Invited Guests (open)

[The Union of Tinis]

"It would be hard to displease us," replied Multek. "As is, I am my group rarely enjoy special accomidations, with the possible exception of Waldo who gets out of Tinis more often these days than the rest of us. Housing for public servents isn't usually too fancy in Tinis with the possible exception of a nice view. The Major here probably has the nicest place among the group."

Major Janches at about that moment asked and was prompty translated, mainly for the curtesy of those who were not fluent in Tinisian by Multek, "The Major is curious about the manner of dress of the citizens of your nation."

[miokalia]

"Accomodations provided by the jewlery guild?", said Lieutenant Chon, who then looked at the others for a moment and continued,
"Indeed, this may be a bit more than we're used to."

"Chon actually has one of the nicer residences. The presidential 'manor' Elly and I live in is hardly palacial. Your accomodations will likely prove to be more... conspicuously opulant than we are used to.", said Phong.

"Thank you.", said one of the white glossy mechanical allosaurs in a more mechanically paced, yet fairly normal sounding, synthesized voice, akin to that of a text-to-speech software.

First Lady Sorenson was mostly occupied with the decorations,
"I assume the decorative divisions in place between styles of murals is an intentional cultural practice particular to Erenmor? It seems to be like a form of refferentially institutional partitionment, thus producing the impression of a museum; a classical, organized sensibility superimposed upon...", she said but then stopped when realizing that the shell became silent,
"Pardon me, I hope I'm not coming off as snobbish. Perhaps it is a cultural thing. I just find this kind of thing fascinating."

[Erenmor]

"If you'll excuse me for answering questions out of turn," Nathaniel said, "I will begin with the art matter. As it is, citizens of a given area can choose if they would wish their section decorated in any way, and how they would wish it done. The government provides support within reasonable limits. The form is entirely up to the local citizens, however, provided the base's structural integrity is maintained," the AI explained. "Some districts, such as the market portion of Skaine we passed through, appear to favour landscape murals, though not to the extent that they would not put in the occasional abstract piece here and there. Antalus for example, though, favours an overwhelming majority of wall carvings, both abstract and depicting some of the more interesting matches their arenas have seen."

"Moving on to the matter of clothing, major," the AI said, turning to look at the fur in question. "I assume you are referring to the uniform suits that can be observed? They are something of a safety precaution. They are made of a material dubbed silksteel... the particular variation of it we use for the suits provides good thermal insulation as well as offering decent protection from energy and kinetic weapons. We make no claims to our technologies and methods being perfect, major, and to this end we provide our citizens with basic safeguards in the event of, say, an external seal breach or an armed troublemaker. Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes. That said, we do not forbid adding various accessories to the general dress of a person, or even wearing an additional set of clothes over the suit, indeed we give our quiet encouragement to the idea. Silksteel, depending on how it is weaved and treated, can make for quite comfortable wear, as I am told."

[The Union of Tinis]

"I see," says the Major. "I hope neither occurance is to common though. Sorry for being blunt, but it would seem to me that unless such things happened often there would be a need, but if they didn't, then the expense wouldn't justify it."

[Kingdoms of Cal]

Baron Leck says absentmindedly "Why would you provide people with armor but not allow them the means of fighting back? Surly..."

He is silenced by a glare from Salato who had hoped the young baron would not ask such things, but it was too late now.

"In for a demi, in for a meep" she thinks.

"Like your people ware such clothing voluntarily? " Salato asks incredulously.

"Hell I thought some of the young looked silly back home, at least they are creative about their stupid clothing" Salato thinks.

"I must join my young friend and the major, in finding this odd. Surly the fact you allow no weaponry should make such clothing....Well pointless? I can see the usefulness when it comes to warmth but why did you mention it's anti-weaponry aspect? Is Erenmor not as secure as we supposed?" she continued.

"This is more than a little vexing." she finished.

Salato was suffering from culture shock, all this surveillance of the common people and yet the people were not up in arms about it. She felt very uncomfortable here and worried, though she have more to hide than most, she was certain that Leck had made his out of turn comment due to the same stresses.

In truth Leck was more stressed than Salato as he felt naked, a baron, or their children, are brought up waring at least three blades when in public. A short sword, a dagger and a Sgians Dubh type blade.

The last member of the the Calie delegation was even more concerned. A thought had been past from Lisa to the other calie Ais. Why would an AI civilization want to control the biologicals. They understood this less than any others, the biologicals had aided them and were their friends. Jane suspected they were their parents, being one of the oldest of the Ais, though that was debatable. Though Lisa had promised not to speak to others, what she was told, but she had not been told what to do about what she had heard, Jane had made this clear to her.

[Erenmor]

"The expense does not quite factor into it, major, on account of our rather... unique production methods. The Overseer will be better able to explain it, but suffice to say that every step along the way is entirely government-owned and operated," Nathaniel replied before turning to Salato and Leck.

"On the subject of properties... the fact is that silksteel was developed as armour material first, and later modified for civilian use. And yes, miss Salato, they wear them voluntarily. There are no punishments for being "out of uniform" as it were. It is generally accepted that the clothing is just another safety precaution, along the same line as pressure seals and sentinels, intended to provide the highest safety to our citizens. Though admittedly newcomers do take time to adjust to the thought of wearing a safety precaution on their person," the AI explained.

"As I said, silksteel was armour material first, though the treatment used for crafting the jumpsuits does weaken those properties somewhat," Nathaniel turned his head to Leck. "You will also note that there is little actual need for citizens to carry personal weapons. Erenmor is safe, I assure you. Our borders are well guarded, and in our streets a sentinel is always on hand to render any assistance necessary. That said, we do not outlaw personal weapons. We simply require that those wishing to own one prove that they are capable of handling one, physically and more importantly, mentally. Granted, there are limits to what one can own, but would any of you let citizens carry around, say, personal anti-tank weapons?"

The AI paused for a few minutes, looking out the window of the speeding train. "All that said, the purpose of the suits is primarily protection from the effects of mechanical failures and accidents, rather than combat. It is a hazard suit rather than armour," he said after the pause.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

"So such failures are common?" salato says cynically
"Or have you made the populous scared of such things, failures of such measures are rare in Cal and I believe that it is true of our neighbors" She continues.
"We are here to deal with Realpolitik. Lets cut the crap, an alliance with you would be help Cal, the other people here and your self. I do not take issue with how you deal with your people, that is an internal matter." she furthers.
"I hope to take a progressive move on the thack issue home. But I also hope for more, perhaps a trade alliance or more. Since this is my first foreign trip I need something, from someone."

"Most deals are made where there is nothing to do with the host of such meetings. You can organize a summit later when you already know the deal.This kind of visit is almost as good as a funeral or wedding...There is nothing worse than a failed summit, so do the deal then have summit." She smiles and appears to finishes.

"Like say organizing a trade deal with miokalia or tinis or setting up diplomatic relations with Naraemat may help our mutual interests" she says turning her head and goes quiet.

Then Salato smiles "You will get something out of holding this, to do otherwise would be ill mannered"

[Varro]

As soon as Nathanial drops the question, Salinas pips up. "Actually, a good group of Naraimat could assemble a short range within five hours, give or take how long they argue, and launch it upon receiving authorization." He states this with an air of authority, as though he has either done so or that it is a common occurrence (though the later would be highly questionable.) If one were to look carefully at his stolid features, they may notice a small tinge of pride making it's way through to the surface.

Marcello simply shakes his head. "Regardless, I am inclined to agree with Madame Salato. Unless some deal or agreement is made, as soon as we leave, Erenmor will return to being politically isolated; As you so mentioned in your invitation; Not to mention the waste of good hospitality."

The Representatives words fade as he pauses to races his mind to find a topic of potential. "I believe I heard at some point that a good bit of meat in Erenmor was 'recycled', as it were.", he puts forward tentatively. "There are many in Naraimat who would like to get their hands on cheap (not to mention relatively clean and accessible) proteins for different projects. Potentially, if they were sent to us on a regular basis, we could send back a lesser quantity of higher quality while producing some shared biological research."

[Erenmor]

"I should point out," Nathaniel raised his hand, "that my purpose here is to ensure your safe arrival in Citadel Peak. I am at liberty to answer questions you may have about our country, but I do not have the authority to discuss trade agreements," the AI went on.

"As such, it would be my recommendation that you make use of the journey to your residences to satisfy any initial curiosity. You will be free to badger the Overseer with talk of foreign policy once we arrive and he takes over the position of your guide."

The tone of voice suggested that if the AI had a face, it'd be putting on that plastic smile of sales reps and secretaries the universe over. "It really would be a more productive use of time than trying to forge trade treaties with the head of the Military Intelligence network. On that note, miss Salato, every system requires some maintenance now and then. We make no claim for perfection, as was said. Thus, we do constantly work to maintain our country in order in every aspect, with pleasing results," Nathaniel said, again going into that plastic-smile tone of voice. "We have not had a life-threatening incident in 237 years, excluding racing accidents, arena accidents, and the unfortunate assassination attempt on your delegate and attempts to deliver live nuclear ordnance into our country quite recently."

[Erenmor]

The rest of the ride to Citadel Peak passed uneventfully. Finally, the train pulled in at a station, the rapid deceleration visible through the windows, but still barely noticeable on the inside. The first thing that caught the eye as one stepped off the train was the numerous defensive structures placed along the wall of the platform, gun nests mixed in with silvery spheres set into the wall. There were no Sentinels out here, instead replaced by much larger, bulkier humanoid robots, with small heads set in between broad shoulders.

"We take Citadel's security quite seriously," Nathaniel explained, leading the delegates to the passenger-carrying platforms already waiting nearby.

The trip from the monorail station involved far less sightseeing, taking a more direct, rather than scenic route. Still, there were some curious sights - mostly the numerous carvings decorating the corridor walls. Some seemed to depict specific individuals, others were simply idealised scenes, typically battle scenes, with script carved in next to them describing the occasions being commemorated.

Eventually their convoy stopped outside of a mostly unremarkable doorway in the side of a fairly wide corridor. The main thing setting it apart from the others was the holographic display of a gemstone gradually and constantly shifting shapes and colours, and the plaque next to the door's panel labelling the place as the house of the Jewellers' Guild. Nathaniel showed the delegates inside, but himself remained outside.

The guild house's interior was quite the change from the exterior corridor, to say the least. The walls here were the colour of sand, carved so as to give the impression of being made from large stone blocks. The light sources were not lamps set into the ceiling, but rather behind window panes, bathing the main hall in a soft yellow glow. Perhaps the most spectacular bit of decoration was a metal-framed gem set into the wall, dark red and some three feet across at the widest point. The faintest scent of freshly moved earth was also present in the room.

Right now, aside from the delegates only two other figures were present. One was a female badger, dressed in a large, loose black robe, the top of her jumpsuit's collar barely visible out of the dress. The second figure was a grey fox, perhaps about five and a half feet tall, dressed in a plain black uniform with no rank distinctions, name tags or anything, and no noticeable jumpsuit either. To those who'd met Xander Morhaime during his visit to Miokalia (such as Phong and Waldo), this fox bore a definite resemblance, though his features were a bit smoother, less angular. This fox was the one that approached the delegates, greeting them with a deep bow and a warm smile.

"It is a great honour to see you here, I am most glad to see some of the invitations were accepted," the fox began, raising his head. Up this close, his solid-blue eyes became noticeable as well. "Please, allow me to properly welcome you to Erenmor... my home. I am the Overseer," the fox introduced himself, "though for conversation's sake, Onyx will quite suffice."

[The Union of Tinis]

Waldo and the Tinisian delegation was quick to return the bow.

"On behalf of Tinis, myself, Secretary Waldo and our companions, I must declare we are honored by your presence," spoke Multek softly.

[miokalia]

The first thing #36 thought when he saw the reletively disarming grey fox that is Onyx was, "Now I really do wonder how this came about".

"On behalf of Miokalia, I am honored to be here and finally meet you", said Phong who then returned the bow.

#36 seemed curious as to the Overseer's choice of form. Most of the AIs in Erenmor were in shells modelled for practicality and specialization. Onyx appeared to be the sharply different exception to this. What he couldn't figure out though was why.

They would, indeed have a great deal to talk about.

"And on behalf of my species, I am very honored to be here and meet with you.", said #36 after Phong.

[Kingdoms of Cal]

Baron Leck steps forwarders and bows, he speaks "Overseer, I bring salutations from the Lucan council" before bowing.

"I also carry a message I was asked to deliver to you from lord thack" he continues handing a scroll written on very old looking parchment to the assistant, daring not to approach the overseer while unarmed.

Salato still stood upright and approached without bowing, inteerie don't bow. Standing looking the overseer straight in the eye she says forcefully "Greetings from the people of commonwealth and it people from it's elected government!".

It was apparent that protocol or not Salato was not going to be treated as anything less than an equal. The less visible surveillance here seemed to have calmed Salato down a little, though she was still jumpy, baron leck observed. He knew the commoners did not like being watched, the inteerie the most but her out bursts had not been helpful and she was usually the consumet politician, something had scared her.

He would have understood if Eye Salato en had been snippy about her name. Well in truth Teuie names ran back wards, going family, given, title rather than the other way round. So strictly speaking she should be correctly be called miss or madam Eye. But that didn't seem to have bothered her, something was getting to her.

Much to Salatos and Barons Lecks surprise the drone steps forwards. It stood up high on it's eight 'toes' on it straightened legs. A split second passed as something sung out from under it's body and unfolded itself. A few split seconds later it produced arms and a primitive head, square and very utilitarian like the rest of the drone.

It bows and speaks "As the emissary of both the Calie AIs and as attaché to the organics I wish to speak to you and your kind on matters that may concern us. We, the AIs, or the atua as we prefer, wish to talk to others. Though we trust and owe the calie it is time we spread our wings a little."

Both Leck and Salato looked at each other in shock, to lecks mind this was treason, to Salato it was just a surprise, she was not overly surprised that another part of the commonwealth was causing trouble. She was how ever very surprised by where it had come from.

----
The note passed to the overseers aid read:
"We must thank you for your help and hope that our gift was to your satisfaction. I believe you have been attempting to investigate the sword. I have been informed that our swords have, by nature a tendency to reflect particle streams and lasers. I believe this can be a problem and quite destructive from what has been learned from those that have tried. I very much this information does not come too late."

"If you wish any aid in any manner pass your requests to baron leck and it will be done."

(It was apparent that lord thack had yet to understand the concept of telecommunications)

[Varro]

The two of the Naraemat contingent huddle together in whisper, then break as Marcelo is next in line to give a bow to Onyx (though in truth, due to a rather lack of proficiency in doing so, could be mistaken for a poor curtsies) "Varro Marcello, Representative Elect of Naraemat. It's a pleasure to meet you Onyx. Perhaps we could discuss some trade matters later on?"

Just before stepping back to the main group, he pauses and so states, "If you don't mind my saying, you don't seem very much like the mechanical over-mind I was informed of."

[Erenmor]

Onyx smiled warmly at Varro's remark, nodding his head slowly. "I'm glad to hear that, actually," he said, before turning to the group at large. "Let me say again, I am honoured that you all accepted my invitation. There will be plenty of time to discuss trade, politics and anything else you may have on your mind, but before we proceed, I must ask one last formality."

The fox then motioned at the lady badger that had been so far waiting patiently at the counter positioned beneath the large gemstone set into the wall. "If you would be so kind as to inform guild master Nebri on how you would wish your accommodations arranged... number of rooms, any essential elements and special concerns," Onyx explained, while Nebri gave the assembled delegates a broad, honest smile.

"It is also an honour for our guild to house you here," she said with a quick nod.