[hr] [b]Tenuous Diplomacy[/b] [i]AGF 504 Scarran Federal Union Embassy Augusta Secundus - New Cortin[/i] [Center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019eb661-0409-7387-8c3a-23189c3b3d2a.webp[/img][/center] [hr] The Scarran Federated Union is relatively young. It came into existence unaware of the struggles for the Yrranian homeworld. In fact, they'd only learned about them only recently. [i]Them[/i], the Yrrani, those irresponsible precursors everyone is so obsessed about. Ancient technology, lost knowledge, and buried power - obsessed. To the Scarrans, the most important thing that the Yrrani left behind was a lesson on hubris. The Yrrani grew so powerful as to be seen as gods, some Yrrani may have even believed they were. However, if what the Scarrans had learned from others about the Yrrani are true, then the Great Fall was inevitable and unavoidable. This belief was not shared by the rest of the galaxy. They have been made aware that there were more empires than that of the Prydwenites, Agustans, and Concordat - all shaped in some way by the Yrrani's previous presence or their subsequent absence. The Scarrans are not foolish enough to think that they were exempt - that's simple truth. What they don't know is how much they owe their existence to the Yrrani having been or having gone. But for now, the forgotten history of the galaxy did not matter. The Scarrans had more pressing concerns over recent history. The Scarrans and Augustans had a small dispute at the height of the Reclamation wars. The Augustan push had encountered the Mereek in much the same way as the Scarrans had. They fought the same enemy unknowingly and came to meet at one of their capital worlds. There they had witnessed each other's ferocity. They had held off any diplomacy until after the conflict, but it was clear to the Union that the Augustans at the time had the air of Imperial ambition. This was different to how they met the Prydwenites who were far more willing to cooperate and communicate on equal terms with the relatively young Union. The Concordat had also made themselves known shortly after and their dealings were cordial. However, the Concordat were a religion-reliant state. There were many things that the Scarrans could identify with and sympathize with when it came to the Concordat way of life, but Scarrans themselves are not the religious types. The Scarrans aren't stupid, they can sense that not all within the concordat would not like the Scarran way of seeing the universe and with that came its own problems. However, those problems are something that the Astrus Hand of Tyrras, Gehller Logus would have to deal with another time. Today he's visiting the Scarran Embassy on Augusta Secundus - the Augustan frontier capital - in the city of New Cortin. It has been four years since the armistice and two decades since the end of the Mereekan conflict before that. Seeing the depth of the Imperial interior always gave him a sense of both awe and dread. He'd been to Augusta Secundus before. The Augustans considered it as a "frontier" capital. To him it was less frontier than how the Scarrans would describe "frontier". To Scarrans, frontier meant remote, inaccessible, military, and cold - not Augusta Secundus. It reminded him a little of the core worlds in the Scarrus System - developed and layered civilization. He looked out of the Scarran embassy's windows to see towering buildings all around it. He then imagined hundreds of worlds just like it beyond what the Union had yet to explore. Right now he was arranging documents in his office. Reports had come in of new increased pirate activity in the fringes and along the contact points where the Concordat, Augustans, and Prydwenites meet Scarrus. Naval patrols and light escorts have been keeping them at bay for the most part, but it is a recurring issue. There is a suspicion that the Concordat, Augustans, and Prydwenites are experiencing the same problem at the same contact points - if not worse. Rumors along the traders and merchantmen have said that the same ship identifiers have been showing up every now and then when making trade or delivery handoffs at these contact points within foreign territory. However, there’s not much that can be done at this time without accidentally triggering some sort of international incident. So separate talks with the Concordat, Prydwen, and Augusta are being explored for a joint-taskforce. The Augustans and Scarrans have worked together in an ad-hoc fashion against the Mereek. This may be the first time they work together on a much more organized level. Today, Astrus Hand Gheller Logus will attempt to broach the topic. The Scarrans already have a proposal of size and unit strength for a limited expeditionary joint-taskforce, its legal limitations, jurisdictions, and independent leadership distribution for review. “Ceasfires, friendship, trust, cooperation - all of those tidy ideals are built on paper. What the people see and survive is a different matter.” Gheller’s assistant, who at the time was looking through the Tyrras accords and its pledged material output through the years. The agreement between Augusta and the Union was that the Union kept the system, but pledged a percentage of resources to the Empire as an exchange. Now he was preparing the documentations to pitch an exchange and to dissolve the accords for a two-way exchange. He looked up at Gheller who looked equally absorbed in documentation and said, “What does that mean sir?” Gheller looked at his assistant. His eyes looking again outside his window and he stated, “Understanding, identity, and sovereignty. These are ideals and traits that we look for in the different nations. We distrust the Empire for its blatant disregard of it at times. However, living here and seeing their civilization from the ground gives a different perspective.” Gheller’s assistant now confused, “Are you saying that they’re like us?” Gheller smiled, nearly laughed, the notion was simple - they aren’t us, so they’re not like us. Then Gheller flipped it around, “A few centuries ago, the Scarrosi would have thought the same of the people of Thrane. Now, they’re all Scarran - all of us are. It is a core identity that binds us together. But you wouldn’t say that people from Miyar are the same as the people from say... Akal for example. Different experiences, different ground realities, different political pressures. The Empire is much the same. It just attempts to keep everything homogenized and it can. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t people worthy of some respect.” “You speak of them as if you like them.” Gheller puts down his papers now and properly looks at his assistant. A man who’s never been in combat or never seen much outside of an office. A man from a system that isn’t his own. Gheller’s lips part, slightly, his voice low, quiet, and contemplative. “I don’t like them. I fear them. Fear is a type of respect. Just as I fear the Prydwenites despite our good relations. Just as I fear the Concordat despite how respectful they seem. Fear is respect when measured. But measured means that you don’t let it control you. That’s why we do what we do.” Gheller’s assistant doesn’t say anything. It seems the word ‘fear’ made him understand something crucial. You can fear something. But fear doesn’t mean you can rationally ignore it. You cannot justify ignorance simply because you were afraid - being a coward is not an excuse. The Scarrans learn from contact. From study, from understanding their fears and adapting quickly. They don’t allow themselves to become lost to their own emotions. Emotions have a place and time to be shown. Until then, they are another tool in the kit of a the Scarran individual. Now, Gheller waited. The appointment with the Augustan diplomat would come in a few hours. He simply needed time to weigh his words and prepare for contact.