NationStates Jolt Archive

High above NSEarth, high above politics, high above petty squabbles and the mushrooms of conflicts gone horribly, horribly wrong...

High above, a twinkle in the morning's light, high above the atmosphere - there rode Tudrussel, Vastiva's ambassador to the stars. He had begun as a dream and a plan - a method of gathering information and real time data on long term zero-g on the human body. In that, it had performed to expectations - and the original crew of three had been aboard when Vastiva launched its fourth rocket.

Since then - being the ever-mindful people they were - the original plan of scrapping the Tudrussel orbiter had gone by the wayside; the original modules gave way to a QNRP-4 reactor, two habitation modules - and more lab facilities. Vastiva, once spaceborne, found no reason to turn back from the stars. She had spared no expense and no small amount of fuel - perhaps her lowest expense in the project - in forming from the original "bubblecross" the first permanent station.

Vastiva's "sandwich in space", its center armored thickly and belted between immense plates of solidness. In the centermost lab, radiation itself was excluded nearly absolutely - and experimentation went onward. NALBZ had been one of the early objectives achieved, then solutions to food supplies on her mother world, then.... then... then...

Long before the first accident - an explosion which had forced the use of so much of the station's propellant and would have been far worse if not for the near presence of her Sharinan allies - Tudrussel had moved far from his position as a one-shot device to a symbol of Vastivan ingenuity and persistance... by the time the QNRP-6s had arrived and further increased the station's power supply, Tudrussel was moving off on his own. A fantastic plan had resulted in the seizure of an almost limitless supply of raw materials, decreasing the need for launches from Vastiva's Manium colony - and yet they continued anyway, bringing a whole new flock of parts and capabilities.

Tudrussel continues to develop - from a bubble to a sandwich and now approaching a "barbell sandwich" as he attempts to balance the needs of two greenhouses with the rest of the station's requirements, a bold experiment to create a filter-free source of atmospheric renewal. Should this experiment succeed, it is certain even after Otto-1 launches from the Osworth gantry constructed on the upper platform of the old "sandwich", one will only have to look up into the southern sky to see the symbol of Vastivan science still looking down on his parentage - and working to superceed their achievements.

"The problem becomes one of storage, sir. We only have so many modules. Even allowing for magnetic baggies on the upper and lower platforms, there is an upper limit we must adhere to, and closely, if we are to maintain sufficient..."
"I am aware of these problems, Risaldar. The question becomes - what do you plan to do about it?"
"Me? Sir?"
"You're a trouble shooter. You've found trouble. Now shoot it."

The ambassador watched his aide pace the ceiling once more.
“You know you can cut that out anytime?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure, sure,” Aanafil Taalu na-Malone stopped, pivoted, considered. “What if they don’t come?”
That was answered with a shake of the head – old discussion, even in the short time they had been in this module. “They were scheduled to arrive fifteen hours after we arrived, to give us time to adequately prepare. That was over fourteen hours ago. Commander Akhgar Yashar al-Shahab informed us that he has contact between Tudrussel and the Sharian vessel; they’re on course and on time.
“So, they’ll be here. And when they enter it will be through that lock. And do you know the first thing they’ll see?” His eyebrow went up for punctuation. “They’re going to see you hanging like a lost monkey.”
“Oh dear,” Anafil went back to pacing. “That won’t do, that won’t do at all…”
Ambassador Chelic na’Shu’aa ibn Cohen al-Novgorodovich shook his head again. It was bad enough to be saddled with a trade delegate for this particular contact; the worrywart he’d been given exceeded all expectations of ‘bad.’
Fortunately, some things has gone somewhat right. Their OPS-6 team had managed to obtain a Colossus water cannon, which sat unobtrusively near one wall – a souvenir of the NATO Warlympics. The Sharian flag would unfurl behind their delegate –memory metals played a good part of that trick – to counter the Vastivan flag they would face on entrance.
“And don’t get any footprints on our flag!”
“No, sir!”

Chelic’s attention turned to the dossier he’d been given on Sharina – and it was slim indeed. For some historical reason, the Sharinans did not like Spanish culture; they exported what amounted to “industrial leather,” nearly four times as strong as the best synthetic. They had achieved spaceflight – his presence on Vastiva’s main orbital platform proved that much.
Most importantly, they were a major producer of carob, the nut which made carob coatings; and the cacao nut, which became chocolate, cocoa, lovely warm… he took a drink of water from his pressure bulb, mouth filling with saliva.

What can we offer, besides our trump cards? And if we offer them... he shook his head. Best to put something on the table first. The Sharinans have a long history of fairness with their allies. We have no reason not to trust them in this, even with so much to lose... He took another drink, shuffled his papers and waited - trying to ignore the ceiling pacing going on still.

At least he hasn't stepped on the flag.

The triangular Sharina vessel slowly approached the Tudrussel station, using several micro-thrusts to orient the vessel and line it up correctly with the Vastivan dock onboard Tudrussel.

Ambassador Kelano Bre'wee granted himself a small smile as he viewed Tudrussel growing in the viewscreen of his spacecraft. He laid back in his chair, enjoying the view and taking in each new addition to Tudrussel. His mind began wandering as he thought about the majestic station.

How long has it been since the last time I was here? I led the rescue effort, managing to rescue the escape pods from the Vastivan shuttle carrying the doomed QNRP-4 reactor. However, I have yet to set foot inside Tudrussel. Back then, Tudrussel was simply a sandwich, but now it looks and appears much larger and more complex. I wonder, what kinds of expansions and new things the Vastivans have built inside?

This time, I can simply relax and enjoy the view. There is no rushing, emergency situations, or keeping myself beyond-the-top of things. I do not have to command the crewmen, but I can understand the current captain's nervousness. After all, I was a captain of a similiar vessel right here with Tudrussel a while ago.

Kelano's train of thought was interrupted as the intercom chimed, a subtle change from the beeping of its previous incarnations.

"Ambassador Kelano, the shuttle is to dock with the Vastivan station any minute now. Please fasten your seatbelts if you have not done so already."

Kelano nodded to himself, and tugged at the already fastened seatbelts absent-mindedly. Two minutes later, an audible thud could be heard throughout the shuttle as it neatly coupled up with Tudrussel's docking hatch, an seemingly impossible feat as space does not transmit sound directly. Kelano unfastened his seatbelts as the all-clear was given, and he launched himself towards the airlock, along with two other delegates, both females.

The airlock door opened, and the two female delegates stood back out of respect. Kelano nodded his appreciation as he became the first Sharinan to set foot inside Tudrussel. He took note of the Vastivan welcoming commitee, and he gave a gentle smile, showing his pearly whites.

"Greetings to you. I am Ambassador Kelano Bre'wee, representing the Sharina Technocracy. It is quite an honor to set foot in the majestic space station of our ally, Vastiva."

"Greetings, Ambassador Kelano Bre'wee, to you and your aides. I am Chelic na’Shu’aa ibn Cohen al-Novgorodovich, representative of and for the Sultanate of Vastiva."

He gestured to the other presence, thankful Aanafil had gotten off the ceiling quickly. "My aide, and trade delegate, Aanafil Taalu na-Malone of Vastivan South Africa." He gives a pleasant smile. "We apologize for the low-G setting, but Commander al-Shahab stated his crew is performing some sort of maintenance work best suited for these conditions, before more additions are made. Can we get you something, coffee perhaps? Come, sit, let us be comfortable..."

The simple oval table gave both sides a "side", yet left them comfortably close to each other. The "seats" - cushions of aerogel locked in a matrix - would hold up even under extreme pressure, and had the added advantage of a slight tackyness, serving to "stick" both sides to their seat without undue discomfort.

Even as the Sharinans arranged themselves, and pressure bulbs of tea were brought, Chelic's thoughts went back to Vastiva's history with Sharina. They were technologically superior in some ways, backwards in others. Their design for the Colossus Supergun had become something quite different in Vastiva...

And yet, and yet, and yet. Olympic City was still without a metro line - the tunnels were dug, but the Sharinans had completely dropped the ball there. Each time Vastiva encountered them, it was not a question of friendship - that most certainly was there - but rather of focus. Did Sharina have any? Would they manage to hold to a long term trade agreement - or would some new shiny object draw them away?

Chelic's smile never lessened even during the review.

"It is our hope this humble beginning leads to a most prosperous future, for both our nations." He smiled, gave a toast.

Ambassador Kelano Bre'wee nodded as he listened to Chelic's introductions, and took a tea bulb in his hands. After a moment of thought, Kelano began speaking in a respectful tone.

"Thank you, Chelic.

I am quite honored to be here amongst our Vastivan friends. I truly hope that we can grow even closer together in the coming future.

I would like to open the table, or so to speak. I'd like to hear any concerns or issues that we may be having. I believe it is good to get the issues or problems solved first, as it will make the good things that come afterwards all the more sweeter and exciting. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kelano sat back down, awaiting Chelic's response while taking several sips from the tea bulb.

"Concerns?" Chelic looked truly shocked at the idea. "Truly, I can think of none. We have had some minor misunderstandings in the past, but nothing which greatly concerns us. Even our shared border in the north has been a bastion of general peace for as long as Vastivan Alaska has existed."

Ambassador Kelano Bre'wee nodded out of respect towards Chelic awaiting his turn to speak. When it did come, he spoke softly, so to not fuel or encourage any mis-conceptions.

"I apologize, perhaps it was a poor choice of words. I was merely attempting to ask if you had any issues or misunderstandings with Sharina that needs to be addressed.

I truly want to iron out the wrinkles, or so to speak. Perhaps that is a better choice of words."

Kelano gave Chelic a smile to demonstrate good intentions as well as having no aggressive intentions at all.

Chelic gives a slight bow of the head. "If you would, Vastiva has no issues with you - we are grateful for the rescue of our crew, and as our belief in an Olympics has stalled along with the action in NATO's Warlympics, we have no current troubles."

"Would the reverse be true?"