[h2][b][center]Six Months Later[/center][/b][/h2]
"[b]We are the United Republic of Columbia. Like you, we seek to preserve our ties to Old Earth, yet we strive to be so much more. We seek to keep the old spirit of democracy, freedom, and cooperation alive in the stars and hope to spread this message, these ideals, to other worlds, to all of mankind. Columbia is home to many, both human and xeno alike, many of which were formerly our enemies, now are our brothers and sisters in arms. Together, we may reach a better tomorrow[/b]" A holographic image of a rather well-dressed young man announced on a loop in select parts of the Columbian portion of the Meeting Place. The interior of the Columbian embassy was designed with a strange blend of idyllic and brutalist designs, a bit of a boastful overstatement, but it was pleasing to the eyes, and rather calming. In the central office of the embassy sat the recently appointed Ambassador Vixril Ghask, the first Janari, let alone the first xeno, to be appointed such an honored position in the URC. He held a datapad, scrolling through as he kept up to speed on recent news. In bolded letters, the sentence "System Colonization Initiative in full swing!" stood out. 

The aftermath of the gateways opening had led to a mass resurgence in stellar exploration, both throughout the galaxy and in their very own home system. The past six months saw preparations to establish a wider, permanent presence throughout the Americana system as whole flotillas of freighters, and construction vessels move beyond Columbia's orbit to establish proper infrastructure in preparation for future colonists.

Ambassador Ghask smirked at the news, after decades of reconstruction and isolation, Columbia has finally begun reaching out to the stars once more, this time, with new comrades by their side. He continued scrolling down to much more troubling news, although he had already been made well aware of the situation going on in the Zeta System, thanks in part to Liason Tanaka's announcement. The recent Zetan conflict has grind the senate to a stand still, some senators calling to for war and to deal with the threat the Zetans could become. Others call for the opposite, demanding the ECU end their war and to hear out the Zetan's side of the story. Officially, the URC will remain a neutral party in the conflict, no doubt, much to the relief of the ECU and Undefeated, however, some parties on both sides are seeking to change that. 

[hr]
[@Crusader Lord]
[b][u]
Columbian Space
Space Military Training Grounds
[/u][/b]

Admiral Wilson watched from the command bridge of the CSS Argus as the training exercise commenced, admiring the maneuverability of the  Xandalian Military-Frames, always seemed to be a step ahead of their Columbian counterparts. Granted, spaceborne frames was an entirely new concept to the Columbian military, before the gateway opened, there seemed to be no need to move the combat frames up in space. The reports provided by Captain Brywell, however, proved that it was both quite viable, and tactically sound. Impressive really that the R&D department managed to churn out the Serpah Driive prototypes(The official, fancy name of the spaceborne propulsion boosters.) in a few months.

He continued to observe the mock battle before his comm officer spoke. "Admiral, we're being hailed by the Cyclostro. They're requesting your input on the current mock battle."

"Tell them that so far, I'm quite impressed." Wilson said with a smirk. "Never seen combat frames move with such grace, and I do look forward for further cooperation in this new technological path."