NationStates Jolt Archive

Hydria International Airport was alive with activity. Crowds of people stood holding little Forensathan flags, held back by barriers watched closely by stern looking police officers. The sky was clear, thankfully, and the lines of aircraft bearing bright Ustian Airways liveries glistened in the midday sun. The airport had been closed down especially for Empress Catalia's visit.

A black limosine drove through the gates of the airport. As it did, the crowd began cheering andshouting. It came to a halt near some airport personel. The doors opened, and a man and a woman got out. The woman was about 5'9, wearing a black business suit and her brown hair tied in a ponytail. The man also wore a black suit,with a winged roundel (http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w123/Gazz6666/?action=view&current=brit_icon.jpg) on his dark blue beret: the symbol of Special Branch. He was considerably taller than her. As the woman stepped away from the car, the man followed her to where she stood. She turned to him

"Did the PM say what time he would be here?" she asked

"He didn't, Your Majesty" replied the man "But I can ask"

"Please do, Lieutenant Bristow" she replied "We don't want to keep the Empress waiting"

As she finished speaking, the crowd went wild again. Another limosine had just pulled into the airport. It stopped, and a man in a dull blue suit got out. He walked over to the woman

"Good morning, Your Majesty" he said. He was about the same age as her. The press loved that "Ready for this?"

"Very much so, Prime Minister" she replied, looking to the skies for the Empress's arrival.

To call the flight routine would have been an understatement. For those experienced in the affairs of aerial craft, it would have been positively droll. Which, of course, would have been a good thing, as an exciting flight typically indicated either the need to replace the pilot or award him a medal for his heroism and dedication. For Catalia, who had never flown before due to Imperial duties keeping her bound to the Imperial Palace, it was one of the more exciting moments of her life, though she congratulated herself on her lack of reactions to it. She made a mental note to have the Empire work on the mobility of its rulers, since the drive and flight over her own nation had shown her things that years of rule had not.

Unfortunately for the Empress, her flight had been marred by some of the company she had to keep on it. The representatives from the Houses of Serpents and Dragons both were welcome, as each had valuable experience in the fields related to their Houses and both Houses were longtime allies of the Cats. Plus, with some of the recent changes she had been contemplating, they were now valuable consultants to the government and might provide insight on this visit that Catalia, being more science-minded, might miss but would find helpful when dealing with her own. It was the representative from the Rats, an unsavory fellow who's very appearance automatically made one check their valuables, that had managed to tack himself on through misuse of his House's specia focus. She did not like the man, but found him a necessary evil for the time being.

It was as Catalia stepped into daylight that she realized just how tall the representatives were. The woman accompanying the Prime Minister, who's face Catalia had become familiar with through a quick browsing of some of the information about this nation, was easily a full five inches taller than the Empress. As Catalia looked at the woman, she realized she was also seeing someone who was definitely older, though apparently no stranger to the weight of rule. Catalia stretched straight, silently glad she had picked the blue kimono with matching blue pearl earrings for this visit.

"Who is that woman?" Catalia quietly asked the man to her left, the Serpents representative.

"Queen Sarah V, Empress. You really should read the pamphlets more thoroughly," came the good-natured ribbing.

"That's what I have you here for," Catalia replied, grinning.

The Serpents man was, much like a lot of his family, on the tall and thin side. No one knew why, but the House of Serpents seemed to prefer people who were closer to sticks in body shape while being normal height, even if it was unhealthy for some of them to be that thin. He was dressed in a black pinstripe, with a small serpent lapel decorating his left breast. His movements were careful and meticulous, intended to fully communicate that he was a dangerous person if he needed to be.

The other representative, from the House of Dragons, was unusually tall, easily topping six and a half feet. He was also a walking wall of muscle, his body reminding Catalia of the old stories of Hercules her mother had told her when she was younger. The man was also unusual for a Forensathan in that it was a deep bronze, since most Forensathans tended either towards a European or stereotypical Asian skintone. And, unlike many Forensathans, he had round eyes instead of slanted. The suit, a matching one to the Serpents representative and probably picked out by that person, barely contained the Dragon man's frame, his body bulging from it at the arms and chest. Yet, a more gentle scholar of sciences and military strategy Catalia had not met.

The last one was someone who Catalia didn't want to think of as a man. He had a hunched over posture and, like most members of his House, actually had features that reminded one of a rat. Even though he was five feet eight inches tall, the hunched over form made him almost appear shorter than Catalina. His clothes were also unappropriate, typically consisting of dark leather. Worst of all was his black cape, which almost made him a candidate for any Igor roles. The man also kept eyeing things around him greedily... and Catalia half-hoped he would start something, just so she could use his timely death to further establish trade relations. She'd offer to buy the man's executioner a drink if she had any money on her.

"Your Majesty, may I present Empress Catalia of the House of Cats to you?" the Serpents representative asked, with both him and the Dragons representative bowing to the Ustio representatives.

As the representatives from the House Of Dragons & House Serpents bowed, so did Xavier, Sarah & Bristow

"Empress, may I be the first to welcome you to Ustio North" Sarah said, offering her hand to the Empress as the crowd began cheering and waving their flags as they saw the Empress.

Catalia smiled, bowing as well. She had not expected the Prime Minister or the Queen to bow and was pleasantly surprised. She then stood straight and accepted the hand, smiling wide.

"It is a pleasure to be welcomed to this nation. We are glad to be able to enjoy time with people who are not of our culture," Catalia said. "Our diplomatic group will be on the next transport. They had to brief my personal slave, who will be running the Empire while I am away, about some of what is going on. I would have briefed him personally, but he's been busy handling court cases as of late and I did not want to disturb his rest."

Catalia smiled, bowing as well. She had not expected the Prime Minister or the Queen to bow and was pleasantly surprised. She then stood straight and accepted the hand, smiling wide.

"It is a pleasure to be welcomed to this nation. We are glad to be able to enjoy time with people who are not of our culture," Catalia said. "Our diplomatic group will be on the next transport. They had to brief my personal slave, who will be running the Empire while I am away, about some of what is going on. I would have briefed him personally, but he's been busy handling court cases as of late and I did not want to disturb his rest."

"A very efficiant system, by the sound of it" commented Xavier, a smile on his face. Sarah was puzzled by his attitude, but said nothing of it. The recent troubles had left the nation in sadness, mourning the loss of the former PM. His smile was one of the few she had seen in a while.

"Please, come this way Empress" Sarah said, indicating the Limo "We have Limosine which will take us into Hydria, where we can dine at the Palace"

Sarah, Xavier and Bristow began to walk to the car, and Bristow opened the door for Sarah and Catalia as Xavier went around to the other door.

Catalia nodded, walking to the limo, and said, "It is an efficient system. If it wasn't for him, half of the running of our nation might not happen. Our nation has become dependent upon the practice, which makes us unsure how aspects of our society would function without the additional help that slaves often give."

Catalia waited patiently, once at the limo, as the Dragon representative entered, smiling. Then, she turned towards the Ustio officials, apparently waiting on most of them to enter, all the while the rest of her own people waited near her. Then, just before entering, she turned towards the Rat representative.

"Could you get the bags?" Catalia asked, knowing the insult to the man's position would not go unnoticed.

After Catalia had entered, Bristow closed the door and got into the front with the driver. The limo pulled out of the airport, escorted by several black saloon cars, and onto the highway. It sloped down to the city from the Airport in the east. As they turned a corner, a gargantuan spire could be seen jutting out of the landscape. It was only a short drive to Hydria, and the city looked simply amazing, it's glass skyscrapers glittering in the sun like giant crystals.

Sarah turned to Catalia

"Empress, what is Forensatha like?" she asked "I have not had the honour of a visit yet"

Catalia considered, then sighed. They would have to ask that question...

"Beautiful is how I would describe it. Much of our nation is currently undeveloped, which leaves nature to take its course. We have farmland, but it's quite small compared to that of other nations," Catalia began. "The hotsprings are nice, the volcano is mostly not dangerous, and the woodland is easy on the eyes. And, for the most part, people value the whole of the nation over themselves, which our government worked to instill as an attitude since the nation's founding. Even our system of slavery isn't that bad, due to our laws about it."

Distracted, Catalia continued, "But, we do have internal issues. I'm sure all nations do to some extent, though our's involves one particular aspect of our government that would remove the humanity of slaves. They are an irritant, but controlled."

The Rats representative, still fuming over being turned into a simple servant, went purple with anger, though he continued to say nothing.

OOC: Bump.

Catalia considered, then sighed. They would have to ask that question...

"Beautiful is how I would describe it. Much of our nation is currently undeveloped, which leaves nature to take its course. We have farmland, but it's quite small compared to that of other nations," Catalia began. "The hotsprings are nice, the volcano is mostly not dangerous, and the woodland is easy on the eyes. And, for the most part, people value the whole of the nation over themselves, which our government worked to instill as an attitude since the nation's founding. Even our system of slavery isn't that bad, due to our laws about it."

Distracted, Catalia continued, "But, we do have internal issues. I'm sure all nations do to some extent, though our's involves one particular aspect of our government that would remove the humanity of slaves. They are an irritant, but controlled."

The Rats representative, still fuming over being turned into a simple servant, went purple with anger, though he continued to say nothing.

"It sounds like a beautiful nation" Sarah said.

The limo turned another corner, onto a long driveway. The Royal Palace was visable at the end, and the gate a few hundred yards away was flanked by two gargantuan statues, two men joined in battle with blades that connected over the gates. The limo pulled through the gates and into the courtyard of the Palace. Sarah stepped out of the limo, followed by Bristow and Xavier. They waited a moment for Catalia and the Rat representative.

Catalia smiled, then stretched as she exitted the limosine. She sighed contently before looking to Sarah, saying, "And your own is also quite lovely. I am hoping that we can arrange more visits, in the future."

Catalia then smiled to Sarah further, saying, "Though, I am curious to know more about your nation. Not what it says in the official documents, but a more personal impression of it. It's quite telling to hear how people describe their own home, with all of the memories and associations people assign."

"Well" Sarah began, as they passed the stone pillars and walked towards the doors of the Palace "One important thing I note in my memories of Ustio is not having a monarchy untill about 6 months ago"

They headed inside

"The monarchy was abolished in 1912, after John Mordred became the first PM in Ustian history. He's one of the statues guarding the gates. It was only recently reinstated. As you can imagine, it has been quite a whirlwind journey"

"I grew up in Stier, in the South of Ustio" she continued "As did Xavier. We we friends. But he moved away and became interested in Politics - and now look at him, running the country. Some of my earliest memories are of the winter snow - winters can be quite harsh here"

The doors to the great hall opened, revealing a corridor decorated with various portraits & pictures.

Catalia blinked, then gave Sarah an odd look, almost envious, at the part about the monarchy being recent. But, she did not comment on it, merely continuing to listen and nodding. She smiled at the part of winters being quite brutal.

"They are the same with us. We have a large lake on our norther border and the nation bordering it also borders open ocean. We used to have several colorful oaths related to the winter chill because of that," Catalia said, only to notice the portraits. "And it appears you value people enough to keep a public display of their images. Quite interesting..."

Sarah smiled as she commented on the pictures "These are the people who have led our nation to where it is today - Prime Ministers, Heroes - they all shaped Ustio in their own way, some more than others"

She moved down the row, to a portrait at the end of the row

"This man, for example, is known by several names, but most notably 'The Hero Of The Revolution', or 'The Sleeping King'. He was Arthur Foulke, leader of the Resistance against John Mordred. He is the other statue guarding the gates"

She turned as a man in red ceremonial clothing opened a door on their left

"Come" she said to Catalia "Let us dine"

Catalia nodded, giving each one a glance, with particular attention paid to the last one. She was unsure what to make of this, to celebrate individuals and their achievements instead of the achievements of the group as a whole. Even with her power, she knew her job was to safeguard the continual power of the Twelve Houses and the nation as a whole, for which she also knew she would be little more than another addition to a list of names hidden in some drawer within the Imperial Palace.

"Yes, let's dine," Catalia said, turning away from the portrait and the thoughts that troubled her. "I've been wanting to try some of your local cuisine..."

"I'm afraid that our local cuisine isn't anything special" Sarah said, as she led the way into the dining hall. A massive room, it was dominated by the long table in the centre of the room, which was adorned with food of differing type, from Crab to Roast Chicken.

The walls were decoratated with pictures of various different things - the construction of Bedivere Tower, construction of Queens Bridge, troops returning from Arcriana - to name but a few. One picture, a small one on a shelf, showed six people - four men and two women - standing in a group, evidently for the purposes of the picture. The roof was also decorated, with a design much like that of the many Cathedrals dotted around Ustio.

Catalia grinned, saying, "Most people tend to say that about their own nation."

She then gave a quick glance to each picture before turning to Sarah, unsure of seating arrangements within this nation. And then Catalia noticed the ceiling, giving it a mostly curious look. She had to silently admit that these people definitely enjoyed art and decoration... some parts of which she definitely wanted to have copied back in the Empire. It would certainly create plenty of new jobs, and it would make the structures intended to last forever look better.

Then, she looked to Sarah, having not done more than give the food itself a glance, and said, "I must compliment your people's taste in the artistic."

"We do try" Sarah replied, smiling as she sat down "However, unlike the portraits in the hall, these are all contempory pictures - this one for example"

She pointed to the picture of the tower

"This was taken just ten years ago"

The long table was interesting for a royal table, as it didn't have a seat at either head of the table. Sarah simply sat at the end, opposite the Prime Minister

Catalia smiled, taking a seat as Sarah did, and then looked at the picture in question. She then nodded, before turning back to Sarah, considering her next words carefully. Forensatha had been isolated for so long...

"In some areas, I guess being isolated as we have been prevented us from expanding in some areas. It's always been practicality that's driven us," Catalia said, then shook her head.

"So, anyway, what spawned this architecture?" Catalia knew, with that question, she may have entered into an area she didn't know about.

"Well, it comes from many areas I guess" Sarah said, the dying light casting shadows across the table "Pelagious, in the north, retains much of the original architecture designs - with modern upgrades to heating systems and such. Stier, in the south, on the other hand is a very modern city, with many skyscrapers and the like. Hydria, the capital, is where the two meet - buildings like the Ustian Petroleum skyscraper are just a stones throw away from buildings like this one, or The House Of Knights"

OOC: Will post later today.

Catalia nodded as she heard. She hadn't been specific enough, so she wasn't surprised at the answer she got. But, she decided not to press too much.

"Could you tell me about the ceiling? How the decoration style was chosen and what the decorations mean, if anything?" Catalia requested.

(OOC: Crap post I know, but today's been a long day.)

Catalia nodded as she heard. She hadn't been specific enough, so she wasn't surprised at the answer she got. But, she decided not to press too much.

"Could you tell me about the ceiling? How the decoration style was chosen and what the decorations mean, if anything?" Catalia requested.

(OOC: Crap post I know, but today's been a long day.)

OOC: S'okay, if you look around NS you'll see much, much worse.

"Ah, the ceiling" Sarah said, looking up at herself "Well, it was decided that the design of the roof should be somewhat like the many cathedrals. However, the decorations are some of the scenes of the civil war almost 100 years ago"


OOC: I'd assume they've been eating in between talking, because I'm rubbish at eating RP's

Catalia nodded, thinking. A civil war... She had heard tales, but... Considering, she finally decided to risk talking about it.

"Forensatha doesn't have any records from before our establishment as an Empire, but we know a nation existed there before. We also know, from death records of the time, that there was a plague of some sort. But, there are folk tales of a civil war of some kind. Those tales say it was between European colonists and those of mixed race on the island. Some kind of purification war. The Europeans, according to the tale, lost, showing the superiority of the mixed breeding. But the Europeans had brought some kind of plague with them in the last part, and it devastated our nation. The stories say that the Twelve Houses erased that history to prevent violence against the portion of the population that more reflected the European ancestry, so as to foster a peaceful nation. The Twelve Houses are unsure how to deal with the folktale, since we cannot verify it or not."

Catalia paused before continuing, "It's also no secret that our nation exists primarily to keep the Twelve Houses in power. The Houses are willing to sacrifice what is necessary to keep the populace happy, while the populace is willing to keep the Houses in power. In both cases, the groups are making sacrifices to keep the whole healthy."

Catalia nodded, thinking. A civil war... She had heard tales, but... Considering, she finally decided to risk talking about it.

"Forensatha doesn't have any records from before our establishment as an Empire, but we know a nation existed there before. We also know, from death records of the time, that there was a plague of some sort. But, there are folk tales of a civil war of some kind. Those tales say it was between European colonists and those of mixed race on the island. Some kind of purification war. The Europeans, according to the tale, lost, showing the superiority of the mixed breeding. But the Europeans had brought some kind of plague with them in the last part, and it devastated our nation. The stories say that the Twelve Houses erased that history to prevent violence against the portion of the population that more reflected the European ancestry, so as to foster a peaceful nation. The Twelve Houses are unsure how to deal with the folktale, since we cannot verify it or not."

Catalia paused before continuing, "It's also no secret that our nation exists primarily to keep the Twelve Houses in power. The Houses are willing to sacrifice what is necessary to keep the populace happy, while the populace is willing to keep the Houses in power. In both cases, the groups are making sacrifices to keep the whole healthy."

"It seems all nations have had these problems at some point in their history" Sarah said solemnly

Catalia nodded and sighed, then leaned back, considering. Many nations did. Yet, if those tales are true, what was the true purpose in erasing the history? Catalia was not foolish enough to believe the Twelve Houses would have done so without another motive fueling them.

Catalia nodded and sighed, then leaned back, considering. Many nations did. Yet, if those tales are true, what was the true purpose in erasing the history? Catalia was not foolish enough to believe the Twelve Houses would have done so without another motive fueling them.

The dying light made the moon turn a bright white, very much affected by the snow in the northern mountains. After the meal, Sarah got up

"We have rooms available here, so you may stay the night here if you wish" she said to Catalia

OOC: In response to the bold part of your quote - you've not met SRPA yet in my nation. You won't meet them on this visit, but keep an eye on some threads involving me and you'll see them. To quote Catawaba, who I was talking to about them;

I will have to ensure that your evil one-world government spies stay out of my top secret archives.

"We have rooms available here, so you may stay the night here if you wish" she said to Catalia

Catalia stood and nodded, then stretched a bit, sighing and saying, "Yes, it has been a long day. Tomorrow, we shall have to discuss the fullness of our treaty."

She paused, then considered. "Also, at some point, we will have to talk about a cultural exchange. The cathedral ceiling is quite beautiful and I'd like to see similar artwork decorate buildings in my own nation."

"We would be glad to send our architects over to Forensatha in the near future" Sarah replied, showing Catalia through the doors to the East Wing of the Palace, into another great corridor

"Here, we have had this room prepared for you" she said, stopping by a large maroon door. She opened it, revealing the large room. She turned to Catalia

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask any of the Palace staff"

Catalia grinned and winked, saying, "No worries. I'm familiar with how palaces work. Some details of operation may be different, but I bet they all work the same."

Which meant, of course, that the kitchen was the best place to gather information. Catalia had been quite surprised, as a young girl, to learn just how much the kitchen staff knew about operations of the Empire. But, then, she since learned just how often they were ignored when conversations were happening. Developping a friendship with her own kitchen staff had since proven quite a smart thing to do.

"Sleep well," Catalia said, knowing it would be the next day before they talked.

"Yes, you too" replied Sarah, as she returned to the great hall.

She turned into the hall, and spotted the Prime Minister leaning out on the terrace. She walked out to him, the deep blue sky twinkling with stars

"Good day?" she asked him

"Well, I suppose Your Ma-" He began

"Please, don't call me that Zavii" she told him "It's insulting to our friendship"

He smiled at her "Sorry"

"Have you seen Josh, or Evey recently?" she asked

"You mean Arthur and Guinevere? Last I heard they joined the other Knights over at Valais AFB" he replied "Are you going to Grace Island tomorrow?"

"Yes, will you be joining us?" Sarah asked him

"I'm afraid not, but i'll get Stan to give you priority clearance" he said to her "Well, i'd better get back"

"Yes, goodnight Zavii"

"Good night, your majesty" he said, grinning as he walked away

Catalia had slept well and awoken early the next day. Dressing was the first thing on the list. She carefully chose the day's clothes, picking a combination of style and elegance while still trying not to look too formal. And, of course, a bath came first.

The eventual choice started with a combined hadajuban and susoyoke, which was plain white. Then came the nagajuban, white but decorated with silver-colored threads that combined to form an arcane pattern, almost remiscient of protective runes. Then came the kimono itselt, pink silk that had the Chinese Zodiac, representing the Twelve Houses, on the back and the Chinese symbols for luck, prosperity, and peace along the sides. Then came the combination of the obi-ita and obi, with the obi itself decorated with an Asian dragon on one side and a European on the other, intended to reflect the mixed heritage the nation was so proud of. Her hair was held in place by jade hairpins, formed to look like sakura flowers, while her feet went for the traditional plain white tabi. Then came the zōri, which were decorated with a design that almost made the leather sandals look like they had grown into that shape.

It was thus that Catalia felt ready to face the day, even though she knew she could have gone for more modern clothing. It was with a sense of preparedness that she emerged from her room finally, only to seek out a window and give a bow, with hands together before her, in the direction of the sun's rise. She smiled some at completing that morning ritual before moving to head towards the dining room, figuring that the likely place to encounter the Queen or someone else. She also did not think for a second that her movements were not being tracked... it was only prudent, ally or not, and she would expect it of any place she visited.

Sarah was already up. She was in the dining room, talking to a man in a navy blue uniform. As Catalia entered, he tipped his hat to her, then to the Queen, and then he left. Sarah turned to Catalia

"Good Morning. Sleep well?" she asked

Catalia nodded, moving to take a seat. She was not surprised to find she was left alone at the moment... these people presented no harm thus far, after all. And it would be bad for diplomacy to have guards hanging around like that.

"It was good," Catalia began. "And, now that I'm rested, I'm ready to get down to business if you are. It's not any lack of enjoying the trip on my part... it's because of social custom and a mild fear that some of the more... colorful nobles may be challenging the limits of the sanity of who I left in charge. I will need to check with him to make sure he hasn't accidentally started a civil war."

By the sounds of things, Catalia was mostly joking. She had every confidence in his competency; but, she was sure he would want to at least rant a bit about the other nobles. Nobility sometimes allowed the silliest of people to get power they otherwise wouldn't.

"I understand, please come through here to the conference room" Sarah said, indicating a room "You'll be able to make a video call to Forensatha from there"

OOC: The guard wasn't there for you, it's because of the fact that a part of my Navy has just deployed to Roef

"Thank you," Catalia said as she stood. "This should take but a moment..."

She moved quietly into the room. The call should only take a few seconds... assuming all was going well. Of course, she was certain there was an interesting event or two. Governing Forensatha was never boring.

"Ah, Empress! Good to see you," Solidrin said as soon as his face appeared.

"Good to see you too. How's the Empire?"

"We're currently hunting down a gorilla that the House of Rats accidentally let loose. Their thieves stole what they thought was a weapon... only it turned out 'Suzie' was the animal's name." Solidrin was very amused by this, given the tone of voice.

"A gorilla..." Catalia repeated, sure that this was the beginning of a very interesting report.