New Home [ATTN Sslaa residents]
Kuiper Belt Space of the Slaa System, aboard the Merchant Ship William Ashtonbury
“Steady as she goes, buddy. Steady as she goes.”
The merchant ship William Ashtonbury appeared out of hyperdrive, carrying what appeared to be a section of a sphere, slightly smaller than the ship itself, hitched behind the Profit-class vessel on several spools of monofilament rope. The rope glinted in a semi-metallic fashion in the faraway rays of the Sslaa sun. On the bridge, Captain Reynolds twirled the ends of his moustache as he cursed and swore at his crew.
“You worthless, commie, asshole twerps! What the hell do you think are you doing aboard my ship? Partying and drinking all night? Is that the purpose of your presence aboard this good vessel? Or maybe, just maybe, I hired you to, you know, work and such? Or maybe I’m wrong and this is one of them entertainment vessels travelling the Deep? C’mon! You tell me!”
The reason for this cursing, swearing, and stuttering was lost upon the crew – the Captain has begun his speech about half an hour before that, and some have even started pondering if Reynolds, himself, remembered what this was about in the first place.
* * * * * **
Kuiper Belt Space of the Slaa System, aboard the CSS West Virginia
The red, glinting vessel, decorated with steel ‘cow-horns’, was far smaller than most Allanean ships – in fact, it was smaller than a Kajali space fighter. Still, in the thirty-meter craft there was enough space for six crew members. Of them, right now, it would be Ensign Crusher that would fill the main mission – he was the one with the least accent. So, naturally, he would record and relay to the Sakkrans a message on behalf of Captain McCoy.
Greetings to all who hear!
As you know, our government has recently requested, and acquired, the consent of your government for the building of a single, unarmed, habitable station outside official Sakkra space in this system, namely in the Kuiper Belt. As an official representative of the Confederate Government in the system, I would like to request to land the West Virginia at any location of your choice to refuel it and to discuss several technical details regarding the construction of the station.
Sincerely yours,
Captain McCoy, Confederate States Ship Western Virginia
Aboard the Vubz station, the coomunique from the West Virginia was received, routed, received again and routed some more. This went on in a chain of sorts through an automated system until the filters catching key words managed to route it to the appropo office. This would be the office within the Diplomatic Corps, assigned to the status and overseeing of colony residents and potential residents of the system.
The regional Director of Resource Allocation and Allotment looked over the communique, keyed up his display to show the system in its entirety, and eyeballed it with the scrutinizing glare of a jeweler about to cut a diamond. Hrrr...hmmm....mining station in the Sszeera belt, refinery depots just outside of the belt...too much noise. Ah. Here we are. The ISN docks nearby the belt. That should suffice. Who to get on this?
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[outgoing transmit Palaai relay: verified]
Dir: Captain McCoy, CSS West Virginia
Src: R. Director's Office, Palaai DiploCorps
Good cycle, Captain McCoy,
Attached to this comm will be a packet containing coordintes for an ISN station outside the Sszeera Belt. Our attache for this matter will be XenoArchitect Mmashha, recently appointed her post after graduating with high marks in Xeno-Architecture and Stellar Construction from the Pakaa satellite university in Titan. She will meet you there, and should be enroute by the time this message arrives in your hands.
May you walk on warm sands.
Regional Director Hhraa
Capitol of Palaai
[end transmit]
‘Captain McCoy, we have an approaching Sakkran diplomatic vessel on coordinates 455-333-A, approaching on constant velocity!’
‘Very well. I reck’n we have a season’d Diplomat aboard, one of them ther New Allanean people, ain’t that right, Ensign Crusher?’
The New Allaneans did not garner much respect even in their own country – the children of intellectuals and upper-classmen, they thought it correct to imitate foreign cultures in many ways. They had foreign education, wore foreign-style business suits and imitated the Midlonian, Knootian, or Menelmacari traditions of decorum and behavior. To the Allaneans, they were ‘squares’ and ‘straights’, stuck hopelessly in a too-restrictive past.
As diplomats, though, they were worth their weight in gold.
Or at least silver.
At any rate, they were a long way better than a regular Allanean at this – though of course that wasn’t too hard.
And the one in question today was far better than the average Allanean diplomat.
* * *
Regardless, Jennifer Hanson was pretty worried – upon her mission depended, pretty much, the success or failure of the future Allanean colony in Slaa-space. And the missive in her pocket said it all.
Dear Sir!
As the Chief Executive Officer of Allanean Arms, Incorporated, I thus empower Ms. Hanson to deliver to you this letter, and, furthermore, to deal with you on behalf of the Corporation. She is empowered to conduct negotiations regarding refueling rights – more correctly, to request permission from you to refuel the vehicles and spacecraft engaged in the construction of the new Outpost on Sakkran-held stations. She is empowered to negotiate payment for the refueling, as well as arrangements by which Corporation-held installations will provide refueling to Sakkran vessels.
Perhaps most peculiarly, Ms. Hanson also carries a message for you from the Government of the Confederacy – though it is not her employer.
Sincerely yours,
Kevin Nivensky,
CEO, Allanean Arms.
And indeed, while Hanson’s suit did carry a gleaming Allanean Arms employee badge, she also carried a message from Nathan Kammerer, the Confederate Secretary of States. It ran as follows.
Dear Sir!
I would like to request to renegotiate the existing treaties between Sakkra and Allanea, to run as follows:
1. That Allanean military vessels, up to sixty meters in length (that is, not exceeding the usual ‘smallcraft’ designations) be allowed to transit through Sakkran-held areas.
2. That, in the even that Sakkra require humanitarian assistance, the C.S.A. will do all in it’s power to assist, and vice versa.
I also recommend to your attention Ms. Hanson, the Allanean Arms representative. She is an utterly trustible person and is acting on the warrants of both the Confederate Government and Allanean Arms, Incorporated.
Sincerely yours,
David Moiseevich Kammerer,
Secretary of State, C.S.A.
The Monitor IIa class shuttle had followed the prescribed route through the Sszeera belt for this time in the solar cycle, and had breached through to the clear with no mishap. XenoArchitect Mmashha was aboard, in her standard uniform of dark blue silk with a leather floor-length coat. Her viewport on the side of the shuttle afforded a look at the small station she was to meet the Allanean representative at.
Mmm...standard design. A little rough on the exterior, but still serviceable. The burnt-sienna tones of the station reflect the interior, also colored sienna with flecks of odd-coloring here and there. Flights of long-range aerospace fighters with the ISN insignia were coming and going either beginning their patrols of the Belt, or just returning from them.
After disembarking, she was shown to the small conference area. It had a cafe-like atmosphere as booths lined the room, with a large central table and AV equipment, should one need it. An aromatic cinnamon tea was ordered as she organized her documents on her portable terminal, and eyeballed Jennifer Hanson's profile. Alright, let us see what is what.
Hanson walked through the station, still pondering what she had seen on approach. They have lots of patrol fighters… or at least they want me to think that. Those fighters probably have excellent long-range capability, and life support that can kick the ass of anything we have on fighters. Better not piss those fellows off, that’s for sure. The station was pretty small, of course – but then, she was told it would be small – which seemed to imply they had other stations that were ‘big’. That made her slightly uncomfortable. Only slightly, though. It could all be a bluff.
Her uniform was a set of blueish-grey, reminiscent of – but not similar to – the uniforms of the Confederate Army. The employee badge burned bright on her chest – a voluminous chest, by the way – making it dead certain to any observer that Hanson was not government employee. Working for Allanea’s biggest arms dealers made her much more proud than public service ever could.
”Good day, your honor. I am most pleased to meet you at this juncture.” – she blushed slightly – she has never been on a mission of such importance before – and she didn’t know local customs all that well. Nobody in Allanea did, really. Not that this would be much of a consolation if she failed…
Mmassha stood and adjusted her uniform, giving a slight bow in the process. "Good cycle, Representative Hanson." She motioned one hand toward the table she was occupying. "A servitor will be along to see to your needs. I trust your voyage was uneventful?" She sat back down, and pulled up Hanson's profile. The data was there, as well as an identifying picture. She seemed satisfied with it.
"Very good. Now then...." She stopped as a servitor came up to the table. "Would you care for a refreshment, sirrah? Paroo, kansee tea or water?" Mmassha kept one eye on the server, literally.
Hanson could do no worse than to reciprocate the bow. “Good cycle, Your Honor.” She sat down, smiling politely at the Sakkran. She knew that at this very moment Mmassha was getting her first perception of her – through electronic and ordinary means – and tried to look her best and most diplomat-like. The fact that most of the people that she was representing were not at all diplomat-like would probably make Mmassha laugh – but, thankfully, one would never guess that from Hanson.
She nodded at the mention of the beverages. “Whatever you have that has caffeine in it – you know how important it is to us negotiators. The requests of my two masters are rather ambitious – we’ll probably be arguing through the night.”
With that, she moved both missives across the desk to Mmassha, trying to look as humble as possible.
The servitor returned bearing two large porcelain mugs with fluted lips, and a cistern of Paroo. For the uninitiated, it has a heady nutmeg scent and tastes like over-brewed coffee when drank straight with a touch of a nutty flavor. As it was the table had a full accompaniment of condiments.
Mmassha took the documents and looked them over with one eye. The first document being the one from the CEO of Allanean Arms. "Mhmm...mhm mhmm. Very well, we can begin the negotiations for refueling rights and such while your people are building their station. I'd also have a need to overlook schematics for the station to ensure they go along with the agreements made. This second document ..." And her finger held it in place on the table. "...would have to be brought to the attention of the DilpoCorps Chiefs. I'm not licensed to conduct negotiations on a charter of this level."
She filled her mug and took a drink. "That being said, it would probably be an issue that can be expedited quickly. We're not huge on beauracracy and 'red tape' as the mammals say."
Hansen smiled happily as she sipped on the Paroo – first with a certain carefulness she tried to conceal as best as she could – then with genuine enthusiasm. “This is in fact a most excellent drink, your honor. Would it be all right if I inquired later about how it is made – or is it perhaps some sort of secret?” – she winked – “After all, there are places in Allanea where the process of tea-brewing is sacred to the locals, and whole elaborate rituals are created around it.”
She nodded to Mmassha’s suggestion. “Surely, you can look as the schematics – I mean, it’s not like you would rush off to build a copy of the design. In fact – why don’t you, or an expert of your choosing, inspect the construction site? This would demonstrate that the design schematics conform to what is actually being built. We know that this may be of concern – so we will accommodate. I understand - I have had the problem with a subcontractor before, and I fully realize that you may wish to demonstrate a certain… cautiousness. My side will be glad to assist.”
“As per the other part of the negotiations… well, after all, I’m getting paid by the day. I’ll just nest myself at the station like an evil vulture of doom,” - here, Hansen winked again, in a parodical fashion – “until whoever it is that has to sign the document has time for it – or, rather, pulls it out from the stack if your bureaucrats are like ours.”
Mmassha looked at Hansen for a moment in a scrutinizing fashion. "Hmmmm...." She then took the document, produced a small rectangular device, smoothened at the sides and nearly flat, and held the document to its side. it seemingly got sucked in, and flapped out the other side almost immediately. A pad on the top was touched with her claw, and traced about a bit. "It should be on the desk of the DiploCorp's Task Master now." The document was slid across the table back to Hansen, while the other paper continued to be looked over.
"When there are schematics to view, as well as the construction site, I will look at these. In an Observatorial capacity, of course. there will also be a need to show a manifest of what the construction ships will need for refueling, supplies and the like, as well as if any HazMat crafts will be in the area. System Security will want to be briefed on that."
Hansen returned the glance calmly – well, she thought, she may not seem as calm to a reptiloid being, after all they have and altogether different standard, – and listened politely to what Mmassha had to say. And she has very little accent, noted the Allanean diplomat, wonderful. Those guys are good. She noted every inflection, every intonation, every movement of Mmassha’s hands. Allaneans were every little bit as interested in how the Sakkrans did business as in what they were planning to do – perhaps even more.
Then, she spoke.
“Very well, you will be provided with the relevant data. And of course, if you want to, you could always acquire a permanent representation on the station , for inspection purposes and the like.”
After all, did the corporation care who it was renting lots on the station to?
Mmassha flexed her tail slightly, the tip waggling just a tiny bit. "Although having a permanent representative onboard would be good for security's sake, as well as expediting the lines of communication, it would prove in the long run burdensome. It is not in my power to assign such an entity, but this is a projection of what the DiploCorps would most likely state."
Her eyes look at the tablet before her as a soft yellow light beeps twice. "Ah, we have confirmation of the document received. there should be a reply within the hour. A moment, please." She pulls the sleeve of her shirt up, revealing a sickly-greean and sienna colored organism on it. A short stroke on the organism, and a yellowish liquid capsule is produced, which is lifted to a lump behind her ear-hole. the capsule is broken, and the liquid within runs onto the lump and is absorbed quickly.
"My apologies. Now then, what is it that you would require from us in this?"