Commune: Congressional Meeting/b]
"Do you think we'll get our point across?"
"Possibly, just don't screw up and we should be fine". Senator Kon gulped at that remark. A few minutes later, and after much chatter between the senators and the Trinity, a subordinate stepped onto a balcony almost 15 feet above the Trinity's booth.
"We will now begin this week's Congressional Meeting, all rise for the Pledge of the Empire" Everyone in the room a few dozen or so, stepped up, and announced their pledge to the Empire: [b]Pledging allegiance to this Empire of Zonan, we follow basic morality, hold our values, keep our strength, charge into darkness. Knowing our creators, waiting for our rapture, fighting for the freedom and survival we all deserve.
"Comu Senator Kon has been given the floor to speak" said the subordinate and he ran out of the balcony to another room. Senator Kon stood up, the room's intensity, the people's eyes all staring down onto him.
"Gentlemen, we hold a territory that holds over a few thousand planets. We have only colonized over 500. Half of these planets are gaseous, while the rest are volcanic, iced, flooded, or simply un-colonized. However, every planet we have colonized so far, small and large, has shown signs of numerous resources. We are bound to find more of these resources on our un-colonized planets. Currently, we are running a defecit on the most basic of supplies to our current colonies, food. We also have technology to amplify our basic rates of farming. By designating at least one planet as a farming planet-for domestic life, grains, fruits and vegatables- we will have the ability to colonize hundreds of more planets into our collection. This ability is given through harvest drones. While our manual drones can harvest a couple dozen kilometers an hour, our automated service drones are capable of doing over 500% of that rate. Not only that, they leave the grains and harvests as if they were done by hand. Currently the only problem facing us with these drones is that they run off of a rare metals. The only way to make this a reality is to either colonize planets and imposing artificial foods onto the colonies for a short time, or buy our way out of food supplies or even buying the metals. We believe the first option would be the smartest, and would like to request the colonization of over 100 planets that are home to a vast amount of resources, all of them more valuable then our most resource rich colony, colony 257. These planets would eventually be ran by drones, allowing for even more colonization, but for now it would be Haches" he sat down after that. The congress sat through some more discussions, one concerning possible trade deals with the sarkazjhit, until voting began. Results unknown.
Colony 257
The hanging was gruesome. After a short five minutes of stoning, the Hach was lashed by whip until his back smeared in a dark red mesh, Finally, his noose was tightened, and hung without a proper bag covering his grim face. Gruesome, yet no one seemed to budge. After some time, the town folk were allowed to leave the premisice.
The boy walked with his father, side by side, as his little brother and sister, both four years younger then his age of 13, ran ahead playing.
"Is it bad?" he asked his father.
"What is?"
"That we didn't...cringe or anything. Even sis and brother didn't cower"
"Sooner or later in life, hell wears off"
"I thought hell was worse" remarked the boy.
"We'll find out if we deserve to" returned the father. After some more walking, the boy asked "So why do you think he was hung?"
"They said 'crimes against the Empire'" said the father
"Not too specific"
"Never are, never will"
"I heard he robbed someone of their rations for his family" said the boy.
"Possibility, but I didn't see anyone that looked like they were crying for him, then again if they did they would be arrested". The father sighed "Look what happens after a decade, you were too young to understand"
"I understand, Pa'" he said "Cousin told me"
"He shouldn't have, he could be arrested. Crimes against the Empire"
It wasn't too late to see the end of the sports games that night, so when the group entered their house, the young-lings hustled to bed as the father and eldest boy sat on their dilapidated couch. Their was multiple games going on that night, but the pair focused mainly on the three different sports games involving their home colony, colony 257. Since the culture bomb from the humans, the colonies relished in two human sports: Baseball and football, the latter going by another name as soccer. The Haches also had their own game called Post-Guard, where a team tries to kick a ball into the other teams net by staying in one box positioned by their own net.
"Who's winning in Baseball?" asked the father as he began to fix a cup of broth.
"We are against 492, 4-2"
"Football?" asked the father. The boy turned to the next channel, watching the game intently.
"145 is beating us- wait, hold up" Colony 257 scored a goal as the boy was talking, tying the game 1-1. The boy tried to mimic the expression the announcer gave, screaming goal for a good ten seconds.
"Nice" said the father as he returned, holding two cups of broth and giving one to the boy. The boy changed the channel to the Post-Guard game.
"Wow, we're killing em" he said.
"Colony 257 was always known as the big dog when it comes to anything, sports, mining, you name it, that's why we're pampered with television and not radio, why we get food other colonies could only dream of"
"Pretty sure the states could dream of something better than broth made of forest bones" remarked the boy. The father sighed, and they continued their night of sports in silence. Colony 257 won all their games in the three sports, now poised on making the playoffs.