The Grand Congress

[Galaxiel]

Galactya, Capital Of Celestial Empire

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35/03/6001 P.E.

0 BBT

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As Imperial Guards and large barriers separated the crowd from the main avenue, billions of citizens and foreign visitors watched in person from large observation balconies. Hoverpads with camera crews flew all over the area, recording the event. People across the east and west of the Sector tuned in on their holoscreens, be it city-dwellers watching through massive public screens in crowded cities, or country folk tuning in to their personal devices. News Services all across six nations rejoiced in the ridiculous numbers that they were experiencing.

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The newly built Coalition Headquarters rose above Diplomatic District’s cityscape, glittering in it’w pristine white color and elegant shape. The purple star of Galactya shined on top of the structure. It would prove to be even more beautiful at night.

Karheismas and Nixhoeils waited in front of the Spaceport’s main tracking bay. While they usually wore their normal clothing during foreign visits from their allies, today was different. Today, they wore the same clothes that they had used during their Imperial Coronation, symbols of absolute Imperial Power, still preserved after more than a millennium. The first Congress of the Coalition turned out to be an even bigger event than the Millennium Festival that was held at the start of last year, and of much bigger importance. On this very day, the terms and the legitimacy itself of the alliance would be set in stone. An event of absolute and utmost importance, for Galactya, for it’s allies, and perhaps most of the Sector. The Emperors hoped that the months of preparations would pay off.

Suddenly, three of their organizers arrived besides them, having been called a couple of minutes ago.

"So, is everything ready? Are the Warriors already here?"

“Of course my Emperor. All fifty Starlight Warriors have been decorated with their new Coalition ornaments and have been deployed on the sides of the avenue, from the Spaceport to the Headquarters. The Imperial Guards have been deployed as well, just as you asked.”

"Wonderful. What about the parade? Is everything ready for that?"

“Certainly, my Empress. The marching band and the soldiers are all ready and waiting at the sides of the Spaceport. They’re wearing the Uniform Of Friendship, as they were instructed.”

"Are the News Services already filming from their predetermined locations?"

“Yes, of course. As of now, the Starlight News is already filming along with the other foreign services. If my reports are correct, there should be more than one hundred and twenty trillion people watching us. A truly unprecedented number of spectators. There are even some spectators from Ryccia, if you can believe it.”

"Perfect, perfect. That should be everything Nix. I already checked for our friend's accomodations for the next few days this morning."

"Fantastic! That should be all then. You're free to go."

"Thanks again for your services, you made an impeccable job. Be assured that you'll be rewarded after the Congress."

“The pleasure was ours, my Emperors.”

“Helping the Empire will always be an honor for us.”

“We wish you luck on this shining day.”

The organizers quickly scurried off in one of the Spaceport’s corridors, happy to see that they had done good. Being personally complimented by the Emperors was something that even the Seven Grand Ministers would boast about with each other.

"..."

"..."

"You know... she would have loved this."

"She definitely would have. She always loved the world of politics and foreign relations, even when she was little."

"She really was Galactya's princess. I still have hope sometimes. That she may be somewhere."

"Me too. Will we ever be able to forgive ourselves for allowing her to go on that ship?"

"You and I both know the answer to that question."

"I guess we do. Anyways, no time for dawdling. Our allies are going to be here in a second."

"What do you think Julianus will be wearing? Haven't seen him in a couple of weeks."

"Maybe that new dress he told us about? By the way he described it, it sounded pretty important-looking to me!"

"Yeah, possibly. Although that man looks good regardless of what he wears..."

"I can't wait to see him again. I also can't wait to see Edhelgil. We've talked a lot through our holochannels, but it's the first time he actually visits us in person."

"He didn't even show up for the New Millenium Festival... we should take this as a good sign, you know? Maybe he actually cares a lot about the Coalition, more than he wants to show!"

"A weird possibility, but still plausible nonetheless! However, we'll see."

"We definitely will, looks like our friends are here! Ready?"

"Ready."

[killermantiss]

Flash. A nother flash. Then 18 more. The imperial escort fleet has arrived. Then after them, a nother, much larger flash. The imperial throneship, for the first time since the Miraline war, is outside of Calerostan territory.

Everyone was surprised when the emperor decided to personally attend the congress. He hasn’t attended a political even in a very long time. The last major one he was personally at was the creation of the Pact of Emperors. When you look at it that way it makes more sense why he personally is there.

First to descend are multiple troup transports. They carry the first imperial centurion legion. They’re the most elite troups in the star empire, and they follow the emperor wherever he goes. The 5000 troups exit and get to their positions agreed upon with the galactyan government, and then…

The imperial shuttle descends. It’s doors open, and the emperor steps on foreign soil for the first time

“May the light of the gods shine on our meeting, emperors of Galactya”

[Galaxiel]

The Emperors looked down at the tiny foreign ruler, surrounded by his guards. It was a weird, but ultimately welcome thing to see the Calerostan Emperor on foreign territory. A sign of trust, perhaps. Edhelgil was a very reclusive person, refusing to attnd political events in person even after their centuries of alliance and cooperation. Probably a result of what he had gone through as a child they thought. They were happy to see that he felt finally felt comfortable enough to be here.

Kneeling down, the titanic figures extended one of their fingers and tentacles towards the ancient Edhel ruler, in an attempt to shake hands despite of their enormous size difference.

"We hope that as well, Edhelgil."

"We would like to personally welcome you to Galactya. We hope you will enjoy your brief stay here."

"We made sure to accomodate you and your entourage as best as possible."

"Our other friends should be tracking down to the Spaceport in a moment."

[taisenbot]

Not long after, those assembled would soon receive word of what newcomers would no doubt have dismissed as impossible: a lightning storm seemed to be spontaneously forming in the void of space itself. Jagged bolts of white and blue arced out from a point just beyond mid-orbit of the planet, spreading further and further until finally the storm collapsed inwards… and tore itself open.

Out of the roiling, colorful portal came dozens of ships, each a white and gold sword cutting through the darkness. From corvettes less than a hundred meters in length, to mighty battleships a kilometer long, all formed a protective shield around what could only be described as a mountain of unknown alloys and weapons.

At nearly seven kilometers in length, the vessel surged ‘forward’ towards the Galactyan capital, its crew and passengers making final preparations just as the fleet coasted to a steady ‘halt’ in orbit over the Diplomatic District. A show of grandeur and strength, no doubt, but within minutes, a similarly beautiful shuttle would depart from the flagship, making its way almost seamlessly to the spaceport thousands of meters below.

Upon landing near the other delegations, the shuttle would slowly lower its boarding ramp, a Human clad in robes of the black and silver of Io’s House, flanked by ten of the famed Knights Imperator would approach. The Knights moved in perfect sync with one another, five each taking position on either side of the ramp as they slammed their pikes into the ground below them.

The Human bowed respectfully to the Edhel and Galactyan monarchs before rising to his full height, his voice echoing through the air.

“Greetings to you, Honorable Allies. Presenting His Excellency, High Speaker of the Imperial Senate, and Chosen Voice of the People… Esteban Vincente-Aguilar.” At his words, a Human with greying hair would approach, his smile paradoxically professional and casual as he smoothed out his well-pressed suit.

“Presenting His Excellency, Chamberlain of the Imperial Court and of the House of Io… Cassian Domitian.” A familiar Drakari would appear before the Galactyans: faded silver scales and amber-colored eyes bore into them, the faintest smirk appearing as he approached. Despite his apparent age, he carried himself with the grace and energy of a being half that.

The Herald took a moment to straighten his posture, his widening smile making it abundantly clear he was awaiting this moment.

“Presenting His Imperial Majesty! Emperor of the Drakari! Sovereign Lord of the Imperium! Protector of the Younger Races! Chosen of the Gods! Son of the Line Unbroken! High King of Elysia, Aramath, and Shagera! Scion of Io the First King! Hammer of Justice… EMPEROR JULIANUS, SEVENTH OF HIS NAME!”

With all the grace expected of him, the Emperor would approach. His guards would each go to their knees as he passed them by, and as he drew closer to the other delegates, the Chamberlain and High Speaker too would kneel.

[Galaxiel]

The Emperors were always delighted to receive delegations and visits from the Drakari Imperium. All of their species were collaborative and relatively xenophilic, compared to most others, so interacting with them was always a beautiful opportunity. What they liked even more, however, were private visits to or by Julianus, always accompanied by Cassian. Over the centuries, the four of them had developed a confidentiality unseen on such high levels of government. Shared morals, ideals and even shared pains definitely helped.

As they did with Emperor Edhelgil, the Emperors kneeled down to"shake" the hand of the human Senator.

"We are honored to be in your presence Senator."

"May you represent all of your peoples on this shining day."

They then turned towards the Emperor and his Advisor, shaking their hands as well. They both had what one could interpret as a smile on their mouthless faces. They were clearly happier than usual.

"Hello Cassian. Hello Julianus."

"We're very happy to see both of you today."

"Wonderful entrance speech by the way. You've been preparing it for a week, haven't you?"

"You definitely pulled quite a stunt in orbit! Very impressive."

"Our other allies should be arriving in a second, there should already be another ship in orbit."

"We can't wait for you to see what we've pulled off this time!"

[KingTEM]

A little after the Drakari Arrived, 3 Vessels came out of Jumpspace: The UES Union CS-1980, The UES Reality TR-1002, and the UES Battle Of The Foreseas CS-1993. The Union Class vessels began slowing down, as the Reality, a Universe Class Troop Transport, began approaching Galactya before slowing down as well. A Smaller vessel shaped much a like a blade was released from underneath the vessel, a Hunter Class Combat Support Ship, meant to hover in atmosphere while providing fire support to ground troops, although today, it would be serving a different purpose. As the craft entered the atmosphere and began using its underside thrusters to begin braking, large doors on the dorsal side began opening revealing landing pads, each occupied by a Vulture Class Troop Gunship, while a smaller hanger, located closer to the bow opened its doors to reveal a SH-203 Shuttle. As the craft approached the diplomatic district, the 4 Vultures took off and landed near where the Emeraldian Shuttle would land. At the landing site, 10 Troops each from the Vultures deployed to make a parallel line where the Shuttle would be.

A Few Seconds later, with the H-240 much closer, the Shuttle took off and flew to the landing pad. As it finished landing, a door facing where the Troops were lined up was opened. One man got out, presumably a Lieutenant.

(LT)“On Behalf of the Union Of Emerald I present, Prime Minister Galen B. Hughes”

A man in his mid forties stepped out, and made his way to where 2 Royal Guardsmen and Ambassador Stewardson were waiting.

(LT)“Fleet Admiral John Nelson Of The 3rd Fleet”

The Fleet Admiral stepped out of the craft, wearing his very decorated Dress Uniform.

(LT)“Rear Admiral David Ludov, Commanding Officer Of The UES Colradia BC-102”

The Rear Admiral stepped out of the craft, this being his second time on Galactya’s Surface.

(LT)“Grand Marshall Victoria Nelson of the United Emeraldian Air Force and Royal War Council”

The Short but stocky woman, dressed in Uniform, made her way out of the Shuttle.

(LT)“High General Johan Stefansen Of The Emeraldian Army”

The Well Built Cimbrian Man, dressed again in Dress Uniform, made his way off the shuttle. The Lieutenant was beginning to run out of breath, but still kept doing his duties.

(LT)“and Finally, Presenting His Emeraldian Majesty, King Of Emerald, Denver, and Colradia, Duke Of Centralia, Prince Of Cimbria, Prince Of Stoinia, Successor Of Pacifica, Defender Of The Denvari, Protecter Of Ludville, and Grand Duke Of Spiras, King Edward, Fifth Of His Name.”

The King, being in his late forties made his way out the shuttle. Dressed in a variation of a typical Naval Dress Uniform, and holstered at his side being an ancient CE-1921F Pistol, used by King Joshua VII, one of Edwards Ancestors of another world and time. The Rest of the Emeraldian Delegation Saluted him, as did the Platoon of Soldiers on either side.

[Galaxiel]

The Emeraldians were perhaps the latest addition to the interstellar neighborhood, but certainly a welcome one. While their youngness as a people made them much more impulsive than most, they still held in themselves a sense of honor and a capability for cooperation that few truly had.

And yes, while the first contact with them certainly presented it’s own… problems, the Galactyans decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, recognizing their potential. And what a good choice that turned out to be.

Again kneeling down, the Emperors extended their limbs to the small Pacificans. Despite trying to remain composed, it was easy to see that the size of the two rulers felt intimidating for them. However, they all managed to not show it too much. Another sign of their potentiality.

"We're honoured to finally meet you in person, King Edward."

"We personally welcome you to Galactya, shining jewel of our Empire. May you all enjoy your stay."

"We hope to be able to properly organize our combined projects on this grandiose day. We haven't exactly had much time to properly establish them, if I may say so myself."

"Also, we're glad to see you again Rear Admiral."

"It's good to meet eachother under... better, circumstances."

[Of_the_Ages]

Soon after the entrance of the other nations, the Akropii vessels arrived. Dropping out of pseudospace, they simply appeared in the system. The entrance, like all pseudospace exits, were sudden and simple, no spectacular light show like the Drakari portals, no flashes of light like the Calersot vessels, just the ships appearing into existence. The fleet of Akropii vessels were massively dwarfed by the lead ship, the Ardeo. Without context of size, the fleet looked like motes of dust surrounding the large Starcarrier.

Dozens of the smallest vessels descended towards the planet, mostly civilian craft bearing Akropii wanting to watch the Grand Congress and be tourists in Galactya. Detaching from where it was docked on the Ardeo, a Concussion Class dropship flew with them, carrying the Akropii delegation. The dropship, unlike the civilian craft, glimmered with a faint iridescence from its shields as they descended. With elegant efficiency, the ship fired its thrusters and set down in the spaceport.

Before the smoke and heat was clear, the Akropii delegation and its guards marched out of the dropship. A group of 10 synths led the way, followed by 60 guards, glinting with a slight iridescence. None of the soldiers, or the delegation, were ornamented, or bore any distinguishing regalia. As they neared the Galactyan emperors the head of the delegation, Litus, stepped forward to greet them.

“I am Litus, Commander and AI of the Ardeo. I will be representing the Akropii Republic and the Grand Administrative AI at this congress.”

Litus reached out, offering a handshake to the Galactyan emperors.

[Galaxiel]

"It is good to see you again Litus."

"Especially in such a better context. We are still very thankful of your intervention in the War, no matter how short it might have been."

"We hope that this day can serve as an opportunity to truly cement our relations and better define the terms of our alliance."

The Akropii were the most recent addition to the interstellar neighborhood. Well, neighborhood was a strong word. If their mapping missions were right, the Akropii Republic was located far into the Galactic East side of the Sector, behind a small cluster of Badlands, similar although smaller in size to those that bordered Galactya in the West.

For now, they had been forced to rely on Akropii PseudoSpace Drives for travel and communication, with the usual plans of constructing an Hyperlane to connect them remaining just that, plans. Suffice to say, the Galactyans yet hadn’t had time to properly figure out how to properly deal with the Akropii. Their first contact happened less than a year ago, and while they were very, very different from eachother, the digital species seemed very keen on intervening in the War, and even joined the Coalition.

While there were a couple of doubts floating around, the Akropii had shown themselves to be an interesting and trustworthy potential friend, and they were definitely seen as that, both by the populace and by the Government.

Additionally, while Galactya’s allies were rushfully introduced to the Akropii due to the war, they all reacted rather positively when dealing with them. A most definitely good sign.

[Snake]

A sudden distortion appears in the sky above the port, mistakable for a heat mirage if not for the climate control known to the planet. The Shimmership glides steadily towards the tracking bay, decloaking completely once it grounds. On its starboard side, the metal hull flays apart, curling as if alive, revealing a dark, hazy interior. Reaching out towards the ground, a metal fluid flows from the ship, forming even steps spanning the gap. The chasm is soon pierced by a silvered silhouette, as Delegate Tyeshov steps into the light of Galactya’s suns for the first time, appearing as twin jewels, ruby and diamond, in the eyes of the pale figure. His eyes rise to the Titans of Galactya, the Emperors, duplicate yet discrete; and twitch.

“It is good to finally meet you face-to-face, Your Majesties. I’m inclined to admit, mere knowledge your metrics leaves one unprepared for witnessing their grandeur first-hand.”

"It is good to meet you too, Tyeshov. All of your predecessors were of incredible competence, and judging from what I’ve heard of you, I’m sure you will be as well."

"We are definitely aware that our size can be… intimidating. The only beings we've seen bigger than us are our Starlight Warriors, if you can believe it."

“Well, I hope you won’t feel the need to use them anytime soon. That is, after all, what I’m here to help prevent. The threat of rampant bloodshed has been looming too long over our sector. Soon, the bloodthirsty multitudes across the sector shall be bound by the chains of diplomacy we establish today. Let us hope for all our sakes they hold strong.”

Of course, Tyeshov. They are here just for display during the parade, and to send a message to any individuals who might want to try something funny while we enter the Headquarters. Trust me, we are all working towards the same goal.

“Mmm, of course. Unless I am mistaken, I believe I am the last of our allies to have arrived. Do you mind if I excuse myself to greet some of the other guests?”

"No, not at all! Take all the time you need. We are not in a hurry."

Delegate Tyeshov turned away from the titans, taking even steps towards the other representatives at the port.

[KingTEM]

The King looked up at the towering behemoths in front of him, he had heard from Captain Xanderson that the Galactyan Emperors were extremely tall, and Edward thought the Captain was exaggerating, but John was correct after all.

(KE)“As am I, your majesties. Yes, I do hope the CCP and CCF can be better organized, especially since the former is more or less a hodge podge of various vessels united under a temporary command structure, that we all know that the CCF’s FleetCom, as it exists currently, cannot last.”

(RAD)“That it is your majesties, it is better to be standing on Galactya’s surface with way more context than previously.”

(HGJS)“3rd Guard! Organize yourselves into a Protective Formation around the Delegation.”

The King walked along and waited for the other Representatives, of course the Congress had said that bringing one of the members of the War Council and a prominent member of HighCom was risky, but Galactya was arguably the safest place to be right now, especially with all the fleets currently in orbit, ResComFleet 3 being the primary Emeraldian One. The Stoinians, well informed of the Galactyans at this point, did have objections to Emeralds Involvement in the Coalition, but Emerald, while still being slighty Xenophobic to races who thought of Pacificans as lesser races, but the Galactyans and the other Coalition Species seemed to at least be tolerant of Humans, if not outright adored, of course, the Stoinians disapproved of the Galactyans. Edward could see why, the Stoinians had had it rough, especially with the Venterrans.

[Galaxiel]

"We definitely agree, the current fleet is not stable enough for more proper and more in depth explorations, but the last missions have been proving relatively successful in how our captains are managing the various situations they faced."

"We have an entire Imperial Week ahead of ourselves to discuss various formations and organizations that would make the Combined Fleet more efficient, and the members of the Ministry Of Defense have been eager to discuss what they have come up with in these months with all of us."

"Anyways, I believe the time has come for us to go! There are more than one hundred trillion people waiting for us, so we should probably move."

"Guards, get into position! Marching Bands, on the ready!"

From the lateral corridors of the spaceport, hundreds of Imperial Guards, split in two lateral lines, surrounded the various delegations. The pseudo-sentient Guards, humanoid and seemingly headless, were admittedly frightening to look at, but still paled in comparison to other land bioweaponry the Empire disposed of. To put at ease the members of the delegations who were still unaccustomed to typical Galactyan strangeness, the Guards had been dressed in a colorful, yet practical, military uniform, despite how uncustomary it was for the military androids to wear anything at all.

The Marching Bands, who had been waiting at the sides of the Spaceport, hidden from public view, received the signal and prepared themselves, picking up their instruments, straightening their uniforms and getting into formation. Parades were common, especially on the capital, but they had never had this big of an audience before.

The main entrance of the Spaceport opened, the crowd briefly going silent before cheering and screaming even stronger than before as soon as they all saw the various delegations and their individual guards, surrounded by huge platoons of Imperial Guards. Besides the platoons, the huge marching bands marched forwards, playing the Imperial anthem in a moment of absolute glory. The Emperors, towering over the rest of the allied rulers, stood at the end of the procession, in order to give their foreign guests the spotlight they deserved.

This Congress was going to be the true start of a new era. Peace, order and prosperity were at the highest they had ever been in the North West of the Sector. However, this wasn’t without foreign opposition. This Congress was going to cement everything that the Galactyans had worked for.

As they marched, the Starlight Warriors fired their proton beams at the sky, flashes of color illuminating
the surrounding skyscrapers. The titanic figures, hundreds of meters tall, loomed over the main avenue that connected the Spaceport to the Headquarters. The power they held within them was terrifying, but their lack of a real consciousness and any desire beyond obedience put down all problems and complaints one could have about them.

The delegations, after a while, entered the Headquarters, and were immediately greeted by the Hall Of Nations: an enormous room stretching left and right to the entrance, it’s ceiling higher than a skyscraper and topped off by a giant linear skylight of reinforced glass, with a central round section above the entrance in the shape of the Star Of Unity, projecting an array of colorful lights on the interior below. The Hall contained the Embassies of the various members of the Coalition, each a seemingly separate building constructed in the same architectural style that the various nations most used for their governmental buildings. Besides the Embassies were also situated museums and expositions about the foreign powers, that would soon be open to the public. In front of the entrance, after decorative gardens with exotic flowers, a grandiose doorway, now still open, acted as an entrance to the private sections of the Headquarters, where rulers and high members of Government would meet and work.

"And here we are! I hope you all appreciated the little celebration we put together out there. We'll bring you to the Palace Complex later, where your accommodations are. But work comes before pleasure, so I believe it's time for us to ascend to the Council Room."

"I'm afraid that the soldiers will have to wait for us here in the meantime. Feel free to roam around the various Embassies and Museums. It will be quite hard to do that after we open the Hall to the public."

[killermantiss]

The emperor looks around. He had to admit that the building was fascinating. While Calerost would have done more of a campus format for a area like this, with many buildings with a park connecting and surrounding them, Galactya made one massive one. He was used to be in massive halls, but after being basically forced to rarely leave the throneship for the last few hundred years you can easily assume that he likes open space.

“Yes, i do believe we should start the meeting soon, if nothing just a introduction. We’re here for a reason and we should keep that in mind. There will be time for rest and exploring later, there’s a couple important things we need to sort out emediately.”

[Galaxiel]

"Yes, I suppose you are right. It's just been... honestly *so* much lately, that we thought it wise to properly celebrate everything we've accomplished together. I still remember meeting you for the first time even Edhelgil. I have got to admit, I do miss those days, all those centuries ago. But what we have now is beautiful too."

"The modern day too is more full of glory than we could have ever imagined when we rose to the throne! We have all stood united, and created something wonderful that brought peace, serenity and richness to hundreds of trillions. Not many nations can say that. So then, let us go to the Council Room, and make sure this greatness we have built lasts forever."

To the command of the Emperors, the great doors of that lead to the inside of the Headquarters, the new
soon to be beating heart of the Coalition’s administration. Lead by the two titans, the Leaders and representatives walked through the giant gilded halls, decked with banners and insignias to celebrate the might and glory of the great alliance’s member nations, the six pointed Star Of Unity appearing on mosaics, statues, carvings and holographic displays.

At the top floor of the Headquarters lied the Council Room, it’s great star shaped window overlooking the endless towers of Galactya, the Orbital Rings and the two moons full into view, an image of greatness that no planet could hope to surpass.

The Council Room was titanic, easily 50 meters tall: at the center of it laid a large, holodisplay table, whose nanotech effector frames were always ready to expand it to fit any new members of the Coalition. Around it were big, comfortable seats, each one able to perfectly adapt to the user’s anatomy and morphology to allow for maximum comfort.

"So, dear friends. I believe it's time for us to sit down and start our noble task: we have much to discuss."

As everyone sat down, the Empress touched the smooth black surface of the table, who lit up in a wave pattern emanating from her touch: many holographic displays appeared, surpassed in number only by the uncountable streams of data that the Imperial Communication Nodes were pouring in the Headquarter’s Database: anything that wasn’t restricted, no matter how unimportant, could be accessed there.

"Does anybody here have any questions from which we could start?"

[taisenbot]

“Yes, actually…” Esteban spoke up, giving a cheerful but no less serious smile to the Emperors of Galactya.

“The recent unpleasantness in regards to the Wormhole War has shown that, despite the relatively smooth coordination between our governments, many of our military doctrines are likely going to hit a few roadblocks, especially in the early stages of this defense pact’s existence.”

He would motion to himself, then to Julianus and Cassian. “And then there’s the matter of Protectorate and vassal state militaries. I may have been born and raised on Drakari-majority worlds, but as you are aware, the Terra Nova Enclave has a somewhat different approach to military action compared to the rest of the Imperium as a whole. Imagine how it is for the Sosa Republics, or the Carsicoid Hives.”

“High Speaker Vincente-Aguilar is correct,” Cassian intoned as he took out his pipe. The sweet aroma of his preferred pipeweed would soon fill the air as he began filling the bowl. “Coming to an agreement on a shared basis for doctrinal flexibility, and even retooling our military industries to allow for partial standardization of equipment, is just as important as sounding a call to arms in the event of attack.”

The old Drakari would pat at his sash for a moment, sighing in both resignation and irritation. He knew he had forgotten something…

“Begging your pardon, but does anyone have a match or lighter?”

[Galaxiel]

The Emperor put one of his smallest tentacles inside of the pipe’s chamber, and started heating up the tip of it’s myomer biomesh by using a small internal swarm of bionanites to generate enough friction. After the sash started to smoke, he retreated the tentacle underneath his black, drape-like body.

"There, that should do it. Anyways, while we too wanted to discuss this over during the Congress, we don't really believe that an actually shared doctrinal basis is possible, as we have too different values when it comes to the military. Take surface armies for example: the Imperium considers making it's soldiers fight there an honor, while we consider it a breach of sapient rights."

"However, better coordination between our armies is fully possible. Me and my husband have been preparing for something that will make it much... easier, in less than a decade. But for now, we could select specialized roles for each member nation, even for completely pacifist members such as Ferristia. Instead of giving armed military support, they could act as an intelligence gathering and espionage service. We will also have to talk about who Ferristia is allowed to aid during a war, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

"Similarly, a standardization of equipment, albeit a partial one, is probably also feasible enough. The main step would be to give the less advanced nations like the Union a proper arsenal for it's ships, as well as other technological upgrades that we have already been carrying out since the start of our alliance."

[KingTEM]

(KE)“Now wait a Goddamn second, while I do agree that Equipment Standardization is feasible, It doesn’t mean the Union is less advanced, I ask this, Do any of your Nations have Teleporters? Or the most detailed Manual on how fight in Ground Combat, which has been detailed with Various Tactics that date back to just after the Fall of the Denvari Empire, and I, and my War Council know these tactics still work due to several to them being used by the SSK, only being modified to suit modern Combat tech. Remember, the Union can either be your most Devoted Ally, or a Tough Enemy to break, please, for the love of everything holy in this Sector, Choose your words better.”

(FAJ)“Now, as for the Union Navy’s Arsenal, I say it barely needs to be touched, the only real upgrade we could use, easier manufacturing of larger vessels, such as the Pacifica Class Superdreadnought, and our currently under Construction Coalition Class Hyper-Dreadnought, which is projected to take a little over 7 Years to complete with Current Union Tech. There is also the CCF to take into account for, which will eventually need Combined Tech Ship Classes. Then there is the CCF’s Current High Command, that will certainly need to be changed eventually.”

[Galaxiel]

"But you ARE less technologically advanced. I mean, there's not much debating it. It's not a bad thing, and you literally COULDN'T be more advanced than us: the age difference is just too big, even after you came across the remnants of a precursor civilization. I don't mean it as an insult, or something for which you are less valuable to the Coalition: you are still a trustworthy, respected and valuable member who we wouldn't trade for anything in the Sector. You're just arrived late to the game, and that's okay. Sorry if it made you upset."

"As for the manufacturing, we could build a starlifting similar to the ones we have in a system of your choosing, preferably a star rich in heavy metals. The array would consist in a collection and manufacturing ring close around the star, and a toroidal dyson swarm outside the ring. the dyson swarm, with some help from the ring, will reflect the light back onto the star to cause areas of extreme temperature that will lift up the plasma: said plasma will then be collected back into the ring, where many nanorobotic, automated factories would manufacture it into materials and other resources."

"Even if you think your arsenal doesn't need to be touched, we would still like to give you a proper amount of Particle Beam weapons, Boostbombs and Antimatter Weaponry. Again, we could build monopole and antimatter production facilities in your systems to make you capable of producing them on your own. Obviously, while the facilities will be built for military purposes, you'll be more than able to use them for more industrial-centered projects."

[killermantiss]

“Similarly Calerost’s exotic mirion weapons are a massive advantage. Calerostan weapons need no replacing and as you’re all very much aware calerost is by law banned from sharing that tech except with other mirion capable species. Anyways, if you excuse me, i have something massive to reveal…”

The emperor puts his hands on his helmet, and there’s a sound as the latch releases, breaking the airlock. To the shock of the room, the emperor removes his helmet. Long locks or hair cascade down, and the emperor’s young face becomes visible. The rest of the suit automatically unlocks itself, showing the emperor’s red clothes detailed with golden patterns.

“Ah, much better. What? Ware you expecting a corpse? Slowly rotting away into dust while being kept alive by machines? That was just a cover to keep the inquisition from my back, for i am silefrim, my father forced me to become one, he spliced my genes with miraline, i have the most mirial genes of any silefrim. And if anybody of you brings it out into the public or even threatens me with it know that you will face the full wrath of those genes.”

He takes out a pipe and lights it up, smoking one of the holy herbs.

[taisenbot]

Cassian smirked at the Calerostan’s shared hobby as a wisp of smoke escaped through his nostrils. At least he wasn’t TOO perturbed by the Galactyan tentacle fire. “Glad to see someone here enjoys the scent of pipeweed as much as I.”

Julianus would roll his eyes in noticeable exasperation, though there was a hint of amusement beneath it all. As he looked upon the now unsuited Calerostan, the young (by the standards of his kind) Drakari would smile warmly. “I’m certain no one will be foolish enough to commit such a dishonorable act against an ally, especially in matters such as these.”

He would look around the gathered delegates, standing to his full height as he spoke. “The sharing of declassified technology is something we can all agree upon, at least. Though there are some things that we all understandably do not wish to part with, I think those classified programs would help us fill gaps in each others naval and ground doctrines. For example, my people as your are all aware make use of the Warp Space Engine. For all its speed across interstellar distances, it lacks the flexibility of seemingly slower FTL technology that allows one to remain in realspace.”