[hr][h1][center][color=a187be]A Grand Entrance[/color][/center][/h1][hr]

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“Are you sure?”

There was no reply.

“Are you [i]sure[/i]?”

Again, no reply.

“Scheherazade - are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure?”

A sigh, and the woman seated at the head of the enormous construct making its way for the Gateway turned to face the speaker.

“No, Sachiko. After nearly six… ‘earth months’ I, and every single soul here, and the crew of the Zetan craft, are obviously still unsure of whether this was a wise investment. We poured enormous time and resources into the construction of this monstrosity that we weren’t even sure we might use. We held no fewer than fifty votes on specific additions. We labored day and night on this vessel that’s a space station in its own right - but we were definitely unsure we would use it. Absolutely.” Scheherazade pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “Yes, I am sure. And even if I was not - the Commonality is.”

A cherry blossom tattooed hand pulled her own away, and the concerned expression of her Sister-Sage forced its way into her sight. “But what of the risk of angering them? What if they see it as an aggressive act? We mounted weapons on this thing! It moves under its own propulsion! It’s less a space station than it is a giganti-”

“And we have already been told that is an unlikely occurrence at worst. We are entering alone - after the Zetan vessel. Anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together for a nerve impulse could tell a single large vessel from an invading fleet. Tell me, Sachiko - a system wherein new civilizations pop out of the woodwork with great frequency, are they really going to assume immediate hostile intent from a [i]single vessel[/i]. We have the Zetans with us, for that matter.”

“But wh-”

“No more ‘buts’ from you. Sit down. Relax. Enjoy the trip.” Scheherazade grinned, “One way or another, it’ll be something to remember for the rest of your life - long may it be. If I were you, I’d take this time to practice your English - we may have had the knowledge implanted, but there’s no substitute for practice for speaking it.”

Sachiko frowned, pausing for a moment as she switched to English. “But I c-can speak it better than you can!”

Scheherazade chuckled, “And yet you’re the one with the stutter.” She said in turn, a thick accent on her words. “Now run around and practice, or sit here with me and enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as it lasts.”[hr]

The Gateway loomed ahead. Final preparations were being made. Engineers and technicians and construction ships scuttled about the hastily built structures surrounding it. The Zetans would enter first followed by the massive Ishtari space station module. Unlike the Zetans, the Commonality was terrified. The scientists had calculated that, with the combined efforts into stabilizing the Gateway, the possibility of collapse like that which had afflicted the generation ship [i]Ishtar[/i] was “approximately one in sixteen quintillion” - but such number only somewhat smoothed the hard, festering nugget of fear in the stomachs of every member of the crew. Even Scheherazade and Istir - the unflappable matriarchs of the construct - felt that fear deep within them. The Commonality had almost forbidden them to go, fearing to lose a valued commander like Istir, or a Sister-Sage as old as Scheherazade. Indeed, Scheherazade had not so much been allowed as she had bludgeoned the Commonality into standing by. Rules be damned. She would not miss such an opportunity for all the finest rum on the planet’s surface.

Istir stood beside her now, even though the armored woman was clearly ill at ease in as mundane and plushly furnished a setting as this.

“Istir, dear - sit down will you?” Scheherazade reclined in her chair, crossing one leg over the other and stretching her arms behind her head. “The engineers will tell you - and me - when we’re clear. The Zetans will confirm for us on the other side. Sit. Have a drink. We’ve all sorts of things in here - things for us, not that piss weak stuff we’ve had to set aside for the ones on the other side of that gate. Take the edge off, why don’t you?”

“Because we might be wandering into a hostile situation unknown! Because we might be about to expose ourselves to a pseudo hive-mind of cannibalistic clone soldiers! Because we’re entering unfamiliar space planning on making bold claims and proclamations based on knowledge given to us by a single nation, one who might have fed us biased or erroneous information!”

Scheherazade watched her pace for a minute more, fingers steepled in front of her. “Be that as it may - this is why I was voted to speak for us. If you approach this like a combat situation you only heighten the risk of violence. Patience, Sister-Soldier, some day we may need to take up the sword against them - but I pray that today is not that day. Now, sit. I won’t stop bothering you until you do.”[hr]

"This is the Zetan crew. We've made the crossing safely. You may proceed at your leisure."

A loud cheer went up throughout the Commonality. Billions of voices sounded out through the net as the population of New Ishtar prepared for their own vessel to make the crossing. Business as usual had come to a screeching halt on the planet - all, even those not actively synced into the net at the moment, were riveted by the events now unfolding. Automated factories slowed as the overseer-minds diverted their attention. Artisans stepped away from their tools, production line workers set down their controls. Everyone watched.

The feed stayed consistent through the Gateway, and - a new system greeted their eyes. Sol. The birthplace of humanity. Nestled between the warmth of the sun, the protective gravity of Jupiter, lay Earth - and the space station that had been dubbed the Meeting Place.

The Ishtari space station module fired up its engines to full power, broadcasting its message to all descendents of humanity within the system. First in English - then in Esperanto, Spanish, and more.

[quote][i]Fellow descendants of earth, greetings. We are the people of New Ishtar. Trapped by a formerly unstable Gateway, we have been forced to remain by the wayside in anticipation of this day. Well that day has come, and we are overjoyed to meet you at long last. We know there has been strife among your number. We stand ready to aid in whatever manner we may. We constructed this module for what you have termed the ‘Meeting Place’ and we look forward to sharing its amenities with you.[/i][/quote]

The enormous module fired up the engines clamped to its sides, MPD thrusters magnetically locked and fed a steady source of power from the central fusion reactor kicked into full blast, accelerating the vessel towards its target that hung in orbit around dead earth.

The vast craft had been constructed over the period of six months between the gateway’s closing and its subsequent reopening and stabilization. Intended as a pre-built module to install into the ‘Meeting Place’ they had been told of, the project had overshot its initial goal by some margin. It now sailed through space as a grand display of the Commonality’s prowess. 

Not only did it include a diplomatic wing, fully furnished in the finest decor and design conceivable by the Commonality, sleeping quarters for what was projected to some day be a vast staff, and the other expected amenities - it had been modified to address numerous shortcomings, or add what the Ishtari saw as overlooked necessities to life aboard the station. A vast, fully furnished hospital wing outfitted with the finest equipment to hand, built to handle the anticipated growth of the station from humanity’s many far flung descendents. A bar - of all things - stocked with a vast supply of drinks, varieties for consumption both by Perfected and by normal humans. It would be free for all to visit and enjoy. Dueling rooms and recreational halls - private, sectioned off rooms that could just as easily accommodate two people or two dozen for nearly any conceivable indoor pastime. Quiet rooms for meditation. A vast docking area, complete with repair shipyards and ship berths. A troop barracks. Well fortified railgun batteries located away from critical infrastructure, their weapons presently powered down and unmanned. Hydroponic agricultural bays growing a wide variety of Ishtari crops, estimated to be able to keep well over twice the number of the planned full Ishtari delegation well fed and happy - and countless more with careful rationing in case of food stresses. Dedicated embassy spaces not only for those nations that had already been discovered, but for those that had yet to find their ways home. Fully sealed, each delegate would be given full leeway over the room to search it for any suspected monitoring devices - they would find none, for there were none to be found. EMP hardened life support rooms with ample preserved rations and airlocked passages to the hydroponics sections. A grand dining hall capable of accommodating an untold number of guests overlooked perhaps its most stunning feature. 

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At the heart of this module lay an enormous artificial garden and synthetic ecosystem - a straight line from its main entrance to the wondrous scene. Directly descended from the gardening styles of old Japan, the main feature of the garden were the carefully sculpted gene-modified sakura blossoms, retaining in bloom for the entire year. The orchard in its entirety was a demonstration of the elegance and mastery of bioengineering held by Ishtari society. Over twenty hectares of perfectly crafted splendor. Private, secluded groves for quiet meditation abounded, as well as common areas around artificial streams or within the small traditional constructed Japanese wooden structure built within. A carefully crafted synthetic horizon maintained an almost perfect illusion of being planetside - nestled within a valley in the beautiful Ilyait Mountains on New Ishtar. A light, warm breeze blew through the garden without end, carrying with it the scent of cherry blossoms and the feeling of spring on old earth. The gardens were open to all on the station, and carefully maintained by many of the same gardeners who had crafted it. The entire arrangement was a show not only of beauty to be appreciated by those whose duty placed them within the steel walls of the station, but of power. How many nations could rival such an accomplishment? 

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[hider=To the Zetan Consciousness]
[quote][i]Cherry blossoms grow
In the orchard of friendship
Morning dawns on us;
Friends - we have arrived at long last.[/i][/quote]
[sub][@Irredeemable][/sub][/hider]

[hider=To the Gran Republic of Matuvista]
[quote][i]The mighty river 
Stopping for none, undaunted
Goes where it pleases;
We have heard much of your people, and we are eager to learn more. There is much we admire, and we pray there is much you will admire in turn.[/i][/quote]
[/hider]

[hider=To the Xandalian Republic]
[quote][i]The sun shines brightly
Upon a pristine mountain
It bows low to none;
We have heard of your intervention in the war against Zeta. We salute you, and wish to extend a hand in friendship.[/i][/quote]
[sub][@Crusader Lord][/sub][/hider]

[hider=To the White Flower Democracy]
[quote][i]A white flower blooms
From the ashes of the past
A new dawn has come;
You need never fear those who once terrorized you ever again. The Commonality of New Ishtar will help your people build a better society.[/i][/quote]
[sub][@Tortoise][/sub]
[/hider]