...Well, the process of gathering the two representatives had been a success at least. Somehow. One Zetan warform, and one ECU Oligarch, both aboard their neutral vessel that now sat in the vacuum of space in a precarious position. For a moment they were hosting Kayla at the rather lovely bar built into the ship, and had brought the warform to engineering to host them for a moment. It was only a brief things before the talks were to begin, played as proper diplomatic protocol to ensure the representatives were prepared to discuss matters and comfortable. Mostly, however, the chance to get brief information before the meeting began was something the Xandalians valued due to the precarious nature of the situation. In that vein, whilst the barkeep was talking to Kayla as a messenger was headed her way to tell her she and the Zetan representative would be brought to the meeting room on the ship at the same time.
However, back in Engineering things were a bit different where the Zetan representative was concerned. Head Engineer Malden was speaking to them, simply instructed to "make them comfortable, do not converse about the war, and simply maintain neutrality" as those speaking with Kayla had been informed more openly and in front of her to do. She'd been told the same was being done to the Zetan representative to ensure no one talked a peep as Diplomat Matthews finished getting the meeting room organized. Such was the proper protocol for a neutral vessel.
However, Malden knew what the message 'also' meant in regards to the Zetan representative.
"We apologize for this bit of subterfuge, but we don't have long before a messenger comes to bring you to the meeting so we can avoid suspicion from the ECU and Undefeated. Otherwise we risk a major diplomatic incident and our mission of getting the truth back home.
In this time before the messenger gets here, I've been instructed to ask you for any information pertaining to your people's status in this war and to deliver us your side of the story...admittedly in great haste unfortunately. Our time is limited. We have computer systems for jotting information down right here, as we do more manual means of recording information such as paper and pen. If you have any other means of giving us information on what is going on, we can accommodate this as well."
The Head Engineer delivered his message as best he could, but truth was they didn't have the time for long discussions and getting information down normally. They had a very brief window to allow the Zetan representative to get them something before having to take them to the Meeting Room. They had to maintain proper protocol, and the engineer knew that if things went south he alone was on the line for this action. The Republic had to maintain neutrality right now, and the mission was essential to the point he knew what he'd signed on for in this case.
All that remained was if the Zetan representative had any way to give them info in a hurry. Blargh. The nature of it all put a bad taste in the Xandalian man's mouth that they had to do this much.
(A minor "what is Kayla doing" and how the Zetan responds in this brief time is all we need, I think, and we can skip to or to after the talks took place. Whatever works best for your guys tbh, am open. :P)
Zetan Embassy, The Meeting Place, Sol System Space
"A Redundancy: Part 2"
Christensen, the middle-aged older man he was by Xandalian standards, simply smiled in return and gave a small courtesy nod at first. It was obvious that the Zetan representative would be irate about the war going on, but to make such accusations of warcrimes such as these made the Xandalian Representative think. Not that the ECU and Undefeated weren't already being suspicious themselves according to his secure communication. But how did she have that information? Secure channel? Something else? How did she know they were seeking to uncover things? Ah. Either way, her feelings about it were crystal clear.
Still, Envoy Christensen let the automatic doors whoosh closed behind him before he stepped closer to Sigma-Devi's main desk.
"No no, you are quite fine in voicing your feelings on the matter. I can only image the situation on your homeworld has become quite intense, to say the least, but after Tanaka's announcement and so forth the ECU and Undefeated likely won't make it easy to grasp what is going on in full. I will be going to speak with them later though, but this to be my first stop.
In truth I came to speak with you about the ongoing war, to get information and details from the Zetan side of the incident and war even, and if you have any information you can tell or transfer to me that I can send back to the Senate.
Because you see...let us say that we seek the truth here, the real truth, and perhaps some potential sympathies exist as well for all I know. As it were a certain nation has been pushing greater amounts of anti-Zetan propaganda to the Republic's people, and alongside other suspicious actions this certain nation has done the Senate does not see this in any sort of good light to say the very least."
Christensen's tone was diplomatic, clear, and to the point, his tone was calm and composed, and a gentle smile was even on his face. Yet at the same time, the way he held himself seemed to indicate a level of steel and experience behind his green eyes that seemed to radiate a soothing confidence. Even so, something behind those eyes of his spoke of a greater wealth of experiences that lied untapped at the moment. Even so, his words struck true to the heart of what the Senate had asked him to come here for. The truth. What was going on behind closed doors.
"Very well. I will order my ships not to fire. However, we obviously cannot allow a foreign ship free travel during this sensitive situation. This cruiser will escort you, along with several of our fighter craft, and we will sit in on any in-person discussions you have with Zetan individuals."
"Oh, and I, Oligarch Kayla, will be the one sitting in."
Diplomat Matthews clicked her tongue, ensuring she wasn't transmitting over the comms as she did so. Indeed, the ECU and Undefeated had Zetan space locked down. The diplomatic vessel was unarmed, naught a weapon in sight, and had come here to speak to the Zetans on behalf of the Senate of the Xandalian Republic. A mission to try to get to the truth of things before the war continued further, to see if things could be investigated and somehow resolved. However, things were getting more suspicious by the second. A neutral diplomatic vessel being treated like a potential threat of all things, with the aggressors in Zetan space wanting to be in on everything.
Likewise, these demands were coercive at best. Any meeting would expose Zetan positions or individuals to potential harm, which was not what their neutral mission was here for. Likewise it would put any discussions at risk for anything people didn't want getting out of the warzone. Tactical, admittedly, but all the same frustrating to deal with.
However, Matthews was working a plan of sorts out in her head in turn. Maybe it would work, maybe not. Either way.
"...Comms Officer, patch me back through. Do it on all channels, and I mean all of them. Maximum broadcasting distance. Even the Zetans will hear this one down on the planet."
The officer raised an eyebrow, but after a moment gave a nod and did as he was told.
"We hear your demands, Oligarch Kayla, and in efforts to keep the peace and satisfy all parties we propose a lovely compromise to maintain our neutrality in this matter as we transmit on all channels. As a neutral, diplomatic vessel, we propose to use this craft as a designated neutral space for the talk. We in this vein invite you, Oligarch Kayla, alone and personally to board our vessel yourself as you have expressed the desire to do. Then if the Zetans would, however discreetly they wish, patch through to us and give us coordinates to pick up a representative then we will be glad to for the sake of netural discourse."
Matthews kept her tone and manner professional, but at the same time the very edges of her mouth perked up a little as she continued.
"From there we will hold the talks on our ship, in space, far from the planet's surface and surrounded by ECU and Undefeated craft.
As the neutral party, we exert the right to dictate a manner for the meeting that will ensure our neutrality and right to take measures to maintain this neutrality as we hope you understand. Of course, this plan also very much accommodates your prior request most aptly to sit in personally on the talks. We want to ensure your safety at all costs, however, so this is why we have made this plan and adjusted it for your sake. There is nothing to fear for boarding our vessel either, as if we did anything it would violate our directive as a neutral, diplomatic vessel and we would be surrounded by combat-capable craft on all sides."
Oligarch Kayla wanted on personally? That was perfectly fine! In fact, to deny their request would likely make them appear more suspicious. So why not drum up the candor about making sure the valuable Oligarch would remain safe? It was no hostile intent at all, really. Then if the Zetans took the hint, it'd be a great chance at keeping things...neutral. Just as Matthews and her crew had been ordered.
So would the Oligarch put her mettle where her mouth was, or would she chicken out and bring suspicion on the ECU? Only the response to this would be able to tell.
Envoy Christensen, covered in his fanciful diplomatic garb, knocked on the door to the Zetan Represntative's office. He'd traveled to the Zetan Embassy within the Meeting Place to talk with the Zetan Representative himself, mostly in lieu of Tanaka's announcement and other things going on. Through his secure line back to the Republic, he'd also received an order to investigate the matter as best as he could. Wasn't much to do but talk to a few representatives on the station, but at the same time he'd follow through with it...something in his gut told him something was afoot anyways. He didn't have any guards or such with him during this visit, as per keeping neutral, but at the same time he did have a small 'ace' up his sleeve if anyone tried to get ideas. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it.
"Sigma-Devi, are you here? I wish to speak with you, if possible, on behalf of the Xandalian Republic and the Senate. I am here alone."
If the ECU so much as lifted a stun baton or other thing here, violating the neutrality of this space, it'd be the catalyst for a rather disastrous political incident to be sure. Not just with the Xandalians, but also the rest of the nations here. A nice, big can of worms.
Still, Christensen hoped to talk to the Zetan Representative sooner rather than later.
"Training Part 2: Electric Boogaloo, and An Urgent Matter of State"
Xara chuckled for a moment after receiving a response from Admiral Wilson, leaning on her right hand as her right elbow was propped up on the armrest of her chair.
"These are just our old Generation 1 Military-Frames in the field, and already they are impressed...heh...that being said, the feeling is mutual about their variety of spacecraft and implementation of them. They'll get the hang of space frames soon enough, but with our differences in energy technology they'll have to build up from here and develop it on their own sadly. However they've made good work getting started indeed."
Military frames were the one area the Xandalian Republic, aside from Thalarite-related things, was most apt in regards to combat technology in a rough general comparison to the other known nations out there. It was curious, but given how much they'd been pouring into that area for over 100 years now it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise either. However, training the URC pilots in this combined-arms approach and implementation of space military frames was also in some sense 'fun' as it made them the teachers of a given topic for once.
"Send a message to the CSS Argus once more. Tell them that the appreciation is mutual, and that we hope our two nations can continue to grow closer moving into the future. We will be glad to provide a continued advisory position as they develop their own Spaceborne Military-Frames as well."
That should be diplomatic enough-
"Commander Xara, a Xandalian Diplomatic ship has entered through the Gateway! They are hailing us and the URC ship!"
The playful air seemed to cut short as Xara sat up in her chair proper and gave a nod to the Comms Officer who spoke to her.
"Don't just sit there, patch them through!"
A moment later, the visual and audio of Diplomat Trafalgar would pop up on the display.
"XSS Cyclostro, CSS Argus, this is the Xandalian Diplomatic Envoy Ship XSS Tarkin. We come with urgent haste to speak to the leadership of the URC, if we would so be allowed. I repeat, we come with urgent haste to speak to the leadership of the URC."
Xara let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Politicians couldn't just let us finish with this first, couldn't they? Has to be something about 'that' matter if they've come so urgently in the middle of a damned training exercise."
Commander Varitian sighed as he sat in his new office, one set up on the large military station that had been assembled and attached to the ancient Gateway in the last six months. Albeit 'attached' was rather literal in this sense, simply using tethers and hard point attachments to the exterior of the Gateway rather than being attached to any systems of it. No, the ancient tech was as enigmatic was it had ever been in the last 300 years, but at least now the Republic was able to defend it well. A proper part of the military power of the Xandalian Space Fleet had been attached to this place as a permanent border-control and security force, and a defensive array of guns and weapons were deployed about this area as well to provide a secure corridor for those entering and exiting Xandalian space through the Gateways. Did it seem like overkill? Probably. But all the same it ensured security from this rather exposed entrance into Xandalian space, and that had become more and more relevant these days.
The door to Walton's office would soon whoosh open, however, as a member of his staff in full uniform stepped in and saluted him. He saluted in return.
"I take it the weekly report is done?"
"Yes sir!" the human man said, "I came to report the numbers to you as well. An estimated 15 wandering Migrant vessels were turned back this week from the Gateway...which is less than the daily average a few months ago."
Walton sighed.
Rights to mine and operate in Xandalian space had been denied alongside open migration, all frankly due to security and sovereignty-related reasons primarily, but trade of resources and goods for resources and goods on a general level was seen as acceptable until the Republic could get a better idea of the other nations and peoples out there. Six months was only so much time, as compared to the 300 years everyone has spent in self-isolation. It was like a massive, messy social experiment gone haywire in his mind...even so it was the new reality they all were being faced with. At the very least their own translation technology had been upgraded leagues from its initial form in the last six months of language and information gathering.
At this point the Senate had also made Walton himself permanent in this position at the Gateway as well, which was more cushy but also not as active as his anti-piracy post had been. Military was also deployed to a passive 35% now, which was fully sustainable at least, but had been necessary to maintain proper security of the Gateway and so forth. However, pre-deployment preparations remained in effect in case war raised its ugly head.
Still, once the staff member before him finish prattling off a further list of numbers and statistics the Commander simply gave a nod.
"Anything else?"
"No si-"
The door to Walton's office whooshed open again suddenly, drawing the two men's attention as a female officer stepped in suddenly. Not a usual member of staff indeed. Walton raised an eyebrow, but didn't get a chance to open his mouth before the new arrival hurriedly saluted and began to speak. Beads of sweat hung on the woman's forehead, and it was obvious that her rank was relatively higher than one being sent as a messenger would usually have.
"Commander Walton, urgent news from the Xandalian Import Committee and the Senate proper."
Ah. Yes, the Senate had set up a simple committee to oversee the analysis and judgement of foreign imports. A way to determine product safety for the public primarily, it mostly dealt in consumer goods such as entertainment and the import of foreign foods to ensure Xandalian standards were kept for such things. Localization teams would assist in translating some things if needed, or otherwise adapting things to the Xandalian audience where or if needed. ECU films had become a trendy thing thus far, the stories and so forth alien and foreign and yet also bearing as sense of 'new-ness' the general public seemed to enjoy. Walton couldn't blame them, he'd seen a few films himself and quite enjoyed the different perspective.
"Most recent media have been showing an interesting...and stronger...trend in messages in the last several months. At first the committee simply thought it to be a new theme, evil robots kidnapping people and pretending to be human to infiltrate societies and so forth about 'defining what is humans or not' and beyond, but recent news has brought things into a new context entirely before the Committee.
As you have been made aware, the ECU have made the claims the Zetans kidnapped one of their scientists, and have declared war on the Zetans. The Undefeated have joined them. We have been keeping an eye on things, but...a major development has since occurred.
As of what our intel can gather thus far, by this point the Zetan fleet and space station have been eradicated. Orbital bombardment and invasion measures have begun, but it doesn't look like it will be a quick process.
No formal word about other nations' potential involvement or lack thereof as of yet."
Walton froze in place, the blood in his veins feeling like ice. War, already? He had expected such just about, but had hoped cooler heads would prevail in the end. An...'overly optimistic' thought in hindsight now.
"In this vein, ECU imports and craft will be highly scrutinized and more stringently localized where deemed necessary from now on. it will take time to pin down the propaganda, but we are continuing trade as if nothing is wrong to avoid creating an incident at this time. In-depth scans of all arriving vessels are mandatory from this station from now on, and I have been instructed to state to you that the public will learn about this large development on the major news networks tonight. Public opinions seems to be somewhat split, and in at least some part the Committee and Senate think this is likely due to the propaganda that has apparently been streaming in for months now underneath our noses.
Also be prepared for departures later this evening. We are also sending a neutral envoy to the Zetans, and another envoy to the URC, both intending to ascertain these groups' positions in regards to what is going on."
"So it's war between them then? Two versus one seems like a rather staunch odds, though the ECU's seeming lack of military power is something. Likewise the Zetans themselves are rather advanced and efficient in their own manner," the Commander mulled to himself, before lightly shaking his head back and forth. He leaned forward in his chair, with his elbows on his desk and his hands now crossed over each other as a dark look came over his eyes, "Either way, we don't know how things will turn out. Let the Senate and Committee know I read them loud and clear. Likewise I want you to get with the Head Comms Officer on the station, and work out a formal memo to be sent to the rest of the station. Informative in nature, to the point, and none of the extraneous details. Do you understand me?"
He then looked to the soldier who had arrived in his office first.
"And you, soldier, you heard nothing from this room...understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Yes sir!"
Commander Varitian leaned back in his chair once more as the two saluted him and then left the room in a hurry. However, the lingering dread in the office air didn't seem to fully leave with them. No surprise there. The formal memo would at least bring the station onto the same page, and his people would be ready...or as ready as one could be for whatever came next. However, a few things were certain at this point in time:
1) The ECU had brought anti-Zeta propaganda into their civilian population by subterfuge. That was intolerable for trade, as whilst foreign ideas and thoughts did exist in imported movies the line was drawn at trying to manipulate the Republic's own people to garner support for aggressive foreign actions. The Senate was likely livid about it, to say the very least.
2) They had to ascertain the situation to get a clear idea. The envoy to the URC would be interrupting the training exercises going on for sure...but they had to see where the Columbians, who they saw as the best choice for potential allies for the Rrepublic at the moment, lied on the spectrum of things. Likewise the envoy to the Zetans would investigate the matter and speak with them openly, and being a neutral diplomatic ship they would hopefully be granted passage since the Xandalians hadn't taken any side in this war...if blocked or turned back at gunpoint or worse that would not paint a good picture.
The Commander just prayed that in the end things wouldn't get even worse, like attempted genocide, but given the aggressors' stance that dark subject lurked in the dark corners of the man's mind. For now the only actions he could take, though, was what little ones he had room to. That would have to do for now.
((@Irredeemable@Tortoise@Raylah)) ((***IMPORTANT NOTE: The Xandalians are going to try to send a fully unarmed diplomatic ship through to talk to the Zetans and get a read on the situation. It is a very much neutral diplomatic vessel as well, which the Xandalians hope the ECU and Undefeated will let it through, so feel free to address that however ya like. Doesn't have to be a collab, and whatever happens I say this just mainly so we can get the gist if it is allowed through or not.))
Space Military Training Grounds, URC Space
"The Practice"
Commander Xara sat in her chair on the bridge of the XSS Cyclostro, her eyes flitting over the projected console before her that displayed the movement of the Military-Frames and ships out in the vacuum of space. The Cyclostro was one of the shining examples of Xandalian Destroyers that had been built in the last 100 years. Since contact and trade with the URC began, though, the Xandalian Space Fleet had been expanding and diversifying their ship types even more so. Primarily the addition of cruisers, heavy cruisers, lighter and faster frigates that were larger than any corvette but smaller than a Destroyer, improvements to existing Carrier designs as well as for the new Heavy Carriers, and finally the further up-arming and reinforcement and partial revamping of the already titanic Xandalian battleships to increase effectiveness and potency to fit with the new model of the Space Fleet. Some of their scientists were tossing around ideas of resizing some of the Military Frame equipment for use in the new ships as well, which has begun to catch on among some in the R&D Department as they went into a nigh frenzy.
However, today had been discussed diplomatically and planned in advance. As a part of ongoing diplomatic efforts with the URC, pilots using older Gen 1 Military-Frames taken out of storage were going to basically practice tactics and piloting skills with the newer URC space mech pilots. Or rather, Xara could say that these URC pilots were entirely green to be frank. It was a new leap in technology, and the URC had survived quite the beating from an alien threat themselves according to historical information the Republic had learned of, so giving them new tools and tactics to work with would be frankly useful in the grand scheme of things. Albeit it had taken these past few months to get the training exercise pilots prepared and accustomed to the Gen 1 tech, as even if kept in pristine condition it was far older than what the pilots of the Republic were used to piloting proper these days. Xara herself would know, she'd been a Military-Frame pilot herself back in the day and been on anti-pirate duty for years before getting up higher in the ranks.
Even now the Xandalian pilots were putting the URC pilots through a regiment of training as well as giving them units to spar with using mock weapons and 'blank' rounds.
A small, amused smirk appeared on the woman's face as memories of the 'good old days' went through her head. What she'd give to be out there right now. It was getting a tad boring from just sitting and watching things go on out there in the field.
"Hail the URC command ship, Comms Officer. I want to see how the URC leader here feels about the joint military training exercises thus far."
"Yes mam!"
Xara sighed. Maybe her foreign compatriot in this endeavor was feeling similar?
@Sigma ((A Xandalian diplomatic envoy vessel might come to interrupt next post, or honestly the one after if you wanna do some more training exercise stuff first. Either way is chill with me, don't want to seem like I am jumping the gun. I am posting all of this before work though, so yee that's a thing. XD)
Aboard the bridge of the Xandalian Destroyer XSS Knerian, Commander Walton Varitian watched on as the Columbian ship entered Xandalian space. Though he was only in his mid-thirties, the caucasian man seemed to look on at the new arrival with a discerning eye. He was experienced against pirates in terms of fleet combat, having been a mech pilot at the beginning of his career at that, but had since his rise to a commanding position participated in a number of military drills and training exercises as well both at home and aboard with the Gusb Fleet in cooperative joint-training practice. In short, he was chosen for the job for what experience he had on the fly due to the need for forces to secure the Gateway. It had been an early and rather surprising call from the Executive Officer himself, but all the same he'd seen it as an honor to serve in this capacity alongside his troops. Security and welcoming...almost felt paradoxical given the situation.
Still, rapidly the comms began to light up as initial word came in. Still...he could see the sizeable ship of a heavier sort from the bridge regardless.
"Knerian, this is Squadron Leader Hardrada commander of Squadron Two. Do you read?"
Walton nodded to the comms officer, who rapidly patched him through to the hailing mech squadron leader.
"Loud and clear, Squadron Leader Hardrada. This is Commander Varitian. We can see the foreign vessel from here. Give us your status report."
"Affirmative, Commander Varitian. Vessel on initial scans and observation seems to be, in my experience, superior in firepower and armoring to our Destroyers but with only almost as much armor as our Carriers. In that regard we possess a minute advantage in regards to our Carrier's raw defensive capabilities. Further scans by my men will hopefully determine if shield generators are present onboard. No traces of Thalarite power like our ships use, but more primitive electrical power can be detected coursing through the ship itself.
How should we proceed?"
Walton let out a small sigh. Well, they had sent out a rather decisive message...but he'd no idea how it would be translated and passed along. The ancient Earth concept of the 'telephone game' came to mind. Still, he didn't want to try to spur a further "dick-measuring contest" as it were. All the same they had to not be meek in their own space, but also not aggressive. With this in mind he would promptly return a response to the Squadron Leader.
"Maintain passive observation of the foreign ship, and do not engage. If weapons begin to power up, or other major aggressive changes occur such as the deployment of smaller craft, alert us ASAP using this same secured emergency channel. Meanwhile take your men and alert Squadon One to take up honor guard formation."
"By you orders, Commander."
The CSS Tokyo would the two deployed squadrons of Xandalian mechs form a corridor for the Heavy Cruiser. Unless the concept had been lost, they would be visibly arranged like the honor guard at a ceremony might be placed. No weapons were pointed at the Heavy Cruiser, though the mechs did wield them, and if the Columbian ship was performing any scans of its own they might notice a lack of traditionally electrical or even nuclear power present on any of the Xandalian vessels. Even so, Brywell's communication through the channels would soon hit the comms of the Xandalians.
"Sir, foreign vessel is hailing us. Shall we connect the updated Translator to the comms for reception?"
"Yes. Ensure we can understand things from their end."
After the pressing of a couple of buttons, the alien message soon was received on the bridge loud and clear.
"This is Captain Brywell of the CSS Tokyo of the United Columbian Republic, we've received your probe's message and have come in peace, do not open fire. I repeat, do not open fire."
Perfect, and a rather human-like name for the ship's leader to boot. It seemed their language wasn't too far off, though the work the translators speeded over to Listening Station Alpha to upgrade the Translator tech with old Earth language information and provided Gusb language keys alongside predictive algorithms had been rather welcome. Well, welcome if not more so expensive and more than a bit stressful for those that had done the work.
"Patch me through to their comms, ensure Translation module is double-checking translations before my communication is sent. If we both this then this could get ugly."
"Yes sir!"
Walton then cleared his throat before speaking over the comms to the Columbian ship.
"Attention CSS Tokyo of the United Columbian Republic, we read you loud and clear. This is Commander Walton Varitian of the XSS Knerian. We welcome you to Xandalian space with open arms. Do not fear, for we mean you no harm. We will only fire if fired upon first.
Two squadrons of our Military-Frames have formed a safe passage for you to pass down, and if you wish to send a smaller craft to bring representation to meet our diplomats our unarmed diplomatic vessels closest to you are open for reception. However, if you possess no capabilities to come to us then we can send representation in one of our smaller craft to come meet on your vessel instead. Whichever measure is most accessible and comfortable for you. Over."
The tension was palpable on the bridge as the Commander spoke, seeking to be as clear and concise as he could without budging so much as a muscle. It was nerve-wracking, even though the crew had been prepared for this as best as the rather limited amount of time had granted them room for. Regardless, there was a silence that seemed to hang over the comms as the Xandalians awaited a response.
Executive Officer Garand had been having what most might call a 'very long day'. He'd been woken up in the wee early hours of the morning by the most urgent of calls, one that he nor the Senate or anyone else on the planet had likely expected to happen. From there it had been full-stop action from the start, ranging from calls to staff and the rousing of proper military resources and units to the informing of the Senators who were already going to meet in a session today anyways. Upon getting the information, the Senate had declared an 'emergency session' early and called in even the Head Judge and Council of Seven. Ultimately they had naturally delayed the originally-scheduled meeting, but this matter was far more pressing than discussions about the weekly issues. No, those were already being delegated and handled at the continental and lower levels at the moment to keep things moving and ensure the daily matters continued to run smoothly.
All in all, the flexibility and efficiency of the Xandalian System was able to handle this and respond with speed without sacrificing functionality. It was something to be proud of for sure, whether in the minds of any citizen or even as high up as he himself was in the grand scheme of things.
Still...yes, back to the matter at hand.
As Garand walked into the grand, semi-circular auditorium-style Senate Hall he had minor flashbacks to when he'd been called in to be given his appointment as Executive Officer. The floor was a polished marble, great pure white columns carved in ancient Earth style but modern techniques held up the fast domed roof, and yet rows of semi-circular arranged seating in proper order and where those at the center where the podium was could be heard and seen with maximal efficiency. Whilst the 'charm' that hailed back to old Earth was noted, the technology the room was made with and that it continued in the seating and at the podium and so forth was far more advanced. Holographic displays for three-dimensional presentations, proper microphone design that allowed for simple voice projection as clear as crystal, and even personal displays at each of the seemingly innumerable senatorial seats for each Senator to use for clear communication and analysis purposes. That was just the general gist of it, however, as what hit the Executive Officer soon after was the feeling of the eyes of the Senate on him.
As large a man as he was in height, and as imposing as his highly-decorated formal military garb with badges and awards and so forth was, the six-foot-two Garand still felt a light chill down his back as he calmly stepped up to the podium. Soon after, though it felt like much longer than that, Head Judge Marianna von Marua would step up next to him. Whilst Garand himself had quite the tan complexation, complete with a soft, yet kept in a short-military-cut, black hair, Marianna was rather fair skinned and seemed quite pale. This stood in stark contrast to the intricate black Judicial robes she donned, whose collar was golden and woven with fine silver filigree that looked like a 'laurel wreath' design (a plant long lost to Xandalian knowledge sadly) was around her neck...and whose bottom skirt that nearly touched the floor was embroidered with intricate depictions of major Xandalian Historical Events. To some she might as well seem like she was sick, but that was far from the case. Indeed, Garand himself had never seen someone with such raw force of will and good health and a sense of justice as she carried.
Soon, however, the voice of the Senatorial Herald would echo across the room, kicking off the meeting in a rather familiar manner for such an unfamiliar topic.
"Welcome, all to the First Emergency Session in Year 300 of the Post-Colonization Calendar (PCC). Today the Senate has convened to discuss the serious matter of the ancient Gateway re-opening, as they were alerted to by Executive Officer Garand Marks, inviting all major officers to come. Direct Representatives of Continental authorities are also tuning into this session for informative purposes.
At the stand are the Executive Offer, who is joined by Head Judge Marianna von Marua.
Executive Officer, you may speak first."
Garand nodded his head solemnly, and soon the vast open air of the chamber was filled with a 3d holographic display showing himself. It was real-time, meaning as he moved and talked those watching would see it and how he was conducting himself, hearing every word if not breath that came out of his mouth. Quite the pressure, but it ensured clarity and quality of understanding.
"Members of the Senate, representatives listening in by a secure channel, and most honored Head Judge beside me," the man began, gesturing politely with one hand to the Senate and to Marianna (who nodded back at him) as he addressed them before continuing, "As of 0200 hours this morning, confirmation of the opening of the ancient Gateway was received by staff on Listening Station Alpha. Thirty minutes later I received the first call about this after further analysis was done to confirm the initial readings. By 0400 hours, I had sent out all necessary emergency orders for military reactivation and deployment up to 40% total capacity and for forces to secure the Gateway. Anti-piracy forces remain active, however, so as to not compromise the safety of our space.
Listening Station Alpha has kept tabs on the Gateway and area about it for anti-piracy means, but also to keep an eye on the ancient Gateway. This 'artificial wormhole generator', as the 300 year old records recall it as, was left by our forebears who settled this world and fled a dying one to settle various different places. For all of our history here, it has remained inactive and we have not had the means to bring it back online despite attempts to study its arcane technology.
Now...this machinery has returned to an active state once more, and regardless of the 'how' or 'why' we are faced with a serious matter. To this end I have been asked to speak first here this day, and give my initial recommendation on what should be done. To this end I suggest we maintain a secure space about the Gateway, and send out a mixed diplomatic and scouting mission to begin investigating things with a degree of caution.
I now hand the floor to Head Judge Marianna."
Garand gave a nod, before taking a step back. Marianna's gaze seemed as piercing as those light blue eyes of hers hinted at, though she quietly nodded to him as she took center stage at the podium now.
"This is indeed a most awe-inspiring moment...and also one that inspires tensions to boot," the Head Judge began, her words pronounced with a very deliberate clarity and smooth tone, gesturing out with her arms as she spoke with her blue orbs scanning the audience of Senators for reactions and so forth, "We have no idea what lies beyond the Gateway, whether it be hostile forces who do not remember their origins or perhaps those who have abandoned the ancient definition of 'humanity' in regards to their own actions. Alternately, there might be friends and allies with which we might come to an understanding and greater prosperity as we have come to achieve with our Gusb brethren at the other end of the system.
In this vein, simply tossing a scouting party and diplomatic mission through the Gateway I believe would be too dangerous to consider for a first impression. Too hasty, with high chances of causing fright to either potential friend or foe. Should we take such a rash risk that might tarnish the name of this proud nation and people? Should we really have military forces sitting about as well, bringing tension or perhaps rash actions to any who might enter through the Gateway as well?"
She seemed to glance back at Garand himself for a moment. In turn, it wasn't hard to notice that her words did seem to stir some sense of unease among some of the Senatorial faces Garand could most clearly recognize in the room. Unease at his idea that was. The Executive Officer grit his teeth in silence. Woman could have been a Senator with the way she could direct and guide and capture the attention of those about her. Even so, she had 'some' of a point at least. Yet at the same time...
"If I may interrupt for a moment?" Garand said, stepping forward once more and his holographic projection appearing next to Marianna's as his words began to be projected as well, "Head Judge, with the utmost respect I do wish to note that decisive actions must be taken in some capacity. To leave the Gateway unsecured in its current state would invite pirates to potentially make use, which would leave a far worse impression of us perhaps, and what if something hostile enters our space as well? Shall we take forever to respond, potentially allowing hostile forces to secure our own Gateway?
Would you leave our people and allies in danger over any proper sense of security?"
The military man's voice carried authority and a resounding boom to it that brought attention back to him, and after a minute several heads would nod in mild agreement within the crowd in turn. Marianna didn't even bat an eye at his interruption, however, simply smirking at him alone for a moment despite his attempt to cut back. She then went about returning her attention back to the Senators.
"Ah, Executive Officer Garand does have a point...so perhaps a compromise might be in order? How might we secure ourselves, and yet approach things with a more even hand? To that end, I have a potential solution of my own I would wish to suggest to the Senate as a whole. A compromise, if you will."
Wait a second.
"Let us secure our Gateway, but rather than seek others we shall invite them to meet us. We should invite them forth, and have ships ready with each of the Council of Seven to receive diplomatic parties as they arrive...and the troops to fire if the worst enters in."
Oh that sneaky little manipula-...wait. No. There was only one good way to follow this up, and he had an idea!
"How so, Head Judge? I believe the magistrates would be rather busy with the day to day, unless you mean to use them instead of our nation's finest diplomats?" Garand said, after giving a click of his tongue, "As for the delivery method, I believe we have the solution already.
We program a series of modified automated scouting drones, and send one to each world with care. Each will bear the same message, projected out, as they send us cursory data in return."
Marianna chuckled.
"My, I did not mean any offense to our nation's diplomats. Simply to relieve the pressure upon their station as they perhaps get ready for whatever times are to come, and to make my own proposal as were both were requested to prior to this meeting.
Yet you are correct, Executive Officer, our finest diplomats should be prepared for this," the Head Judge responded, before extending her arms out in invitation as she looked back at the Senators one last time, "Then, oh members of the Senate, oh voices of the people, what say you to this plan? To secure our Gateway, sending out messenger drones and preparing a diplomatic welcome on our side for any who might deign to visit?"
~Many Hours Later~
The joint plan had been approved, at least after the Executive Officer and the Head Judge were dismissed as the Senate Floor began its own internal debate and decision-making. It had only taken two hours for them to come to a conclusion, which for the Senate was quite the fast decision indeed. Albeit this emergency situation called for such a fast response...so there would be no week of debate over this thankfully. Still, the extended military forces had been assembled at the Gateway already. A couple of Diplomatic vessels, escorted by a destroyer, a carrier, and a humble swarms of Corvettes. The rest would have to take the time for further deployment, but at the same time the Military-Frame pilots with their 3rd Generation mechs were primed and ready in case of the worst. Two squadrons of them were already deployed into the vacuum of space itself as an 'honor guard' forming a safe channel to the diplomatic ships for any potentially-arriving diplomatic parties...or to intercept anything hostile that came through otherwise.
It was fancy as hell for all involved, but with the two ships each equipped with two diplomats up to four foreign diplomatic parties could be hosted comfortably at the same time. Already Listening Station Alpha would now have a carrier and destroyer stationed there for added response capabilities, all as space crews would be arriving to begin building onto the space station itself to accommodate more staff and versatile capabilities (such as a diplomatic wing and one for stationed troops) using premade space station modules shipped from planetside.
However...one thing was for certain. As the Gateway was operated, sending each of the now-modified scouting drones through, things would never be the same again.
And as each drone would arrive at each of the other Gateways, they would begin broadcasting a simple message in Xandalian, translated Old Earth English, and Binary respectively:
"Attention, nations and sentients on the receiving ends of these Gateways. This modified drone has been sent by the Xandalian Republic, bringing greetings to any and all remnants of humanity's ancient voyage into the stars. You are not alone.
We invite any who wish to engage in diplomatic talks to our home system, where our diplomats await you on our end of the Gateway. Coordinates have been encoded into this broadcasted message in simple binary.
Our military has secured our Gateway site as well, therefore any actions of aggression or hostility sent to us instead will be responded to with decisive force. However, diplomatic missions and friendly arrivals will be safely and warmly received
This signal will repeat for three hours, and the drone will then automatically shut down and begin self-destructive protocols away from yours Gateways and any detectable ships or life signs. Remain away from them, but it will only be a small blast that will dispose of the drone safely and efficiently."
***Humans (Homo sapiens sapiens fotis) - The humans of the Xandalian Republic, looking the same outwardly save for their notably improved physiological capabilities and denser bodily tissues (see the first part of the “History” section for further details). Can interbreed with other humans who haven’t been too varied from the standard, generally passing on a few improvements to the children in the process, but are incompatible with wholly-changed humans or those whose genetics are too twisted to pair with theirs.
***Gusb - Sentient and sapient silicon-based life forms that originated from the planet of Karag in the same home system as Xandal. Their bodies might be silicon-based, but are hardy and can subsist on even carbon-based worlds due to generations of evolutionary adaptation (and some gene therapy) and the odd way their homeworld evolved to sustain life. Their race eventually became advanced, and detected human technology from afar...yet thought it was another sentient species itself. They thus arrived at Xandal, but were unable to recognize humanity as a sentient species and the machines as just tools at first and engaged in a war until the truth was discovered. Feed on electrical impulses and silicon-based foods primarily back home, but on carbon-based worlds their cells utilize a form of Cellular Nuclear Transmutation to form the needed silicon from carbon and so forth with other materials for their nutritional needs.
They do have a division of sexes, though in total there are 3. “Sex A” and “Sex B” can both mate with C and give birth to young, but note mate with each other. A only produces young of the C sex, and B only produces A and B young.
Planet Name and Description: Xandal - A beautiful, flourishing planet the literal size of Jupiter, with wide temperate zones in the north between the large equatorial/tropical lands and the rather large northern pole (near which are terrains such as taiga and such things). In the south below the equator there are areas of desert and savannah and such dryer lands, but as one approaches the south pole things become rapidly cold and many icebergs can be found in seas near the southern pole. The spread of climes and types of wildlife is generally analogous to Earth, but the wider equatorial area and far colder/large poles have led to some interesting species evolving.
(A very barebones description added real fast because brain hurts and most of this was made super late the night of the 28th of May. XD)
History:
When colonists in three of the larger colony ships first emerged from the wormhole, they got their first look upon the world of Xandal. The literal size of Jupiter, the planet’s surface was from space visibly covered in flourishing climates and oceans and fauna untold. A total of 62% of the planet’s surface was composed of sprawling oceans and two massive frozen North/South poles, as the colony ships’ sensors read to their respective captains, and the other 38% that was pure landmass. The landmass alone was equal to the landmass of Earth several times over, though the atmosphere of the planet had more of a peculiar mix of gases in it alongside the usual three (the ‘usual three’ in this case being: oxygen, nitrogen, and argon). The gravity was 2.4x greater than that of Earth to boot. Even so, at the first of the three landing sites in the planet’s northern hemisphere the first impression was that the world would provide a most splendid home to settle upon. The air was ‘breathable enough’, though initial settlers would post-settlement be eventually exposed to extensive genetic therapy to ‘adjust’ them as physiological issues like respiratory illnesses and effects of the increased gravity began to become more and more apparent post-colonization.
Such ‘adjustments’ were simply an increase in bodily resilience, body density, and enhanced respiratory and circulatory system capabilities to properly make use of the alien air with immune adjustments to compensate for the new internal chemistry. The treatments would take several years to be fully completed and then distributed fully all by the end of Year 10. In this case the genetic therapy used here had originated from a once highly experimental therapy from Japan back on the original Earth some decades ago, whose data was on the colony ships' databanks as part of their 'cargo' from Earth, and as the personnel both medical and scientific searched the databanks on the colony ships they found the data about this treatment. From here they would apply the more advanced technology they now had, very much so compared to back then when the treatment was originally conceived very long ago, and would ultimately return to it to 'tweak' it and develop it finally into a stable and frankly useful option. Considered a ‘blanket’ option to cover the myriad potential issues the planet’s climate and gravity would pose, and a faster and more cost-effective in the long run option than things like extensive artificial gravity generators and such to alleviate some of the risks, the long-term side effects were distinctly less understood for subsequent generations but were at least proven through testing to be safe for same-generation treatment and adaptation.
For the most part the lingering side effects of the gene therapy would remain unknown for a few generations, until scientists discovered that the descendants of the original gene-modded settlers had developed well beyond in comparison. The humans’ skeletons became notably denser, their tissues and organs become more potent and far more resilient to disease, their respiratory system and circulatory systems became superhumanly good at adapting on the fly to where they could even breathe fine in the thin gases in space (though the lack of gravity there would still mean their lungs don’t function without a pressurized suit), and their other bodily tissues like muscles had become likewise much denser and stronger. Yet the people simply took it as fact, as by then people and civilization had all become passively acclimated to how things were and what they could do, and society in everything from building to individual workloads and the like had already been adjusted to it.
However, the settlers and their myriad descendants would also discover, and then make use of respectively, a unique mineral on the world that came to be called “Thalarite”. This mineral, named after the scientist who first made the breakthrough of its uses (that being one ‘Thatcher Larsson’), had little known about its properties once it was first dug up in the 3rd year after the colonists settled. Many thought it to have been ionized by natural deep underground radioactivity, as being a decaying nuclear byproduct of some kind from some long lost ancient civilization or former settlers on the planet that left, or even as being the leftovers of ancient fossilized life. The theories would greatly abound until Thatcher discovered the mineral’s true nature: It was at base a simple mineral with many potent, versatile properties. The more it was refined the more energistic it became, and likewise the more compressed it was the more exponentially dense (and more energized in this case too if refined enough) it became, making it perfect for powering machines and vehicles and reactors and forming metal plates and such out of in the long term. The molecular structure was able to be compressed with minimal-to-low levels of refinement to create a passively semi-charged metal that could be used for military armor and so forth, as well as making civilian things such as dense metal sheets whose semi-charge would be able to be transmitted to weak electronics designed to take in that passive charge. Thalarite could also be turned into liquid fuel through much processing, though the mineral with low-to-moderate refinement was proven to make better quality and longer-lasting fuel than the unrefined mineral.
Transmitting the energy of the Thalarite was also found to be possible, albeit only some time later, making wireless power transmission and wireless charging and so forth rather viable. All of this combined pushed the colonists into a frenzy of development and expansion on Xandal, and technological development as well as the population afterwards began to greatly boom. New roads, new towns, new settlements, all of it began to spring up at an accelerating speed. Whilst this led to population super-booms and the various towns and cities growing in size and scale, this boom in everything in turn led to occasional ‘civil wars’ and various conflicts as the lure of power became apparent and the governmental apparatus was overstretched and had issues to cope with the sudden boom in technology and population. This whole 100-year period of technology/population boom and the wars and conflicts that ravaged it from Year 25 to roughly Year 125, as it started as things began to snowball hard a few years after the Thalarite breakthrough in Year 21, became known as “The Thalarite Century”. By the end of this century the planet had been brought under heel once more, emerging as the government finally caught up with the times and order was re-established as the many settled areas of the planet united bit by biu by the end of the Thalarite Century. Cities and towns were destroyed and rebuilt, governments of various kinds arose, but from this point progress and order would return as the “Golden Boom of 25” (as the century’s start is referred to) finally simmed out.
For the next sixty years Xandal would settle down into a measure of calm, with highway systems and business and advancement in civilian and military matters moving along. Nothing is of much note from this sixty-year-period aside from the world healing from the scars of the Thalarite Century and general progress in the technological field regarding Thalarite and its technologies being pushed further. Humans returned to space after a dark period of being kept planetside, and space stations began to pop up as citizens also moved to settle the two large and habitable moons moving about Xandal: “Hiron” and “Thalyssra”.
Yet in the year 186, something else came to loom over the world of Xandal. A massive ship of an unknown origin, from seemingly farther away in the Xandalians’ home system, approached the planet. It blared no signal, nor spoke a word at first, and then after a few weeks of this they simply began to fire. It then launched a bombardment of stone-like monoliths down upon the surface of the planet, which began to emit alien organic-tissue-decaying toxins, even as smaller ships emerged from the ship’s massive bays on its sides to attack. The oddest thing was that mechanical things were left alone, but any humans were targeted with anything organic in the environment being generally just collateral. Thalarite technology and pressing needs for bigger military advancements allowed humanity to respond without being utterly devastated, but it would take another five years of struggle and battling before humanity would develop a sufficient space military to go from the defensive to the offensive by Year 192. In this year the first major space retaliation against the unknown attackers began, launching an assault on one of their carriers that used Thalarite-Uridium bombs to blast holes in their dense metal hulls.
War would continue for two more years after this, with humans trying to find any way to understand the seemingly silent enemy comms...until in late 194 ‘something’ would be intercepted. A clear signal from an alien ship, faint but coming from inside. The first to be properly identified, after it was found to be using a frequency far higher on the electromagnetic spectrum than anything humanity had ever known before. From here it took only two more months to decode the language spoken in the message. Yet...what the humans heard once they could understand it was something entirely different than they had expected.
“Our sensors indicate other lifeforms upon this planet’s surface. Do you read? Repeat, do you read? We detected your electronic life-signals from afar, and we have come to speak.”
“...Blast, more silence. They seem to be mindless drones, just as Command feared. Primitive electromagnetic communications, focused on inputs and outputs and simple calculations. You think with destroying those strange parasites in them that they’d be able to respond...but perhaps it is too late?”
“Don’t give up, Comms Officer [indiscernible alien name inserted here]. Even if their race, as peculiarly varied as they are, does not respond...we shall ensure the odd carbon-based infestation that took them down will be stopped at least. As sentients it is our duty to ensure we figure out what is going on, and those Deterioration Bombs should be doing the trick.
Tch.
To figure a pest-control measure would be used on a planet here though...it is strange. As strange as these lifeforms akin to us living upon a mostly carbon-based world.”
“But it makes me wonder if there’s something we’re missing here? If these are carbon-based parasites without sentience, aren’t they just doing what their instincts indicate?”
[A brief but somber silence over the line]
“I pray there isn’t anything we are missing, but let me reiterate the situation for you, Officer, and the others I know are listening to the general comms line here.
These things have seemingly infested a whole race of silicates akin to ourselves in some fashion. It is unsettling at best with disturbing implications if anything else like this exists in the system and could reach our people. We even on arrival sent the greeting signal for days, as the diplomats on-board desired, but no response came from the life forms below. We did all the scans, found the seeming problem after much debate, and then tried to see what freeing some of them from infestation would do. Then still nothing.
Carbon-based life doesn’t have the capacity for sentience as we do, at least as far as our science has been able to indicate thus far. We are far from home as well, and we have had to harvest materials from the local moons and corpses of the fallen infested. It is unseemly, but it is all we have had to defend ourselves against this threat.
Even long-distance comms back home have been telling us to do our best to survive until the infestation is lessened. Then perhaps they’ll let off long enough to engage a retreat to home.
So hold strong, [indiscernible word here], we shall endure to the end! For our people!”
[a general repeating of ‘For our people’ echoes over the line in a myriad of voices]
The aliens...had no idea they were sentient. Most had thought even the enemy were robotic or were simply engineered organisms sent to assail a world, or perhaps some non-sentient hive wanting to harvest them in turn, but the discovery of this key message opened up the serious issue at the core of all of the conflict thus far. Upon reversing the process of decoding to encode a message, humanity would quickly work to figure out their own response. On one hand the war had been going on so long that there was no easy way to make up for it, scars had been left and devastation made manifest, and yet at the same time it was all some great misunderstanding that had to be rectified. Either way they chose to go about it, something had to be done.
Thus eventually, the top officials of the government would decide to send a message as soon as possible to the alien ship in hopes of getting them to talk, and two weeks later the humans sent this message:
“This is a message from planetside. Repeat. This is a message from planetside. Repeat.
We are not parasites. I repeat, we are not parasites.
We are humans, sentient carbon-based life-forms who settled here almost two centuries ago from a dying world. We created complex tools we call ‘machines’ out of metals and other minerals to form powerful tools of no sentience, ones that we use to maintain our civilization. I repeat, these are not sentient mechanical or silicate forms or husks of former sentient life, but are wholly mindless machines built as tools for a sentient and civilized society.
We’ve no idea how you read our technology as sentient life, but we are very much alive and sentient. We did not have the technology to understand your initial messages or notice them, but all of this has been a grave misunderstanding.
We do not wish for war. I repeat, we do not wish for war. We did not know you were sentient either, and thought you were drones or engineered organisms sent to conquer us or kill us. Your ‘pest control’ weapons have been killing our people and any living carbon-based matter around them en-masse. Our grasp of your language is poor at the moment, and we have sent this message as soon as we could after finally decoding a conversation from your mothership.
Please, cease combat operations. I repeat, please cease combat operations. If you cease operations, we shall as well. I repeat, if you cease combat operations we shall as well. Let us stop this bloodshed.”
A set of two comms would be heard that were coming from the main alien ship soon after. The first read as followed:
“...S-Sir! We have received comms from planetside!”
“What?!”
“It is a communication from...it seems...the parasites. It didn’t come from one of our own regardless. It is rough, very rough, but it seems to get across a clear message from initial analysis.”
“T-T-The parasites?! Are you sure???”
“Yes, that word is clear so far from what I can translate, but the rest of it is worded very rough in our language. Very rough. I can make out a few words right now, but that’s it.”
“Then tell me what you can, Comms Officer! If not that, then the gist if you must!
Meanwhile, from the rest of you I want every damn hand on this right now...and someone get the diplomats and scientists to the bridge immediately! As in NOW!!!”
[echoes of orders being quickly and calmly confirmed by other comms officers on supposedly the alien ship’s bridge]”
This was followed by a second comms conversation a bit later, much more clear this time and far more widely broadcast even as far as the moons:
“Everyone I have opened the general comms link for the rest of the ship. We are opening channels to the battle fleets and other operations in this as well. This is a fleet-wide order, of the utmost urgency, so all of you need to listen.”
[the tone matching what is assumed to be the ship’s commander seems considerably more...shaky, as if he’s just seen a ghost or a terrible fright]
“...Ahem. Several hours ago we received a message from planetside, the first message we’ve been able to decode. A copy has been sent homeside by our ambassadors.
Our initial determination of the ‘parasites’ infesting the world below have been proven...incorrect. Gravely incorrect, all after these past few years. What we thought to be non-sentient parasites, potentially working in a planetary hive, are not the animals we assumed. I repeat, these are...we’ve been...the creatures are sentient organisms. Analysis of the message and so forth has made this most grim fact clear now.
As such I am ordering all hands, all personnel deployed beyond the Carrier, to return to base right now and leave behind all materials and resources you might have. Right. Now/
Any who do not obey this order will be court-martialed on sight, and those who return promptly will not receive punishment. I will only say this only once.
For those in the weapon bays: Do not continue deployment of Orbital Sprayers or other assault activities. I repeat, cease all offensive activities. Maintain the defensive shields instead.
As of this moment, we are to cease operations post-haste and wait for a return message from homeside.”
And so the war came to an end. And as a phrase coined about the war, officially called on both worlds “The Seven Years Tragedy”, and its tragic futility in later years would go: “No victory, no glory, but simply survivors”.
Even so, in the aftermath it was a more welcome thing for both sides to sign a proper peace. Likewise in the following century there were attempts at reparations, as well as the budding of interplanetary trade within the same system the two worlds shared. Inter-cultural exchanges, as well as even some immigration, would occur as the two worlds, two nations, and two species attempted to learn and coexist together in the wake of newborn understanding.
In this new era there was a boom in the technology sector for the people of Xandal, as well as those from the now-identified “Greater Union of Grusbrakg” the silicates came from, though the inevitable emergence of silicate and human space piracy would come as the two worlds figured out the interplanetary trade. Militaries in space and on-worlds would continue to advance, even as the march of time and civilian technologies would continue down their own path of advancement.
Peace in enough of a sense would reign as the humans of Xandal recovered and blossomed once more, but soon even this peace and stability would be eclipsed by a new event…
...what would happen after the Gateways opened up once more? What would happen once the humans were exposed to their long-lost kin, and a world long left in ruin?
Only time will tell.
Culture and Society: Xandalian Society is one that generally embraces the efficient and latest in advancements, emphasizing a preparedness for bad events and sustaining the freedoms of its citizen species. Citizens as a general body enjoy the latest in civilian products and technologies made possible by continued advancements in Thalarite and its studies, ranging from clean energy producing miniaturized Thalarite-Engine vehicles to appliances that generally make daily life easier to manage for busy citizens. They are generally an industrious and resilient bunch, generally respect their elders, enjoy anime (the original colonists took to it and evolved it on their own), and who will on one hand work their hardest to accomplish their goals but also raise up arms to shoot anything that threatens their home with a zeal.
Whilst not unfriendly to outsiders, and even adaptable as immigrant species might come into their fold and are welcome to, they are also stalwart about being able to live their own way of life freely and frankly are stubborn about it. For others to force that on them is a terrible thing to do, but ironically likewise can relate to getting involved in things for their own interests. The desire to rehabilitate or at least study the old Earth of their ancestors is a matter that has floated about in the public eye at some point, and with the opening of the Gateway things have become even more interesting as unknown empires or friends or nasty things lurk beyond.
---
Governance and Politics: Governance of the Xandalian Republic takes the form of simpler but more efficient unitary models at the local and district and regional levels. Excessive amounts of staff and overcomplicated bureaucracy are avoided, and as such the elections for these positions are usually big turnouts and a major deal.
Above this there is the simple and full power of the Central Government. The Central Government takes the form of the neatly organized Senate, which represents the various groups and constituencies of the republic and is elected from all over, but which has the ultimate power. This body of the Senate controls the legislation, appointing by two-thirds majority an Executive Officer who is fully answerable to the Senate and executes the law and leads the military as the Head of the Military by the Senate’s permission. The Senate also appoints the Head Judge, who presides over a council of 7 judges they appoint and that the Senate approves and confirms.
Being a Unitary state the Central Government has the power, and has delegated power to the elected lower authorities to maintain over a given area (but with these lesser authorities still being answerable to the Central Government). As the Senators of the Senate represent the will of the people from all over the nation, they seek to reflect that lest they not be able to be re-elected to their Senatorial office. Functions of the various levels of government are kept streamlined and effective, from the judges to the legislation, and whilst the Central Government is given full political power it is also legally formed by the will of the people (thereby keeping it in-check from going full-tyrant).
The system can respond to threats and other actions with great speed, maintains a consistent system of communication on all governmental levels, and is ultimately the final form of governance formed during the Xandalian Republic’s history.
Technology Overview:
***Thalarite Technology -
(A) unique mineral on the world that came to be called “Thalarite”. This mineral, named after the scientist who first made the breakthrough of its uses (that being one ‘Thatcher Larsson’), had little known about its properties once it was first dug up in the 3rd year after the colonists settled. Many thought it to have been ionized by natural deep underground radioactivity, as being a decaying nuclear byproduct of some kind from some long lost ancient civilization or former settlers on the planet that left, or even as being the leftovers of ancient fossilized life. The theories would greatly abound until Thatcher discovered the mineral’s true nature: It was at base a simple mineral with many potent, versatile properties. The more it was refined the more energistic it became, and likewise the more compressed it was the more exponentially dense (and more energized in this case too if refined enough) it became, making it perfect for powering machines and vehicles and reactors and forming metal plates and such out of in the long term. The molecular structure was able to be compressed with minimal-to-low levels of refinement to create a passively semi-charged metal that could be used for military armor and so forth, as well as making civilian things such as dense metal sheets whose semi-charge would be able to be transmitted to weak electronics designed to take in that passive charge. Thalarite could also be turned into liquid fuel through much processing, though the mineral with low-to-moderate refinement was proven to make better quality and longer-lasting fuel than the unrefined mineral.
Transmitting the energy of the Thalarite was also found to be possible, albeit only some time later, making wireless power transmission and wireless charging and so forth rather viable.
A unique mineral of Xandal that, by current times, is both mined and synthesized to power the nation’s technology and fulfill other uses. When mined it looks like a silvery-gray rock that can’t be seen into (much less seen through), but as it is refined and purified it becomes a silvery/dark purple colored mineral. The more refined it is the more crystal-like its appearance and structure becomes, and the most highly purified Thalarite looks like a stunning pure light purple (as the coloration gets lighter and the faint silveriness is lost the more it is refined) cluster of crystals that is actively glowing said color and has raw energy literally crackling over its surface constantly and is too dangerous to not be contained within proper measures.
The uses of this mineral are incredibly diverse, ranging from fuel to engines to reactors to bombs and powering mechs and appliances to being used as armor and even medical applications and so forth. It is what revolutionized Xandalian technology the most of all things that have been found or developed there over the last three centuries. Also due to this revolution of technology, citizens are not rather used to non-Thalarite technology and its operation...though contact with the Gusb has mitigated this issue ever so slightly over the last century. Historians have records about non-Thalarite tech, as do the archives of the old former colony ships that remain public displays and are well-maintained as national history/planetary history exhibits. There are also a few major museums that display Thalarite artifacts and teach about the origins of Thalarite and the time period of “The Thalarite Century”.
(Aside: Was inspired by Ragnite and Ragnite-applicable tech from the “Valkyria Chronicles” game series.)
***Xandalian Mechs - A technological innovation whose roots began within The Thalarite Century, their idea beginning in the form of worker-piloted Labor-Frames (as the tech was called at the time) that used a humanoid designs scheme. When Labor-Frames were often weaponized for their use in revolts and various conflicts, those with humanoid frames were found to be more versatile in application. By the end of The Thalarite Century, many of these had been built or converted into military-style bots to be used alongside standard types of military vehicles or cobbled-together ones that so colored that time period, and came to become the blueprints for the Central Government that emerged from the end of that time period.
Sixty years of peace would allow for a semi-active development of these in order to raise effectiveness and hold them to a higher standard. In this vein the “Military-Frame Type 1” would emerge as the first ‘proper’ humanoid mech unit, and at first was mostly used in ground operations. It sported a wide base variety of equipment that it could both carry and have attached to it, but lacked the sophistication and fine-tuning of much later models. Whilst this would be the primary line that was used and upgraded, later experimental sub-types would emerge including (but not limited to):
-The “Military-Frame Type 2: Underwater Model” initially emerged as a design for deep sea operations and underwater combat, using long-reach melee weapons like harpoon-tipped spears, ranged components such as sophisticated torpedo launchers, advanced propeller technology for swift movement and evasive potential, and having both a far denser armor and an ‘Antique Diving Helmet’ style look around the cockpits for pilot protection/insulation. These units proved to be rather poor in effect when trying to move on land, making the design not good for amphibious assaults as the designers had hoped for, leading to the creation of the more successful “Military-Frame Underwater Type 2.5: Deep Sea Model” that abandoned the legs altogether, increased propulsion power, increased torpedo armaments, and kept the arms as the design became more compressed and crab-like aside from the head that sat on-top. These would be held underneath naval vessels, or dropped from the air, entering the water to perform operations.
-There was also the “Military-Frame Type 3: Paratroop”, which initially used a glider-style design and took on the role of a paratrooper-style mech dropped into combat zones by larger aircraft. Armor was lightened for carrying purposes, and their weapons standardized and lightened for swift and versatile use in the field, but proved to be ill-effective against heavily-fortified or highly-entrenched positions unless paired with a proper ground assault. In this manner they were successful, but ultimately led to improvements in aircraft and glider technologies that culminated in the making of the “Military Frame Attachment Line: Aviator” line of equipment that allowed standard ground mechs with better armor and far greater speed to deploy in the air for a limited time and land behind enemy lines.
Ultimately, the development of Xandalian mechs would close in on its speak during the shorter but far more intense fighting of “The Seven Years Tragedy”. Here the mechs would finally take on a space-variant simply dubbed the “Military-Frame Type 4: Exocombat Model”, which would prove effective at moving through space and landing on either of the two moons of Xandal (whose atmospheres were not as intense as that of Xandal itself). By the end of the war, the mechs received significant upgrades, mostly as an all-purpose unit was desired for the various theaters of war, and thus was born the “Military-Frame Version 2.0.”, which took the best from different models and past instances and data from the war to create a highly-advanced warform that could go underwater, fight in space, fight on the ground, and could make use of hard-mounted specialized loadouts (ones that admittedly had to be changed prior to deployment) to take on various types of missions from the same base frame. Versatile carried equipment that could be carried was also still made available, though it was far from the main emphasis now, which could act as Supplementary Equipment for units in the field depending on one’s tastes or the given operation/situation at hand.
This version of the mech could also undergo atmosphere re-entry, and exit with rocket assistance, directly. They could withstand the vacuum of space and the farthest of underwater depths, and utilize attachments updated for them to get behind enemy lines in planetary engagements. Omni-Adaptive Thruster technology made maneuverability in space or underwater much easier at that! Thalarite Armor and use of alien-inspired Thalarite energy shielding technology, the latter of which plays into atmospheric re-entry and exit capabilities directly, would give suitable versatile defensive capabilities for the Military-Frame Version 2.0. as well.
By current times, the design of the latest version has been ongoing, already seeing another generation of the Military-Frames pass on to the distinctly better “3.0.” version in regards to armaments and attachments and even the base mechs in full. Currently there are highly experimental but even more advanced “4.0.” versions, but none have been deployed into the field yet beyond limited experimental test runs thus far. Rumors say some of these fourth-generation Military-Frames themselves wield even more incredible highly experimental technology, ranging from micro-thrusters with manyfold the output of current standard ones...to even incredibly miniaturized supercomputers that analyze the battlefields the pilot is one, learn from them, and beam predictive battle info directly into the pilot’s mind for moment-to-moment battle adaptation capabilities (better and better so the more the mech is used in battle against various types of foes and strategies).
In the end, the Xandalian Mech is a technology that is no slouch when put to proper use.
(Aside: Was inspired by Gundams, because I thought that was cool. Experimental 4th generation models are highly experimental for a reason too, but still cool Gundams. Yeah!)
***Gusb Technology - Some of this has been imported alongside immigrants, but most of it has been adapted or converted to Thalarite power sources or is in its ‘true’ form only ever kept in scientific labs for study and research. This tech originated by the Gusb species works originally off of electrical/unidentified-alien-gas hybrid form of power created from a form of advanced-fusion energy tech. This Gusb energy tech utilizes a naturally-occurring and distinctly radioactive (by old Earth radiation detector measurements at least) alien mineral nicknamed “Gusbite” by those on Xandal (since the Gusb name for it is indecipherable by the human tongue). This mineral, which goes far beyond the old Earth period table, produces a more violent and far more intense reaction when enriched and used to create a far more advanced and potent fusion reaction. Little else is known or understood about it, save that it isn’t used on Xandal and the Gusb use it to create ‘batteries’ that are used to power their tech on the small scale and to make ‘reactors’ that power larger-scale tech such as their battleships and cities back home.
***Basic Translator Technology - Basic translation technology developed within the last 100 years after the advent of “The Seven Years Tragedy”. Gusb immigrants usually equip themselves with these for an ease of communication, though more have begun to learn the human tongue and some humans have learned to speak what of the Gusb tongue they can pronounce. Mostly acts as a basis for more advanced translation technology for the Republic post-Gateway-opening at some point.
Military Overview:
***Planetary-Level Combat - On-planet battles are predominantly divided into Land, Air, and Sea divisions.
Land Divisions are initially begun by deploying Xandalian Mechs, who take territory and handle enemy entrenchments/fortresses along the way. They are the vanguard of the Xandalian military, and generally will soften up areas and handle larger-scale threats, large enough warforms, and larger enemy numbers. Infantry equipped with protective insulated Thalarite-polymer armor and effective Thalarite laser weapons, brought in by and working alongside hover-tanks, hover artillery, and armored/armed hover APCs that can move over virtually any terrain (and all have rather limited ‘flight’ capability), will swiftly move in to secure and then hold the taken ground and clear out smaller threats left over. Infantry use their armor and Thalarite weapons alongside things such as portable shield generators to secure camps and deployable scouting drones as well as specialized deployable antennas attached to stronger portable scanning modules to thoroughly scan the area and search for holdouts or hidden traps and so forth as they more greatly secure the foothold on the area.
Air Divisions are usually composed of Jet-Glider-using Mechs that will provide land support by taking down anti-air emplacements by swiftly entering the area and rushing those positions. Massive armored airships will fly in and generally utilize high firepower and high defense to lay down fire on enemy positions on land or otherwise, even being able to safely fire smart torpedoes into oceans from high up in the air, and can deploy from its own hangars smaller helicopter-like aircraft with two rotating wings and two powerful jet engine-esque propellers on them for rather rapid acceleration and movement speeds. Such smaller craft are “Reliants” that can lift off from a stationary position and swiftly move about akin to a Jet airplane in the air as well. Each Reliant has four missiles or rockets on the underside to fire, dual-gatling-style Thalarite guns that can lay down high rates of fire, and can carry a small amount of infantry or other personnel to drop off to help secure points or board similar large enemy aircraft if such a thing is needed or frankly possible. The Reliants are employed as anti-small aircraft and ground-securing or boarding/transport measures, whilst the main Airship also has anti-smaller-craft measures installed alongside its array of bigger guns.
Sea Divisions are usually composed of advanced craft called “Maru” that can hover to the correct positions and submerge into the water from there to navigate the seas. These craft are basically super-sci fi submarines, and usually are only deployed on-world when submersible craft are needed for a given operation. They can then leave the water and hover back to their carrier after operations, or if their hover capabilities were damaged the carriers (called “Crane-Frame Carriers” can hover over the location of these craft and pull them up into themselves for storage and repair. At times the Maru can also carry and deploy a number of Version 2.0. upgraded “Deep Sea” model Mechs, which are akin to the old version but with improved systems and equipment and such all-round.
***Space Combat - Xandalian Mechs dominate the smaller-craft level battles of space, having incredible maneuverability and enough defenses and loadouts to take on that they can cut down smaller craft and assault larger ones in a combat role. These possess point-defense and defenses that make ships smaller than them generally a moot point, and they are supported by smaller, sleeker ships that usually sport high speed and run interference or harry enemy craft or even intercept small automated craft/drones/ships in combat as well. Destroyers are the first real ‘larger’ ship used beyond this, containing high defenses and firepower to lay into the enemy fleet with distinctly less speed but exceptionally good range ranging from close to long range capabilities at maximum. These Destroyers usually have the smaller sleeker craft, dubbed “Corvettes”, with them in some numbers.
Larger Carriers come after this, carrying large numbers of Xandalian Mechs and very high defenses in exchange for rather limited firepower and greater carrying capacity. These deploy their Mechs and receive them back after battle (or during battle if injured need to retreat), as well as designate a portion of their mechs as reserves that are saved for use when or where such reserves are needed. Some also carry even larger amounts of Corvettes to bolster those numbers in battle.
Beyond this, grand Battleships also carry their own contingents of Xandalian Mechs and are escorted by a couple of Destroyers, as well as the Destroyers’ accompanying swarms of Corvettes, and a couple of Carriers as well. These ships are far larger in scale than the rest of the ships previously mentioned, boasting a titanic size, high defenses, and even higher offensive capabilities and weapons that can be fired into the enemy from super-long-range (or other weapons for closer ranges) as the situation demands. These are usually the flagships, the ships on which the commanders from the Republic are placed in order to direct the battle, and as such these ships have the most robust and potent comms arrays that keep the fleet interconnected. Taking out the Battleship is the best way to weaken a Republic fleet, though is tough to do, though as an aside comms between their other ships will still be generally possible without the Battleship...just not as smooth as the chain of command rather ‘suddenly’ shifts to backup and ultimately emergency measures.
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Additional Info:
***Important Note 1: The military is only at 25% deployment currently, aka: the peacetime level of deployment that takes care of smaller issues during peace and maintains anti-piracy activity and such. The full military isn't currently active. Do not worry.
***Humans (Homo sapiens sapiens fotis) - The humans of the Xandalian Republic, looking the same outwardly save for their notably improved physiological capabilities and denser bodily tissues (see the first part of the “History” section for further details). Can interbreed with other humans who haven’t been too varied from the standard, generally passing on a few improvements to the children in the process, but are incompatible with wholly-changed humans or those whose genetics are too twisted to pair with theirs.
***Gusb - Sentient and sapient silicon-based life forms that originated from the planet of Karag in the same home system as Xandal. Their bodies might be silicon-based, but are hardy and can subsist on even carbon-based worlds due to generations of evolutionary adaptation (and some gene therapy) and the odd way their homeworld evolved to sustain life. Their race eventually became advanced, and detected human technology from afar...yet thought it was another sentient species itself. They thus arrived at Xandal, but were unable to recognize humanity as a sentient species and the machines as just tools at first and engaged in a war until the truth was discovered. Feed on electrical impulses and silicon-based foods primarily back home, but on carbon-based worlds their cells utilize a form of Cellular Nuclear Transmutation to form the needed silicon from carbon and so forth with other materials for their nutritional needs.
They do have a division of sexes, though in total there are 3. “Sex A” and “Sex B” can both mate with C and give birth to young, but note mate with each other. A only produces young of the C sex, and B only produces A and B young.
Planet Name and Description: Xandal - A beautiful, flourishing planet the literal size of Jupiter, with wide temperate zones in the north between the large equatorial/tropical lands and the rather large northern pole (near which are terrains such as taiga and such things). In the south below the equator there are areas of desert and savannah and such dryer lands, but as one approaches the south pole things become rapidly cold and many icebergs can be found in seas near the southern pole. The spread of climes and types of wildlife is generally analogous to Earth, but the wider equatorial area and far colder/large poles have led to some interesting species evolving.
(A very barebones description added real fast because brain hurts and most of this was made super late the night of the 28th of May. XD)
History:
When colonists in three of the larger colony ships first emerged from the wormhole, they got their first look upon the world of Xandal. The literal size of Jupiter, the planet’s surface was from space visibly covered in flourishing climates and oceans and fauna untold. A total of 62% of the planet’s surface was composed of sprawling oceans and two massive frozen North/South poles, as the colony ships’ sensors read to their respective captains, and the other 38% that was pure landmass. The landmass alone was equal to the landmass of Earth several times over, though the atmosphere of the planet had more of a peculiar mix of gases in it alongside the usual three (the ‘usual three’ in this case being: oxygen, nitrogen, and argon). The gravity was 25% greater than that of Earth to boot. Even so, at the first of the three landing sites in the planet’s northern hemisphere the first impression was that the world would provide a most splendid home to settle upon. The air was ‘breathable enough’, though initial settlers would post-settlement be eventually exposed to extensive genetic therapy to ‘adjust’ them as physiological issues like respiratory illnesses and effects of the increased gravity began to become more and more apparent post-colonization.
Such ‘adjustments’ were simply an increase in bodily resilience, body density, and enhanced respiratory and circulatory system capabilities to properly make use of the alien air with immune adjustments to compensate for the new internal chemistry. The treatments would take several years to be fully completed and then distributed fully all by the end of Year 10. In this case the genetic therapy used here had originated from a once highly experimental therapy from Japan back on the original Earth some decades ago, whose data was on the colony ships' databanks as part of their 'cargo' from Earth, and as the personnel both medical and scientific searched the databanks on the colony ships they found the data about this treatment. From here they would apply the more advanced technology they now had, very much so compared to back then when the treatment was originally conceived very long ago, and would ultimately return to it to 'tweak' it and develop it finally into a stable and frankly useful option. Considered a ‘blanket’ option to cover the myriad potential issues the planet’s climate and gravity would pose, and a faster and more cost-effective in the long run option than things like extensive artificial gravity generators and such to alleviate some of the risks, the long-term side effects were distinctly less understood for subsequent generations but were at least proven through testing to be safe for same-generation treatment and adaptation.
For the most part the lingering side effects of the gene therapy would remain unknown for a few generations, until scientists discovered that the descendants of the original gene-modded settlers had developed well beyond in comparison. The humans’ skeletons became notably denser, their tissues and organs become more potent and far more resilient to disease, their respiratory system and circulatory systems became superhumanly good at adapting on the fly to where they could even breathe fine in the thin gases in space (though the lack of gravity there would still mean their lungs don’t function without a pressurized suit), and their other bodily tissues like muscles had become likewise much denser and stronger. Yet the people simply took it as fact, as by then people and civilization had all become passively acclimated to how things were and what they could do, and society in everything from building to individual workloads and the like had already been adjusted to it.
However, the settlers and their myriad descendants would also discover, and then make use of respectively, a unique mineral on the world that came to be called “Thalarite”. This mineral, named after the scientist who first made the breakthrough of its uses (that being one ‘Thatcher Larsson’), had little known about its properties once it was first dug up in the 3rd year after the colonists settled. Many thought it to have been ionized by natural deep underground radioactivity, as being a decaying nuclear byproduct of some kind from some long lost ancient civilization or former settlers on the planet that left, or even as being the leftovers of ancient fossilized life. The theories would greatly abound until Thatcher discovered the mineral’s true nature: It was at base a simple mineral with many potent, versatile properties. The more it was refined the more energistic it became, and likewise the more compressed it was the more exponentially dense (and more energized in this case too if refined enough) it became, making it perfect for powering machines and vehicles and reactors and forming metal plates and such out of in the long term. The molecular structure was able to be compressed with minimal-to-low levels of refinement to create a passively semi-charged metal that could be used for military armor and so forth, as well as making civilian things such as dense metal sheets whose semi-charge would be able to be transmitted to weak electronics designed to take in that passive charge. Thalarite could also be turned into liquid fuel through much processing, though the mineral with low-to-moderate refinement was proven to make better quality and longer-lasting fuel than the unrefined mineral.
Transmitting the energy of the Thalarite was also found to be possible, albeit only some time later, making wireless power transmission and wireless charging and so forth rather viable. All of this combined pushed the colonists into a frenzy of development and expansion on Xandal, and technological development as well as the population afterwards began to greatly boom. New roads, new towns, new settlements, all of it began to spring up at an accelerating speed. Whilst this led to population super-booms and the various towns and cities growing in size and scale, this boom in everything in turn led to occasional ‘civil wars’ and various conflicts as the lure of power became apparent and the governmental apparatus was overstretched and had issues to cope with the sudden boom in technology and population. This whole 100-year period of technology/population boom and the wars and conflicts that ravaged it from Year 25 to roughly Year 125, as it started as things began to snowball hard a few years after the Thalarite breakthrough in Year 21, became known as “The Thalarite Century”. By the end of this century the planet had been brought under heel once more, emerging as the government finally caught up with the times and order was re-established as the many settled areas of the planet united bit by biu by the end of the Thalarite Century. Cities and towns were destroyed and rebuilt, governments of various kinds arose, but from this point progress and order would return as the “Golden Boom of 25” (as the century’s start is referred to) finally simmed out.
For the next sixty years Xandal would settle down into a measure of calm, with highway systems and business and advancement in civilian and military matters moving along. Nothing is of much note from this sixty-year-period aside from the world healing from the scars of the Thalarite Century and general progress in the technological field regarding Thalarite and its technologies being pushed further. Humans returned to space after a dark period of being kept planetside, and space stations began to pop up as citizens also moved to settle the two large and habitable moons moving about Xandal: “Hiron” and “Thalyssra”.
Yet in the year 186, something else came to loom over the world of Xandal. A massive ship of an unknown origin, from seemingly farther away in the Xandalians’ home system, approached the planet. It blared no signal, nor spoke a word at first, and then after a few weeks of this they simply began to fire. It then launched a bombardment of stone-like monoliths down upon the surface of the planet, which began to emit alien organic-tissue-decaying toxins, even as smaller ships emerged from the ship’s massive bays on its sides to attack. The oddest thing was that mechanical things were left alone, but any humans were targeted with anything organic in the environment being generally just collateral. Thalarite technology and pressing needs for bigger military advancements allowed humanity to respond without being utterly devastated, but it would take another five years of struggle and battling before humanity would develop a sufficient space military to go from the defensive to the offensive by Year 192. In this year the first major space retaliation against the unknown attackers began, launching an assault on one of their carriers that used Thalarite-Uridium bombs to blast holes in their dense metal hulls.
War would continue for two more years after this, with humans trying to find any way to understand the seemingly silent enemy comms...until in late 194 ‘something’ would be intercepted. A clear signal from an alien ship, faint but coming from inside. The first to be properly identified, after it was found to be using a frequency far higher on the electromagnetic spectrum than anything humanity had ever known before. From here it took only two more months to decode the language spoken in the message. Yet...what the humans heard once they could understand it was something entirely different than they had expected.
“Our sensors indicate other lifeforms upon this planet’s surface. Do you read? Repeat, do you read? We detected your electronic life-signals from afar, and we have come to speak.”
“...Blast, more silence. They seem to be mindless drones, just as Command feared. Primitive electromagnetic communications, focused on inputs and outputs and simple calculations. You think with destroying those strange parasites in them that they’d be able to respond...but perhaps it is too late?”
“Don’t give up, Comms Officer [indiscernible alien name inserted here]. Even if their race, as peculiarly varied as they are, does not respond...we shall ensure the odd carbon-based infestation that took them down will be stopped at least. As sentients it is our duty to ensure we figure out what is going on, and those Deterioration Bombs should be doing the trick.
Tch.
To figure a pest-control measure would be used on a planet here though...it is strange. As strange as these lifeforms akin to us living upon a mostly carbon-based world.”
“But it makes me wonder if there’s something we’re missing here? If these are carbon-based parasites without sentience, aren’t they just doing what their instincts indicate?”
[A brief but somber silence over the line]
“I pray there isn’t anything we are missing, but let me reiterate the situation for you, Officer, and the others I know are listening to the general comms line here.
These things have seemingly infested a whole race of silicates akin to ourselves in some fashion. It is unsettling at best with disturbing implications if anything else like this exists in the system and could reach our people. We even on arrival sent the greeting signal for days, as the diplomats on-board desired, but no response came from the life forms below. We did all the scans, found the seeming problem after much debate, and then tried to see what freeing some of them from infestation would do. Then still nothing.
Carbon-based life doesn’t have the capacity for sentience as we do, at least as far as our science has been able to indicate thus far. We are far from home as well, and we have had to harvest materials from the local moons and corpses of the fallen infested. It is unseemly, but it is all we have had to defend ourselves against this threat.
Even long-distance comms back home have been telling us to do our best to survive until the infestation is lessened. Then perhaps they’ll let off long enough to engage a retreat to home.
So hold strong, [indiscernible word here], we shall endure to the end! For our people!”
[a general repeating of ‘For our people’ echoes over the line in a myriad of voices]
The aliens...had no idea they were sentient. Most had thought even the enemy were robotic or were simply engineered organisms sent to assail a world, or perhaps some non-sentient hive wanting to harvest them in turn, but the discovery of this key message opened up the serious issue at the core of all of the conflict thus far. Upon reversing the process of decoding to encode a message, humanity would quickly work to figure out their own response. On one hand the war had been going on so long that there was no easy way to make up for it, scars had been left and devastation made manifest, and yet at the same time it was all some great misunderstanding that had to be rectified. Either way they chose to go about it, something had to be done.
Thus eventually, the top officials of the government would decide to send a message as soon as possible to the alien ship in hopes of getting them to talk, and two weeks later the humans sent this message:
“This is a message from planetside. Repeat. This is a message from planetside. Repeat.
We are not parasites. I repeat, we are not parasites.
We are humans, sentient carbon-based life-forms who settled here almost two centuries ago from a dying world. We created complex tools we call ‘machines’ out of metals and other minerals to form powerful tools of no sentience, ones that we use to maintain our civilization. I repeat, these are not sentient mechanical or silicate forms or husks of former sentient life, but are wholly mindless machines built as tools for a sentient and civilized society.
We’ve no idea how you read our technology as sentient life, but we are very much alive and sentient. We did not have the technology to understand your initial messages or notice them, but all of this has been a grave misunderstanding.
We do not wish for war. I repeat, we do not wish for war. We did not know you were sentient either, and thought you were drones or engineered organisms sent to conquer us or kill us. Your ‘pest control’ weapons have been killing our people and any living carbon-based matter around them en-masse. Our grasp of your language is poor at the moment, and we have sent this message as soon as we could after finally decoding a conversation from your mothership.
Please, cease combat operations. I repeat, please cease combat operations. If you cease operations, we shall as well. I repeat, if you cease combat operations we shall as well. Let us stop this bloodshed.”
A set of two comms would be heard that were coming from the main alien ship soon after. The first read as followed:
“...S-Sir! We have received comms from planetside!”
“What?!”
“It is a communication from...it seems...the parasites. It didn’t come from one of our own regardless. It is rough, very rough, but it seems to get across a clear message from initial analysis.”
“T-T-The parasites?! Are you sure???”
“Yes, that word is clear so far from what I can translate, but the rest of it is worded very rough in our language. Very rough. I can make out a few words right now, but that’s it.”
“Then tell me what you can, Comms Officer! If not that, then the gist if you must!
Meanwhile, from the rest of you I want every damn hand on this right now...and someone get the diplomats and scientists to the bridge immediately! As in NOW!!!”
[echoes of orders being quickly and calmly confirmed by other comms officers on supposedly the alien ship’s bridge]”
This was followed by a second comms conversation a bit later, much more clear this time and far more widely broadcast even as far as the moons:
“Everyone I have opened the general comms link for the rest of the ship. We are opening channels to the battle fleets and other operations in this as well. This is a fleet-wide order, of the utmost urgency, so all of you need to listen.”
[the tone matching what is assumed to be the ship’s commander seems considerably more...shaky, as if he’s just seen a ghost or a terrible fright]
“...Ahem. Several hours ago we received a message from planetside, the first message we’ve been able to decode. A copy has been sent homeside by our ambassadors.
Our initial determination of the ‘parasites’ infesting the world below have been proven...incorrect. Gravely incorrect, all after these past few years. What we thought to be non-sentient parasites, potentially working in a planetary hive, are not the animals we assumed. I repeat, these are...we’ve been...the creatures are sentient organisms. Analysis of the message and so forth has made this most grim fact clear now.
As such I am ordering all hands, all personnel deployed beyond the Carrier, to return to base right now and leave behind all materials and resources you might have. Right. Now/
Any who do not obey this order will be court-martialed on sight, and those who return promptly will not receive punishment. I will only say this only once.
For those in the weapon bays: Do not continue deployment of Orbital Sprayers or other assault activities. I repeat, cease all offensive activities. Maintain the defensive shields instead.
As of this moment, we are to cease operations post-haste and wait for a return message from homeside.”
And so the war came to an end. And as a phrase coined about the war, officially called on both worlds “The Seven Years Tragedy”, and its tragic futility in later years would go: “No victory, no glory, but simply survivors”.
Even so, in the aftermath it was a more welcome thing for both sides to sign a proper peace. Likewise in the following century there were attempts at reparations, as well as the budding of interplanetary trade within the same system the two worlds shared. Inter-cultural exchanges, as well as even some immigration, would occur as the two worlds, two nations, and two species attempted to learn and coexist together in the wake of newborn understanding.
In this new era there was a boom in the technology sector for the people of Xandal, as well as those from the now-identified “Greater Union of Grusbrakg” the silicates came from, though the inevitable emergence of silicate and human space piracy would come as the two worlds figured out the interplanetary trade. Militaries in space and on-worlds would continue to advance, even as the march of time and civilian technologies would continue down their own path of advancement.
Peace in enough of a sense would reign as the humans of Xandal recovered and blossomed once more, but soon even this peace and stability would be eclipsed by a new event…
...what would happen after the Gateways opened up once more? What would happen once the humans were exposed to their long-lost kin, and a world long left in ruin?
Only time will tell.
Culture and Society: Xandalian Society is one that generally embraces the efficient and latest in advancements, emphasizing a preparedness for bad events and sustaining the freedoms of its citizen species. Citizens as a general body enjoy the latest in civilian products and technologies made possible by continued advancements in Thalarite and its studies, ranging from clean energy producing miniaturized Thalarite-Engine vehicles to appliances that generally make daily life easier to manage for busy citizens. They are generally an industrious and resilient bunch, generally respect their elders, enjoy anime (the original colonists took to it and evolved it on their own), and who will on one hand work their hardest to accomplish their goals but also raise up arms to shoot anything that threatens their home with a zeal.
Whilst not unfriendly to outsiders, and even adaptable as immigrant species might come into their fold and are welcome to, they are also stalwart about being able to live their own way of life freely and frankly are stubborn about it. For others to force that on them is a terrible thing to do, but ironically likewise can relate to getting involved in things for their own interests. The desire to rehabilitate or at least study the old Earth of their ancestors is a matter that has floated about in the public eye at some point, and with the opening of the Gateway things have become even more interesting as unknown empires or friends or nasty things lurk beyond.
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Governance and Politics: Governance of the Xandalian Republic takes the form of simpler but more efficient unitary models at the local and district and regional levels. Excessive amounts of staff and overcomplicated bureaucracy are avoided, and as such the elections for these positions are usually big turnouts and a major deal.
Above this there is the simple and full power of the Central Government. The Central Government takes the form of the neatly organized Senate, which represents the various groups and constituencies of the republic and is elected from all over, but which has the ultimate power. This body of the Senate controls the legislation, appointing by two-thirds majority an Executive Officer who is fully answerable to the Senate and executes the law and leads the military as the Head of the Military by the Senate’s permission. The Senate also appoints the Head Judge, who presides over a council of 7 judges they appoint and that the Senate approves and confirms.
Being a Unitary state the Central Government has the power, and has delegated power to the elected lower authorities to maintain over a given area (but with these lesser authorities still being answerable to the Central Government). As the Senators of the Senate represent the will of the people from all over the nation, they seek to reflect that lest they not be able to be re-elected to their Senatorial office. Functions of the various levels of government are kept streamlined and effective, from the judges to the legislation, and whilst the Central Government is given full political power it is also legally formed by the will of the people (thereby keeping it in-check from going full-tyrant).
The system can respond to threats and other actions with great speed, maintains a consistent system of communication on all governmental levels, and is ultimately the final form of governance formed during the Xandalian Republic’s history.
Technology Overview:
***Thalarite Technology -
(A) unique mineral on the world that came to be called “Thalarite”. This mineral, named after the scientist who first made the breakthrough of its uses (that being one ‘Thatcher Larsson’), had little known about its properties once it was first dug up in the 3rd year after the colonists settled. Many thought it to have been ionized by natural deep underground radioactivity, as being a decaying nuclear byproduct of some kind from some long lost ancient civilization or former settlers on the planet that left, or even as being the leftovers of ancient fossilized life. The theories would greatly abound until Thatcher discovered the mineral’s true nature: It was at base a simple mineral with many potent, versatile properties. The more it was refined the more energistic it became, and likewise the more compressed it was the more exponentially dense (and more energized in this case too if refined enough) it became, making it perfect for powering machines and vehicles and reactors and forming metal plates and such out of in the long term. The molecular structure was able to be compressed with minimal-to-low levels of refinement to create a passively semi-charged metal that could be used for military armor and so forth, as well as making civilian things such as dense metal sheets whose semi-charge would be able to be transmitted to weak electronics designed to take in that passive charge. Thalarite could also be turned into liquid fuel through much processing, though the mineral with low-to-moderate refinement was proven to make better quality and longer-lasting fuel than the unrefined mineral.
Transmitting the energy of the Thalarite was also found to be possible, albeit only some time later, making wireless power transmission and wireless charging and so forth rather viable.
A unique mineral of Xandal that, by current times, is both mined and synthesized to power the nation’s technology and fulfill other uses. When mined it looks like a silvery-gray rock that can’t be seen into (much less seen through), but as it is refined and purified it becomes a silvery/dark purple colored mineral. The more refined it is the more crystal-like its appearance and structure becomes, and the most highly purified Thalarite looks like a stunning pure light purple (as the coloration gets lighter and the faint silveriness is lost the more it is refined) cluster of crystals that is actively glowing said color and has raw energy literally crackling over its surface constantly and is too dangerous to not be contained within proper measures.
The uses of this mineral are incredibly diverse, ranging from fuel to engines to reactors to bombs and powering mechs and appliances to being used as armor and even medical applications and so forth. It is what revolutionized Xandalian technology the most of all things that have been found or developed there over the last three centuries. Also due to this revolution of technology, citizens are not rather used to non-Thalarite technology and its operation...though contact with the Gusb has mitigated this issue ever so slightly over the last century. Historians have records about non-Thalarite tech, as do the archives of the old former colony ships that remain public displays and are well-maintained as national history/planetary history exhibits. There are also a few major museums that display Thalarite artifacts and teach about the origins of Thalarite and the time period of “The Thalarite Century”.
(Aside: Was inspired by Ragnite and Ragnite-applicable tech from the “Valkyria Chronicles” game series.)
***Xandalian Mechs - A technological innovation whose roots began within The Thalarite Century, their idea beginning in the form of worker-piloted Labor-Frames (as the tech was called at the time) that used a humanoid designs scheme. When Labor-Frames were often weaponized for their use in revolts and various conflicts, those with humanoid frames were found to be more versatile in application. By the end of The Thalarite Century, many of these had been built or converted into military-style bots to be used alongside standard types of military vehicles or cobbled-together ones that so colored that time period, and came to become the blueprints for the Central Government that emerged from the end of that time period.
Sixty years of peace would allow for a semi-active development of these in order to raise effectiveness and hold them to a higher standard. In this vein the “Military-Frame Type 1” would emerge as the first ‘proper’ humanoid mech unit, and at first was mostly used in ground operations. It sported a wide base variety of equipment that it could both carry and have attached to it, but lacked the sophistication and fine-tuning of much later models. Whilst this would be the primary line that was used and upgraded, later experimental sub-types would emerge including (but not limited to):
-The “Military-Frame Type 2: Underwater Model” initially emerged as a design for deep sea operations and underwater combat, using long-reach melee weapons like harpoon-tipped spears, ranged components such as sophisticated torpedo launchers, advanced propeller technology for swift movement and evasive potential, and having both a far denser armor and an ‘Antique Diving Helmet’ style look around the cockpits for pilot protection/insulation. These units proved to be rather poor in effect when trying to move on land, making the design not good for amphibious assaults as the designers had hoped for, leading to the creation of the more successful “Military-Frame Underwater Type 2.5: Deep Sea Model” that abandoned the legs altogether, increased propulsion power, increased torpedo armaments, and kept the arms as the design became more compressed and crab-like aside from the head that sat on-top. These would be held underneath naval vessels, or dropped from the air, entering the water to perform operations.
-There was also the “Military-Frame Type 3: Paratroop”, which initially used a glider-style design and took on the role of a paratrooper-style mech dropped into combat zones by larger aircraft. Armor was lightened for carrying purposes, and their weapons standardized and lightened for swift and versatile use in the field, but proved to be ill-effective against heavily-fortified or highly-entrenched positions unless paired with a proper ground assault. In this manner they were successful, but ultimately led to improvements in aircraft and glider technologies that culminated in the making of the “Military Frame Attachment Line: Aviator” line of equipment that allowed standard ground mechs with better armor and far greater speed to deploy in the air for a limited time and land behind enemy lines.
Ultimately, the development of Xandalian mechs would close in on its speak during the shorter but far more intense fighting of “The Seven Years Tragedy”. Here the mechs would finally take on a space-variant simply dubbed the “Military-Frame Type 4: Exocombat Model”, which would prove effective at moving through space and landing on either of the two moons of Xandal (whose atmospheres were not as intense as that of Xandal itself). By the end of the war, the mechs received significant upgrades, mostly as an all-purpose unit was desired for the various theaters of war, and thus was born the “Military-Frame Version 2.0.”, which took the best from different models and past instances and data from the war to create a highly-advanced warform that could go underwater, fight in space, fight on the ground, and could make use of hard-mounted specialized loadouts (ones that admittedly had to be changed prior to deployment) to take on various types of missions from the same base frame. Versatile carried equipment that could be carried was also still made available, though it was far from the main emphasis now, which could act as Supplementary Equipment for units in the field depending on one’s tastes or the given operation/situation at hand.
This version of the mech could also undergo atmosphere re-entry, and exit with rocket assistance, directly. They could withstand the vacuum of space and the farthest of underwater depths, and utilize attachments updated for them to get behind enemy lines in planetary engagements. Omni-Adaptive Thruster technology made maneuverability in space or underwater much easier at that! Thalarite Armor and use of alien-inspired Thalarite energy shielding technology, the latter of which plays into atmospheric re-entry and exit capabilities directly, would give suitable versatile defensive capabilities for the Military-Frame Version 2.0. as well.
By current times, the design of the latest version has been ongoing, already seeing another generation of the Military-Frames pass on to the distinctly better “3.0.” version in regards to armaments and attachments and even the base mechs in full. Currently there are highly experimental but even more advanced “4.0.” versions, but none have been deployed into the field yet beyond limited experimental test runs thus far. Rumors say some of these fourth-generation Military-Frames themselves wield even more incredible highly experimental technology, ranging from micro-thrusters with manyfold the output of current standard ones...to even incredibly miniaturized supercomputers that analyze the battlefields the pilot is one, learn from them, and beam predictive battle info directly into the pilot’s mind for moment-to-moment battle adaptation capabilities (better and better so the more the mech is used in battle against various types of foes and strategies).
In the end, the Xandalian Mech is a technology that is no slouch when put to proper use.
(Aside: Was inspired by Gundams, because I thought that was cool. Experimental 4th generation models are highly experimental for a reason too, but still cool Gundams. Yeah!)
***Gusb Technology - Some of this has been imported alongside immigrants, but most of it has been adapted or converted to Thalarite power sources or is in its ‘true’ form only ever kept in scientific labs for study and research. This tech originated by the Gusb species works originally off of electrical/unidentified-alien-gas hybrid form of power created from a form of advanced-fusion energy tech. This Gusb energy tech utilizes a naturally-occurring and distinctly radioactive (by old Earth radiation detector measurements at least) alien mineral nicknamed “Gusbite” by those on Xandal (since the Gusb name for it is indecipherable by the human tongue). This mineral, which goes far beyond the old Earth period table, produces a more violent and far more intense reaction when enriched and used to create a far more advanced and potent fusion reaction. Little else is known or understood about it, save that it isn’t used on Xandal and the Gusb use it to create ‘batteries’ that are used to power their tech on the small scale and to make ‘reactors’ that power larger-scale tech such as their battleships and cities back home.
***Basic Translator Technology - Basic translation technology developed within the last 100 years after the advent of “The Seven Years Tragedy”. Gusb immigrants usually equip themselves with these for an ease of communication, though more have begun to learn the human tongue and some humans have learned to speak what of the Gusb tongue they can pronounce. Mostly acts as a basis for more advanced translation technology for the Republic post-Gateway-opening at some point.
Military Overview:
***Planetary-Level Combat - On-planet battles are predominantly divided into Land, Air, and Sea divisions.
Land Divisions are initially begun by deploying Xandalian Mechs, who take territory and handle enemy entrenchments/fortresses along the way. They are the vanguard of the Xandalian military, and generally will soften up areas and handle larger-scale threats, large enough warforms, and larger enemy numbers. Infantry equipped with protective insulated Thalarite-polymer armor and effective Thalarite laser weapons, brought in by and working alongside hover-tanks, hover artillery, and armored/armed hover APCs that can move over virtually any terrain (and all have rather limited ‘flight’ capability), will swiftly move in to secure and then hold the taken ground and clear out smaller threats left over. Infantry use their armor and Thalarite weapons alongside things such as portable shield generators to secure camps and deployable scouting drones as well as specialized deployable antennas attached to stronger portable scanning modules to thoroughly scan the area and search for holdouts or hidden traps and so forth as they more greatly secure the foothold on the area.
Air Divisions are usually composed of Jet-Glider-using Mechs that will provide land support by taking down anti-air emplacements by swiftly entering the area and rushing those positions. Massive armored airships will fly in and generally utilize high firepower and high defense to lay down fire on enemy positions on land or otherwise, even being able to safely fire smart torpedoes into oceans from high up in the air, and can deploy from its own hangars smaller helicopter-like aircraft with two rotating wings and two powerful jet engine-esque propellers on them for rather rapid acceleration and movement speeds. Such smaller craft are “Reliants” that can lift off from a stationary position and swiftly move about akin to a Jet airplane in the air as well. Each Reliant has four missiles or rockets on the underside to fire, dual-gatling-style Thalarite guns that can lay down high rates of fire, and can carry a small amount of infantry or other personnel to drop off to help secure points or board similar large enemy aircraft if such a thing is needed or frankly possible. The Reliants are employed as anti-small aircraft and ground-securing or boarding/transport measures, whilst the main Airship also has anti-smaller-craft measures installed alongside its array of bigger guns.
Sea Divisions are usually composed of advanced craft called “Maru” that can hover to the correct positions and submerge into the water from there to navigate the seas. These craft are basically super-sci fi submarines, and usually are only deployed on-world when submersible craft are needed for a given operation. They can then leave the water and hover back to their carrier after operations, or if their hover capabilities were damaged the carriers (called “Crane-Frame Carriers” can hover over the location of these craft and pull them up into themselves for storage and repair. At times the Maru can also carry and deploy a number of Version 2.0. upgraded “Deep Sea” model Mechs, which are akin to the old version but with improved systems and equipment and such all-round.
***Space Combat - Xandalian Mechs dominate the smaller-craft level battles of space, having incredible maneuverability and enough defenses and loadouts to take on that they can cut down smaller craft and assault larger ones in a combat role. These possess point-defense and defenses that make ships smaller than them generally a moot point, and they are supported by smaller, sleeker ships that usually sport high speed and run interference or harry enemy craft or even intercept small automated craft/drones/ships in combat as well. Destroyers are the first real ‘larger’ ship used beyond this, containing high defenses and firepower to lay into the enemy fleet with distinctly less speed but exceptionally good range ranging from close to long range capabilities at maximum. These Destroyers usually have the smaller sleeker craft, dubbed “Corvettes”, with them in some numbers.
Larger Carriers come after this, carrying large numbers of Xandalian Mechs and very high defenses in exchange for rather limited firepower and carrying capacity. These deploy their Mechs and receive them back after battle (or during battle if injured need to retreat), as well as designate a portion of their mechs as reserves that are saved for use when or where such reserves are needed. Some also carry even larger amounts of Corvettes to bolster those numbers in battle.
Beyond this, grand Battleships also carry their own contingents of Xandalian Mechs and are escorted by a couple of Destroyers, as well as the Destroyers’ accompanying swarms of Corvettes, and a couple of Carriers as well. These ships are far larger in scale than the rest of the ships previously mentioned, boasting a titanic size, high defenses, and even higher offensive capabilities and weapons that can be fired into the enemy from super-long-range (or other weapons for closer ranges) as the situation demands. These are usually the flagships, the ships on which the commanders from the Republic are placed in order to direct the battle, and as such these ships have the most robust and potent comms arrays that keep the fleet interconnected. Taking out the Battleship is the best way to weaken a Republic fleet, though is tough to do, though as an aside comms between their other ships will still be generally possible without the Battleship...just not as smooth as the chain of command rather ‘suddenly’ shifts to backup and ultimately emergency measures.
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Additional Info:
***Important Note 1: The military is only at 25% deployment currently, aka: the peacetime level of deployment that takes care of smaller issues during peace and maintains anti-piracy activity and such. The full military isn't currently active. Do not worry.
Wyn met Astella and made her Embassy at the divine city while Arira set her pain free and forevermore set the cycles and the world by extension, right.
Upon the balcony of her making, the goddess of beauty did lounge. Upon a large purple pillow, she lay in blissful peace. Her eyes were shut, her limbs outstretched and all was well within Wyn’s home. She had lost track of the time since when she had come to the mountain. It could have been two days or two weeks, nothing very exciting had happened of note to make her keep track. In fact, she hadn’t even left her embassy at all, thus she had never seen Astella or any others who might have come. Honestly, it would be their fault if they missed the shining jewel she had made to help uplift the squalor around it. Those humans were far too engrossed in their own work, or scared by the majesty of the building to dare approach. Not that she wanted that, anyways. These ones were dirty and unrefined. Let them waste their lives away through work.
No, the only company she had was the small cat from time to time.
It was scarred and ugly, yes, but Wyn had a suspicious feeling it belonged to, if not Astella, then another god. Her paranoia of the fact the thing could be spying on her prevented her from acting towards it. Or perhaps she just enjoyed the fact that it only slept and did not bother her. She didn’t really care at the moment to find out which mattered more to her. Now was a time for peace, for rel-
A woman’s voice boomed above her, shattering that peace and startling her. Wyn grumpled and opened her eyes. Whoever it was droned on and on about the seasons and bla bla bla. She couldn’t even make out what it was only that their divinity shined like a beacon. Sighing angrily, Wyn got to her feet, disappointed that her relaxation had been interrupted. She gripped the stone railing and watched the sky above like a hawk, still not really understanding what was going on or the intentions behind those words. The only thing she knew at that moment was that it aggravated her. Then the voice began to scream about shutting something, or just the word shut. She scoffed, wishing the voice would shut up instead.
And, to her great surprise, the voice went silent after letting out a final, if not annoying, scream. What a horrendous sound! But, it was over and Wyn could get back to resting in quiet contemplation. Her shoulders relaxed and she was about to look away when something caught her eye. She stared for several seconds, making out that it was a figure she saw, falling without control. Was that the Goddess who had made such a racket? Did she pass out?
Wyn frowned, perhaps it was a time of saving instead of relaxing.
She took off towards the figure in a blink. Much as she wanted the god to fall for being too loud, she knew this was a moment of opportunity. To be the dashing hero that saved the damsel in distress. To earn a little favor. It was a delicious thought, but Wyn pushed it from her mind. She needed to catch the god first.
She got herself underneath the general area the goddess was falling and then flew up to meet her. As she neared, Wyn could make out it was indeed a Goddess. One of a smaller frame, with long hair and a flowing dress that clung to her limp form. Wyn got into position, outstretching her arms and bracing herself and then she waited for the goddess to hit her.
Their bodies collided with a soft thump, and Wyn wrapped her arms around the Goddess as the force sent them tumbling. She quickly got control and not a moment too soon before a jagged peak would have met them. Ugh, to think of all that rock and dirt clinging to her… She shivered just thinking about it and then cradled her fellow divine in her arms, taking a good look at her. The pointy ears stood out to her the most, but other than that, she was about as good looking as Ze’kelia… Maybe about even. She had a certain womanly charm about her that Wyn did approve of, however. She could tell.
She let out a soft sigh. ”Hmmm, whatever shall I do with you? All tuckered out from whatever you did up there. In times such as this the best one can do is take a nap, I think.” Wyn began to float towards her embassy, even from her view it’s beauty stood out to her like a beacon. ”Would you like that, my dearest falling angel?” she spoke softly to the god, not expecting a response. It wouldn’t be long before they arrived at the embassy and oh, how she had questions.
...As the Goddess of Cycles began to awake once more, her dainty eyelids began to flutter a bit before they would open proper. For a moment she did not notice a thing, though as soon as she rubbed her eyes and began to sleepily look about the room-
“...What?”
-...she would rapidly notice the fact she wasn’t shattered upon a mountainside at the moment. Far from it, actually, she was lying in a grand, soft, beautiful bed that seemed to be comfier than any she’d felt before. Lovely paintings on the walls, beautiful carpet on each side of the bed, a vase of the loveliest flowers on the bedside table, and even the windows were extraordinarily beautiful indeed. She could have gone on and on about it all, but ultimately she could tell rather quickly that she was on Mount Divinus proper still. Even a quick conjuration of a magical map for just a second would corroborate that.
There came two quick knocks to her right. "I was wondering when you would wake." came a sweet, honeyed voice from the room's doorway. There, leaning up against the stone frame was a pale goddess, clad in nothing but a robe of white, which was left open down the middle, leaving little to the imagination. She had a soft smile on her lips as she played with a long strand of her hair, twirling it with a finger as she looked towards Arira. "It isn't everyday I find a fellow divine falling from the sky, in need of rescue but here we are. How are you feeling?"
The Goddess of Cycles would blush for a second, rushing in pulling up the bedsheet to semi-cover herself in embarrassment before gently lowering it once more. Her face was still a tad red, but even so she seemed to work to try to regain her composure and stature rather quickly.
“I-I-I a-am f-fine…did y-you...did you save me from my fall?”
The goddess seemed unphased and strode in, hands behind her back. ”Oh yes, that was me.” she giggled. ”And what a fall it was!” she mused coming to stop at the foot of the bed. She sat down, placing one slender leg upon the bed as she turned her head to Arira. ”I’m Wyn, by the way. What’s your name, angel?” she smiled, flashing pearly whites.
...So much for trying to regain her composure proper, if at all.
As the astonishingly beautiful Wyn spoke to her, calling her ‘angel’, and sat upon the bed with a lovely smile, Arira’s face turned beet red. Really it was darker than that, perhaps some untold ‘embarrassed deep red’ unknown to mortals and divines like? Her soft blue-ish grey eyes couldn’t peel themselves from the features of the deity before her, and a small high-pitched sound could be heard coming the goddess’ closed mouth as she slammed her face into the sheets she still held in her clenched hands.
For a good few seconds she seemed to embarrassedly squeal into the sheets before very hesitantly lowering the sheet where her eyes could see over it and look upon Wyn once more. Even so, it was like a cute puppy looking over at the Goddess of Beauty, lingering red still on the bit of her face that the other goddess could see.
“A-A-A-A...Arira, G-G-Goddess of C-Cycles. A p-p-pleasure t-to meet you, oh b-beautiful Wyn.”
As she spoke, Arira tried to lower the sheet back down to her lap more, even trying to control her breathing and focus once more at that.
At the sight of her Wyn’s smile seemed to grow. ”Ah and I didn’t even tell you my domain but you guessed it all the same. Your clever Arira but,” she clapped her hands and the robe around her changed into that of an ornate, low cut black dress. It contrasted her skin and made the paleness pop while covering most of her revealing parts. ”We can’t be having you all out of sorts, now can we?” she repositioned her leg, folding it in and laying, instead, a hand on the bed. ”So, Goddess of Cycles, what does that mean and why on this good greening earth were you falling in the first place?”
“M-My thanks…I-I am unused to s-s-such incredible beauty before me...even as a goddess,” Arira said in return, halfway not thinking about her words as she averted her eyes for only a moment as Wyn changed the clothes. She then took some more deep breaths before looking back up at Wyn’s face with a bit more composure, holding her back up straight even, and seemed to be at least better off than before despite the light pink left in her own lovely cheeks, “I had gone to help fix this world, b-but I overexerted. The seasons, the proper climates cycles, weather cycles, reproduction cycles, life cycles, and so forth needed to be set in their places....for since I came forth from the divinity that bore me, they have cried to me ceaselessly and endlessly. It has caused me great pains, wracking my form with the anguish of the world as it pleaded for relief and stability.
Thus I sought to end this pain once and for all, for both the world and mineself, I moved to the highest point of this world, and took upon the coil of my True Form. However, even for a goddess I seem to have gone a tad too far. Even so...the pain has ceased. The world must yet be repaired as others do their work, but a good deal of major things have been fixed and bound to mine existence to keep them rooted and stable henceforth.”
One of the Cycle Goddess’ hands began to lightly play with the gold-ornament-decorated part of her silky-soft tan hair, specifically the bit of hair hanging near the right side of her face. Yet her other hand that gripped the sheets gripped them even tighter than before as she talked about the pain itself. To admit she had overexerted and so forth, it was something that got under her skin a tad. Even so she owned up to it plainly nonetheless.
Wyn tilted her head with a gentle expression. She spoke next, her words but a soft whisper. ”You are very brave, Lady Arira and from what I can already tell, you have a pure heart and sound mind. Full of compassion and empathy. Though you were beset by such pain, you never faltered. You did not succumb and instead you rose to meet the challenge and fix what you could. An angel, battling her demons so that the world might live on and thrive as the cycles intended. As you intend.” Wyn looked upon her and smiled. ”I find that… Inspiring. Truly.” Wyn let out a soft sigh and scooted herself further up on the bed, changing her position to fully face Arira. She sat on her knees and folded her hands over them. "Attractive even. To put one's own wellbeing before others? It would make any fair maiden swoon.” Wyn smiled playfully.
The red in Arira’s face seemed to return to some extent as the beauty goddess layered on the compliments, and a very light ‘meep’ escaped the cycle goddess’ own lips in turn. The one hand holding the sheets pulled up just a little, reflexively wanting to hide her face again, but Arira forced it to stay down this time with what willpower she had left for that. No one had ever...she’d never seen before...waahh.
“I-I-It is n-nothing, I s-simply acted w-with the desire to h-h-help. I c-c-could not bear to see and f-fell the world in such p-pains…”
She semi-struggled to meet Wyn’s eyes regardless, her hands playing with her own hair and gripping the sheet even more than before now.
”So humble too! You truly are an angel, Lady Arira.” Wyn said, scooting herself closer. ”Oh! You mentioned something earlier that intrigued me. You said you were born from divinity? What does that mean exactly, If I might ask?”
The Goddess of Cycles looked back at Wyn, who she now noticed was even closer to her. Still, doing her best to hold what bit of her composure she had ‘locked down’ at the moment, she nodded her head at the other goddess’ question, “Y-Yes. I am the firstborn daughter of the divinity ‘Chakravarti’, divine of Families. A v-v-very excitable and overbearing sort to be born to, I-I’m afraid, but when Chakravarti was traveling they came across mortals in some ruins. Here t-the mortals mistook them for a demon, and...after hearing them swear to avenge each other in perpetuity if one of their own was slain….my parent was aroused. Horribly aroused...”
Arira buried her face in the sheet at the mention, embarrassment overriding her other feelings for a moment before she would eventually lower the sheet down hesitantly once more.
“From thus I was b-born on the spot...a most embarrassing o-o-origin indeed.
Yet still, I took the humans there i-i-into my c-care and dedicated m-my birthplace as a sacred paradise. Such i-it remains as even n-now.”
The goddess squirmed where she was sitting up in the bed a little as she spoke, almost like a nervous child admitting some dark and embarrassing secret to a rather lovely new friend…
Wyn seemed engrossed in the story that she told. ”Interesting!” she exclaimed at last, smiling warmly at her. The goddess then sat cross legged before Arira, an arms length away. ”Your mother? Father? They seem… Very... Exciting! No need to be embarrassed, Lady Arira. In fact there is nothing to be alarmed about here. Relax, I insist and tell me more about your Paradise and what a God of families even does?”
The Cyclical Goddess seemed to perk back up a little, relaxing slightly more as Wyn seemed to be genuinely interested in her Paradise and Parent. Perhaps the latter was more awkward than anything to talk about, poor Ossurman, but the former was far less so. Far from it actually!
“O-Oh! Well, my parent...oh dear. From what I’ve ever known of them, they aren’t male nor female. More like ‘everything’. Literally. Which is nothing of a problem at all, but their behavior is rather dramatic and eccentric and far more problematic.
To be frank, as the God of Families they would likely preside over things such as tracing back the bloodlines of families, watching over them, strengthening the bonds of families or watching over their homes, forming them-...”
Oh her gut feeling was kicking her hard for this one, but the realization dawning on her was far from unfeasible by any measure of the imagination.
“...and on that last note I hath had a most worrying suspicion form in mine mind. With how my parent is, behaves, and so forth, they might very well be doing something as peculiar or wholly embarrassing as proposing marriage to every single divine being they meet in this world. Aaaah…”
Another small, puppy-like whimper and brief instance of hiding her face in the sheets again, though this time Wyn wasn’t the cause as much as Arira’s anxious suspicion was. Still, after lowering the sheet once more the goddess tried to breathe and calm herself a bit more. It didn’t make everything suddenly better, but it did help a little at the very least.
“But my paradise! A-Ah, y-y-yes! It is a land that flows with all the resources of the world at one’s disposal, a place of plenty wherein those that have known naught but suffering may find rest. A place consecrated by mineself, as it is where I was born, and that has become an extension of me in the process. It hath been hidden from the world to secure it most ardently and thoroughly in turn.
Originally its inhabitants were only ever the humans who once lived in that area, but as I hath gone about performing acts of creation roundabout the Paradise and upon the land...I hath added more to live there of other races I hath made by mine hands. Indeed, they are a curious variety and yet are mine beloved children nonetheless whom are all represented within mine Paradise as is most fitting.
I hath taken up teaching those who lived within mine Paradise, and have given permission and invitation to the Goddess of Dreams to do so as well after the two of us met, to guide them and teach them and examine the long-term nature of their existences as the fruit of the land there shall begin to change and shape them all over time. Naught any form of vile or evil being done, of course, but I cannot deny that as they live and grow and so forth there that they shall accrue the touch of mine Paradise within and be thus changed forevermore in time.
Of course I cannot extend such graces to all mortals, as to learn and grow and live in the imperfect world is best. To coddle them such they rely on mineself for all things, to become lax and lazy and undisciplined even, such is what I seek to avoid really. Yet those in mine paradise shall become better than that, very much so...beyond such I hath not had much of a plan for the far future to be most frank about the matter. Yet such a plan hath not been needed thus far either, not as divinity hath sought to restore this Shard of Creation, this Shard of Galbar, to a liveable and stable state.”
Beyond this, Arira seemed to become more excited and happy as she got to the topic of her Paradise. It brought out a somewhat more confident side of her, her blush fading as she began to get into the details and speak about the features and locations there and so forth. Ultimately she would settle back down again, though, taking a few deep breaths...and a light pink forming in her cheeks as she realized she got on a ramble.
Wyn had followed along, giving nods and raised eyebrows. When Arira had finished, the Goddess took on a thoughtful look and spoke, ”Such passion my lady, it does me good to see it bloom within a fellow divine and her own creations. To be inspired… To have a muse… How wonderful indeed. I would seek out this place one day, if not to see it with my own eyes but to cherish it as I cherish this moment. I imagine it is far more beautiful than this Mount, besides my own keep of course.” Her voice grew lower next. ”Yet, I cannot stop my thoughts from wandering to your parent and what you said. If they intend to marry all the gods… Who or what would that leave you with? Now, I don’t mean to presume but surely a family god would want their own daughter to marry?” Wyn began to twirl her hair again.
“Hmm...If such a trend was happening, for I know not if it or any other has been, I-I...I w-w-would need to seek m-m-m-m-m-m-arriage somewhat soon t-to avoid being alone...,” the cycles goddess said, a less pink and more deeper red flush beginning to come to her cheeks as she pondered it all, “N-N-Not all would h-have perhaps agreed...b-but my p-p-parent is rather d-determined...s-s-still, I-I would think t-that they would want m-me to m..m...m-marry, y-yes. P-P-Perhaps pester m-me over eventually t-t-to do even.”
It felt like a right assumption based on her parent’s character and behaviors. Images of three deities she’d met so far flashed through her mind as she spoke of the matter, Wyn among those, seemed to bubble up in her mind at that. It was all so sudden though! H-How would she ever find someone if her parent ever DID something like that?! She would have to send out something to investigate for herself, or perhaps pay a visit to Chakravarti and sweet little Ossurman after this.
“B-But who? W-W-Who...w-who would ever desire m-mineself as a b-b-bride? I...I am not a great g-goddess...s-simply one t-that has sought to make things better is a-all...”
Arira seemed to get a bit disheartened as the matter and its panic began to assail her mind more strongly now.
She’d only met Algrim briefly, and though their brief time together had been enjoyable she’d simply promised they’d meet again to celebrate once the pillars were made. Likewise being around I’Iro had been a great blessing to her to talk with another intellectual, and one who seemed to help believe in her at that, indeed. Both had left a good impression on her in some fashion, and she hoped to talk to each of them more yet, but ultimately to impose such a major thing on either would be ever so impolite and embarrassing and out of the blue! She did not want to act so desperate! It was an unsavory thing. Those two were friends!
But to not marry eventually would be...oh heavens, she would one day never hear the end of it would she? The idea of being married sounded ever so lovely, and felt like something she genuinely wanted, but at the same time she had no idea who in this world could ever love such a strange goddess as she. She was not much, simply one who sought good despite the presence of the chaos otherwise. She wasn’t so naive as to think evil didn’t exist or never had its time, but all the same she had just passed out from something some greater divinity could have perhaps done so easily. What was she compared to the others out there?
In the end, the goddess pulled up her own hands and let go of the sheets, placing one hand on either side of her own face and trying to calm herself down from that bit of panic.
Wyn drew in close, her sweet scent washing over Arira. The Goddess of Beauty then reached out with a slender hand and with her fingers she caressed Arira's chin then guided it up to look at her. Wyn's face was serene in the light and she looked upon her with a charming smile. "I can see my words have given you a great deal of panic. Put fear from your heart, my lady. There could be many Gods and Goddesses out there waiting, untouched by your parent's lust." she dipped her head down to be eye level with Arira and stroked her chin with her thumb. "But there's also nothing wrong with being single for a time. It gives one the option of testing the waters, per say. Gives us options… Oh my lady." she whispered longingly. "I have given you much distress today…" Wyn began to lean her head in closer as her hand moved to Arira's cheek, underneath the Cycle Goddess' own. "Let me make it up to you?" she asked with a whisper that dripped with silk, moving her lips even closer.
If there was one way to get the Cycles Goddess to cease her panic about marriage and her parent for the moment, then what Wyn was doing had just stopped that train of thought in a literal heartbeat.
It didn’t take much to gently take Arira’s chin with those slender fingers, and move her face to look into that of the Goddess of Beauty’s. As rather flustered as the action made Arira, it felt to her like much of her strength had suddenly left her as she looked into Wyn’s lovely eyes and that charming smile in turn. A deep red settled in the daughter of Chakravarti’s cheeks as Wyn’s thumb softly touched her chin, and the longing tone seemed to rouse something strong within her she had never...really ever...felt before...things just like Wyn in that other attire had made her feel. By the time Wyn placed a hand underneath Arira’s own and caressed her cheek, the poor deity was basically, if not literally, a weak and red-flushed mess of putty in Wyn’s hands.
“Y-Y-Y-You m-m-m-may…,” she very weakly said, her breaths more labored as her face drew gently closer to Wyn’s...as if it was being pulled by some unseen force. The anticipation became palpable but as Wyn’s eyes fluttered shut, their lips did meet with a burning passion unleashed. It was a beautiful cycle…
None
Wyn is lounging about up on the Mount and then she hears this screaming and gets all upset her mood is ruined. It finally gets quiet but she sees someone falling from where the shouting had been coming from. Oh no! Wyn being Wyn and thinking about what she could get out of saving someone, goes and rescues Arira after the poor little goddess tuckered herself out. She then takes Arira home and the PoV switches to the Cycle Goddess. Arira and Wyn then meet and boy does she get flustered by the Beauty God, who has to tone it down (wear actual clothing) to have a conversation with her. They chat and get to know one another but not really cause Wyn asks Arira about stuff then eventually seduces her and things fade to black.
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