RP [Day 1] IRC YE 36

"Very well," the Empress' handmaiden nodded. With a snap of her fingers, the samurai were moving the display. Yui's yeoman hesitated for a moment, but faced with being the only table there, decided to preserve symmetry and followed suit to stay near the palace table's new location.

"What would be better would be if we could get a list of all the attendees, so that we could swap the tables for a set of personalized invitation cards," the haidmaiden told Kotori. Can you please see to that and to their delivery?

"Absolutely," Kotori sent back, giving the handmaiden a grateful bow - giddy inside with victory, she felt she could be gracious about it. "I will attend this immediately."

On that note, the black-haired Ketsurui left for the seat Yuumi had arranged for the younger Ketsurui noble to observe the proceedings. As for the handmaiden's request, Kotori didn't have all the pieces so she forwarded to someone whom did: Miki Tanaka.

Finally, she reported to Yuumi with a mentally succinct: "The tables are moved."

"Good," Yuumi replied, her bracelet routing the transmission through the terminal. "Drama-free, I take it?"

Miki, who already was inside the conference chamber, got the request and fluttered the fingers on her left hand as she thought about how best to offer that information to the handmaiden. She decided that would be something the gallery representatives could field instead of the primary representatives. She worked on properly routing the list.

Kotori's seat was, in a way, the best in the house. Yuumi had provided for the guards left out of the chamber by using a smaller conference room as a kind of theater. They could sit down and watch when they weren't posted near the main chamber entrance, get food delivered from the center compound's kitchens, even check weapons on tables at the back of the room. Kotori's seat was at the front, near the volumetric viewing panel.

While no pattern was able to be seen to the seating arrangement by the Hidden Sun Clan representative, Snider's wide pupils took in the placement, and his primate brain quickly began to rattle off possibilities out of an inherent paranoia that was just part of day-to-day Helashio thought processes.

Big players separated. Long time associations divided. There is an intentional departure from an arrangement near interstellar friendlies to prevent the establishment of a clique or pattern. They want to remove our feeling of safety by association and proximity. A xenophobic nation forced to sit beside a total unknown, and the largest force in known space. A species just recently liberated from an intrusive protector, stuffed between a pair of poor neighbors. There is a breach in this effort on the Yamataians part, with the absence of the Gartagens, the Iroma are able to sit beside the Nepleslians and us at the same time; they will have a feeling of safety, Nepleslia will have a feeling of solidarity. Yuumi is at a disadvantage, she knows it, she'll be bold and tenacious while well measured. Abwehrans will be defensive. Hidden Sun Clan will be inquisitive. Azoreans will be cautious yet seeking any sort of solace. Iroma will watch, and wait, and strike when they are ready; as they always do. Nepleslia is in the position of power right now, they'll control the pace more than anyone else.

Snider's thoughts continued to race, painting pictures of just how things could turn out, how he perceived the situation, what he felt was going to be the way the situation would proceed. One thing he did know, was the fact that Nibbi was going to have to stay on her toes, and the way which her nerves were so tightly strung, that was not going to be a problem.

"The Imperial Handmaiden was very agreeable to your request," Kotori mildly returned to Yuumi. "So was Nishimura-Taii, though I'm not sure I won her over so much as she surrendered from peer-pressure and felt better going along with the handmaiden."

Kotori left it at that. Yuumi had enough on her plate to handle, especially with the conference just about to get started.

After raising his glass to the cheers Ryantax drank up and let the burning amber liquid race down the back of his throat. It was then the seating chart was displayed. "Well Gentlemen it seems that I'm on the complete opposite side of the table from where I should be. Once the session is over maybe we can continue this education in alien libations."

With a polite bow Ryantax moved to the far side of the table nearer to the Yamataian hosts. As he sat down he studied the chart, 'Was there some point to the newest delegation being parked right next to the host, Wonder if they are going to try to look like the good host and keep us under their wings.' he smiled and poured himself a glass of water, one thing he had learned form alien booze was that it drained the moister from the body.

He looked at his tablet and started bringing up his notes. Mainly they listed out what goals he had for this conference in a whole. Each harder then the next to achieve.

Washran was pleased that his question was well received, though the announcement to take his seat deflated him slightly.

"Well, that was a quick ten um... minutes," the Elder worked to recall the increment, "Or was that quick? I will have to find you again later."

He then smiled and checked his data pad to make sure of where he was supposed to sit. Looking around, the old Azorean noticed that he was much closer to where he should be than the rest of his group; however it looked as if they had enjoyed their talk more. With that in mind, Washran made his way to a chair behind the seat reserved for Ryantax and waited for the two fries to make it over.

Kohaku was a little disappointed that she had not been able to see the presentation she supplied. 'There will be time enough to see how others react to it. After all with all these different groups present; and each of them having their own presentation. When we stop for a break I plan to observe what each has offered.' she thought.

Meanwhile in the outer area the security escort milled about. They found much of the goings on here confusing, especially the displays offering to see the Princess. They knew she was the equivalent to their Mui, but one did not just come and visit their leader. So they were confused as to why a person who runs an empire as large as Yamatai would see just anyone who wanted to.

At the moment several of them noticed a sight they had all seen back in the Academies. The Otâgolisoy or birthworld as seen from the Capital. The Emissary's presentation had begun. They looked around to see who among the many would take a moment to observe. The image changed and all of the Qaktoro present stared up, they watched their homeworld explode across the display. All of them with no signal raised a clenched hand up towards the image and said "Before the Great Divine, we oath to never forget." in Takavonai. They stood silent until the image shifted to third chosen by Kohaku at which point they relaxed. When the scene changed again several of them thumped each other on the back, these were ones who could trace their families to those who were rescued from the damaged ark floating above them.

When the final image appeared they stood silent and still, for many of them this was the first time they saw the new colony world.

After the presentation completed the broke up into small groups and to see what there was to see and do.

Tanaka Miki blinked as she suddenly got a message, and she transmitted it to Yuumi. A YSE officer at the rear entrance of the chamber said there was a Gartagen female asking to be let into the conference.

Yuumi immediately connected to the officer, who thankfully was a Yamataian.

"She's not very happy, Premier," Officer John Tengu sent. "She said she was busy and couldn't make it here on schedule, but that she belongs in here. I told her only you could unseal the vault absent an emergency."

Tengu passed a visual to Yuumi. The Gartagen wasn't familiar to Yuumi, but Tengu also passed along a confirmation that she was the Gartagen Ambasssador.

"Tell her to wait; I'm opening the back entrance."

"Yes ma'am," Tengu said, relaying the message.

Everyone in the chamber turned as Yuumi stood up and, with a pained smile, said, "If we could hold introductions for just one moment. The Gartagen Ambassador has arrived."

The back door of the chamber unsealed without a click or a hiss, but it rolled back with a low rumble.



"You haven't missed a thing, Ambassador," Yuumi said with far more cordiality than she felt. "You're seated next to Minister Gerhard and Vonai Rya'ka Kohaku."

Beaming back at his friends, Johnathan knocked back his toast before taking his seat.

'Got them all warmed up for you I hope,' a radio message pinged off of Yuumi's mind. The Senator was laid back in his seat, arms behind the head rest as he kicked his foot up onto the table in front of him. It was only when she'd inevitably gaze in his direction - perhaps briefly, or for a lingering stare - that he'd look back and briefly reach up to quickly rub an eye. This could have been a stray eyelash, or an itch. Or it could have been a wink sent her way. But that didn't matter. Or, at least, not as much as what was happening next. Rough, somewhat scaly skin with a funny color all over. Long, thick tendrils for hair, and legs bent like a dog. 'Huh. So that's a sand lizard,' Johnathan thought to himself as the Gartagen Ambassador showed up.

"Lux, you only missed the drinks," he wryly smiled.

Am'ikka sniffed the air again and sighed a sigh of relief as the shuttered doors started to roll down. It seemed as though it was time to seal the diplomacy into the Central Complex of the International Relations Conference so it wouldn't leak out - it also meant that you couldn't bring notes along. Nibbi was happy to raise a quiet toast to Johnathan's ideas and have a drink to them.

Nibbi sniffed the glass warily before taking a sip and sloshing it around in her mouth before swallowing it. She raised her painted eyebrows and took another swig with a smile. She looked over to her assistant and put a hand on his shoulder as though calling for calm - it did neither of them any good if they were so tightly strung. Being tightly strung was Nibbi's burden to bear alone, and not the Helashio's to share. "C'mon. Chin up Snider," she said to him quietly, rubbing his shoulder gently with her gloved hand. "I'm about to see what I'm made of here, just as you are." She put the glass back down and faced the rest of the delegation. "I'm sure the other diplomats will see too - but I'm not going to let that intimidate me."

Nibbi was here not just to be the diplomat, but to face her fears, to see what she was made of, to prove to herself that she could be the right diplomat for the Lorath under such pressure and such scrutiny. She was far from home, and now here she was in an unfamiliar land. Getting this far was already half of her mental checklist checked - the last half of it would unfold soon.

Then Am'ikka sniffed the air again, "The Gartagen Delegation is here," she stated plainly to Nibbi, who could see the seal of the chamber being peeled open to let the Gartagen Ambassador in. It seemed as though they were a little late, but thanks to their contributions to the Empire and perhaps the charisma displayed in the previous conference. Oddly enough, it didn't seem as though they had their Empress with them like they did last time - just a lone Diplomat... kind of like Nibbi.

During Nibbi's last stint on Gartaga, it was one of those strange blurs of a time, the hot and dry weather, combined with having to learn the Sharan language and getting used to local cuisine in a screaming hurry meant that the Garts hoodwinked her. She wasn't going to let their sweet, mimicry-enabled voices run a circle around her again - not out of particular malice or spite, but to remain professional.

It was one of those incidents that made her feel shame when it came to mind. It was Lorath to face your problems and shames head on. Nibbi was doing that right now, putting on a brave face for the rest of the Galaxy, puff up the chest feathers and spread those wings. Nibbi was a 'bird' but she'd vowed to be no chicken in these proceedings.

With Lux seated, Yuumi went forward with introductions. She stayed seated. She also didn't respond to the senator's text transmission right then; she confirmed the formal controls that limited gallery chatter between gallery members, and a gallery member and their representative.

The gallery lights faded, and a single lamp above the round table placed the representatives within a pool of light that left the gallery in shadow.

"It's good to see all of you here," Yuumi said, "for this annual gathering. I seek for our business here to be cordial as well as consequential for our piece of the galaxy. I am Ketsurui Yuumi, premier of Yamatai's imperial government."

She looked to her right, to the Azorean representative Ryantax.

Ryantax sat there for a moment wondering why the Premier was looking at him. Though with a few seconds the realization hit him. Standing he bowed to the delegations around the table.

"I am Senator Ryantax, from the Commonwealth of Azorea. I am please to join you in this shallow pool of politics and international friendship."

With a second bow he sat down. He kept an eye on the Gartagen Representative. They might be a interesting source of events.

Kohaku took a sip of her water, and made a couple of quick notations in her datapad about the two senators who had introduced themselves thus far. They notations were actually instructions to her aide Geairs to get historical information on the species, also what cultural information, and what kind of food that they ate. Lastly she added a request that they run a search on the ambassadors and what could be learned via a public search. Little details could make a difference.

She put down her glass of water and and waited for the next introduction.

Seeing that Nibbi was to the left of the Azoreans, she stood up and cleared her throat. It was time to introduce herself to the world. "My name is Ik'hin Nibbi New Tur'lista," normally Lorath never disclosed their full names to strangers, but Nibbi wanted to wear her heart on her sleeve and do as the rest of the Universe did - knowing the full name of someone built trust, "but you all know me by my traditional moniker as the Middlewoman. Either name is suitable. I am here to represent the Lorath Matriarchy, to find our place and cement alliances together on this grand stage."

She looked to her side and decided to introduce her assistant too, "To my side is the Helashio Tribal Representative, Snider G'rth." Hopefully, he would not be perceived a mere accessory or a witness to glory or to have it thrust upon them - as was usually the first thought that came to mind when a Lorath and a Helashio were seen. Some parts of the universe, especially Yamataian-oriented ones thought that the Helashio were a slave race - but the Lorath were trying to change that by protecting them, giving them full rights, letting them move freely if they so desired and giving them the education to. Thousands of years of bloody Lorath history skimmed by selective scholars to spread a smearing lie that was getting repeatedly refuted recently.

She'd just hoped that the Yamataians had been easing off of spreading that sort of misinformation. The reports of friction between Yamataians and Lorath living on Yamatai had reached her office a few times. "Let's make this conference a fruitful one to remember together," she said with a smile and a nod.

Nibbi then looked over to the Iroma representative on her right and waited for them to introduce themselves, still standing up and watching the others.

Kohaku's search turned up some information on Ahrim. His name was genuine, he was indeed 'High Guardian of the Vigil', he was of relative average height and weight. His age however was most curious as it did not span in the decades, but centuries. Nearly five hundred and twenty one years old to be exact. And he couldn't possibly look a day over thirty if his countenance was to be believed. The public record on him was somewhat sparse, but included conflicts and engagements over decades to centuries. A battle waged here, a conflict there, negotiations, duels, all of them ended with minimal casualties but oft-times with injuries inflicted upon himself in several of the documented encounters. He taught philosophy, enjoyed art, donated to charities far and wide, even in the Kikyo Sector as well as his home system. He had also taken part in the last International Relations Conference.

It seemed he was a man who placed himself in harm's way to shield others from being endangered as was suggested in the limited Psyche profile attached. 'Calm, Intelligent, Friendly.' were also tagged. He was a hero to, and example for his people.

"I am Ahrim Ehrish Anyu Cu'Seddir, High Guardian of the Vigil and Leader of the Temple Guard." Letting the aged-grey gaze sweep across the room, lingering on each representative a moment and offering a nod to every face he saw. "And I must apologize for the tardiness of my fellow delegates. In their stead I will be acting on behalf of the Iromakuanhe Astral Commonwealth until such a time as they arrive and can be brought up to speed."

"But I am gratified to see many new faces here for this Conference, and am pleased to see that all the major powers of this Sector are seated at this table. It is my hope that we all have an amicable and productive discourse." From beneath his cloak, Ahrim swept a hand toward the next representative in line for introductions.

Oh, piss. I used up all my damn talent in that last toast I just gave. Coast took his peaked cap off and set it on the table and brought his two crossed legs down from resting on the same table. How in the hell did I not get death glares thrown at me for resting my feet up? Fuck me, that must have looked unprofessional as shit. Whatever. As if I should be concerned with the opinions of a bunch of career politicians and REMFs, at best.

"My name is Charles Coast." The Nepleslian paused, looking over each representative without thought given to social decorum regarding staring. "Premier of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia. It is an honor to meet all of you illustrious individuals" he said, attempting to not sound entirely too sarcastic. "My two associates are Senator Johnathan Izgimmer and Grand Admiral Dominic Valken of the 4th AASP Fleet."

"It is my sincere hope that this conference will be much more productive than others in the past that I have heard of."

At that, Premier Coast took his seat again and slowly started sipping from his glass of whiskey.

"Next guy, please." Coast gestured towards the diplomat next to him.

Kohaku noticed a blinking indicator on her datapad. She gave it a slight tap and saw that the screen was showing a result of a search. She glanced at the data, and then made sure that the network feature was disabled. The rest of the queries could wait until later.

She raised an eye brow slightly at the 'Next guy.' term, then stood up. She then pushed the hood of her cloak back so that her head was clear of it.

Kohaku then held out her arms away from her sides with her fingers spread and angled upward. She smiled widely showing as many of her teeth as possible.

"Premier, esteemed Ambassadors I the Emissary, greet you in a peaceful manner on the behalf of the Poku Saeruo Degonjo, and our leader Mui Tarbah Leyto.

Traditionally when we make contact with a people, as Emissary I am not permitted to show my face. But the Mui and our Council have decided that the practice is not applicable in a situation such as this. My name is Kohaku Syali, of the Komuta House.

I also wish to make my status clear to all of you.

I am first and foremost a Pokuvonai, a person of the Poku Saeruo Degonjo. Whatever I may have been before I came to live with them, is irrelevant. I was dying when I was rescued by a Clan vessel nine years ago. When I recovered from my injuries, I chose to remain with those who risked their lives to save me. I became the first vonai'bu, or alien to be permitted to live with them. Later I became a full member of the clan. For nine years they have been my people, and I am here to represent the interests of the clan first and foremost. " She paused for a moment.

"These are interesting times for my people, after centuries of rebuilding and waiting, have moved out of our home. We extend the hand of peace to those who are willing to accept it. Thank you."

She turned to the Gartargen representative. "I believe it is your turn." she said and then took her seat.

Senator Johnathan Izgimmer simply sat back in his chair, giving Coast a very specific smile.

It was a smile that said, 'You do it' when their turn came around, making the Nepleslian Premier step into the very role he was supposed to perform in. And hated. Johnathan knew that all too well, that knowledge shining through with that smile he gave to him. The Senator was simply relaxing as the formalities got underway. In all honesty, he never really liked them - they really just got in the way of the whole point of the conference. Here, in his mind, were representatives from several major countries gathering all around, and they were making stiff-assed greetings to one another; the kind that often gave off a sense of coldness or hostility, regardless of tone. In Johnathan's mind, things would have been way better if everyone was all, 'Hey, my name's so and so! I'm representing this and that. What about you guys?' or something along the line. This stifling format got in the way of making friends. And therefore peace.

But that was just his two cents, which he kept for now.

'Srs bsns' or not, they were all supposed to be peers - equal or not, that meant not talking with a stick up their asses, right? He was pretty sure now that, sooner or later, they were going to talk about taxes and tariffs for something like porn in completely cold tones.

'Maybe that's why the last few IRCs were such huge failures - they were either super crazy or repressed like...that one really hot Enforcer from a while back, yeah!'

Lux tilted her head so that her chin elevated as the rather pungent smelling creature addressed her. Lux's face was seen below the cowl of her robes, and she was clearly not young. Her skin was peach colored, and her eyes were emerald green. She paused before she spoke opting to choose her words carefully.

"I am Lux of House Belas, Ambassador to the empress and herald of the Shara star system. I achieved appointment to this position due in large part to my progressive stance on aliens. I am here with the hope that we can all set aside past differences and progress into the future in harmony."