Much to the dismay of the Ragnarov Fleet delegation, it was not a member of the board or even the president they encountered when they arrived in a conference room lit through its walls with an airy and comfortable ambiance. However, an appropriate toady was at their disposal and authorized to engage in the bureaucratic and legal niceties necessary to facilitate the dismissal or satisfaction of their manifold demands. At first glance, the windowless room was furnished merely with a translucent white table, round and wide enough to comfortably accommodate all members present; however, as the UFP representative began to recline, a comfortable chair materialized beneath him. He gestured that the others in the room do the same if they so desired.

[i]“Please, make yourself comfortable. Did you enjoy any of your native refreshments from the matter dispensers in the lounge?”[/i] he began and, from the looks on their faces, quickly ascertained an answer in the negative. Thus off to a solid start, he segued to a more relevant and substance-oriented query. [i]“Let me apologize for the apparent disarray and maltreatment of foreign dignitaries. The board wishes it could have sent a member or, perhaps, the chairman himself, but one of our industrial planets was recently attacked and as such all senior government personal are preoccupied with damage control and the defense of the United Federation of Planets. However, I, the undersecretary of foreign affairs, have been temporarily elevated to the station necessary to negotiate a treaty with your government which is, as I understand it, your purpose here today. Now,”[/i] and at this he glanced at a thin sheet of marked e-plastic on the table, [i]“it appears the first order of business is the establishment of an embassy. Very good, very standard. There is an assortment of sites in the capital for you to lease or, if you prefer it be off-world, you can deploy an embassy module along any of these orbital trajectories.”[/i]

He tapped his finger on the table, slid something to the side, and made a gesture as if he was flicking something their way. A moment later, the table lit up before the three Ragnarov Fleet members with the details. [i]“Whether you choose to be neutral, allies, or enemies, it is in everyone’s best interest to maintain such an embassy, as it guarantees a line of communication. Feel free to contact us at your leisure with your preferred selection. But yes, relationships. Which brings us to the second item on our agenda. You want to purchase planets from us. We don’t trade with hostile powers, so I can only assume you wish to be allies. You will find before you a standard contract of shared interests of foreign powers. Boilerplate stuff, like if one of our citizens commits a crime in your sovereign space, they are granted legal aid by a representative of their own state and visa versa. You don’t attack us, we don’t attack you. A rather mundane affair. If you wish to engage in any trade with us, you’ll need to commit to that treaty.” [/i]

[hr]Mentions: [@Hekazu] [@JBRam2002] [@Zverda]