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    1. jorvhik 3 yrs ago

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Interested as well, though I would prefer casual as well
Loud booms reverberated throughout one of Kudrion’s many forests. This was not the crack of thunder, or the mating call of the Macan, a gigantic, four-legged, sharp-toothed beast that could level cities. These booms came from a very different source, as human ingenuity and ill-understood alien technology combined to further that ancient, universal and ancestral part of human nature called war. Although a new star had appeared in the sky, far above the planets and asteroids of the Ogeid system, it was just another day on Kudrion.

Anica looked through her scope in the direction the man next to her was pointing. She could see another Bredonner, a warrior of the Bredon Clan, hiding inside the foliage a few hundred yards away from her, their head peeking out from behind a tree. Taking a deep breath, she aimed at her new target, trying to keep her rifle steady as the long hours of laying down on the metal floor of the aircraft she was in took their toll. The rifle in her hands charged as she held down the trigger, strange energies running along its metallic barrel. When she let go, a projectile the size of a grape whizzed out of the barrel at breakneck speed, crossing the distance to the forest in a fraction of a second, making a loud boom as it did so. Before he even had a chance to hear the hiss of the projectile, it passed cleanly through the Bredon warrior’s head before it lodged itself into the tree behind him.

“Nice shot. Think you can hit that one?” the man beside her said while looking through a pair of binoculars.

Anica once again looked through her scope before spotting another of the Bredon Clan’s warriors skulking through the forest. Not stealthy enough, she thought, before repeating the same procedure as she had with the other Bredonner.

“Seems like I can. Why are those damn warriors even here? They were supposed to be busy with the Houm clan,” Anica asked.

“Same as always, they’re probably trying to scout out the area so they can attack Krisfast and take back the tech we stole from them,” Gzudun said. “Or steal our Vefsin, they’re a good source of meat,” he added.

“I suppose it can’t be helped,” the woman said wistfully, “got anything else for me, Gzudun?”

“Let me see,” Gzudun replied as he looked through his binoculars, “We might have gotten them all. He searched the area for any signs of life, taking a moment to look at the woman’s makeshift sniper rifle, “What did you make that thing out of anyway?”

“Oh this,? Anica said as she petted her rifle, “I found some sort of power source in the ruins up north and hooked it up to the charge dispenser and some of the supercoils we had laying around. Ripped the firing optics out of one of the Bredonner rifle’s we stole last month, and put the whole thing in and voila! New gun.”

“Well, be careful with that thing. Never know when that damn Old Ogeid tech will get you. We’ve been messing around with it too much,” Gzudun said, still looking through his binoculars. “Hey Moimir,” he said, raising his voice a little, “I bet you tonight’s guard duty that Anica’s not hitting the Bredonner near the mountains.”

“The mountains, that’ll be tough,” came a gruff voice from the cockpit, “but I’ll take that bet, she’s a good shot. Don’t let me down, Anica.”

Like the other times before, Anica looked through her rifle’s scope, searching for the enemy clan’s warrior Gzudun was talking about. It took her a few minutes before she finally found him wandering near the mountain range, many yards away from her previous target. The Bredonner was alone and in open view, likely not even aware of the threat. That didn’t matter. Anica took some time to increase her rifle’s power and adjust her aim, and holding a deep breath, she took the shot.

“Well Moimir,” Gzudun said, looking at the mountains in awe, “looks like I’m on guard duty tonight.”

Moimir wasn’t listening, being busy with something far more important. He had been studying the jungles around and under the rickety aircraft, looking for signs of enemies, or worse, enemy dragons, when a call came in through the aircraft’s communicator. On the screen there appeared the face of Dishuz, chieftain of the Kumar Clan, to which Anica, Gzudun and Moimir all belonged. The weathered face of the older man didn’t move for a few seconds, the system desperately trying to maintain the correction, before Dishuz finally said:

“Moimir, get back to Krisfast as soon as you can. The Gate of Umos has opened.”



It had taken some time for the Krowell, crewed by a contingent of warriors from the Kumar clan, to travel to the edge of the Ogeid system, where the object the Kudrioni called the Gate of Umos resided. According to their most ancient legends, it was a gift from the gods, allowing the Kudrioni to escape from their doomed homeworld. The fact that it was in reality a wormhole created by humanity had been forgotten, lost over three hundred years of constant warfare.

“Alright, we are currently approaching the Gate. The Sword of Tum is behind Onzao, waiting for us. We will go there first, before resuming our journey towards the Gate,” Moimir announced, his voice distorted by the radio system of his exosuit.

The three Kumari were silent for a moment, looking in awe at the shattered planet, victim of that first act of Old Ogeid aggression so long ago. Near Onzao there hovered the ancient Gateway, blazing with the radiance of a star, and as the ship made its way around the planet the three could see the Sword come into view. It was a very big ship, so large that the Krowell could easily land inside of it. While the main body of the ship was clearly of alien make, it had many more parts that were made by humans than would commonly be seen on a ship of this size.

“Why do we have to go there anyway? Can’t we just go through the Gate immediately? I’ve been stuck in this thing for too damn long,” Anica grumbled while gesturing to the heavy power armor she was wearing.

“You know what the chieftain said,” Gzudun responded as he kept looking out of the window, “Old Ogeid tech can’t talk to the damn Gate. Spirits don’t like it or something. Apparently, the Order of Kroit was gracious enough to lend us an artifact that we could use to travel through. If you behave, they might let you run around on their ship for a while. I heard Order ships are actually pressurized.”

Again the bridge fell silent, as Moimir steered the ship towards the Sword. As an experienced pilot, it took him mere minutes to enter the larger ship’s hangar bay, land the Krowell with a loud *clunk* and open its ramp to let in their new passengers. Only one came, wearing an exosuit like the Kumari and carrying a heavy crate, they made their way to the ship’s bridge.

“Hello, I am Scholar Emily Kaldaz, of the Order of Kroit. I have been assigned to implement the Artifact and watch over your exploration of the gateway. I suggest that we stop wasting time and leave immediately.”

“Sheesh, calm down,” Gzudun scoffed, “what’s this ‘Artifact’ thing anyway? I’m not sure if sticking random technology into our ship will improve our chances of survival.”

“That’s all you tribesmen do. And besides, that is top secret information. If you want the Order’s help I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” the Scholar responded with a cold tone.

“Alright, you two, cut it out. I’m launching the ship, be prepared to enter the gateway in a few minutes,” Moimir announced, keeping his eyes on the window in front of him as the ship started taking off.

The atmosphere on the bridge became more tense as the Krowell approached the gateway. Emily had taken something out of the crate, and was connecting wires from it to the ship as Gzudun tried to stealthily look at what she was doing. Anica, meanwhile, nervously checked her exosuit and other gear, to make sure everything was in place before the jump.

“We are at the Gate of Umos. Our ship seems to be interfacing with the Gate now, thanks to the Artifact. This ‘Americana’ system looks rather interesting,” Moimir declared, staring into the Gateway.

“No, we will go to Sol instead. We must know what happened to the home of our ancestors,” Moimir could hear from the Scholar, who was now standing behind him together with the other two Kumari.

“Alright then, setting course for Sol. Jumping in five seconds.”

Five seconds slowly passed, though it felt like hours to those in the ship. The Krowell began to rumble, sparks coming off the wires between it and the Artifact. One of the engines gave out, and a number of warning signs appeared on the main console. Still, the countdown continued, and then the ship was gone.





Sheet's about finished

“Greetings, Emily, it is good to see you.”

“That is Ambassador Kaldaz to you, Chieftain Collins,” Emily snapped at him, “Act professionally, you’re here for business after all.”

Moimir furrowed his brow, confused by her reaction. He’d known Emily for years, given that she used to be part of a clan that worked for his own, and she never spoke to him like that.

“Very well. How are you feeling? I know you’ve had to deal with some sudden changes.”

“How I am feeling is irrelevant, Chieftain Collins, we should get to work.”

“Alright, alright,” Moimir leaned back in his chair and took a swig of his mead. He took some time to study the carvings on the walls, annoying Emily in the process, before he began to speak. “As you know, our King has ordered me to travel here every two months to check up on this whole operation. Could you give me your report of what happened here in these past months?”

Emily grabbed her tablet. She had prepared for this, of course. Moimir’s lack of knowledge, and the King’s apparent lack of trust in her grated her a little, though. “After the signing of our alliance with the Undefeated, a number of things happened here. Firstly, there were the people of ‘New Ishtar’ who brought with them their own, pre-built addition to this station. I hear it’s quite impressive.”

“I’ve seen it from the outside. A bit pompous, don’t you think? All you’d really need is a long hallway, an office, and some places for guards to sleep in,” Moimir snickered at his own sense of humor.

Emily glared at him, but made no comment. “Then there were the Zetans, the cyborgs,” she added quickly after seeing the Chieftain’s confusion, “who announced that they were renaming themselves to the ‘Enlightened Symposium’. Do keep your comments to yourself.”

Moimir, of course, had opened his mouth to say something but chose to remain silent.

“Furthermore, the Khanate of the Apes, a nation made up of genetically modified Old Earth apes, has given a strange gift. My hypothesis is that it is some sort of dog, although it is unlike any dog that can be found on Kudrion, a different strain, perhaps. I’ve tasked Captain Róg with taking care of it, as I have my hands full”

Moimir just nodded silently. Beli Róg, Captain of the Kudrioni Royal Guards on the station, was a good man, and if anyone knew what to do with this creature it was him.

“We have also received a message from the White Flower Democracy,” Emily continued, “ who asked to exchange ideas on our energy-projection technology. I recommend we do not reply. Showing them how our technology works will mean we lose a possible advantage in case of war.”

The Chieftain took some time to ponder what ‘energy-projection’ meant until he realized Emily was talking about the hardlight swords. “That is precisely why we must reply. It is more honorable to fight an opponent that is as strong as you are. Send a message that we accept their offer.”

Of course, she’d forgotten about the stupid code of honor that most on Kudrion still clung on to, even if it resulted in defeat. “Chieftain, I must protest. We shouldn’t give away every secret that the Kingdom has.”

“Ambassador Kaldaz, you will send that message to the WFD, that’s final. Now, was there anything else to include in your report?”

“Yes,” Emily said, resigned, “there was also the incident with the Kamenyans. Two smugglers, operating in the fringes of our home system, managed to enter a Kamenyan ship by pretending they were diplomats. This was only discovered when the Kamenyan ambassador came aboard this station.”

“I’ve heard of that. Don’t you think that you punished those men a little too severely? The law may call for trial by combat, but even the King often takes clemency on those whose crimes were not too severe.”

“No, Chieftain, I do not think that they were punished too severely. I am not only the Kingdom’s representative, but I am also charged with upholding our laws for Kudrioni citizens in this system. You would do well to remember that.”

“And if you were not? Would you still have condemned those men to their probable deaths?”

Emily paused for a moment. For whatever reason, it was not something that she wanted to think about, but she steeled herself and gave her reply: “Yes, I would have.”



Adressing @Tortoise



Collab between @Raylah and @jorvhik

Two months ago

Emily and Moirmir waited together at the entrance to the Kudrioni part of the Meeting Place. A few hours before, Emily had sent an invitation to the Undefeated embassy on the station, inviting them to a meeting at the Kudrioni embassy. If the Kingdom was to survive and thrive in a galaxy filled with cyborgs, apes, robots and aliens, it would need friends, maybe even allies. From their earlier contacts, the Undefeated seemed like a strong, proud people, and would make worthy allies if an agreement could be reached.

Of course, both of them could only hope for such an agreement. Emily had spent months trying to gather every scrap of information on the other nations on the Meeting Place, and she frequently had contact with the Undefeated embassy to prepare for this day. Moimir was really just there to make sure Emily didn’t have to do this big meeting alone, and to make sure everything went smoothly. Both of them hadn’t forgotten The Incident, which had affected Emily more than she might want to admit.

The former researcher nervously adjusted her clothing. She wasn’t a big fan of the uniform she had to wear during these official meetings. The skirt seemed ill-suited to any combat that might break out, and uniforms weren’t exactly a thing in Kudrioni culture. At least she got to wear a long coat over it, though. This was also Emily’s first diplomatic meeting of real importance compared to the previous contact Kudrion had with other nations, which didn’t help to soothe her nerves. Moimir motioned her to stop, expecting the Undefeated delegation to be there any minute now.

Guardian Jim Harlowe looked into a large mirror on the wall once more, just to make sure there was not a speck of dust on his formal uniform. This meeting was too important. If everything went well with the Kudrioni then the Undefeated could actually gain an ally that was worth it, not like those heinous Oligarchs from the ECU. Despite the horrible first contact between the Undefeated and the Kingdom of Kudrion, the diplomatic relationships between the countries have been more than good, up to the point where Jim hoped to seal the deal with them at this meeting.

After Kelsie and her people disappeared in the wormhole, Jim remained alone on the Meeting Place, waiting, in a vain, desperate hope that maybe someday they would return. But that day didn’t come, and with all the new arrivals to the station, Jim was swamped by work so much he just had to take someone in. But it was hard to find a replacement for Kelsie’s people, especially for that young scientist, Julianna Petrova. It seemed that any scientist Jim interviewed was either completely stupid, absolutely useless in normal life, or had an insufferable personality. Sometimes all of those combined.

Commander Peter Ross was certainly no scientist, but Jim requested him to be present to this meeting and hoped the man would accept a more permanent position on his team. Peter Ross was the man who led the boarding party that entered the Kudrion vessel and he was also the man who handled the whole incident with diplomacy rather than with force. A rare treat for a lifelong soldier. But, thanks to him, the relationships between the nations didn’t start with bloodshed and hostility. Which would be a shame, because the Kudrioni seemed like very reasonable people and their warrior culture was quite similar to the Undefeated militaristic style of life.

Jim and Peter headed to the Kudrioni part of the station together, both nervous. Jim was better at hiding it, after all, he had been doing this job for months already. The delegation had been waiting for them, and Jim was once again taken aback by how freakishly tall those people were. He bowed his head in respect. “Miss Kaldaz, it is a pleasure to meet you again. This is Commander Peter Ross, he will join us for today’s meeting. Commander, this is Miss Emily Kaldaz, the main representative of the Kingdom of Kudrion here on the Meeting Place.”

“Yes, we have met before,” Peter said with a nervous smile. Was he actually blushing? “It is good to meet you under more… peaceful circumstances, Miss Kaldaz.”

Both Kudrioni watched the Undefeated delegates approach. This was gonna be it. Months of preparation lead to this, so they had to make the best of it. In reality, Emily didn’t even want to be here, having become disillusioned with Kudrion’s warlike way of life, but she steeled her nerves and did her duty. This meeting was more important than her personal feelings on the matter. “Greetings, Guardian Harlowe,” Emily said, returning Jim’s gesture, “I am glad you could join us today. The Kingdom has an interesting proposition for you. My colleague here,” as she gestures to Moimir, “is Chieftain Moimir Collins. He’s a friend of the King and here to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Emily turned to Commander Ross, acknowledging him with a nod. Although it had been four months since they last met, she recognized him immediately. It was hard to forget someone that you met under a situation like that. “So, shall we go to the meeting room?” The Kudrioni started to walk into the hallway, expecting the Undefeated delegation to follow.

Jim did his best to hide his excitement over Emily’s words. An interesting proposition could only mean they were interested in an alliance. Unless something terrible has happened that Jim didn’t know about. The Kingdom of Kudrion had one big weakness in the eyes of the Undefeated - the king could be challenged by other warriors at any time, making the government structure unstable to say the least. And while the situation had been stable for many years, it could change literally at any moment.

“It is an honor to meet you, Chieftain. I can’t wait to hear your proposition,” he said with a smile. “Lead the way, Miss Kaldaz.” They both followed the Kudrioni into their section of the Meeting Place.

The Kingdom’s section of the meeting place had undergone a level of preparation that was uncharacteristic for Kudrion. After passing the front desk at the entrance, the Undefeated delegation was led to a wide, long hallway, with many doors lining the walls. Emily’s boots clacked on the hallway’s granite floor as she walked in front of the group, leading them to the actual meeting room. An honor guard of Royal Guard soldiers lined the hallway, dressed in their white, polished power armour, holding their energy-bladed spears, which produced a blue glow that reflected off their armour.

After minutes of walking, the delegates finally reached the Kudrioni embassy. It was a medium-sized room, perfect for occasions like this. Like the hallway, it had a granite floor. The room’s walls were made of a kind of black stone, one native to Kudrion itself, with carvings depicting scenes from Kudrioni legend. One wall, the one opposite to the doorway, was transparent, except for the middle, where a red, energy-bladed broadsword was attached to the wall. Four lamps in the corners of the ceiling lit the room. In the middle of the meeting room stood a large table, made of a dark wood native to Kudrion, and around the desk there were four wooden chairs. A number of foodstuffs and drinks were arranged on the table.

“Gentlemen,” Emily said as she turned around, “would you like something to drink?”

Jim quietly admired the beauty of the meeting room, taking a mental note to expedite current works on a more representative room in the Undefeated section as well. The Kudrioni were showing off their best - the best room, the best guards, weapons, and armour, but in this case he didn’t take it as a power move to scare off potential enemies. No, he felt this was aimed more at impressing or even honoring potential allies. Unless he terribly misunderstood what was happening in which case the best guards in the shining armor with the incredibly cool-looking weapons would have no problem overpowering the two unarmed Undefeated representatives.

Everything was going well, maybe that was why he was so nervous. In his experience, combat operations rarely went as planned. And diplomacy was just another form of combat, one where you threw ambiguous statements at each other instead of spears or bullets. But their hosts seemed friendly enough for him to calm down.

“We would be honored to share a drink with you,” he replied and bowed his head in respect. It would seem weird if only him and Commander Ross were drinking, but if the Kudrioni joined in as well, it might actually serve as a good start to this negotiation. “I have to say I admire the improvements you have made to this place, it looks impressive.”

Emily walked over to the wall. She pressed on one of the carvings, and a part of the wall opened up, revealing a number of beer mugs and a keg. She carefully filled the mugs with Kudrioni mead, and walked back to the table. “Then let us drink,” she said, placing the mugs on the table.
“Don’t mind her too much,” Moimir said, “I think she is still a bit upset about The Incident,” letting out a hearty laugh.

“Well, I cannot say that I blame her.” Jim tried to keep a lighthearted smile on his face. Yes, ‘the Incident’, as the Kudrioni called their unfortunate first encounter, was quite a big reason to be upset. “And I’m incredibly glad that we have both heroes of that event here with us today. So, I propose a toast.” He grabbed one of the mugs and raised it up. “To Emily Kaldaz and Peter Ross. Without your bravery, we certainly wouldn’t be standing here together as friends.” Jim noticed that Peter was blushing, his head lowered, eyes carefully examining the granite floor. The Commander clearly didn’t like to be in the center of such attention.

Emily shot Moimir a death glare. If she wasn’t in a diplomatic meeting, she probably would’ve hit him. It had been her ass on the line in that ship, not his, and he better know it. Without saying a word, she grabbed one of the three remaining mugs, and downed about half the mead in one go. Moimir nervously raised his mug for the toast before he too started drinking. “Now that that is taken care of,” Emily said in a deadpan tone of voice, “let’s get down to business. As you may be aware, my nation, the Kingdom of Kudrion, is relatively new to the galactic scene. We therefore have to work together with others in order to survive in this galaxy. We believe you are strong and honorable warriors, much like us.”

She paused for a bit. This was the deciding moment.

“The Kingdom of Kudrion therefore proposes a military alliance with the Undefeated nation, so that we may work together to protect ourselves.”

Jim wondered whether proposing the toast wasn’t a bad idea. It seemed like a smart way to honor their Ambassador and lighten up the mood after the inevitable mention of ‘the Incident’, but Emily certainly wasn’t amused. Fortunately, it seemed that the Kudrioni were set to offer them the alliance anyway, despite this slightly awkward moment.

“We are incredibly honored by your offer.” He bowed his head towards both Emily and Moimir. “We too have come to know your people as brave, strong, and exceptionally honorable warriors. While our nations have their differences, I believe we have much in common to build on and turn the relationship between our countries into a long lasting and mutually beneficial friendship. I’m pleased to say that I’ve been authorized by the Grand General to accept your proposal, provided we agree on the exact terms of the treaty, of course.”

“Of course. I have prepared a document beforehand,” Emily said, taking out a piece of paper from somewhere under the table and sliding it over to the Undefeated. “Take as much time as you need to read it.”



Both Kudrioni delegates patiently waited for their colleagues from the Undefeated to read the document.

Jim took his time to carefully read through the document the Kudrioni presented. He could see they really put a big effort into preparing for this meeting, they must have really wanted this alliance to happen. Which was good, because so did the Undefeated. “I have to say you and your legal advisors have done an amazing job putting this together.”

He rubbed his chin, eyes sweeping the paper once more. “I do have a question about Article 1 though. Isn’t it a bit too strict to completely rule out the possibility of an armed conflict? What if a problem arises that simply cannot be resolved by peaceful means? Not that we would of course wish for something like that to happen, but I think we all agree that there are some situations where use of force is inevitable.” Jim didn’t want to sound like a warmonger, but he knew the Grand General would never approve of this particular clause with this wording.

“I think,” he continued, “we could edit that sentence, adding ‘if possible’ at the end? That would give us more maneuvering ground in case the peaceful options fail to accomplish the goal. And of course we will need to add a statement claiming that in case of such an armed conflict is incited by one of the Parties, the other Party is by no means obligated to enter the conflict as well.”

Damnit. That was what Emily had hoped to avoid. By intentionally leaving that out, she thought she could coerce her own nation into avoiding wars. Well, it was a good try, and at least the Undefeated didn’t want to drag Kudrion into a war. “Thank you. I based it off an old treaty document for something called ‘nay-to’ I found in the former ECU’s archives. Of course we can change Article 1. It’s a dangerous galaxy, after all, and I’m sure there’ll be circumstances where we have to strike first.”

She got a pen from the same place where she got the document, and made the necessary changes, writing on the document itself. “We’ll have an official treaty document later, this is just the alliance proposal. I think we might have to get the leaders of our respective countries to sign it, and then ratify it somehow, but I’m not too familiar with how these things work yet.”

“I assure you that we will do everything in our power to keep our nation out of war.” Jim noticed a hint of discontent on Emily’s face and tried to calm her down. “It is a wish of our leadership that we want to be seen as a strong but neutral force. This is merely a precaution in case some unexpected circumstances should arise. I think other than that the document is acceptable, we will of course have to consult it with our legal advisors, but there shouldn’t be any major issue anymore. The Grand General expects to meet King Dishuz to formally sign the treaty once we agree on details of such a meeting.”

The Undefeated representatives gave their Kudrioni counterparts bright smiles. Jim stood up and collected the mugs. “I think this wondrous occasion calls for another toast, so if you will allow me,” he raised an eyebrow, waiting for Emily’s approving nod before he filled the mugs from the same keg as she did before and brought them back to the table. “To the friendship between our countries.” He raised the mug and sipped the strong sweet liquid once more.

One week later

It had been a week since the negotiations, and now it was time for the actual signing of the treaty. The necessary changes to Article 1 had been made, and further developments, like the planning of joint training exercises, as well as preparations for a joint development program had happened. Both nations had agreed to hold the signing ceremony in a neutral room aboard the Meeting Place. The Kudrioni had brought plenty of alcohol in celebration, and all that was left to do was to sign the actual treaty.

From the Kudrioni side, Emily, King Dishuz and Moimir were there, along with a number of minor diplomats and clan chieftains brought along for the occasion.

“Friends, Kudrioni and Undefeated alike, we have gathered here today to sign the treaty of alliance between our two nations. May the friendship between our countries last forever, and may our combined strength deter any who wish to destroy us.” Dishuz then stepped aside, seeing if the Grand General wanted to say anything before the signing.

It has been a while since the Grand General last visited the Meeting Place. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been there since the Undefeated embassy was established many months ago. It has certainly grown in size since then, many new additions have been made by new nations arriving through the Gateway. Of course he had read the reports and seen the images, but seeing the strangely mishmashed thing floating above the dead home of their ancestors with his own eyes was something different.

He was truly grateful his people managed to befriend the Kudrioni enough to be offered this alliance, hopefully a sign of a better and more peaceful future for the whole Undefeated nation. Oscar carefully watched King Dishuz during the speech, sizing him up, assessing his potential skills. The King looked like a skilled and experienced warrior, he must have been if there was a constant threat of being challenged to a duel by any of his people.

The Grand General wondered how strange it must be to live under such pressure. While Oscar considered himself a good fighter, he certainly had no illusions about his own strength. Many of the Undefeated could easily defeat him in combat. But it would serve them no good, nobody could take over his post simply by killing him. This potential for instability had him weary about getting closer to the Kudrioni at start - why build a diplomatic relationship with one ruler when he could be killed and replaced at any moment? But King Dishuz has proven to be able to maintain stability and the opportunity to gain a worthy ally was too tempting to pass on.

Dishuz, seeing that the Grand General didn’t seem to want to say anything, quickly moved on to the reason everyone actually was here. “We will now sign the alliance treaty.” He took a pen from the pen stand on the table, and put his signature on both papers. He then stepped aside and pointed his hand towards the table, inviting Oscar to do the same.

Oscar took a deep breath and grabbed the pen. Yes, this was a good thing for the Undefeated, there was no doubt about that. He added his full name on both papers, feeling strangely excited. A smile for the camera and the important part was done. One of the Kudrioni diplomats approached him with a mug and Oscar carefully took it off the tray.

“To the friendship of our people.” He raised the mug and looked at the people gathered in the room. “May it grow in strength and benefit us all.” He was never really one for long speeches.
Two Months Ago

Loss.

It was something that every human being would have to deal with in their lifetime. This was especially true on Kudrion. Family members could be lost to animal attacks. Villages could be lost to clan wars. A stray Taerascon, a colossal, horned fire-breathing beast with a hide that could only be penetrated by the strongest of weapons, could wipe out a city in one fell swoop. Emily herself had experienced loss several times, even though she was still relatively young.

But what she was mourning now was not personal loss, but something greater. The loss of an entire nation. See, as the Kingdom’s official representative, Emily had a duty to be informed about all of the other nations. And so, doing her job, she read about them, learning as much as she could.

She learned that in other nations, people didn’t constantly have to fight off beast attacks. They didn’t waste millions of lives fighting petty clan wars. Generations of skilled leaders didn’t fight each other to the death. Children grew up safely, were educated, and lived happily with their families. Ouch, that last one maybe was a little personal.

Day in, day out, she spent her day in her office, studying what other nations were doing, and what Kudrion was doing wrong. Emily was essentially alone, having been sent initially as the sole representative, but she didn’t exactly get along with others that had been sent after a few months. She didn’t mind much, preferring to be alone anyway.

That’s not to say there weren’t any personal losses, of course. In order to represent all clans better, Emily voluntarily left her own, taking the name ‘Kaldaz’ instead. What was worse was that she essentially lost her former job. Apparently, to be a ‘real scientist’ one needed hogwash like ‘peer reviews’, and to use the ‘scientific method’, and not just digging around in beast corpses. The King also repeatedly refused her requests for a lab on the station, citing ‘health and safety’ concerns. She was Kudrioni, damnit, she wasn’t even supposed to know what those words meant!

Eventually, the isolation, long stressful hours and her disillusionment with the country she worked for and lived in took their toll, and she sometimes found herself becoming as cold and distant as the Royal Guard soldiers that had been sent to protect her.




Much like four months earlier, the Sword of Tum was once again speeding to the gateway. It had become a much more sleek and agile ship after spending some time in the shipyards, more fit for transporting Kudrioni diplomats to and from the Meeting Place. Escorted by two of the new Navy’s light cruisers, the Dragonslayer and the Krowell, it passed through the Kudrion system, approaching Baldr.

The Kingdom had learned from the Gateway Boarding Incident, and in four months time had built the core of a defense station near the Gateway called Baldr. The construction of Baldr was one of the few things that the clans could agree on, and had proceeded relatively smoothly as a result. Still under construction, it couldn’t do much on its own against invading fleets, but it served as a checkpoint for ships entering and exiting the gateway, as well as a place for Navy ships to dock.

The three ships passed the station, being given permission to pass through the gateway. They were on an express mission from the King, to bring Chieftain Moimir to the Meeting Place. In the distance, many small clan ships could be seen flitting around the gateway, waiting to go through. As the Sword neared the gateway, and preparations were made for the jump, Moimir started to hear an odd noise. Never one for space travel, he had not heard this before, and was curious what it was as the bridge crew seemed to ignore it. As the sound grew louder, Moimir could recognize it as singing, and then the bridge crew started to sing too.

Moimir himself stayed silent. As a representative of the King, singing was not in his job description. He couldn’t stop himself from tapping his sword against the command chair in rhythm with the song, though.

Ah, screw it.

“Come all you young spacemen, and listen to me
I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea

And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys
When the wind blows, we're all together, boys
Blow ye winds Solward, yeah, blow ye winds, blow
Into the gateway, boys, steady she goes

Now there is Baldr, our nation’s great shield
Guns and lasers leave ‘em dead in the field

And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys
When the wind blows, we're all together, boys
Blow ye winds Solward, yeah, blow ye winds, blow
Into the gateway, boys, steady she goes

Up comes our homeland, fallen planet Earth
Dead like the desert, we’ll give a wide berth

And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys
When the wind blows, we're all together, boys
Blow ye winds Solward, yeah, blow ye winds, blow
Into the gateway, boys, steady she goes

There’s the Meeting Place, our home in the stars
We’ll dock and refuel and we’ll drink in the bars

And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys
When the wind blows, we're all together, boys
Blow ye winds Solward, yeah, blow ye winds, blow
Into the Gateway, boys, steady she goes”

Some hours later, the Sword docked with the Meeting Place. Moimir had been singing space shanties with the crew all that time, only briefly stopping to give orders. He quickly disembarked as soon as he could. After all, he had to check up on the Kingdom’s representative to make sure everything was going well.




Additional note: the space shanty should be sung in the tune of 'Fish in the Sea', as it was based on that
“Greetings, travellers among the stars. We are from the Kingdom of Kudrion, located on the planet of the same name. Like you, we are descendants of humanity and like many of you, we too had to change to overcome the challenges of our adoptive home planet, for only the most adaptable can survive. Whether these changes are a loss or a gain remains to be seen. Our people look forward to working with you.”


It was these words, four months ago, that heralded a new era for the Kingdom of Kudrion, and the Kudrioni people at large. After the ‘Gateway Boarding Incident’, as it became known on Kudrion, independent Kudrioni had flooded through the gateway, looking for work, trade opportunities, or simply to escape the constant cycles of violence endemic to their society. In barely a few months, Kudrioni could be found all over the Meeting Place, as well as any other places they could legally migrate to. In this time, the Kingdom itself built their own section on the Meeting Place to serve as an embassy, in order to negotiate diplomatic agreements. Beyond that, Kudrion didn’t have much contact with other nations during these months except for meetings to introduce themselves.

It was also these words that had changed the course of Emily’s life forever. Not only did she have knowledge of the English language, which seemed to be the lingua franca between these shattered fragments of humanity, she also had a degree of experience in talking to the foreigners. This led her to become unwillingly promoted to representative of the entire Kingdom, a task which she neither wanted nor was really suited for. It had been difficult at first, of course. After being quarantined for fear of spreading diseases unknown to the Kudrioni, she barely had a day on the surface before being sent out again, tasked with setting up an embassy on the meeting place.

The first meetings with those from other nations were always difficult. Many, like those from the Directorate or the Undefeated, seemed relatively normal and well-adjusted. Speaking to, or even seeing some of the others had been… difficult. The cyborgs were especially unsettling to her, and after seeing the apes she often felt the need to wear power armour over her uniform when going outside of Kudrion’s part of the station.

Whether these changes are a loss or a gain remains to be seen. It was these words, part of the original Kudrioni message, that had been on her mind the past few months. She knew which of these paths Kudrion had taken.



If Emily had come back to Kudrion at that time, she would find it different than when she had left it. The realization that they were not alone, that other nations existed out there, in the cold void of space, resulted in the biggest increase in activity Kudrion had seen since its unification. Many Kudrioni had begun to learn the English language in order to be able to migrate and work outside of Kudrioni space. King Dishuz had created three new organisations from scratch in order to be able to reign in the clans, exert some influence on the outside world, and ensure Kudrion’s prosperity.

The first of these three was the Kudrioni Navy. Made up of vessels recruited from the different Kudrioni clans and some ships from the Royal Guard at first, the Kudrioni Navy rapidly grew in size over these months as new technologies, bigger ships and better armaments were discovered and made. Members of this navy were recruited from all different Kudrioni clans, with little regard for the status of the clans themselves. It was primarily used as a policing force for Kudrioni space, but could also be used to defend Kudrion if it ever came to war. After all, stagnation in an ever-changing galaxy meant death, a lesson that the Kudrioni had learned well from their planet.

The second was the Kudrioni Defence Force. Made up of levies of Kudrioni warriors, many Kudrioni were actually glad to join up, seeing it as a way to gain honor and glory through combat in case war ever broke out.

The third was the College of Kroit, founded in the city of the same name. Never before had Kudrion seen such an institution, except in the very ancient times. Inspired by Emily’s knowledge of a strange language and her dedication to gaining more knowledge, Dishuz created the College so that important scientific knowledge could be kept and pooled together to benefit all Kudrioni rather than individuals.

The consequences of these first meetings sent shockwaves through Kudrion’s society as well. The strange observation that was already seen during their first meeting with another nation, the fact that Kudrioni were often larger than many other humans, quickly led to the realization that there must have been some genetic tampering far in Kudrion’s past. And suddenly, all of Kudrion knew where those ancient legends, the ones that spoke of the Kudrioni receiving strength from the gods, came from. A culture that prided itself on its ability to fight without any enhancements suddenly learned that it had these enhancements all along. The Ashokites immediately jumped on this opportunity to claim that their philosophy that demanded constant adaptation was correct, citing the fact that the ancient Kudrioni had to modify themselves as proof. Many others rejected this idea, hating themselves for something that wasn’t their fault. Either way, further divisions had been created in Kudrioni society. There had also been some resistance against the King’s use of his absolute power, but most Kudrioni realized that this was necessary to protect themselves in a potentially hostile galaxy.



It was always the smaller bars where the mercenaries and the hunters gathered. After all, these were the places where one could speak privately, and make sure others could not hear. It was in one of these places where three of these hunters, two men and one woman, had gathered. They had always spent their time in between assignments there, drinking, eating and talking with each other.

It was on one of the regular days, when the three were sitting around their favorite table, when a woman that none of them had seen before had come in. She had walked over to the table where the trio sat, and put a stack of coins on the table, the traditional way of requesting a hunt.

The three had another assignment.



The man had been there in the cell for some time, although he lost track somewhere around the fifteenth day. The cell itself was relatively clean, although the walls were painted with strange, swirling patterns and runes. He always had the same routine of waking up, being given meagre scraps of food, and then waiting until he was tired enough to go to sleep again. The days blended together as the man wasted away in his cell. He wasn’t really sure why he was there. As far as the man knew, he hadn’t broken any clan laws or committed any acts considered dishonorable, and for some reason his memories were foggy. Maybe there was something in the food?

It was around what he estimated to be about two months when his daily routine was broken by something a little strange. A woman, dressed in strange robes that reminded him a bit of the white robes the Arido priests wore, although completely black, came into his cell. She had with her a bowl of ochre-colored paint, and she had drawn something on his forehead with it while saying something in a language he did not understand. After, she left.

How strange.
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