NationStates Jolt Archive

"Ambassador. Come in."

It had been years, since the fall of the Starfederation. He was almost accustomed to the Tyrant's peculiarities now, the man's preoccupation with hiding his physical form.

Istnar, Lord-Envoy to countless nations, Ambassador to the Empire on behalf of the Starfederation, negotiator of the Treaty of the Fading Star.. his was a long and honourable career. He had been one of the first to convert. Power had been his for the taking, and all that had been required was a few lives. Not his own, of course. But the lives of a few urchins, a few creatures that would die within years in any case were gladly sacrificed for the power that burnt through his veins.

He was the Tyrant's most trusted confidate, as the Servant-Admirals all followed their own agendas, hardly obeying the Tyrant at all, and the only man, apart from Sashiar, who knew the location of the Guide, the almost-mythical unwilling prophet of the Sovereign.

Golheas spoke again. "It seems that we must take more upon ourselves, if we are to raise our stature within the Empire."

His voice creaked with age, with pain, like sandpaper rasping along wood, but Istnar could feel the power emanating from him. Unwillingly given his power, Golheas was the vessel for the Soul and the Mind of the Sovereign, and, should he wish to do so, he would be able to annihilate Istnar with but a thought.

"Of course, lord. What do you wish of me?"

Golheas smiled. Istnar could not see the smile, but the mood of the room changed, lighter, the fright and horror somewhat dimmed for the briefest of moments, and he spoke.

"You will go to the Imperium of Terra. It is desired that they join the Empire, one way or another. You are to pursue this incorporation peacefully, so that we may be as one people under the benevolent rulership of the Emperor."

Amusement swept through the room, and the candles flickered, their lights buoyed by the Tyrant's mood. Istnar knelt, and whispered a brief prayer to the Sovereign, in tongues mutable and strange, understood by none who did not serve - and few who did.

Golheas spoke for a last time. "You will use all of your charm, your wit, my friend, to accomplish this. If they are not amenable to reason, and the pen, we shall discover their amenability to the sword."

Message to the Imperium of Terra

As neighbouring nations, we deem it vital that diplomatic intercourse is opened up, and, of course, your incorporation into the greater order, or at least a treaty specifying your willingness to remain at peace with this order, the Empire, is assured. We cannot easily leave such a power unchecked at our borders, as you must well understand.

An ambassador, Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, has been dispatched to open diplomatic relations with your nation. He will be arriving within a few days.

- Tyrant Golheas, loyal scion and devoted servant of the Sovereign, Viceroy of the Seven-Star Confederation, Marshal of the Servant-Fleets, Regent of the Elastaer Cluster.

While the fleet dealt with the Remian invaders and the new arrivals, HIGHCOM received the incoming message from the Starfederation. While the Emperor and Fleet Admiral were busy, Vice Admiral Karaih took the duty of representing the Imperium, especially during the tense period they were in, dealing with invaders and new nations coming out of the woodwork. Sighing to herself, she waved away the attendant and took a sip of her coffee, calling up the message on her datapad.

Message to the Imperium of Terra

As neighbouring nations, we deem it vital that diplomatic intercourse is opened up, and, of course, your incorporation into the greater order, or at least a treaty specifying your willingness to remain at peace with this order, the Empire, is assured. We cannot easily leave such a power unchecked at our borders, as you must well understand.

An ambassador, Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, has been dispatched to open diplomatic relations with your nation. He will be arriving within a few days.

- Tyrant Golheas, loyal scion and devoted servant of the Sovereign, Viceroy of the Seven-Star Confederation, Marshal of the Servant-Fleets, Regent of the Elastaer Cluster.

Taking another sip, she leaned back and pushed the datapad away. So, another race wanted to make contact with them. However, this.....rather forceful wording of joining some great empire or at least signing a treaty agreeing to be at peace with them made her feel uneasy. She couldn't deny them their request, especially since they had the support of this empire. The Imperium had only allies who were recently acquired, and even then, no alliances had been made.

Opening a keypad, she typed her reply and sent it back to the origin of the signal.



Message of to the Starfederation

We grant your request for a diplomatic meeting. Unfortunately, the facilities on Earth cannot be used due to a situation in our inner space. Coordinates for a median planet have been sent along with this transmission for the new meeting location. We look forward to meeting you soon and working out a preferable deal for both our nations.

Sighing, she turned off the computer and sent a request for a ship to be prepped and for HIGHCOM to be informed. They had another problem to take care of and she was going personally to see it to its finish.

Istnar's ship, flanked by two cruisers, drifted away from its escorts, slowly, as the two ships prepared to leave. He had reached the requested system, and he would not offend by taking military ships any further than was absolutely necessary. The tiny diplomatic shuttlecraft crept forward, approaching the planet it wished to land upon.

This is Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, of the Starfederation. I wish to dock with whatever facilities have been prepared, so that I may begin discussion with the government of the Imperium of Terra. If you would care to transmit instructions, or perhaps an escort to lead me to the correct location, I would be most gratified.

As the Sovereign escorts reached the system, the frigate Endless Hope appeared out of Slipspace, rocketing towards the shipyard hovering over the planet of Avraelia IV. Vice Admiral Melissa Karaih stood on the bridge of the Endless Hope as the Captain next to her barked out orders for docking procedures. The frigate maneuvered its way past the docked ships, some half-built, and the outgoing/incoming ships that were patrolling the system. "Ma'am. we'll be docking at Station 1A in a few moments. Station Command reports that the Starfederation diplomat has arrived. His escort is moving away and his shuttle is moving in."

She nodded. "Very well, make sure the diplomat is lead in and given the proper respect and escorts to Hangar Bay 2C. I'll be moving out in a Pelican, keep me posted."

"Aye, ma'am."

She left the bridge, and the two Spartan-IV's at the doorway waited for her to move through the door before leaving after her, dead silent in their movements. They made their way to the hangar, where they boarded a Pelican and took off, blasting across the station to Bay 2C. The Pelican landed and disgorged it's occupants. The Vice Admiral and her two bodyguards were met by a platoon of Marines. They saluted and she responded in kind. "Ma'am, you wanted an escort for the diplomat?"

"Yes, get into position. He should be here soon." The Sergeant nodded and they moved into two lines of ten, their arms behind their back, faces up.

At Station Command, Stationmaster Brevier stood at his post, watching the screen tracking the incoming shuttle. The battles going on at Harvest and Sol were contained, for the moment. If they spilled over here, however, the fleet was already on alert, watchful for an disturbances or unwanted arrivals. They were not taking any chances on this discussion. They did not want to draw the wrath of this Empire, especially with the little amount of allies they had. His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his comm officer. "Sir, incoming transmission from the shuttle."

He nodded. "Show me."

This is Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, of the Starfederation. I wish to dock with whatever facilities have been prepared, so that I may begin discussion with the government of the Imperium of Terra. If you would care to transmit instructions, or perhaps an escort to lead me to the correct location, I would be most gratified.

Tapping a key, he opened a channel to the shuttle.

"Greetings Lord Envoy, I am Stationmaster Brevier. Facilities have indeed been prepared and an escort is waiting for you in Hangar Bay 2C. Coordinates are being transmitted to you as we speak. If you need anything, feel free to ask any of the Station attendants or myself. Have a pleasant stay at my station and good luck on your negotiations."

The channel cut out and a NAV marker for the Hangar Bay appeared on istnar's screen.

"Thussa..."

His thoughts lingered a moment on that world. What a horrific monument to power - a beautiful sight to one who had eyes to see. The fabric of reality, of absolute law had been weakened there, and power swept through it as though a floodgate had been opened into the universe.

Here, though, in this place.. he shuddered. It took.. effort to bring power through somewhere like this. Clean. And, of course, he doubted that his power was as.. subtle as that of a Sith's. Where one of those creatures could manipulate others emotions to his will, his work was far more detectable. Oh, he could bend a mind to serve him, if he truly wished to. But such a thing would harm such a mind so markedly that his interference would be obvious from the start.

Thus, negotiations would have to be mundane in nature. It did not bother him overmuch, to use power was to let one's life wane, and so this was merely a lengthening of his life. He looked in the mirror once more. Charming. Urbane.

Words that described him perfectly. People so often trusted him, for he seemed an honest man. Unfortunately, there had been.. changes of late. Changes he had not been able to control. The more he killed, the more power he gained. And yet.. his eyes, not just his pupils - the entire ball, were jet black. He concentrated for a moment.

A shimmer took itself up in front his eyes, disguising what was there. To those who were not actively looking at him, trying to pierce the veil that sat in front of his eyes, it would suffice. It would have to.

I thank you in the name of the Sovereign, Stationmaster Brevier. If it would not be overmuch trouble to provide, perhaps, twice the amount of food you would provide to your average human. In essence, somewhere around twenty-five thousands kilojoules a day. As a human from the now-defunct Realm, my metabolism is somewhat higher than you would normally expect.

The shuttle docked, and the door hissed open. An exterior that, perhaps, most resembled that of a Victorian-era manor, cracked open, as double doors swung open in the illusion that the shuttle was a house.

Istnar smiled, and inclined his head gracefully. "I am Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, plenipotentiary ambassador from the Starfederation. Whom am I to speak to?"

Brevier looked at the reply sent by the Starfederation delegate.

I thank you in the name of the Sovereign, Stationmaster Brevier. If it would not be overmuch trouble to provide, perhaps, twice the amount of food you would provide to your average human. In essence, somewhere around twenty-five thousands kilojoules a day. As a human from the now-defunct Realm, my metabolism is somewhat higher than you would normally expect.

His eyebrows raised a little but he nodded. “I see....Very well.” Turning he pressed a key. “Mess Hall, prepare a Double Trouble treat for our guests.” A whistle came over the radio, followed by a gruff voice.

“You sure about that, comrade? I mean, thats a lot of food. Seems a shame to waste it...”

“Trust me, Viktor, he's gonna eat it. Just prepare it.

“Alright, alright.” Letting go of the button, he turned back to the screen. “Your request is being fulfilled as we speak, Lord Envoy. It will take around five minutes to complete, I apologize for the wait but we normally don't prepare that much food. Enjoy your stay and give me a call if you need anything. Station Control out.”

Rear Admiral Kariah stood tall, as she watched the shuttle land and open to reveal the extensive and rich interior. It was impressive, but things such as that did not phase her.

They never did.

She watched as the diplomat stepped out and looked at them, smiling.

"I am Lord-Envoy Istnar Karran, plenipotentiary ambassador from the Starfederation. Whom am I to speak to?"

She stepped up, nodding her head in respect. “I am Rear Admiral Karaih, and I am representing the Imperium in our negotiations. We have prepared a room for us, if you would follow me.” As they began walking down the line of soldiers, the soldiers saluted, standing stock still with neutral expressions, a display of Imperial might, indeed. After a five minute walk, they came to a door, which slid open to reveal a lavish room, with leather seats, a refresher suite and a couple bottles of fine wine. Their meals were on the table and the cook stood in a corner, sharply dressed. Upon seeing them, he bowed.

“Welcome, Lord Envoy. Your food is ready. I do hope you like it.”