[center][h1][b][color=green]The Xandalian Republic[/color][/b][/h1]

[i][h3]The Meeting Place[/h3][/i]

[h2]"After The Resolution"[/h2][/center]

[hr]

Christensen sat at his desk, terminal in front of him as he leaned back with a small sigh. It had been a hell of a situation, to say the least. 

Within the first six months of the gates reopening, a thing once thought impossible, and a war of all things had broken out. The Zetans had been ganged up on by the Undefeated and the Earth Cultural Union, who had launched an invasion that had likely taken quite the toll on the Zetan population. Besides, his own formerly stated suspicions to Sigma-Devi about the Zetans' nature was something the Senate had seemed to believe by this point. A collective consciousness, a hive mind really, filled with individual will but tied together like a beehive. It was fascinating, but it did bring up one major question..."what did it mean to be human"? 

That was the big ticket thing there, and in truth the question would likely take a long time to answer on the part of the former colonies. 

As for himself, he was glad he'd been able to participate in it all. Drawing attention to the event, and the ensuing further exterior condemnation from other nations to boot, had proven quite the tactic. But that had also been the Senate's plan in the first place: "End Things Peacefully If Possible". Or, at least that was the proper national front the Senate presented. Truth be told, even now the Xandalian Republic was also sending military cargo craft and other relief to assist the Zetans in their post-war recovery efforts. From there it'd be work to build better relations with the Zetans in terms of trade and so forth. 

But it was important to note that the Republic wasn't simply tossing out words before either. The real motto they'd gone by in all of this was "Fight If Necessary, End Things Peacefully If Possible". The Senate had begun military mobilization after his announcement at the Meeting Place, which was one reason they'd been able to transition rather rapidly and more easily into sending relief efforts. Then an ECU Protector had tried to shoot him, only for a cocky youngster Oligarch who had seemed to come to challenge the Envoy to instead try to pull a gun on the wannabe assassin. After that he'd ultimately subdued the bloated lummox of a man who had tried to merc him, but the man had died before he could be taken into custody by Xandalian security from their area of the Meeting Place. Hmm...

...it was a shame, really. He'd have liked to drag information out of the guy himself, to get an understanding about the ECU from the inside. After all, the work to maintain peace wasn't always sunshine and happy politics. Sometimes you had people in the shadows, like himself those years ago, who kept it and maintained it one way or another and kept the people happy. But that was that, he supposed, and he was far more glad to be in a diplomatic role now. It let him have more time to call his grandkids during the off hours!

Christensen had also sent a box of non-Thalarite medicine to the ECU's wing, all intended to help Tanaka in his recovery, and a small gift to boot. A mini music player in the form of a tiny 'jukebox' that played music from old Western movies. Heh. Thing had been close to gathering dust at his home for some time, he had used to listen to it often before being reassigned here. It would of course be in good hands. Miniaturized vintage tech, none of the new Thalarite stuff, and something his great-grandfather had passed down in the family as a sort-of heirloom. Maybe the Earth-crazy cowpoke would enjoy it. 

What would come next, though? That would be the most interesting thing to see after all of this.