Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Carina-Sagittarius Arm

Inviere quietly looked to the coordinates broadcast on a large superimposed image of the galaxy, she was coordinating the loadout of the particular escort group, and opted to move four fleet icons towards nearby sectors of space; orders that would be dissemenated through the Aschen datalink without having to be verbally given by Inviere. It was a rather clever point and click interface with which to direct Aschen assets on a cosmic scale.

"Relay deployment orders to the Adepts on this ship, have them ready theemselves for orbital insertion." Inviere said calmly, before nodding to her navigation officer.

"Bring us to full tactical formation gamma, spool the drives and prepare to jump to these coordinates." She ordered.

The Aschen would not let themselves be fooled into complacency, it was Imperial doctrine to be ready for combat at all times, even in times of potential peace.

These four other task forces would wait, with orders to jump in upon reciept of the distress signal, and not a moment sooner.

The singular command carrier and her escorts jumped in a few moments after the Iarin fleet arrived, settling into position while Inviere re-acquired locational data. The massive ship teemed with activity, while the Chairman began to run scans of the local area.
 
As the Aschen vessels arrived, Assara held herself back from initiating communications again. After all, they hadn't deigned to even respond to the sudden slough of other Iarin ships. While it wasn't the largest number of warships they'd ever fielded, it wasn't as small as most diplomatic meetings might entail, and she'd expected at least some amount of response, even if it was with outrage. It would be what it would be, of course. With an almost lazy effort, she opened up communications once more.

"Chairman, we have moved outside of claimed interstellar territory. We have met your requirements of meeting in a neutral location, so perhaps now we can discuss the possibility of fostering trade and communication between our two civilizations." While she left some things as 'if' statements, Assara kept her words direct and concise, feeling her patience with the Aschen growing thinner. The first commanding individual she'd spoken to had seemed to be working towards potentially favorable diplomacy, but when Inviere had arrived and taken control, much, if not all, of that had disappeared.
 
Last edited:
The Aschen have always known to be the boastful kind, proud of their military prowess, and generally confident in the overwhelming firepower their ships displayed. The fact they didn't respond to the Iarin's show of force could be taken either way, but it was a very deliberate, practical application of force.

The clamor of the Command Carrier's CIC maintained it's rather rapid tempo, with the clattering of keyboard, and the humming of consoles, Inviere kept her to her own thoughts, while the datalink updated the new ship positions.

"Chairman... Classis IV, Classis VI, and Classis XII are in position." The XO reported, as the new icons pinged on the large holographic display.

The massive Command Carrier maintained position, while hundreds of smaller craft darted from one of it's ventral launch bays, these Prowlers were highly sophisticated stealth reconnaissance craft, their sole purpose was to provide real-time targeting and location information of the Iarin ships to the Athena class missile carriers of the four imperial fleets stationed nearby.

A total of eight thousand Aschen warships dotted space roughly twenty light-years away, forming a loose perimeter around the meetings; it didn't take long for them to respond, and execute Inviere's command, but that was the hasty logistics the Aschen were known for.

Across hundreds of lightyears, hundreds of individual SSM-23 Thunderbolt strategic missile systems armed with spatial tearing tricobalt warheads came to life, utilizing the targeting data being relayed through the Rosa de Maius, and it's wing of prowlers, they zeroed in carefully, across vast distances on the Iarin formation.

The remainder of the four fleets took the same spatial targeting data and began to carefully plot their jumps, if things went south the initial missile strikes would need to cause enough disarray to allow the main fleets to jump in, surround the Iarin forces, envelope them in a planck field, and neutralize them while ensuring the Rosa de Maius was not destroyed.

The Chairman considered her words carefully, before then keying up the communications. "The previous representatives of your people painted a poor picture of anything to do with fostering trust and mutual understanding between our two peoples, forgive me if I presume these are simple mind games." She said curtly, while reading over another report.

"This foray is diverting assets from our invasion of Valore, the Emperor will not be pleased."

Keying the communications up once more, Inviere spoke. "What precisely is it you wish to trade, as it's clear your civilization is quite capable, I don't think there is anything we can offer you."
 
As they waited for a response from the Aschen, Assara began delegating tasks to her battle group. Each other dreadnought captain was taking a particular section of combat control, be it information, strike, or inter-vessel. While not foolproof, it would aid in the event that the Piabolle was lost in combat. After all, there was concern as their indications showed various ports along one of the Aschen vessels opening, though nothing appeared to release.

When communications were finally two-way once more, and the Chairman expressed her sentiments, Assara gave a mental sigh of relief.

"We, and I personally, understand the conflict that the first members of my species have caused. You have met but a small fraction of our people, and a more militant one at that. They spent far too long away from their homes, and had grown agitated at the thought of not being able to see home for another several of our years, though they were due to rotate closer to Iarin space within a few weeks of the unexpected meeting between their vessel and your own Emperor. I only wish we'd been able to have a proper discourse between more appropriate parties. Please, on behalf of my people, accept our apology for their uncouth actions and poor display of diplomacy."

She continued, "As for trade, we have very little knowledge of the galaxy as a whole, and have only traveled a small portion of it since we became an interstellar civilization. While not necessarily an innate negative, a lack of exploration has brought forth a lack of information regarding other civilizations that tool across the stars, which, while not harmful as of yet, has a heavy negative impact. For instance, had we known where the borders of Aschen Space were, we would not have had such a poor first meeting between us, I don't believe. So, we ask for information. In return, we offer a technology that, so far as we are aware, is unique.

"We call it Syd. It is a semi-organic construction that seemingly defies physical laws, as it is capable of taking on the properties of any inorganic material and then growing into form as directed. While a single pod of Syd will not grow into a full starship, each pod is incredibly dense, and can alter to form the appropriate amount of matter of any other inorganic substance. This is our offer to you, Chairman, with the hope that this might further open trade and transit between our peoples."
 
Inviere quietly steepled her fingers on the console in front of her, her lips tightening into a slight grimace while she eyed the console readout. The prowlers had spread out and dispersed through the void of space, data trickling through subspace networks.

"I'm not the one your people must ultimately apologize to." Inviere replied. "I am but a servant to the people of this empire; they are the ones you must inevitably please." She replied.

She recalled the hate rallies after the encounter with the Iarins, they were but another xeno that the people were being primed to tear apart in the streets of the city, another nebulous menace for the Aschen to be vigilant against, the powder keg of Aschen xenophobia stoked, nurtured in the propaganda broadcasts of the meeting, which were heavily sensationalized.

The state of the Aschen Empire if the Iarins ever set foot brought a smirk to Inviere's lips, she could picture the violent protests as they made their way through the city on their way to whatever diplomatic arrangements were being made.

The notion was promptly dismissed as Inviere considered her response. "The galaxy is a very hostile place, we're surrounded by aliens who seek nothing more than to destroy us; do the Iarins count themselves among them? Perhaps we'll find out. Other civilizations are powerful, but we are the vanguards of civilization in this galaxy."

She considered their proposal, much to the chagrin of her XO, whom scoffed. "Chairman... we have no need for these Xenos devices... our light-mass fabrication technology can more than outperform this... xenos technology."

"The Quorum needs to consider whether or not to open formal relations with these people; their technologies would be vital in fighting the Machine daemon.. and the Dominion, especially if we could reverse-engineer them." Inviere pondered. "Prepare a data packet with limited star charts gathered by our exploration teams, as well as an invitation to meet formally with our Quorum, and Parliament back on Langara."

Keying up the communications once more, Inviere hailed Assara with the answer to her request.

"I'm preparing to transmit some stellar cartography, as well as jump coordinates and authorization codes to send an emissary to our home world of Langara, where they will meet with the upper echelons of our government to foster further relations. However I want to make one thing abundantly clear; our Emperor was gracious in releasing your subjects the first time he was insulted, I cannot guarantee he will be as gracious a second time."
 
Assara listened quietly, letting the words wash over her. While she'd been prepared for combat, this seemed to be the direction they'd all been looking forward to: negotiation. From here on out, it would be sensible to continue with diplomacy, and she was actively keen on doing so. Once Inviere had finished speaking, the admiral would return her own reply.

"Gladly can I say that the Iarin have no desire to destroy another civilization. Those who have the stars at their fingertips are few and far between in the galaxy, or so we've noticed, and for us, peace is the end goal." She chuckled softly and sighed with a small amount of comfort and pleasure. "We are well prepared to receive your transmission, Chairman. How long do we have before the data becomes obsolete? I ask, because government, as is often the case, does like to take time in determining exactly who to send as delegates."

She clicked the microphone off and looked at her bridge crew, smiling. A moment later, Tenna was brought to the bridge under guard. Though she'd not expected him, she was pleased to see that, despite the captivity and life he'd been living, he was doing well enough, physically.

"You cannot trust the Aschen, Assara. They will wait for your back to turn and the-" He was interrupted by his guard ramming a rifle butt into his gut, causing him to double over as the air was driven from his lungs. As he gathered his wind back, the admiral continued to talk.

"Commodore Tenna, while we both know the familiarity we once shared exists, and that I personally do not find it rude to use, especially between us, but you are aboard my vessel, and you will utilize the respect that you have been taught by our upbringing. You have your rank, though you seem to ignore that fact as you spool about the galaxy of your own free will, and here you will be recognized as such. Your pardon from the Collective was surprising, and I'm glad to see you reinstated to command." She smiled warmly as he regained his composure, then looked at her like she was mad. The guard who'd struck him turned, dumbfounded and fearful.

"Reinstated?" he asked, incredulous. "Fuck me."
 
"Chairman... I've received a communique from the Minister of Defense, she's approved your submission for a diplomatic meeting with the Quorum." The executive officer reported, passing the Chairman the paper missive from the Ministry of Defense.

Inviere read it over carefully while listening to Assara's words.

"I would make the appropriate arrangements as soon as is feasible by your... government." She paused in that statement for a moment. Aschen government was efficient, given it's autocratic nature, and could reach decisions fairly quickly.

But other governments, especially democratic ones, were inefficient and rife with corruption. Inviere shuddered at the notion, that Xenos and minorities could ever have a say in Aschen politics.

"I would like to extend an invitation to bring a small contingent aboard my command carrier, to hold a small dinner while we exchange more information; and while future interactions won't be impacted on whether or not you accept my invitation, it would show that we can trust you."
 
Admiral Assara looked at Tenna with a knowing smile as the words came over the speaker system. "Commodore, you are to report to the Telphara and ascertain who among our people will be sent as a delegation to treat with the Aschen. You may disembark at the earliest convenience, aboard the ship you've named Solitude. She is waiting, fueled and ready for launch. Safe travels." She turned to the comms display again as Tenna left, grumbling about the insanity of his species, her smile still wide as she keyed up the mic once more.

"Of course, Chairman. Dinner sounds lovely. I'll have a shuttle prepped and outbound to your vessel here shortly. Your generosity and graciousness is well-received." She waved for the communication to be terminated, and then looked to her executive officer as he arrived on the bridge. She raised a hand as he opened his mouth to speak.

"You advice on the matters I've no doubt you wish to speak about is not necessary. Tenna will perform his duty, and I will travel across to eat with a potential ally. You would be welcome to come along, but as you are next in command, it would be poor planning to bring you. I shall take my personal cadre, and the seven of us will be fine, I assure you. Now, I must go and ready myself." With that, she walked off the bridge to her rooms aboard the Piabolle to freshen up.

~~~

Roughly an hour or so later, Assara and seven other female Iarin sat within the confines of one of the larger shuttle-like vessels the dreadnought carried. They were dressed not in military attire, but in more appropriate formal wear, dress-like garments covering them from shoulder to mid-calf. Each wore a different color, though all appeared to shimmer in the light, and among them, only Assara herself appeared to be wearing anything beneath hers. As they approached the Aschen vessel, the pilot would open up communications, asking permission to dock after stating the purpose of his request.
 
Inviere turned to her own XO and offered a nod. "Ready main bay three to accept guests, full military display, I want these people to know exactly who they're dealing with." Inviere ordered. "You have the conn."

With a brief exchange of salutes, the Chairman retired from the Rosa De Maius's CIC to freshen up herself, as well as relay the series of orders that would set into motion the formalities of the state dinner.

In the time it took for Assara to cross the void and approach the Command Carrier, legions of the Carrier's staff were ordered to put on a display to welcome their new guests; the ship's cooks prepared fresh vegetable dishes, with lean meats, olive oils, fresh fish, all in traditional Aschen fare. There were meat skewers, flatbreads, pasta dishes, and salads prepared with native Langaran fruits, vegetables, and real meats from livestock rather than meat reconstituted from the protein bank.

The smells of fresh Aschen foods filled the state section of the Command Carrier, as military chefs prepared the meal on such short notice, Inviere had opted to wear a formal Aschen uniform, a dark grey double breasted jacket trimmed with dark blue, adorned with various service awards and rank insignia.

The process to accept the shuttle took about an hour, with massive bay doors opening up, and docking clamps guiding the ship deeper into the Command Carrier, which was like the Reverences the previous Iarin delegation met, were massive. Though the Imperious Class was roughly half the size of the Reverence II, it still commanded a presence in the formation of Aschen warships.

Armored doors retracted, and the shuttle was secured by docking clamps that would pull it to the designated bay.

Affixed to a large gantry, the shuttle would be moved across the dozens of individual bays the Command Carrier housed, hundreds of strike craft, from Prowlers, to Raptor Talons could be seen affixed to their berths, technicians and other officials checking over their systems. It wasn't until the final set of doors retracted that the gantry released the shuttle to come to rest on yet another hangar platform.

Thousands of Aschen soldiers greeted them, standing in parade formation in the hangar bay, all at parade rest, creating a long corridor to the end of the hangar bay, and the tramway where Inviere, and some of her staff were waiting. The banner of the Aschen Empire, and the banner of the Rosa De Maius fluttered softly in the ventilated air behind them, providing a bit of color in the stark grey and red hangar bay.

When Assara and her cadre began to disembark, the officer in command shouted.

"Ad operam! Sinistro humero!" He called out, voice booming through the hangar bay.

In one singular movement, thousands of feet clicked together, causing the floor of the hangar bay to shudder ever slightly, the singular movement of rifles being shouldered, made a deafening clack inside the bay.

"Voca sunt!" The Lead officer cried.

"Ad Victoriam! Ad Victoriam! Ad Victoriam! Ad Victoriam!" The thousands of Aschen cried out, in unison, in a terrifying war cry, and a terrifying psychological show of force that filled the hangar bay.

In the silence to follow, a single officer in full regalia marched down the cooridor, his heels clicking in lock step as he Goose-stepped towards Assara and her delegation. Roughly five paces away, he came to a sudden stop, standing at attention.

"Chairman Gina Inviere, supreme commander of the Imperial Aschen Navy, and commander of this vessel welcomes you aboard her flagship, the Imperious Class Command Carrier; Rosa de Maius!" He called out. Then he offered a brisk salute, clicking his heels and bringing his fist to his chest. "Ad Victoriam!" He called out, before making an about turn, and Goose-stepping back to his original position besides the Chairman.

Standing at the end of a long corridor of Aschen soldiers, the Chairman waited, and watched Assara closely, gauging her reaction to all this.
 
As the Iarin delegation descended the ramp from their shuttle to the hangar's deck, they couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer size of the display before them. While they prized efficiency, which large-scale military shows like this tended to be the opposite of, the precision of execution and the simple fact that it was assembled in such a short time showed how orderly the Aschen could be. The women talked among themselves behind Assara, quietly remarking their thoughts to one another. As the officer approached, they stilled their conversations, unsure of whether or not the man would understand the Iarin tongue.

Assara waited until the man had returned to Inviere's side before stepping forward, the other Iarin following behind her. As she walked, the stark difference between her dress and the military uniforms around her became increasingly dramatic. Made from a shimmering purple material, as she moved it changed between the deepest violets all the way into the palest blues, a pearlescent rippling effect. It had no right sleeve, though her upper right arm was covered by the bodysuit she wore beneath the garment, unlike her followers, who bared their skin. The left sleeve hung to the wrist, with a large swath of cloth falling beyond that but not hindering the hand. Though the skirt fell to the floor, it was sleek and slim, with several portions made of a very pale material, contrasting the darker hues of the main fabric pleasantly. As she neared the Chairman, she smiled politely and stopped, bowing.

"Chairman Inviere, it is a pleasure to meet you in the flesh. You soldiers are quite impressive, and they maintain formation well. You and your military are to be commended for such efficiency." She turned to the side, gesturing to the six other women who'd walked with her. "These women, though they do not know your language and will be unable to introduce themselves, are one of several group aboard my vessel. They were picked to accompany me as security detail. You have my assurances they will not harm your or your men without unless it is to keep me or themselves safe, as I'm sure you would understand." She turned back to the woman, her smile still warm.

"Shall we? I'm eager to see what your culinarists have chosen to serve."
 
"I expect nothing less of the men and women of this command." Inviere replied, stepping aside, to allow Assara and her entourage to walk with her.

"Ad otium!" The commander shouted, and in unison, the men moved promptly to parade rest.

Simultaneous clacking followed, as rifles were brought from their shoulders, to the ground; and in one swift motion, brought to rest angled forward, their left hand folded behind their backs, with their right hands on the rifle's muzzle. The men said nothing as they quickly performed this maneuver.

Inviere began walking, her heels clicking lightly on the decking of the hangar bay, and as the group moved, the soldiers eyes followed, watching Assara ever closely.

Two more massive armored doors greeted them at the end of the column, revealing a tram station, one of the hundreds that traveled the length of the Command Carrier. It was a short tram ride to the guest section of the Command Carrier, and along the ride one could catch a glimpse of daily life aboard this behemoth warship.

The main body of the ship, of which they were aboard was constructed with a fairly open floorplan, separated by armored hangar bays in the lower section, a 'recreation' section in the mid part of the ship, which consisted of a large, self contained biosphere where food was grown, livestock was kept, and an artificial sun simulated conditions on your typical Aschen planet. Travel through this section of the ship was likely the most awe-inspiring of Aschen engineering, a simulated blue sky, and fields, wooded areas, and a park were spread out before them.

"The Rosa De Maius is one of our newer, Imperious class Command Carriers." Inviere explained. "Designed to operate in extended away missions far from the Empire, they're replacing our Reverence class, which your... previous scouts encountered." She explained. "Everything aboard this Command Carrier is recycled, waste is treated and used to fertilize our food, which is grown, and bred aboard this vessel." Inviere said, pointing down to a field of goats.

Passing through an armored bulkhead nearly five kilometers across the biosphere room, another tram station greeted them. This was the administration, and command and control level.

The tramway clunked, and came to a slow stop before the doors opened with a slight hiss. Inviere would be the first to step forward, leading them through hallways that were a stark contrast to the utilitarian nature of the hangar bays, finished with hardwood floors, whitewashed paneling on the walls, and bright lights overhead, the Administration section of the Rosa de Maius was furnished almost like a luxury ship.

Two large doors separated the hallway from the state room, diamond chandeliers cast a glittering light over a large round table that was packed with food from all corners of the Empire, freshly prepared and ready to eat.

A spit-roasting lamb rotated slowly over an open fire, stuffed with herbs, vegetables, and spices, the soft popping of cooking meat filled the room along with the smell of cooking lamb. Fresh pastas, vegetables, souvlaki, pita bread, and spanakopita along with fresh fish, salted fish pastes, and other flavorful dishes adorned the table along with wine, from the various Imperial Provinces.

Inviere paused briefly, to allow the Iarin to take it all in, and to admire the gold cutlery, crystal glasses, and white silk tablecloth, until her eyes finally moved towards a painting, an Aschen soldier standing over the slain corpse of some unspoken alien, the decapitated head of the creature held high by the unnamed soldier, in a victory pose.
 
As they passed the multitude of sights, the women with Assara made obviously interested and impressed sounds, though their words were purely in their native tongue. The admiral herself remained quiet, though politely attentive as they passed through the various areas. As they swapped from one tram to another, she briefly had the thought of setting up a similar system in their own vessels, though it might not be necessary. After all, even the Iarin dreadnoughts were nowhere near as large as a ship like this. They hadn't ever needed to be.

Upon arrival to the dining room, Assara actually chuckled ever so slightly. Whether it was the slightly macabre painting, or the finery with which the table was set, or the juxtaposition of the two, who could say, but she culled the mirth quickly, once more adopting a diplomatic demeanor. The scents from the table were delightful, if a bit strong to her. The six women with her walked into the room, awed into silence. While gold and other heavy metals were not unknown to their people, it wasn't at all common to see such blatant use of them. Gold and such was normally used in electronics and crystal had a home in material strengthening programs, so it was strange to see it used for something like dining material.

No, what impressed them most was, in fact, the tablecloth. Even Assara took a moment to touch the cloth out of surprise and even a small amount of indulgence.

"This is quite the dining fare you've supplied, Chairman. It looks wonderful, and smells as good as it looks. My compliments to your culinarists. I must ask, however, where you acquired this cloth? It is beautiful, the sort of thing that only our most decorated or regal societal members might have, though never in such a large quantity." She turned to look at the Aschen leader, curiosity and desire warring in her mind.

For a moment, she could understand how Tenna could both be impressed by and revile these people, as they flaunted wealth beyond imagining by placing it beneath lesser materials like gold and crystal.
 
"Thank you." Inviere said as she moved around the table, picking up one of the crystal chalices set upon the table, turning it over and glancing just briefly at the engraving at the bottom. "This dinnerware has been in my family for generations." She said, turning the crystal chalice upright and setting it on the table.

The brief indulgence Assara took in the tablecloth was not lost on Inviere, though it was real silk, such items were, even if luxury items, relatively commonplace within the Aschen Empire.

Inviere looked to the tablecloth, it was the standard tablecloth provided by the Empire for state dinners and the like, there were dozens of fine silk tablecloths like this one on the Rosa De Maius.

"There's a textiles corporation out of Aerilon that contracts with the Imperial Navy to furnish our textiles, flags, patches, uniforms, tablecloths like this one." Inviere explained, though the way she said it implied that fabrics like this one were no big deal, Sericulture was fairly well established, with dozens of companies that made silk textiles thanks to genetic engineering.

"Genetically engineered worms that feed on the Morus tree produce this silk in large quantities." She added, before pulling a chair back and taking a seat, one of her staff members pouring their drinks, Leonis Estates wine filled the crystal chalices before them, a sweet but somewhat dry wine, with an oily finish. Pita, with Tzatziki, along with some slices of lamb were served first, followed by a serving of fresh vegetables, mainly cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and a light vinegar dressing.

Not only would they find the tablecloth was silk, but so were the napkins, and the place-mats. The dark grey, with gold embroider place-mats matched the napkins, which had the crest of the Aschen Empire embroidered front and center.

Inviere waited for everyone to be seated, taking the napkin and opening it up, folding it neatly next to her plate, while raising her wine glass. "To future relations, and prosperity between our two people." She toasted, sipping her wine and dabbing her lips with the napkin. "Please, enjoy the bounties of our Empire."

While the Aschen were viewed from outside as an oppressive and warlike race, their blatant hedonism became apparent, they were truly a decadent society.
 
The seven Iarin women arrayed themselves around the table, each taking a chair calmly and raising their glasses only after Assara had done so herself. While it was not necessarily out of place for them to drink before her, they held her in extremely high regard and, because of it, would not take the lead on anything unless instructed to do so. They chattered about the wine briefly, some taking a liking to it, others placing their glasses back down softly, so as not to potentially damage the gorgeous cloth beneath them. One of them looked over to Assara and raised her hand, her first two fingers and her last finger on that hand raised. The Admiral took a moment and looked over, an eyebrow quirked.

"Assara Admiral, reports noted these Aschen as highly violent and aggressive, yet we are being treated with as much respect as one might find within the Collective. We are," the woman seemed to search for a word before finding it and continuing, "confused as to why those reports do not reflect here like the mirror the data would suggest." While the woman spoke entirely in the Iarin native tongue, her questioning tone was hardly hidden. Assara chuckled softly and responded in turn, nodding to Inviere politely.

"Just because they are not as a report may show does not mean they are false. I have every belief that the Aschen, while perhaps the same as we Iarin, are not so far different as to be dangerous." She gestured to the table as a whole. "Especially not if they can make such finery in large quantities. No civilization with such potential is wholly dangerous." Assara looked back to Inviere.

"My apologies, Chairman. My cohorts were simply confused by the differences between what information about your people we have compared to the firsthand experience. I assure you, they were nothing less than polite about what they asked, and they note that the wine is quite good." She took a bite of fish from her plate and tasted it, the sudden strong flavor filling her mouth with sensations that most Iarin food would avoid. It tasted wonderful, if still foreign.

"I, personally, would have to agree with them. The food is wonderful, and those involved have my compliments and congratulations."
 
Taking a small sip of her wine, Inviere paid close heed to the cohort of Iarin speaking to their Admiral, she noted inflections, body language, and the visible confusion they seemed to hold.

"Make no mistake, Admiral." Inviere said, dabbing at the corner of her mouth with the silken napkin. "The Core philosophy of this military is simple, We must secure the existence of our people, and a future for our Aschen Children." She said, quoting a founding military doctrine within the Aschen Empire.

"All of this before you, is a small glimpse into our way of life, a way of life that our people are willing to defend, and you know what they say about the best defense." Placing the napkin down, she reached out to pull some meat from the rotating lamb carcass, laying it down on her plate. "Few see this aspect of our society, as we project as violent and totalitarian civilization, but the reality is, while our people have willingly given up their personal liberties in the name of security, and a strong central government, they are far from oppressed."

Turning back to the subject of food, she inclined her head in gratitude. "I arranged for the finest chefs aboard this carrier to prepare this meal, everything we're eating, save for the wine is locally produced, aboard this ship. Each one of these Command Carriers has a self contained biosphere; we find it works wonders for morale during long tours away from the Empire."
 
Assara smiled politely, spending some time quiet as she ate, finishing what she'd originally placed on her plate. She folded her hands in her lap demurely, listening to her compatriots chatter before looking back to Inviere.

"I truly appreciate the hospitality you've shown us, Chairman. Tell me, aside from simply preserving their way of living, for cultural preservation is not wholly unique, what drives the Aschen people?" She paused, placing her fingertips against her upper chest. "For instance, we Iarin find that while our culture values enjoying what is available and slowly working to better the world around you as you better your own standing, exploring the unknown is a premiere pasttime." She chuckled.

"And that's both on a physical and mental line of thinking, mind you. So with so much in abundance for your people, different from us as they are, I'm curious about the drive of your people as a whole." It was a non-sequitur to what Inviere had said, but Assara was trying to politely keep the conversation more pedestrian than military.
 
Inviere pondered the inquiry for a moment, she had to think what drove her people, between the propaganda, the state, and the will of the party, what actually drive her people to do what they did besides securing their own existence. "We are driven to bring order to the galaxy." She said, nodding. "We're driven to expand our capabilities, explore new horizons."

She took another bite of her food. "We're driven to experience new things, learn all we can about the universe around us... really there's no really singular driving force behind us, rather there are numerous different influences all working in harmony."

"There is one thing... our people have been searching for a planet, a holy land, a world in which we fled during a great cataclysm, that was what drove us out among the stars." Inviere said, taking a sip of her drink. "Langara is not our original homeworld."
 
"Your species was driven from it's home planet? That isn't terribly common, from the knowledge of the Iarin. Some species do it to themselves, but it is far more rare than our history tells us was once predicted." Assara paused, then looked away for a moment, her gaze becoming unfocused.

"I can sympathize with your other desires. The Iarin seek the furthest stars, to know what lays among them. Where you search for a home long lost, we search for a home as of yet unknown. Our legends say that we will find a place, one day, where the light of three suns, one Green, one Violet, and one White, will shine upon our people. That world, wherever it may be, will be the one place where we will be forever safe from all danger." She realized that she'd begun to recite a paraphrase of rhetoric long-established and stopped herself, a wistful grin coming to her mouth before she finished the food on her plate, resting her utensils demurely.

"My apologies, Chairman. I had not meant to ramble." She sipped at her wine, finishing off the glass with a few moments more of drinking, then took stock of herself. Within her, her partner stirred at the introduction of further alcohol. It queried why the ingestion of bodily toxins and then began releasing chemicals to break it down before the alcohol could impair Assara. She rolled her eyes mentally, but thanked her partner regardless.
 
"Well, the absolute ancestral homeworld of our people has been found, a planet that is holy to us, and we've traced the journey of our ancestors across the stars, and though many of their colonies have been lost to us, this world in particular was rumored to be extremely fertile, a beautiful planet that orbited a distant yellow star, had one orbiting satellite, and was in a rather resource rich solar system." Inviere explained. "We suspected Valore was the planet described in our legends, but we soon discovered it was not." Inviere added.

Inviere finished her wine, and summoned the Waiter to bring her a glass of Ambrosia. "Ancestral home-worlds or not, the United Aschen Empire stands as the bastion of humankind's supremacy among the stars." She said proudly. "There will come one day, that this Empire shall spread out and rule with a just, and fair order among the stars, without extragalactic interference."

"You look to your future, we look to our past, two very different points of view, would you not agree?" The Chairman asked, gesturing to the table before her.

"How does that fit in the grand scheme of things between our two civilizations? We are not exactly a people keen on peacefully coexisting with other alien species, humanity's supremacy is mandated in the very programming of our culture."
 
"Humankind? Humanity?" Assara asked briefly, only to realize something. "Ah, you refer to your species as Humans. Strange, considering the numerous claimed homeworlds you have, as a species. We teach those interested in xenoscience that you're called Terrans." She chuckled softly and sighed, demurely placing her utensils across her plate, indicating she was done eating.

"My apologies. Still, I do agree that we have varying viewpoints. For the Iarin, the galaxy is not a stopping point. We have our homeworld here, in the Onyx galaxy, but we yearn for the stars beyond. With the motto of our people being 'Advance to the Farthest Horizon', intergalactic travel is a goal of our people. I would tell you our eventual intent, but despite my ranking in the Iarin I'm not privy to that knowledge."

She reached out and sipped the wine once more, then set the glass down. As she shifted in her seat, leaning forward somewhat more, the light caught off her dress, causing a scintillation of colors to ripple across her body. The fabric was not of any material known outside of Iarin space, but was highly beautiful to look at.
 
Back
Top