[hr][color=slategray]We have come to you, Old Earth[/color][hr]The [i]Terra Supremus[/i] exited with little fanfare, a small judder here and a bolt shaking there but otherwise, the engineering of their predecessors held up to scratch. It was a seed ship whose SciCorp backers had designed to be equal parts durable and state-of-the-art, thus, this was no surprise to any ape. They had been deposited at random to the far reaches of the Kuiper belt and so they sent far-ranging probes throughout the system, near a hundred at this time. They would serve as communication beacons as the time came. 

The surprises came with the flood of contact warnings, of vessels of different makes dotted around the system, some around the outer reaches of Sol, others nearer to its lone star. Some of the probes had been destroyed, others taken and picked apart by curious unknowns. Despite it all, they continued to release more probes, each blasting the same communications as the rest, in all the known languages of Old Earth. Words of the Khan.

[color=cd5c5c]”We are the Khanate. We come in peace.”[/color]

As the bridge crew came to life trying to establish communications and checking the ship’s systems, the trio of leaders at their head were staring at a light-lagged image of their homeland.

Brown. Barren. [i]Dead[/i]. 

“Tell me sister, how is Old Earth faring?” The Herald stayed aloft, four automatons gripping the wooden palanquin with ease. He sat upon silk cushions, draped in red and yellow clothes that denoted his royal status with the golden horse of his parentage emblazoned on his back. He sat listlessly, milky eyes peering at the display in front of them.

The Princess shared a glance with her Admiral, who merely shook his head. The Herald was a sensitive soul, a lover of Earth and all its histories. There was only one correct answer here.

“It is beautiful brother. A green and blue orb just like Mother told us. Broken, yes, but spinning strong in her orbit. We have come home brother.” A tear ran down her cheek, wiped away by a silent attendant to her side. Her words had paused the entire bridge, her ethereal voice activating endorphins and inciting joy in everyone in attendance.

A smile ignited on the Herald’s face, shining like a thousand suns. 

“Ah, majestic, fantastical, historical Old Earth. I wish I could gaze upon her beauty.”

The Admiral waved the display away from the bridge, bringing up a display of the entire system with all the known contacts upon them. He coughed into his paw, disturbing the reminiscing of people who have never set foot upon their home, sending the bridge back into controlled commotion. There were more important things to focus on. The restoration of Old Earth can come another time.

“Unfortunately, we are not the first to reach Home. The mission your Father gave us has failed. I apologise Herald, Princess. Alas, there is much that needs to be done, and we must shift our priorities now that one of these unknown contacts had already made their way to Old Earth.”

The Princess made the sign of Forgiveness, bowing her head to lead a short prayer to the spirits of before. Her myriad attendants bowed their heads in synchronicity, mutterings masked by the busywork of bridge crew in front of them. After a short while, the human raised her head in sync with the rest of them and spoke with the voice of a fallen angel. 

“Indeed Admiral, my Father would be displeased about our failure but we must take the reins of the galloping mare. Move to Objective Delta and send the appropriate correspondences to the unknown contacts. We are not first to Earth but we [i]will[/i] be first in one aspect.”

The Herald shook out of his musings with a huff, shifting his bulk around the cushions. “I concur, my sister. Let us be at the head of the diplomacy table and guide our wayward cousins to cooperation. Start the manufacturing processes, rouse the legionnaires, activate the ship’s automatons. We make way to Mars.”

The Admiral was left alone on the bridge to direct the crew, the other two leaving for their own preparations. He focused on his target, the mountain that stood above all, surrounded by red wastes and dust. He neglected his own tear, letting it drop unceremoniously on the cold metal floor. For the spirits left behind, they had to make sure nothing like what transpired on Old Earth could ever happen again.[hr][color=slategray][@everyone]
[b]Olympus Mons[/b][/color][hr]The automatons were sent in waves of dropships, jumbled pieces of what will become held in their hands and stored in their pods. Upon the peak of Olympus Mons, they began their construction. The manufacturing sections of the [i]Terra Supremus[/i] had been working overtime, night and day, to construct the resources needed for the Khan’s plan D. In essence, the automatons were carrying small pieces of a larger puzzle and as programmed, they would only need to fit the puzzle pieces together. Though not as quickly as their cousins on Ceres, others would be similarly astounded by the lightning fast work of the automatons.

But when you were being guided by minds printed from humanity’s greatest, what can you expect but perfection?

A massive reinforced glass arcology-dome rose from the plateau at the top of Olympus Mons, corridors extending past the main dome to other, smaller domes and these, to others. Open spaces for future nations, to make their own home here on this red rocky ball. Within the main dome, a common area, a golden park space laden with New Gift soil, life support systems, myriad storage spaces and a featureless, large room with a round wooden table as its centrepiece, the banner of the Federal Khanate hanging alone in this chamber. For now. The Meeting Place came with a few other oddities that other nations would find unnecessary or strange. 

A menagerie and garden for one, which in the future, will contain some of the more significant of Earth’s fauna who have been reconstructed from gene-banks on the [i]Terra Supremus[/i]. Elephants, giraffes, oak and birch, kangaroos, eagles, penguins, seals, plankton and coral, camels, all sorts of animals and plants from every corner of Old Earth would find a new home here. Even once-extinct species, mammoths and dodo birds, sabretooth tigers and kauri trees, brought from the dead, exhibits that showed the strength of the ape’s genetic technologies. Their skeletons and organs, their very DNA modified to suit the conditions of Mars’ low gravity. The embryos stored in the biological laboratories of the [i]Terra Supremus[/i] were undergoing accelerated growth, to create animals who had never set foot, fin or root on the planet they came from. Perhaps they never will. For now, the exhibits lay empty. No New Gift native fauna would be found here, too dangerous to keep in confinement. 

A kitchen was built, some parts empty, others bustling with activity. Chimpanzee chefs set to work with heir preparations, fur stripped from their skins so that nary a hair would land in the common food. An armoury, for a future international guard, built in the hopes that protection would be provided by all nations that came to this Meeting Place, lying empty in one corner. The starts of a hospital was still being built, along with new collaborative research spaces. All built in the hope for future cooperation.

A fruitless hope, perhaps?

And finally, most importantly to a certain section of apes, came the blank prayer rooms. Well, mostly blank. Some had already been repurposed by the various religions of the Khanate. In one, incense filled the small space, brightly lit candles dotted around the floor, a small shrine to the far wall. It was nearly insulting in its size but, needs must. The spirits of before would understand.

The Princess kneeled on silk cushions, head bowed in prayer.

[color=aqua][i]Oh spirits of before, heed my call.
We have come to Sol, your resting place of old.
We come with offerings, with thanksgiving, with sadness for those left behind.
Oh humans of Old Earth, hear my pleas.
Bless us, oh spirits of before,
Bless us in our endeavours;
Bless us in our journey to cooperation;
Bless us in our trek across the cosmos;
Bless us so that our prosperity is shared to my wayward cousins.
Hear my pleas, oh spirits of before,
Heed my call.[/i][/color]

Ndongo rose with grace, assisted by an attending gorilla. She was never without her attaches, her guard, her caretakers. She enjoyed their constant care but it was so automatic, so much done in the background, that she knew she could never fully appreciate what her caretakers do for her on a minute-by-minute basis. Instead, she just gave a small thanks to the familiar face and left the room, red carpet unfurled before her bare feet by two diligent workers.

Her wanderings led her to the cavernous meeting space, a round table of many chairs, one which could be replaced with an even larger one at a snap of her or her equal’s fingers. She was still unsure what her place here was. The politics was to be done by her brother Herald, the military aspects controlled by the Admiral. She glanced at her unadorned left hand, one digit sparkling to her eye.

The Princess had to steady herself against the strange thoughts that came from her wild assumptions. She closed her eyes, focusing on the Breath of Life. On the space around her, the Meeting Place as the Herald had come to call it. On the rumblings of far away construction. On the bristling furs on her attendant’s skins. On the lonely flag whose edges scraped the metal wall across from her. On the message she had sent, now dispatched to the myriad probes dotted around Sol, just moments before her prayer. On the prosperity that she hoped for, prayed for, [i]yearned[/i] for.

On the mistakes of Old Earth, which she hoped would never occur again.

[hider=Message to all cousins of the stars]
[code]Oh wayward predecessors, our lost cousins of the cosmos. We are the Federal Khanate, a collection of nation-states sworn under one Khan. We were lost, both ape and human, the same as you, but we have gathered here at Sol as all of you have, to find our home. Here, we can reflect upon the histories and mistakes of the spirits of before, of humans left behind, of humans who had to flee from their homes. We of the Khanate express our utmost joys to learn that others survived and thrived after the exodus to the stars. Here, on Olympus Mons, on the red planet of Mars, we invite you to the Meeting Place whose construction you no doubt had been observing from your own vessels. Here, on the highest mountain top, we ask you to meet with each other, treat with each other, prosper with each other. Here, I pray our dialogue bears fruit and that we all may face the emptiness of the cosmos as one, once more.

Come, oh wayward cousins, come to the Meeting Place. You are welcome here, now and forever more.[/code][/hider] [hr][color=slategray]Part I with [@Sep]
New Gift[/color][hr]The early warning systems were not [i]perfect[/i]. Indeed, it was crude and rudimentary compared to the marvels of other nations. Befitting a civilisation with only a burgeoning spaceflight industry. Appropriate sensors and systems would be made later, and [i]soon[/i], given the Khan’s decrees and orders to get the Khanate up to speed. But this imperfection would cost them.
 
To someone not as boisterous and clear with their intentions, the early warning system was easy to bypass. These early systems were even more prone to going down. It was difficult, to say the least, for a non-spaceflight capable nation like the Khanate to repair them. Within the vast cosmos, one could, by chance alone, escape the observatories of the Khanate pointed to the skies. And so it was that other intruders had escaped the watchful eyes and primitive sensors.

Pathetically Lame regained consciousness just as he was shaken awake by Disobedient Runt. [color=purple]{Wake up [i]Brother![/i] Wake up!}[/color] He shook himself awake, eyes looking over the various controls and subsystems. The vessel appeared to be fully functional, however, the screen that had the readout for the Demon technology was dark. 

[color=yellow]{What happened?}[/color]

[color=purple]{The Gateway connected to the demon systems, and they shut down.”}[/color]

Perhaps it was purifying, some kind of failsafe to try and keep the demons from spreading through the gates. 

[color=yellow]{We are approaching a planet-}[/color] The Demon systems flashed as Disobedient Runt was climbing underneath the control panel, the sensor suite flashed to life as it began to pick up satellites and signals around the planet. At first, the oblong object would seem like an asteroid on an unusual trajectory, on closer inspection it would slowly become stranger and stranger to sensors.

They were coming at a direct approach, predicted to be on a collision course towards the lower continent of Tellus, specifically into the path of the frontier state: Neo Nippon. Given the mobile nature of the apes’ multitude of cities, one might assume that a quick course correction of a moving city can avert potential disaster arising from falling space debris. In contrast, changing the migration of the city-states was a more complicated affair than one expects. The Great Migrations were carefully orchestrated on predetermined paths to avoid disturbing the wildlife and nature surrounding them. To change course, one needed to fill in the appropriate paperwork and myriad compliance forms with the Khan’s administration to get the course change validated. This process would only be expedited or cast aside if the city-state was under immediate danger.

To determine whether course correction was required, Neo Nippon’s observatory was set to work to determine the exact nature of these cosmic objects falling from the sky. What they found confused them and a notice was sent to the city’s leadership.

After all, asteroids did not [i]slow down[/i] as it were. They kept a constant trajectory in the cosmos, undisturbed by any other. These unidentified objects seemed to be on a steady, slowing approach towards New Gift. It [i]had[/i] to be artificial. 

This was a cause for concern as the last unidentified objects had caused massive waves across the Khanate. This was a matter of utmost importance, a statewide response would be required as it had before. Except, when you were dealing with the city states, all of whom were trying to one up each other in their hierarchy, some city states may view this as a crisis they may try to solve themselves. Or at least, do so before the steady, [i]intrusive[/i] hand of the Khan was to intervene.

And so it was here, in one of Neo Nippon’s moving castles, that Shogun Tokugawa Todayashi kneeled in peaceful meditation. Great and hulk-like, made even larger by the steel-reinforced wooden armour reminiscent of the samurai of old. A pulsating and over-large sword hand implanted to his right side, a reminder of his old ways as a young ape making a name for himself on this world. He was a peaceful sort, often avoiding other city states and the frequent raiding parties in what seemed like cowardice to the other apes.

Fools. A patient ape knew when to eat his fruit at its most delicious, not devour it at first glance. Instead of meddling in petty affairs like the other vermin, Todayashi bided his time. A time would come, he reasoned to his court of lords, that Neo Nippon may rise like the dragon it truly was. How quaint that such an occasion occurred on his birthday.

In the privacy of the Shogun’s quarters, Todayashi opened his eyes once the appropriate announcement was made in his ear. The time had come to open communication with the “unidentified objects”. A screen flashed itself in front of him, showing static at first before the interlopers approved of showing visuals. For him, a gorilla in the prime of his life, he would not shy away from revealing himself. His room, derived from Tokugawa Ieyasu’s private quarters, was a source of personal pride for him. Wooden furnishings taken from samples of Old Earth cherry trees, a fantastical mural of his predecessor, the greatest Shogun who had ever lived, proudly emblazoned in the background in the [i]Nihonga[/i] style of painting.

Ieyasu rumbled in [i]Nihongo[/i], extensive modifications by his predecessors making sure that each inflection would be a perfect imitation of what was also known as Japanese. 

“[i]This is Shogun Tokugawa Todayashi, speaking from a city state underneath the umbrella of the Khan. A caretaker and inheritor of mankind, inheritor of humanity’s greatest and unparalleled warriors, a Troglodytes Gorilla Supremus. To whom am I speaking to, interlopers from the stars, who have decided to beckon themselves to this land of the rising sun.[/i]”

To dramatic effect, the first lights were only now peering into his quarters, bathing Todayashi in warm, red light. A gentle image of peace and friendship.

The demons computers powered on, as Pathetically Lame pulled back on the yoke bringing the vessel to a halt. They accepted the communication as some large mammalian type of creature appeared on the screen. He was lounging bathed in a red light, his garb appeared to be made by some form of complex combat harness that was a mix of metal and wood. A large blade by his side. [color=yellow]{Do you understand this creature?}[/color] 

Disobedient Runt shrugged. [color=purple]{I do not understand these terms.}[/color]

Pathetically Lame activated the communication link, both ways. Revealing his leathery visage to the alien. His mandibles struggle with the consonants of the demon tongue. 

[color=yellow]”I am Patheti-cally Lame-”[/color] The words were clearly foreign in his throat, struggling with the TH and the CAH sounds.  [color=yellow]”-Tainted and Follower of the Presiding Truth. We have been sent by our Deacon, to survey the stars opened up to us by the Gods.”[/color]

Todayashi quickly masked the surprise, and his rising glee, at the blurry display in front of him. These aliens, honest to the spirits aliens, had some issues with their video display (seriously, it looked like one of those VHS tapes favoured by the retro 80s ape trends) but their vocal communications were understandable enough. How and why these beings spoke English, one of the more commonly spoken languages spoken by both old humanity and their inheritors, would have to be asked another time. So were their strange naming conventions. This was the sort of momentous occasion that needed to be captured in one’s paw, lest it escape to another opportunistic baboon.

The Shogun’s gums flapped to reveal his smile. He decided to keep speaking in [i]Nihongo[/i], as to keep the sanctity of his quarters. 

“[i]Then your Gods have led you to welcoming arms, friends.[/i]” He replied, fashioning a datapad from his bulk.

As befitting a Shogun, Todayashi was also a prolific artist. He set to work on a set of three illustrations. One would contain basic information about the conditions of the planet, having realised that these beings may be unsuited to New Gift’s environment. Another would contain basic biological information about each of the Supremus apes, as to open some dialogue and potential scientific discussion with these newcomers. He had considered giving information about the sacred humans which dotted the planet but dismissed this idea, as there were no humans within Neo Nippon as it was. It would be largely irrelevant in his eyes.

The final illustration was that of the outline of Neo Nippon, stopped on a nearby watering hole in the savannah, with a simple circle hovering above it with coordinates on the bottom. With arrows pointing to the surface, Todayashi hoped it was simple enough for them to understand that he wanted to meet with these beings, face to face, over a meal. He forwarded the data package to the strange reptiles in front of him.

Todayashi opened his arms in a welcoming gesture before pinching one of his paws and bringing it to his mouth, tapping his lips a few times. “[i]Come treat with me, friends. We will have a meal to welcome you to Neo Nippon, the wider Khanate and our planet. The coordinates of our meeting have been forwarded to you. I hope for a peaceful meal in the dawning sun, among the natural wonders of this world.[/i]”

Pathetically Lame let out a grunt of frustration as the haired being continued to speak in its strange and foreign tongue. [Color=yellow]{Perhaps the demons did not use the language of the gods, but some barbaric variation.}[/color]

Disobedient Runt nodded in agreement. [Color=purple]{Many of the sounds are… similar. However the structure and order are different. Perhaps this is a different dialect, such as how those from different isles have slightly different tongues.}[/color] That seemed like a perfectly acceptable and understandable piece of logic and reasoning. Especially considering this creature seemed to be understanding them, for even while the two Tainted conversed the creature appeared to draw a series of pictures.

The quality wasn’t spectacular, the thin membrane that conveyed images wasn’t as sophisticated at projecting images as the Demons ‘screens’ were. One appeared to be about the planet, perhaps about its conditions? Their sensors had already indicated that it was suitable for them, however it showed a certain degree of welcoming. 

The second in poor quality was more complex, a varied collection of different yet similar creatures. When Pathetically Lame saw them all side by side, he saw a concerning similarity to that of the Demons. He didn’t voice his concerns aloud however, perhaps demons were creatures like these who had strayed from the path.

The third illustrated the city, and with a pictograph aiming at the ground it could only mean one thing. Pushing forward on the yoke, the craft drifted lazily in space. Headed for the surface.