NationStates Jolt Archive

With attempts and a Mercury colony seeming to be coming to a grinding halt Largentian officials were turning their attention to other options, namely Neptune. Through intelligence and surveillence it seemed Der Angst was the nation to turn to.

Gregor Schelzi had had a long week and it was Friday afternoon. However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs work is never finished and at the last moment he was given orders to arrange negotiations with Der Angst representatives.

##Open Standard Diplomatic Link##
##To: Der Angst, Neptune##
##From: Largent, Earth##

In order to obtain a colonie on Neptune and/or on its surrounding sattelites we would like to scheduel negotiations and discussions at the place of your choosing. Our delegate is prepared to depart upon your reply.

Gregor Schelzi
Minister of Foreign Affairs

##Close Link##

Photons pass through the void, speeding in the general direction of a tiny sparkle in the sky, a sparkle that, if further investigated, would turn out to be a blueish ball of gas with a (For a gas giant) smallish number of moons, a surprisingly unstable ring system, and a whole lot of not-so-natural structures, only occasionally filled with continent-shattering weaponry. Still, caution is a necessity in sol.

More than four hours pass, then upwards of four and a half billion kilometers are crossed, and the signal, by now having only a tiny, almost insignificant fraction of its former strength, is received. First by effectoresque fields, which analyse the first few waves passing through and then leave then alone, convinved that they're harmless, and eventually by actual receivers.

Dumped into networks of orbital drones and a number of ships, the message is distributed within a few hundred milliseconds (Blasted lightspeed lag), then the administrative shrubbery starts acting.

Ships, sentient installations and wannabe-diplomats clash, fighting verbally over who is in charge, who is responsible and who should go and remove the stick from his or her ass.

Not a pretty sight. Fortunately, nobody outside the system sees it.

Realtime seconds later, the sentient installation (Poseidon) wins, allying itself with the factory craft that is presently residing in the subsystem. A few vaguely hostile programs and thoughts are exchanged, effectors warm up, sweeping minds and computers alike at low power settings.

Of course, it's just statements of disagreement, nothing one would have to take particularly serious. Nobody gets injured or otherwise hurt.

As peace returns to the politically interested parts of the community - Which is to say, every sentient/ sapient Angstian within the subsystem - Sandra Mikogami, 'Mind' - Which is to say, the human connected to and running Poseidon - can eventually start replying.

From: The Hypocrisy of Der Angst, DA Neptune, Poseidon
To: Largent (Earth)
Subject: Neptune Acquisitions

"Your interest is noted, and as we're of considerably little need to maintain all our present holdings in the subsystem, we're indeed open to such negotiations.

"As far as timeframes are concerned, we'd be ready immediately, and given your interest, as well as precedent, we'd suppose that the subsystem, or more to the point, Poseidon, would be the perfect place for such negotiations to proceed.

"You are thus welcome to arrive at any time. Of course, an ETA notice would be appreciated."

Sincerely,

~ Sandra Mikogami

For a moment, Sandra wonders if she should have choosen the Largentian capital as the appropriate place for negotiations... It'd certainly be amusing.

But then, it'd possibly be just a little inappropriate, too.

She stretches within the enclosed, spherical chamber full of semiconducting, liquid-but-viscous computronium, barely avoiding a sigh (It tasted horribly), musing about her need to leave this particularly enjoyable - If odd - place, soon. All around her, photons travelled like invisible sparks through layers of overly complex molecules, exchanging information between her and the rest of the 'city', an almost insignificant percentage of her processing capacity datadiving to learn more about Largent... Politics, History, Economy, Military, People of note, Society, Culture, Ethnicity, everything.

The reply came less than two hours after it was sent. The meeting was on. It was bitter-sweet for the Minister. It was good news that Der Angst had agreed, however he would be working late tonight. He sighed and reached for the phone.

Twenty miles away a young man lay in bed drifting into unconciousness. Only moments after his eyes closed for good his terminal began beeping and displaying an incoming message. He rolled over an rubbed his eyes, "Yes Mr. Schelzi?"

"Saddle up boy, you're goin' to Neptune." Diego Estaban was surprised by this. It was usually the job of Helena to attend such meetings but he remembered she was off reviving an alliance so the job went to him.

Moments later he had rolled out of bed and was dressed. He headed for the Capitals international airport and boarded his shuttle. He settled in for the obscenely long journey to Neptune. Ahead of the shuttle a message was sent..

##Open Diplomatic Link##
##To: The Hypocrisy of Der Angst, DA Neptune, Poseidon##

Greetings from the LSS Endevour. Our ETA is approximately 0900 tommorow. Please give us any landing/docking instructions you see fit.

Over and Out.

##Close Link.

The next day the small craft was closing in on the giant ball of blue gas and inbound for Poseidon.

oocness: Since when go my photons with 2 1/4 c? o.O It should be ~ 4 1/2 hours...

Neptune

If the arriving Largentian shuttle was still using roughly year-old textbooks about Sol/ Neptune as a guide, it'd quickly find out that a few things had changed over the course of the last few months.

Some moons had had their orbits altered. Others did now feature vast holes, leading to vast internal spaces where This United State or Sentient Peoples had established colonies and bases. One particular moon (S/2002 N2) had been moved slightly more than 22 million kilometers and was now covered with smaller and not so small machines while a cloud of smaller ships floated around it and a factory craft stayed nearby, processing materials necessary for whatever kind of transformation process was taking place.

Elsewhere, ships of other - And significantly more militaristic - nations floated, vaguely menacing but not particularly aggressive. The Drop Bear, a Britmattian 'ship', orbited in a higher orbit, its gravitational pull a mild annoyance for the subsystem's balance.

Swarms, or rather clouds of drones and sensors, satellites and orbital weapons platforms all around, belonging to perhaps half a dozen different nations. Rather a lot of traffic for a world in the outer system, with no initially habitable planets.

The effects politics can have on simple logic...

In any case, as the shuttle approaches, a few hundred sensors from perhaps a dozen different objects concentrate on it. Effectors sweep, the EM spectrum is checked, gravitational anomalies are searched for, ion- and plasma streams are analysed, classified and noted. Internal structures are figured out, materials identified.

<ORD 28/775> Hum. Oh, right, them. Hrm... Shiny.
<TEU Technically a Pacifist> Hum. Now look at that. The whole EM band's flooded. Cfractional rowdies.
<ORD Laris 24> Hum. Yes. Well, they're decelerating.
<TEU Improper Behaviour> We noticed, yes. Well, Sandra should know. Now, to go back to important things...

More-or-less polite and uninvasive scans being done, the shuttle is eventually considered 'safe', and a few subroutines of Poseidon take care of the rest while Sandra gets ready. Bursts of information containing landing instructions leave Poseidon, to eventually be received by the Largentian shuttle.

The rest is routine.

Poseidon itself can essentially be described as a sixteen kilometers times sixteen kilometers times eight kilometers rectangular block floating in Neptune's atmosphere at roughly 1.02g level, air pressure being noticeably below one bar... Not that it really matters, given that it can't be breathed, anyway.

Below it, insane electromagnetic fields form and disperse, direct currents of air and keep the city floating where it is, withstanding the the excessive conditions in Neptunes atmosphere with winds reaching up to 2000km/h, regularily breaking the sound barrier, as well as the gravitational pull that desires the city to descent and become a part of Neptune's rocky core. Not something Poseidon's inhabitants would enjoy.

Sixteen ports are available, used by the barges that occasionally arrive at leave from Poseidon, swarming around it, usually half-full with citizens passing their free time on them. At other times, spacecraft arrive and leave, and then there's the occasional transfer of diamonds from the core... The Caloris Basin colony that has recently been established on the rocky surface deep inside Neptune is by now providing a considerable amount of the industrial-grade diamonds DA requires.

A somewhat grumpy and less-than-polite - Though certainly efficient - voice, possibly a low-level AI still waiting for a proper physical body, directs the Largentian shuttle to port #4, muttering a not-very-polite 'Welcome to Neptune', and has the shuttle taken over by hard fields extending from emitters and apertures along the surface of the city, ensuring a safe descent over the last few hundred meters.

The port itself isn't particularly pleasant, of course. It's practical and half-empty, with relatively small bays, and there's no real point in adding plants and nice-looking waterfalls when it's frequently opened to the rather hostile atmosphere surrounding Neptune.

Still, as the smallish shuttlebays' roof closes and atmospheric conditions are changed to a more comforting Earth standard, a diplo-drone is already waiting for the Largentian shuttle, watching interestedly as it descends and eventually touches the ground, and floats over, a 100cm by 50cm by 25cm ellipsoid, a conservative tie hanging from its neckless, white casing, exactly 25cm from its front, neatly straightened by a few hard fields extending for a fraction of a second.

DD 01/03 is somewhat of a pedant.

ooc: apparently my math was a little off

Poseidon, Neptune

Diego sat in the shuttle, eyes closed, blisfully unaware of the scanners or any other activities going on around him, although it would have been much more than he would have expected on a planet in the outer system. As the ship began its final approach he noticed that the position of Poseidon was way off. Apparently a lot had changed recently.

A little later the shuttle was resting on the ground in Port #4 and Diego got up to stretch. As he looked out the window he found the place to be slightly on the glum side but it wasn't too bad. Moments later he was out of the ship and walked up to the diplo-drone.

He wasn't totally familiar with working with drones so he decided the best approach would be to treat it like he would a human. "Greetings, my name is Diego Esteban, I am the Largentian delegate." He then extended a hand wondering it the drone would extend its own. This could be an experience. he thought to himself.

DD 01/03 tilted forward, effectively simulating a slight bow, before it eventually noticed Diego Estaban's outstretched hand. Whoops. Right, different forms... A warm, gray-pink coloured field extended, forming a (small) hand of sorts, which eventually shook Diego Esteban's hand. It felt only a little odd... A little warmer than a baseline-human's hand, and somewhat softer than one, too.

"Welcome, Sir. I'm DD 01/03, diplomatic corps, Poseidon," it said, smoothly. "Just in time, I see. I hope you've had a pleasant journey?"

The field eventually ceased to exist, radiating away within moments, brightening a little and then dissolving into nothing. DD 01/ 03 continued, already turning and indicating for Diego to follow it. "Given your rather long flight, would you prefer to rest before the negotiations begin, or would you prefer to start them immediately? You could also tour the city, if you wish to do so. We've all the time in the world." It was already heading for the door, leading the Largentian in the general direction of the diplomatic quarters. "Oh, and do you have any package we'd need to get to your room, if you require one, that is?"

ooc: sorry for the short post, I'm just a little brain-dead at the moment...

Diego thought for a moment before responding, "No, I got all the rest I could as for on the flight. We may as well get right down to negotiations." He followed the drone through the door as they headed towards the diplomatic quarters.

"As for a room, I don't believe I will be needing one unless negotiations last longer than a day, which I doubt they will. And I can always take a look around the city on my own time, I have no reason to waste yours." With that he continued to follow DD 01/03 in the direction of the meeting place.

"Oh, perfect, then." The drone floated through the entrance, followed by Estaban. "Mind, I hadn't intended to be your constant shadow, and was expecting a more private trip, anyway... Nevermind."

The hallways were rather smallish, at no time exceeding two point something metres in either height or width, doubtlessly based on the 'average' Angstians' size (Which generally tended to be on the short end of the scale), rather than on some of the more excessive conversions.

Or foreigners, come to think of it.

It was all very white and clean, with the occasional plant located in the equally occasional corner, and a few kittens looking up at the two 'intruders' before minding their own business - Playing with or running from cleaning bots - , again.

After a few minutes, they eventually reached the conference room, where Sanda - Holding yet another kitten and clad in a long, white dress, looking surprisingly good for a woman in her sixties - was already waiting, bowing slightly. "Welcome on Poseidon, Mr. Estaban. I'm Sandra Mikogami... Also Poseidon's core. If you'd like to enter... I believe it's your turn to explain the interests of your government."

The room itself was rather small as well, measuring perhaps fifty square metres, and featured a wide array of barely noticeably tech-twinkyness, not all of it strictly necessary... Lots of 'Why not?' buttons and pipes and other dubious - Not to mention dusty - machinery hidden behind wood paneled walls, which were in turn decorated with the occasional painting, generally of the rather surrealist or outright confusing kind.

Diego followed the drone and noticed that his head was less than an inch from the ceiling, causing him to duck at every door-way. As they entered the equally small room where Sandra Mikogami awaitied them Diego returned the bow and noticed all the dust (very different from where they had previously been) and interesting contraptions around him. Certainly different from the Largentian's customary love for cleanliness and doing only what is deemed necissary. Some considered it a cold and heartless society, they were wrong, it was merely formal.

Upon being asked about his governments interests he wasn't totally sure how to approach the question. In the end he decided to just stay on topic and discuss Largent's interests in Neptune. "Well," he began, "They're rather simple once you get down to it. We simply are in dire need of a self-sustaining colony in the outer system. The only other land we hold out here is an area about a third the size of Florida on Charon. I'm assuming you are aquainted with Earth geography, if not then I must apologise. Anyway, about Charon, it is a black-hole for Largentian money. We must travel to it, supply it, defend it, and maintain order. This is all being done from Earth, our closest, fully developed land to Charon. Hopefully Mars will eventually assume this role but that doesn't relieve the fuel bill we are placing on the Largentian people.

"So, you may wonder why Neptune. Well that answer is equally simple. It appears to be the only fully stable planet open to colonization. Jupiter, is a mess and I will leave it at that. Saturn, Yut territory, we won't intrude. Uranus, we no nothing of the region or whom to contact concerning a presence there. And finally, Pluto or Charon, all already proving a poor financial desicion on our part and we have failed to obtain any more land there to improve the situation." He then added, with a smile, "I hope that answered your question."

"I see." Sandra nodded, letting the cat go - It decided to curl up next to one of the plants, occasionally glancing at the excessively tall foreigner - and offered the Largentian a seat before she eventually sat down, herself. "I see your government's point... Sort of, anyway. As far as Uranus is concerned, the planet itself is considered Taurenor - Pointy Eared Nothingness, if you're wondering - property, and its satellites have some mild presence from others... A bit of ToY stuff, and FACS holdings, but as far as I know, there's plenty of free space there. Of course..." She hesitated, smiling ironically. "It's not exactly an active region. More of a backwater. The perfect place if you want to be left alone, but absolutely horrible if you're seeking contacts."

DD 01/03, who had left for a moment, was eventually coming back, silently sliding through the door with a rather huge tray featuring a considerable amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic liquids ready for consumption held in the grip of invisible fields.

"In any case-" Sandra continued, quietly nodding at DD 01/ 03. "-Though 'self sustaining' is somewhat hard to do. Not impossible, mind, but until a few trillions have been poured into a colony to develop sufficient extraplanetary manufacturing capacities - All with the necessary buildup of experience, of course - no dice.

"Of couse, I don't know what your government's plans are in detail, so anyway... I suppose that you'd need a largish spot of land, either on Triton - Though given personal experience, I don't consider Triton to be a particularly useful spot - or an orbital installation, possibly using a moon and transforming it into a sizeable space station for a few dozen or several hundred million inhabitants. I take it that this two are the two main options you're looking for, or is there a third?"

"Well, you'll have to forgive me, I'm not too familiar with the specific situations on the individual bodies, however, I suppose our best bet would to purchase land wherever it is most plentiful, or I suppose on multiple locations, such as on Neptune itself and on one of its moons. However, like I said, you are in a much better position that I to determine which of those two would be easier or better, given specific situations. Triton may be a good option, however, I'm a little unclear on what you mean when you say Triton isn't very useful. As for orbital instillations...they are a decent option, however, not one that I would consider to be at the top of Largents list. Without land near by, if something were to go wrong it could turn out to be a serious problem that could affect all those hundreds of millions of inhabitants. It seems to me a poor investment. So, just so that I may get a better understanding as to what our best option would be, why don't you just briefly describe each spot that could be an option to us that is either on Neptune or one of its moons."

Diego then looked over and discovered the tray DD 01/03 had brought moments ago and out of courtesy more than necessity he took one and sipped it slowly finding it to be rather good.

Sandra nodded. "Of course, of course. Oh, as far as my experiences with Triton go... well, we tried to create a colony, there, before Poseidon was built. In the end, it was uneconomic, it suffered from excessive crime, and nowadays it's near-deserted, as the low gravity - Triton isn't particularly dense - isn't especially pleasant, all things considered. We're now using it mainly as a milbase and for experiments. Not much mining, as you can guess. Low density generally means a lack of mining-worthy materials. It's little more than a snowball, really. Anyway..." Sandra hesitated, taking a drink herself, it - Like all the others - somewhat 'spiced' with what would elsewhere be considered a soft (Or hard, depending on the drink) drug.

"Anyway... I see. Well... First of all, there would be Neptune, of course." While Sandra was talking, SS 01/ 03 projected the images - Animated Holograms - on top of the table. Unnecessary, of course, as Sandra could do so herself, accessing various bits and bytes of machinery behind the walls, but the difference was a superficial one.

"If one has the technology necessary to stay afloat in the upper atmosphere while dealing with 2000km/h winds, it's certainly a neat option... As this city here proves, I think." A smile. "Of course, one would have to provide the entire building material, one has excessive energy requirements, as such a construction wont stay afloat all by itself, and constructing it inside this environment can be a something of an issue... So can building it elsewhere and then dropping it. Poseidon nearly fell into the core when we did that.

"Then there's Triton. Not very dense, so mining wont be particularly profitable. On the other hand, traffic would be vastly easier to conduct than with a city inside Neptune's atmosphere. Lower escape velocity, no atmosphere in the way and so on. Of course, there's hardly any economic reason to be there, and not everyone enjoys a low-gee environment. On the other hand, you'd probably have some neighbors. Us, the Territorials and the Tartarns."

"Finally, there's S/2002 N 3 and S/2002 N 4. Both are rather smallish moons... One could convert them into oversized space stations without too much trouble. Spin them, and you've 'gravity' on the inside."

While Sandra was talking, DD 01/03 indulged itself in watching Diego, who had choosen a drink that was rather low on 'Spices'. The level of behaviour modification would likely be comparatively insignificant - Only a little above the level of alcohol - but still...

Diego thought about all the information that had been provided to him. He glanced at holograms and sighed slightly, "Well, it would seem that none our choices would techincally be economically profitable at first or perhaps even in the long run so it would seem to me that the best desicion would be to by plots of land, or possibly atmosphere, on multiple bodies. I'm going to assume thats alright, however you may oppose the idea for one reason or another."

Diego paused for a moment to look for any sign of immediate objection, she showed none, perhaps out of courtesy but he chose to be optimistic and continue. "So, what I may propose is this, we buy a medium sized area of atmosphere on Neptune, to serve more for shipping than anything else, after that we would buy enough space on Triton for a military outpost, nothing too scary just the basics, and finally we could purchase either S/2002 N 3 or S/2002 N 4 in its entirety and have that be the main area for all Neptune residents from Largent. Now, I relize this would be extremely costly but we have had little to spend on in the past and have vast resources, not to mention we would agree to nearly any price for the territory. And, please, if my suggestions are unreasonable just let me know." He leaned back slightly and sipped from his drink again enjoying it thoroughly. A few moments later he noticed DD 01/03 watching him rather intently and decided maybe he should avoid drinking too much of whatever he had to avoid whatever it seemed the droid was watching for.

"Mhm..." Sandra paused for a fraction of a second, quickly inquiring on the opinions of a number of people sharing - Or even exceeding - her administrative functions. "Well... First of all, a position on Neptune's surface - Measured from the upper end of its atmosphere - wouldn't be an issue. That much could be guaranteed. Mind, for basic shipping, I'd go for a normal orbital installation - A glorified space station - instead, as high gravity plus atmosphere aren't particularly useful when it comes to shipping. Hence, why we handle a lot of commercial traffic with IPU's in orbit, rather than on Poseidon itself.

"But, your decision. As far as a spot of land on Triton goes, that'd would partially be easy, too. However, there's an issue with regards to military deployments..." Sandra paused, taking another sip from her drink. "Frankly, we haven't had many contacts with Largent. To be specific, this is the first serious one. And while some basic information is of course available to us... Well, we'd like to be a little more careful.

"To sum it up, for the first years, specifically, until we decide that Largent is indeed a good and valuable, not to mention trustworthy neighbor, military deployments inside the subsystem would be out of the question. Given precedence, we'd generally take up defensive duties. Paid, of course, but at cost, rather than for profit. Except of course that extraordinary measures are requested."

She smiled in what was possibly vaguely neutral, if only to ease the tension a little. "No offence meant. I'm sure your nation is a perfectly decent one, but if history teaches us one thing, well... We just want to be careful. I hope you or your governent wont mind it all that much.

"As far as a triple-colony goes... well..." She gave a pained expression, looking almost embarrassed (She wasn't, but it seemed to be the polite thing to do). "We've been rather generous in the past, without getting particularly much out of it. Nowadays, we're a little more careful. I'm sure that two spots are manageable. Three would be... A bit much, for now, anyway. Again, no offence meant... we just like to be a little more careful, nowadays."

She waited for a second before continuing. The hologram (Well, not technically a hologram, but everyone called them that, anyway) snapped out of existence. "Nonetheless. If this minor restrictions - I'm sure they're minor, given the reasons for expansion you've expressed - are acceptable, I would say that a deal could be made with relative ease. For which spots exactly, that would be your choice." Sly grin. "For how much, that would be mine."

Diego wasn't all that upset, her reasoning seemed logical enough. Besides, changes could always be made in a few years. He knew it was nothing personal. "Well, your argument is sound and I have no real reason to disagree with it. However, there is one small request I must make. If we are to be forbidden from any deployments and are to entrust you with our new colony's protection we must be able to deploy ships outside the system. You see, our uncertainties are the same as yours. We have had no real previous contact with you and while we have nothing to hold aginst you, we really don't have any reason to trust you completly either. I hope you don't take offense to that.

"As for a double-colony, that will be fine, however, should the colony substantially grow in size over the years, and if we have been proven to be trust-worthy neighbors we hope to turn it into a triple-colony." He paused for a moment glancing at the hologram.

"I suppose if we are to make a deal...Our ideal situation would be to obtain upper level atmosphere territory on Neptune and either one of the two moons or the land on Triton. It depends on which option has more land available."

He looked over at Sandra and smiled, "Now, as you were saying...The price?"

"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. At present, the subsystem's 'border' is defined as twice the average radius from Neptune to its outermost moon... 96.747 million kilometers. Everything further away - Perfectly alright. Not to mention that we might change this definition in the near future, reducing it by 50% or so. Oh, and I forgot to mention... Fixed defence installations are of course allowed. So, we wouldn't have issues with a few freighters carrying guns to be fitting onto your installations. Not particularly useful as an outpost per se, given the lack of military grade transports, but certainly sufficient for self-defence." A faint smile. "And as your reasoning is no different from our own... No offence taken."

Of course, she was a little amused at the idea of requesting territorial acquisitions from a nation one had had no previous contacts with. They must be quite desperate.

"Anyway... Of course, should your presence prove to be mutually enjoyable, not to mention beneficial, I doubt there would be any issues when it comes to further expansion. As far as territorial size goes... We'd sell 1% of Triton's surface area, tapering off to its center. That would be 229022 square kilometres... About an order of magnitude more than you'd get with one of the smaller moons, and considerably denser, too. Equatorial, of course." The hologram snaps into existence, again. "Opposite side from our own outpost.

"As far as Neptune's concerned... Officially, 0.1% of its surface area, about 7.7 million square kilometers, measured from the upper end of the atmosphere. Practically, you can put it wherever you want, and move it around. Just try not to collide with other installations - Our own, Weyr, Skeelzania, Roania and The Caloris Basin. Shouldn't be too hard, given Neptune's size." Sandra chuckled a bit before continuing, for some reason amused at something, whatever it was. "Hrm. Payment..." She hesitated a little, pondering. "Lets round it off. 237 billion Universal Standard Units, or about 474 quadrillion Platin Coins-" A sigh. "Yes, inflation can be nasty. Oh, and of course we don't expect you to pay it all at once. Installments would suffice."

oocness: One Universal Standard Unit = 1 Euro

"Excellent!" Diego was extremely pleased and the size of the territory was far larger than he had expected and the price was relatively inexpensive. "So, about our payments...Since you don't require it to be payed for at one time I suppose we could do three annual payments each about 80 billion universal standard units. I hope you find that acceptable.

"As for keeping our installations on Neptune away from everyone else's, I doubt that should be a problem, seeing as the planet is so big as you said. I am also very excited to hear that you will be allowing us to put up fixed defenses. It is a relief to say the least." He paused momentarily hoping he didn't make it seem as though some horrible invasion was imminent. "Although we don't fear we will ever have to use them." he added quickly and then smiled inwardly.

"Since it would appear that we have agreed about the land itself would you like to hold another meeting, or extend this one, so that we could become more aquainted with each other seeing as we will have to coexist in a relatively short amount of time."

Sandra smiled softly - And perhaps a little ironically - at Diego's reaction. "I'm glad the offer satisfies you. Three annual payments... Works." She looked briefly in DD 01/03's direction, who tilted its casing, indicating a nod, and produced a bunch of papers from a nearby case.

"The legalese," it said, then Sandra continued while the drone's fields got hold of a pencil and started filling out the forms. "Of course... Hence why we wont go so far as to demand that such things are left out... they tend to make one feel much, much safer." A brief chuckle followed. "Otherwise, well... Sure, we could extend this one, or do another... Depending on your preference. Not sure what you'd want to discuss, though... But it's certainly possible. So... what would you want to discuss, then?"

Here, the drone interfered. "Done." It 'handed' the papers to Diego.

Transfer of Territorial Ownership, Neptune
Transferring Party: The Hypocrisy of Der Angst
Receiving Parties: The Militaristic Union of Largent

1. Conditions (Overall): The receiving entities may not transfer ownership of parts or the entirety of their holdings to a third entity, nor allow the establishment of military bases of a third entity, without the Hypocrisy of Der Angst agreeing to such a transfer of ownership/ establishment of a military outpost by a third entity.

In the case of the transfer of ownership (Sellout) of holdings being intended without the Hypocrisy agreeing to the third entity in question, the Hypocrisy guarantees to retake the holdings in question in exchange for a sum of money with a value equivalent to the value at which the territory was originally sold by the Hypocrisy of Der Angst. In the case of the Hypocrisy of Der Angst disagreeing with the establishment of a military base of a third party, the Hypocrisy of Der Angst will work to guarantee all defensive needs of the entity in question (As defined by DA defence standards) for a sum equivalent to DA's expenses in the matter (Zero profits).

2. Conditions (Specific): Largent's defensive means will be restricted to fixed weapon emplacements on their holdings. No Interplanetary-Capable warships may enter the Neptunian sphere (As defined by the average radius of Neptune's outermost moon's orbit times two, 97 million kilometres from Neptune's core).

For the time being, the Hypocrisy of Der Angst will work to guarantee all defensive needs of the entities in question (As defined by DA defence standards), for a sum equivalent to DA's expenses in the matter (Zero profits), should The Militaristic Union of Largent request such.

Once The Hypocrisy of Der Angst decides that a considerably trustworthy relationship between it and The Militaristic Union f largent has been created, this restriction may be removed.

3. Transferred Territories: The Hypocrisy of Dr Angst transfers ownership of the following territories/ Grants the right for the placement of orbital constructions in the Neptune subsystem to Largent:

The ownership of 1% of Triton's surface area at X/Y coordinates and the ownership of 0.1% of Neptune's surface area at X/Y coordinates is transferred to Largent for 237 billion USU, to be paid in three annual payments.

4. Any amendments to the document that change the legal status of signatories require renegotiations and mutual consent.

Signed:

The drone did the drone-equivalent of a smile. "Just sign."

"Well," Diego began while he signed the paper and returned it to the drone. "Simply, our two nations could learn a little about each other," mainly Diego hoping to obtain some amount of information on the Angstians, "These things might include customs or who your nation may be allied with or hostile with. I would hope that we might discuss a wide variety of things in some amount of detail. However, Largent is by no means pressed for time so such discussions could be put of until a time that suits you."

"Oh, don't worry, every time suits me." Sandra replied, watching DD 01/ 03 taking the documents in its gray-coloured fields and moving them over for her to sign. "Apart from the information that's available through various public and not-so-public means, you mean? Though yes, sometimes, face-to-face can be somewhat more helpful than mere statistics and text abstracts. Of course, Largent itself would be a topic, too." A sly grin follows, as she eventually signs the contract, handing the copy over to Diego to keep it. "So. Bits of Neptune and its moons are now yours. Remains the question... Well, your question, actually. Whatever it may be, I'm eager to satisfy your curiosity."

She leaned back, and the cat she'd held earlier eventually uncurled and jumped on her lap, purring.

Diego nodded and smiled. "Well, Largent is a nation whos government firmly believes that most of what you need to know about a nation comes from its past. And while we have learned a little about Der Angst's current activities and such, we know nothing of the nation's past. While I don't ask for a lengthy description of your past, a sum of your relatively recent history would be nice.

"A second curiousity I have is what are the costums and traditions of Der Angst and its people. It has become quite evident that drones are a major part of your society," he gestures towards DD 01/03, "but what else is there to know.

"Other than that I don't really have many other questions other than which nations are you friendly with and which nations are nations on whom no love is lost. Also, feel free to ask any question you may like about Largent or its people."

"I see. Well, I suppose there's some truth in this belief," answered Sandra, still stroking the - Audibly - purring cat. "It's a bit troublesome to choose where to begin, though. Five-thousand years of history and several decades of recent history give one something to think about. Even if said five-thousand years are of little relevance, today."

She hesitated for a moment, more for politeness' sake than out of necessity, the nodded briefly, mostly to herself. "Well. I guess a multiple-decade-cutoff should be sufficient. Generally, we've had a considerable period of chaos and isolation, from which the New - Or third - Republic developed, with considerable naivety, as far as foreign politics went - They made a couple of not-so-smart decisions, occasionally associating with regimes that weren't really... Proper companionship, so to speak.

"What followed was a somewhat saner, though in parts aggressive - Not imperialist, but interventionist - period, membership in the South Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the World Business Organisation - I should probably add that both organisations are nowadays defunct - and eventually, a civil war." Here she hesitated, sighing briefly. "One rather noticeable feature of ours, those things. I suppose the details of the conflict and how it came into being would bore you - They're horribly out of date and quite irrelevant, anyway, by today's standards - so... Anyway. Triggered by this conflict came a sort of corporate revolution, essentially speaking, the economy took over the whole administrative sector. A little excessively so, making a number of rather grave mistakes that still bother us, today. Also, while the political power of the corporate sector has significantly decreased, it is still an important presence, more so than in many other nations."

She smiled, her few wrinkles not even looking all that bad, as they gave her a somewhat motherly aura. "As you can probably tell by now, we, that is, the majority of us, tend to be somewhat excessive in what we're doing, more often than not overdoing certain things. It works out, in the end, but it isn't exactly the most efficient way of doing things, and it can strike foreigners as slightly odd, though we're of course not alone with this trait.

"In any case, after this period, DA did for a while stay interventionist, medding in two other conflicts, in one case actually being successful, specifically, successful in driving the GDODAD from Knootoss.

"Of course, after this relative success - Militarily, politically, economically - things began to destabilise, again. Several new, no longer economically oriented internal factions began to form, and another - So far the last external - unfortunate conflict was fought, which eventually ended in DA acquiring Martian territory while the Martian Confederacy temporarily ceased to exist as a political entity.

"And following that, well..." Sandra hesitated again, a painful expression on her face. "We had some slight issues. Specifically, something - We still don't really know what, ah... Infected our minds, and killed about two thirds of our population, instantaneously. Another good portion was killed in the aftermath, essentially a civil war, struggling for power in the temporary political void. Rather than working together to get back up, again. Kind of telling, I guess.

"It has been resolved, of course, and in the course of the events, AIs were eventually freed of their limitations, becoming full citizens - I hasten to add that we here started this development, and I'm actually rather proud to have been one of those who initiated this process - but it still plays a major role, especially insofar as a good portion of our lifestyle, that is, our occasionally excessive hedonism, can be explained as a form of, oh... Fleeing from the past, forgetting it. Or at the very least, hiding it."

She paused once more, looking down at the - Still purring - cat she was stroking, contemplating. "Well. Customs and traditions. This is a little... Complex. See, DA's extremely diversified. The average is a hedonistic society with strong asian - Especially Japanese - and european - Especially German - influences, mixed in with a more-or-less hidden 'Native' culture that was largely destroyed or assimilated during longer times of occupation. So, while the average Angstian will generally be extremely liberal, there are exceptions which can be the opposite. And and shade of grey in between the extremes. This does, in turn, result in a comparatively excessive fracturisation of society, which I think is noticeable from our constant civil wars, be they cold or, on occasion, hot.

"The individual is very important. There are a few customs and traditions with regards to greetings and the likes, but that's the end of it. Nothing too complex, and mistakes are overlooked. Also, due to this individuality, no prisons, and crime is dealt in... Different ways, if it is recognised as a crime at all. In special cases - Murder due to an inherent fondness for the act would be an example - the offending individual is usually given the chance to move elsewhere, if it refuses to be treated. Specifically, Io, the Burning Mountain folks. Of course, this is mainly possible and socially acceptable because most people have backups of their mindstates available, so most cases of murder tend to be temporarily. The very few cases we have, anyway. Violent crimes are surprisingly rare, disregarding 'Special' periods of time. Oh, and it isn't that we life forever, mind deterioration is inevitable, after 150- 180 years, but better than nothing, I guess.

"And then there's the drones-"

"Indeed." The voice came from DD 01/03, who seemed to float a little higher.

"-Indeed. Anyway. Full citizens only since a short while ago, with regional differences, but well... Not too different from humans, as human - drone and drone - human conversions are quite common. And of course, cybernetics and micro/nano level implants are standard, anyway. There's of course some 'Pride of Origin' involved with some drones-"

"Just as with humans."

-"Just as with humans, but then again, fracturisation of society. We have essentially everything. Well, almost everything."

Sandra stopped, giggling a little. "Well... Foreign relations, you mean. We've excellent relations with, oh... Treznor, The Territory and Tarasovka, and fairly good ones with a reasonably large number of others... Located pretty much everywhere throughout the system. Otherwise... Well, there are absolutely no nations we'd actively start shooting at for no other reason than their existence, so we're pretty save on that." Soft smile. "But we don't exactly burst into tears when bad things happen to, say, the Thelasi. There are a couple others, but those are mostly dormant, so they're not really worth bothering about."

She hesitated for a moment, leaving some time for the information to be absorbed, then continued. "Well, I guess now it's your part. Same questions you asked."

She leaned back again, a drink in her hand, her eyes half closed. She preferred to hear, and kept what she knew - Or thought she knew - about Largent in mind, for comparison.

Diaz thought for a moment. "Hmm...Largentian history. Well, it all started a very long time ago, the exact number of years has long since escaped me, but we'll just call it a very long time ago. Largent was little more than very culturally different people bickering and fighting. There were several wars, both long and short. However, eventually it turned out to be a stalemate in which no one gained anything but still decided to kill those they didn't like.

"This all stopped about four millenia ago when our first Emperor, Johnston I, stepped forward from the Largentian tribe and united all other tribes through promises of defense, security, and economic stability. But mostly defense. Thus, the Militaristic Union was born.

"It was a long time before enough reformations had taken place to get the nation to the point when it had a stable economy and population and was able to enter the international scene." He paused for a moment because he was about to get a little more technical.

"Now, our first major international event occured when we supported the ToY during their Ardan conflict which fizzled out before we became too actively involved and got trampled on." he winked. "However, apparently wishing to further relations we started political discussions with several nations whom we had supported.

"After this we became quiet in the international scene for sometime until one day our government became more active and began renewing ties and gaining new allies.

"That was almost six hundred years ago now (2 RL years) and since we have gained holdings within the Sol, started a Red Cross organization, never engadged in a single war, both recently and since our nation was founded, and gained some new aquaintances through...less than desirable mean." He paused for a moment remembering the Eurpoa-Io situation that Der Angst probably remembered. "Thankfully all was mended and now we are simply carrying out our existance in a somewhat quiet fashion save a few incidents." He stopped to regain his train of thought before continuing.

"Like Der Angst, Largent is diversafied although not to an extent that we do not have some specific customs and traditions. To begin with we are an almost entirely Christian nation although through mainly coincidence and social pressure rather than by any actual action by the government or anyone else. We celebrate Christian holidays and several national holidays not unusual throughout other nations, such as the day of our nations founding, a memorial day for all who have died in wars, although we have never had a Largentian die on foreign soil. It is simply to commemerat those who died in wars prior to the establishment of a real governing body.

"Our customs are influinced heavily by European ones, mainly Italian and German. This gives our people both a real work ethich and good spirit. In short, it makes for both good dinner guests and emplyees." he smiles. "However, we do have some Middle Eastern and Asian regions which, as you may imagine, have very different customs. So, although we have many different types of people each ethnicity has clearly defined customs. However, on the whole, Largentians take pride in the food, craftmanship, and techological achievments and social levels are quite common, although not always desired.

"Well, our foreign affairs is a rather dull subject. We are a member of the Imperial Confederacy, a now defunct organization that we are in the process of reforming. We are also a Trade Network Association singnatary. Nations we could be considered freindly with are nations such as Greys Hills, Azazia, and others who are since quiet on the international scene. Although we are reasonably friendly with nations such as The Segments, The Dominion, Tsaraine, but just mainly through a diplomatic meeting or two in which we learned a little about each other and either established embassies or some sort of trade. Nations we are not so friendly with are nations such as, well, say Sketch. Although we have no real problems they have not proven themselves to be all that trustworthy and are currently marching rather large forces onto Mercury not all that far from our borders. There are also some nations left in the wake of our colonization attempts that probably could do without us, but we really don't need to worry to much, sore feelings are definately different from real hostilities."

He shrugged. "Our foreign relations could use a little work but it is fine for now considering we have more firends than enemies. In fact we really don't have any actual enemies at all." Thirsty from all the talking he reached for his glass and took a small sip. "Now, you have graciously answered all my questions and I have no more. Is there anything else on your mind or any questions you would like to ask?"

"Ehehe... A very long time ago, indeed..." Brief flashes of tales from her childhood haunt Sandra for a few moments, and she smiles a little.

Fond memories.

"Anyway. I see... Well, that's a better start than we had, all things considered, I'd say. Anyway..."

She hesitates briefly, pondering the six-hundred odd years. Well, she is vaguely used to the tendencies of time in the multiverse being somewhat non-linear... Even when it comes to its observed 'speed'.

"Nice enough, certainly. And avoiding a considerable amount of problems, too. I'm almost jealous of your stability." A wink, and another sip from her drink follow. Then a chuckle. "Oh... I'll remember to go out for dinner with you, then. At least once. If I ever visit Largent, of course." Brief, playful smile. Too bad her age is showing, a little.

She flinches a little as Grays Hill is mentioned, but eventually decides that a single taint isn't all that important... DA certainly has more of them.

And on the plus side, as far as she knows, Elijah likes them. She might even inquire about details, later. Surely Esther has a little info... And she wanted to visit her, anyway.

"Well, questions... Ah, yes. I've noticed that with Largent's attempts to spread throughout sol, rather different environments have been 'poked'. Jupiter - Io, to be specific - Mercury, and now Neptune..." Hesitation, and Sandra smiles again, parts of her mind dealing with a fire on the lower levels, a minor engine fault, a rowdy barge breaking speed limits near Poseidon. A boring day, all things considered, and Diaz' provides much needed distraction.

It might be a little inappropriate, given the rather important politics that are discussed, but it's true.

"Is this just an attempt for colonies, or is there some, ah... Solar-strategic concept in existence? I could think of a few, of course, but well... It looks a tad complex. Other than that, no, not really. Ah... I suppose that economic cooperation - Free interaction of our mutual private sectors and so on - is a given? I'm sure it'd ease integration in the subsystem."

Is she...making a move on me? Diaz found it a little odd but smiled and quickly put it behind him. "Yes, free interaction between our mutual private sectors would be a given I suppose. I haven't been specifically told so but that has been the way things have been done in the past so there is no reason to change that.

"As for Solar-strategic concepts, not on Neptune. Colonizing Neptune is strictly economic. If that is a Solar-strategic concept, well then it would be our only one. Now I relize that we certainly have touched on evironments but I would say that Io was our only real error." He sighs slightly. Every single meeting he had attended he had to explain Largent's actions on Io--to a degree at least.

"So, since you have no further questions and neither do I, I assume that our meeting has come to a close. I suppose it is time for me to depart, however I will be remaining in the sub-system for some time and look forward to working with in the future." He stood and bowed, having gathered it was more customary than a handshake.

"Oh, of course." Sandra nodded politely, eventually placing the kitten on the table - It stopped purring, and briefly glared at Sandra, whom she considered responsible for this less-than-favourable change of location, before she eventually curled up, again - and bowed as well, exactly as deep as Diaz, still with a smile on her lips. "Anyway, I think that covers it, it. Not that we'd necessarily mind a solar-strategic concept, mind." The smile changed a little, showing just a little hint of irony. "Faring well, then. I'm sure I - And the others here - will eagerly await the arrival of proper Largentian asset development."

This said, she eventually opened the door, again - DD 01/ 03 had stayed behind, hard fields stroking the kitten that was now stretched out on the table, purring loudly, its belly visible - and motioned for Diaz to enter the coridor. "Best luck on your trip back home. I hope the results were entirely satisfactory, and that your superiors will share this opinion."