[CLOSED] The Kaitheia Initiative

[RIPSaidCone]

Kaitheia Initiative
Axani Explorational Command
Leader: Directress. Kelrite T'nasava
Location: Xassia System, Planet Nuvais
Date: 5.11 - 3507AF

Movement appeared in what had once been the black void of space yet again as the latest batch of AEC ships warped into the newly named Xassia System, in the orbit of Nuvais. A barren and rocky world with little atmosphere to speak of, though that was changing at this very moment as the Xanaforming equipment had already been placed onto the planet and was working away already, constructing an entirely new life-sustaining world from the lifeless remnants of the old one. The same was being done in another 11 systems neighboring the Xassia one to a wide variety of different planets, reforming them in the Axani's own comfortable image, currently the 980,000 Axani and Zakari colonists that would soon be living on Nuvais were residing on-board one of the many multi-kilometer long ships that had arrived in the system as was the same for all other 11 systems being colonised in the Kaitheia galaxy. Or as many of the other species called it, the Milky Way. In an effort to prepare for future expansion from the Axani, the Council had passed legislation allowing for the Axani Explorational Command to begin colonising the outer regions of the Kaitheia galaxy as to have a connection of sorts between their territory in the Andromeda and in the Kaitheia. The Axani Defense Force had been deployed in sizeable strength to protect the colonisation effort and orbital defense platforms were already being established around the soon to be colonies.

At the head of all this was Directress. Kelrite T'nasava, a well-renowned scientific director from the Inner Systems well into her Adulthood at 478 years old, supported by her trusted team of younger scientists who were all collectively in-charge of ensuring that the Initiative went off without a hitch technology wise whilst their military counterparts ensured the same thing in a different sense. By the end of the initial colonisation phase, the Axani-Zakari population in Kaitheia would number around 10.7 million as the Federation begins to spread out from their territory in the Andromeda and the formerly known Outer Systems are developed to a much greater extent than before the Initiative began due to a recent baby boom from the Inner Systems leading to an increased demand for more comfortable living space in the Federation.

Of course the public was both happy and nervous to see expansion into the Kaitheia galaxy due to the unwanted attention it could bring. Though the Council had been quick to issue calm among the population as all the necessary precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of the colonists and that any hostile forms would not be able to trace them back to the Federation, in-charge of the military protection of the Initiative was Sub-Archon Vitrius Kallinsus; a well experienced Zakari ADF officer who had supervised the colonization of other systems in the past and was known for his ability to compromise with the science teams accompanying him, something which many other military officers found difficult to do. If all goes as planned, the Initiative is expected to finish its initial colonization phase within the year, research teams were the first on-planet to begin the process of gathering samples for study prior to the Xanaforming so that they could compare the samples from before and after. Allowing them to learn more about how well their Xanaforming technology works and how to improve it if needed, it was standard protocol to do so needless to say.

Meanwhile from the comfort of her cabin on-board the AXF Unity the flagship of the Initiative, Kelrite T'nasava spoke with her Lifemate; Anura over the X-work. Anura was still living back on Karusia; the shared homeworld of both Kelrite and herself, working as a Genetic Engineer. Kelrite sat on her bed, smiling up to the picture-perfect hologram of Anura who was currently smiling back, "So, how's your little project going?" She asked teasingly, "As good as it could ever be, and for the tenth time its not just a 'little project' it's a full-scale colonization program." Kelrite replied, obviously both women were just playing with one another though she knew that Anura just described her Initiative as such to get on her nerves, or try to at least. Anura had never been the best at convincingly teasing people, it was adorable in its own way. "Yes of course, of course." Anura said mockingly, to which Kelrite chuckled. "Seriously though. How's it going? Is everything on schedule?" The tone shifted and Kelrite knew her partner was being genuine this time, she nodded. "It's going perfectly, the planets should be habitable and the colonists living on them within the year." Anura's expression changed at that, "A year? Since when did it only take that long?" She questioned in surprise, "We've had a long time to work on our methods." The answer seemed good enough, Anura nodding as she thought over it. "What types of planets are you gonna make them into?" She asked, "Most of them are going to be continental in nature, though we are turning one into a tropical planet of sorts for future tourism." Anura laughed at that, "Tourism? Don't we already have enough tropical resorts?" Kelrite nodded in confirmation, "I know but it was Command's idea, plus the idea of going to a resort in another galaxy must appeal to a lot of people." Anura saw the logic in that part. "Sure, I suppose. So when are you getting back to me and Valo?" Kelrite sighed, running a hand on her blue head fringe. "The rest of this year at least, maybe even halfway into next year. They haven't given an exact date, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I won't miss Valo's birthday, don't worry." She smiled.

"Good, Valo misses you and you know how excited she's been about that party she's going to be having." Kelrite nodded in response, thinking it over. "I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll be there and I might even bring her something from Kaltheia. Send her my love--" She had been about to continue when a Zakari soldier had rushed into her room, mandibles raising up and down as he caught his breath. "Sorry to interrupt ma'am but the Bridge has got something on their scanners. It's not one of ours." Kelrite's eyes widened slightly at that, turning back to the perfectly clear and colorized hologram, Anura's face twisting into one of concern. "What's going on?" Kelrite wasted little time in responding, "We've just seen something, probably an asteroid or something silly like that. Don't worry, I'll be right back." She smiled, blowing Anura a kiss and Anura doing the same as the hologram shut off. The Axani scientist throwing on her coat and following the soldier to the bridge to see what the scanners had picked up.
Thrace ​

 

[Thrace]

The Provisional Government of the Federated Colonies
Die Provisorische Regierung der Föderierten Kolonien

"Einheit, Freiheit, und Gleichheit!"
"Unity, Freedom, and Equality!"
​

CMS Karl von Teschen (KVT-HC1), Heritage Class Battlecarrier

A young officer saluted his superior in the purest Colonial military way, coming at attention by clicking his heels, placing his left hand straight down and against his leg, placing the clenched fist of his right hand on his chest, right over his heart. His superior however, as she was sitting at a desk, clearly visible through the hologram, only answered through a normal and easy military salute. "Frau Sternenadmiral, Konteradmiral Albert Bernhard, waiting for orders.", the young man said calmly. From this very sentence it would have been really easy to notice that, despite the fact that both of them had the rank of Admiral, the differences between their two particular ranks were putting the man a couple good ranks below that of his superior, especially in the rigid ranking system of the Bundeswehr. "At ease, Konteradmiral Bernhard.", his superior answered.

The man moved his left foot out, reaching his hands behind his back, continuing to stand straight, facing forward, looking directly at the hologram, waiting. Of course, he was the same person as before, but this time, unlike during the last battle that the Battlegroup Admiral von Teschen had fought, his light blonde hair was well arranged, and his light blue eyes looked well and ready. He was wearing the standard officer uniform of the Kriegsflotte, the Fleet of War of the Federated Colonies, with the long, dark blue coat with its dark red accents and pockets, the white shirt, the black tie, the dark blue military trousers, the black military boots. Nothing particularly out of order, except for the fact that entire uniform was worn, letter by letter, exactly how the Index said that it should be worn. Even the dark blue peaked hat was worn perfectly, and the metallic golden accents of the uniform showed that he was among the upper ranks of the Officer Corps. The armband with the flag and the emblem of the Colonies certainly showed his allegiance, just like the emblem of the Kriegsflotte. And on his collar, the young officer was wearing a metallic golden decoration, in the form of a twelve-pointed star. The Kriegstern, Zweite Class. The Star of War, Second Class, one of the highest military decorations of the Colonies.

His superior on the other hand, was a woman, but not a human one. She was wearing a similar uniform, but even if not all of it was visible, it was clearly the female variant of it, with a skirt and all sorts. But even if she looked like a woman, the best way to actually describe her would have been.. well, she was formed out of a blue-yellow, gelatinous slime-like thingy, that looked like a human woman, mostly blue, with the exception of a yellow part that kinda looked like hair, with green eyes, generally looking pretty human, if one were to ignore the entire slime part, the most important part of her though seemed to be the red, crystal like part right over her chest. Her uniform also identified her as a part of the Kriegsflotte, and she had a similar decoration, though, it was the First Class variant of the Star of War, once again confirming her superior position. And she started to speak.

"We have received information about a previously unknown nation presently colonizing a series of systems in the outer rim of the galaxy. The sentinels checked the intel, and it proved to be true, now we need a ship to investigate it, and if possibly, make a first contact. The von Teschen is the closest vessel that we have. You will be reinforced by a battlecruiser and a battledestroyer." The young man remained quiet. "Try to make a peaceful first contact with them, and avoid a conflict at any costs. No Foreign Office delegate is close enough, so you will have to manage all the diplomatic problems by yourself. Of course, unless those are Keltakens. Case in which, you are allowed to use all the nuclear weaponry at your disposal. Understood?" Albert went back into the saluting position, clicking his heels. "Jawohl, Frau Sternenadmiral!", he promptly answered. "Very well.I will send you all the necessary details. Dismissed.. and good luck."

And with that, the transmission ended. The Colonial returned to a more casual position, as he returned to his seat. With the information being received, the von Teschen was preparing to jump, with a febrile activity taking over the main deck, the officers and their holographic stations working at full power. "We are ready, Herr Konteradmiral.", a woman's voice was heard, and the Colonial turned around to see a young woman, with a long and neat blonde hair, and dark blue eyes, wearing a dark gray with red uniform. The human model, or the android, of the Karl von Teschen. The crew called her Karla, the human embodiment of the ship's core and central systems. That's why her name came from the feminine form of the ship's male name, as for some reason, most of the human models ended up as females, but the Science Division was working on more models, and apparently, also on alien models, though that was well, still only a rumor. "Proceed with the jump.", the Colonial ordered, and the last preparations were made. This mission was going to have its risks.. but he hoped that it was going to be just a standard first contact mission... nothing more.

FTL DRIVES, ONLINE. 3, 2, 1.. JUMP.

And with that, the Karl von Teschen disappeared.

Only to reappear, jumping in a completely different place. This was a system that had never been properly recorded by the Colonials, which was pretty normal, considering that it was in the outer areas of the galaxy. Not even a nation such as large as the Colonies could ever hope to know the entire Milky Way, so caution was indeed, more than simply advised by the Oberkommando der Kriegsflotte, the OKK, or, to say it in Galactic Standard, the High Command of the Fleet of War. After jumping, the Karl von Teschen remained there long enough for the scanners of anyone nearby to pick it up, and soon enough, three other ships jumped in, entering formation around the larger battlecarrier. The battlecruiser CMS Hochkirch, and the battledestroyers CMS Leberecht and CMS Schultz. The small group of Colonial ships remained in a defensive position, activating their shields and synchronizing their systems, but refraining from any offensive actions, simply starting to scan the system they were in.

"A ship has been detected sir. Origin, faction, unknown.", Karla announced, as the AFX Unity appeared on the main holographic screen of the Karl von Teschen, and as the commander of the Colonial group stood up, a little concerned. "Should we hail it, sir?", the android asked, and Konteradmiral Bernhard answered quickly. "Remain in a defensive position, start redirecting energy towards the Klein Fields. Send a standard message to the unknown ship, and let's see how the Räuber responds." A couple of moments of silence followed, before Karla reported. "Message sent, sir." The officer sighed. "And now we wait."

To the unknown vessel in the sector, this is the 595th Battlegroup of the Colonial Fleet of War. We are the flagship of the battlegroup, the CMS Karl von Teschen, escorted by three other vessels of the Fleet of War, the CMS Hochkirch, the CMS Leberecht, and the CMS Schultz. We are here to represent the Federated Colonies on a survey mission, to check the information that we have received about a foreign and unknown activity in the sector. We wish to open a diplomatic communication, and we have no sort of hostile intent. We hope that you will identify yourself and answer in a peaceful manner. Karl von Teschen, over.​

Terms

Spoiler

• Konteradmiral- Counter Admiral
• Sternenadmiral- Star Admiral
• Herr- sir
• Frau- lady
• Jawohl- A really strong form of yes
• Räuber- literally bandit, a Colonial military jargon term used to refer to unknown ships and contacts.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

"Welcome to the Axani Defense Force database."
"Please await necessary identity confirmation."
>Scan_Per:892830019
>Scan Complete
"Identity confirmed, welcome; Sub-Archon Kallinsus"

The room around the Sub-Archon turned far darker, the lights surrounding him switching off as holograms appeared all around him. Consisting of furniture and decorations commonly seen in the offices of the ADF's higher-ranking personnel. Items like military medals and ribbons, ancient portraits of Axani and Zakari military commanders dating back millennia, though of course even such ancient portraits were not considered as rare as most other cultures would consider them. Given the rich cultural substance of both the Axani and Zakari's histories. These holograms much like the one Directress. Kelrite had been using were completely colored in and not transparent in the slightest, it was almost as if the Sub-Archon had been teleported to the room itself. Though this was not the case, the sound of footsteps were heard as the Sub-Archon's superior approached. Entering the holographic room as a detailed hologram himself, the older looking Zakari man clearly being the owner of the simulated office wherever it was actually located. His mandibles raised as did the armored plates that resembled eyebrows as he looked over the Sub-Archon, sitting behind his desk as he awaited an explanation as to why his subordinate had called for him.

"You requested an audience with me?" The man said in a tone which clearly put across how he was expecting something to come of this, he was Vice-Archon Terrian Catranius, a member of the ADF's Board of Admirals and a well-experienced military commander when it came to first encounters. His patience was clearly limited as it was with many of the other projects that had been designated under his blanket of command. The Kaitheia Initiative, as important as it was was only one of many similar expansion projects that the Vice-Archon had been ordered to supervise. Obviously this had taken a toll on the amount of free time he had, and the Sub-Archon had just interrupted it with his request. "I did, sir. One of my Battlecruisers just reported a warp into the Xassia System, the ships that arrived don't belong to us. We have confirmed it this to be a first-contact scenario." The Vice-Archon's attention almost instantly grew. "Have you determined the origin of these ships? I trust you have already gone through the Archives?" He questioned curiously, to which the Sub-Archon nodded in return. "We believe these ships belong to the Federated Colonies." Was all he said, his superior nodding for a moment as he thought things over.

"What are our orders, sir?" The Sub-Archon questioned, almost impatiently which was new for him. Though clearly he was pressed for time given the first-contact scenario currently playing out. "This is to be a friendly encounter, though ready your weapons in-case of a worst case scenario. Fire only if fired upon and prepare your shields, move the civilian ships out assumed range and be ready to defend them. Those civilian ships are top priority here. Ensure that the planet-side failsafes are ready to go just in-case. I shall contact the Board and the Council and inform them of this." The Vice-Archon said sternly, this was clearly the plan which was to be carried out, no second-guessing or thoughts required. The Sub-Archon nodded with a casual salute, which consisted of him hitting his flat out hand across his chest two times with his fingers closed together as he did so. The hologram closing down as the normal lighting returned to the large room, the Sub-Archon quickly leaving as he returned to the command deck of his flagship, a Spacecraft Carrier, the Citadel-class; AXF Laevitius named after one of the many Zakari military commanders which fought during the invasion of the Visakavi.

The command deck of the ship was rather quiet as he arrived, as the officers on-deck were busy directing their orders around the fleet. Sub-Archon Kallinsus had already given the orders over his implants on the way up to the deck and everyone there was busy working away with both their own implants and the systems already built-into the ship. The ship's 25 different AI were all working at their full capacity as shields were put up and weapons readied, the civilian and research ships were hidden away behind the many Battlecruisers of the defense fleet and the ships approached the Federated Colonies in their typical defensive formation. Not aggressive in nature though clearly on-guard as would be expected during a first-encounter. Kallinsus looked over the many rows of floors that took up the command deck, all filled up with many different Axani and Zakari naval personnel all working away at their pieces of technology. Upon recieving the transmission, it was translated using the information already within the Archives and a reply was formulated in the Federated Colonies' own chosen language. Though the origin of the ships was proved correct from what the Axani fleet had gathered which served to somewhat relief the Sub-Archon, at least they weren't going into this blind.

"Greetings to the Karl von Teschen. This is the AXF Laevitius of the 492nd Civil Defense Detachment of the 18th Defense Fleet and we are joined by multiple other military vessels and are currently in-charge of defending a number of civilian vessels. Protocol restricts me from disclosing any more information to you until further notice. Though we are authorized to open channels of communication and to engage in friendly and diplomatic conduct with you and the nation you represent. We can assure you that our activities here will not prove any great concern to you or your leaders. Leavitius, over."​

 

[Thrace]

The Provisional Government of the Federated Colonies
Die Provisorische Regierung der Föderierten Kolonien

"Einheit, Freiheit, und Gleichheit!"
"Unity, Freedom, and Equality!"
​

CMS Karl von Teschen (KVT-HK1), Heritage Class Battlecarrier

The unknown ships had clearly turned to a formation, which initially alarmed the small Colonial Battlegroup, but the sensors indicated that it was a defensive formation, so there was nothing to worry about. From initial scans, it seemed that this mysterious faction was grouping its civilian ships behind its military ones, to protect them, a perfectly understandable move. The desperate attempts of the Colonies to defend their civilians from the Keltaken monsters had led to the failures of the first diplomatic meetings between the Federal Republic and the Acruani Collective, and then between the Federal Republic and the Dothvalian Confederacy, but those were different times, and different situations. There were no bloodthirsty Keltakens attacking civilians and performing war crimes around here, and this was no battle yet. And it seemed that just like the Colonials, the foreigners had no sort of intention to create hostility. So the Colonial ships remained in their own defensive formation, not doing anything else that could be possibly interpreted as a threat.

When the answer to their message was received, the Colonials were at least a little surprised to see it returned in Colonial Standard, though in a slightly more archaic form. Probably the foreigners had information on them, but a slightly older one. Of course, it wasn't a problem that the Colonial Network and Kobol couldn't get over. The bigger problem was, the Colonies still had no sort of reliable information over who these foreigners were. While the Colonial information over the Milky Way, and over the human inhabited Andromeda was pretty large, big parts of the Andromeda and of the Triangulum were still mysterious for the Colonials. These foreigners must have come from those parts, though the closest bet as of now was the Andromeda. "Don't we anything about them? At all?", Konteradmiral Bernhard asked, a little concerned. "Nein, Herr Konteradmiral.", the human model of the Karl von Teschen replied, shaking her head. Well, there wasn't much they could do, but to continue the discussion. A message was soon sent back, and the leader of the Colonial force awaited, for a holographic conference.

Greetings to the AXF Laevitius of the 492nd Civil Defense Detachment of the 18th Defense Fleet. We understand that you might be restricted by protocol, we have our own restrictions too. However, as this battlegroup has been sent here under the suspicion of the possibility of a first contact scenario with an unknown faction, the commanding officer of the operation, Counter Admiral Albert Bernhard of the Fleet of War of the Federated Colonies, has received full diplomatic powers on this matter. We are grateful for your assurances, and as long as your faction does not do anything hostile in this sector, the Federated Colonies would be more than willing to open diplomatic relations with your faction. As a beginning, we would like to request a holographic conference between our commanding officer and whoever is in charge of your operation. Karl von Teschen, over.

​

 

[RIPSaidCone]

The Sub-Archon was made aware of the fact that the formation of the Colonial ships hadn't changed since they arrived, and that from initial observation that their formation was one of a defensive nature rather than an aggressive one. That was reassuring, not to mention that they hadn't done anything else since they arrived minus contact them. The colony and research ships had all moved behind the Battlecruisers now and were strengthening their shields in the event of a surprise attack from the Colonial fleet though the Sub-Archon doubted the likelihood of that ever happening. Back home in Andromeda word of the first contact between the Axani and Colonies was spreading among the higher levels of government and military and the High Councilor herself had been made aware of the ongoing situation. New orders had been given to the Sub-Archon via his implant to maintain a defensive stature and to not provoke the Colonial fleet if possible though to ensure the safety of the civilian vessels at any cost.

Kallinsus had called upon one of the ship's many AI to bring up all the information that the Federation had on the Colonies, and from what he could tell the foreign fleet consisted of two battledestroyers, one battlecruiser and one battlecarrier. Those were the Colonial designations for those vessels anyway, "Sir, the Colonies have responded to our message." A young Axani sailor mentioned to the Sub-Archon, who nodded firmly. One of the ship's AI bringing the reply up for all to hear. They wanted a holographic conference between themselves and Directress Kelrite? Assuring them that the Federation would not act hostile in the Kaltheia Galaxy was one thing but the Zakari wasn't even sure if he was authorized to show the Colonials what an Axani looked like. The Council had always been incredibly protective of any and all information relating to the Federation and its people and it was justifiable given the rest of the universe's track record. He ran a finger down one of his mandibles in thought as he tried determining how to respond.

"Kallassi." He called, his personal AI assistant appearing next to him instantly. She had the appearance of an Axani in a naval uniform with a beret looking hat perched atop the blue colored crest on the back of her head and one could even confuse her with a real Axani. "Yes, sir?" She asked. "What are the Council's given protocols for showing the appearance of a Federation species during first contact with a Class-1 civilization?" He questioned her with, Kallassi coming up with an instant response. "Council protocol dictates that in a first contact scenario with a civilization of sufficient technological advancement that showing the appearance of any Federation species is allowed if the civilization is deemed friendly or of no-threat to the Federation." Kallinsus nodded in response, "Thank you, Kallassi." She nodded with a smile before disappearing from sight.

It was around then that the Directress entered the Bridge. Rushing in and throwing on her white coat, she flattened her clothing before stepping up beside the Sub-Archon. Looking over to the Zakari man as she spoke up, "I saw their communications. They appear friendly enough." She started with, the Sub-Archon nodding. "They do, they wish for a holographic conference with you, would you be up to it?" He questioned, as of course she was the leader of the Kaitheia Initiative but he was the leader of the Initiative's security so either one could handle communications if needed. She nodded however, "This could be a historical moment in intergalactic relations, I wouldn't miss this." Kallinsus nodded once more, stepping away from the circular pad which was at the center of the bridge and gesturing for Kelrite to step onto it, which she did.

"We have no intentions of enacting any hostilities in this sector, you have our most sincere assurances on that. We are willing to begin this holographic conference as well and we shall hail your systems in-order to begin the conference." Was the message sent back as Kelrite fixed her science uniform yet again.

Spoiler: Kelrite T'nasava

Spoiler: Science Uniform

​

 

[Thrace]

The Provisional Government of the Federated Colonies
Die Provisorische Regierung der Föderierten Kolonien

"Einheit, Freiheit, und Gleichheit!"
"Unity, Freedom, and Equality!"

​

The holographic conference opened, only for Albert to see whoever was the leader of the mysterious faction, part of an unknown alien race, at least from what he could see. Nothing from the alien's appearance was giving him any sort of clues about its gender, origins, or allegiance, or anything, but as the conference started, the Colonial Network was already taking every last piece of information that it could, comparing it to the data of the Archives. The Archives were huge, containing so much of the information gathered by the Federated Colonies, and the information of their precursors, but even with all of that at their disposition, there was no guarantee that they had any sort of data about this particular species. The universe, even the close and better known part of it, was a vast space. No faction could ever claim to know all that was in it, even if of course, there were much greater chances for the foreign party to recognize his species, that being the other main reason for why he, as a human, had been sent as the commander of this first contact mission. Very few other races had come to be as well known as the human race, with all the good and the bad, but nations like the Colonies had started to fix the reputation of the humans as a whole. Of course, now the H.C.A. was threatening that entire hard earned, new reputation.. but that was a story for another day.

As the conference opened, Konteradmiral der Kriegsflotte Albert Bernhard saluted in the military way of the Colonial Armed Forces, once again, coming at attention with his clenched first over his chest, an old gesture symbolizing one's complete dedication, and willingness to give away its life for the Colonies. Of course, he had no sort of information about the other faction's gestures or manners, so as such, in first contact situations, each faction used to salute the other in its own way. Albert was of course, a little surprised about the willingness of the mysterious faction to begin with a holographic conference, but well, each nation had its protocols, and the faction seemed to be friendly enough to justify such a conference, in the xenophilic diplomatic protocol of the Federation. He just hoped that this was going to end well. Perhaps a couple of years ago, he would have said a short prayer in his head.. but well, the Second Intergalactic War, the Interim Wars, the Second Great War, and the Brothers' War, even if taken individually, tended to make anyone, even the superstitious humans, to question the existence of divinity. e As such.. religions were in a free fall, now nearly fully replaced by the belief in the power of science and rationality that had always characterized the Colonies.

"Greetings.", the Colonial officer saluted, beginning to speak in a calm voice. "I am Counter Admiral Albert Bernhard of the War Fleet of the Federated Colonies, Captain of the Colonial Military Ship Karl von Teschen, and Commander of the 595th Battlegroup. We were sent here as representatives of our nation in what was assumed to be a possible first contact scenario. In the name of the many races and nations of the Federated Colonies, we would like to announce our full intention of opening friendly relations with your faction and race."

Spoiler: Albert Bernhard

Spoiler: Standard Officer Uniform of the Kriegsflotte

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Whilst the Colonial Counter-Admiral gave his introductions, the Sub-Archon stood off to the side, not seen via the holographic conference though clearly growing somewhat irritated. He had quickly regretted allowing this conference to take place, simple communications were one thing but knowing that those humans were more than likely recording every inch of T'nasava so they would know more about the Axani infuriated him. It was always said that Zakari males were overly protective of the group they came from, their families and females. Which made them the perfect soldiers in all honesty, though they also tended to have a short temper when it came to those who were different from themselves. Prior to their introduction to the Axani and their Federation the Zakari had been rather prejudice and still held some of that old trait to them even now and obviously from what they had heard about Humanity, the incredibly large and from what the rumors told incredibly violent species that had spread across the known universe, a man such as the Sub-Archon wouldn't be entirely easy-going with that same species gaining a glimpse at what the Axani looked like. But he folded his armor-plated bare arms and held his reservations until later.

Meanwhile the more enthusiastic Directress smiled towards the Human male that stood across from her, the Axani's own hologram of him making it seem as if he was really on-board the ship. She closely observed the way the male saluted though knowing she would be able to watch this conference again sometime later for further study. Kelrite was no soldier and so no salute was given back, a simple nod managing to suffice for the Axani scientist. "Greetings, Counter Admiral Bernhard. I am very glad to hear that you and your people are willing to open friendly relations with us as we only desire peace between ourselves and those we encounter, I speak on behalf of my leaders when I say that we would be just as open to friendly relations and I hope we may both be able to go about our interactions with ease." The Directress spoke in near-fluent Colonial Standard, though she wasn't perfect obviously not many people outside of a native speaker could be in most languages. It was a requirement for the Axani science members in the Kaitheia Initiative to learn the multiple known languages of the Kaitheia Galaxy.

"Unfortunately due to certain security restrictions. I am greatly limited to what I may tell you about myself, my people or the nation I represent, our foreign policy is somewhat isolationist in nature and I am certain my government would not approve of me informing newly encountered nations of our people without their consent. However I do appreciate the Colonies' willingness to be transparent with us and I believe it would be our desire to form some kind of treaty to assure that either of our two factions do not intrude on the other's business. What would you say to something such as that?" She questioned, what was their word for it? "A..Non-Aggression Treaty I believe your people call it." She finished her sentence with. ​

 

[Thrace]

The Provisional Government of the Federated Colonies
Die Provisorische Regierung der Föderierten Kolonien

"Einheit, Freiheit, und Gleichheit!"
"Unity, Freedom, and Equality!"

​

Of course, the Colonials were seeing nothing wrong in recording information about the other party, as they of course expected them to record as much as possible about themselves too. Information was power, that was said, and even if they had no intention of using that information wrongly, the Colonials were certainly always interested about previously unknown races. Of course, this was maybe a little unfair, since the representative of the Colonies was a human, and the humans were fairly well known throughout the Local Group.. but Albert himself was a Genome user after all, and that was a much more recent and more evolved variant of Mankind. Nevertheless, the Colonials were also carefully observing the reactions of the alien to see its reactions to speaking with a human. Unfortunately, the majority of the humans of the Colonies still had to unfairly live under the bloody reputation of their ancestors. From that point of view, using a human as the commander of a first contact mission might not seem to be the wisest choice, but it was important for the Colonies, which contained such a big human population, to try to learn the attitude against humans that other races could possibly have.

As for Albert himself, he was rather surprised to hear the alien speaking in Colonial Standard, but in retrospective, that probably wasn't all that weird. CS was after all, one of the most spoken languages of the Milky Way, and together with Galactic Standard, GS, it was the best known human language in the known universe. Of course, the alien wasn't fully fluent in it, but she spoke it extremely well for an alien that had most likely come from a different galaxy. The weirder thing though was those security restrictions that the alien mentioned. Unfortunate, but understandable, especially for isolationist states. The Colonies were on the other pole, as they were very open and transparent. In certain matters of course, no Colonial diplomat or officer would ever started to give military or any sensitive information to foreigners, and even the information that was given to them in the case of a first contact scenario was relatively limited. But always willing to open friendly diplomatic relations with foreign nations and races as they were, the Colonies clearly had a different foreign policy from the mysterious nation that they were currently meeting.

"Well, I am more than able to sign a temporary Non-Aggression Treaty, and to open discussions for a permanent one, but the latter would have to be voted upon by the Federal Diet and ratified by the Federal Council. Because of the restrictions of our Constitution, the Articles of Colonization. However, as the Colonies are always open for friendly relations with other nations and races, I do no believe that reaching a permanent Non-Aggression Treaty is going to be difficult, the Colonies will however require more information about your people and your nation to sign such a permanent treaty. The only case in which the Colonies would refuse to sign one would be if a faction would be actively oppressing and persecuting other races. The Federated Colonies strongly believe in the right to freedom and equality of all races in the universe."

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Perhaps it would be unwise to let the Colonies know of all the information the Axani had already gathered on them. It may come across as uneasing at best, though they were perfectly aware of the large portion of Humans in the Colonies' demographics and the large array of other alien races accompanying them, of course they had limited information on all the other species but with Humans it wasn't hard in the slightest to find out about them. All of the other factions across both the Andromeda and other three galaxies which they had observed and listened in on had spoken of Humanity on multiple occasions, and they were a widely varied species apparently. The Human Colonial Alliance for example was a grave concern to those in the Axani government though they knew the difference between the Colonies and HCA, it still wasn't hard for them to attribute the actions of the HCA to the usually aggressive nature of humans, and for such an intellectual and peaceful species such as the Axani with the protective and headstrong nature of the Zakari alongside them, engaging with Humans could perhaps prove difficult with in-built prejudices held by certain portions of the population, including some within the highly isolationist and protective government of the Federation, though of course people like Kelrite, a scientist didn't hold the same views and the scientific community would be extraordinarily excited for such a first contact.

It didn't surprise the Directress with how open the Colonies were, due to the size of their nation she could see how they were able to take certain liberties like that, as not many others would actually be able to threaten them with that kind of information. And though the Axani Federation certainly wasn't weak, millennia of isolation and observation of the rest of the known universe had made their leaders rather protective of the utopian society they had been able to create, succeeding where countless other civilizations had failed and allowing their people to flourish in centuries of peace and prosperity. Something which interacting with the outside universe could put in jeopardy, from what they had observed; it seemed all too often that the other powers of the known universe were eager to get at each other's throats. Though the Federated Colonies did seem to be attempting to turn that around, when it came to politics and especially foreign policy, the Axani could never be too careful. The Kaitheia Initiative had been a huge risk in this regard, though they were confidence no harm would come from it, and from what the Directress could see, the Federated Colonies posed no ill intentions towards them.

"A temporary treaty would be sufficient." She immediately responded with, giving a polite nod as she spoke. It was a more common and gracious gesture to the Axani, a slow but meaningful nod in conversation as both a sign of confirmation and of appreciation. She shook her head at the end of the Counter Admiral's sentence. "My government does not tolerate oppression or persecution in any way, shape or form. Freedom is the number one priority of my people and it is our belief that all should live long and prosperous lives, as long as said lives cause no harm to others of course. I am very much confident that our morals align a great deal to your own. So a permenant treaty should be of no real problem."​

 

[Thrace]

As the Colonials were waiting on the response of the alien, the search for information in the Archive returned with no significant information, which was to be expected. Of course, there was always the chance that there was something in there somewhere, after all, the Colonial Archives were not only formed by the information that the Colonies had gathered over their centuries of existence. For long living alien species, the Federated Colonies might have been a young nation, but for the humans, the Colonies and their ideals had already existed for an immense period of time. Nevertheless, the Colonial Archives also contained most of the information from Earth's old archives, the information gathered by the United Governments of Earth, the Human Colonial Alliance, the United Republics of Earth, and from all the alien races and civilizations that they had conquered, absorbed, or destroyed. In more fitting words, it was absolutely huge. But not only did the Karl von Teschen lack the necessary authorizations to access a lot of restricted areas of the Archives, only a really small part of the Colonial Network had those sort of authorizations.. but the data they had to work on was really small too. Without any sort of names, or clues about the actual identity of this faction.. the Colonies had no sort of hope to find anything about that. But that's what made this first contact even more important. It was the chance to open good relations with a previously unknown nation.. and with one that seemed at least to share some of the beliefs and ideals of the Colonies as a whole. Of course, that did not mean that the von Teschen was stopping from recording data. Everything was going to be analyzed, and Kobol was going to determine whether using a human commander as the leader of a first contact mission had been the best decision, not that anyone doubted Konteradmiral's Bernhard's ability, of course. But even if the humans were the largest racial group of the Bundesrepublik, they were but a mere 30% of the total population of the Colonies. There was always room for variation. And even if the wars of the last decades had created a certain xenophobia in the Colonies, against races like the Keltakens, or the Acruani, at their core, the Colonies still remained as xenophilic and open as ever, despite the long past failure of their biggest ideal. To spread freedom and quality to all the races of the universe.

"Well, it is certainly comforting to hear that. In this time and age.. many areas of the known universe have fallen under the reign of hate and destruction. There aren't many nations left that are willing to protect freedom and equality.", the blonde Colonial replied, smiling. "Then, as an official representative of the Federated Colonies, I can hereby declare a temporary Non-Aggression Pact between the Federated Colonies and your faction for.. let's say.. four standard months? It should be more than enough for a more proper agreement to be reached on official diplomatic channels, and for the Council and the Diet to have debates on it and to vote on it.", he then tried to explain. "But well, I will have to ask about how your security restrictions will work. We would be more than eager to share information about or nation with you, but well, we are going to need to find out with which nation we are speaking, sooner or later. When would a more free exchange of information be possible? And what would the normal protocol of your faction be, in regards to the opening of official diplomatic channels between our governments?"​

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Whilst the two fleets conversed in the Kaitheia Galaxy, back home in Andromeda, both the Contact and the Defense Councils was congressing with one another on Xania Prime to discuss what the overall response to the Federated Colonies should be. The High Councilor herself had attended the meeting as a live video feed was being broadcast from the AXF Laevitius showing the conversation between the Directress and the Counter-Admiral. Due to the isolationist nature of the Federation, a first contact scenario was seen by the government as a rather big deal, especially one that was unplanned though not unprepared for thankfully. In the event of an accidental encounter with another Power-Tier civilization in the universe, it was the duty of the Contact and Defense Councils to lead the Federation's response with the High Councilor present, the response varied greatly depending on the nation and what information was available to them though for now at least the overall reaction in both the Councils appeared to be one of caution, though the Colonies had a significantly friendlier profile to them than many other nations they could've made accidental contact with, they were still to be eased around, the last thing the Federation wanted was the negative attention of another galactic power, that would just make their expansion plans more complicated than they needed to be, and inconviences were certainly an irritating thing to endure for the Axani. Currently however things were going well, from what they could tell the Colonies had very little to no idea of who they were actually talking to, which was incredibly good from the viewpoint of the Axani government and many in both the Contact and Defense Councils were reluctant to give anymore information than they already had to the Colonials, though this would be discussed further between the representatives of both Councils as the conversation itself took place.

Perhaps the Directress could have mentioned how the Federation was primarily concerned with its own freedom and equality being defended. Of course puny things like prejudice and inequality had been completely wiped out from the Federation many, many centuries ago however there were those from outside the Axani's borders who could possibly prove a threat to all that they had achieved, as the Counter-Admiral so finely put it. A large amount of the known universe had indeed succumbed to mindless hate and conquest rather than the intellectualism and scientific utopia that the Axani had embraced, of course though not every species and civilization could be as peaceful as they were, hostility was just in the genetics of certain species. "I speak on behalf of my government when I say that we accept this temporary treaty and shall stick to it until the time limit is over. However we hope to establish a permenant treaty before that. We believe it may be a security risk to allow information on our nation and people to a nation as large as your own, it is nothing personally against you or your people but word spreads most certainly. And another, less friendly nation or group may cause us trouble as a result. We will be able to open up official diplomatic channels however for now, we shall maintain our privacy."

​

 

[Thrace]

As the two fleets continued their contact at the edges of the Milky Way, the information was sent back to the Federation, relatively quickly, through the Strategic Component of the Colonial Defense Network. Under normal circumstances, the first to be informed would have been the Hegemon.. but well, the Colonies currently lacked one. After the assassination of the last Hegemon.. the political situation had simply not allowed for the Hegemonic Games to be held again.. and as such, the Provisional Government had decided to reintroduce the function of the Federal President, the one that had been abolished after the First Secession War. As such, without the Hegemon, the information was firstly received by the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), and the Federal Ministry of Defense (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung). After the diplomacy and the military had been informed, news of the first contact and the discovery of another major faction were going to be sent to the Federal President and to the Federal Chancellor. The Federal Diet and the Federal Council were only going to be announced after the end of the first contact situation, when they were going to approve or deny the continuation of actual diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic and the new faction. But until then, Konteradmiral Bernhard only had to worry about continuing the scenario, and leading it to a success.
"Of course, we understand your policies. I must however tell you that the opening of actual, full diplomatic relations will have to wait until your faction will be able to properly introduce itself. Until then, we can send you some information about the Colonies.", the Colonial officer calmly declared, while the Karl von Teschen sent a small introductory video to the unknown faction. A small diplomatic video, it had been created to properly introduce the Colonies to other factions, and it explained the origins of the Colonies, their history, and their present situation. Of course, it wasn't exactly objective, as it glorified the Secession, and it demonized factions like the Keltakens, the Human Colonial Alliance, or even Earth itself, but it was overall a good way to introduce the Federated Colonies. The video had clearly been sent so that the members of the unknown factions could sent it to their leaders, most likely in order to ease their suspicions. The Colonies were not hostile, and they were not aggressive, but foreigners also had to see that.

"Also, if it would be possible, I would like to suggest an actual meeting, in person.", the Counter-Admiral of the Colonies then said after a short period of silence. "From our experience, meetings like this can be pretty important in the development of friendly relations between new factions."​

 

[RIPSaidCone]

As the conversation between the two factions occured, back home in Andromeda the nation quickly became restless when information about first contact with the Colonies was leaked from within one of the Councils, though not confirmed it was assumed to most likely be the Contact Council given the more liberal-minded personnel which occupied it's ranks. The Defense Council had quickly told the Security Bureau to prevent the story from getting to the media in-order to stop any kind of public concern in the event that negoiations with the Colonies failed, however before the Security Bureau could stop it, the story had already broke on Federation Today, the nation's largest news network which also happened to be state-owned though despite this the Xania Accord prohibited the Security Bureau from pulling something off the air which didn't violate government guidelines on what was appropriate to put out for the public to see, in most cases this applied to media with obscene amounts of violence and gore, though for most of the time these pieces of media were simply age restricted from younger viewers. Of course leaking a story of first contact didn't violate those guidelines and so the Security Bureau could only watch as Holoscreens across the nation lit up with news on first contact with the Federated Colonies, a majority Human nation that most Axani had already known about as information from the Archives was mostly made public when these things were discovered however the concept of meeting them was an exciting one to many people, a nerve-wracking one to others. The scientific community was ecstatic to say the least, the military one not so much, the economists were optimistic on relations whilst the isolationists had a sudden realization that two alien nations now knew of their existence, their worst nightmare to put it shortly.

So now that news of the First Contact had broke out into the public knowledge back home, the government felt less inclined to hold off on talks with the Colonies as it was easier just to get it over and done with rather than hold out and try to awkwardly manouver around it. Their wishes were made known to the Sub-Archon and Directress Kelrite and they were to be carried out, "Of course, we would be happy to see this introduction." Kelrite responded with, most of the crew on the command deck watching as a large clear hologram appeared showing the introduction video from the Colonies. Of course they noticed the bias against the Keltakens and the HCA, as they had pieced together the presumable relations that those factions had with one another upon finding about them. Overall it seemed very pro-Colonies though that was to be expected for obvious reasons and was borderline propaganda though it did provide useful information which was noted down for the Archives. Many of the Axani on-board didn't really understand why a nation would be so open to showing so much about itself, though this was due to them all being pro-isolationism despite being apart of the Kaitheia Initative, not many had actually expected a first contact encounter. The video was sent to the Defense and Contact Councils and feedback had quickly been recieved, it was more or less the same as the crew aboard the ship, inconclusive but useful for information purposes.

Kelrite was unsure about an in-person meeting, though she aware that her companions back in Andromeda had already met in-person with another alien species, the Drathians. Meeting with Humans seemed a good deal riskier, though she turned to the Sub-Archon to see what he thought of it, the man's eyes squinting as he thought it over. Via their live feed, the Contact Council suggested that it'd be wise in building friendlier relations with the Colonies to agree to their proposal, and so Kelrite pushed away her own concerns and gave a nod in response to the Counter Admiral. "That seems like a reasonable proposal, we agree." She stated, not long after sensors aboard the Laevitius had picked up an unknown craft approaching, it appeared civilian in nature and seemed to be luxury-based more than commercial or industrial, must have been privately owned. Scans showed that it was operated by Humans, though they bore no uniforms and had no flags or indentification, they were certainly civilian and neutral. "I assume your sensory equipment has also picked up this passing civilian aircraft. May I suggest commandeer this craft and hold our meeting there?" She questioned.​

 

[Thrace]

Three Colonials entered the main hall of that neutral civilian ship. A luxurious transport vessel, the ship that had just been commandeered had several facilities, a conference hall among them. As it was a human vessel, the hall was decorated in a sober but still sumptuous style. In the middle, there was a large table, and the two opposite doors allowed the two delegations to enter separately. The first to enter was the leader of the Colonial force, Counter-Admiral Albert Bernhard. Just like in the holographic conference, he was impeccably dressed and arranged. The characteristic blue-red Colonial uniform, and the armband with the azure-crimson flag of the Colonies and their golden emblem of stars proved his allegiance, while the patches and the emblems showed his rank and his branch. Konteradmiral der Kriegsflotte. Counter-Admiral of the Fleet of War. Albert was one of the youngest and brightest officers of the Kriegsflotte, part of the group that had been led and promoted by the former Hegemon, but he had spent most of his life in the shadow of his older sister, Star Admiral Irisdina Bernhard. Diplomacy wasn't exactly his thing, but orders were orders. The Colonial officers was ready to ensure that this meeting was going to be a success. Directly behind him, a young woman followed. With a long and neat blonde hair, and with dark blue eyes, she was.. clearly too perfect to be a human, even if she looked like it, even more perfect than the Genome modified human that Albert was. She was an android, a near human ship model, the model of the Karl von Teschen, as proven by her anthracite grey and burgundy red uniform. The last one to enter was an alien. The alien had a humanoid form, with a dark blue, scaly skin, light blue eyes, and no sort of visible hair. Four tentacles and two possibly humanoid legs completed its body, and its uniform, although similar to the one that Albert was wearing, had been adapted for its species, completed by something that looked like a small breathing device around his neck, covering its gills. According to his patches and emblems, even if the foreigners wouldn't be exactly familiar with the Colonial ranking systems, the alien had the rank of a Captain Lieutenant (Kapitänleutnant), and the position of Executive Officer (Ausführender Offizier) of the Karl von Teschen. The alien completed the small Colonial delegation. And upon entering the conference hall, the three Colonials simply remained standing in front of their door, waiting for the foreigners to arrive.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Not long after the arrival of the Colonials, the Axani's own delegation would arrive on-board the ship. Three Axani accompanied by two Zakari soldiers acting as bodyguards, though the Zakari were covered completely by their body armor, including helmets covering their appearance. It had been at the Sub-Archon's request for the soldiers to conceal their appearance, being touchy over the subject of the humans seeing more of their people. He had even suggested that the Axani cover up entirely though the Directress hadn't seen much point in it since she had already spoken to one of the humans over the holographic comms. Instead the Axani had chosen to wear ordinary science wear, which looked rather formal and were all very well organized, with nearly no creases to speak of, they had a unique insignia on a patch on their upper arm, it simply being of a planet with a sun rising behind it. Meanwhile the Zakari soldiers accompanying them wore full-body armor though they did not bring any weapons with them, not any large ones at least, they did have their side-arms connected to their thigh armor plates though they were holstered still and not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

The group of five in total entered the meeting room, the Directress herself leading the delegation as she gave a smile and nod to the Counter-Admiral whom she had spoken with over the comms. She had seen many, many humans in her lifetime though never one in person, it certainly was a different experience, and there was another strange being with them, another species of alien, most interesting indeed. Of course this interaction was all being recorded for the Council to view and for any personnel who wished to review it later, as was expected of this kind of high level exchange. The Directress spoke up first, again speaking Colonial Standard for the aliens. "Greetings, I am Directress. Kelrite T'nasava, these are my peers; Prime Lieutenant. Teletheia T'daius and Sub-Lieutenant. Kesesa Maeri. We will be in-charge of our nation's representation during this exchange, please sit." She gestured to the seats by the table, herself and the other two Axani sitting down on their side of the table closest to them.

Spoiler: Axani

Spoiler: Zakari

​

 

[Thrace]

In terms of weapons, each of the three Colonial officers had, in accordance with the stipulations of the Military Index of the Colonial Armed Forces, a standard officer's sword, and a standard officer's handgun, each in its respective sheathe or holster, but all of them were closed. It was obvious that the three Colonials wouldn't be able to take out their weapons without anyone clearly noticing it, and it was clear that they had no intention to do so. And besides, neither of them was wearing an armor.. while their weapons would be extremely ineffective against the armor of the foreigners. But there was no need to even think about fighting. This was a diplomatic meeting. Diplomacy meant peace.

The Colonial Counter-Admiral smiled when the foreign delegation arrived, as he gave his reply, in a Colonial Standard that was a little more natural than that of the Directress, but to those who would listen to it very closely, a very slight foreign accent was present, hinting towards his origin. "Greetings. I am Albert Bernhard, Counter-Admiral of the Fleet of War of the Federated Colonies, and Captain of the Colonial Military Ship Karl von Teschen. This is my second in command, Drium Rhooxiom, and the model of the Karl von Teschen, nicknamed Karla. For this meeting, the Government of the Federated Colonies has entrusted us with representing our nation. We hope that these discussions will go on well." As he said that, the three Colonials took their places on the opposite side of the table, and after a short pause, the Counter-Admiral started to speak again. "We should talk about the possibility of opening official diplomatic relations between our nations, but before that, we would really appreciate if we could finally find out what your nation actually is. The Colonies are more than open to peaceful and friendly relations, but back home, the Diet and the Council will need to know with which faction we are negotiating. We hope that you understand."

 

[RIPSaidCone]

The Directress nodded as the Counter-Admiral introduced himself and those joining him on their side of the meeting. Her interest mounting at the mention of the 'model of the Karl von Teschen' that implied that she was an AI. Though impressive, she hadn't expected any less of them given their apparent technology level, that was something she would have to find out more on however. The Sub-Archon was listening very closely to the discussion between the two sides via his earpiece, giving the Directress permission on behalf of the Council to inform the Colonial officials about the Axani Federation. This was seen as a risky move by the military minded officials that were in the Initiative though the Directress saw it as a great step forward and a significant show of trust on the half of the Axani given how isolationist they were. "Of course, Counter-Admiral. I have just been given permission to give you more information on the nation we represent, please realize that this is a great show of trust from us towards you and your people, we hope you will treat it as such."

She rested her hands on the table in-front of her before continuing. "We are here as part of a government project known as the Kaitheia Initiative, it is a colonization project to expand our nation's borders to the Kaitheia Galaxy, or as you call it the Milky Way. We represent the Axani Federation, a peaceful and democratic nation in the Kuthasi Galaxy, or as you call it the Andromeda Galaxy. We have little doubt that our morals and your own align in almost every way, we strongly believe in individuality, and the freedom of all our citizens, and our people are focused on scientific, cultural and social advancement. We are what you would call a 'utopia'." She finished with a warm smile on her face, resting back in her seat with an air of calm around her. Unlike her Zakari peers she was trusting enough in the Federated Colonies to remain this casual around them.
Thrace​

 

[Thrace]

The Counter-Admiral remained quiet for a few good moments, before he finally replied. "A utopia.. interesting. The Federated Colonies were pretty close to reaching such a state during the Great Armistice.. but the betrayal of the Terrans and the beginning of the Second Secession War has unfortunately killed that dream before it could be fully completed. It doesn't mean that the Colonial Government has stopped from trying to achieve such a state, but other events and matters have stopped any large efforts from ever being done since.", the Colonial officer said. "In that case, it would be our pleasure to open diplomatic relations with the Axani Federation, especially if our morals align in almost ever way. We also believe in individuality and the freedom of all our citizens, especially since the Federated Colonies are a federal parliamentary republic. We are also focused on scientific, cultural, and social advancement, but in the last century or so, military research and spending has taken the top spot, due to the various wars in which the Federal Republic was forced to participate. It will be interesting to see what sort of agreements we could reach, especially since it does surely seem that both our nations have a really high technological level." The Colonial smiled, seeming to be pretty calm despite the situation. And seeing that at least one member of the other delegation was acting casually, the Colonials also relaxed a little.

"Of course, the first step would be the opening of embassies, or at the very least, of consulates. In order to be able to properly negotiate any future agreements, we would need an official diplomatic connection to the Axani Federation. As such, the Colonies should send an ambassador to the Axani, and the Axani should send an ambassador to the Colonies. What would you say?", the Counter-Admiral proposed.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

The Directress gave a courteous nod as she listened to what the Counter-Admiral had to say in response, from what she already knew about the Federated Colonies it was generally theorized by some of her colleagues across other departments that the Colonials had been close to a utopian state of living at one point. However warfare had torn them away from that, one of the many reasons why the Axani held such a disdain for even the thought of conflict. It simply was a distraction from the betterment of one's species and society, without it things could progress so much faster and generally it was the Axani belief that warfare was only worth considering when the opposition was absolutely hellbent on it, if not then diplomacy was a far preferable option unless given reason not to. From what the Counter-Admiral was saying, it appeared that the Federation and the Colonials would be able to get along rather well, though the Directress had little doubt that the Council would still be very cautious around these foreigners, especially as humans were a major group in their society. However apart from that, the two nations' seemed to align on many topics and there would seemingly be no issues between them in the future. She nodded once more, "Yes it appears both of us have efficient technology."

"Consulates would be acceptable for the time being." Was her response, appearing very sure in her answer. The Axani did have contingencies in place for the possibility of meeting one of the other civilizations they'd studied, and diplomatic communication whilst retaining the privacy they prized so dearly would be done through consulates as per the plans put in place state. "We believe that an official holo-channel should be set up between our two governments in-order to facilitate communications. What would you say?" ​

 

[Thrace]

"Consulates would be a first good step.", the Counter-Admiral answered calmly. "The idea of an official holo-channel is also really good. We might have to relay it through one of our small research bases on the fringe of the Andromeda, since diplomatic treaties signed with other nations currently stop us from owning territory inside the Andromeda galaxy, but it can certainly be done, from a technological point of view. Plus, the negotiates with those powers which have signed that treaty are in an advanced state. We believe that the Federated Colonies may be allowed to officially return to the Andromeda fairly soon. That should open up a lot of possibilities in the relations between the Colonies and the Axani. Just as we did in the past, before the Intergalactic Wars, the Federated Colonies are looking for partners that share their ideals in order to ensure the peace and stability of the Andromeda."

The Colonial officer smiled. "Internal political matters will decide exactly who will manage the official holo-channel on the Colonial side, but the matter will most likely be given to the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs. Of course, that is assuming that the Federal Diet and the Federal Council will vote in favor of the opening of official diplomatic relations with the Axani, but I don't think that it will pose any issues. It might take a short while due to the Colonial bureaucracy, but I am confident that the motion will pass without any problems." The Colonial then made a short pause. "Is there anything else you would want to discuss?"