An ordinary day on Posadia was swiftly disturbed by information about the Grand Commisariat of Enver, and soon after - the first contact. An Envari diplomat was scheduled to arrive, and a part of the Council of Sages that was nearby at the time were called. Those Hydrosians - Axen Decri, Maka Peum, Seon Pux and Kora Treon - were considered to be among the wisest citizens of Hydrosia.
They have assembled in the Citizens’ Hall - the designated location for the meeting - and waited. An aura of curiosity and anticipation filled the room. They already heard from the Colestians that the Envari were hostile - but just how hostile?
4 Likes
Hoxha was eagerly awaiting the meeting. After his succesful first contact with the Drakari, he was put in charge of conducting major diplomatic meetings.
Contrary to popular belief, xenos weren’t that bad. At least in his opinion. They were interesting. Since he met the Drakari, he wonderd how other xeno civilisations could be like. And now he could see one of them in person. Of course Envari were still better, but an alternative perspective was always usefull and the Comissariat could learn from it, like it did in the past.
His custom-built flagship, travelling without the fleet, exited outside a water world. The xeno capital.
5 Likes
As Hoxha enetered the building, he passed by numerous Hydrosians. Some of them were showing him the way to the meeting room, some merely stood by and looked at him. Nearly all of them were clearly afraid of him. The windows showed how tall the building was - tall enough to stand high above the surface, despite having its fundaments laid down underwater.
He entered the conference room shortly after, and was met with the careful stare of the Council members.
“Greetings. We - members of the Council of Sages - welcome you. We hope we will be able to develop peaceful relations between us and Enver.” - Pux decided to lead the conversation after a moment of silence.
4 Likes
Water wasn’t a standard Envari envivorment. Hoxha had to wear his protective armor. It was black, with a small emblem depicting a golden star and a rifle on his chest. It also had small, gold and red details. He also had a pistol. He was followed by 20 Black Guards, all in their standard black armors and holding rifles. They all used special boots to stay attached to the ground.
“I’m Hoxha, the representative of the Grand Comissariat of Enver. I also hope for peaceful relations for both of our states.” He spoke in a neutral voice, but not cold, like the other diplomats. He also spoke perfect Hydrosian. “Your nation is quite interesting. I didn’t know it was possible for a civilization to develop underwater. Your government type is also quite unusual.”
4 Likes
“Unusual in what sense?” Being a scientist, Peum was naturally curious about the situation, but Hoxha’s last remark is what really grabbed her attention.
4 Likes
“Well, being ruled by a council of scientist. There were of course ideas of this type of governance, but we never found any state utilising it.”
3 Likes
“The council of Sages had actually developed as our civilization evolved. The ocean can be an unsafe and treachorous enviroment, and as such, those with knowledge about its mysteries developed a strong authority”
Treon explained in a calm, careful tone. She weighed every word in order to avoid revealing information that would be too useful for Enver should they become enemies.
4 Likes
“My kind has also undergone a similar development, just much later in our history. Space is much more dangerous than the sea and Envari learned that very quickly and violently. In our society those who could tackle these dangers by force rose to power.” He said that with a note of sadness in his voice. “But I digress. To ensure peaceful relations, we should clarify the borders of both our states.”
Hoxha projected a hologram, showing the borders of the Grand Comissariat of Enver and neighboring states.
4 Likes
"Interesting… us to the north, Colestia, whom we have already met to the east, and two other nations - Drakkari and Emerald to the south… "
Decri studied the map carefully.
“Would you mind telling us something about the last two?”
4 Likes
“The Drakari are a very old nation, ruled by a monarch. They are quite xenophilic. Emerald is a young nation, they would still be pre-FTL without foreing support. They are both part of an entity known as the Coalition Of United Stars. We don’t know much else about them.”
At this moment Hoxha realised something. “I have no knowledge of any ‘Colestia’. Could you explain that?”
4 Likes
“That… is interesting.”
Pux’s mind was lost in the information about the Drakkari and Emerald for a while, which was why it took some time for the last sentence to strike him as odd.
“You… do not know about Colestia? But they were the ones who first informed us about you. How could that be possible?”
4 Likes
Spies. Those damned ‘Colestians’, whoever they were, must have spies in the Commisariat. Trecherous xeno scum. Maybe Hoxha was wrong with his slight sympathy towards xenos?
“I don’t know how it would be possible. The only things I know, that we have never met any ‘Colestians’. Could you maybe tell me more about them, maybe it would clarify some misunderstandings?”
4 Likes
A moment of deliberation followed.
How could this be? How did Colestia know of Enver, but not the other way around? Maybe they did use spies… but now there was another, far more pressing question. How much exactly can be revealed to Enver about Colestia while not igniting a war? Treon thought for a while and then, carefully began to talk.
“Colestia is… a democratic republic lying to the east of Enver. It’s inhabited by creatures that resemble sapient plants. As we have only met them very recently, we cannot provide you with particularly useful information.”
3 Likes
“Thank you for providing me with this infirmation. I will see to it that this matter is further investigated. Is there any other matter you would like to discuss?”
3 Likes
The Sages looked at one another. They did have things they still wanted to discuss - but they knew that would mean more questions from the Envari. As scientists, they were aware of the immeasurable value of information.
“No, we have no need for further discussion at the moment. Thank you for your time. If you recognize a need for further diplomatic conversations in the future, please do notify us.”
2 Likes
“Very well, I will be leaving now. The fleet that has previously arrived in your territory has already left, so you no longer have to worry about it.”
Hoxha and his guards returned to their shuttle and eventually to their flagship. The whole Diplomatic Corp will be put on high alert when the Comissar learns of this. Hoxha knew exactly what would happen. There would be a masdive investigation launched, somebody will be declared respinsible, there will be reform and a shift in the power balance. The question remains, to which side? And how will the public respond to this wave of first contacs and diplimacy instead of total idolation or war? They cannot cover it up forever.
At least this frontier is safe for now.
2 Likes