Zack
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Robert Davis stood in the bridge of the NSS Explorer, one of the Arashi escorts used to protect the former YSS Destiny. Now that the fleet had been obtained peacefully from the Yamatain government, it could be put to good use. Not all was well, though... the 126 ships were the entirety of the Nepleslian Star Army, a pitiful number indeed.
Davis' mind wandered to earlier in the day, in his office.
He had been drafting papers for the newly-created Nepleslian Defense Act. His mind rolled over the details. There were certainly more than enough volunteers for the project, and why not? Their lives were rough, and he offered them a kingdom in exchange for good labor. But the fact of the matter remained that the sheer volume of manufacturing resources required to create the first fleet would result in massive overload of manpower. Nepleslia was a fledgling empire indeed, an empire in need of help. Could he go to Yamatai? Yes, but that would be a tremendously terrible move in the eyes of the public, going back to your former masters for help. The Mishu? He had to worry about them attacking the empire rather than helping it. The Mishu spoke truce, but their way of life, and the cruelty of their war did little to back up those hollow words. Then a name came up... the Qel'norans. All last known reports had relations between Yamatai and the outsiders as at a standstill. Technically, the two factions were still at war. But that didn't mean much to Nepleslia. From the reports he read while working for the Star Army of Yamatai, the Qel'norans had access to incredible production facilities...
That was why Davis was on the NSS Explorer, over 40 lightyears away from Nepleslia. The last known communication with the Qel'noran was a series of coordinates. It was a risk going out there, but so was leaving the Nepleslian empire defenseless. And if Davis knew anything from all his years of service, you had to take risks to gain the reward...
The Qel'noran's transmission had little more than a simple set of co-ordinates to a location out in space with no particular bodies near by. Only the blackness of the void and the pinpricks of stars could be seen out this far. The only thing of note in this deserted area was a single Minion 1 Class Corvette. Its age was showed not only in the design but the materials used to make it up. The outer hull was dinged and battered from micro-meteor impacts here and there and the pain was dulled with time in certain locations. Materials like YMA cloth or Smart Metals were practically non-existent. The only indication of its presence was the occasional sensor ping and the mass that made up the ship.
"Hail that ship, Sub Lieutenant," Davis directed to his communications officer. "I want to know if there are any life forms on it. Send this message: "Greetings. I am Master Admiral Robert Davis of the Nepleslian Star Army. I am here in regards to negotiating relations between our two nations." Davis awaited a reply, going through alternative actions in his mind, should they be needed.
As the transmission reached the ship the message was recorded and the ship suddenly sprung to life. External lighting let up the ship as nanomachines came out of an airlock on the bottom of the ship to start repairing the paint and dents while inside two live bodies started to revive. Soon there would be two life forms on the craft. While internal lighting came on so did the ship's sensor and communications system. "Message Received," Came the reply in a metallic, inhuman voice which soon changed to something softer, more fitting of a prom date than a machine which the voice first gave the impression of. "We are glad that you decided to take us up on our offer Master Admiral. May we come aboard and discuss this or would you prefer to negotiate at this distance?" She said, referring to the communications channels rather than person to person conversation.
"Thanks for taking the time to wait for us. Yes, I would like to pursue negotiations on this ship, in my captains quarters. Do you have adequate means of arriving here? I can send a shuttle to pick you up if necessary."
"Our craft should be capable of successfully docking with yours," The voice replied as a quick series of bursts from the ship's maneuvering drive righted the ship's position to make its top parallel with the NSA ship. "With your permission we will begin docking?" She asked.
"You may dock. How many shall I be entertaining?"
"Only one. We don't want to impose." the Minion's primary drive started to power up and soon the ship was positioned below the NSA ship. The Minion moved within inches of the other ship's airlock before a nanomachine fluid moved up between the two craft to create an airtight seal. Within moments of its creation the Minion pressurized itself and the small area between the two ships as the Minion's hatch opened up.
"I'll see you in my quarters. Davis out." The Master Admiral left, tapping his cane on the ground, as he moved to his room. Apart from the queen-sized bed in the corner, a mahogany desk with a leather chair in the center, and a dressed with a mirror, the room was rather sparse. The ship's chef hurried in with a silver tray, laying down two glasses, a bottle of red wine and some cheese and crackers.
On the other side of the ship, a young Nepleslian man waited to escort the arrival to Davis' room. The chef returned to the room with another chair for his guest.
Stepping through the door from the other side was a girl standing just above five feet tall dressed in pants made of a black fabric that resembled kakis. Above that was a black tank top made of the same material and a black leather jacket with a single Yellow stripe around the shoulders and under the armpit on each side. She held herself with an upright posture as she walked to the room she was being escorted to. "Its good to meet the man I will be talking with in person." She said as she entered. "My name is Drei."
Davis walked to the lady without his cane, his standard issue Nepleslian Army outfit immaculately clean. He took off his beret, and, bringing it to his waist, he bowed to the lady.
"The honor is mine, Miss Drei. I am Robert Davis. It is nice to meet you."
He returned to his upright position and motioned to the desk. "Please, take a seat. I've prepared some wine and cheese for your pleasure."
Drei sat down near the edge of the seat and crossed her legs at the ankles. She placed her hands down in her lap and replied. "Well Mr. Davis I am assuming that you speak for your people so shall we get down to business then?" She kept her eyes focused on him without pausing to look down at the prepared refreshments.
"Very well then." Davis slowly walked back to the mahogany desk, returning his cap to his head and adjusting it ever so slightly as he took his seat. He clasped his hand together and rested them in front of him on the desk. "I am the representative of the people, yes. As an independent nation, we'd like to establish alliances and contacts with other factions in the universe..."
"That is a very reasonable goal and isn't prohibitive to our interests." She said with a smile. "What exactly are you looking for in an alliance with us? Peace is a good goal but what are the terms?"
"I was hoping to hammer out terms with you," Davis replied politely. "Forgive my ignorance, but last we heard of you, Yamatai had not necessarily closed the discussion on the brightest of terms. Our nation has recently split from Yamatai as well, so we share a common bond of sorts, but we are interested in obtaining means of increasing our manufacturing output sot that we may establish our foothold in our sector of the universe."
"Indeed, the attempted genocide of the Qel'noran race is not something we considered nice." Her voice had a slight hint of annoyance in it, although the focus seemed not to be on anyone in this room. "Manufacturing is something that I accel in. I'm sure we can help you with that however I was thinking more along the lines of interaction between the Qel'norans and your people. The Qel'noran government has had to impose a lot of travel restrictions because of problems with a hostile universe. We wouldn't mind opening up regular interaction with provisions for the returning of criminals and prevention of the loss of key personnel within each other's governmental structures. We'd rather not see our people being hired away by your corporations and vice versa. As for manufacturing what exactly do
you want help with and what are your eventual goals?"
"I understand your position with matters of national security and very important persons," Davis said with a nod. "I would want nothing more than to open a safe means of communication, travel and exchange between our nations. We are working hard to obtain that end. We have more than enough manpower to achieve great things. However, we are limited by our budding industries to most efficiently use our labor. Of top priority, of course, is the construction of the 1st Nepleslian Star Fleet, our organized military force. Time is of the essence. With the Star Army of Yamatai on one side and the Mishu on the other, we are in a rather precarious situation."
"We are on terms of neutrality with both forces, but in our position, I would most rather like to have chips to throw onto the table, so to speak."
Drei nodded and gave him an approving smile. "Even in the best of times having a few more chips in your corner is never a bad idea. Safe communication, travel, and exchange is something we both can agree on from the start. We can help you build your 1st fleet." Drei paused for a moment as a subspace communication was opened between her and the Minion craft. The transmission took place over a matter of moments and without skipping a beat Drei continued in her conversation. "In exchange we would like a bit of discretion on your part. The Yamatai Government has many warlike tendencies and we have no reason to provoke them unnecessarily unless they start posing a threat to us. We'd also like to forge a closer political alliance, although that can wait for a later time. A wise politician avoids entangling alliances after all."
Davis tapped his hand on the table once. "Yes, Yamatai's history does not sit well in the minds of many Nepleslians. Hopefully, someday we can forge a universe where war will be unnecessary. For now, however, I wholeheartedly agree with you on terms of discretion. Do you have any ideas on how to obtain that discretion?
Another subspace communication was transmitted back to the minion just moments before Drei responded. "Well, policing your command chain should be of top priority for maintaining discretion . The Yamatain government has the easier access to your home world than the Qel'noran's so it is most likely that if they are to learn of this it will be from there. Travel between the worlds should also be kept at a minimum for the time being. As for ship production it is likely that the Yamatai Government will assume that you have had some outside help, it will be hard to explain where all of the ships suddenly came from however we can fudge the records from your shipyards and if I were allowed to understand how your shipbuilding procedures work I'm sure I can replicate any quirks of that system as to not give away the true origin of the ships and their materials. Of course we can't ask you to lie to your general populous about this, which is where the problem lies."
Davis thoughtfully pondered the ramifications of an open friendship with the Qel'norans. "Do you think if Yamatai knew that they'd fuel their war with you and start one with us?"
"I can not accurately predict how they will act to this. They are technically at war with us however the only real conflict has been a minor skirmish over a PNUgen facility. We do believe, however, that if they had an opportunity to launch an attack they would. As for starting a war with your people it is unlikely. If they didn't try to destroy your world when you left their empire then they probably have a reason not to, its unlikely that the reason would change once your empire starts to mature but again I can not be certain about such things." Drei said calmly.
Many things flashed through Davis' mind. "I do not wish to entertain a covert alliance as, if the people were to find out, I would look no better than a tyrant. Yamatai is currently experiencing much conflict, both internal and external. Their empress just recently died, and from what I'm hearing, a special investigation is being launched to find the exact details of her death. It may be nothing, but something is definitely brewing if the senate has to investigate. Needless to say, there's a power void of sorts in the Empire. Militarily, Yamatai is chiefly concerned with the Mishu. I can hardly imagine the reaction the obliteration of Nepleslia would have on ALL Nepleslians serving in the Star Army of Yamatai. Having your home world obliterated for the reasons of your neighbor establishing relations with a long-cooled enemy would make Yamatai look insane, and more than likely start a civil war. These Nepleslians have their families and friends on our worlds. The Mishu have gone total war with Yamatai, and any leash that Yamatai gives them would be met with swift and terrible reaction. The bottom line is that we cannot afford the months it would take to construct our fleet, and, for our survival, we must use your help to improve our manufacturing output before the Yamatains... or the Mishu destroy us. "
"Very well then, it seems that making this public would be in your best interests then. Even if the Yamatai Government's actions remain unpredictable. However, it might be wiser to not to bluff with your military's strength just yet. We should time the delivery of your new fleet with the announcement of our alliance to the general public. This way even if the Yamatai government wishes open warfare with your people they won't have an easy time of it. In order to do this of course we will need the schematics for the ships you want us to build for you. If worse comes to worse it is hardly ethical for me to allow your home world to be attacked because of our offer." Drei said
"Thank you for your concern. Very well then. I will send you the schematics along with our usual means of production, which I'm sure you'll find to be quite quaint," The Master Admiral said jokingly. "Do you have a specific channel for communications I can send the encrypted message to? Also, is there anything in specific that you'd like to be part of our agreement when I make the announcement public?"
"I can read virtually all forms of data storage and should be able to bring it back to the proper location through a link with my ship. As for specifics, outside of basics such as not providing sanctuary for our criminals and not engaging in economic warfare with our home world there is really nothing in specific that we want other than an assurance of ethical conduct between our two nations." Drei replied.
"For the record, ma'am, could you provide some specifics? I do not want to inadvertently break your terms."
"For example, do not attempt an action with the intention of harming our nation and we will do the same. We would rather not see bad rumors being spread around this universe about us as it would hurt our long term goals. If there is something we consider a violation of this we will wish to talk to you about it, it isn't necessarily grounds for outright termination of our alliance unless the action is obviously intended to harm us such as an attack on one of ours settlements." Drei said, hoping that she was able to communicate her intention, more than her point, effectively.
"I think we've come to an understanding then," Davis said with a great smile. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss before we begin this bright new chapter in history?"
"We should discuss how further communications will be carried out." Drei said. "I can remain here as a personal channel of communication for your government if you'd like."
"That will suffice. Can I perhaps send long-range communications to this ship?"
"This ship will not remain here afterwards for security reasons but we can give you the location of a communication's array to use as well as establish a communication's system within your space. I should also be able to make transmissions between myself and the Qel'noran home world." Drei said.
"I would like that very much." Davis stood. "This has been a very productive meeting. I think we shall have a very fruitful relationship." He took a glass and poured a glass of wine. "Would you care for a drink before I escort you back to your shuttle?"
"So I'm not going to stay here to help facilitate communication?" She asked as she nodded, "Yes, I'll have a drink thank you."
"Oh, I may have misunderstood. You wanted to stay with us?" He passed his glass to her and poured his own.
"That would facilitate faster communication between our governments and would could save lives during an emergency." She said as she picked up the glass in her right hand and held it while waiting for him to toast.
"Most certainly. You will be treated as a foreign dignitary in Nepleslia. I will make arrangements for your comfort and will have an associate of mine forward you my contact information, should you need to get a hold of me in an urgent situation." He raised his glass. "To independence, to the formation of a glorious new alliance, to a future of peace in the universe."
Robert Davis stood in the bridge of the NSS Explorer, one of the Arashi escorts used to protect the former YSS Destiny. Now that the fleet had been obtained peacefully from the Yamatain government, it could be put to good use. Not all was well, though... the 126 ships were the entirety of the Nepleslian Star Army, a pitiful number indeed.
Davis' mind wandered to earlier in the day, in his office.
He had been drafting papers for the newly-created Nepleslian Defense Act. His mind rolled over the details. There were certainly more than enough volunteers for the project, and why not? Their lives were rough, and he offered them a kingdom in exchange for good labor. But the fact of the matter remained that the sheer volume of manufacturing resources required to create the first fleet would result in massive overload of manpower. Nepleslia was a fledgling empire indeed, an empire in need of help. Could he go to Yamatai? Yes, but that would be a tremendously terrible move in the eyes of the public, going back to your former masters for help. The Mishu? He had to worry about them attacking the empire rather than helping it. The Mishu spoke truce, but their way of life, and the cruelty of their war did little to back up those hollow words. Then a name came up... the Qel'norans. All last known reports had relations between Yamatai and the outsiders as at a standstill. Technically, the two factions were still at war. But that didn't mean much to Nepleslia. From the reports he read while working for the Star Army of Yamatai, the Qel'norans had access to incredible production facilities...
That was why Davis was on the NSS Explorer, over 40 lightyears away from Nepleslia. The last known communication with the Qel'noran was a series of coordinates. It was a risk going out there, but so was leaving the Nepleslian empire defenseless. And if Davis knew anything from all his years of service, you had to take risks to gain the reward...
The Qel'noran's transmission had little more than a simple set of co-ordinates to a location out in space with no particular bodies near by. Only the blackness of the void and the pinpricks of stars could be seen out this far. The only thing of note in this deserted area was a single Minion 1 Class Corvette. Its age was showed not only in the design but the materials used to make it up. The outer hull was dinged and battered from micro-meteor impacts here and there and the pain was dulled with time in certain locations. Materials like YMA cloth or Smart Metals were practically non-existent. The only indication of its presence was the occasional sensor ping and the mass that made up the ship.
"Hail that ship, Sub Lieutenant," Davis directed to his communications officer. "I want to know if there are any life forms on it. Send this message: "Greetings. I am Master Admiral Robert Davis of the Nepleslian Star Army. I am here in regards to negotiating relations between our two nations." Davis awaited a reply, going through alternative actions in his mind, should they be needed.
As the transmission reached the ship the message was recorded and the ship suddenly sprung to life. External lighting let up the ship as nanomachines came out of an airlock on the bottom of the ship to start repairing the paint and dents while inside two live bodies started to revive. Soon there would be two life forms on the craft. While internal lighting came on so did the ship's sensor and communications system. "Message Received," Came the reply in a metallic, inhuman voice which soon changed to something softer, more fitting of a prom date than a machine which the voice first gave the impression of. "We are glad that you decided to take us up on our offer Master Admiral. May we come aboard and discuss this or would you prefer to negotiate at this distance?" She said, referring to the communications channels rather than person to person conversation.
"Thanks for taking the time to wait for us. Yes, I would like to pursue negotiations on this ship, in my captains quarters. Do you have adequate means of arriving here? I can send a shuttle to pick you up if necessary."
"Our craft should be capable of successfully docking with yours," The voice replied as a quick series of bursts from the ship's maneuvering drive righted the ship's position to make its top parallel with the NSA ship. "With your permission we will begin docking?" She asked.
"You may dock. How many shall I be entertaining?"
"Only one. We don't want to impose." the Minion's primary drive started to power up and soon the ship was positioned below the NSA ship. The Minion moved within inches of the other ship's airlock before a nanomachine fluid moved up between the two craft to create an airtight seal. Within moments of its creation the Minion pressurized itself and the small area between the two ships as the Minion's hatch opened up.
"I'll see you in my quarters. Davis out." The Master Admiral left, tapping his cane on the ground, as he moved to his room. Apart from the queen-sized bed in the corner, a mahogany desk with a leather chair in the center, and a dressed with a mirror, the room was rather sparse. The ship's chef hurried in with a silver tray, laying down two glasses, a bottle of red wine and some cheese and crackers.
On the other side of the ship, a young Nepleslian man waited to escort the arrival to Davis' room. The chef returned to the room with another chair for his guest.
Stepping through the door from the other side was a girl standing just above five feet tall dressed in pants made of a black fabric that resembled kakis. Above that was a black tank top made of the same material and a black leather jacket with a single Yellow stripe around the shoulders and under the armpit on each side. She held herself with an upright posture as she walked to the room she was being escorted to. "Its good to meet the man I will be talking with in person." She said as she entered. "My name is Drei."
Davis walked to the lady without his cane, his standard issue Nepleslian Army outfit immaculately clean. He took off his beret, and, bringing it to his waist, he bowed to the lady.
"The honor is mine, Miss Drei. I am Robert Davis. It is nice to meet you."
He returned to his upright position and motioned to the desk. "Please, take a seat. I've prepared some wine and cheese for your pleasure."
Drei sat down near the edge of the seat and crossed her legs at the ankles. She placed her hands down in her lap and replied. "Well Mr. Davis I am assuming that you speak for your people so shall we get down to business then?" She kept her eyes focused on him without pausing to look down at the prepared refreshments.
"Very well then." Davis slowly walked back to the mahogany desk, returning his cap to his head and adjusting it ever so slightly as he took his seat. He clasped his hand together and rested them in front of him on the desk. "I am the representative of the people, yes. As an independent nation, we'd like to establish alliances and contacts with other factions in the universe..."
"That is a very reasonable goal and isn't prohibitive to our interests." She said with a smile. "What exactly are you looking for in an alliance with us? Peace is a good goal but what are the terms?"
"I was hoping to hammer out terms with you," Davis replied politely. "Forgive my ignorance, but last we heard of you, Yamatai had not necessarily closed the discussion on the brightest of terms. Our nation has recently split from Yamatai as well, so we share a common bond of sorts, but we are interested in obtaining means of increasing our manufacturing output sot that we may establish our foothold in our sector of the universe."
"Indeed, the attempted genocide of the Qel'noran race is not something we considered nice." Her voice had a slight hint of annoyance in it, although the focus seemed not to be on anyone in this room. "Manufacturing is something that I accel in. I'm sure we can help you with that however I was thinking more along the lines of interaction between the Qel'norans and your people. The Qel'noran government has had to impose a lot of travel restrictions because of problems with a hostile universe. We wouldn't mind opening up regular interaction with provisions for the returning of criminals and prevention of the loss of key personnel within each other's governmental structures. We'd rather not see our people being hired away by your corporations and vice versa. As for manufacturing what exactly do
you want help with and what are your eventual goals?"
"I understand your position with matters of national security and very important persons," Davis said with a nod. "I would want nothing more than to open a safe means of communication, travel and exchange between our nations. We are working hard to obtain that end. We have more than enough manpower to achieve great things. However, we are limited by our budding industries to most efficiently use our labor. Of top priority, of course, is the construction of the 1st Nepleslian Star Fleet, our organized military force. Time is of the essence. With the Star Army of Yamatai on one side and the Mishu on the other, we are in a rather precarious situation."
"We are on terms of neutrality with both forces, but in our position, I would most rather like to have chips to throw onto the table, so to speak."
Drei nodded and gave him an approving smile. "Even in the best of times having a few more chips in your corner is never a bad idea. Safe communication, travel, and exchange is something we both can agree on from the start. We can help you build your 1st fleet." Drei paused for a moment as a subspace communication was opened between her and the Minion craft. The transmission took place over a matter of moments and without skipping a beat Drei continued in her conversation. "In exchange we would like a bit of discretion on your part. The Yamatai Government has many warlike tendencies and we have no reason to provoke them unnecessarily unless they start posing a threat to us. We'd also like to forge a closer political alliance, although that can wait for a later time. A wise politician avoids entangling alliances after all."
Davis tapped his hand on the table once. "Yes, Yamatai's history does not sit well in the minds of many Nepleslians. Hopefully, someday we can forge a universe where war will be unnecessary. For now, however, I wholeheartedly agree with you on terms of discretion. Do you have any ideas on how to obtain that discretion?
Another subspace communication was transmitted back to the minion just moments before Drei responded. "Well, policing your command chain should be of top priority for maintaining discretion . The Yamatain government has the easier access to your home world than the Qel'noran's so it is most likely that if they are to learn of this it will be from there. Travel between the worlds should also be kept at a minimum for the time being. As for ship production it is likely that the Yamatai Government will assume that you have had some outside help, it will be hard to explain where all of the ships suddenly came from however we can fudge the records from your shipyards and if I were allowed to understand how your shipbuilding procedures work I'm sure I can replicate any quirks of that system as to not give away the true origin of the ships and their materials. Of course we can't ask you to lie to your general populous about this, which is where the problem lies."
Davis thoughtfully pondered the ramifications of an open friendship with the Qel'norans. "Do you think if Yamatai knew that they'd fuel their war with you and start one with us?"
"I can not accurately predict how they will act to this. They are technically at war with us however the only real conflict has been a minor skirmish over a PNUgen facility. We do believe, however, that if they had an opportunity to launch an attack they would. As for starting a war with your people it is unlikely. If they didn't try to destroy your world when you left their empire then they probably have a reason not to, its unlikely that the reason would change once your empire starts to mature but again I can not be certain about such things." Drei said calmly.
Many things flashed through Davis' mind. "I do not wish to entertain a covert alliance as, if the people were to find out, I would look no better than a tyrant. Yamatai is currently experiencing much conflict, both internal and external. Their empress just recently died, and from what I'm hearing, a special investigation is being launched to find the exact details of her death. It may be nothing, but something is definitely brewing if the senate has to investigate. Needless to say, there's a power void of sorts in the Empire. Militarily, Yamatai is chiefly concerned with the Mishu. I can hardly imagine the reaction the obliteration of Nepleslia would have on ALL Nepleslians serving in the Star Army of Yamatai. Having your home world obliterated for the reasons of your neighbor establishing relations with a long-cooled enemy would make Yamatai look insane, and more than likely start a civil war. These Nepleslians have their families and friends on our worlds. The Mishu have gone total war with Yamatai, and any leash that Yamatai gives them would be met with swift and terrible reaction. The bottom line is that we cannot afford the months it would take to construct our fleet, and, for our survival, we must use your help to improve our manufacturing output before the Yamatains... or the Mishu destroy us. "
"Very well then, it seems that making this public would be in your best interests then. Even if the Yamatai Government's actions remain unpredictable. However, it might be wiser to not to bluff with your military's strength just yet. We should time the delivery of your new fleet with the announcement of our alliance to the general public. This way even if the Yamatai government wishes open warfare with your people they won't have an easy time of it. In order to do this of course we will need the schematics for the ships you want us to build for you. If worse comes to worse it is hardly ethical for me to allow your home world to be attacked because of our offer." Drei said
"Thank you for your concern. Very well then. I will send you the schematics along with our usual means of production, which I'm sure you'll find to be quite quaint," The Master Admiral said jokingly. "Do you have a specific channel for communications I can send the encrypted message to? Also, is there anything in specific that you'd like to be part of our agreement when I make the announcement public?"
"I can read virtually all forms of data storage and should be able to bring it back to the proper location through a link with my ship. As for specifics, outside of basics such as not providing sanctuary for our criminals and not engaging in economic warfare with our home world there is really nothing in specific that we want other than an assurance of ethical conduct between our two nations." Drei replied.
"For the record, ma'am, could you provide some specifics? I do not want to inadvertently break your terms."
"For example, do not attempt an action with the intention of harming our nation and we will do the same. We would rather not see bad rumors being spread around this universe about us as it would hurt our long term goals. If there is something we consider a violation of this we will wish to talk to you about it, it isn't necessarily grounds for outright termination of our alliance unless the action is obviously intended to harm us such as an attack on one of ours settlements." Drei said, hoping that she was able to communicate her intention, more than her point, effectively.
"I think we've come to an understanding then," Davis said with a great smile. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss before we begin this bright new chapter in history?"
"We should discuss how further communications will be carried out." Drei said. "I can remain here as a personal channel of communication for your government if you'd like."
"That will suffice. Can I perhaps send long-range communications to this ship?"
"This ship will not remain here afterwards for security reasons but we can give you the location of a communication's array to use as well as establish a communication's system within your space. I should also be able to make transmissions between myself and the Qel'noran home world." Drei said.
"I would like that very much." Davis stood. "This has been a very productive meeting. I think we shall have a very fruitful relationship." He took a glass and poured a glass of wine. "Would you care for a drink before I escort you back to your shuttle?"
"So I'm not going to stay here to help facilitate communication?" She asked as she nodded, "Yes, I'll have a drink thank you."
"Oh, I may have misunderstood. You wanted to stay with us?" He passed his glass to her and poured his own.
"That would facilitate faster communication between our governments and would could save lives during an emergency." She said as she picked up the glass in her right hand and held it while waiting for him to toast.
"Most certainly. You will be treated as a foreign dignitary in Nepleslia. I will make arrangements for your comfort and will have an associate of mine forward you my contact information, should you need to get a hold of me in an urgent situation." He raised his glass. "To independence, to the formation of a glorious new alliance, to a future of peace in the universe."
