Tortoise

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

_{Addressing: @Irredeemable and @Crusader Lord}

_{Starring: Kayla}

Kayla is strange for an Oligarch. Aside from the hyperactive attitude anyone notices, there's something more subtle about her; something different that only fellow Oligarchs tend to see.

Part of it is why she's sitting at this foreign bar in a Chinese-inspired dress. (That is, not a historical Chinese dress.) And another part is that she's speaking English, but not in a proper Old English accent, or an Old American one. Or not even an Australian, South African, Scottish, or Irish one either. What she is speaking is a form of English that developed only on New Hollywood, the New Beijing accent- which should be clearly understandable, but no other Oligarch would be seen publicly using.

It is, like her dress, not of Earth.

Kayla is a New Hollywoodite. There's no denying it. But the problem, from her peer's perspective, is that she's too much of a Hollywoodite. Is there anything left of Beautiful Mother Terra in her? That question has propelled her across the Gateway, to watch over this blockade in another corner of the galaxy, where her new-ness is safely contained from being spread to the others back home.

Kayla admits all of this to her bartender, in fact, at least in her own hyper-fast speech. Fortunate that he can't understand a word of it. Doesn't speak English, New Beijing or otherwise.

She laughs at a joke about Zetans that only she told and only she understood, and downs another drink.

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

<Snipped quote by Sigma>

Is anyone chilling at Earth? I just wanna know the lay of the land/who is where before I go anywhere.

I'm working on reading the IC but there's a lot.

@Sep

@Tortoise Done, I added a few things in the extra info though. If there's anything else that I need to add send me a message.

Also what exactly am I writing in the IC?

@Kale19

So, I'm gonna write a kind of synopsis for the OP eventually, but in the meantime here's what you both need to know.

The Gateways connect to every colony, from every colony, so each of us can travel to eachother at anytime. They also all connect to Earth, and there has been built a neutral station named the Meeting Place. It's modular, so every colony can add their own 'section' to it. The ECU has a section filled with fancy decorations and holographic servants, the Undefeated's segment mostly seems to house soldiers, etc. If you want (it's not required), you can say that your nations are building on to it as well, although it probably wouldn't be done right away.

Either way, the Meeting Place is where a lot of diplomacy happens. Earlier, nations were coming in to "introduce themselves." They would broadcast a message on the station that all other nations could hear, so that every Colony could be considered to know eachother with out us having to write out every single first contact

Like so:

There's a space up ahead, in this part of the Meeting Place largely constructed by the ECU. Holograms flicker in and out of being, appearing when needed, vanishing when not. And flying cameras hover around, eager to record the new Liason Tanaka's first words. New Hollywood is attending the Event, of course. Oligarchs never turn down an invitation.

"Humans of the Galaxy," the young man begins, finally actualizing the words he's practiced so many times. "I am here on behalf of the Earth Cultural Union. We are a league of mankind, dedicated to preserving the cultures, ways and forms of our great ancestors. We believe in the potential of humanity, but also in respect for our true nature. We believe in the ways of our lost home, and also in the reality of our present situation. If you will hear us, we will work with you, to revitalize all that has been forgotten. To keep the torch of Earth burning bright even through this long night. To stand against the darkness, and not forget who we are. Thank you."

That description will soon be recorded in the databanks of the Meeting Place, and sent out to all other nations who participate in this Event. Even now, the ECU is also hearing the introductions of other Colonies, both friends and strangers. And enemies. The time of first contacts is over. Even Tanaka realizes. It is time for the action to begin.

If you wanted to send a diplomat to the Meeting Place to do something like that, it would be a good way for your Colony to join the community we have going.

Speaking of, uh, community, there's a war going on. The ECU (my nation) and their allies the Undefeated (Raylah), verses Irredeemable's Zetans. The Zetan navy is currently destroyed, and their planet is under blockade by the ECU/Undefeated. Your Gateway will just now be opening up, so you're free to react, join in, play the neutral, or just ignore it completely. Everything here is pretty sandbox; it's all up to you what to do.

EDIT: By the way, Kale, you are approved!

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Kale19
I like that the Abberians have regressed so much technologically. I was hoping someone would go that kind of route. Is this complete or a work-in-progress?

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Sep
Approved! You can drop them in the Char tab and start posting IC whenever

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Irredeemable
I see the changes you've made to the Matuvistans! It's probably a good thing they have a navy now (You're free to start posting as them whenever)

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

_{Addressing: @Raylah}

Oh, why, oh why couldn't they install a holographic bartender? The ECU uses holograms for everything these days. Back home, they're replacing social workers and servants by the millions. But no, no, up here in space, it has to be authentic.

Hans watches helplessly as a half-dozen already buzzed soldiers pour into his bar faster than whiskey. He starts to sigh, but before the breath can get halfway out, another half-dozen follow them. But this time, moving a little more like wine. (He's been working such long shifts lately, it's impossible not to think in terms of alcohol any more.)

"Whaddya got?" one leans his sweaty arm against Hans' clean bar table without asking. "Hey, I said whaddya got?"

Not enough pay to deal with this, that's what. He'd quit, but any other job would be the same; Oligarchs have a way of ending up in charge of all the businesses. The ECU is technically capitalist, but Hans has learned, you need 'noocratic permission' to use any of the recycled Bezian resources, or anything from the freshly terraformed land. Together, those two happen to comprise 100% percent of available resources on New Hollywood. So without permission from a high-up Oligarch, there's just no way to start up a new business on your own- and then you end up working on a bar in the backend of the Sol system with a bunch of foreign soldiers looking like they wanna wreck all your hard work cleaning it up.

"Mate," Hans smiles, adopting his personal favorite Old Australian accent, "we have about every drink you could ever want for. 16th Century Italian Champagne, 20th American Moonshine- not for the faint- an imitation of Roman Empire spirits, English Beer..."

~~~~~~~~

_{Starring: Martina}

"So what do you... believe?"

"Many things. Our predecessors, perhaps in too many things."

"What do you mean?"

"The early Mixtists, you know, their name comes from an Old English word, 'mix.' They accepted almost every Old Earth faith as true in some sense or some other, and tried to smash them all together. This is what made the Noocracy angry with them. Made them chase us out of the cities. Earth religion never had such a unity, so the ECU will not accept it now."

"But why? Isn't unity good?"

"Maybe. But New Hollywood will not have a thing which Earth didn't have. But besides, back when I was still young, we were... over-enthusiastic. Living out in these ruins has made us more discriminating. Perhaps every faith does have some echo of the Truth. But- but- there can still only be one Truth. It is our mission to find it."

"Oh."

"Yes."

"...Can I join you?"

The old woman looks at Martina Ward fully in the eyes, not for the first time since they've sat around this flickering fire. "Of course you can, dear."

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

I'm actually gonna hold off on my interest at this time, I think I won't have time as I'm working out my schedule. Sorry

@Dark Cloud

No problem. I'll hope to see you around in the future.

(And if you do, the ogre idea is cool. They'd be the first nation to be totally non-human by the time the Gateways reopen)

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Dark Cloud

Hey, respectfully, I feel like you didn't read the OP. Or maybe you only skimmed it. It's been 300 years since Earth fell, not millions, so millions of years of inbreeding would not be plausible. I'd like to ask that you read the OP before you continue, since it might lead to you creating a nation that wouldn't work in this context. (There's a specific backstory to this RP, about Earth collapsing and us being its scattered colonies.)

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Dark Cloud

No limit on which races can exist. One dude had vampires. Someone else had horrific mutants with claws and teeth that did not resemble humans at all.

However, your colony was founded by humans from Earth, so you'll either need humans to be a continuing population and the others as aliens, or create a story in which your humans are transformed into the elves/ogres. Basically, you just need to explain how you got from a colony ship full of regular humans, to a world with elves and ogres.

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Irredeemable
It's approved!

But, you may want to remove the one-liner under population where it says "This might be a good place to insert a flag or other representative image" if you're not going to use one.

Also, in the military section, you only talk about ground and aerial combat. I assume this means they don't have ships?