UAG Space
Lepta Colony #2, Lepta System
All traffic to and from Lepta Colony #2 had been halted by order of the system Governor and no ships were to leave their relative positions from when the order had been given, which left hundreds of small civilian ships still in the black of the void, waiting for whatever was happening to end so they could get back to their work. The only ships allowed to move were the small contingent of ANF that had already been present in the system, which sat still just off the starboard side of the station.
Ambassador Quintus Mons made good time down the main thoroughfare of Lepta 2, mainly due to the lack of any cars on the road thanks to the curfew that had been implemented by the colony officials, and only had to stop at three heavily armed checkpoints on the way to the meeting room that had been hastily thrown together in a side office of the Colonial Shipping Administration Offices next to the #4 hangar of the station.
As the caravan neared the Shipping Administrations Entrance they passed a group of four Goliath tanks, all of which were facing their turrets at the building itself. Ambassador Mons pulled at the tie around his neck, his eyes setting slightly purple as he worried about all the extra precautions. Upon entrance to the buildings internal parking lot, the Ambassador was dropped off at the doors and quickly ushered away by a group of AGF Marines, five total, clad in black armor with weapons that seemed to be bristling with too many addons, “Isn’t this a llittle excessive Marine?” the Ambassador stammered out as the Marines led him to the meeting room at a brisk pace.
“Just following orders Sir. Never know what these alien bastards might really be planning.” responded one of the Marines that was walking ahead of him.
“Right…” the Ambassador replied. It was obvious that the Council didn’t trust the Commonwealth, but it was the Ambassador's job to ensure that everything went smoothly, and with this many guns in play… He would be hard pressed to maintain an air of calm and calculated diplomacy with any race, let alone the Commonwealth.
RNCS
Anna Karenina approached Lepta Colony #2 at approximately 70% of maximum decceleration. She was an older
Reliant-class battlecruiser, one of the first built, and she was due for retrofitting any day now, but she was still a capable ship. Using a battlecruiser as a diplomatic envoy ship might have seemed oddly aggressive to others, but it was a perfectly acceptable--even normal--practice for the Commonwealth, which had been known to conduct literal gunboat diplomacy before.
Anderson Ribbentrop watched the pinpoint of the UAG station--highlighted by a holographic overlay--grow larger through the window of his quarters. Few enough people on any military vessel got a window, and as a former navy man himself, Ribbentrop appreciated the luxury. By long precedent, civilians were not allowed on the bridge, even senior diplomat civilians. But Captain Wellesley had been kind enough to provide a visual link to the ship's nerve center, which was displayed on Ribbentrop's desk holo-plot.
"They've put a complete halt on all civilian traffic Anderson," Wellesley said over the link. "It's eerie. Strangely enough, I'm only picking up a few military vessels, nothing heavier than a light cruiser. That's not enough to stop us from leaving the system if things get hairy, by the way," he added, in a vague attempt to sound reassuring.
Ribbentrop had figured that much; he'd commanded one of the Reliant-class' precursors back in the day, and while exact capabilities had changed, he still knew how a Commonwealth battlcruiser would stack up against such a light picket force. Of course if they stayed and fought, the UAG ships would destroy them soon enough, suffering heavy losses of their own. But if
Anna Karenina decided she was leaving, it was doubtful the light ships would have enough firepower to stop her.
But he decided to humour the younger Vit'azny. "Really Arthur? They still have the numerical advantage."
"Oh absolutely. But if we went to maximum military acceleration and full defensive fire on the railgun batteries, it's doubtful they could get through before we cleared the gravity well and made the transit to slipspace. The Reliants are a lot more survivable than the old Ramparts you know, mostly because of changes to the grav-emitters and the...."
Ribbentrop let Wellesley educate him on the exact technical specifications of the ship, happy enough to listen and occasionally comment, letting the conversation fill the time as they approached the station.
Soon enough, Ribbentrop, two hulking szitzu marines and a single Su'urtugal were on their way over to the Artanin station in an assault shuttle. Again, an apparently odd choice, but
Anna Karenina didn't actually have any unarmed small craft aside from her courier boats, and those would not fit anything more than their pilot. The shuttle landed without incident, the hatch opened, and the marines stepped out to check the area. They were greeted by a mass of black clad soldiers, far outnumbering Ribbentrop's escort. The vit'azny diplomat followed the marines out of the shuttle, and the Su'urtugal brought up the rear. One of the marines turned to Ribbentrop. "Some advice; try not to piss them off. I don't think even scaly back there can get you out of here if you do."
Ribbentrop smiled. "Noted Corporal. When have vit'azny diplomats ever pissed anyone off?"
The marine slumped his shoulders comically. "We're screwed."
Ribbentrop laughed, then led the way forward.
Ambassador Mons paced the meeting room impatiently. They had sent a message for a diplomatic meeting on Lepta 2 just three days before, and hadn’t expected a reply so quickly, or a fully armed Battlecruiser to be in system just as fast. The military and the local government weren’t prepared.
He wasn’t prepared, he had barely had anytime to read up on the Commonwealth and it’s different species, “Szitzu are covered in fur and large.” he said to himself as he paced, “Vit’azny have pointed ears and squished faces, usually in charge,” his words grew quicker and his breath a bit more hoarse, “and then there's the scaled ones that no one knows what they do.” his eyes were tinting from purple to a light brown as the gravity of his predicament began to set in on him.
“Ambassador. The envoys are aboard, four total. Three combat and the Diplomat. One minute.” came the cool and collected voice of the Marine that was standing at the door.
Mons shot a look his way, the color in his eyes fading to a normal clear tint, “Thank you Marine.” he said as he took his place two meters back from the double doors that led into the meeting room. He took a sip from the glass of water on the table, straightened his suit a little, and clasped his hands in front of his waist to wait for the envoys.
The Marine to Mons’s front pulled open the doors effortlessly, and in strode three AGF Marines who quickly spread out in the room, behind them, were the envoys.
Ambassador Mons eyes remained clear as raised his hand toward the Vit’azny at the head of the group, “Ambassador Quintus Mons, Designated Representative for the United Artanin Governments for the duration of this meeting, it is my pleasure to host you. If only we could have both brought less guns.” he said, his words resounded confidence and his perfectly still hand did not betray the great fear that was welling in his stomach as he began to study the soldiers behind the Vit’azny diplomat.
Ribbentrop gave a faint smile as his in ear translator relayed the message, though he wasn't sure the ambassador would understand the expression given the nature of Artanese physiology. He bowed slightly. "Sir Anderson Ribbentrop, representing her Imperial Majesty's Government, the Lord Chancellor of the Commonwealth, and her Imperial Majesty herself. Thank you for your hospitatlity; it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for the guns, I like to think they help us understand eachother's intentions. In fact I was quite impressed by the tanks."
"
Fear" the alien thought pushed itself into Ribbentrops mind. Years of discipline stopped him from looking over his shoulder at the Su'urtugal behind him, but his eyes shifted that way. The yanissan special operatives were capable psintegrae, among other things. The marines were there as a cover really; if things went south, the frighteningly effective Su'urtugal would be responsible for getting the diplomat out. Against the kind of firepower the Artanins had assembled though, even the Su'urtugal's formidable skillset would probably not be enough.
Ribbentrop had been quite strict in his orders; read surface emotions only. No poking around in their thoughts, no intruding on their privacy, nothing to upset the UAG representative. He brought his eyes back to the Artanese ambassador. If the man was afraid, he was doing an excellent job concealing it. That, or he was a psintegrat himself, and was projecting false emotions. Good to know he was afraid, but whether he was afraid of Ribbentrop's escort, the battlecruiser outside, or the Commonwealth in general was hard to say. Possibly all three. The first two represented rather immediate threats, while the Commonwealth in general could certainly be intimidating to an emerging galactic power.
Still, what to do with that fear was a delicate question, and it depended on the nature of the Ambassador. He might be the kind of man to quail and acquiesce to demands when pressured, or he might be the kind of man to clam up and have Ribbentrop removed from the station. Best to play it safe. Ribbentrop took a seat and reclined in it slightly, trying to appear relaxed. "I'm hardly an expert, but they look very capable," he said casually, in reference to the tanks.
Mons put his hand down to his side and, like any good diplomat, returned the others bow. An odd act, but not unheard of amongst different cultures within the UAG so it was easy enough to return it. He took a seat across from the Vit’azny, his eyes flashed orange for a moment as Ribbentrop brought up the tanks, but quickly faded back to their clear tint.
Mons leaned over and took a folder from the briefcase that was placed next to his seat. He lightly placed it on the table and opened the front cover, “Sir Ribbentrop, I apologize for calling you out here so abruptly. But it has come to the attention of the UAG that there are violations of our sovereign space taking place.” as he spoke he pulled out some pictures and slid them across the table to Ribbentrop, he felt the act was odd, but the UAG wasn’t sure if the Commonwealth would be able to easily merge their file holding devices and be able to use them so the smarter linguists back on Salus decided it’d be easier to have material images, Mons was inclined to agree.
“There have been two instances to date of these construction projects beginning, one of which is almost complete the other has just begun.” the images that were now in front of Ribbentrop were optical photos of the large N.A.C. stations, complete and obviously operating one and one that was no more than scaffolding and materials, “we are aware that this company, the Ninth Amaranthine Circuit as it is known, is a company that is chartered from within the Commonwealth.”
He leaned slightly back, echoing his guests demeanor as he continued, “As a chartered company from within the Commonwealth, it is our understanding that you should be able to have the N.A.C. cease all building operations immediately and cede the stations to the UAG as they are unlawfully violating our space.” he leaned forward a bit, his eyes narrowing and the color shifting to a slightly green hue, “This is the reason for this meeting today.” he stated with a smile.
Ribbentrop frowned as he looked at the photos and listened to Mons. He carefully considered his next words. "I had heard rumours," he admitted, "but this is the first concrete evidence I've seen of such intrusions." Technically not a lie; confirmation of the NAC's activities had come from the NAC itself via a midlevel bureaucrat a few days before Ribbentrop left, but that confirmation had not included anything so concrete as photographs. "This is most concerning, but I'm afraid there has been a misunderstanding of sorts. The NAC does indeed have a division incorporated and liscensed in the Commonwealth, but the company itself comes from elsewhere, somewhere to the galactic southeast. Their board of directors and primary headquarters are not in the Commonwealth, and the division that does operate within our borders is seperate from whichever is operating in the UAG's space."
He paused for a moment. "However, the Commonwealth division of the NAC does have knowledge of their counterpart's operations here. They insist they were given authority to begin operations in your space by someone at least claiming to represent your government. Whether or not this is true is debatable, but the real problem is we cannot legally censure or otherwise punish the our division of the NAC for what another division is doing in the sovereign space of a foreign nation. Frankly, we also have very little incentive to do so. The NAC is providing jobs and growth to our economy. Sanctions or other formal actions would hurt us as badly as them."
"Now, hypothetically, if the NAC were illegaly violating the sovereignty of a member of the Commonwealth, immediate, forceful action would be taken to rectify the situation. But that is not the nature of the situation here, so I'm afraid I can offer little more than to act as a mediator in resolving your government's disputes with the NAC." Ribbentrop took a sip of water, his throat parched after all that talking.
Mons nodded along politely as Ribbentrop spoke, being sure to allow his eyes to show his interest in the diplomats words as they turned a light orange. His interest piqued as Ribbentrop spoke of the N.A.C. not actually being an originally Commonwealth based company, “Is that so.” Mons said quietly as Ribbentrop continued to speak.
Then came the news that the Ambassador was hoping wouldn’t have been brought up. The fact that the NAC that was building within the UAG was not the same one that was incorporated into the Commonwealth, and even then if it had been the Commonwealth wouldn’t have been willing to move against it in favor of not hurting their own economy, ‘A reasonable outlook.’ Mons thought in his mind, were the tables turned and the UAG were reliant on a company for economic growth they likely wouldn’t move to punish it either. “That is most unfortunate Sir Ribbentrop…” he began before the diplomat finished with what seemed to be an informal offer of integration into the Commonwealth.
The Ambassadors eyes flashed light red for a moment as the words of Ribbentrop caught him off guard. He sat a bit straighter in his seat and was sure to double check that the recorder was on before even thinking about his response. He sat for a moment, mulling over his choices before he idly flipped through the rest of the documents in the folder in front of him to buy himself some time. He breathed out slowly before looking back up to Ribbentrop.
“Hypothetically speaking of course, it would be expected that a nation would take forceful action against a foreign entity infringing upon its sovereign territory. But Sir, I’, inclined to believe that the Council will not allow the actual unlawful construction to begin. As such it seems that even your mediation will likely be unnecessary, although I would appreciate to keep the line between us open in case it is needed.” he said happily.
With the simple stuff out of the way Mons leaned forward, his eyes changing to a darker orange, the intense interest of his next question being shown as to signal to Ribbentrop that he was very serious about the topic, a fact that even a low functioning Artanin would have understood although Mons was still unsure if the Commonwealth had gotten so far as to decode the colors of their eyes. “Sir Ribbentrop, for the record of course, it would seem that your hypothetical situation may have been more than it seemed. Were you trying to suggest that integration would solve this problem, or were you simply offering an example Sir?”
Ribbentrop thought carefully about his next words. He again fought the urge to look back over his shoulder. "
Intrigued. Cautious. Mixed." Well that wasn't much help. Perhaps he should've authorized the Su'urtugal to poke further. But no, such an intrusion would be too obvious, even to someone unfamiliar with psionics. There was no mistaking the feel of an alien mind making contact with your own, and that would've shut down talks pretty much immediately.
Ribbentrop shrugged slightly. "The Commonwealth is open to all. Membership has its burdens and its benefits. The process in the past has generally involved fairly lengthy negotiations, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the Commonwealth who regrets their decision." Again, technically not a lie. It would literally be hard to find anyone in the Commonwealth who would openly talk about such a thing, because most of them were dead, imprisoned, or too cautious to openly express their opinion.
"Consider my hypothetical situation a...point of conversation for your government." That was as official as Ribbentrop was willing to make it.
Mons remained focused on Ribbentrop as he spoke, even if he couldn’t understand what he said before it was translated through his ear piece, it made everything the robotic voice was saying feel so much more legitimate than it came across. “Sir Ribbentrop, I appreciate the idea, but I’m sure as you seem to already be aware that this a decision far larger than I should be able to make alone even if I have been given full Diplomatic freedoms.” he nodded his head slowly, “But I will be sure to personally inform the Council of these happenings, I imagine it will be indeed quite that talking point for a while to come.”
He took a sip of water from his glass before closing the folder and sliding it to Ribbentrop, “Everything in the folder is for you to take.” he said politely before standing, “Now I do believe that I have gotten everything I need from this to consider it a successful meeting. The Council will be most pleased.” he said, his eyes a mellow yellow to signal his pleasure with the talks but mostly thanks to the feeling of that relief began to soak through him, “I look forward to further talks in the future. Should I expect that you will continue to be the Ambassador to the UAG?” he asked curiously.
"I too am glad of the course of this discussion. I expect I shall continue to represent the Commonwealth here in the UAG, should you call on us again." Ribbentrop picked up the folder. "In the meantime, I shall of course present your evidence of the NAC's actions to her Imperial Majesty's government. Perhaps formal action against them shall indeed become necessary. Good day Ambassador."
Mons watched as Ribbentrop and his guards left. Only once the doors were shut did he undo the tie around his neck and let out a long sigh of relief, beginning to breath faster than he had the entire meeting. The Marine at the door turned in his direction, ready to offer assistance if needed but Mons waved him away, "I'm okay Marine, just need a minute, politics too is a form of combat the stakes are just as high." he said trying to let the Marine know that he had it under control.
"Sir?" the Marine asked inquisitively.
He steadied his breath and took a drink from the glass at the table. Standing up tall once more he looked to the Marine, "My slip ups here may only be in words, but there very well may be Artanins dying in the future because of a mistake I make. It's rather stressful. Now," he motioned to the only Artanin assistant in the room that had made himself scarce in the corner, "Get me a line to the Council, they're going to want to hear about this immediately."
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