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Post by Theopolis on Jul 3, 2012 18:56:01 GMT -5
The ADS Trio bleeped into the Kurrik System and emitted it's signal receptors, hoping to pick up signs of life in the system.
" This is the ADS Trio, is there anyone reading this. Over! " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 19:11:21 GMT -5
It was several moments before RWU communications relays properly decoded the alien signal into understandable Ayar.
"This is New Sovereignty Port Authority. Welcome to the territory of the Revolutionary Workers' Union. Language and civilization files and embedded in this message: Please reply with your own. Also embedded in this message are coordinates and landing instructions to follow if you wish to meet with RWU officials for diplomatic negotiations."
The message was notably less jargon-filled and fiery than such a first contact message would have been even a few months before: The rise of the Ideologist camp in the Union Council was a recent phenomenon.
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 3, 2012 19:16:27 GMT -5
The ADS Trio responded with it's own intricate language files with intimate data on Ashigaru biology and anatomy. The vessel, sleek and intricate, swooped in over the smoggy remnants of the Antoviyan lands and found Victory City a bustling, industrial centerpiece that had the Ashigaru pilots equally amazed as they had been when arriving to Pretoria on Eshara. The vessel briefly spun as it's landing gear dropped and the ramp as well fell. A trio of Ashigaru ; two meters tall with chitinous green exteriors and two constantly loping antennae in single, segmented attires that covered only the center piece of their body exited the craft.
With two hands behind their back, and two extended in a gesture of thanks, the lead Ashigaru nodded low to those who came to greet him. None of the Ashigaru were armed with weaponry of any kind. " I am Kisoku Vroshka of the Ashigaru Exploration Corps, I have been empowered by my government to begin negotiations with all friendly civilizations we have come into contact with since the end of our isolation. We appreciate your hospitality. I do not believe we know of your people! " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 21:31:39 GMT -5
As per the RWU's precedent in dealing with never-before-encountered species, the President-Premier himself awaited the Ashigaru emissaries. Seeing that the aliens were unarmed, Leneru motioned for the platoon of soldiers behind him to lay their rifles on the ground. The only weapon ready to be used was the beam-cannon overlooking the landing pad, a necessary caution in dangerous times.
"Greetings and welcome to you, Kisoku Vroshka," the Ayar spoke with energy and enthusiasm that defied his burned and scarred face. "I am the Revolutionary Workers' elected President-Premier, Jawalir Leneru. It is a pleasure to meet you, representatives of the Ashigaru." Leneru turned ninety degrees and motioned towards the landing pad's control tower, which housed the beam-cannon. "Please, follow me. Negotiations will go more comfortably if we are indoors and seated, especially for an elderly injured man like myself, I admit."
Once inside the conference room, Leneru motioned towards a young female Ayar in colorful robes of blue and green and a red cap. She stood and announced enthusiastically, "I am the Revolutionary Workers' elected Chief Diplomatic Councilor, Jaira Devikar. It is a joy to encounter newcomers to the Surrik System. Now, shall we all have a seat and discuss any first steps towards a mutually beneficial diplomatic relationship?"
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 3, 2012 21:40:04 GMT -5
" Ah, it is always a pleasure to be greeted by the leader of such an advanced peoples! " The Ashigaru's bulbous, reflective eyes gave credence to their awe -- but truly it was an anatomical fact, as because they did not blink, it appeared their eyes were always wide open. The Ashigaru took particularly close attention to the fact that the Workers' Union soldiers inherently lowered their weapons, a fact that Kisoku Vroshka noticed Esharans did not do.
Upon entering the conference room. The three Ashigaru took the time to individually introduce themselves and bow low to the Chief Diplomatic Councilor, as well as address them by their full names with each mention. They nodded and hesitantly sat, their feelings groping the air with every movement -- as if to ensure the safety, or perhaps sanitation of the room and chairs.
" We have traveled long and far since we have ended our self-imposed isolation. You are the .. third civilization, I believe .. that we have met, and all so accommodating so far. Do you mind me asking, my pilots indicated that some locations on your planet seemed to be dangerous. Is your planet entirely stable, Chief Diplomatc Councilor Devikar? " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 21:55:41 GMT -5
Devikar and Leneru were mindful of the Ashigaru's obvious attempts at flattery, but they did not break their enthusiastic, friendly tone.
"There have been incidents," Devikar admitted, "involving Royalist terrorists. However, we have invested in increased security protocols to address the issue, and as far as we know, though we remain cautious, the Royalists have no way of crossing from their area of operations in the Hauthkaj Irradiated Zone to here in the center of Awodej, at least not without being caught by Port Authority or the Revolutionary Guards stationed in Victory City."
"In any case, we must always be wary," Leneru added. "We are a nation of hardly a decade and a half, and reactionary terrorism is a threat to be taken seriously, though not to the point of paranoia.
"Now, tell me, have you any ideas of the sort of relationship you would like to see our nations enter initially?" Devikar finished.
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 3, 2012 21:58:12 GMT -5
" Indeed! The Ashigaru Empire would like to begin negotiations regarding intergalactic trade. We feel that a trade agreement would do well to increase the national treasuries of both our great civilizations. We currently have two interstellar barges capable of transporting cargo that have not yet been assigned trade routes. What is the current state of the RWU Merchant Fleet? "
Pending that answer, the diplomat continued: " We would also be interested in constructing an embassy on your world to continue negotiations on the galactic stage." |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 3, 2012 22:12:27 GMT -5
"Unfortunately, our merchant fleet has taken serious damage, and is not currently functional," Devikar explained. "As such, we fear that immediately entering into trade could cause harmful shocks, dependencies, and imbalances, regardless of your best intentions. Could we, perhaps, agree to a trade agreement whose activation is deferred two years?
"And then," Leneru joined in, "there is the issue of the Values of the Revolution. We are eager to make friendly ties where possible, but we must stay true to the principles of our founding, especially where the very gains of our revolution could stand to be lost. Thus, we must inquire as to the state, if any, of slavery, democracy, and workers' rights in the Ashigaru Empire."
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 3, 2012 22:18:00 GMT -5
" Certainly, we will defer .. on a counter offer. Mr. Josuku? " The Ashigaru diplomat canted one of his antennae and another of his two comrades nodded. " I am Mr. Josuku of the Sroshka Financial Firm. We would be willing to front the cost of of half of any interstellar freighters you would like to build. Our sponsored freighters can, I assure you, haul more goods than any other barges in the sector! You need only ask! "
The Sroshka official sat back down and deferred back to Vroshka. " The Ashigaru Empire is an empire is name only, as the Holy Empire of the Ashigaru is a figure of much celebration, but he holds little political power. We have a strong economy where our workers can work and ply their trade as they please -- and the Empire holds equal lights for all who work under the Empire. We do utilize lesser races for labor where available, as apparently you have done so as well! " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 4, 2012 1:27:19 GMT -5
Leneru and Devikar's expressions remained bright until the very end of the Vroshka's statement.
"You do recognize that we no longer condone slavery, correct?" asked the President-Premier in near-disbelief. "In fact, slavery was a major component of what we revolted against. Tell me, would there be any terms under which the Empire of Ashigaru would be willing to work towards the phasing out of the practice? It is, after all, a natural fear of ours that by condoning slavery by supporting it through trade, we are both betraying our values and hastening its return to our own society."
"Perhaps we could even purchase your slaves for the purpose of liberating them?" Devikar suggested as a possible alternative. "This given, of course, that this will be a step in the process of eventually eliminating slavery altogether.
"As for your offer of sponsoring a freighter, this offer sounds quite satisfactory, if we can come to an agreement on how to deal with the problem of slavery."
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 5, 2012 11:07:41 GMT -5
" Perhaps -- it is in our travels that we have made observations that slavery comes in more forms than whips and chains, Chief Diplomatic Councilor Devikar. The Empire currently has no plans to end it's trade of lesser life forms, however were you so inclined to remove the entire population from our planets, we would certainly sell them to you at a premium! "
Vroshka deferred again to Mr. Josuku. " The Anciens are incapable of more advanced sentient thought, but their desire to ravage Ashigaru countrysides has forced us to take more drastic measures. They stand at about four galactic meters and just over one galactic ton. " He slid a holopicture across the table of a huge lumbering, furred creature with four eyes and human-like appendages. It sat hunched with a huge stone, half gazing into the brazen white of the picture's background. " They are currently being sold at 33,000 credits a head. (30 Industry = 1 Million Anciens)! " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 5, 2012 13:11:40 GMT -5
The two Ayar thought silently for a moment. Leneru was the first to speak,
"Please understand that, as this is our first contact with your nation, we are unsure of whether to trust your assurances that these Anciens are as 'inferior' as you say, as well as those about Ashigaru workers' rights."
"There is a relevant precedent in our dealings with foreign nations," Devikar noted. "When we first contacted the nation known as the Reich von die Wasser-Krieger, we agreed to send a team of scholars -political economists, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, et cetera- to their lands to analyze how much their society conformed to the Revolutionary Values over the course of a year. We decided on the question of trade thereafter.
"Of course, that was in our early days, and any study to take place now would be less strictly along the lines of the Revolutionary Values, in recognition of the unique cultural context of every nation, including our own. If you would, perhaps, be willing to contribute a few experts on your own culture and the Anciens to our team, we would be most appreciative."
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Post by Theopolis on Jul 5, 2012 15:29:53 GMT -5
" We will not oppose the idea of such an instance, if we can do the same. With that being said, the Empire has no intention to conform to .. Revolutionary values nor will any attempts to mandate these values be accepted on Empire worlds. If you would lead my associate here back to our vessel, he will supply you with all the necessary biological and sociological data on the Anciens immediately. " |
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Post by Revolutionary Workers' Union on Jul 5, 2012 17:10:46 GMT -5
"Of course not," Devikar quickly clarified. "When speaking of conformity, I was referring to our earlier, less refined mindset. We had barely risen out of the fires of Revolution, after all. Any study now would be much more conscious of differing cultural contexts."
"However," Leneru interjected, "the Values of the Revolution remain the moral code by which our government acts, and we are understandably most eager to work with neighbors who share similar aims and principles."
Devikar then addressed the ambassador's request. "Moving on, yes, you would be welcome to send a team of your own scholars to reside in RWU space for the next year as ours do the same in your space. In the meantime, we will accompany your associate as you requested."
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