Roxanne took another sip of her alcohol. A bit bigger of a sip than she should have had, yes, but it was what she needed. She smiled.
"How is it? Good?"
"How is it? Good?"
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RP Post Pandemonium
- Thread starter Fred
- Start date
- Status
Fred
Retired Staff
"It's comestible," Roxanne's strange companion replied just before sinking her teeth in the underside of her meal and wrenching her head back to rip out most of the rear end of the lobster. A few more crunching motions were needed before she could accommodate most of the tail in her mouth, making Melisson's cheek puff out as she worked on chewing that rather ambitious bite.
Now the woman/Mishhu/"evil one" was just showing off. Did she really have to make such a display out of it?
"As long as you're able to converse. I'm surprised no one's giving us any further trouble."
"As long as you're able to converse. I'm surprised no one's giving us any further trouble."
Fred
Retired Staff
Melisson swallowed. Roxanne could swear she'd never seen such a large lump pass down another person's throat. It was a wonder the Mishhu woman didn't choke.
"Well," Melisson dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her thumb and briefly licked it. "Like I said, I am certain Yamatai has a vested interest in keeping anyone around here safe. I know that if I get killed here, I'd come to be in a much less merciful and talkative mood."
On that, Melisson took a bite from the lobster's now exposed innards. The crustaceans claw which had been snapping around so fervently before didn't seem so enthusiastic about fighting back now.
"Well," Melisson dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her thumb and briefly licked it. "Like I said, I am certain Yamatai has a vested interest in keeping anyone around here safe. I know that if I get killed here, I'd come to be in a much less merciful and talkative mood."
On that, Melisson took a bite from the lobster's now exposed innards. The crustaceans claw which had been snapping around so fervently before didn't seem so enthusiastic about fighting back now.
"Of course. My concern was someone taking you away from talking to me. I am just a pesky senator after all; I'm looked upon by real politicians as a menace." Roxanne nodded to the bartender after being given a glass of water. She took a few pulls of it.
Fred
Retired Staff
Melisson bit the rest of the Lobster's body... biting the 'head-part' off from the only thing remaining - the right forelimb.
She chewed thoughtfully, her powerful maw grinding down the lobster's head before swallowing. She dangled the twitching lobster claw, studying it a moment thoughtfully before turning her head to Roxanne and asking: "So, what did you wish to talk to me about?"
She chewed thoughtfully, her powerful maw grinding down the lobster's head before swallowing. She dangled the twitching lobster claw, studying it a moment thoughtfully before turning her head to Roxanne and asking: "So, what did you wish to talk to me about?"
"Mostly, I wanted to discuss what wasn't discussed in there — how to end this damn war." Roxanne sipped at her water again, then put it aside on the bar. "You said you wanted 'surrender.' What's included in that?"
Fred
Retired Staff
Melisson looked back at the claw and used both hands to idly pull it open and shut as she spoke. "The terms would be to cease using aetheric technology indefenitely - along with any related technology such as zero-point energy or quantum foam. In addition, the military assets the Empire possesses must be addressed in order break its complete dominance upon its neighbors and any new sentient entity discovered in this region of space."
Parlor tricks and nonsense. "An end to aetheric technology in general? I know of the effects of aether on space ... but you also ask us to give up our dominant energy source. Our planets are powered by aether as well; a select few civilian vessels use it, so that is not a problem on that front.
"What would you suggest we replace it with?"
"What would you suggest we replace it with?"
Fred
Retired Staff
"What you call nuclear fusion and anti-matter came before aether, and both should be able to support the energetic needs of a space faring culture as advanced as yours is," Melisson answered. "If this war ends, you won't need shielding so strong as to allow your ships to take a dive in a star or to have weapons able to turn planets into donuts anyways."
She broke the claw open with her fingers to reveal the flesh inside. "We did not expect the change to happen instantaneously, so we were prepared to allow a grace period to allow that adjustment, as long as we noticed a consistent decrease in its use, especially military seeing it is where it comes to be heavily used. Also, we did not intend to only ask this of the Yamatai Star Empire, so, you also need not fear that Yamatai will surrender an advantage to its neighbors. The odds are that if your nation complies, the others will follow suit."
She scowled at the meat. "Besides, it might do you good to start caring for the resources you gather instead of just expecting you can refine it out of pure energy. Maybe you'd pay more care for the resources you have in your universe instead of taking them for granted."
She broke the claw open with her fingers to reveal the flesh inside. "We did not expect the change to happen instantaneously, so we were prepared to allow a grace period to allow that adjustment, as long as we noticed a consistent decrease in its use, especially military seeing it is where it comes to be heavily used. Also, we did not intend to only ask this of the Yamatai Star Empire, so, you also need not fear that Yamatai will surrender an advantage to its neighbors. The odds are that if your nation complies, the others will follow suit."
She scowled at the meat. "Besides, it might do you good to start caring for the resources you gather instead of just expecting you can refine it out of pure energy. Maybe you'd pay more care for the resources you have in your universe instead of taking them for granted."
"We would, of course, want that encoded into a treaty — the mutual rollback of aether, that is. What are your cities powered with? Anti-matter?"
Fred
Retired Staff
"My peers unwisely decided to resort to using quintessent energy, which is not all that different from your own aetheric technology, for much of what the SMX operates on." Melisson snorted. "The excuse was that the Mishhuvurthyar strongly depended on technology already existent in this universe and that unless they used ambient energy themselves, their warships would not be able to prove competitive to the vessels your nation produce."
Melisson bit on the strip of meat producing from the broken claw and sucked it inside her mouth before chewing it. "Otherwise, we go for geothermal, solar or fusion power sources on a planet's surface. Few things really require that we go so far as use anti-matter."
Melisson bit on the strip of meat producing from the broken claw and sucked it inside her mouth before chewing it. "Otherwise, we go for geothermal, solar or fusion power sources on a planet's surface. Few things really require that we go so far as use anti-matter."
"Quintessent ... would that be rolled back as well, or shared with us?" Roxanne noted the sources of power the planets used mentally, but did not pursue it.
Fred
Retired Staff
"Your aetheric technology is superior to our quintessent tap technology - I really doubt you'd hold interest in us sharing it," Melisson returned. She gave the other lobster a look and then returned her attention back to Roxanne. "Seeing that we want aether and similar mediums to stop being used, naturally we would think it in our own best interest to stop using it ourselves, for similar reasons as I outlined previously. It is not my intention to play double-standards or being hypocritical."
Roxanne nodded. "I see. So aetheric technology slowly rolled back and abandoned, for environmental purposes as well as the balance of military forces. Now, the issue of Yamatai's military — you wish to see it reduced?"
Fred
Retired Staff
Melisson nodded and said: "The Yamatai Star Empire has a right to be able to have enough ships to protect its borders and adequately defend its member worlds. It's not my intention to begrudge them that, nor to make the Empire weak and vulnerable."
"However," she frowned, "the Star Army of Yamatai is currently so powerful that it dwarfs significantly any of its neighbor; The Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, for example, was outnumbered by Irim's fleet, which was eighty times the size of all the Nepleslian military... and that was only Irim's fleet."
"The Star Army of Yamatai, as powerful as it is, has become a symbol of oppression and tyranny for anything which is not your people and that simply because you have the power to always get your way, or submit others into getting your way." Melisson narrowed her eyes. "This must stop. Yamatai cannot continue representing such a juggernaut. They cannot keep subjugating others without any worries and take the desires of others for granted."
Melisson reached out and caressed the top of the lobster's shell with her fingertips. "When I first came here and was confronted to the Mishhuvurthyar situation, I took all the humanoids around for the same. Faults done by some of you was the fault of all... that you were all the same. In time, I learned the distinction between races, nations, sexes and individuals. This meant that I came to make the distinction between civilian and soldier. I also came to see whom was at the heart of Yamatai's tyranny and whom felt their Empire was an utopia."
She turned her wine-red eyes back on Roxanne. "I came to learn, amazingly enough, that the citizens of Yamatai considered themselves benevolent, well-meaning and being part of an advanced civilization not only in technology, but also morals; and that despite the flaws I saw in the way they behaved as an united body. I came to this conference hoping I could appeal to that, appeal to Yamataians willing to be selfless to achieve peace rather than find that the answer to prosperity was through patriotism and the power to back it up."
"However," she frowned, "the Star Army of Yamatai is currently so powerful that it dwarfs significantly any of its neighbor; The Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, for example, was outnumbered by Irim's fleet, which was eighty times the size of all the Nepleslian military... and that was only Irim's fleet."
"The Star Army of Yamatai, as powerful as it is, has become a symbol of oppression and tyranny for anything which is not your people and that simply because you have the power to always get your way, or submit others into getting your way." Melisson narrowed her eyes. "This must stop. Yamatai cannot continue representing such a juggernaut. They cannot keep subjugating others without any worries and take the desires of others for granted."
Melisson reached out and caressed the top of the lobster's shell with her fingertips. "When I first came here and was confronted to the Mishhuvurthyar situation, I took all the humanoids around for the same. Faults done by some of you was the fault of all... that you were all the same. In time, I learned the distinction between races, nations, sexes and individuals. This meant that I came to make the distinction between civilian and soldier. I also came to see whom was at the heart of Yamatai's tyranny and whom felt their Empire was an utopia."
She turned her wine-red eyes back on Roxanne. "I came to learn, amazingly enough, that the citizens of Yamatai considered themselves benevolent, well-meaning and being part of an advanced civilization not only in technology, but also morals; and that despite the flaws I saw in the way they behaved as an united body. I came to this conference hoping I could appeal to that, appeal to Yamataians willing to be selfless to achieve peace rather than find that the answer to prosperity was through patriotism and the power to back it up."
Roxanne hadn't expected to hear such a thoughtful ... and balanced response. She was almost convinced Melisson wasn't truly an enemy, that perhaps the war wasn't as one-sided as she had thought.
Of course, it never has been. But all those deaths ...
"I see," she said. "A desired concession made with logic and reason. What more do you wish to see, on the table? You'll forgive me if I don't expound from your answer — I worry about how much time we might actually have to talk business."
Of course, it never has been. But all those deaths ...
"I see," she said. "A desired concession made with logic and reason. What more do you wish to see, on the table? You'll forgive me if I don't expound from your answer — I worry about how much time we might actually have to talk business."
Fred
Retired Staff
"That was all," Melisson replied. "Given these, the Mishhuvurthyar would be satisfied. This will count as a victory and will close a significant chapter of their lives without having been won ultimately through force of arm. I hold hopes that this will serve as a lesson so that the Mishhuvurthyar can shed the chains of hatred I wound around them and that they may move on with their lives."
"Given this victory, we intend to put all the worlds the SMX hold into the care of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia to do as they see fit and then have all our assets leave this region of space, only keeping an eye on it from afar so to determine the general activity and use of aetheric power sources until the grace period is over. If all our requirements are still being met by then, we will entirely depart and hope never to come again."
"Given this victory, we intend to put all the worlds the SMX hold into the care of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia to do as they see fit and then have all our assets leave this region of space, only keeping an eye on it from afar so to determine the general activity and use of aetheric power sources until the grace period is over. If all our requirements are still being met by then, we will entirely depart and hope never to come again."
Roxanne mumbled a sincere affirmative, glad her internal memory was storing the conversation word-for-word. It would be important to hear it on later.
"Now then," she started. "What has Yamatai to gain? What will you give the Empire?"
"Now then," she started. "What has Yamatai to gain? What will you give the Empire?"
- Status
