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On Earth, in a grand conference hall overlooking the warm, equatorial bay of the Sant Tomas port, President Wiśniowiecki stepped up to the podium.

Ships from a number of unexpected sources had arrived, nations which the Republic had not had contact with or had only heard rumors of had sent delegations. There was a Ninian embassy, and diplomats from the distant Empire of the Sun, and a small gaggle of almost absurd-looking creatures from the Straltoc Federation, attended by a somewhat surprised looking interpreter with sweat-stains soaking through his suit. All the ships
who had approached Sol carrying ambassadors had been ushered to the Republic building on Poland's tropical colonial holding, at the base of the Katowica space elevator. Holographic representations of those ambassadors unable to make it hung below hovering drones brought in for the purpose, concealing recorders which would send the contents of the meeting back to their masters.

"Ladies, gentlemen." President Wiśniowiecki ran a hand through his blond-grey hair almost nervously, observing the massed crowd of sometimes shocking alien and human forms. "I present to you our initial proposal for the constitution of the Coalition of Nations."

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The Coalition of Nations

The Coalition of Nations will act as a source of international law and justice, a forum for the airing of grievances peaceably between nations, and an instrument for the expansion of trade and the fostering of mutually beneficial ties between the civilized nations of known space. 

Each member will hold one vote, measures and decisions will be passed by a general vote of the coalition, with majority rule. Decisions to add or remove members, or to change the Terms of the Coalition's Agreement will  require a vote of at least 2/3rds in assent to pass.

In the event that a nation fails to vote on an issue for 1 standardweek, their vote will be counted an "Abstain." Any member will bee free to present a suggestion before the Coalition for voting.

The precise duties of the Coalition will be to:

I)  Secure free and equitable trade between all members  
II)   Secure the spaceways and persecute piracy
III)   Regulate warfare and conflict so as to ensure that only civilized methods are used and that civilian populations are protected
IV)    Maintain the peace by stopping aggressive war and authorizing peacekeeping missions where necessary
V)    Provide a forum for organizing international efforts against organized crime
VI)    Provide a forum for the distribution of aid to those nations in need in times of strife and natural disaster
VII)   Provide an international court for the moderation of disputes between nations

Members will be required to pay a small due for the maintenance of CoA facilities and meeting-places.

The Coalition is not a mutual defense pact or a military alliance- it acts as a forum for the discussion and the reaching of decisions for the common good.

Signed by authorised representatives of the following founding sovereign
Powers:

"Your thoughts, gentlebeings?"

Academia Nut wrote:Sliding forward on his snake-like lower body, his millipede legs occasionally lifting his belly off the ground seemingly at random, Ambassador Felsith takes the floor and begins his statement.

"Brothers, sisters, and neuters of the stars. Cousins of Earth. The Straltoc people left this world when it was in the grips of war, nations squabbling for reasons we now find inconsequential and nonsensical, and while as a species all has turned out for the best, it would be a lie to say that there was no suffering between then and now. In fact, my people suffered greatly in the early years as we struggled to make a new world our own and to understand our rapidly evolving biology.

"Thus we say, no more. We would not wish that fear of extinction upon our worst enemies, and so we are in full agreement with the points of this accord. To behave in a civilized manner is the least that can be done in the incivility of war, and the prevention of war is indeed a lofty goal. The opening of borders for the trade of goods, and ideas, is a necessity for the proper evolution of civilization from barbarity. Justice, true justice, for all is the foundation of the civilization we wish to grow. Charity to those in need is what is needed most when so many go hungry and wanting.

"So President Wiśniowiecki, we, the Straltoc Federation, shall join your Coalition."

Imperial Overlord wrote:Sol System
Terra

Speaker Nathan Hale rose to his feet, his robes rustling around him. He was a tall man, dressed in all black save for a silver and ruby broach on his robes. His skin was light brown and his hair was black. Technosorcery had greatly extended his life and maintained his vigor, but age still left a few marks on his face. The emissary of the Ruling Council spoke in a strong baritone.

"The Logos Centrality has endured through ages of war and barbarism and has no desire to see that suffering perpetuated. The Earth and the stars have seen too much violence and crime and we join with other beings in rejecting that path. Wars should be fought only when necessary and we endorse a forum where discussion and diplomacy can help resolve and minimize disputes. Furthermore, coordination in suppressing and bringing to justice pirates and other perpetrators of heinous crimes is in the interest of all. The Ruling Council endorses the proposal."

HSRTG wrote:Ambassador Clicknikket slithered forward, glancing left and right at the assembled species. Shaking his head, he began speaking;

"Assembled races, blessed as we have been by Lonas, we have been in space for a hundred millenia and not acknowledged the existence of others. For this we apologize. We know not what we might have missed out on in our ignorance, but that is the past.

"We have always looked towards the future, and that has not changed. This coalition will clearly be the future of this small part of the galaxy, for better or for worse. We hope it will be for the better. The Nianan Hedgemony will sign the Coalition Treaty."

Clicknikket moved back to his "Bean-bag" chair. The chair was comfortable, if unorthodox, the design unheard of, and he had sent a memo to Nagara detailing the invention. Perhaps it would become standard issue.

rhoenix wrote:Archon Prasad pursed his lips thoughtfully for a few moments, re-reading the Polish delegation's President Wiśniowiecki speech before beginning his own. He listened with thoughtful curiosity to the Straltoc delegate's speech, nodding in certain places to himself. It may all be an elaborate game of politics, but the people of the Golden Sun had been through something similar to the Straltoc, if not so directly.

Seeing no other delegates getting to their feet and speaking, Archon Prasad took the opportunity, secretly grateful to get out of the chair that was more than slightly too small.

His dark eyes missed nothing as he scanned the room one final time, to gauge mood, and tone before speaking.

"Gathered gentlebeings, my people left Earth at a time of evidently brief peace, when the people of the world gathered together their resources to look for something greater. Looking around me now, I see that mission has succeeded, as I see delegates here from powers both near and far, each with their own histories, triumphs, and tragedies."

"We know from our own past, and our mistakes, that a variety of minds can succeed where many similar minds might fail. Having a central place for our variety of minds and territories to discuss matters at hand would only be a boon. It is for this reason that we will support this Alliance."

With that, he sat down, the wind of his movement rustling his long, flowing clothes a bit more than normal.

Crossroads Inc. wrote:The five represenatives of The UISC had been scheduled to speak earlier... But it had taken them almost an hour to decied which of them would speak for the other four.

Finally it was decieded that Kentara Lontimanolla, a Trathalan, would speak, by viture of being the most neutral among the five.

"Fellow Sapients, Organics and Inorganics, it has come to pass that for far too long many of us have expanded without ryme or reason. Without giving thought to the future between us. It is indeed important that this conferance be called between us at such a time.

The need to create an organized set of rules and guidlines for the exchange of trade, information, and goods is wlecomed among the UISC as it is amongst all space fareing worlds." She spoke, speaking quickly to finish before quickly with drawling. It was times such as this that she longed for her homeworld... But someone had to speak for her people...

Behind them, A single, seemingly harmless protacal Droid watched the events.

Rawtooth wrote:Lady Tiamat stepped forward and bowed low to the assembly, spreading her arms wide in the traditional manner of the Qiraji. Straightening herself, she was still as she began to speak.

"The Qiraji people find these terms acceptable. However, we propose two admendments. The first is that the Coalition of Nations shall respect the inherent sovereignty of each government and shall not interfere in internal matters under any circumstances."

Lady Tiamat clicked her throat once, before continuing.

"We also ask that the Coalition of Nations respect any trade agreements between two governments, whether they are within the Coalition or not."

Her robes shifted once as she finished, her eyes glittering as she looked at each other diplomatic party in turn.

Thirdfain wrote:Terra

"Lady Tiamat, it is the Republic's stance that the Coalition of Nations should emphasize strongly the ability of member nations to respect trade agreementts, as well as the inherent rights of sovereign states to conduct their internal affairs as they will. However, the Coalition must have some teeth- it must be capable of, via democratic vote, mobilizing the resources of member states, even if they vote against a measure."

In the back of the chamber, ushers helped more delegates in- Kari'naha, and the others who had only just arrived.

GuppyShark wrote:[img=left]http://members.optusnet.com.au/~bcarletti/Android.jpg[/img]

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At this time, the Android Colony of Zapf must decline the offer of membership in the Coalition of Nations. We are not willing to allow an external body to mandate control of our assets. The Android Colony would join if carrying out the decisions of this forum was voluntary. We see the value in cooperative efforts to promote trade and reduce piracy.

Cincinnatus wrote:After he had had a chance to go over the Polish proposal and confer with his diplomatic staff, Envoy Zegular Kesreg rose to speak.

"Honored President Anton Wiśniowiecki, may your gold flow on and on for all time, the constitution you have proposed is most pleasing. His Majesty, King Mistem "Hammer Blessed" Enshallogem, may his beard never thin, believes that secure and free trade is the cornerstone of galactic peace and prosperity. Therefore, I believe the most important things that this Coalition of Nations could do would be to enforce provisions I and II to the best of it's ability.

"With this is mind, the Kingdom of Isdenestilom agrees with you, President Anton Wiśniowiecki, that there must be some way for the Coalition to enforce its decisions. If not, what is to stop a nation from leveling unfair tariffs, or giving aid to pirates who plague another nations star lanes?

"On that last point, the captain of the starship that brought me here informed me that a ship from the 'nation' of Bootswellington jumped into this system and sent out a comm signal asking to be allowed to attend this meeting. Might I remind you, delegates, that Bootswellington openly admits to committing acts of piracy. I think the first act of this Coalition, should the constitution be ratified, is to seek a way to end to the illegal activities committed by this so called Pirate King and his 'subjects', by any means necessary."

Rawtooth wrote:"The Empire of the Sun must respectfully..." Lady Tiamat stopped mid-sentence. Her head cocked to one side, as if listening to a distant sound. Finally she brought her attention back to the present situation. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she finished talking.

"Unfortunately, I am late in contacting the Grand Concord. Please excuse me."

She then exited the chamber, trailed by her Qiraji cohorts. They left for the safety of her ship, the Chromatic Burst.

---

"Did you feel that?"

"Of course we did mistress! Why did you leave the summit?"

"Another race with psychics... "

"Why do they even matter, after all the-"

"Silence you idiot! Don't you realize what this means for us, for our race! We must inform the Grand Concord at once!"

Dahak wrote:
Sant Tomas, conference room

The Duke received the report from the incident through his implants. Only his professionalism and his implants stopped him from blushing a deep red.
"Fellow delegates," his booming voice rose, "I have to inform you that an incident with one of our ships and a Kiroter'nah ship occured in orbit around Earth. The captain of one of our cruisers misjudged a situation terribly. Our orbital defense dealt with the situation and the Captain has been terminated. We apologise deeply and offer reparations for any damage to the Kiroter'nah."
He bowed very deep several times.

Thirdfain wrote:Coalition of Nations Conference
Sant Tomas
Earth

President Wisniowiecki looked up from the flimsy and aid had just pressed into his hand. He sighed deeply, and stood up.

"Gentlebeings, I've just recieved an urgent report from space command. Fifteen minutes ago, a vessel of the Hegemony of Heavens opened fire upon a licensed diplomatic vessel of the Kiroter'nah for unknown reasons. The Kiroter'nah vessel was in a stable orbit landing members of the Kiroter'nah diplomatic team via displacer. Such an act represents a nearly unforgivable breach of protocol, Earth law, and is a representation of extreme disrespect to the Polish Republic. This is precisely the kind of event which the Coalition as envisioned should exist to stop, precisely the sort of crime which the Coalition should exist to take action against.

I know we all haven't agreed on the details yet, but I'd like to humbly request that the nations assembled here join the Republic in denouncing the Hegemony's actions and demand just reparations and a state apology for the actions just criminally undertaken against the Kiroter'nah, against the honor of the Polish diplomatic corps, and against the very peace which this conference has met to maintain... with the understanding that if the Hegemony fails to answer for it's actions, we as one will take every necessary measure to ensure justice is done."

Academia Nut wrote:Seriously agitated by the day's events, when it is Ambassador Felsith's turn to speak he comes forward and says his mind.

"Gentlebeings, recent events have seriously shaken the foundation of my confidence, and moreso the confidence of my people. When my report returns to my Federation, know that there will be a firestorm of controversy that could take weeks to settle down. Politicians that gave their support for this coalition will withdraw it and the certainty I had going here has vanished. Thus, until my people have once again reached consensus I am afraid that I cannot ratify the coalition, for fear of committing my people to a course of action they will no longer support. While I feel the earnesty of the Poles for this coalition and the ideals it represents, it will take time to convince my people that you are as competent as I know you truly are. I am deeply sorry for this."

Returning to his place, Felsith represses the urge to groan. What had started of as an dream come true had somehow dissolved into a nightmare. The Patriarch and Sensate factions would go nuts over this incident and possibly start pushing for wars against other groups 'for their own good' again.

Turning to his apprentice, Felsith asks, "Please ask the representative of the Logos Centrality where he would like to meet for dinner in light of these... security breaches."

We're going to need all the allies we can get if the coming storm doesn't break soon Felsith thinks darkly.

Thirdfain wrote:

Wisniewieki slammed a fist into the table.

"This is exactly the problem. This is precisely why events have continued today in such a way. The simple fact is that right now, there IS no Coalition. The chaos taking place is the result of actions such as the one YOU are proposing- withdrawal, removal, and diplomatic silence. I have presented a solution to this problem; you want only to wander home, emptyhanded. The Hegemony's actions will go unpunished, a diplomatic incident will likely ensue, and the cycle of violence will begin again. For shame. By walking out of this chamber, you will solve nothing. How can such events be called the fault of a Coalition which hasn't even agreed on a founding document yet? Show some backbone."

Academia Nut wrote:Bristling at the accusation of moral cowardice, Felsith rears up slightly on instinct before settling down and saying, "And I support you. But because I have been charged with speaking for my people, I know what they will say. Many will agree with your sentiments, but many will also call you juveniles running around playing Settlers and Indigs with real guns. Push the hawks too hard and they could push back, resulting in the election of a leader not as open to the concept of peace as the current one. And unless you want me to go into a days long explaination of the internal politics of the Straltoc Federation, you will have to be content with the fact that I am honestly trying to get this Coalition off the ground but because of recent events it will be a damn sight harder selling this to my people than it was before."

And then, because he's pissed, Felsith adds in the jab, "And you will kindly note that I do not in fact have a backbone."

Thirdfain wrote:

"If you support us, Mr. Ambassador, then perhaps you should make an actual effort."

Imperial Overlord wrote:Sol System
Terra
Polish Republic
Sant Tomas

"The Logos Centrality is forced to concur with Polish Republic on this matter," said Nathan Hale. "The agreement under discussion is that of a set of diplomatic protocols between nations and the creation of body for meetings and discussion. It is incidents like that which is occurring right now that it hopes to prevent. To withdraw now before we have even settled on the language of the document, let alone ratified it, merely increases the likelihood of similar incidents happening in the future."

Not to mention what it would do to trade, a not unimportant consideration for the Logos Centrality. Greater Hungary alone held the population of all of Mars. The wealth produced by trade had allowed the Centrality to come into existence and secure their own future. As sure as the Beyond wasn't he wasn't going to be the one to tell the First Councilor that he stood silent while this agreement that could have poured an almost endless stream of wealth and resources into the Centrality tanked.

Academia Nut wrote:Sighing, Felsith seems to deflate and says, "I know all of that and I am making an effort, but despite all the talk of being higher beings some of the more fanatical elements of my people spout, we're just as full of bickering idiots as anyone. You will however note that I am not leaving, merely withdrawing my people's stamp for the moment. In a few hours I will have a response from my superiors as to how to procede. I am unhopeful at this point as there is a very real risk that if we join this coalition that the hotheads in my people will see this as our leader signing up with a bunch of incompetents. If we do not cool these firebrands down before signing up with the coalition then there is a real risk that within a year my people will withdraw to go off on some sort of suicidal crusade to bring 'enlightenment' to the galaxy. As I said, I support the Poles in their endeavour, but I am not my people, as much as I speak for them."

Thirdfain wrote:
"I can only wish you the best of luck with whatever internal dissonant elements you need to handle, but I can only reiterate that the Coalition of Nations would be a forum for discussion between the nations of Known Space, nothing more and nothing less."

Academia Nut wrote:"Yes, which is why I and my superiors will be doing our damnedest to convince the idiots amongst our nation that this is not some binding alliance but a forum for discussing trade and peace. Surely you know how motivated groups with an agenda and the resources to influence the media can twist innocent things into the end of civilization as we know it? I know that once news of this incident gets back, and the longer it takes the worse it will sound, there will be politicians in the opposition screaming their heads off and all the consensus that had to be built before we left for Earth will go up in a puff of smoke. Until the smoke clears, my hands are, unfortunately, tied. My mouths and ears are, however, not. Who knows? Perhaps my superiors will decide to forge on in any case."

President Wiśniowiecki, your statement that the Council would serve only as a forum is contradicted by the text of the constitution you have proposed.

The Coalition of Nations wrote:The Coalition of Nations will act as a source of international law and justice, a forum for the airing of grievances peaceably between nations, and an instrument for the expansion of trade and the fostering of mutually beneficial ties between the civilized nations of known space.

We are not opposed to the principle of an interstellar forum, only the particulars of this constitution.

Spyder wrote: "It is important that we take time to get to know and understand each other before we commit ourselves. Let it be asked, what requirements will be asked of the member nations of this coalition in order to fulfill the goals put forth in the proposal?

Can this coalition guarantee each nation's right to self governance and policy making?

Can this coalition guarantee each nation's right to affiliation with non-member states?

Will membership require participation in warfare that member states would otherwise not become involved?

I propose that we maintain this gathering as simply a forum for the establishment of political dialogue. Once we have all established dialogue and understand the needs of each member then we should consider regulation."

What do you mean by civilized methods of warfare? Is the point of war not the utter obliteration of your enemies?

And prevention of aggressive war; is war not by its very definition aggressive?

After all, if majority rules, I feel compelled to ask the difficult question - if even those who vote 'nay' to a vote can have their fleets mobilized over and beyond that of their ruling governments, then how can those of us who do not hail from Earth ensure our interests are properly protected?

"While the solidarity of the planet we once called home is an admirable goal, we cannot help but feel concerned that this creates a certain amount of bias in this Coalition toward Earth powers.