War, or Peace?

[Oncaro]

Belgrade, Kressnian Yugoslavia
Two days after the Martian Conflict

The Novi Dvor was, for the most part, silent, compared to the bustling activity that usually went on inside the building. There was no important banquet or displays needing to be made for those foreign dignitaries that would be arriving today, because this was a somewhat-informal meeting. Still, the quiet that filled the old building was slightly disconcerting to Andrej Vlastimirovic as he moved through its halls. A small frown appeared on his face as he moved past the armed guards that stood at strategic positions in the palace, hallways and doorways, unmoving and not distracted. These men were members of the 1st Kressnian Infantry Regiment, the oldest such unit in the republic's history. Highly trained and even more disciplined, the "Old Guard" was mostly ceremonial in nature, but still held immense prestige as the personal guard of the Supreme Leader, their immediate family, and other high-ranking officials such as the President and those related to them.

Andrej had learned to ignore these soldiers just as they ignored him, and he moved into the large room which had, previously, hosted a summit wherein the Supreme Leader had met with representatives of several nations on Orbis and the Kressnians' own allies in the UMS. Today, there was little but a single table meant to be where discussion regarding the recent Martian conflict was to be had. At the head was the Supreme Leader herself, looking dignified and proper as ever as she talked quietly with a few other aides, but...

Andrej paused, frowning further. He'd been taken under the Supreme Leader's wing a year ago, and was by her side at nearly all official meetings she held. He had learned her mannerisms and facial expressions well, and he noticed something slightly worrying: The Supreme Leader seemed... tired, almost. In the time he had known her, Danica Ambrozije had been a nearly-unflappable, indefatigable rock which had borne the responsibility of leading the republic's ten billion souls well. Very little seemed to faze her, or make her lose patience. But as he met her gaze, he found that something in it that he had rarely seen, if ever: She didn't want to be here.

This was understandable, he thought as he approached her. She'd delayed her return to NS-1 and the Turanov system a few times already, and it was beginning to wear thin on her. As much as she liked being on a version of Earth, even she had to be feeling homesick.

"Your Excellency," Andrej said softly as he approached the table, and Danica waved the others away with a dismissive gesture. "You don't have to be here. Please, feel free to go home, perhaps I could take over--"

"No, Andrej," Danica said, and she met his gaze evenly. "I made the offer for this meeting, and I must see it through, no matter the outcome. I appreciate your concern for me, but I believe I can make it for one more day. While I don't doubt your diplomatic skill now, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, for better or worse I'm probably the best chance for avoiding another, possibly much longer war in this universe. But... thank you, for offering."

Andrej nodded. "Of course, Excellency. If I'm needed, please don't hesitate to call on me."

"Of course, Andrej."

_____________________________

The young man nodded and left the room, and as Danica watched him leave, she sighed, resisting the urge to put her head in her hands. She missed home. And in a weird twist of... was it irony? She had decided it was actually easier to oversee and govern ten billion people than it was to act as a mediator for great, prideful powers-- either terrestrial or space-bound, galactic or multiversal. But perhaps it was her own not-insignificant sense of pride in herself and her abilities as a politician that led her to shoulder this burden.

If this fails, there could be a lot of bloodshed. Would it be on my hands? she asked herself, her eyes going a bit glassy as she considered the implications of this. Was she being too melodramatic? Maybe. But she took this as seriously as she did any other pursuit she took as Supreme Leader.

Regardless, she knew one thing was certain: It would be a while yet before she could relax again, and just be Danica Ambrozije.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Oncaro

[The Sacred Lights]

Orbis Prime Orbit, above Kressnia Lands

In  a brilliant while flash of white light, which whipped and rippled out like water ebbed by electrical spasms, the mighty Nohoch Chempan of Tonina made its appearance. The craft was likely among the largest, if not the largest, that native Orbisians had seen in their skies. Two Thousand Eight Hundred Kilometers long, Six Hundred Km High, and Five Hundred Km wide, with a 900 Km high waist-up statue of of the Toninan Founder Deity rising from the ship as if it were its canoe. The entire ship was, in Maya fashion, ornately crafted, like a work of art, adorned with Glyphs and Sacred Imagery.

The Behemoth of a ship floated in space as the large Statue moved it's sheild up to face the planet, while withdrawing it's war axe, displaying a combat ready posture to serve as a reminder to Chernigov that these talks would not lead to peace easy... The insult delivered was grave, and there was little room in Maya Politics for Tonina to let the offenders off with a simple chiding.

Finally, B'alam departed the ship in his own personal craft, and headed down to the summit completely unattended. Exiting into Kressnian lands, any locals that had gathered to see the arrivals would have been greeted by what would surely have been a strange sight to them. The Prince exited his ship in little more than a loincloth,  and adorned in stone and precious metal jewelry. Of particular note was an assortment of artistic precious stones, gems, and metals of the Princes "Necklace", which furrowed out to cover the shoulders and upper chest.

K'inich B'alam gave a look to the crowd, his face not conveying much emotion, as the youthful looking two hundred something year old royal glanced at the intermingled natives with disinterest. With is a heavy nostril sigh, he turned his gaze away and made his way to the Summit. It was not a long walk by Toninan Standards, whom spent most of their terrestrial travel time walking, but still long enough that the prince was thoroughly insulted that he was the first to arrive.

Entering the room where the summit would take place, he gave Danica a look that conveyed a particularly charming, yet dismissive, "this will likely lead nowhere" vibe. The moment was brief, and the Prince went to his seat as he looked around the room. The decorations were strange, though not nearly as... "Exotic" as Pordish Decor.
All in all it looked not too dissimilar from other interiors he had seen in his study of the Sapient Local Fauna of the Area. This being his first time in Kressnian holdings, he could not tell if the style was normalized for the natives, or if Kressnian Architecture was just shockingly similar. He allowed to himself to be lost in this thought for some time before finally speaking under his breath. "I walked, and yet the savages still have not arrived."

B'alam was not as prejudice to... Lesser powers, as many other Maya were. Though he always adopted the tappings of a Bigot when lesser lifeforms showed their inferiority openly. Such as the foolish Observer Shore of the UMS Formation summit, and the fool that sent the Chernigov Reply to Tonina's most generous offer.
That animal had pissed on a Jaguar after being mauled by a dog B'alam thought to himself, recalling the response, making no efforts to hide his thoughts from any telepathic entities in the room.
 

Edited November 25, 2016 by The Sacred Lights

[Oncaro]

By the time B'alam had entered the Novi Dvor and into the meeting hall, Danica had already gotten herself a glass of wine, and was sipping it. She stopped mid-sip as the Prince entered, her eyes wandering over his form briefly and mentally grinning as he looked to her.

She didn't agree with B'alam on much, if anything, but she couldn't deny she found him attractive. A muscular, magically powerful being clad in nothing but a loincloth? Oh, yes.

But these thoughts were incredibly unprofessional, and she banished them as she let her own considerable power out to be sensed by him; because the last time they had met, they had gotten off to a... rocky start, due to Danica's hiding of her magical power when amongst others of similar power-- particularly their Pordish hosts; he had angrily approached her over what he had believed to be a grievous offense to those around them after a brief slip-up in which she had let loose her aura for a brief moment or so, and she had calmly deflected him as she had been amongst her non-magical aides, and did not want them to know the truth at that time. But here, she allowed herself the freedom to let her aura out and wash over him. And when his telepathic message reached her, she gave him a smile meant to soothe him, standing and sashaying over to him.

Perhaps. But hopefully the jaguar will not see fit to kill this animal in response, she thought to him as she got closer.

"Lord B'alam, you honor me with your presence," she said to him, giving a slight bow and smiling beautifully. "It's a pleasure to see you once again."

And good that you have a new hand, she thought to herself. She was one of exceedingly few beings-- possibly the only one-- that remembered two distinct timelines involving that original summit: One in which Secretary Malcolm Shore of the United Terran Alliance, whom had attended this summit as an observer, had hacked into secure communications of the Triskelion Federation's empress while their empress was present with armed guards, and in the ensuing diplomatic fracas B'alam had cut off his own hand in furious protest over this incredible breach of protocol, and which had led to a war between the UTA and their allies, and the UMS.

But at some point that timeline had looped around back to the summit and played differently, in which Shore had been an "insufferable dick" (in Danica's own words) but war had been averted. It was this second timeline that they followed up to now. And then there were the time loops regarding the Toninan invasion of Orbis' American Southwest ("It's like that ancient film 'Edge of Tomorrow', but shittier"), and the various timeline aberrations in the Kressnian Summit months ago.

Ugh. Thinking about the intricacies of timelines made her head hurt.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Oncaro

[Ikhan]

Orbis, Sol System

 

 Slowly, the Harrower-class ship known as the "Vengeance" approached the planet, which was in shade due to a large ship above it. It was soon realized that the ship belonged to the Mayans, as the markings on it gave it away. Within a few minutes, the vessel would be hovering around 10km above the city of Belgrade, making the city darker than it already was from the large ship above. After a short period of time, a shuttle left the vehicle for a landing platform nearby. After landing, a group of three people left for the palace, each wearing a unique set of clothing. Going from the right, there is Ambassador Belovol, who was wearing a black robe with gold throughout it, followed by a man only known as the voice, who wore an all black suit of lightsaber resistant armor, who was in turn followed by one Knight Aurek of the Order of Imperial Knights, who was wearing a red robe with a mask to conceal his face. Unfortunately, the Emperor could not be present as he was on a journey of his own. To the citizens, the men were unlike anything they had ever seen or felt, as the one known as the Voice was shrouded in mystery to those who saw him. Eventually, they arrived in the Palace its self.

 

Summit Room, Kressnian Yugoslavia

 

 Suddenly, the group entered the room without a word to say to anyone at the time. Quickly, two of them took their seats, while the Voice continued to stand. Upon noticing B'alam, the man looked away, as if in disgust for the being, however, secretly, he pitied him.

 "Can a man of such intelligence not realize we could know what he was thinking?" the Voice thought to himself. However, he was not here for insults, he was here for a special purpose, one which no one other than the Chernigovan Ambassadors would expect. And so, the group waited for the summit to begin, preferably with a good start.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Alexei Lysenko

[Oncaro]

The speed at which the Chernigovan representative and his group arrived caught Danica momentarily off-guard, but she recovered, bustling over to the Voice.

"I'm honored to have you here," she said to him and those with him with another smile, and looked back to the Voice. "Please, sit if you so desire; this meeting isn't overly official. If anyone needs anything, say so and I'll send for it if we have it. Now!"

She clacked back over to the table and resumed her seat, and spoke to them both now. "We're here today because of... What I'm sure is simply a grave misunderstanding that should honestly not lead to war and death. Do you agree on this?"

Edited November 19, 2016 by Oncaro

[Ikhan]

"Aye, I agree the deaths of billions is unnecessary at this time, however, I can not speak for everyone here, unfortunately" said Ambassador Belovol to Danica while the voice simply waited for his time, something most wouldn't understand.

[The Sacred Lights]

B'alam took in the exchange, and the smiles, and was sickened. "Let us speak freely. "Diplomatic Courtesy" is rather deceiving..." The words were harsh, and delivered matter of fact. He could feel an unpleased vibe from amongst the Chernigov representatives, and made no attempts to hide his own. "I have come here today as a courtesy to a fellow UMS member, but that does not erase the dishonorable slight we received from the Ajaw of Chernigov." There was a brief pause as he eyed the room. "Whom has deemed this matter too beneath him to attend, it seems. Delivering further insults."

B'alam was leaning forward in his seat now, both his elbows on the table. His right hand was balled into a fist, which he tightened the grip on as a means to relieve frustration, while the other hand clasped over it, covering it from the view of others slightly. He rest his chin upon his hands, and inhaled deeply before sighing. "Such political embarrassments have lasting consequences among the Maya Confederation... Quite honestly, I doubt that the delegation sent here has the authority to meet any demands that would be proper compensation." He said, now staring down 'The Voice', before continuing. "Was your master too scared of a lone man from the stars to attend?" He asked, dismissively, in a biting tone.

[Oncaro]

"Lord B'alam, please, there's no need for insults," Danica said in response to the Prince's words. "I'm sure that Emperor Alexei has a good reason to have not attended this meeting, and I also am sure that he vested in this group the authority to speak for him. If we could please, I would like to get right to this matter: The Mayan Confederation offered Chernigov a contract of vassalhood as payback for being attacked by the French Coalition for... Well, I'm honestly still unsure of why this thing even happened."

She looked toward the Chernigovan ambassador, a thoughtful frown on her beautiful face.

"This offer was very aggressively and, to the Maya, rudely declined by your Emperor. I would like to know why this happened, because this was an affront to Mayan honor-- and they take honor extremely seriously."

[The Sacred Lights]

B'alam relaxed his posture, sitting back in his chair before making a brief clarification. "Tonina made the offer. Not the confederation... We don't share tributaries." He said, nonchalantly. "That said, you are correct about the rest."

[Ikhan]

 A great silence fell upon the members of the Chernigovan delegation as they figured out what would happen next. However, suddenly, the voice stepped forwards, his eyes a bright red, and began to speak. However, it was not his voice. Instead, it was Alexei himself, talking through the body of the voice.

 "You do not know what they would have done, Danica. They would have caused the deaths of millions, no, billions if I did not reject the offer. They wished to sacrifice innocent beings to their deities, something which I could not permit. That, is why I rejected the offer. Now, as for you, B'alam. I will not accept an offer that would cause the enslavement and death of billions, and I have a reason to not attend. I am not personally attending this meeting as I am currently on a voyage of my own to find something you will never learn. That thing, is eternal life, not through death, but while keeping the same body, simply so I can protect the ones I care about until I am no longer needed. Thank you, for your time." Alexei said through the voice, however he "stayed" there through the voice.

[The Sacred Lights]

K'inich B'alam's face grew to a fury Danica knew all too well, she had seen it before, when the Franconian Royal had pulled a weapon and boasted his intent kill Malcom Shore during the UMS summit. At that time B'alam had walked up to the out of line Royal, turned him around, and slapped him across the face with his dead hand... "Avoid casualties?" He inquired, rhetorically. His voice quite, but shaking with fury.

In an explosion  of rage, he lifted from his seat, and slammed his fist on the desk with such force it cracked. "As your peoples women and children screamed, you were out looking to remain in flesh for all time!?!" He screamed. He was shaking with anger as looked at the voice. He started walking around the table, and began to pace in front of the Chernigov delegation before continuing his rant, this time in his native tongue. Though they could not understand the words under normal circumstance, B'alam's anger had awakened his soul, and all those in the room could feel the meaning of his spoken word in their very souls.

"You DARE to speak to me of lost souls!? When you sit in luxury as your people die!?" At this time he looked, not at the voice, but those accompanying him. "Do you dogs so willingly bow to a man who would not die for your family? Who would not die for anything!?" His fist was clinched so hard that one of his knuckles had dislocated. "You animals! Tributaries? Your people would be lucky to be our slaves! If our slaves were massacred like  termites in a wooden house, we would rise up! We would take up arms! We would throw away our lives for those who belong to us!!! But you... But you animals sit by, as you hear their screams, unmoving, and not desiring an inch of revenge!? SUBHUMAN SCUM!"

The prince turned away from the delegation and roared with anger, like the Jaguar of his namesake, before turning around to continue. "Fine, let's say you really wished to see fewer of your people die. Let's accept that lie for the sake of argument!" At this moment his gazed to the Voice, no, not the Voice, but Alexei himself. Who could no doubt feel B'alam's spiritual gaze on him. "You do so, by insulting and enraging another power? After being to easily bested by those, those... Those primitives!?" He stepped forward, pointing at Alexei through the "Voice", and decried: "Your Ego knows no bounds. So blinded by your desire to live, you cannot see the realities of life beyond your own ego!! Did you not consider how many would die if you stepped on the tail of a Jaguar!?"

Edited November 21, 2016 by The Sacred Lights

[Oncaro]

After inwardly flinching at the mistake she made regarding the Tonina, Danica's eyes widened slightly as the Chernigovan Emperor spoke through one of the delegates; and then she mentally balked at his logic.

Hold on a minute, she thought. He wanted to avoid war... by aggressively rejecting the Toninan offer. What.

But it was B'alam's response to this that truly surprised her-- or perhaps not. She felt the waves of pure rage emanating from the man even without her powers, so obvious was his contempt for those before him; most specifically the absent Emperor. Her lips parted slightly as he got up and paced, ranting, and for a few moments all she could see was him, his righteous anger at what he perceived as the Emperor's cowardice, and his clear distress that such a man would be willing to risk the lives of his own people due to a quest for immortality. All points that Danica found herself agreeing with, though she dimly remembered she wasn't supposed to side with either party; that didn't stop her from going a bit glassy-eyed,

All this emotion and passion seemed to hit her in waves, and she crossed one leg over the other reflexively before she was able to snap back to her senses. Blinking rapidly to refocus, she stood as well as B'alam finished his impassioned speech, her legs trembling slightly under the table.

"P-please, Lord B'alam, control yourself!" she managed to say, moving over to the furious Toninan heir and resisting the urge to touch him to help get her plea across; instead she looked into his eyes, her own showing clear concern for himself but also for those he was yelling at. "The point of this meeting is to make peace, and that cannot happen if insults are being thrown. Please... calm down," she said, her voice softening a bit as she looked to him. And then she looked to the Chernigovans.

"Your Majesty-- Despite his anger, Lord B'alam makes very valid points. The Maya as a whole are firm believers in honor, both personal and national. To them, your response to their proposal was an incredible affront, an affront deep enough to call for war. And Lord B'alam is clearly upset by what he perceives as you risking the lives of your own people to fulfill a personal ambition for immortality, offending Lord B'alam even further by not being here personally. That is... Extremely irresponsible by any measurable standard of leadership. I'm not completely sure of what you can do to fix this, but at the very least you should apologize for acting so carelessly in the face of imminent war. That is a good place to start, wouldn't you agree?"

Edited November 21, 2016 by Oncaro

[Ikhan]

"Yes, I agree. We did make many mistakes in the process of dealing with the Mayans, so for that, we apologize. Now, onto the important things... First, will I accept sacrifices of any sentient being? No, I will not. Second, will I accept Chernigov being a "tributary state" of the Mayans? No, I will not. As for the important issue, would I accept a chance for vengeance against the French and Caledonians? To be honest, I have considered it before. However, with the tragic death of Empress Wolf of France, I will not condone any violence against the nation. But I am willing to offer a compromise for this situation. Here are my terms: First, No major changes to either side of this crisis. Second, neither side is to interfere with each other. And Three, Both sides are to sign a non-aggression pact with each other. Does this sound good enough for my counterpart, Lord B'alam? I do hope so, of course, as I honestly wish to avoid a war no matter what." Alexei said through the voice to both Lord B'alam and Danica. Meanwhile, the ambassador and Imperial Knight were sitting, both simply looking around impatiently.

[The Sacred Lights]

The Prince of the Tonina was taken aback by the apology, unfortunately these new "terms" were unacceptable. He inhaled sharply, finding calm, before exhaling and resuming discussion. This time in the common tongue. "Those terms are unacceptable. Your slight towards Tonina had a deep impact. There are those in the Maya Confederation who will look at our System-State as unfit to rule if things are left so... Light."

He took a step back, turning to Danica. "Things will not be resolved this simply. Tonina must save face to avoid another Civil War." He said, turning his gaze back to Alexei. "This means: Any agreement we come to must give the implication that Tonina is seen as the dominant force. Non-aggression pacts are a sign of weakness, and we cannot make alliances with those whom have insulted us... Additionally, insulting our sacred practices is sacrilegious.
You will hand us over One Thousand Sacrifices, as an apology for affronting us. Whether you condone it matters not, that is the only way for this to resolve without bloodshed."

Edited November 22, 2016 by The Sacred Lights