[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjg4LjM1YmVlMS5SMkYwWlhkaGVYTWcuMA/ignis-et-glacies-extra-sharp.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/field/image/785762_1.jpg[/img] [i][h3]"History repeats her tale unconsciously, and goes off into a mystic rhyme."[/h3] - Attributed to various[/i][/center] [hr] Earth, the lonely blasted rock it is, has finished another rotation around Sol. The Gregorian Calender would mark the occasion as January of 2604, and now, after almost 300 years celebrating those years alone, time's passing is commemorated by the [b]Meeting Place,[/b] the collossal cobbled-together station that hangs in High Earth Orbit, safely clear of the cloud of Kessler debris that defies a reasonable explanation for its existence. The Meeting Place has never been [i]quiet[/i] in the four years since humanity refound its home, but the past year has seen it swell, both in size and in population, a true intergalactic institution, a bustling meeting of minds and cultures more diverse than the system has ever held host to. And, of course, these minds are almost invariably bickering with one another. Perhaps this is no surprise- six and a half centuries ago, there was another great war, and when it was done, so to did the powers of Earth come together in the name of peace, cooperation, and vicious, political struggle, a tale replayed over and over again throughout mankind's history. The Earth completes another rotation. Things continue as they always have, and yet, nothing is the same. [hr] [b]Some Time Ago, Aboard the Meeting Place[/b] [sub]Featuring Alfonso De Caravajal[/sub] "And so it is, with the greatest of satisfaction, that I announce the signing of the [color=92278f][b]Galactic Security Charter[/b][/color] and the consequential formation of the [color=92278f][b]Galactic Security Council[/b][/color], an economic, military and diplomatic alliance dedicated to the promotion of interstellar security and the promotion and support of like-minded states. We hope that in so doing, we may attempt to avert the horrors wrought upon Ishtar, Americana, Nova Tierra and countless other planets and peoples ravaged by war and instability. [i]Muchas gracias,[/i] and viva Azulvista." De Caravajal's grin could best be described as 'shit eating' as he finished reading the announcement. He offered several emphatic waves towards the audience before sweeping his datasheet up and beginning to leave the stage. Just before he fully departed however, he paused and offered the audience a slightly indulgent bow, finally taking his leave. [i]Pawn to E4.[/i] Now all that was left was to see how the others responded. [hr] [h3]Now, Aboard The Meeting Place[/h3] [sub]Featuring Rafael Mendoza & Antonio de Lebrón[/sub] Rafael Mendoza nursed a cup of coffee as he examined the datasheet in front of him. There was a never-ending amount of paperwork required to keep the diplomatic and administrative functions of the Gran Republic ticking over smoothly, and as a mathetes - even one in the senior service like himself, that meant it was his job to seperate wheat from chaff, decide which meetings were worth his time, shoot down infuriatingly stupid proposals and otherwise make sure that individuals like De Caravajal could make their grand proclimations and have their photos splashed across the international news. The largest report today was simply fascinating however. New nations seemed to come in gluts when it came to their Gateways opening, for reasons the diplomat could not bother attempting to find an answer for, but this one... He tapped down hard on the datasheet, re-reading the few scant lines on it. A Gateway had recently opened, and exploratory probes had monitored radio contact from the system, in [i]Arabic,[/i] but there had been no attempts at communication. Further expeditions were planned. He tapped the little bookmark and set a timer to remind himself to follow up on the occasion, then took another slug of his coffee, trying to move on to the next agenda. Then the door to his relatively comfortable office was thrust open, and a tall, broad shouldered and suspiciously well-toned individual entered, and he immediately felt himself groan internally. There was a certain way some patricians carried themselves- an inherent arrogance superiority and smugness that permeated their existence, declaring themselves above the common rabble that they were forced to rub shoulders with. It [i]oozed[/i] out of this man, and even though Rafael had never seen him in his life, nor was he immediately familiar with the coat of arms stamped onto his cufflinks, he could already tell this was not about to be a pleasant meeting. "Greetings." The man had a baritone that rumbled through a room, with the harshness of a patrician who'd been smoking long enough for it to have an effect, but not so long they had needed rejuvenation treatments. "Señor Antonio de Severino Manuel José de la Cruz de Lebrón. I hear you're the man to come to when it comes to getting the proper information regarding the nations we conduct diplomacy with yes? More than the trite tat I get handed every day by lackies looking to impress." And just like that, Rafael's expectations were shattered. "One could certainly put it like that, I suppose, yes. What may I help you with?" Mendoza pulled up the search function of his datasheet, and indicated towards the chair that sat in front of his desk. "I prefer to stand," said the patrician with a shake of his head. "I need everything we have on the 'Hyginians' and these new 'Summation' fellows. I'm supposed to be attending a meeting with the lot of them over in the station we purchased for some unfathomable reason, and nobody's given me a straight answer regarding any of it. So. Everything, if you wouldn't mind." [hr] [center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5443678]OOC Update[/url][/center]