[center][h1]Nansei System, Imperial Destroyer [i]Mikazuki[/i][/h1][/center] ([@Dragonruby]) "Captain, ma'am! Get up! This is urgent!" The captain chuckled, not a surprising reaction considering there wasn't exactly much that one might expect to be urgent in the universe anymore. Not since the subjugation of the human colonies. Really, the most exciting thing that ever happened was an argument over whether or not to fund an expedition. As such, the captain-a small-time noble who owned nothing more than a couple asteroids-didn't actually think much of it. "Well we've gotten awfully familiar, haven't we Alexander? What is it this time? Did somebody go and break the coffee maker? Did you have a nightmare and want me to tuck you in like your mommy? Are you too disgusted to empty out the cat's litter box? Be sure to answer carefully, because only one of those is worth waking me up for." "Dammit captain, this isn't the time for joking around! Get your jumpsuit on. No, wait, make it the dress uniform! Oh fuck it, put something on! They can't see you in a nightgown?" "Who's 'they'? Is there an inspection or something? Because if there is then we're totally fucked since we're not even supposed to have a cat on this ship." "Get dressed captain! An unidentified ship just showed up in the system and they sent a message! Flyer Abdul sent a message to the rest of the system informing them that you, as Daimyo of the nearest celestial body and captain of the nearest ship, would make contact. Daimyo Kipposhi has his personal star forces standing by to step in if it goes wrong, so the whole system is watching!" The captain's eyes quickly widened as she jumped out of her bed. "Oh fuck!" She said, running over to her closet and almost tripping on the way. One would think that someone with the best quarters would keep better care of them, but there were various things all over the floor. "Have they made any moves yet? Can we translate their language? How powerful do they look?" "Slow down, captain!" Said Alexander, just before turning around. He and the captain were close, close as a human and Hoshijin could be really, but that wasn't [i]that[/i] close. Were he not an honorary Hoshijin, he wouldn't have been allowed to even enter the room in the first place. "I know the language, it's human. The speaker said that he's an ambassador who comes in peace, but the ship is pretty big. Big enough to be a battleship, I'd say. No obvious weapons, but it could always be a carrier. After all, my people know well that the word peace doesn't mean anything if the person using it finds out they have the bigger stick." "Well in that case have the CIWS ready. Don't power up the railgun though, we need to appear non-threatening for now." "Already done, I thought you would want that. Are you ready yet?" "As well as I can be on short notice. We'll meet Flyer Abdul in the comms suite, both you and him are going to speak as well. You're honorary Hoshijin so you have the right, and you represent distinct parts of the empire. I want them to understand that the Empire is more than my people." "If you didn't talk like that you could own a couple cities instead of a couple mining outposts." "I prefer to talk like that and prefer my mining outposts, thank you." The two double-timed it to the comms suite, which was fairly close thanks to the destroyer's size. The captain herself could hear the fans in the computer core through the walls of her own room, something she found calming. Alexander couldn't imagine sleeping like that. "Flyer!" Said the captain as she entered the room. "Is the channel still open?" "Yes ma'am, they're still broadcasting. Are you ready to respond?" "Damn right I am. Open up on our side, video and all. And come stand with us, I don't want them being surprised if they land and see people that don't look like me. I'd rather not have them assume that you're a subservient species." "I mean... we [i]are[/i]." Said Abdul. "Yeah and you know that I know that you think it's bullshit and you also know that I think it's bullshit too." "This is why you don't own a couple ci-" "I already heard it from Alexander. Open the link. Alexander you do the talking, you're the one that knows the language." Abdul shut up-he wasn't the kind who often did that-and opened the link before moving into range of the room's video camera. Luckily for the captain, the message had repeated itself already. She wouldn't cause an interstellar faux pas. Hopefully. "Uh... hello m'Lord. This is Alexander Moreau, representing Lady Ukon of the Fujiwara clan. She is to my left. To her left is Flyer Ahmed Abdul, our communications officer. The Empire extends it's greetings to your Sovereignty and the Fujiwara clan extends the same to House Maelon. It is an honor to make contact with you, m'Lord." "Tell him that we wish to meet if possible." Said the captain in Hoshijin. "Not with Kipposhi though, with me. The last thing we need is Kipposhi the fool making a first contact. He'd bring Lasis the cripple Daimyo along with him too, and we all know how she is in a formal setting. At least I can hide my oddities. I'd rather not have one of them start a war by some fluke." "Lady Ukon wishes to meet you in person if such a thing is possible, m'Lord. Though she also wishes that said hypothetical meeting take place on either our ship or yours, so as to avoid the complications natural in dealing with owners of other fiefs while in their territory on on their vessels. I'm sure that you, a Lord yourself, understand how such things can cause problems." The captain bowed. Not even a simple greeting bow, but a full-on formal knees-touching-the-ground bow like the one a person would give when being granted a title or being put under a command. There was nothing saying one couldn't do such a thing to a foreigner, but to actually choose to do it was something else entirely. [i]And to think she calls the other Daimyo of this system oddballs.[/i] "May your life be free from evil." She said. Alexander wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was meant to be a sign of goodwill or a reminder not to kill her if there was a meeting, but he translated it all the same and gave a small, more conventional bow himself.