"I DON'T KNOW BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD!" A single voice screamed through a megaphone.

"I DON'T KNOW BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD." Came the reply, barked out by far more people.

"LIFE OFFWORLD CAN GET REAL OLD." The back-and-forth continued.

"LIFE OFFWORLD CAN GET REAL OLD." Again came the response.

"OUR ALLIES CALLED US SAID TO COME!" Crackled the megaphone.

"OUR ALLIES CALLED US SAID TO COME!" Echoed the response.

"TO KICK THE ASS OF REBEL SCUM!" This line was said with some relish, even through the megaphone's distortion.

"TO KICK THE ASS OF REBEL SCUM!" The reply was equally as enthusiastic.

"MATUVISTAN VOLUNTEER CORPS!" Shouted the drill sergeant.

"OOOOOOOORAH!" Rippled out from the crowd of uniformed soldiers, rifles held high.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? TO NOT BE HEARD? [b]PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT!"[/b] Spittle flew from the drill sergeant's mouth.

[b][i]"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAH!"[/i][/b] Came the second response, so loud that it threatened the integrity of nearby windows.

[b]"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"[/b] The soldiers continued marching, another cadence call starting up as they did so. The Matuvistan Volunteer Expeditionary Corps were prepared and ready, drawn predominantly from the army, but a few men-at-arms and marines had also joined the crew, being formed into auxiliary units. It wasn't a large force: only a few thousand soldiers, but they were here to assist, not to steal all the glory. This was the final batch of the Expeditionary Corps to be sent to New Hollywood, the soldiers marching their way towards the spaceport that would carry them into the stars. For many, this was their first time ever leaving Matuvista, and for some, it was their last time ever seeing their homeworld.

But the saints could ferry a soldier to the afterlife no matter where they fell, and so they ventured forth, confident and ready to keep another oligarchic nation from losing its way. They were put under the command of an up-and-coming young jetknight: one Isabella de Lobasla, the person to propose the alliance to her politically influential father. Comporting herself well on this task, regardless on its actual success, could springboard her political career... Or relegate her to being just another jetknight commander without a future. Still aboard the [i]Santa De Angelo, [/i]the young woman took on her new duties with the taste and decorum required by a patrician, no matter how much she wanted to stay and continue to indulge with her new oligarch friends.

[hr]

[center]Addressing |[@Liotrent]|[/center]

If there was one thing the Zetan Consciousness was good at doing, it was learning from its mistakes. For too long, they had allowed others to control the narrative. Now, despite the gala actively ongoing, they were not about to let another opportunity slip past them. Sigma-Devi was currently occupied with the gala, but Alpha-Newton was not. There was the small problem that Alpha-Newton was not a diplomat, but this was such a small problem that it hadn't even occurred to the Collective. They were now regretting this.

Still, he was the only person available to respond to this 'New Haven Directorate' from Zeta, and they needed to hit the ground running. Once the music was done, the various communications beacons aboard the Zetan part of the meeting space turned towards this new craft, and Alpha-Newton's monotone voice sounded out.

"The song was rather... Enjoyable to listen to. My name is Alpha-Newton, representative of the Zetan Consciousness, a nation dedicated to furthering mankind's understanding of the universe. You have arrived at the Meeting Place, an international neutral zone for the various galactic nations to interact with each other. I am afraid you've caught us at a slightly awkward time: much of our diplomatic staff are currently aboard the rather large vessel you can see in orbit some distance away from us for a gala." He paused for a moment.

"However, we are both happy and available to take guests at this time. Should you desire to meet face to face, we can supply directions and docking instructions to our section of the Meeting Place."