| The Legate's Tower |
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The ambassador went off for some hours, enjoying the amenities the resort had to offer. However, he may have (or not) realized that it was all a deception. There was no starfighter simulation scheduled. It was all a ploy to intimidate the Stoinian envoy in a subtle manner, and if not, then see how much in regards to military technology he could grasp at a glance. The topic of discussion remained the Stoinians, which were the new mystery the high command had to contend with.
"It appears our guest had no discernible reaction to the hologram. Rather, he seemed fascinated by it", said Tarkin. "I don't think the Stoinians have the advanced holographic tech we do, Tarkin. The guy's brave alright, and the rumors of those politicians look spot on. He talks like one of those Mandalorian honorbound warriors. I've met a lot of military personnel over my years at the deck, and the Mandos I've met were very similar to him, constantly speaking in martial lingo and so on", said Goxo. "The Stoinians shall not reveal their cards to us when asked. Based on what we could perceive, I believe it is highly likely that they have no world-destroying technologies akin to the ones we have developed, or at the very least he has no access to such information. He did seem perplexed by the hologram", said Sloane. "This is only conjecture. However, it is adequate to begin forging an image of their military capibilities with whatever information we can obtain as of this time. To commence any spying operations now would be premature, as we do not understand the Stoinian culture sufficiently enough for our agents to blend in and complete their tasks in an efficient manner. We must plan for the occasion, as I am certain they shall attempt to do the same to the Empire someday. Whatever tendencies we possess for naïvete cannot be entertained", said Tarkin. "Have you analyzed the sweat that he was drenched under at the time of his arrival? I nearly covered my nose when I took notice of the foul odor. These Stoinians are perplexing, and it appears they have no eye for formality. An Imperial Prince who covertly went to a vacation in the Stoinian capital described the atmosphere to me. Everything and everyone were pedestrian in nature and in appearance-", said Ms. Sorventia. "Pray tell, General, what does your aristocratic tirade have to do with the discussion at hand?", said Wei. "I am making a point, Lady Wei. These Stoinians must be extremely pedestrian, and thus they think and act accordingly. Their elites abstain from extravagant luxury and are unnaturally compassionate to their subjects. Whether this is a genuine way of life or an act of deceit to fool their people is as of yet uncertain to me. If their aristocrats are indeed as selfless and as ascetic as has been rumoured, one can expect a high degree of camaraderie and communalism across their ranks, and they must be incredibly kind to their soldiers in battle. These attributes, under the correct circumstances, can become flaws. Say, for example, that a Stoinian general dares not leave the wounded behind due to their excessive compassion, even when it is necessary. An effective commander of ours shall be perceptive, exploiting the enemy's sense of duty and striking whenever applicable" "You're quite scary with that brain of yours thinking such ruthlessness, General. That's maybe even illegal", said Goxo. "Admiral, it is neither malice nor compassion which motivate me my decisions in military engagements. It is the pragmatic conclusions I come to. If our Empire must be merciless to its enemies in order to achieve victory, so be it" "The Stoinian ambassador has returned, m'lords", said one of the staff. The ambassador returned in the afternoon. Discussion had ceased, and a decoy TIE fighter hologram was turned on. The admirals quickly pretended to frantically shut the hologram off in order to keep up this farce. Tarkin approached, speaking to the Legate. "Greetings, Legate Sinclair. We are pleased to receive you once more. I hope your trip around the town was pleasant to you?"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
Sinlcair drank some Vurbentan tea as he wanted to try out the beverages from different species. He had plenty of time to think for himself while enjoying the sweet tea. The idea of being poisoned crossed his mind, but quickly shrugged it off. That certainly would have been a bad play for the Ryccians. Then he started thinking, somehow it didn't quite add up to him. It seemed that there was a larger military presence than even the capital of Daonlathas. It would likely be a show of force. He chuckled for a moment, for he knew his people would likely do the same. For Christ sake, they did exquisite manoeuvres when the King first landed. He knew something wasn't right about the whole ordeal, but he wasn't certain just yet. He owuld however try something.
Before returning to the Ryccian Military Staff he switched to his Legate dress uniform after taking a fresh shower. With all the ribbons he earned on it, even a pin with the Star of Reach. His uniform was put to the utmost perfection. No pleats were visible and with shining boots Sinclair left his quarters to meet them again. They had met the Marine in him, now they were going to meet the Legate. As he walked into the room he did with utter precision. Every step perfectly in cadence to the drums of war he had heard so many times. With an upright posture and his left hand on his ceremonial sword, while his right armed swayed perfectly with every step. As he stopped, he did a small click with his heels. His instincts told him to do a military salute, but he refrained from it as it would shatter any and all progress made. He spoke as he analysed their reactions if there were to come any. "Quite indeed Grand Admiral Tarkin. Before I forget, Grand Admiral Goxo Natoxa, I must say your Vurbentan tea is quite an enjoyable surprise. I'll be sure to try it from time to time. As for the town is was truly beautiful, though it also quite felt like it was under martial law. If I hadn't known any better I would fear the Ryccian Empire wouldn't be a safe place to live in, but then I am again reassured by the company of the best Officers within your Empire. So really no need to fear, even though some of the shopkeepers didn't seem too comfortable with all the military presence. Say do you hold marches within your Empire where you show off the armed forces? Or would that be associated with the Empire of Old?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
This was a sudden change. General Sorventia, in her aristocratic derision, was relieved that the Legate's brain had some sense left in it. The other military officers simply analyzed the attire. It was quite formal indeed from a martial point of view, and his behaviour even more so. This Legate alone is enough evidence to prove that the Stoinians truly value their military above most other institutions. Whilst some did not care much for it and merely sought to understand their martial culture in order to make a sound assessment, those among the high command that held militarist views lamented the fact that the Ryccian armed forces was not as cherised as the Stoinian one was.
"I'm so glad you like my species' cuisine. Kalix leaves give it that rich flavor, and they came from cold Vurbenta itself. For you it might be strange, but the Kalix leaves are grown in cold conditions since the planet my race came from is colder than the average for a human. I hear that a rare arctic variety gives the tea a chilling taste, but that kind of Kalix leaf is expensive because most harvests fail in the arctic, so only the rich drink that kind. If you want, I can send your assistant the details about this tea and inform him of any good suppliers I know so he can take care of importing the best Kalix leaves to Daonlathas. Although, I suppose you're fine drinking the regular variety they sell at the capital's shops since, and I'm sorry if I offend for misinterpreting your people, you Stoinians abstain from that kind of luxurious extravagance" "About the military presence, well, that's to be expected. The town's in this state because we need a high level of security for our retreat, lots of top-secret military stuff needs to be protected and so on. Of course, we pay our dues so the townsfolk don't lose out on good tourist revenue. After all, we're the only guests, so we might as well be worth every credit, ha!" "Hmm...military parades...we haven't held any of those at a national level in a long, long time. Sure, military academies have their own mini-marches and whatnot, but we haven't held a big one in over 470 years! The pacifist politicians and those who wanted reconciliation after the revolution didn't like 'em to begin with, and since the parades in the New Empire celebrated the victory of the democrats, those folks who still liked the Old Empire a millenia ago hated them to guts. Of course, they eventually disappeared over the centuries, but, as our current era of peace, liberty and prosperity cemented itself, the people lost interest in the spectacles. The pacifists started to hate them even more as they hate all overtly martial displays of force and began to call for the big parades to end since they 'celebrated the spilling of blood' or something to that effect. The government kept cuttin' and cuttin' their budgets until the military decided it was no longer worth the hassle and discontinued the bigger events for Liberty Day. Heck, in the last years of the Liberty Day Parades, the pacifist Chancellors just refused to go! The only 'military parades' we celebrate are mostly local and small these days. Well, if the people don't want to turn in their starscreens for a big parade, we aren't going to waste our time organizing 'em" "Ryccians don't love the military as much as they used to. There hasn't been any war for over a millenia, so the people are used to peace and generally don't care to the extent you Stoinians do for your military. Even many militarists are starting to hate any martial displays of power since the mainstream militarist politicians see us as a defense force, not something to glorify and take a certain martial pride in. I even hear from some of my politician friends that the Chancellor's in hot water with some diehard idealists in his coalition for that parade he threw for your King out of courtesy and goodwill. But hey, if we served for personal glory and not to protect the Empire, our ranks would be empty, ha!"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
"None taken Grand Admiral Natoxa, I will would be glad to try your tea with Kalix leaves. Feel free to share your supplier with my assistant, if I am to better understand your culture, knowing the luxurious aspects won't hurt. Yes, you are quite correct most Stoinians abstain from luxurious extravaganza, though the Tozorian Corridor might be close to an exception to that rule. Though I understand that smoking isn't much loved by the Ryccians people. It would appear that we would have different interpretations on luxurious, but that makes the universe more interesting, does it not?"
"Though our military parades would seem like extravaganza to you. Three large parades are held per year on King's Day, Victory Day and MacArthur's Day. Those are indeed sights to behold when our fleets enter the atmosphere as part of the parade while aircraft twirl in the sky as our troops march. Quite a logistical nightmare, but it keeps us up to date for when we need to. Quite a shame that no interest is shown in the forces that keep the people safe. To us it is a constant reminder of what our ancestors had to endure and that we won't tolerate it ever again. As for your politicians, it is quite unfortunate. For in our parts of the sector one thing is clear. 'Peace through force', one cannot have peace if he isn't prepared for war. But I imagine it would have different connotations for them. A people should be thankful of the sacrifices the military personnel make, not dismissive. Ah I see I am bragging again, please forgive my intrusion." The Legate smiled a bit when hearing of the Chancellor's parade. "Well you can tell your politician friends that the Chancellor's actions were the right one. For if he didn't, I perhaps would not stand here and have the formal diplomatic relations our nations enjoy as of now. Surely these idealists must come to understand that the rest of the sector may not share the same ideals as they. But I guess that all depends on how open you wish to be to the rest of the sector. If your people so wish to be left alone with their idealism then so be it, but then they shouldn't feel left out if anything happens in the sector." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
"Well, times change, and so do the people. After the revolution, sentiments like that slowly faded away. I hope they show the same appreciation you Stoinians give to your military when we're faced with a great crisis, although I hope that never happens. The peace we have know that has endured for more than a millenia is always better than a war where millions of our own people are killed. You don't offend, Legate. In fact, I think you'll find that some of my colleagues here share some of your Stoinian ideals, or theirs are similar to yours. When you serve in the military, you're biased and you feel proud of it, so some folks like you who praise the armed forces are bound to pop up in our ranks"
"I loved the parade. It was small, but it was a great show of martial pride, something that's rare nowadays. Then again, I'm biased because I'm a high official. Also, many politicians understand that the Empire's ideals are not the only ones out there in this neck of the woods, and thus they're willing to compromise, or they'll demonize you for cheap political points. But there'll always be some passionate folks that will never let their ideals die, even when faced with a scenario where one has to act outside their moral framework for the greater good. They'll always think of you as misguided and just plain wrong, but we can't do much about those nutcrackers other than figure out how to get around them, eh?"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
"Times indeed change. I certainly hope the Ryccian military will have its support should the need arise. I certainly hope we Stoinians can live long enough to endure such a long peace, though our experience has been more troublesome than yours I imagine. You mention a war of millions, be glad you haven't started speaking of billions. Pray you never have to. That is a fate too gruesome for any civilized species. A devastation you do not wish to be part of. Well I am glad we share some common values, I have been trying to figure those out back on Daonlathas. But in time I hope to understand them better."
Sinclair thought to himself if he heard it right. 'Some of my colleagues', so not all of them? This question appalled Sinclair, but he reminded himself of some of the elitism in Ryccia. "Perhaps those of you who wish can come visit Stoinia during one of those days when we hold marches. Perhaps you can even learn a thing or two from us on the matter. Though perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. I won't deny our martial pride, I would even be considered crazy if I did. It even helped me stay alive at times. As for politics, I hope I am doing well. I must tell some of your Ryccian factions don't make it quite that easy, but I think I wouldn't have it any other way. A little challenge makes life interesting. As for the idealists, I only hope we have enough room to manoeuvre with them." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
"Ha, it's never easy dealin' with the politicians. They always criticize too much when we introduce a new ship design or some other new weapon for political points. I'll tell you this: I'd love to see your parades in person. I've never seen such a big spectacle like that in my life, and I'm a high official! Although, I don't know how your more xenophobic citizens will see it. We don't want to cause trouble by provoking unwanted discord in your country"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
"If the Treecuu President has been allowed on the King's balcony, I think we can tolerate high ranking Ryccian Commanders at our parades. I would suggest to come at Victory Day on Stoinia. Our largest parade is held there, besides Stoinia itself is likely the most receptive place who will understand the need of diplomacy. Whatever the radical elements will say, visiting will be seen as a form of respect by itself. That mere fact will prove that you aren't a barbaric race and the radicals will be forced to accept you as equals. Dear me, it seems I am beginning to get the hang of politics."
Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
"I'll look at my calendar to save the date. It'll be an honor to go. I'll be damned in this life if I can't see a grand parade in person when I have the chance, even if it's not from my country, ha! I can guarantee that I'm not a barbarian. In our country, we believe a barbarian is defined by the ideals they hold, not the genetics they were born with. You can be a physically horrific being and we'll respect you as one of our own if you're smart. On the other hand, if you're the most attractive and physically flawless being in the universe but you embrace primitive and barbaric beliefs, no sane Ryccian could ever accept you"
"For your benefit as a diplomat, allow me to comment on how Ryccians typically see you. There are three types of people you'll come across: some think that you're the worst kind of barbarian there is: xenophobic genociders that deserve no respect. You'll find that the nationalists and the ultrapacifists hate you for it. Others see you as barbarians not because you chose to, but because the blood-filled history you lived through transformed your society in order to adapt to your surroundings. These folks think that your kind needs enlightenment from our country so you don't repeat the same mistakes the Old Empire did, since the Stoinian Kingdom and the Early Old Empire actually have a similar origin story. They also see you as going into an imperialistic conquest spree in the future if you're not 'educated'. Some internationalists are in this camp, believing that we have to 'civilize' this sector as the 'only light in a sea of darkness' or so they put it, but isolationists can think like this too" "Finally, another group shares the belief that you were forced to be the way that you are by your tragic history, but they refuse to label you as barbarians. They think that, through an exchange of ideas between nations, we can learn from each other and further the peace in the sector. They won't compromise on the xenophobia, but they'll tolerate you and they'll accept your martial culture as valid, even if they don't like it personally. It's rare, if not impossible to find someone who will embrace the Stoinian way in this corner of the sector, but it is what it is. Which one am I? I'll leave that one for you to decide" "Regardless, getting a hang on politics is good. The more you can sweettalk your way around the pacifists and the opportunists from obstructing the military's work, the better"
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
"Victory day is on the 9th of May, I'll be sure to send over the date so we can pinpoint it in your calendar. I don't think you will regret it, though I suspect I won't be able to join you as I will likely have duties back on Daonlathas. Perhaps that way Blood 'n Guts will see you in a more positive light, though I highly doubt he will change his mind. He is quite stubborn when it comes to such matters."
Sinclair chuckled for a second on the thought of having Chekov in his place here. It would indeed have been quite a sight. "Well when it comes to defining barbarians we Stoinians are somewhere in between. But holding barbaric ideals is the more significant factor, perhaps our location in the sector was unfortunate being surrounded by foul species. Then again you speak of enlightenment, it is also part of our society in a way, especially that 'only light in a sea of darkness'. Although we don't actively seek to culturally change species, but eliminate those who mean us and others harm. In that way the Stoinian Order is less idealist and more focusing on realpolitik. Our corner of the sector didn't leave us much room for idealism. We're just glad we have come to see civilized species for once, but it will take some time for our people to adjust to it. The more cultural exchange there is between our nations, the easier it will become. As for your fourth group of Ryccians, I can only imagine the Mandalorians fitting that category. Though I think some of our xenophobia will be too much for them." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
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