Senate: Passed #78 - Lorath Starfleet

OOC Note: Scribbles... I am sorry but I cannot make sense out of your post. The following was the proposal, the prior things were just background and included information.

Proposal:

1. The Lorath will immediately furnish a complete listing of all their spacecraft and keep it up to date as ships are destroyed and added.

2. The Lorath will be given shipyards and rights to produce Qel'noran designs. These designs will become the backbone of a new, operationally sound planetary defense force for the immediate future.

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The issues at hand are there, I believe changes to the treaty itself would be a separate issue?

OoC: I'll agree that the way Scribbles' senator presented his arguments were confusing, especially when it got to him saying laws should be changed.

Hoshi no Iori smacked down all the motions to change through a challenge, and then said, "The Star Army and KFY are already strained. It is not the Star Army's job to babysit Lor - Lor was given the option to be defended by the Star Army on a permanent basis and declined it in favor of defending themselves with their own military. So, let them. They need these ships designs."

OOC: Doesn't anyone remember me saying that this was basicly my irl field. I must have said it a dozen times. Anyway the format is simple enough to understand.

a. Backround information

1. Motion Proposed (Motion to change).
2. Problems with previous version.
3. Example of Proposed change.
4. Summary of changes.
~

Also proposal for a bill includes everything, what is passed becomes the official stance of the government, including the reasons for passing them. As changes are introduced to a bill, its directive can change aswell. Therefore it may become nessary to change the stated directive of any bill to match its contents.

"I would like to know were the Senator from Hoshi no Iori's particular bais comes from exactly, and who its directed toward. Why not address all of Tami's motions for change instead of chalenging them for no good reason?", Senator Shears was suspisious of Hoshi no Iori's Senator now.

"It seems perfectly obvious to me that even if the people of Lor were not in the middle of a desperate humanitarian crisis that exists in the Lor system, and they were to gain control of the remnants of the Qel'noran immediately, it would take far to long for them to bring even the slightest change to the defensive situation in the Lor system without the help of the Star Army proper. They would be quickly overrun by the Mishhuvurthyar" William looked sternly toward the Senator from Hoshi no Iori.

"Is it the position of Hoshi no Iori, that we should secede the Lor system to the Mishhuvurthyar? I wonder, does Hoshi no Iori even consider Lor part of this empire? Because the last time I checked Lor was listed as part of it, also the last time I checked the empire was to be protected by the Star Army; then I must ask you, why challenge the final motion of change suggested by Tami? Its first part called for dialog to be opened between the Star Army and Lor to determine what exactly is required for the defence of Lor. The second part of that motion directed the Star Army to comply with the Lorath treaty, specificly in regards to the Star Army defending that system should it need to be defended, the Star Army is clearly bound by the Treaty with the Lorath; Tami can not understand Hoshi no Iori's reluctence to accept that fact". William took a drink from his bottle of water, and collected his thoughts a bit as he waited for a response.

While William droned on, Vax listened to the translation via his earpiece. He occasionally scratched his snout and twitched his floppy ears, and looked to be quite annoyed by the whole proceedings.

Vax was quite proud when he was appointed the representative of Ohara to the Imperial Senate. It was slowly dawning on him that this was less of a senator-ship and more of a baby-sitting job.

As a bonus, someone let a lawyer into the room. May the Goddess preserve us all.

When William finished, Vax stood up. "Yes. I would like to comment."

"First, I would like to point out that the matter under discussion is Proposal #78. If the senator of Tami would like the Senate to revisit the wordings of previous acts and treaties, he should raise the issue separately. Not only is he breaking protocol, he is sidetracking the current line of discussion: the proposal at hand. Therefore, Ohara seconds Hoshi no Iori's challenge of Tami's motions, as the motions are invalid."

"Second of all, while the senator of Tami raises some very good arguments, I believe that he has been unduly harsh on the Star Army, and not nearly harsh enough on Lor!"

"The Star Army has an obligation to protect all of the Empire's citizens, true. However, the terms of the treaty was very specific in that Lor would field its own defense force, to supplement the Star Army in any event of an attack by the enemy. The senator of Tami speaks as if the disaster at Lor was the fault of the Star Army, when it was obviously caused by Lor's inaction, not that of the Star Army."

"And I sincerely hope that the senator of Lor will take offense at the senator of Tami's suggestion that Lor, humanitarian crisis notwithstanding, cannot handle paperwork as simple as a fleet listing, which I'm sure the Lorath government already has. That is an insult to the intelligence of the Lorath people." Vax glared at William.

"It is this senator's opinion that Lor is either unwilling, or simply incapable, of providing a capable first-response defense fleet. The same can be said, I suppose, of Ohara. Perhaps, with Qel'Noran technology, Lor will be able to field such a fleet, months and years in the future. But the Mishhu knocks upon our very doorsteps now. This brings me to my third point..."

"My friends, I sense much distrust and hatred in this room. This saddens me greatly. We're more than allies in this war, for we're all subjects of the Empire." At those words, Vax turned to the senator of Hoshi no Iori. "Promises have been broken, yes, out of convenience, out of incapability, perhaps out of negligence. Such matters should be discussed and pursued, but only after we have regained our safety. The important matter now is for us to stand as one, to endeavor to protect all of the Empire's citizens, to challenge the enemy at every Imperial system they attack, and to aid each other as we would our own brothers and sisters."

"Why? Lor's fall will only weaken our position and strength the enemy. And if the Star Army does not continue to intervene, Lor will fall. And I can promise you this, senators: If we fail to achieve victory against the Mishhus, by the end of this war, they will be the only non-extinct sentient species from Lor to Xylar."

"In conclusion, Ohara votes NO. This body shall discuss Lor's... responsibilities in this matter, and any puntitive measures, if necessary, after we have defeated the enemy."

"Firstly, Mr. Senator," William grumbled toward the senator from Ohara, "Tami has made no motions to change the wording of anything outside of the current legislation, in-fact some of Tami's greatest efforts have been to keep this legislation within its own scope, to keep it from unduly effecting things outside of the scope of the senate; any thought otherwise is obviously a misunderstanding on your part. As such, Tami asks that the Senator from Ohara to please re-read the senatorial logs, preferably with a fluent translator, before attempting to speak on the matter again.â€

The Lorath senator was struck silent by the words of the Tami senator. Never has he seen someone fight with this furor and soul, outside his own people. "I humbly thank you for you apprication and the donation your people will be giving us." He said, with a gracious bow to the Senator. "And, I would like to second you motion to add a section three to the proposals of this bill."

Vax threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep belly laugh, surprising to hear from so small a creature.

"Yes, hehehe. Um, I am sure that, the generosity of the few hundred colonists of Tami puts Ohara's charitable infrastructure to shame. Oh ho ho ho... Ahem. Excuse me."

"I am disappointed that the senator of Tami has resorted to childish theatrics and sarcasm. Perhaps the colonists of Tami would like to reconsider their choice in their representative. However, in the mean time, I shall endeavor to address the senator's concerns, in as professional a manner as this old and uneducated Phod can manage."

"First, honorable senator, you accuse me of misinterpreting your motions. If this is true, then I apologize, both for myself and on behalf of my translators, who have the misfortune of having a difficult and thankless job. With the diversity of tongues in the Empire, such misunderstandings are inevitable in the Senate chamber."

"Second, while you seem to hold the belief that Lor cannot adequately defend itself, you yourself have motioned to change point two of the current proposal to the following:"

2. The Lorath will be given shipyards, and the rights to produce Qel'noran designs. These designs may become the backbone of a new, operationally sound planetary defense force for the immediate future.

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"The highlighting has been placed by me. If the senator truly holds the beliefs that he espouses, then why ask that Lor field a defense force in the immediate future?"

"I sense your tact and diplomatic skills in this move, senator. You have full faith in Lor's ability to defend itself, and yet did not want to appear insensitive in light of the recent tragedy at Lor. You have almost fooled this old Phod... Bravo, sir. Hats off to you."

"After considering your words, I happily find that we're in agreement. Perhaps I have gravely underestimated the abilities, determination, and resourcefulness of the Lorath people. For this, I ask forgiveness from the senator of Lor. In addition, Ohara changes its vote to YES. However, we differ in that, I believe the current wording of the proposal to be adequate."

"Thirdly, against my own foolish objections, the coalition of governments of Ohara have decided to send three hundred trained doctors to Lor, to assist in the humanitarian crisis there. They may not have the best of training in the latest technology, but they are quite adept at saving lives. I hope that the senator of Lor did not take too much offense at my poorly chosen words, and will accept this offer of help."

(OOC: In this forum, I do not consider it sporting to change your posts after people have responded, Scribbles. I humbly advise you to not do that in the future.)

"Oh, and Ohara motions to close."

After all that, Alphonse managed to stay silent. He did not need to make more enemies; one was more than enough. And since it had been a long day already, he placed his glasses back on and retreated to his datapad. Maybe I should have stuck to war, it's a lot easier than politics. Maybe Vic' needs a mechanic or something...

"Anisa seconds the motion to close. The vote should be tallied and the results adhered to, but no matter what, we should protect Lor like any other member of our empire, despite our feelings on them matter. For they are part of this empire, whether you like it or not, and until the treaty is ripped up and incinerated, it will stay that way."

Chujo Kotoku said, "Taiie holds its position voting NO, and agrees with the motion to close.â€

"Tami makes the contributions it is able to Senator, and is pleased to hear that the populus of Ohara has ignored your previous judgement, and has decided to send assitance to the Lor system anyway," William said looking at Vax, "I'm glad to see that the people of Ohara have a large scope of view for the empire, which is more than I can say for some others" Williams eyes swept around the room, but too quickly to determine where or whom he had looked at.

"I personally find it somewhat disturbing that the Senator from Ohara can laugh at such a time, in such a discussion; also Tami continues to hold its position on the Senator from Ohara's previous statements." William said firmly.

William again looked at Vax, "And in regards to Tami's choice of representive, I was chosen to represent the wishes of the people of Tami to the best of my ability, I was definately not chosen to please the members of the Imperial Senate; and in regards to the Oharan senators comment on his job being thankless, I'm sad to say that I surely didn't vote for you, nor did anyone here in the Senate, if your job is thankless that is definately something you should seek to improve on your own planet; if not, perhaps you should consider another career, for the life of a Senator is not for everyone." William paused to take another drink of his water.

"In regards to Tami's veiws, Tami fully believes in the self-determination of worlds, and believes that with a substantial amount of work and the cooperation of outside bodies such as the Senate, the Lor system may be capable of fielding an effective first response force eventually, however," William sighed, "Tami believes that at in thier current state, the Lorath are incapable of creating such a force in such a short time, therefore making protection from the Star Army proper essential to protecting the integrity of this empire; Tami belives that any suggestion otherwise would be ludicrous."

"In regards to Tami's motion to change point two of the proposal, I should like to point out to the Senator from Ohara that the section that he highlighted was writen by the representive from Hoshi no Iori, Not the representitive from Tami. The change that was proposed only changed one word in that point; It changed the word 'will' to the word 'may', In its current wording the proposal commands that the government of Lor to do something, it seems clear to me that the decision of weather or not the Qel'noran designs are sutible for and would become the backbone of thier fleet is the juristriction of Lor and is therefore outside of the scope of the Senate." William paused to bring up a new page of data on his datapad.

"Therefore, hoping that other senators will see reason and comprimise, Tami challenges the motion to close, and Tami motions to change(Tami motion to change #7), point two of section two of the current proposal to read:

2. The Lorath will be given shipyards, and the rights to produce Qel'noran designs. It is the hope of the central government that these designs may eventually become the backbone of a new, operationally sound planetary defense force for Lor.

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Tami believes that these changes clarify this point and keep us from overstepping our juristriction. Tami hopes that the members of the Senate will agree to continue with productive discussion on the matter. Additionally, Tami hopes these changes are acceptable to all parties, and asks that the representitives here today to truly consider them, and not vote against them out of a personal bais toward any other world, or out of spite." William again paused hopeful that the gathered senators might agian, agree to reason.

OOC: Yangfan the only changes that were made to my origional post were line breaks ( --- ), which I added because it was clear to me that there were players having difficulty coping with such a long post all in one chunk(seeing their OOC posts), its contents were not changed (except for perhaps a spelling error or two I noticed in William's monologe). I'm sorry if it seemed otherwise.

Alphonse smiled widely at the discussion, writing notes on his datapad. It wasn't everyday so many sides shifted, so many opinions changed, so many prejudices were brought to light...this would change everything, including the view of the Senate in the eyes of the citizens. Well, it's time to do my part once again.

And he rose to speak once more, with a smile and a look of comfort and calm. Now would be a good time for a photo, wouldn't it?

"These changes are acceptable. If Lor's engineers are talented, they may even improve the designs, or even come up with their own, technological breakthroughs that will benefit the entire empire. This outweighs any concerns I may have about the efficiency of a possible planetary defense fleet. Anisa seconds the motion to change."

"In addition, I put forth another motion to change, an addendum to the proposal:"

Senator Maximillian Alphonse said:

3. As a stopgap measure, while the Lorath fleet is under construction, a selection of available ships from the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet will be assigned to defend Lor against external threats.

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"However, this issue is getting into muddy moral territory, and people are attacking others for personal issues far more readily. I believe that wrapping things up quickly would be beneficial for all of us, and would help get the fleet deployed more quickly.

"Now, let's wrap this all up and go home. Making law is tiring, isn't it?"

Hoshi no Iori, stubborn as ever, challenged the motions to change. "If this proposal doesn't pass, how exactly is Lor supposed to defend itself?"

Chujo Kotoku shook her head, "I would like to remind you that the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet is not in a position to engage in such an operation. We recently lost a significant number of ships to the enemy, not to mention the murder of our Taisho. With threats mounting at Murf, Talori and in other planets of the Bard Cluster region, we just cannot spare the ships. At this time, our resources will be focusing on our own front and we will not deviate from that.â€

"If that is the case, then, my Third Fleet will supply the needed ships in the meantime, and I shall make the proper arrangements as soon as possible."

"However, Kotoku, you must realize that your fleet's headquarters - the planet you represent - is the closest to Lorath of the three fleets, and will be the first to defend that front in case of attack. I am not insensitive to the recent losses in your fleet, however, the reality is that we cannot leave Lor defenseless."

"Assuming my addendum passes, when the Fifth's resources have loosened adequetely to allow ships to be delegated to Lorath, they will go there at the first opportunity - unless, of course, you have some sort of a problem with that, Senator."

Hoshi no Iori's senator had a boiling fury in her eyes. "You are a senator and have no business meddling in the operations of the Star Army's fleets...as for the rest of you, you say we cannot leave Lor defenseless, and yet you vote against these ship designs which the Lor could use to defend themselves! Any planet that votes against this bill deserves to have their defense fleet's ships transferred to defend Lor."

Chujo Kotuku's fists tightened looking to the Senator from Anisa, calling on the PANTHEON to create volumetric imaging of a star map showing the jurisdictions of the fleets, the map hovering just above the table. "Senator I call your attention to the map, Lor is not within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet.â€

The day has been a victory. But I fear this will not be the last I see of her... Alphonse tapped his datapad a few times and rose again.

"In that case, Anisa withdraws its addendum to the proposal and motions to close."