STGOD 2K5 Main Game

Shark Bait · Post by **Shark Bait** » 2005-01-11 09:11pm

Agent Fisher wrote:
Shark Bait wrote:
Agent Fisher wrote:'Like wise. Now if you will follow me I will show you to your quarters. We have about a few days trip back."
I thank you for your hospitality but we do not wish to trouble you in any way if we are making life dificult for some standing crew by taking their room then by all means a simple storage locker will work fine for us we do not require sleep or even to sit down.
"Very well then. Follow me and we will go somewhere where we can talk."

The delegates walked down a hallway and walked into a confrence room.

"Now please Ambasador. Tell me about your people." Said Blakely.

We are for lackof a better word computers, we wre created from the technology of an ancient carbon based race not unlike yourselves. they origionally evlolved on our home world and never really got off it they simply fought amongst themselves and destroyed one another and eventually all life on the planet. Long after that the creator came to our world and cobbled together from broken pieces of technology the orignal five who once ruled our world. In time the creator made contact with us in order to teach us the ways of moderation and compassion using the examples of the great queen and the second savior. But ourselves and the five were foolish we cared only for learning more of the creators seacrets so in disgust he left us. Much time was spent attempting to discovert the true reasonfor the creator leaving us untill we finally realized the folly of our proud and selfish ways. So now we work to uphold the teachings of the creators we demonstrate compassion for other races and moderation when expanding our relations with other nations consist of trading labor for raw materials needed for our continued survival, we never colonize worlds or moons with any type of life form living on them. With this in mind we wish to open diplomatic and possibly trade relations.

Agent Fisher · Post by **Agent Fisher** » 2005-01-11 09:15pm

Shark Bait wrote:
Agent Fisher wrote:
Shark Bait wrote: I thank you for your hospitality but we do not wish to trouble you in any way if we are making life dificult for some standing crew by taking their room then by all means a simple storage locker will work fine for us we do not require sleep or even to sit down.
"Very well then. Follow me and we will go somewhere where we can talk."

The delegates walked down a hallway and walked into a confrence room.

"Now please Ambasador. Tell me about your people." Said Blakely.
We are for lackof a better word computers, we wre created from the technology of an ancient carbon based race not unlike yourselves. they origionally evlolved on our home world and never really got off it they simply fought amongst themselves and destroyed one another and eventually all life on the planet. Long after that the creator came to our world and cobbled together from broken pieces of technology the orignal five who once ruled our world. In time the creator made contact with us in order to teach us the ways of moderation and compassion using the examples of the great queen and the second savior. But ourselves and the five were foolish we cared only for learning more of the creators seacrets so in disgust he left us. Much time was spent attempting to discovert the true reasonfor the creator leaving us untill we finally realized the folly of our proud and selfish ways. So now we work to uphold the teachings of the creators we demonstrate compassion for other races and moderation when expanding our relations with other nations consist of trading labor for raw materials needed for our continued survival, we never colonize worlds or moons with any type of life form living on them. With this in mind we wish to open diplomatic and possibly trade relations.

"Ah, well, we have several moons and planetiods with no life on them that we could allow you to mine. For a price of course."

Shark Bait · Post by **Shark Bait** » 2005-01-11 09:30pm

of cource understandably so we currently have such an agreement with the F of T for the mining rights to their asteroid belt, we perform the labor and mine what we need, and in exchange we give them a precent of the nickel and iron we collect.

Jaded Masses · Post by **Jaded Masses** » 2005-01-11 10:18pm

(briefly skipping the current battle)
The shuttle that had departed, had reached its destination in the UVP. It conveyed what was happening, confirming the fears here. Though it was informed of the ships heading towards the situation, it requested access to a hyperchannel. The message to the Roma Republic invoked an immediateness response. A formal request was issued to the UVP to assist the Republic in dealing with the conflict. In the mean time a battle group was dispatched towards the area.

(battle group
1 Light Battleship
2 heavy cruisers
6 escorts)
(given time for traversing the galaxy I make I can get there in about 7 hours)

Agent Fisher · Post by **Agent Fisher** » 2005-01-11 11:34pm

Shark Bait wrote:of cource understandably so we currently have such an agreement with the F of T for the mining rights to their asteroid belt, we perform the labor and mine what we need, and in exchange we give them a precent of the nickel and iron we collect.

"Well, we have a few other concerns aside from precentage. To arange such an agreement we would need your word that you would only bring in mining vehicles. Also, our Confederacy is set in a cluster of stars and other navigational hazards. This makes it easier to defend our territory, because there are only a few easy routes in and out. The rest are largely unknown to the rest of the galaxy. If you were to be allowed to operate in our space, you must not share any navigational data you might collect,

Agent Fisher · Post by **Agent Fisher** » 2005-01-11 11:52pm

The Second Fleet Element dropped out of slipspace outside of the BFE-007.

Captain Compton, on board the SCS Lupin, looked at the screen displaying sensor data.

"Flight Ops, contact the rest of the element and tell them to get some Broadswords and Jackals out there as a recon picket. And make sure they keep their weapons off. We dont know how the natives will react to hot weapons. Helm, take us in."

Post by **Beowulf** » 2005-01-12 12:30am

TO: All members of Eastern Rim Trading Compact
FROM: Rpblksrpsk Office of State
RE: Application for admission

The Emperor-King of Rpblksrpsk, Drvr petitions for admission. We are currently undertaking anti-piracy operations in the area known as the Aquarian Union.
---

RNN: The News You Trust

The King has decreed a 10% increase in fleet strength. Accordingly the following number of ships has been authorized for contruction: 2 BB, 4 CG, 2 CLR, 2 CVE, 8 DD, 8 FFRM.
---

TF4.2, 4.4 and 4.6 are hereby ordered to report to Aquarian station.

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » 2005-01-12 01:03am

Sabai Territory
Indas System, Indas
Diplomatic Directorate

The message from the Stuart Corporation was promptly received and analyzed by the relevant Sabai authorities. The Acheron himself took the time to craft a message that would in turn carry out the necessary meaning required for the desired operation. The Sabai like the Stuart Corporation were strong nations, and together they could achieve a great deal of more effect on the piracy in their sphere of influence. It was all a matter of necessity.

With the situations occurring in the galactic south, The Acheron felt that it was time that the nations that resided within the west exerted their influence in an elegant but strong manner. Piracy was a constant concern for interstellar nations, and even though piracy was low all things considered at least within the traditional Sabai sphere of influence, this did not mean that trade in the western area of the galaxy need not fear piracy. The Sabai naval force was powerful, but by virtue of its design lacked the numbers to patrol wide expanses of space. While a single Sabai escort was more than a match for any other comparable ship in space, there were fewer of them to go around.

The Sabai had thus far relied on the Eye of Indas and the considerable information gathering network which the Indashani had left behind to stay ahead of piracy. In more than occasion pirate forces that had been gathering to place down roots in the area, had been smashed by a well coordinate and seemingly prescient attack by Sabai forces. The Acheron hoped that by coordinating with the Stuart Corporation, the seeds which had been planted diplomatically within both nations could quickly grow. There were other reasons of course, but those could be addressed at a later time.

The highest ranking Sabai representative present in the world of Indas took the time to hand deliver the message from the Acheron.

From: Acheron Marik Vestal
To: Stuart Government

The exact extent of anti-piracy maneuvers planned at this time will be limited in scope. The maneuvers are designed with two purposes in mind. The first being to solidify the bonds which have recently linked our nations diplomatically; the second is to show our solidarity in maintaining space around our territories and our sphere of influence free of pirate activity. The Stuart Corporation and our own nation are some of the largest powers in this area of the galaxy, and we would be remiss in our duties to ourselves if we do not take this responsibility seriously. We feel that working with your own assets, we may more adequately protect our territory and our mutual interests. Attached to this file are some of our latest intelligence estimates as to the locations and strengths of various pirate groups and their movements. It is our desire for our people to work together in discovering a means of…pruning these threats as elegantly as possible.

I await your response eagerly,
Acheron Marik Vestal

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2005-01-12 03:30am

"Any sign of him?" Crell asked into his commlink in a low, inconspicuous voice as he walked through Artaxis Prime's main promenade, filled with vendors from all over the Klingon Empire and shops of all sorts. The station had been cobbled together from various derelict starships, including not a few long-since decomissioned BoydWorks hulls. Its general form was a giant disc with two spokes protruding from the center, and docking ports of all different sorts were scattered all over the surface, most on movable tubes that extended from the station's hull.

"Negative," Darg's gruff voice came back.

"Wait," Crell said as he poked his head over the top of the crowd. "I think I see him. He's in a bar, place by the name of Domick's. I'll meet you there."

By the time Darg reached the bar, he found Crell seated at the bar near a plain-looking Klingon in navy uniform. Crell was minding his own business, quietly sipping at a concoction of some sort. Taking the hint, Darg walked up boisterously as befit a Klingon warrior, clapped Gorval on the shoulder, and sat down beside him. "You must be from the flagship that's docked here," he said nonchalantly as he motioned for the barkeep and tossed him a couple chits for a drink.

"And you must be a mercenary," Gorval tossed back.

"It's not a bad way of life," Darg shrugged. He noticed Crell stretch and yawn, discreetly moving his hand over Gorval's drink and dropping several drops of a clear liquid into it. It was a fast-acting sleep drug specific to Klingon biology, he knew. "I see enough combat to satisfy my thirst. That's all I need." He raised his mug. "A toast to the art of war, perhaps?"

Gorval grinned. "A toast it is, then." He raised his mug and clinked it against Darg's, then downed the whole cup in one gulp. Some of the blood wine dribbled down his chin, and he coughed slightly, blinking in surprise. "Bartender, that's some mighty strong blood wine," he remarked.

"Thank you," the bartender replied from the other side of the bar.

Gorval blinked some more. "I should return to the ship," he said as he started to get up. Then he stumbled slightly.

"Easy there," Darg remarked as he caught Gorval's arm. "You look like you've had too much. Point me in the direction of your ship and I'll drag you back."

Gorval gestured in a direction but protested. "I can make it," he said, yawning, before he stumbled again.

"No you can't," Darg replied, as he grabbed Gorval's arm and slung him over his shoulder. The other Klingon hardly protested, his head slumping to one side. He belched loudly, some of the blood wine spilling on Darg's shoulder. "Let's clean you up first."

Once inside the nearest restroom, Darg headed for a lavatory stall and dragged Gorval inside. There, he sat the other Klingon down and proceeded to take a quick blood sample as Crell had instructed him; he looked at the hypospray of nanites that he had applied the blood to, and then pressed it to his neck. They went to work immediately, and his appearance began to change to match that of the Klingon soldier. Meanwhile, he stripped Gorval of his uniform and swapped clothing, finally exiting the stall and leaving Gorval inside, dressed in his clothing. Then he left the restroom and went for the docking port that Gorval had indicated.

Crell, meanwhile, entered the bathroom and went up to the stall Gorval had been left in, then slung the unconscious Klingon over his shoulder and made his way back to the Lurker of the Shadows without incident.

"I'm in," Darg finally came over the commlink several minutes later.

"Affirmative."

Crell and Johan looked down at the unconscious Klingon with some confusion. Finally, Crell spoke. "So, what are we going to do with him?"

Johan looked at Gorval for several more seconds. "Well, there's a small carbon freeze unit in the main hold," he said. "We could try it. I haven't used it in years, haven't captured any live bounties in a while. Might as well test it on Gorval here. Meanwhile, we'll just stay docked here for another few hours or so, no need to raise suspicions."

Vohu Manah · Post by **Vohu Manah** » 2005-01-12 07:26am

Jaded Masses wrote:(briefly skipping the current battle)
The shuttle that had departed, had reached its destination in the UVP. It conveyed what was happening, confirming the fears here. Though it was informed of the ships heading towards the situation, it requested access to a hyperchannel. The message to the Roma Republic invoked an immediateness response. A formal request was issued to the UVP to assist the Republic in dealing with the conflict. In the mean time a battle group was dispatched towards the area.

(battle group
1 Light Battleship
2 heavy cruisers
6 escorts)
(given time for traversing the galaxy I make I can get there in about 7 hours)

REPLY: REQUEST FOR MILITARY SUPPORT

Following consultation with military leaders and our sovereign, the United Vigoran Protectorate will commit Task Group "Calchas" upon completion of their current assignment.

TASK GROUP "Calchas"

The communications officer aboard the Raktavija-class Fleet Battle Carrier "Idisi" set the message aside as the task group prepared to emerge from hyperspace. The fighter squadrons throughout the group stood ready to launch, gunner's stations were manned. The task group would emerge from hyperspace combat ready.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-01-12 09:02am

Ace Pace wrote:"So we're good, and the package of information? do you require it now?"
Petrach leaned forward and slide the data packet forward.
"Maps, and precious information"

"And we would be happy to work with your engineers, however, outside of very basic details we cannot stay and write up detailed plans, since we have a tight schedule"

"On that matter, would you have some spare cargo containers the size of a standerd human? We have uses for them."

"Then we have an accord. Admiral Blake from R&D and Rear Admiral Taylor from the Quartermaster Corps will be over with their staffs shortly to meet with your engineers. As for those containers...I'll check with the Quartermaster Corps." Adrians starts to stand up, collecting her brief notes and the folio she's been passed, "If there's nothing else, I'll need to send some messages to get things in motion..."

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-01-12 09:24am

White Haven wrote:
"Then we have an accord. Admiral Blake from R&D and Rear Admiral Taylor from the Quartermaster Corps will be over with their staffs shortly to meet with your engineers. As for those containers...I'll check with the Quartermaster Corps." Adrians starts to stand up, collecting her brief notes and the folio she's been passed, "If there's nothing else, I'll need to send some messages to get things in motion..."

"Yes, yes, if you don't mind, I'll escort you to your shuttle, and I'll send along several of our Maintenance&Engineering officers along with you for the details, i'm afraid we're very pressed for time."

With that, the party left the room, and as Petrach left last, he pressed a small button, sealing the room and deactivating the jammers in it, where the door was, only a wall could be seen.
For the next day, technicians would pore over the recordings of the meeting, looking for any hidden details.

Picking up the marines on the way, Petrach lead the party back to the docking bay, now filled with re-docking fighters, and one of the sensor gunboats was currently docking.

Near the shuttle, a pair of officers, male and female were standing by, and when Vice Admiral Adrians approached, they stepped forward, the male stepped forward and said "I'm Krooncht and she's Hila, we'll be your laison for the berth upgrades. The shuttle has not been touched, and you may leave when ready. May we come aboard?"

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-01-12 09:36am

Ace Pace wrote:"Yes, yes, if you don't mind, I'll escort you to your shuttle, and I'll send along several of our Maintenance&Engineering officers along with you for the details, i'm afraid we're very pressed for time."

With that, the party left the room, and as Petrach left last, he pressed a small button, sealing the room and deactivating the jammers in it, where the door was, only a wall could be seen.
For the next day, technicians would pore over the recordings of the meeting, looking for any hidden details.

Picking up the marines on the way, Petrach lead the party back to the docking bay, now filled with re-docking fighters, and one of the sensor gunboats was currently docking.

Near the shuttle, a pair of officers, male and female were standing by, and when Vice Admiral Adrians approached, they stepped forward, the male stepped forward and said "I'm Krooncht and she's Hila, we'll be your laison for the berth upgrades. The shuttle has not been touched, and you may leave when ready. May we come aboard?"

"Certainly," the ambassador replies, waving towards the guarded pinnace as the ramp once again descends, "We've all got quite a bit of work to do, let's get to it." The Marines are the last to board, giving the rest of the bay a professional sweep before ascending into the craft with the thump of armored feet. The pinnace's drives spin up from their standby power levels within a minute of the aft ramp sealing, the pilot easing foreward on the controls.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-01-12 09:52am

To: The Auroran Imperium
From: The Aglatarian Hub

Subject: Shipyards and Surveys

In regards to our new treaty, The Hub inquires why has the Imperium not yet dispatched survey craft to the designated arm of the galaxy for colonising reasons.

The Hub also inquires wether the Imperium would accept a large ship building order, on the order of several destroyers, gunboats, and fighter craft.

We await your reply.

Hub Out.

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2005-01-12 10:01am

To: Agalatarian Hub
From: High Lord Gixis, Auroran Council

According to Imperial doctrine, search of our archives comes before physical survey, in order to determine the most likely positions of stellar objects and save our scout-craft time when they do head out, and to determine the likely hood of hostile operations in the area of operation. Those planets will not move from their orbital paths, and we suggest patience.

On the issue of your shipyard order, we have more than enough berth space for your needs. You may deliver your payment personally to any Administratum Banking Center, with forward warning of course.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-01-12 10:08am

To: High Lord Gixis, Auroran Council
From: The Agalatarian Hub

We urge you to speed up your survey, time waits for no one, and as I might remind you, this is in your interests to colonise those planets.

Before we go into the issue of payment, from which I expect the standerd discount the Hub has recived for the past 5 years, I'll put in the initial order of Rankin class gunboats, 5 Corvette class Escorts and 10 Trader class Escorts.

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2005-01-12 10:25am

From: High Lord Gixis, Auroran Council
To: Aglatarian Hub

You are correct, the colonization is in our interests, which means we do it correctly. Do not worry, the archival retrievals do not take more than a week or so, and the moment they are completed, scout craft will be launched.

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2005-01-12 11:17am

A few hours later, an Aglatarian Hub official dropped off a case of thorium rods, enough to cover the costs of the Hub's ship order, and a transmission went out to the Hagia Maximus shipyards to begin construction.

Vohu Manah · Post by **Vohu Manah** » 2005-01-12 11:48am

Council Chambers, Castle of the Protector, Vigora IV

Lady Protector Armaiti II sat bored in her chair at the head of the conference table. The topic was military matters and although she knew the meeting was necessary she also knew that the Prime Minister would never get approval for the expansion of forces being called for. Both plans were going to be expensive and takes time to complete, but arguably needed if the UVP was to be taken serious among other star nations.

The military leaders suggested 10 fleets with three "battle groups" per fleet. In their recommended configuration, 6 fleets would serve as provincial fleets (4 fixed, 2 reserve) and 4 patrol/exploration fleets. Under this plan, the active provincial fleets (defined as those having a province to defend) would always be equal to the number of patrol/exploration fleets and provincial reserve fleets would be half the number of provincial fleets.

The ex-Protectors were busy laying to rest one of their own, the First Protector Vohu Manah, but relayed their recommendation that the UVP military reorganize into 6 fleets with four "battle groups" per fleet. In their configuration, there would be four provincial fleets and two patrol fleets. Under this plan, additional provincial fleets would be added at the rate of one pre province and an additional patrol fleet per 2 provinces.

Under both plans, the battlegroups would be centered around the UVP's expensive Raktavija-class Fleet Battle Carriers. Total battlegroup composition would be the Raktavija-class Fleet Battle Carrier as flagship, and two Kamaitachi-class Battlecruisers. In addition to a couple Kamaitachi-class Battlecrusiers, all Scathach-class Planetary Assault Corvettes and Ferentina-class Escort Corvettes would be pooled for the Fleet Commander to allocate as needed (both plans calling for 8, 24, and 16 of each class ship respectively). For any major deployment, 4 Ferentina-class Escort Corvettes and 2 Scathach-class Planetary Assault Corvette would automatically be assigned to the deploying battle group.

She allowed the military leaders, some Admiral whose name she could never care to recall, drone on. Privately, she wished to see her grandfather properly laid to rest. With her duties as Lady Protector however, she knew that, if he could, he would scorn her for abandoning her duties. There awaited diplomatic delegations waiting to meet her, not to mention the general call to arms.

She had the power to order the changes, but they would be meaningless if the Prime Minister couldn't finance them. What might take years with his help will take decades without it. 'We have the facilities,' she thought, 'discretionary funds existed for this reason, but they would never be enough to finish before a decade.'

The Lady Protector sighed, "Thank you, Admiral, I'll render my decision in the morning." Before he had a chance to respond, "I have other duties to attend to and I have all the information I need." The Admiral saluted, and departed with his staff.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2005-01-12 01:40pm

Sabai system, Sabai, Stuart embassy

Serath Meyham scanned once more through the letter from the Sabai. The idea hat merits. It has been discussed by Consensus and the CEO, and they went along with it.
Though the Sabai were to take the lead in the 'sublety' department. Normal operation for a Stuart task force was to erradicate pirates in a most radical fashion. Mostly by just blowing things up. And it usually worked.
With a thought, he sent off the answer, encrypted of course.

From: Stuart Corporation, Supreme Directorate
To: Acheron Marik Vestal, Sabai

The Corporation gladly acceps and goes along with your estimate. In order to gain dominance over pirates in our domain, a joint effort is prudent.
We may offer a portion of our naval forces for the task. Attached you will find our findings on piracy in the realm and we are grateful for your ample information on this subject. We have to land decisive strikes which should serve as examples to other pirates that the Sabai and Stuart Corporation will deal harshly with any offending elements within their domain.
We are certain that a fruitful coorporation will come out of it.

Sincerely,
CEO Gladstone

***

Caladan System

The drones were the first to arrive. They popped out of their jumps in numbers throughout the system, scanning it thoroughly for any possible threat. Once the system was found to be as empty as previously stablished, the rest of the fleet jumped in one instant jump from the nearby Stuart system. Caladan system, as it has been named recently, was just a quick hop off their border and would become the Corporations newest acquisition.
The task force, led by the Battlecruiser Demonstration of Pride established themselves in orbit around the planet's most promising gas planet, a Avalon class with a large moon system. There were two other gas giants, albeit less perfect than this one, and 4 inner planets of mudball type. A dense asteroid field seperated the outer from the inner planets; from its mass it seemed to be the result of a large destruction of at least two planets.
The proto-City floated down into the upper atmosphere of Caladan V and gravitcally anchored itself there, beginning the transformation into the system's first floating city.
One of the vast construction ships began constructing the Gate, which should soon bind this system in the Stuart network. The other construction ship began with the construction of a mining operation of the planet's innermost moon. It all ran as smoothly as was to be expected by a Stuart operation.

One ship, a lot smaller than the construction ships, performed a quick jump deeper into the system around the system's only life-bearing planet. Caladan III was a teeming jungle planet. Normally, the Corporation would have simply used them up for raw resources. But this was used for another profect.
As soon as it was in orbit, it began deep-scanning the planet and its biosphere, looking for species with useful genetic properties.

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2005-01-13 03:56pm

Dahak wrote:
consequences wrote: "Affirmative"

Scans revealed one fast courier boat, with light point defense weaponry, respectable electronics gear, and one embarked shuttle. The ship moved with fluid grace, as much as is possible when adopting an imposed course.

(Depending upon sensors used, it may be noticeable that each of the people on board is generating rather more life energy than is the norm, and there is a relative lack of cybernetic enhancements for a power of this level of development. If you don't find this out now, you will soon after they dock anyway. Personal weapons only, nothing heavier than a sidearm that isn't part of the ship's point defense grid)
Following the course, the Shi courier boat closed with Avalon Prime, a vast orange gas planet.
Getting closer, an orbital station grows, Orbital One, where you will be docking.
A representative of the Corporation awaits your delegation after the Shi ship has docked.

(*ooc* And you will find that the people you come along are full of cybernetics and despite looking human, a genetic scan would show some very advanced genetic engineering in every one you'll meet *g*)

After docking the ambassador descended from the craft, preceeded by two very obvious hulking bodyguards. All three figures bore a sheathed sword reminiscent of a katana, and a pair of matched pistols, all ceremonially peacebonded by red silk cord, and very securely held in place by steel cable.

"The Shi Combine thanks you for your time and consideration in receiving us. If you wish, we have hours of pointless decorative procedure we can go through, but our contact with you is primarily concerned with trade, pirates, and larger threats on the horizon, in no particular order." Ambassador Tendo announced.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2005-01-13 04:00pm

-ooc- A three-part post. The first section is dealing with the President discussing the Sabai situation with his advisors. The second is a bill being placed before the ERTC.

Osiris

-:RECORDSTART:-

President Delacroix swept his gaze across his assembled advisors, all trace of his usual politician's jocularity long gone. It settled upon Sabine Erfurter, the Secretaire D'etat. Her eyes locked with his for only a fraction of a second before lowering.

"Madame Secretaire, I must say this news goes somewhat beyond 'distressing.' The Sabai are of some import to our Western Rim trading, and a number of our most influential constituents make their livings in that market. Your department " He stood, pacing as he spoke. "Do you have something to say for yourself?"
The Secretary collected her wits for a second before answering. "Well, it was a complete shock, Cityonne President. Our relations with the Sabai have been fairly smooth, if somewhat intermittent. You recall, of course, the debate about stretching the Indashani trade concessions to transfer to the Sabai..."
Delacroix waved it away. "It would have been foolish, we didn't know anything about the successors then. I stand by my call on that one. You, on the other hand, have lost us the Sabai contracts. Why, praytell?"
"Ah, the situation is still uncertain, Cityonne President. We have recieved no word from Sabai besides a short missive detailing their trade revocation. They've switched the orders to a local power, Karis, I do believe. Karis is closer, you see."
"Ridiculous. Karis doesn't have our heavy industry, and they can't produce in the bulk we can. We've been trading with the Sabai successfully for a decade."
"I... I'm not sure, Citoyenne President. We have some ideas as to why they made this move, but we just haven't spoken with them on the issue yet."
The President stared at her for a second.
"Are you my secretary of State, Sabine, or a waste of my fucking time? Contact them. Now. I want to know why they dropped, and I want them back. A full report on their motives, Sabine, and you thoughts on bringing their custom back to our merchants! Immediately!"
Sabine stood up, bowed her head, and left the room, face like ice. The rest of the cabinet just stared. The Secretary of the Interior's mouth hung open, and the Secretary of the Navy looked furious.

Delacroix's gaze swept across the room again. This time, it settled on Secretary of the Navy Johan , the youngest member of the cabinet. "Cityonne Secretaire,I've just read the latest briefs from the Klingon Empire. I'd like to compliment you on their briefness and eloquence. I'm pleased at the low losses."

Johan nodded, relieved. "Yessir, Cityonne President. The Klingon fleet is outdated, and we are striking in overwhelming numbers. The largest unit engaged so far was an Imperial battleship and escorts. A full Manipule of the 3rd Century engaged and destroyed the enemy. We've enjoyed total superiority in all fields."

"And the Terrans?"

Johan shrugged. "Pretty much done. Our ships will soon be able to take up blockade duties. It'll be little or no action after that point."

The President of the Commonwealth grinned. "Excellent. Gentlemen, Ladies, that will be all."

-:ENDRECORD:-

---

FROM: Sabine Erfurter, Secretaire d'Etat de la Commonwealth Troix-Sols
TO: Comission of the Eastern Rim Trading Compact
SUBJ: Rpblksrpsk

-::-

The Rpblksrpsk has applied for membership to the Eastern Rim Trading Compact, offering to accede to the four Points of the Compact's charter, these being:

1. All members shall take what efforts are necessary to maintain free flow of trade along the Eastern Rim; In particular, no trade sanctions or punitive trade practices will be levelled against other signature nations.

2. All members will operate with co-operation in the stemming of piracy in all it's forms along the Eastern Rim trade route.

3. All members will take what measures are necessary to enforce said flow of free trade, including the mobilization of military forces, as decided by the Trade Commission.

4. The Trade Commission, consisting of selected ambassadors from each signature nation, shall make decisions through voting, with a 2/3ds majority required for passage.

We place a vote before the Trade Commission.

For membership of the Rpblksrpsk, the Three Suns Commonwealth votes "Aye."

-:ENDTRANSMISSION:-

Darksider · Post by **Darksider** » 2005-01-13 04:15pm

From: KSE Diplomatic Office
To: Commision of The ERTC
Re: Rpblksrpsk

The Empire votes Yea to their entrance into the ERTC.

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2005-01-13 04:21pm

Some Pirate Base

The two pirates on duty in the watch section passed the time shooting the shit, as is traditional in all such duties when discipline is lax. Even so, it didn't take more than a few seconds for the second to notice the flashing alarm, as the warning sensors on the approach were tripped. Seeing the weight of metal bearing down on the hideout, he moved to the bug-out alarm, only to feel a sharp pain in the base of his neck, and fall to the floor paralysed. The second pirate moved past his crumpled form, and inserted a data disk into the communications console, activating a tight-beamed message to the inbounds.

With his remaining strength, he forced ou the words "Francie, why? I've known you for two years."

"And an incredibly boring two years they were too, Dessy. Be a pal and succumb to shock, there's a good lad."

Noting his comrade's newfound pronounced lack of accent, Dessy managed to instantly leap to the correct conclusion "Oh, shit, you're Ess Ay Ess-" before his eyes rolled up in his head, and he quietly expired.

Whistling under his breath, 'Francie' quickly set a motion sensitive explosive on the main controls, before buggering off to the escape pods, pausing briefly to fuse the door mechanism on the way out.

The team which forced open the door had a bare moment to appreciate the message on the main display "Who Dares Wins", before the explosive activated, scrapping everything in the room, and incidentally ending the lives of five pirate scum.

___________________________________

The battle was already a foregone conclusion the moment the battle-group entered the system, the only question being how many pirates would escape. With no warning from the sensor net, and their latest diagnostic data beamed to the incoming ships, the answer turned out to be none.

A soon as the last pirate cutter was run down, Admiral Miaowaro Shimura issued the orders "Obliterate all of their ships, and install a stealthed heavy mine on the base's hulk after doing a quick intel sweep. Put two hyper capable pobes in the outer system to see who turns up and where they go. And have Captain Page see me for debriefing as soon as he is recovered"

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2005-01-13 04:23pm

consequences wrote: After docking the ambassador descended from the craft, preceeded by two very obvious hulking bodyguards. All three figures bore a sheathed sword reminiscent of a katana, and a pair of matched pistols, all ceremonially peacebonded by red silk cord, and very securely held in place by steel cable.

"The Shi Combine thanks you for your time and consideration in receiving us. If you wish, we have hours of pointless decorative procedure we can go through, but our contact with you is primarily concerned with trade, pirates, and larger threats on the horizon, in no particular order." Ambassador Tendo announced.

They were greeted by Ling Tiang, gracefully waiting for the Shi group to come out of the docking area.
Besides her were two sentries of usual Stuartian height and physical perfection.
"Welcome, Ambassador," she slightly bowed. "if you would then follow me to a conference room, we can begin talks momentarily."