| The Reunion |
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Arzix-Constantinople Estates
Constantinople, Core, Ryccian Empire The mood was tense. Important government officials of the Empire were present, so the government offered to evacuate all visiting royals and nobles from the facilities, otherwise their stay would be subjected to intense security protocols. Some did leave, not wanting to bother with the increased surveillance, but others decided to remain. After all, this was a historic moment. Why not at least catch a glimpse of this foreign monarch? "Is everything prepared, Maître?" "Yes, Chancellor. The Royal Guards have arrived, accompanying the Emperor. We have all the provisions stocked and ready for usage. The culinary experts, servants and other staff are accounted for" The Emperor was in his characteristic ceremonial attire: an ancient military-style uniform with a red sash. Despite Ryccia's aversion for the militaristic theme of the Old Empire, this outfit remained, as it had become so integral to the identity of the throne that the royals refused to ditch it. It was the tradition of the Imperial Throne, after all. Besides, the minority but hostile royalist population a thousand years ago would had never accept it. "Here he comes, Your Imperial Excellency" Surrounded by four Royal Guards, as was the arcane tradition, here he was, the Emperor. "Chancellor, is the King of the Stoinians arriving shortly? I am attempting to speak to the remaining royal and noble guests in the estate..." "Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty. They should not be a concern if they do not disturb the state visit" "I am aware, Chancellor, but I fear that the current security requirements are monetarily and physically excessive for this property" "We have calculated the costs, Your Majesty. It shall not be a burden for our state, that I can assure you" "Very well, as you say...I am also concerned regarding the Royal Hunting Grounds in this area. Why are they to be utilized?" "Why, for hunting, Your Majesty" Did he hear accurately? Hunting?! Such barbarism in his estate?! The Emperor was livid. Such an act of uncivilized cruelty in this house? Certainly not! "Hunting? Why was I not informed of this?!" "I did send the arrangements to your personal aides. Did they not brief you on this matter?" "No, I have never been informed of this barbarity" The Emperor's assistant shivered. He was shaking with fear. Was he going to be fired? But he knew this would happen. He did not wish the Emperor's outrage to jeopardize the visit. "...M'lord, we made the choice to not tell you of this fact in order to prevent your...premature rage..." "Esquire Cindyn, I am infuriated with your flagrant disrespect against m-" "We opted for such a course of action in order to protect your...image. To risk a state visit would be improper of our duties..." "...I see. Honestly, Cindyn, you fear for your job security far too excessively" Marcus Cindyn, the personal aide to the Emperor, was then surprised by a message he had received. "Uh, m'lord, the Empress Dowager is to arrive shortly" The Emperor was shocked. Mother? Yesterday, she was not even in the mood to be disturbed. Now she is coming here? "Mother?" "Yes, m'lord. It appears that she shall land soon...and there is her shuttle in the sky" The shuttle was elegant. It was a Lambda-class vessel, but it was made of the beautiful chromium, and an expensive variety at that. It was the default royal design of these kinds of transports to be crafted out of the purest chromium that was available on the market. As it descended, the Emperor ordered his Royal Guards to create a makeshift honour guard line to receive her. She disembarked, and walked out of the ship. "Mother? Why are you present here?" "I have come to be witness of this spectacle. I am indeed curious regarding this guest of yours" "...You are here to honour Father's legacy" "..." "He would have wished to greet a foreign leader. Late Father's reign did not see his desires of curiosity for the unknown being fulfilled" "....." "Thank you, Mother" The Chancellor was emotionless. It was not due to some selfish lack of care, but it was simply a Velpan attitude. Unlike humans, the biological ancestors of the Velpans were solitary hunters who evolved improved social skills only in order to improve their chances at survival. As a result, Velpans felt less empathy than other species, with the death of a stranger that was nothing of note to a Velpan not mattering. If there is a high crime rate, for example, Velpans shall collaborate and advocate together not for some sense of solidarity, but for their own personal safety. Since coming in contact with other species, beings such as the Velpans, which biologically feel less empathy than others, have learned to at least fake their sympathies, as it is the correct thing to do. Many Velpans did feel genuine sorrow and empathy over the late Emperor's death. But the Chancellor only saw the Royal Family as decor, ceremonial persons whose only purpose is to be a symbol of the nation and nothing more. Moreover, Louis had always been annoying in the Chancellor's eyes, as his regular weekly meetings to obtain his royal assent on bills were accompanied with discussions Louis would initiate. For Ferul, the Emperor should only have looked nice and played his role in this traditional theatre. His son, the current Emperor Alexander, was even more bothersome, as not only was he a highly political person, but he was the first Emperor to ever voice his opinions freely. Such a taboo had already been broken by his mother, the Empress Consort of her day, but Alexander was the first actual Emperor in functions in nearly a millenia to do so. If only he just stuck to signing the bills as he was intended to do instead of talking on and on...the only good thing is that at least the Emperor was an ardent internationalist, which aligned exactly with Ferul's political direction. "The King of the Stoinians should be arriving shortly, Your Majesty" "Excellent, Chancellor. Mother, do you wish to greet him?" "In Louis's memory, I shall" The Chancellor, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager then headed to the platform where the Stoinian King would land. Along with an honour guard, they awaited his presence.
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 Pelican holding the Royal entourage came down elegantly escorted by two Star Furies. The Star Furies soon broke off formation and in synchronisation they performed a twirling manoeuvre, ascending back into the sky. The shuttle doors soon came down and four Royal Stoinian Guardsmen exited the shuttle in unison and formed two rows. The King holding the hand of His Queen was followed by Chancellor Sheridan and four more Royal Guardsmen. The Royalty wore their crown proudly. The King wore his ceremonial military uniform, while the Queen wore a more streamlined red brown dress. The Chancellor's was his standard work outfit, though decorated with a few Stoinian emblems on the chest.
The trio came forward headed by the King. They stopped a few meters from the Ryccians. The King spoke in His strong but low bariton voice, looking towards the Ryccian monarch with a small smile. "I, King Andrei the Third Stoian, in name of the Stoinian Star Kingdom and its people, both Terran and Cheunh, greet you and the Ryccian people in peace. Mankind has finally been reunited and it is a pleasure to finally meet our Terran brethren. My wife, Queen Nynke, and Chancellor Sheridan are also extremely enchanted to be part of this historic visit. Let this visit strengthen our relationship towards a new and safe galactic order." The King held out His hand, wanting to give the Ryccian Emperor a firm handshake. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Arzix-Constantinople Estates
Constantinople, Core, Ryccian Empire The Emperor saw them disembark. He was surprised to see how...ancient...the King's outfits is. The ceremonial military uniform he wore was used since antiquity by the first Emperors. Perhaps they were also following arcane tradition? Moreover, he was surprised to see that his and the King's clothing were incredibly similar. Many Ryccians had a theory on the origin of the Stoinians, believing them to be some lost dissident human colonizers from the ages past. They could not accurately guess since when the Stoinians began to exist, however. Some say that there must be a predecesor to the Stoinian Kingdom that was founded thousands of years ago. Others believe that the Stoinians are sincere in their tale when it came to time, and thus this was some obscure Ryccian colonization effort gone wrong, maybe even the central government is hiding the truth. But only a trickle of Ryccians trust the Stoinian account completely. The Emperor was uncertain, and, even after two months had passed, he had no clear idea where these Stoinian humans came from. He saw the Stoinian King's hand. He extended his, and gave a soft, gentle handshake and smiled softly. It was the aristocratic way to give such a "weak" greeting by Stoinian standards, as, in the Core, these gentle handshakes signify the calm and peace of the actor, and that they wish to engage in rational, civilized discussion with a stranger. It was polite, if not a tad emotionless. More firm handshakes were reserved for close friends and family, as they are the persons you can demonstrate all your feelings to. As the Emperor shaked his hand, he was then surprised that his counterpart decided to exert that much strength in the gesture. Do they have such a communitarian society that every single human is considered their family? How strange... Still, he smiled ever so softly. "Greetings to you, King Andrei. I am Alexander, Emperor of the Ryccian Empire and Sovereign of All the Races of the Realm. It is a pleasure to meet you at last" "This is the Chancellor, Ferul Blesforn, and this is my mother, the Empress Dowager of the Ryccian Empire and Mother of All the Races, Euphemia" He bowed his head slightly towards the Stoinians, and proceeded to kiss the Stoinian Queen's hand. In the Core, this archaic gesture was still practiced amongst the elite, and it was seen as the duty of a proper aristocratic gentleman to greet a lady in such a way to honour her. He then bowed towards her, bringing his right arm to his waist. The Emperor then proceeded to greet and shake the Chancellor's hand, again with the same serenity he had done with the King. "Now, shall we inspect the guard?" The captain of the Royal Guard raised his sword. In full red ceremonial armour, but without his visor, he shouted. "Soldiers! Present arms!" The guard raised their arms as was ordered. The band was ready to play the welcoming military song. All that was needed was for them to commence walking and inspect the guard.
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 also grabbed the Empress Dowager's hand and kissed it rather elegantly. Afterwards he did a similar bow to what the Emperor had done. He had to show respect to such an elderly foreign royalty after all. Perhaps the Ryccians would also come to view that they were civilized themselves and not some mere barbarians.
He then switched towards the Velpan Chancellor and gave him too a firm handshake, though the Velpan had absorved the King and responded in the same manner. Was this xeno challenging the King? No. Now is not the time for such thoughts, he had to keep it to himself. It remained to be seen if these xeno scum had any good in them. For now, they shall be given respect. He smiled at Ferul. After the meeting the trio followed the Ryccians alongside them while inspecting the Guard. The King was impressed. Any Stoinian could respect such a military act. It showed that the Ryccians had something in common with the Stoinians, a sence of tradition. Though the few xenos amongst the Guard was a new sight for the King. He realised that sooner or later there would also be Cheunh in his Royal Guard. A future confrontation that he would need to prepare. The rifles looked like something he hadn't seen in quite a while. Were these plasma rifles similar to those of the Velutarians? It was quit a sight, though he didn't quite understood the chromium colouring of them. It looked quite ridiculous in his eyes. Nonetheless, they may be a step up from the standard projectile based rifles the Stoinians used. Uncosciously the King started to step according to the tempo of the band, a small side effect from all the parades he had done in his younger years. It was his style of music after all and he loved the military marches. He was glad the Ryccians hadn't forgotten the type of music. The Ryccians sure had made an impression on the Stoinians. The band stopped playing and the King turned towards the Emperor. "Your Majesty, as the military leader of my nation, I can assure you that the Stoinian people is impressed with your Guard and your Band." He then turned towards the Guard. He quickly took a militaristic posture making a clicking sound with his heels. "May these brave souls serve you and your nation well. As I am sure they have all proven themselves already. Ura!" He then gave them a small salute. How would their soldiers react to his small speech though? "What will be our next course of action, your Majesty?" He asked with a small smile on his face. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Arzix-Constantinople Estates
Constantinople, Core, Ryccian Empire Ferul was not fooled by that smile. He knew far too much to deduce that this foreign monarch looked at him as below humans. It was frustrating, but if he had let his emotions take control, he would not be the Chancellor. Thus, he smiled as well, as was the custom. The Emperor was not amused, but he chose to ignore his thoughts and act normally. Certainly he was proud that the Stoinians, who were certainly a militaristic people, had liked his country's tradition, but their King had utilized an ancient salute that was associated with the Old Empire. The Ryccian military salute of the present was just to raise your fist to remember the martyrs of the revolution and their struggle. The gesture that Andrei had used was one of those utilized by the Old Imperial military, and was viewed as offensive and humanocentric. The Emperor and much of the Guard let it slide, as it was clear that Andrei had no clue what a faux pas he had done. Moreover, those who had studied ancient Ryccian history knew that this salute did not have any racist origin, and as the symbol of tradition, the Emperor knew it. So, this was ignored. But it was still offensive. "King Andrei, we are now to observe the playing of our respective national anthems. They are to play our hymn shortly" A group of violinists and other musicians gathered to begin playing. They began, and every Ryccian, including the Emperor, raised their left hands in a three-finger salute and commenced singing the lyrics. "The Glorious Empire! The Glorious, Free Empire lives! Ryccia shall march ahead! Ryccia shall remember you! May we never lose liberty... The Glorious, Free Empire lives! The Glorious Empire! The Glorious, Free Empire lives! Ryccia shall march ahead! Ryccia shall remember you! May we never lose liberty... The Glorious Empire! The Glorious, Free Empire lives! Ryccia shall march ahead! Ryccia shall remember you! May we never lose liberty... The Glorious, Free Empire lives! Oh, our martyrs, Your sacrifice we recall. We keep building on your glorious legacy! The Glorious, Free Empire lives!" Everyone clapped, even the soldiers present. It was a song of rememberance. That all Ryccians must remember the fallen from a millenia ago, march on and build on the legacy of freedom they built. For they made the Glorious, Free Empire, and in their name, Ryccia shall continue to pass on the torch of liberty to every generation, forever. It was sombre for a reason. The anthem is meant to evoke that. After all, Ryccia must avoid war, and pay tribute to the fallen. It must never repeat the baptism of fire and blood it had to endure in order to be truly free.
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 Ryccian Anthem was beautiful, though it lacked energy that the Stoinians were used too. The energy that made the blood flow faster through your veins and made you move mountains. After the Ryccian applause faded, the Stoinian Royal Band which had assembled right next to the Ryccian musicians, began the Stoinian Anthem. The brass instruments kicked off and all Stoinian servicemen, including the King, proceed to maintain the Stoinian military salute, while the Queen, Chancellor and other diplomats put their right hands on their heart. The Anthem was played loudly, perhaps too loud for Ryccian standards, but this was the Stoinian way. The Ryccians had to learn that the Stoinian people could not be broken.
After the musical introduction had blasted its way across the area, the whole Stoinian delegation, mostly men, began to sing the Stoinian Anthem. A loud and strong choir of men had been born all singing their anthem. They sang in perfect unison about the struggles of the Stoinian people and how they made sure that Mankind will survive across the stars. A quite provocative text for the Ryccians, but they hadn't seen what horrors were to the southern border of Stoinia. They wouldn't understand, yet. During the song a few Stoinians shed a tear, amongst them the Queen herself. The powerful anthem had ended, but that wasn't the last of the Stoinians. They proceeded with their Stoinian Salute, all in unison. "Hail Stoinia! Hail to the King! Ura!" No applause, just silence for a few seconds. After which the Stoinians returned to their normal posture. King Andrei turned towards the Emperor, though his facial expression didn't reveal anything. Just a blank neutral stare. Perhaps letting the Stoinian Anthem sink in it's meaning? He finally opened his mouth. "You Majesty, your anthem sure was beautiful. I can only hope to discover more of these Ryccian compositions. That wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Arzix-Constantinople Estates
Constantinople, Core, Ryccian Empire The Chancellor was stunned. This was live on national holovision! What horrors would the opposition be unleashing against his government now?! Non-stop slander! "Ferul is a racist", "Human supremacist government", "Ferul tolerates racism", "Hypocrite Ferul", "Weak Ferul refuses to stand against explicit human supremacy" and a myriad of other worthless accusations that have no merit! Accusations that some gullible voters shall eat up...this is going to be a headache to clear up. It is certainly manageable, but still, how frustrating! Of course, he did not show his annoyance. His face was normal. But many were shocked. For those whose emotions manifested into expression, many just demonstrated signs of annoyance or awkwardness, but a few did let their feelings slip into their faces, and thus were genuinely astonished or even horrified. The Emperor was insistent on clearing up this issue, most certainly. He knew that the Stoinians meant their military salute as an innocent, even patriotic gesture. After all, there was evidence demonstrating that this salute had been human custom, even before the days of the Old Empire, when Daonlathas only extended its reach in its planet and humans were not enslaved by those mysterious aliens that made them so xenophobic in the distant past. Thus, how could the Stoinians ever believe that it was such a forbidden taboo? "King Andrei, in your guest room, I believe there is a holocomputer installed for you to utilize. I do suggest that you make use of the state-funded National Database Center's website, as it is a sort of digital library and encyclopedia for all sorts of material. You may find entire articles detailing the music genres of all recorded races across the millenia, or sound files to delight your ears. As it is expensive to purchase the rights of viewership from existing authors on such a vast scale, the NDC requires you to pay a small fee to access the more recent scholarly and extensive items in its registry, but we have thought in advance and purchased a maximum of 1,000 items if you so desire to make use of the NDC's banks of knowledge and files of all sorts. If you do not wish to be bothered by such large readings and only look for a general entry, there are various non-state, free digital encyclopedias for you to access, such as Wikipedia, Imperial Wiki or the National Wiki of the Ryccian Empire. If you so desire to search for our nation's music, you are free to do so by searching the holonet for such information" "In addition, there are music streaming platforms as well. The genre of our anthem is known as "Violinistic Classical", renowned for its primary use of violins in musical compositions. You may opt to look for the more general "Classical" category. Whenever we eat or have a ceremony together, music shall be performed as a background filler, so if you do not wish to bother with our technologies, you may choose to listen to our music at these times" "There is a matter that I wish to clarify before we depart to greet Imperial officials of all kinds: I do request that you do not perform your military salute to any Ryccian in the periphery. You are unaware of this, and thus we forgive you, but your salute was the exact type the Old Empire's military utilized, and thus to perform it today outside of a historical re-enactment brings back the painful history of oppression, brutality and outright genocide the human race was tragically involved in until a millenia ago. It is, frankly, a taboo. If you were a Ryccian, you would have committed character suicide by doing such a gesture. Out of deference to you, your people and your anthem, I did not comment on this matter before your hymn was performed, but I must do so now in order to alert you to this sensitive issue"
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 gave a smile. He was happy to see this Ryccians hospitality, now was the time to learn more from them. He was certain to check a few of the news sources and get an insight of what the Ryccians thought about them. Of course while listening to Ryccian music.
"I thank you very much. It prove a wonderful method to learn more about your people. Though I am not a great fan of the violin, I can appreciate its beauty. Would there be music more reminiscing of the style our Royal Band?" He looked a bit confused when the Emperor told him about the salute. Again the Ryccians proved to be sensitive. Wouldn't they learn that their past mistakes was done by their ancestors, not themselves? Maybe this was some sort of reparation that he didn't understand, yet. "I am sorry to hear that. You mentioned the Old Empire, I will take full responsibility for the actions taken by our delegation. I understand no Ryccian would want to be associated with that time period. I will state an apology at the beginning of my press conference. If that isn't too late for you or your government. I wouldn't want to discredit your government nor destabilize it. Though perhaps some assistance is required as to not further damage our relations." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Arzix-Constantinople Estates
Constantinople, Core, Ryccian Empire "Hmm...if my suspicions are accurate, this is a military-style song of some sort? Perhaps you may browse Ryccian military musical arrangements or ancient anthems in the holonet, although I do not suggest the latter..." "I regret to inform you that we shall not be performing such...intense music for any other events, as we opt to play calming, relaxing songs for our ceremonies" "In addition, we are thankful for your consideration. An apolo-" "I shall take over from here, Your Imperial Majesty" Ferul interjected before the Emperor could finish. He was the true figure of authority here, and he showed it. The Emperor was only a ceremonial figurehead, so this affair of when to give the apology must be handled by the Chancellor. The Emperor was a tad disturbed. Certainly he knew his place: he could not speak for government officials regarding policy, and thus he knew that the Chancellor was only doing his duty by interrupting. But it still felt annoying, as is natural of any person that has been cut off. "The apology at the press conference shall suffice, Your Majesty, and as the Emperor said, we thank you for your consideration. There is no need to deviate from our schedule to apologize right away" This was as much as a matter of protocol as it was a political move. Ferul knew that the opposition parties must be cranking up empty accusation after empty accusation in social media and in the news right now. He would let them have their little media circus. After all, their jaws shall drop in embarassment and horror when the Stoinian King apologizes to the entire nation for the misunderstanding. Then, he could spin the ridiculous moves from the opposition as the worthless attacks they were, and perhaps even spin the idea that the opposition has no concrete policies to bring the country forward if they criticize his government over mere gestures. Yes, play the victim, Ferul. Innocence is bliss. The Emperor spoke once more after Ferul's intervention ended. "Shall we proceed to greet the various government ministers awaiting?" The Ryccian military band was prepared to play another tune as they approached the various ministers and military officials waiting to greet the Stoinian King. They were in a straight line, patiently standing there to meet this stranger.
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 Stoinian trio came towards the officials, the King wearing a big smile. Finally meeting more of his Terran brethren. Of course there were xenos amongst them, but he couldn't hide his smile from meeting more Terrans. He felt as if he had found his long lost brothers, whether the this tale would end well remained to be seen. He gave each official either a firm handshake or kissed their hand, while the Ryccian Band played another march. The King was excited, this tune sure made things better.
The Queen followed, while she didn't shake hands she nodded and occasionally her hand was kissed by male officials. She was shorter than most of them, but that didn't bother her. She herself was happy to be part of this historic moment. The Chancellor also smiled, this was an opportunity to strengthen economic ties. He had to make sure that their first impression was a good one. Although he didn't look like it, he himself was a veteran of the Velutarian War. Twice decorated while serving as a Captain. He, like the King, gave the Ryccians a firm handshake. He was a man after all and head of the civilian government. Some might think that he is overshadowed by the King's presence. But he is essential in these meetings, for he is ruling the government with the King's blessing in his name. The King had power, but it was mostly related to foreign affairs involving the military or the military itself. The every day government work, was done by the Chancellor, ensuring that the people still could elect their most influential leader. After meeting the officials the trio stood at the end of the line awaiting further instructions from the Ryccian Emperor. As the music had stopped playing, they were approached by him. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
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