[h2][center][url=http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=3ZU3MWMAJts#Epic_World_Music_-_The_Imperial_City]The New League of Empires, Sae, Empire of Shelishi[/url][/center][/h2]

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The splendorous city of Sae was a jewel of the Empire of Shelishi, a symbol of their imperial might. Merchants ran to and fro through its great markets, the streets bustling with people far and wide. It was only fitting that the New League of Empires, the most powerful council on the planet, would make it's home there. Not that all of the members agreed to it, of course. There had been wars fought over where to place the council. It was a miracle it had not fallen apart yet.

Despite these adversities, it persisted. The empires would rather consolidate their power and wealth, rather than break up the league with their infighting and bickering, leaving them all vulnerable to any coalitions that would spring up to combat their glory. And now the assembly was deciding on one of the most important decisions ever made. To go to space. To explore the unknown, to supplement the limited wealth on Sirisai.

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Rari rubbed his eyes as words droned on from the speaker of the assembly, "... Therefore come fifty years, there will not be enough on Sirisai to support us. The limited wealth will be fully distributed, and yet many will still need wealth distributed. It simply..," he droned out the speaker's words. He wrote the damn speech, he didn't have to listen to it. Rari knew that the speech would work. It had to work. He tuned the speaker back in.

"In conclusion, we, the Empire of Shelishi, collectively, believe it is time we left our cradle. It is time we grasp out to what is rightfully ours, the wealth in the stars. Let this planet not be our tomb. Let it be our jewel. Our jewel to the great accomplishments of every empire in this room," the speaker finished. Within moments, the room filled with applause. When the time for the vote came, very few people voted against it. It was a veritable landslide victory.

After the applause had died down, the speaker continued. "Gentleman of all three empires in the room, we have a surprise for you," he continued, "in orbit, is the vessel named the Endeavor. An exploration vessel, it includes all state of the art technology we have access to. Not only that, but it is large enough to hold a hundred Resomi safely. Truly, this is a scale not seen before on spacecraft," the man finished. It elicited a response from the crowd, amazement radiating from them.

The presentation screen revealed the ship. A massive project, it required orbital construction. The Endeavor floated idly in orbit, awaiting a crew and orders. "We plan for the launch to happen within the week. The Empire of Shelishi will answer any questions the public has. Your empires will be required to provide 25 crewmen, while Shelishi provides 50. As we--" suddenly, the speaker was interrupted. From the crowd, a representative of the Niiserian Empire had made his voice known. "This is hardly fair! We agreed together on this furtherment of our species, why should," he paused, as though trying to get something distasteful out of his mouth, "the Empire of Shelishi get the most representation?"

Voices raised across the room, some in agreement, some the opposite. Argument began to fill the air, as the speaker desperately tried to regain order. Rari sighed. He should've known that it would have caused an argument. He should've known that the other empires wouldn't agree to such representation. Now the entire concept could be in jeopardy, as arguments usually lead to wars. Picking himself up off his chair, he went up to the speaker podium. The original speaker stepped to the side, letting Rari up. He tapped the microphone once. Twice. A horrible noise came from the speakers, eliciting a sudden, hushed silence, only broken by the occasional groan of pain from the noise.

"I apologize for the transgression. It was a faux pas. I would like you all to consider a new idea; Twenty five people from each empire, and the last remaining 25 slots being filled by various representatives from the minor nations," he spoke into the microphone as over a hundred eyes watched him. The room filled with approval, some eager, others merely a hushed and defeated mumble of defiance.

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The time had come. After several days, the preparations were complete. From multiple launchpads within the empires of Sirisai, representatives from across the globe filed into rockets. They had spent the last few days being prepared for this moment, when the rockets took off to dock at the ship. People from across the glove watched, news would be made this day. Each empire transmitted the views of their respective rockets, and each empire prepared for history in the making.

The Endeavor stood, a silent titan, ready to be filled with the crewmen and representatives of the species.

And so the rockets launched, bringing with them payloads of crew. From each part of the globe, they launched far into the sky, enroute for the ship. It would be a day's process, the actual launch of the Endeavor would not happen until the next day. Nevertheless, excitement and wonder overtook Sirisai. The beginning of a new era, a space-age. 

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The entire compliment of crew had been loaded onto the Endeavor. Running through it's final checks, Resomi ran from place to place. Nothing could go wrong, not in the maiden journey. Meanwhile, the representatives prepared speeches, prepared their dress choices. Representing the empires was not an easy job, and each and every one of them was the best the empires had to offer.

The ship was ready. Nothing more could be prepared for. Millions of people glued their eyes to their TV sets, a million eyes watched an orbital camera's feed of the Endeavor. It was time. The engines flared once, the ship lurched forward, and then the FTL kicked in. The Endeavor suddenly caught speed, flying out of view within moments. The maiden voyage had begun.