smoothness to it, like the topside of a maple-leaf. It is textured throughout with veins crisscrossing and going helter-skelter, but the utility of this is almost obvious, seeing how easily the plant tears and knits itself. The almost imperceptable cool breeze pushes the plants about visibly, billowing gently like parachutes or flags on mildly windy days.

"Beta Hive, underground, has been receptive to all forms of Ring Plain biology," the Blue replies pleasantly, "but the surface has only recently become safe for us to walk unprotected on. It is still limited to mostly hardy brushes, grasses, and small, durable trees, creating a steppe biome. We are working it towards more varied biology, but that is the EcoCoordinator's domain."

"If you'll follow me, comrades," the EngCoordinator says, starting on the paved path in the direction of the city, "it's a short walk over to the heliport where we'll take an aircraft down to the Ring Plain. It's slower than using a transport car but you'll get a better view. We can talk as we walk, if that's acceptable."

"Excellent," Nathi replies, with one last gentle touch to the tissue-like plant. "It would be interesting to see if the conditions could be emulated enough on a smaller scale for some of our scientists to have the opportunity to study alien plant species - if the PanNorm were so inclined to offer samples, of course. You'll find we tend to be a curious people, and the effor that goes into furthering knowledge is something we have always held in high regard."

She nods and gently gestures for the EngCoordinator to lead on. "Of course. Please lead the way." Nathicana walks over to Treznor and gently links her arm with his, Mas and Pascalli following to take up their positions with continued quiet conversation.

"We can arrange that," the AdminCoordinator says in her pleasant yet utterly artificial voice, "I will make sure that the SciCoordinator confers with your scientists. We can gather whatever samples they'd like, or we can invite them to gather the samples themselves if they would be interested."

The panNorm continue to try to ignore the occasional acts of affection between Nathicana and Devon; old prejudices die hard. While now they can at least tolerate the appearance of endoskeletals, they hardly desire to think of anything beyond that. Sexuality is a dead concept in the panNorm and has been for the past several million years.

"Most excellent. I know Minister Pacci would appreciate the opportunity to work with you himself if at all possible. I will be sure to leave any future projects in his capable hands - he will no doubt wish to make the arrangements for whichever method would serve best, himself. Please," Nathicana says pleasantly. "Lead on."

The AdminCoordinator bobs her chitinous head in a sort of nod, and lets the EngCoordinator lead the way down the path lined by the thick, curly tissue-paper plants on either side, something like a hedge maze although with no attempt to confuse. The path branches to the left, and the Red takes this fork. Suddenly, the path opens up to another flat open area, much larger, a concrete helipad complete with a large bulbous segmented cargo helicopter, also in unpainted bright metal except for the panNorm linked trefoil. "This helicopter'll take us down the hundred vertical kilometers to the Ring Plain," the EngCoordinator explains, "and it'll take several hours to auto-rotate down."

On the inside, the helicopter has been converted into something more resembling a flying lounge than a cargo helicopter, with the same accoutrements and safety precautions as could be expected from an executive aircraft back on Earth. There are also small but comfortable sleeping racks near the fore, which the EngCoordinator indicates if anyone gets tired. "Sorry for the delay that this demands, but auto-rotation is the most efficient means to get down to the Ring Plain while letting you get a good view. Supersonic flight isn't... wise in Alpha, so we're limited to subsonic flight."

"If nothing else, this gives you additional opportunity to ask us questions of whatever you'd like," the AdminCoordinator adds in her smiling vocoded voice, "or take the opportunity to rest."

"I'm sure it shall work well enough," Rene replied politely. "And I do have a question, actually - since we're going from the Low-G Terraces to the Ring Plain.

"Why did the builders of Alpha construct it this way, with varying levels of artificial gravity? Wouldn't it make more sense to just make one level, and rotate that to simulate the gravity of your homeworld?"

OOC: Ack, short and ungood. But 'tis a post! Mweeheeheehee!

"As I said earlier," the EngCoordinator replies with a patience so keen that her speech is indistinct from normal conversation, "it has to do with efficient use of volume. That is indeed what the original builders did, to create the Ring Plain. However, that leaves a very large amount of unutilized volume inbetween the Ring Plain and the core. The sunlamps already had to be stationed on terraces so they could simulate homeworld conditions on the Ring Plain, and so these terraces were simply turned into additional living and working space. By increasing green-space as well, the ecology of Alpha could be made more robust with larger areas dedicated to natural atmosphere-filtering... although my cousin the EcoCoordinator could tell you more about that than I could."

"Perhaps this would be a good time to discuss future plans, AdminCoordinator?" Nathicana offers, finding the arrangements quite comfortable. "For example, a more in-depth conversation concerning what our mutual expectations, hopes, and visions are for a possible alliance between the NDA and PanNorm. I'm certain there must be questions or possible concerns on both sides."

She pauses, looking to the Blue questioningly. "Unless of course you have a different schedule in mind for such discussions - which of course, is more than acceptable. In any case, the view is breathtaking, however we choose to spend the time. My thanks again for your hospitality."

The helicopter blades spin up, with the result that the cabin of the helicopter is filled with a slowly accelerating whum whum whum noise, low in pitch and about as loud as someone speaking in a moderate conversational voice. It will take a little bit of projection to be heard clearly over it, but it certainly is much softer than almost any other rotary-wing aircraft thanks to carefully designed vibration isolation and sound insulation. After a few moments it becomes a ululating hum as the whums blend together, and outside the large circular windows the concrete pad moves away, the tissue-paper plants being torn and billowing in coincentric circles as the helicopter climbs higher and higher.

The AdminCoordinator cants her utterly emotionless head--inhuman visage frozen in hard blue chitin--at Nathi's question, for a moment taking on a disquieting stillness only usually seen in close-ups of mounted slides, like a larger-than-life electron microscope image. Just as soon as it starts, it stops, and she continues to move naturally without any starts, the sudden pause just making it look more unnatural in a freeze-frame way. "That is acceptable, Imperatrice Nathicana D'Aquisto--as for our hospitality, you are most welcome to it. I know that I have already stated some of the panNorm's goals in an alliance, especially in terms of resource trade. We have large amounts of shipbuilding material and expertise you can use; you have access to additional energy resources that can help us--all mentioned previous. What are some of your expectations from any future alliance?"

Treznor squirms in his seat to make himself more comfortable; the accoutrements aboard the craft are pleasant enough, but he's managed to find a spar or something to sit on, and he isn't enjoying it. After rudely shoving Nathicana a few inches to the left, he relaxes.

<LOS Communications - Nathicana>
{
>> Sorry about that. I don't know what I sat on, but it's better now.
}

"Our expectations from our allies revolve largely around mutual trade and defense. Donation of currency, materials and intelligence for common benefit, political support when required, such aide as needed when the occasion arises. You'll find that most things are negotiable; we prefer to play to everyone's strengths and shore up any weaknesses. Much of what you have is far in advance of my Empire; we'll have to discuss appropriate compensation for trade and exchange. Beyond the basic requirements for all members, anything else you choose to contribute or trade for is a bonus.

"We have some breakthroughs in communications and travel you might be interested in, and some of our members boast industries and resources second to none. Hack, for example, has some of the best computer technology you're going to find anywhere. Our power generation systems are available to any member who wants them, and we have a small list of planets around the universe we've tagged as available for exploitation or colonisation by any member who can muster the resources to take advantage of them.

"Personally, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

He smiles toothlessly and winks as he settles in for the remainder of the trip.

The helo passes over a huge metal wall, probably fifty meters tall, and then the ground disappears.

Check that.

The ground is now about ninety kilometers below, and the engine thrums down to idle, letting the helicopter slowly autorotate on its way down. The result is a sense of near free-fall as the helicopter loses altitude a little shy of 'gravitational' acceleration. The result is an apparent ten to twenty percent of Earth gravity.

"Indeed. We have our own technologies and material resources we can share," the AdminCoordinator replies in a cheerful voice, "and I believe it would be safe to say that we have the most experience in space travel. Because of this, the environmental systems of our ships compare very well to any others we have seen in this system, and we know very well how to operate in various amounts of gravity."

"I can't deny that your assistance with such things as improving our shipbuilding techniques, not to mention learning from what your people have learned in their travels, having the opportunity to study new things such as the plants we discussed previously, and your efficient methods of managing such a vast network as you have here. The Emperor has summed up neatly the alliance guidelines," Nathi says, shifting slightly to make herself more comfortable, though not making any attempt to resituate closer to Treznor. The shift and drop elicits a surprised little 'eep' from her, and she grips her harness a bit more tightly in response.

"I've ah, been impressed with your manner of approach both in dealing with pleasant situations such as this, and in more stressful times such as the unfortunate stir created when that pack of idiots wanted to move the planets around - diplomatic ability or skill is another resource we find valuable in our allies, as well as an overall similar mindset in regards to sovereign right, and the importance of diplomacy in dealing with others (as seems only logical, being some of the base tenants of our manifesto). In return, we have a plethora of contacts, materials, and our own gathered knowledge base to share. I've always felt that diversity was a strength, and that this is one of the reasons our alliance has thrived," she continues on, smiling wryly at the AdminCoordinator's comment on 'operating in various amounts of gravity'. "Adapt and live, no? Something you have more than proved adept at."

The AdminCoordinator taps the bony claws of her manipulators together, a slow tiktiktik staccato as chitin impacts chitin gently before they return to what they normally do, accenting her words in constant yet undistracting motion. "Thank you. We were, quite honestly, somewhat worried as to the response to our choice of diplomatic measures and tone would be accepted by you. The proposed orbital engineering was a clear and present danger to our survival and we were, and still are, very... adamant when it comes to such things. I will admit that we did not perform to my own standards of subtlety in that situation."

Her voice indicates a momentary shrug. "We are still somewhat unhappy about sharing a planet with agents from CMC, but Eärendil is mostly Menelmacar's to apportion and it has been our discovery that they are not unwilling to trade with the enemies of friends. Perhaps an unfortunate situation for us to land in, but still nothing we cannot work around.

"We are curious," she says, changing tack in both posture and voice, "what are your own thoughts on difficult relations? We know from our research that tangled webs of international relations are often paradoxical and sometimes self-detrimental. What assurances do you have in place to prevent or mitigate this?" The tone behind her voice, obviously intentional, makes it readily clear that she knows all about Iraqstan and its black-sheep status in the NDA. Just testing the waters, it seems.

"Nothing to fear on the first account. We were rather ah, how you say ... reserved in our responses for good reason. Needless to say, such methods as were utilized by those corporations, and the lackluster response from their respective governments, did not impress us. Nor would we hesitate to do what was needed should such an problems threaten ourselves or our allies in the future," Nathi says firmly. "There is a time for subtlety, and a time for a more direct approach. The trick is knowing which is which."

"I don't blame you for the concern over neighbors, still, so long as they mind their business I would hope that things would continue peacefully enough. Politcs can make strange bedfellows, to be sure. I can't condemn the Elves for wanting to have their cake and eat it too, I suppose, so long as the consequences of their actions do not weaken the alliance, or their neigbors." She ponders thoughtfully for a moment, weighing her response, and speaking with care.

"As for difficult relations, those call for a steady, gentle touch. First off, we endeavor not to place ourselves in positions that may lead to such 'paradoxes'. If such a situation were to present itself, I believe we would handle it with as much care, and respect for any and all allies involved as possible. It is not our policy to go about dictating to others what actions they may or may not take, however, we do believe it in our mutual best interest now and then to offer alternatives and suggestions for improving situations that have gone sour. I cannot assure you that nothing 'bad' or distressing will ever happen," she says plainly at last. "What I can promise is that we will always try to operate with the well-being and sovereign rights of our alliance, and individual allies, foremost in our consideration - whichever side of a 'difficult' position they may find themselves on."

"Naturally, we hold sovereign right to be sacrosanct." Treznor rests his hand gently on Nathicana's back, running his fingertips lightly up and down her spine. "When it comes to...difficult allies we try to work from within and see if there's some sort of compromise acceptable to everyone involved. We've rarely had any internal troubles within the alliance, for which I am eternally grateful. Externally...we've had to come to the aide of our allies a time or two, and we've had a few allies put us in a difficult situation.

"That's really the tricky part," he adds after some thought. "How far do sovereign rights extend when it comes to dealing on the international scene? The answer is, it depends. We have to judge how our allies behave toward others, particularly when there's hostility or aggression involved. We have to judge how our allies are reflecting on us as an alliance. And we have to decide what kind of message we want to send by action or inaction, both to our members and to those watching us. There's no simple formula, really. All we ask is that our members keep their noses clean. If they do, then we back them to the hilt. If they don't, then we talk to them privately and try to help them find solutions. If we feel a member is putting us all at risk or in a bad enough light, we might call for a Council meeting to discuss recourse, up to and including expulsion. So far we haven't come to that."

Yet.

He grins and gestures broadly to the others present in the car. "Mind you, you've been getting answers from Council members. You might ask the others not sitting on the Council to see what they think of our performance so far."

"Tsaraine makes few alliances," Rene answered, "Beyond purely regional ties with the Border States, and of course the NDA. So we tend to avoid difficulty - it is always easier, after all, to avoid effort either way.

"But sometimes it's a case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained", and when the potential benefits outweigh the risks, well, then it's time to do something. Sometimes, that something lands us in difficulty, in which case it's mainly a matter of minimising damage - containing the effects of whatever the problem may be, or isolating ourselves from it.

"As for the NDA, though - well, I personally have applied the same methods to what few problems have come up, and left most of the work to the Council. When something does need to be said, or done, we do that. I fear that we Tsarainese, culturally, are more straight-forward than some of our allies, however, and although I have little way to gauge it I worry that that sometimes causes more trouble than it solves ... although nothing of event has ever occurred."

The AdminCoordinator nods slowly, listening attentively to the responses with slowly wafting antennae, subtly tilting her head to avoid concentrating on shows of affection between Devon and Nathicana. "Like you, Arkhora Rene Seingult, we have been cautious in our dealings with outsiders. We are allied defensively with Menelmacar solely because they offered us living space, and assisting in the protection of their local territories is assisting in the protection of our own. Our survivals are, in that way, linked; unfortunately, because there are so many opposing ideologies and power blocs, we must be careful on who we bind that closely to us.

"The fact that you do have policies in place for potential disagreement suits our purposes most effectively," she continues in a diplomatic voice, "and, to be sure, we honestly expected no less--another reason why we believe that the NDA is a good choice for ensuring the continued survival of the panNorm."

Pausing momentarily, she continues in a smiling voice. "We have already mentioned some of our own objectives; as you have seen, they always converge on the issue of the survival of the panNorm. This is especially true given the inevitable energy crisis that will occur once Alpha's hydrogen stores are depleted. This is a long-term problem; even after those supplies are depleted large amounts of energy can still be obtained by incrementally slowing Alpha's rotation. Nevertheless, the True Norm never intended Alpha to serve any function other than a mobile colony ship and it will take a large effort to retrofit Alpha's power generation systems to more modern standards, probably a combination of power transmitted via microwave from solar collection satellites and an induction loop drawing power from Eärendil's artificial magnetosphere, among other things. In the interim, we would use fissionables and more efficient fusion systems obtained via equitable trade with the NDA--at least, that is the plan."

"Given the circumstances, this is not an act of desperation." Her voice indicates that there may be a slight smirk behind it. "We simply look ahead as we always have. Besides the concomitant diplomatic advantages to membership in the NDA, one of our long-term goals is an interim solution to the question of powering Alpha."

"Hydrogen depletion ... would mining it be feasible?" Nathicana asks after a moment's thought. "As for generators, yes, though as you say, the changeover on a system this massive would be an incredible undertaking, there are solutions available through the NDA. Common enough knowledge, that. The rest? Perfectly understandable, and truth, admirable. Those who do not plan for the future are those not serious about continued survival. Though we operate on different levels, the thoughts lay along the same lines for our people as well."

"Planning for the future and banding those of like mind together for mutual protection and support were two of the driving factors in establishing this alliance, after all. I believe you have proven your willingness to choose diplomacy over hair-trigger reactions to possible threats - something that we take rather seriously. It does seem a comfortable enough match," she concludes, smiling gently in turn.

"In any case - the mining. I know the PanNorm is already on quite good terms with several Triumvirate nations, and Saturn being what and where it is ... "Nathi cocks a brow slightly, letting the question hang.

"Hydrogen mining offers us two options, Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is far too chaotic at the current time for our liking," the AdminCoordinator replies with diplomatic bluntness, "although we believe we could assist the Non-Democratic Alliance in rectifying that. Saturn is fully under the control of the Triumvirate of Yut. We do, honestly, owe them and a large number of their member nations for the survival of the panNorm. This puts us at a disadvantage with them in direct negotiation even though a great deal of their interstellar power base is currently centered around our tesseract technology.

"There are ways around this," she continues, "but after examining the Triumvirate charter we understand that we are not exactly eligible at the moment. We could see how our understanding of individual panNorm as resources could be considered near slavery and, as you have probably heard, genocide is not a concern to us when it comes to protecting our survival. These prevent us from desiring membership and thus attaining equity in that way. The other way is to negotiate through the Non-Democratic Alliance, several members of which already have lucrative agreements through their dual membership in the Triumvirate of Yut. This way we can achieve more value for resources expended, even when adding in appropriate commissions for those acting on our behalf."

Treznor nods solemnly, understanding the need perfectly. "We have a long-term contract with the Federated Segments of Scolopendra for a steady supply of diatomic hydrogen for fuel. We purchased the core of our merchant fleet from them, and those ships are still in service. Consequently, we depend on the Segments to keep them running.

"Otherwise, fueling our generators requires pure atomic elements such as hydrogen, helium and the like. The heavier the element the less effective the process, naturally. Our commercial vehicles use elements as heavy as carbon and nitrogen because we have to restrict our hydrogen and helium reserves for industrial and military applications. There's never enough."

He pauses for thought. "We've been experimenting with alternate methods of hydrogen collection. There's a process for separating water that uses existing solar power collection. We've been slowly phasing that into our Empire on static structures, notably government buildings. It requires a lot of water to make it work, and isn't the best solution. Some of my scientists have envisioned a series of hydrogen collector satellites in planetary orbit, taking advantage of the Earth's magnetosphere in the way it redirects solar wind. However, we don't yet have the technical expertise to make it work, and were looking for research partners to speed up the process. The benefits of such research could reduce our dependency on the folk out at Titan and help us avoid stirring the pot at Jupiter."

He smiles with his lips closed again. "Not that I wouldn't appreciate a more long-term solution in Jovian space, but most of the parties there have been entrenched for a long time. I'm not eager to pick any fights I don't have to."

Nathicana looks thoughtful for a moment, listening as Treznor speaks, quietly running through some figures and possibilities. "Part of a good partnership is finding ways that both parties can benefit without imposing on or having too much hold on one another. I've a thought, if you're interested," she says, shifting position away from the Emperor and using her hands to gesture as she speaks.

"You see, we have a couple of colony sites in the Saturn system, and they have been growing. Initially, they began as primarily families of those serving in the combined forces or our outward fleets - being a much more pleasant, and safe place than Io, which simply wouldn't do. Shipping and agriculture have been some of the biggest industries, along with the usual IT and service structures that go along with such things, though at the costs they have to compete with the Scolopendrans with, it has been damnably difficult. Those people have a knack for making good quality products that last, at bargain prices. Bernardo's office has been plagued with complaints from some who just haven't been able to hack it, the poor dears. We're having to learn new skills, new ways of competing. But to get to the point, we need new jobs, new opportunities. If we were able to start up our own mining operation, with ready consumers on hand, I think I could guarantee a steady supply at reasonable trade value. All we would need to do would be to get permission from the FAE, most likely. Licenses, contracts, etc. These are negotiations my people live for."

Sitting back, she smiles, close-lipped. "It would solve several problems at once, and for more than one of us, likely. Everyone wins. Should things continue to progress relatively smoothly around Jupiter, we could look into expanding there in the future as well. It isn't as though we don't have the forces on hand to protect our interests, after all. And with the new Machiavelli Station up and running, we have an excellent trade point for distribution and networking."

The AdminCoordinator bobs her head up and down slowly, approximating a nod in her insectoid way. "That does seem most mutually equitable, Imperatrice Nathicana D'Aquisto. As for orbital hydrogen collection..." She pauses again, that unreal freeze-frame cessation of motion that indicates an individual panNorm drawing information from the unconscious radio-communication collective. "Given that the average density of solar wind at a Terrestrial astronomic unit is approximately seven million protons per cubic meter and its average velocity is four hundred thousand meters per second, assuming a collector area of one square meter with no 'attractive' properties results in an atomic flow rate of two-point-eight billion protons, which is approximately five billionths of a gram per second. Assuming solar powered electromagnetic scoops such as Alpha's, that number could be trebeled.

"This would only be efficient on a very large scale," she concludes, "and we do have the requisite experience in macroengineering to accomplish it. We could aid in this project upon acceptance of our membership request, if you so desired, Emperor Devon Treznor."

Communicating with the others. Again. Only way such computations and such could be reached so quickly. Il dio, I'm still amazed at how this race interacts and functions and progresses. It makes one wonder, after so much time has passed for the human race, will we have progressed so incredibly far? Will we even still exist? And if so, in what form? It boggles the mind.

"And what incredible experience you do have, if I may say so," Nathicana observes, again looking out at the breathtaking view as they descend, shaking her head slightly in disbelief, the corners of her lips turned up in an appreciative smile. "In any case, I look forward to the possibilities, should some of these possible solutions work out."

Treznor nods agreeably. "If nothing else, I believe a very equitable trade arrangement could be managed. I think we have a great deal to offer each other."

He stretches and looks around. "How long until our next stop?"

"We will reach the Ring Plain in a few hours, which is why we have established accomodations for you here if you wish to rest. This method is quite a bit slower than using our transport cars, admittedly, but according to our other visitors the view is worth the wait."

"I would have to agree," Nathi says with a smile, making some quick notes on a datapad concerning the recent discussion, looking up now and then to appreciate the incredible view.

Massetti and Pascali continue to compare notes, trying to keep out of the way of the representatives while still doing their job of seeing the Imperatrice was safe - although here, given all they'd seen and experienced, it seems the usual vigilance is somewhat unwarranted. A decidedly different race, the PanNorm, more alien than any they'd interacted with before, but a pleasant folk all the same. The decision is made to take a rest in shifts, with Pascali winning a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to. With polite thanks to the AdminCoordinator, and a respectful nod, he settles in for his nap.

In keeping with his usual curiousity, Massetti pipes up with a question, after some thought. "Perdon, but I couldn't help but notice the strange ah ... animals earlier. If you don't mind, what are they, and what is their purpose? Pets, food, trade, or simply pleasant to have about? And the clouds here. Do you actually have weather inside the ship? Rain and the like? Or do you have automated systems to deliver what's needed to the plantlife?"

"The animals were originally brought aboard to ensure that a cross-section of our homeworlds' ecologies survived," the EngCoordinator replies to Massetti, red manipulators seeming to help guide the flow of her speech, "but they've evolved a bit past their original species to the point that they're now optimized to Alpha, as it were. We've used portions of the biosphere to help in the viability-modification of Eärendil... but I'll admit that ecology isn't my field of expertise, comrade." She imitates a human shrug by bobbing her arms and spreading her arms, slightly crooked. "I suppose that a fully-formed, self-sustaining ecology is either less mass-intensive, more solid, or both than a completely mechanical life support system, especially for generation travel." The Engineer Red sounds a little out of her league, antennae waving back and forth, nearly tapping.

"We occasionally cull the animals for food, but only on a by-need basis. The Greens are responsible for tending the hydroponic gardens where they grow the specially engineered and bred plants and yeasts that make up our food supply. Such agricultural methods are more efficient than ranching, if I remember correctly. The EcoCoordinator could tell you more.

"I do know about the weather system," the EngCoordinator continues more certainly, "because that's a matter of ship architecture. Any large enough open space generates its own weather patterns; Alpha is built to take advantage of it. The Ring Sea is fed by condensation runoff from the spill mountains on the walls as well as rain-fed rivers; the central Spherical Sea in the zero-g core generates high-altitude rainfall and is fed by condensed moisture traveling down the core. There are a few pressurized pump systems for the open spaces, but we try to get by with the least number of breakable machines possible. Pumps are mostly used to service the hive strata in the walls of Alpha, which is actually where most of us live and work."

"Jesu Christo, have you any idea the money you could make on tours alone on this place?" Mas blurts out, the scope of such a project clearly shining in his eyes - an opportunist, born and bred. Gesturing expansively, he continues. "You have here what must be the single most incredible engineered masterpiece in the known universe - at least that I've ever heard of . People of any given number of races or nations would pay top dollar just to catch glimpses of it. The possibilities are endless. And from what you were saying earlier, with a need for your power and such ..."

He trails off mid-gesture, catching sight of Nathicana giving him an incredulous look, her brows arched alarmingly.

"Scuse," he murmurs, dipping his head, then settling back in his seat and avoiding eye contact, though his face burns with embarrassment. "Your pardon, please. Not my place."

As I'm certain I'll be reminded of just as soon as her worship has a quiet moment away from the crowd, he thought with a certainty.