[i][b]Historical archive[/b][/i]

2181 / II - First permanent city, Lindros, founded on Garden IV (mountain north of Outpost D).
2181 / III - Second and Strike Fleet relocated to Garden system.
2181 / IV - XD-5 Warrior launched for OpEval.
2181 / IV - Opportunity Station completed following redesign. Opportunity, Terminus and Exodus systems now open to civilians. Home fleet cruiser is stationed here for ferrying travellers to the Nebula
2181 / XII - Construction of a fortress installation in Transfer proposed by the Faira.
2182 / I - Decommissioning of the Guardian-class ships begins. Free berths on Faira’Karte used to speed up building additional Privateer-class replacements.

[i][b]Opportunity system[/b][/i]

The last few years have been quite eventful, despite the lack of progress on the Exploration front, or so Rear Admiral Libra thought. With most resources from the Narix side being diverted to upgrading their fleet and building Lindros and the Faira focusing on completing the Strike fleet and the Singularity, it was thought best to fortify Transfer for now and wait. Finally, they have also gotten the head nod to go ahead with the construction of a fortress in the system, as it made for a perfect choke point against any invading force.

Today though, Libra had a very different proposal for Runa, one that she has been preparing for years to make. The admiralty thought that it was time to remind their allies to take a step up from the Alliance. And Libra was happy to bring it up. For years now they have been one nation in all but name. The Faira have even acquired enough of the Narix currency and launched a few government owned corporations that worked on the free market. With the settlement of Garden and possibly more systems in the future, it was also high time they started thinking about a less centralized government system.

Sending the invite, Libra recalled the time when her counterpart was inhabiting a rickety old ship. Obviously, time moved forward, she thought as she looked at the footage of Opportunity station.

The Opportunity station had many advantages over the Alchemist, but the little old ship had it beaten in one area: mobility. Whenever they needed to meet, the ‘Hexus now either had to navigate the civilian ships and dock with the station, which caused some delays despite its diplomatic status and docking priority, or she had to shuttle over through the same mess. Having received the invitation, Runa notified her pilot and headed to the docking bay where the diplomatic shuttle was landed.

Having intensified their trade relations on top of everything, the Faira had equipped their diplomatic hub with a few amenities of the other species. As such, there was a mug of fresh iced Fersom waiting when Runa arrived, the aroma spread throughout the room - something the Faira used as well, as they found the smell quite lovely. Libra busied herself in the meantime by ‘examining‘ the fresh batch of Narix musical productions she has grown quite fond of. Their marches were rather inspiring.

Upon arriving, Runa immediately noticed the mug and its content. “So that’s why the income from liquor taxes is reaching the stars lately. No wonder minister Ertanax is in such joyous mindset these days.” she greeted her Faira counterpart. “So, admiral, when are you getting an upgrade?” Runa grinned, referring to the station.

“As soon as we find a suitable planet for us. Until then, my place is here.” Libra smiled, beckoning for Runa to sit down. “I’ve called you here to update my overlook an how our peoples stand. What’s the mood on the homeworld, did the numbers for ‘burn them all’ sway in any direction?” the rear admiral asked.

“The ‘burn them all’ was just a part of the four percent. It’s dying down. Slowly, but it is. It’s been quite a while since any public protest was organized, nobody’s heard from them since the Hammerhead got up and found the node for us. Would you believe lord-commander Eudorian was in the ‘keep them out of the system’ part of the four percent until that happened? Not to mention your mining fleet played a big part in catching the Ring asteroid debris. Some people just overreacted, some idiots realized you weren’t a burden, some can be chalked up to people voting that way because they thought it would be funny and the rest we’ll simply have to put up with until they do something outside of law. Then, Ardor. Those that got a little too deep into their protests have painted a target on their forehead already.”

“Good, good. What about your military personnel? I know the OEP was a success, have you heard anything from those that downright entered our service?” Libra inquired further. She of course conducted research herself among those crews, but she was wondering whether those Narix sang the same song back home.

“Those that entered your service permanently are either former OEP or have done their research. This isn’t the kind of thing you’d rush, and they wouldn’t have gone back if they had problems with it. Some find it hard to handle the Nebula. I can relate. Of course there are minor scuffles on a personal level here and there, but that was to be expected and should be handled by the people themselves or their COs if it gets in the way of their work. Initially, there were some complaints of supply shortages, mainly food variety, but trade and Opportunity station itself have helped to remedy that. As far as people outside your service, some are a little bitter over the outcomes of some exercises. Pride is a fragile thing. Second and Fifth have fully accepted you as their sisters in arms, some as far back as the Battle of Beetle. Boffins seem to enjoy working with you. You make things easy, as I heard one put it.”

“Good to hear. The reason I’m asking is that the outcries for unification have reached peak after a large number of people got their shore leaves following Operation Boredom. With the stories they brought, the Admiralty is hard pressed keeping them on the leash and from sending a petition to your government. It is with that that I am on behalf of the Admiralty and the Exiles of Faira proposing we have another round of talks regarding the unification of our nations.” Libra said, handing over an official looking paper letter.

“Stories, eh? Pick some example?” Runa examined the paper for a few moments before responding. “This has been coming for a while now, hasn’t it? Even we are starting to see it, though isolationists still remain. Just merging the governments will be a nightmare.”

“A nightmare that, when we wake up, should afford us to have a very nice day. As you said, this has been coming, and even if we fail this time, I have no doubt that our peoples will make us try and try again until we get it right. The Alliance has been a good first step, perhaps we should keep the approach and not try to make a final solution just yet. That is talk for the meeting though. As for stories on our side? The engagement with the Ancients seems to be the favorite. With more and more exaggeration being thrown in every time it is told of course. Sometimes it reminds me of your NNN!” Libra smirked, “But even the civilians have their own stories. The massive game of tag after the Hammerhead incident had the most impact, as ours and yours had to cooperate on a massive scale. And everyone saw it work. No preparation, just nations helping each other in an uncertain age. And even if cooler heads prevailed, there is no question when it comes to choosing a side. It is either being annihilated by the Ancients when we stand against them alone, being annihilated or possibly made subservient to the Relics when we stand against them alone, or to work with you, and possibly be annihilated or made subservient together anyway, but the likelihood is somewhat diminished. It doesn’t take a genius to see which option is preferable.”

“Say what you will, but you have to admit the NNN has a way of extracting the best out of the worst, it keeps spirits high...er. So, when and where do we set the meeting? Opportunity, New Frontiers? How about Garden, have you been there yet? New settlement, new union? Would save the NNN some work with a title and coming up with symbolism.” she grinned.

“Opportunity would be more comfortable, but for the sake of security alone, Naris sees to be the primary candidate. Your government is far more numerous and moving all of them safely would be a nightmare. If the fanatics wanted to make a move against this union, that would be their best time. We can get five admirals in there with relative ease. But, if you feel confident about your security measures, I would like to see how the construction is progressing in Lindros.”

“Your admiralty would have to pass through Naris on their way to Lindros. If they’re willing to move, why drag them there unnecessarily. We could meet halfway, but as you said, Opportunity is somewhat lacking in security measures. New Frontiers station is the same. And unless you want to meet in a power plant, hospital o a mess hall, Lindros might not be the best option after all. If you came to Naris, it would deny the remaining xenophobes the argument of ‘we’re bending to their will’, but can you lead effective negotiations in Naris’ gravity for prolonged time periods?”

“It will be of no concern. We will likely come via the Warden and it will be stationed in orbit during the negotiations. We can go easily for a day and retire to the ship for the night to refresh. Very well, that’S place, check. Now, date? It will take two days or so of reorganization on our side. I imagine you will need a little more?”

“As I said earlier, we’ve seen this coming. Some time to formulate a unified point of view will be necessary. We will disclose the place to you a day before the meetings start to reduce the probability of the location being discovered by potential troublemakers. Three, maybe four days, I’ll get back to you the moment I know for sure. Will you be mindjumping between surface and the Warden or do we arrange escort fighters?”

“We’ll take care of our transportation, no sense introducing any unnecessary hazard.” Libra said, “That said a room with a beacon and do not enter sign would be appreciated. We wouldn’t want a hapless clerk to be torn apart by a spatial vortex. How much… publicity… would this meeting gather? Can you keep this behind closed doors or would statements be expected and how often?”

“We will of course announce the talks are taking place and what is their intention. The citizens have the right to know what’s happening. We’ll see where it goes, but I’m personally not in favor of publicising it, news crews only introduce security issues into the mix. Statements would be handled by the council’s spokesman… or me. I hope for the former. Whoever ends up doing it would take care of that issue completely unless there is something specific someone wants everyone to know. In that case, tell the spokesperson directly, the Councilors and Admirals will be able to fully focus on the talks. The complex where these talks are most likely to be held is several dozen meters below the surface, I believe that’s not going to be a problem, no claustrophobic admirals or any other special needs?”

“If we were claustrophobic, we would be an extinct species. The less we have to tell before the deal is finalized the better. You’ll excuse me for not wanting any… inaccurate or incomplete information leaking out.” Libra said, silently thinking [i]fabricated and omitted on purpose[/i]. And she knew the other person in the room knew that.

“I’d argue ships and subterranean structures are different. Dying due to vacuum exposure is completely different to being crushed by tonnes of soil and rock.” Runa jested, “If that’s all, we’d better get to it. No point wasting time.”

[i][b]Council chambers, somewhere on Naris[/b][/i]

Fortunately, the Faira have chosen to jump straight into the complex. Fortunately for them, as the start of the year brought torrential rain, the clouds no doubt visible from the orbit, where the Warden now lay. The lifeline to and from the ship was a small room, four by four meters, turned into a ‘Faira space’ to give them a more homely feeling, save for the gravity of course. But since this was a complex secret to even most of the Narix population, any step beyond this room would be under guard or, at the very least, watchful eye of the security systems. Following confirmation of the Faira admirality’s arrival, an armed escort, accompanied by Runa, waited in the hall outside.

“So, this is new. All of us in one place that is [i]not[/i] one of the most heavily defended ships in the largest fleet. This better be worth it.” Sola noted, and all the admirals marched through the concrete hallways, all wearing a uniform for the occasion, although most of them worn a nanomesh suit underneath. There was still about 4% chance of encountering the assassin, and all but Libra and Astra thought the danger too high. Libra didn’t believe anyone would attack them. Astra didn’t care either, as anyone attacking them on her watch would be promptly cut down by forces unknown to him.

“Ambassador.” Libra greeted for the group, “Let us get to it. I imagine we will be here for a while.”

[i][b]NNN, Several days later....[/b][/i]

[u][i]A step forward: Narix Council and the Faira Admiralty announce the shape of a confederate governing system![/i][/u]
Over the past few days, The Council and the Admiralty have been in session at an undisclosed location discussing the future of the alliance. The result of their talks came as a staggering surprise to some: The Narix-Faira Confederation! The inner workings of this new confederation have been released to us a few hours ago.

[i]Government[/i]
Domestic policy: Both nations decide their own for their worlds, fleets and installations.
Foreign policy: Both nations will have equal number of representatives which would then vote on the course of action. Who these representatives are is decided by the individual nations.

[i]Law[/i]
Laws: Each nation creates it own laws effective on their territory (worlds/fleets/stations)
Courts: Crimes will be handled by the nation on which territory the crime was committed.
Enforcement: Armed forces of both nations police space and ships. Narix Civic Guard will be responsible for planets (Naris and Garden IV).

[i]Economy[/i]
Civilian: All civilian assets will adopt the Narix Republic Numisma as currency as well as the taxes and market. Faira citizens in active service permanently residing on Narix worlds or stations will be eligible for tax benefits.
Military: Military fleets of both nations will adopt the Faira requisition system.

[i]Military[/i]
The military is commanded by the Faira Admiralty and individual Narix fleet commanders. Ground-based operations will be handled by commanders appointed by the Military council and the Admiralty.
Narix commanders take orders from the Council, Faira commanders are the Admiralty.

This new system leaves a large degree of independence to both nations, yet makes defense, trade and travel much easier with unified command structure, currency, market and eliminating much of the current travel paperwork. Councilor Ayna has also informed us that Dr. Hadrian Ragaros, former administrator of the Blackhole Outpost, has been selected as Garden IVs first governor. Garden’s governors, subservient to the Council, will be appointed by the Council until a Garden attains a sufficient number of permanent residents following the completion of Lindros’ core. The governor is expected to be a part of the decision making proccess of the Confederation along with Faira civilian admirals.

[u][i]Transfer system fortifications[/i][/u]
Construction of a Fortress-class installation has started in the Transfer system to better secure this sole gateway to our home systems. The installation, Transfer'Juno, is expected to begin operations in early 2186. The station is likely to become the permanent home of the Second and Fifth Fleets upon its completion.