| The Reunion |
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"Regarding this matter, we would tolerate it, but our people shall never accept it. Our government should need to protest publicly in order to not cause internal outrage. Considering our egalitarian ways, Your Majesty, if such a preferential policy is implemented, I do doubt that even human tourists to Stoinia would be numerous due to the racism behind it"
"We do wish that a visa system be implemented for Stoinian visitors in order to regulate who and what are legally coming here"
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)
"I see. Then perhaps it would be wise to drop those requirements. Though in return a visa system would need to be in place to check your populace as well. I am sure you can understand that."
The King was playing political games now, sure there would be outcry at home for allowing xenos to visit them, but would they actually enter? This was a question still left unanswered. The King could easily find a reason as to keep the xenos in Ryccia for the moment. Say high risk insecurity, this would be a valid reason due to the supposed racism. But the King suspected that Ryccian journalists would try to find out about these new humans from another nation. Eventually the Stoinians would get what they wanted. A first wave of Ryccians, or so he though it could work. Only time would tell. "Perhaps we should also think of a student exchange program. I am sure that by building bridges through younger generations, our peoples will grow only more united. Wouldn't you agree? Baroness Liat." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
"How ironic", Liat thought to herself. What people is he speaking of? The Ryccian people, a raceless nation united by their common brotherhood, or the humans, a mere species comprising the whole? How does he expect for the Ryccian and Stoinian peoples to forge ties if the latter detest the Empire's own raison d'etre?
He gave in so easily to her demands despite Stoinia's racism. There has to be catch. Liat did not know what it would be, but that would reveal itself over time. "Indeed. We shall permit for the students of both nations to course their education freely across our realms. An exchange programme shall work to foster mutual goodwill and concord amongst us all"
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)
"Good, I am sure that we shouldn't limit to just our capital worlds. Our outer colonies have also their reputable universities. This way you can see that we, Stoinians, are a very diverse kind of people. Would this also apply to your Empire? I am also sure we could also arrange for several universities in the Cheunh Ascendancy. Perhaps you will understand that we aren't completely discriminatory against xenos. I am sure the some Ryccian journalists would be interested in this aspect of Stoinian society or would I be wrong?"
The Stoinians would have to play their cards right, especially the King. His speech would need to be xenophobic enough for the Stoinians, but also inviting enough for Ryccians to come. For Mankind's sake, they would do their best for it. The King had also learned a valuable lesson here. This xeno could be fooled and if they could be fooled, they could be killed. He would remember this lesson for when the time would come. The only real apparent threat right now would be the enormous Ryccian ships. As the head of the military he was already thinking of strategies to stall the Ryccians. Now was not the time for such thoughts. Though the King realised something that shocked his Stoinian essence. Perhaps not all Terrans out there share the same values as the Stoinians, nor do they want to. It appeared that these Ryccian Terrans would rather continue to keep to themselves and their xenos than learn of their Terran brethren. Truly a blow to the Stoinian essence, but the question now was: do they still treat them as Terran? Or had they lost that right? That's what the Stoinians would hope to find out with these exchange programs. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
"Our brightest universities shall be intrigued by that prospect, certainly"
"Your Majesty, in our nation, there is an unrestricted right of the press. Our journalists may do as they desire in their duty to inform the Empire, so long as they do not break the law. They may be interested, so we request that all Ryccian journalists be allowed entry if they wish to do what they have trained for. Likewise, we shall reciprocate the gesture and allow Stoinian media free reign to responsibly report on matters of import in our realm" The tea party was coming to a close. Those gathered decided to continue these conversations in the botanical garden, as per scheduled. The Emperor was the most delighted to be there. He loved this garden's beauty, preserved for millenia. For the rest, it was their first time here. After all, they were not Ryccian nobility. The garden's white roses were renowned amongst aristocratic circles to be the most beautiful of their kind. A female human gardener native to this world was tending to the flowers. "Gardener, please, you may excuse yourself from your duties", said the Emperor. "Should you have any problem with your superiors, I shall personally request compensation on your behalf" The gardener bowed and left without uttering a single word. The Emperor's personal aide left momentarily to inquire on the young woman's name, but returned soon after. "King Andrei, these roses have been cultivated ever since the dawn of our nation. Generations after generations of the Empire's most marvelous white roses have been raised here. Many commoners have forgotten of this site, but to be present here is to breathe the history going back several millenia. Amongst the aristocracy, it is considered an honour to be here. The Empire shares this distinguishment with you" Right then, an unknown person entered the place. It was a human reporter. He had sneakily gotten past security. As the Emperor's royal guards were inside with the group, they had not noticed. "Your Highness, the Constantinople Herald, may I have a word?" Ferul was embarassed and furious. Liat was, surprisingly, unconcerned. She had this happen to her before during a mediation between two worlds, so a random journalist trying to get an exclusive scoop did not worry her. As soon as they called, security would just expel him, and that would be the end of the matter. If anything, they were not the ones who must receive blame, but the coordinator of security here must. If this foreign monarch was angry over this breach of protocol, the person in charge of safety shall be punished severely. "My apologies, King Andrei, I shall deal with this", said the Emperor. "Guards! Remove this intruder at once!"
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)
The King held his wife's hand as the Emperor explained the meaning of the garden. They were intrigued by it and could appreciate the effort and tradition put into it. Truly these flowers were wonderful, perhaps he could arrange to give some to his wife. It would certainly be a good surprise. Some seeds would be a wonderful symbol, though the current relations wouldn't let it happen right now.
"Now hold on, your Majesty. I consider myself a man of the people and this is my first opportunity to speak with your populace directly. Certainly now that the image of my nation isn't held in the brightest of lights. Besides as the monarch of Stoinia it is my duty to serve Mankind." The journalist sure had guts. Something Stoinians could respect. Though in Stoinian terms, the journalist would have infringed the right to privacy by now and trespassing as well. Nonetheless this was perhaps a golden opportunity. "I would like to have a word with him, if you wouldn't mind. I will be sure to enlighten him on the precious grounds he has set foot on. Baroness Liat has informed me of the unrestricted rights to press in your Empire, now would be a good time to prove it." He smiled at the Emperor and the journalist. "We shall guide this man as we have a look through your garden, with your permission of course. There will be no need for an escort. If need be, I will have my sword. May we, your Majesty?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
The entire group was surprised. Ferul ordered his servant to search for a glass of water. He was planning on how to exact his punishment against the chief of security. Liat was intrigued. This was unexpected.
The Emperor looked at Ferul for a moment. Despite his title, he was only a ceremonial figurehead. Ferul nodded, giving his consent. "Very well, as you wish. Guards, as you were" The reporter was shocked. He never thought his gamble would ever work. But it did. "Thank you very much. Marcus Argenworth of the local Constantinople Herald, Your Highness. I wish to ask a few questions. First off, the Empire has heard of your nation's xenophobia, but we do not know enough as to the exact nature of this behaviour. Do all beings in Stoinia, irrespective of their race, have basic civil rights?"
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)
This journalist was direct. Something the King would appreciate, but he wasn't in the mood for it. He went for the Rose Garden escorted by a guardsman from each nation. Followed by the journalists scrabbling his equipment to gather notes.
"Let me give you a little context young man. Xenophobia is defined as fear of the unknown. We don't fear such things. But throughout our history we have come to learn the harsh truth, only the fittest survive. Twice we were faced with extinction by xeno races, first by the Mardakii when we had just barely colonised our capital world and the second time when the Velutarians killed my father and engaged in a 16 year long conflict. In such circumstances being wary and distrust xenos is only a natural result. What your Empire knows about us is only strict military protocol, the images we sent are used as intimidation tactics to send a clear message to not mess with us. Especially when someone commits an act of war. Also most high ranking officers are veterans from the Velutarian War and aren't keen on xenos, as xenos have killed their King and over 8.7 trillion of our kind. I am sure you can understand where our stance comes from. Do you understand this?" The King looked at the journalist for a moment, but then continued. "We aren't barbarians as some of your people proclaim. If we were such barbarians we would go on a rampage and kill every non-Terran official. Clearly we aren't like that and on the contrary, the Treecuu have even called us pragmatic. And one thing I have learned from the Treecuu is that such a compliment should be held in high regard." Now the part of the right would become tricky, as some - even in the Star Kingdom - would consider the Mardakii in the hunting reserves as sapient. Though studies have shown otherwise, but the Ryccian public wouldn't have any of it if they heard of it. The King was treading in dangerous territory now, he would need to be careful if he wasn't to create a storm of rage about the Great Hunt. Shining the light on the Cheunh should do the trick though. "As for basic civil right. We currently have only two sapient species in our Empire: us Terrans and the Cheunh. Which are nearly identical to us except for their blue skin, glowing red eyes and accelerated growth. These Cheunh have been granted the same rights ever since they willingly joined our Star Kingdom." The King however wasn't interested to be bombarded with questions all evening long. Instead he wanted a conversation. "Now Mr. Argenworth. I have neither the interest nor time for just blatant answering for your questions. What I am interested in is a conversation. I can sure imagine this would give you far more insight and exclusive knowledge about myself and my people. Besides, what are our peoples need is a conversation where we can both understand each other clearly" The King headed for an elegant wooden gazebo canopy with a table and benches. The King and Queen sat on one side of the table and the journalist on the other. The King then took out a barisium cigar and started to smoke it. He made sure that no smoke was directed towards the journalist. Smoking barisium cigar was a common practice within the Kingdom as it helped relax people without any repercussions to health. "Mr. Argenworth, would you please tell me a bit more about yourself. How old are you? Are you native to this planet? I presume you are to be of a middle class upbringing or would I be wrong? And what position do you hold at the Constantinople Herald? How about a family or children? You see, we can learn a lot from one another here." As he asked this questions he took out a small portable ashtray to take the ashes of the cigar. The Queen however didn't smoke out of principle, but said nothing about it to her husband. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
The Ryccian leaders looked in astonishment when the Stoinian King decided to abandon their conversation in favour of speaking with this random journalist. Does this monarch have his priorities straight? How disrespectful! None dared show their anger, though.
Ferul was furious. This journalist had derailed their talks and their schedule. Productive time was being wasted. He would make the chief of security pay for this... The Emperor was a bit irritated, but not at the King. As a powerless decoration, he could not care less how the talks benefitted the Chancellor or not. He only wished for them to proceed adequately. Only one was not particularly annoyed: the Foreign Minister. Liat hailed from a background of poverty, and thus she looked upon favourably that this King would care about ordinary people. It could also be a ploy to gather information the Ryccian government shall not give, but none could stop this renegade monarch now. Whatever grave security risk this journalist may give could be dealt with his death for treason. For his part, the journalist was scared. He only planned to ask a few questions, and thus he only expected a light prison sentence for trespassing, but interrupting this event could mean that these leaders could exact their revenge by levying the prosecutor in charge of his case to seek the maximum punishment: he did not plan for one year in jail! The reporter was getting nervous. He tried to calm his nerves, but he was no politician nor a professional like a highly-compensated servant, so the anxiety was easily given away by his voice. "Uh, Your Highness, I am 29 years old. I, uh, was born in Byzantium, the largest city in this planet...I was raised in the lower classes of Constantinople. I only have a girlfriend at the moment. Perhaps, er, I could reciprocate these questions?" Liat scoffed at such a claim. 'Lower classes', sure. The 'lower classes' in the Core could easily pass for middle-class persons in more far-flung regions of the Empire. In here, the local governments can readily afford robots to do menial labour, so those residents who do not have a job receive welfare checks from the government. These unemployed folks are regularly employed by the government to help the robots do their job or even supervise them. Food and ammenities are in abundant supply, and the infrastructure is top-notch. There is even a government waiting list for subsidized fancy trips to places such as Anoreta's lavish casinos or a three-day shopping spree at Moonlight District. Only a few planets had this luxurious lifestyle. If you are born 'poor' in the Core, you are guaranteed a good life wherever you go. "Pardon me, Your Highness, I have received a notification. I shall not take long to re-...yes! I am next in the government list for that luxurious seven-star restaurant in Daonlathas I wished for!...Forgive my joyful outburst, Your Highness, it was not proper" "Decadent as ever", Liat exclaimed in her mind.
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)
The King was perplexed. Why would this journalist be nervous when he actually got what he wanted. the King smelled something fishy. And what was it about that government list? Were they paid by the government to visit the homeworld and become decadent? Had they truly lost their way. He would ignore this part for now and focus on the journalist instead.
"Please Mr. Argenworth, calm down relax. Do you know where we are? This is the Rose Garden of the Emperor himself. It is a place to relax and forget about worries from everyday life. It even hosts the white roses, cultivated by hand for millennia. I have been told that amongst the aristocracy it is an honour to be here and so you should consider it. I am sure once you get exclusive information about myself and my people, you would get multiple opportunities to visit Daonlathas. Or at least that's what I would think. Now I will answer the same questions and prove that your time here is more valuable. And that you are safe." The King then took out his elegant sword and put it on the table. The sharp edge was directed away from the journalist as he suspected he would jump at the mere sight of a sword. Nonetheless the sword was an elegant piece of craftsmanship with multiple decorations and flair on the handle. On the blade itself there were words written May thy be worthy of the name. After taking another puff from his cigar, he responded to the question. "Well, too prove the exclusivity of this conversation, I am King Andrei Stoian the Third. Tenth monarch of the Stoinian Kingdom and Ninth of the Star Kingdom. I also hold the titles of First King of Csillia, the Cheunh homeworld, and Ninth Tennō of Shikoku, a religious title from the religion known as Shintoïsm. I am 39 T-years old and received amongst the best scholarships in Sinaia, our capital city. Even during the turbulent time of the Velutarian War, I was ensured the best of care. Even if I would rather have gone to war amongst my people, but as a monarch you learn that you have certain responsibilities which you have to uphold. As I am the King this also means that I am the head of Government, but also military. In contrast to your Empire, the military is run separately from resource gaining to the operations themselves. Here too I play an active role and helped by the Strategos, the highest non-monarchical rank. The role of the King is too serve as a bridge between the civilian part and military part of society. That's why external affairs are mostly done by myself, while the Chancellor focuses on the economic and policies side of government." The King smiled a bit for a moment. He now had to talk about his children, but he wouldn't give too much information about them. Instead he turned to his wife who had remained silent all day and instead nodded at her to tell about their children. The Queen's voice was higher than the King's, but still not on the higher spectrum of female voices. Her voice was calming and tranquil. She was about 15 cm smaller than the King, but wore an elegant dress and had blonde hair and blue eyes. "As for our children we have seven of them. The eldest is Crown Prince Carol and currently is single, so if any of the singly ladies in Ryccia want to become Queen, you know who to talk too." She said it jokingly, but then continued as the King puffed further. "I can feel the question coming, but why so many children? Well ever since the Mardakii War it became clear to us, Stoinians, that the children ensure the survival of Mankind. Some families even have up to 14 children. Children are also a common sight in our Kingdom playing on the streets. They also are healthy as we hold a 4 hour compulsory sport lesson, where they also learn about self defense." "As for myself, I am Queen Nynke Stoian, though formerly Nynke Lootsma. I was born on the Frisian world, as my name suggest, of Frisia or Fryslân in our mother tongue. I am also 39 years old and had a modest upbringing amongst the cattle farms of my planet. You might wonder, why the King would marry a commoner, well that's actually law implemented by King Andrei I, commonly referred to as the Philosopher King." The journalist still looked a bit stressed. So the King decided to do the unexpected. He took out the hand with his cigar and wanted to hand it out to him. He looked friendly, but clearly he was being a bit pushy. "Mr. Argenworth, you still look a bit nervous. Why don't you have a go at my cigar to relax a bit? It faces no health repercussions to Terrans, you aren't genetically augmented or any sort of things like that, which would not allow you to share a cigar with the Stoinian King?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
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