Glorious Stars Intro (feel free to jump in)

[virtutis.umbra]

Ah, the fiery rhetoric and bold elocution of my fellow Great House delegates warms the very cockles of my heart. I have so missed the well-choreographed play of point and parry, feint and counterthrust. Surely the good Citizen Duedine of House Echelon can agree that the dueling that mighty power seeks is already present here among us!

Jesting aside, please, fellow delegates: let us cool our rancor and work for mutual peace and prosperity going forward. Yes, the Hegemony's collapse brought about a time of instability, perhaps even chaos - in poorly-diversified or marginal systems in particular, many of which still have not recovered enough to field an Assembly seat and regain the recognition of this august body. But. By all signs, the inflection point is past: the Assembly is reconvened, the courageous and decisive efforts of the Great Houses -

not least House Raptor's in controlling the Hegemony infrastructure and preventing it from falling into lawless hands: the navy and Sigma system, this very station - Mother Earth herself, despite whatever disconcerting event seems to have occurred there - and, dear Lady Viola, I think I speak for all in the Assembly when I express concern and anticipation of further details on whatever crisis has befallen the Cradle of Man...

and also not least House Alhazred's in keeping the flow of information alive in the twilight years of confusion... these and countless other great acts by the powers of the galaxy kept the flower of human civilization alive amid the tumult, and I, for one, am honored to be among the inheritors of the old Hegemony's legacy.

Let us strive together to make the New Earth Empire no mere squabbling shadow of would-be successor-states, but a true reinvigoration of the old union of humanity into a newer, more dynamic body, that we may sieze our moment: restore light to the still-darkened human worlds of the galaxy, and then strike outward into the wider void as the destiny of our species demands!

[Emiricol]

House Echelon Communique

First Tier Elect Citizen Emrella Duedine

House Echelon wholeheartedly agrees with the the eloquent En'Scootra Tro-losh. With the dissolution of the Hegemony, we predict a massive surge of piracy as they move in to exploit the lack of centralized military authority. Why should House Raptor control the Hegemony arsenal and parcel it out at their discretion alone? I propose that at least several vessels suitable for combating pirates be distributed to each of the houses on a per-system basis to combat the immanent overwhelming increase in economic and personal destruction that experts are predicting as being 550% more than current levels based on in-depth non-partisan analysis.

Do I have second? For the proposal, I mean. Sadly, dueling is not permitted in the Assembly... which leads me to my next point, that being...

Dorgothian Citizen Delegate Hrothson <transmission>
It is my humble honor to speak for House Dorgoth in following the highly esteemed First Tier Elect Citizen Emrella Duedine to second any petition to distribute anti-piracy capability in a more equitable fashion. We abhor the notion that the safety of any citizen of the Human family of nations is based on nothing more sound than one House's decision whether or not another house deserves such safety.

While we cannot condone the implementation of dueling laws at this august Assembly, we applaud Duedine's larger and more important goal of ensuring the safety of all.
</transmission>

[StevetheERB]

Imperial attack dogs? Dogs? Really Grand Prince Alhazred. I usually require someone to attend at least one of my parties before they call me a bitch and I don't seem to recall you at my recent birthday celebration. Unless you were that gentleman in the Proxima-gadfly mask. I mean, we did get everything besides the mask off him so its possible...but I digress.

I would like to thank House Craytan for their kind words as to our election however.

I too share the concern of my fellow houses as to the potential for piracy in these troubling times. And by all means, if houses want Raptor ships, with Raptor crews, and Raptor loyalities patrolling their systems, then by all means they should have them. Lady Raptor has made it clear that you have but to ask and House Raptor will be more than happy to let you borrow some under the Lend and Protect Act...complete with embedded agents and self-destruct mechanisms!

Perhaps instead of ships it would be more efficient and expedient for each House to receive a grant from the Imperial coffers so they can begin construction of their own ships.

Erina Boudicca, Baroness of Gienah
Head of the NEE Assembly

[Tyrel Lohr]

Ah, the rapier wit of Baroness Erina is on full display in the hallowed halls of the Assembly. It would say that you had a piercing sense of humor, Baroness, if you weren't so incredibly dull. Has the Emperor been treating you well? And where are your other two heads? I could have sworn that you had three the last time I saw you guarding the gates of hell.

Pardon me, fellow delegates, for my brazen lack of decorum in these proceedings, but it's obvious to me that Houses Raptor and Boudicca are setting themselves up as tinpot dictators of what's left of the Hegemony and I have grave reservations about the future of this organization. My loyalty to the minor houses compels me to remain within your company, but I urge everyone to pass laws that will strip the imperial house of its power and make this a truly democratic assembly.

Grand Prince Kadin Mahir Alhazred
Bey of Carcosa, Protector of the Yellow Sign

[StevetheERB]

Yes Grand Prince Alhazred, I thought it best to stick to one head for the moment, keeps me on equal footing with you. And how was your last trip to Hell? That whole selling your soul work out for you? Or just dropping off your monthly quota of sacrifices?

Now, I may be a witless tinpot dictator, but I at least had the decency to put forth a suggestion to help houses deal with securing their systems from pirates. You just continue to offer hollow words like the cold winds of Cocytus.

Erina Boudicca, Baroness of Gienah
Head of the NEE Assembly

[Tyrel Lohr]

House Carcosa could be convince to support the Boudiccan motion to have the Imperial House distribute a boon to the rest of the houses. Perhaps if House Raptor divided the income from Sol between all of the minor houses? This would only be a few economic points per turn divided between so many deserving worlds, but it would help them to establish themselves in this post Hegemonic age.

As for putting forth our own legislation, we are going to hold off on proposing anything official until we have had time to acclimate to this new Assembly. I can publicly declare, however, that its my desire to turn this Assembly into a purely democratic institution. This means proposing significant rules to the Assembly charter that would involve eliminating the imperial structure and changing the way in which Assembly heads are chosen. I would encourage all of the minor houses to debate how they would like their new pan-human government to function so that we can move towards a truly egalitarian future.

Grand Prince Kadin Mahir Alhazred
Bey of Carcosa, Protector of the Yellow Sign

[virtutis.umbra]

One opportunity this legislative assembly does afford in immediately offering a peaceful climate to all member Houses is this: a formal, universally-recognized central arbiter for inter-House agreements.

House Phoenix encourages all delegations herein to make immediate use of this advantage to secure a firm commitment toward nonbellicosity and a recognition of one another's territorial sovereignty, the better to focus our attention on solving problems and moving ahead in unity and common purpose.

The Incorporated Republic of Phoenix hereby extends separate, individual offers of Border Treaties to every House herein represented. Please send a formal message (either publicly within this forum, or via the private communications channel) if you wish to accept this offer.

If ay House chooses to acknowledge this offer privately, we will honor the desire for circumspection and not announce the matter either; but, we do ask that any delegates at least advise House Raptor's delegation as well, since presumably as the current controllers of Sigma and the Assembly station, they control the central registry of binding formal treaties just as the Hegemony imperial bureaucracy did previously.

[gstano]

It is reassuring that while times may change, the liveliness of these Chambers remains as spry as ever.

My House thanks Lady Viola of Imperial House Raptor for the understanding of the need for guidance on the neutral systems and piracy.

Further, Erina Boudicca, Baroness of Gienah of Great House Boudicca, we must all work within the system that is now currently established and my House wishes you well in wielding the responsibility that comes with the power bestowed on you now.

Also, while I lack the … colorful discussion of the honored members of this great body, my House publicly thanks Grand Prince Alhazred of Great House Carcosa for being a voice to promote both change and to help give a voice to the smaller Houses.

House Craytan supports the measures of Great House Echelon and House Dorgoth with respect to Imperial units supporting anti-piracy patrols. I must say that the Imperial strike fleet in Steyran has reduced piracy to nearly nothing! However, I see a benefit of Great House Boudicca’s proposal, expanded by Great House Carcosa, for Imperial funds to support local Houses. This would allow the Houses to tailor their forces to meet the local needs. Particularly for the smaller Houses, this combination would allow an Imperial cruiser from Imperial House Raptor to be the “big stick” and coordinate the smaller House forces. As such, I officially second this motion.

Lastly, House Craytan seconds Great House Phoenix’s proposal to foster a united humanity. To put our words into action, an opening discussion has been sent to Citizen Shareholder Landry Aigrette to begin this process.

Respectfully,
Representative Altorin sa Jenlon
House Craytan

[mwaschak]

House Raptor recognized the fiery rhetoric of the NEE Assembly as a great comfort and evidence that we live in a galaxy that truly honors the opinion of each house. No, we will not make each house happy and the days to come will be difficult. We have chosen House Boudicca for their impeccable record following the downfall of the Hegemony. Emperor, than Grand Duke, Marcel and Irena have not always seen eye to eye, but they both believe in the goals of the NEE and the ability of this assembly to govern.

House Crayta is recognized as a stalwart supporter of its people and we thank them for allowing the fleet to operate against the pirates found in Steyran. We defeated many foes who would have turned peaceful shipping lanes in to a conflict zone.

In the interest of deterring future piracy House Raptor can offer patrol ships as discussed. This vessels are already built and able to be deployed immediately. They are more than capable and we will allow advisers from impartial houses, perhaps Phoenix or Trask, to help us manage the process.

Simply opening the coffers for military build up is a difficult prospect for us. What do we do in the event that one house turns these patrol ships against another? House Raptor would have blood on its hands have supplied weapons to one house and not another. This would lead to escalation and possibly increased trouble. Perhaps we could agree on a police vessel that we could manage, built with funds from the Prosperity Zone?

It is a good time to talk about management of the Prosperity Zone. In the past the Hegemony leveraged this against you all, using the wealth to build up their technology, and to form the backbone of their fleet. Today, I believe this is wealth that should be shared. House Raptor could hand out management to piracy fleet reduction groups to oversea their use for the benefit of all.

Lady Viola Raptor

[OneMadOgre]

It is well that this august assembly has such a focus on the entire family of humanity. As close neighbors of the Great House Albarzred, we especially welcome their position on a more equal participation of all humanity. Using our goodhearted neighbors as a model, House Kestrel will begin reaching out to the settlements of humanity that even now are desperate for food and resources to build out a better standard of living for their citizens.

We have commissioned a trade fleet to bring immediate food relief to our neighbors in Lambda suffering through a desperate famine, a challenge that our people as frequent immigrants understands too well. It is our great hope that previous misunderstanding between the former institutions of government and our own can be put aside for the benefit of the human family. We also hope that others will also look for concrete ways to help those around them bring comfort, shelter and substance to the people who suffer and are without representation here.

[OneMadOgre]

--Begin Transmission--

Peer Julie Anglestream
Ambassador, NEE Assembly - Kestrel Delegation, New Earth Empire

To:
Citizen Shareholder Landry Aigrette
Senior VP of Interstellar Affairs, Incorporated Republic of Phoenix
Ambassador, NEE Assembly - Arcturus Delegation, New Earth Empire

CC:
Lady Raptor
Imperial House Raptor, NEE Assembly, New Earth Empire


Citizen Shareholder Aigrette,

It is my great pleasure to acknowledge and accept a formal border treaty with your great house and humbly thank you for the offer. May it lead to greater stability and prosperity for all the human family.

Peer Julie

--End Transmission--

The Incorporated Republic of Phoenix hereby extends separate, individual offers of Border Treaties to every House herein represented. Please send a formal message (either publicly within this forum, or via the private communications channel) if you wish to accept this offer.

[Iron Sky]

Just noticed you have my e-mail address (malexanderaustin@gmail.com) for House Far Stars instead of House Echelon and don't have mine listed. Could be a useful change as I just got some Far Stars email...

[mwaschak]

(Doh! Sorry about that. I will send an update too. MavikFelna is Far Stars.)

"House Raptor respectively requests that House Trask or House Phoenix looks in to this matter of House Echelon's message interceptions. There is no chance this is related to an error in the Imperial Communication Network."

[Iron Sky]

"If the emissary from House Raptor wishes to impugn the honor of House Echelon further, we can continue it in the Echelon Ambassadorial shuttle at the spaceport. It is sovereign House Echelon ground and while we did not have enough room for a full-sized dueling circle, there is one big enough for a small personal 'debate'".

[mwaschak]

"If the emissary from House Raptor wishes to impugn the honor of House Echelon further, we can continue it in the Echelon Ambassadorial shuttle at the spaceport. It is sovereign House Echelon ground and while we did not have enough room for a full-sized dueling circle, there is one big enough for a small personal 'debate'".

Viola relied on her diplomatic mettle to not roll her eyes. Echelon's strengths were many, but this focus on combat and grudges was just a distraction. She herself had some appropriate training, but there were few outside House Echelon who dare step in a dueling ring and risk all. She supposed her personal bodyguards would enjoy it, but those were expatriates from House Echelon who House Raptor bought for top credit to serve the NEE.

"No, we must decline at this time".