• Nobles of Null is a forum based roleplay site where sci-fi and magic collide. Here, Earth remains fractured and divided despite humanity reaching out to the stars. Worse still, the trans-human slaves of one major power have escaped, only to establish their own Empire, seething with resentment at abuses of the past. Even the discovery of aliens, though medieval in development, has failed to rally these squabbling children of Earth together with its far darker implications. Worse still, is the discovery of the impossible - magic. Practiced by the alien locals, nearly depleted and therefore rare, its reality warping abilities remains abstract and distant to the general populace. All the while, unseen in the darkness of space, forces from without threaten to press in. For those with eyes opened by insight, it is clear that an era is about to end, and that a new age will dawn.

IDS Yīnghuā - Log 2.0: "If you are far from the enemy..."

"It's because breasts have copious amounts of womanly power!" Hoshiko thrust her less-than-ample chest out. Wearing a black and blue flame bikini in their beach-side resort simulation, it was clear just how modest the tiger princess was. "In fact, Wen here was driven mad and disgraced because of them!" she smugly gestured to the bull in question. She quickly tossed that thought away though. "But seriously Jun, Reina is right. Great idea, bad execution. You wanna tell them they're special first," the princess pointed out to her newly adopted sister. "Speaking of, I need a status report on our assets Reina. Let me know how they look." By now though, Xian and the Zhànshòu had cleared the horde of crustaceans, with their readouts saying they were still relatively in the 'green' so to say. "More importantly, Xian, you're in position, so I need you to start getting the silverbacks ready for pickup and transport at the rendezvous point," she quickly addressed the tiger warrior. "We'll be there shortly."

"Of course," Hoshiko acknowledged Wen's sage advice. She glanced at Jun for a moment more given the cow's choice of words before rolling her eyes. There was no helping it - the Aos'Si ambassador was sure to understand just what they really were, and the situation that they were in. If not to one degree, then another. Regardless of whatever they believed regarding the Aos'Si, this one kept composed as she absorbed their latest quirks. "We will meet again," she curtly half-bowed, making a fist-in-palm gesture.

"Good. I hope you will arrive on time for breakfast." The golden haired one gently lay down in her bed again. Nimue added, her voice wistful, "Astakos is not widely available in the north where your tower resides."

With that, she closed her eyes.

*****

Horns blared to mark the sunrise and their arrival. Even as the Daqin stated their names and purpose, doing the routine of being cleared to enter by the guards, they remotely controlled the drones back on their transport ship above. And of course, they all gathered in virtual space.

"Okay, let's do this right," Hoshiko entered the blank white virtual-room. "Also, since you're the new girl Reina, you get to pick the VR room setting." Meanwhile, out in meatspace, they walked through the camp. At night time, the immense scale of it was clear, but now that all the Aos'Si awakened, it was as busy as a hive. Led to the center, a single large tent awaited them, it's flaps opened to welcome the Daqin to the table.

"I see our unexpected guests have arrived," The lady feigned ignorance of them. "I am Lady Nimue of Cinna. Please, sit and join me, we have much to discuss, I'm sure." Servants quickly raced to place food on the table like a choreographed dance, and in moments, their plates were set, and their meals were laid out. The heads of the vicious crustaceans from the night before were now reduced to ornaments, flanked by their split and fire grilled tails.

"I am Princess Korui Hoshiko, of House Korui," the tigress introduced herself again. Inside virtual space, she quickly motioned for them all to do the same, "Come on, do the thing guys!"
 
In the VR space, Reina quizzically looks down at her own ample 'assets' in response to Hoshiko's statement about 'womanly power.' To her, they were both a leftover aesthetic from a human form that she was probably never going to experience and a result of her mother's requisitioned gene edits for her 'purpose,' giving her larger than normal storage sacks to compensate for her overly efficient chemical-precursor glands. Reina shrugged, she didn't see much of the appeal. Though they looked the part, they technically weren't breasts... and they got in the way more times than not.

Following Hoshiko's lead, Reina left with the rest of her companions, giving a polite farewell to the Aos'Si before heading out.

*****

Back at the rendezvous, Reina personally gives a once over to all of the Chongwu that were involved in the skirmish. "They seem mostly fine. Minor contusions and scrapes on the ones that got grabbed... some minor damage to the stealth coating on two of em. All and all I'm surprised that they didn't receive more damage, considering the pincers on those crustaceans have pretty strong forces behind them. I'll administer some anti-inflammatories to get them healing easier, though I can't do much about the stealth coating."

She carefully begins to apply the meds to the big ape-like creatures, humming softly as she does so. One seems to flinch as she applies the hypo, "There, there. Its going to be alright," she says soothingly petting its flank, "This will help you feel better in no time."

She looks into the creature's eyes and wonders to herself... "What irony... Well... Reina... Just do what you can for them."

*****

After her arrival to the white room virtual space and hearing Hoshiko's request, Reina thinks for a minute... then, with a flick of her wrist, she throws out a small wooden tablet with [カフェ] carved into its surface into the center of the room. The small tablet sinks into the floor and the space changes in a whirlwind of activity. Tables and chairs seemingly build themselves into position, wood and brick slot themselves into the floors, walls and ceiling, old style machines assemble themselves behind a rustic counter. Everything appears like puzzle pieces being slotted into the correct positions... and then it suddenly stops.

The room now appears to be an old style cafe of an early 2000's Japan, lit in a soft afternoon glow. A placard on the wall reads 'Moonlight Cafe (月光喫茶).' A large table is now center room, chairs enough for the group are arranged around the table at regular intervals. The background has the quite murmur of other patrons sipping tea or coffee, enjoying sweets or small meals, light music accenting the atmosphere. A waitress comes by and sets down drinks and/or food for each person, somehow knowing particular drink or snack preferences, and hurries away behind the counter.

Reina appears dressed in an era appropriate sweater dress, built more for comfort and vibes than any social convention. She sits down and pops a bon bon into her mouth and sighs contentedly, "Not quite like the real thing, but I did miss the flavor. How's this for our meeting?"

In meat space, Reina bows her head slightly, "I am Dr. Reina, of clan Mochizuki."
 
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Jun loaded in wearing a 'maid outfit' with all sorts of black and white ribbons on it. She also added cat-ears as well as a constellation of sparkles that followed her around. There were also an increasing number of technicolor birds floating around her...
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Xian, meanwhile, had loaded in wearing the same armored body suit she was wearing in meatspace. Her avatar was low poly as well, just enough to give the impression of the Tigress while using as little bandwith as possible.

"This is nice. A woman can only handle so many old war 2 command posts on islands that don't even have iced drinks." Jun said in the virtuality as she introduced herself in meat space. "So uh, you know what we're looking for here right? I got us in but like... spy stuff is your thing."

Xian notably didn't introduce herself. Unlike Jun who could say that she was a Princess, Xian didn't have any real titles to her name that would be of use here. Instead she would take a position slightly behind the princess as she tried to give off the most intense aura she could. She didn't even lower her helmet as they were seated infront of the food. "This food is simply made. I doubt they would try and poison us, or that their poisons could harm us if they did." The way she sat, keeping a maximum distance from the food seemed to indicate her problem with it wasn't that it might be tainted, but instead that she might have to eat something the Aoi Si caught and prepared.
 
Wen personally didn't care much for teas and snacks, but he couldn't say no to a fellow Daqinren's hospitality. He dressed in a plain Tang suit, and sat next to Reina, ordering a black coffee and the snack item with the most protein in it. To his dismay, given that it was a Japanese cafe, there wasn't much. Nonetheless, he worked on the meal, albeit crudely, one large bite at a time. "It's fine enough, thank you. Not for the likes of me though. Next time I am picking the place, it is going to be a Mongolian grill."

As he talked, he had a hand terminal reporting to him the goings on from the periphery of the camp, with the Chongwu drones flying overhead.

In meatspace, like Xian, he didn't introduce himself. He was just a bodyguard, and he had no clan to speak of. However, his helmet was set to the side, revealing his stout features and dark red hair. If they were going to eventually control the Aos Si, might as well learn everything about them first, including their food. Besides, it looked like good meat. Wen grabbed one of the grilled tails, split open the carapace, and took a bite.
 
"Vintage from two, maybe three hundred years back?" the princess raised an ear in thought, only to do a double take at the cathode ray tube television nearby. Shaking her surprise off and sitting down, she ordered from a paper menu, and a maid of herself dressed in an appropriate outfit brought herself breakfast. A latte with a carefully 'drawn' lizard kaiju of the era, and a single fluffy, inch thick pancake topped with fruits. Seeing Reina down the bon-bon though, she couldn't help but reply. "The Mother Empress said she made sure we prefer meatspace feels over virtuality in the subsequent generations she worked on," Hoshiko explained, taking a slice of her pancake. "It's supposed to be good, but not as good as the real thing, even though our virtuality is a big part of our lives." Hearing Reina ask for their opinion though, the princess looked her way. "It's a good choice," Hoshiko smiled.

Even so, it was only fitting that Zhùlǐ Dānwèi Sì made sure they didn't dissociate from reality entirely. They had work to do after all, and reality wouldn't care if they were too busy grinding for the next unlock.

"Of course, this is Xian and Wen, our bodyguards," Hoshiko gestured to the two in question. "To be fair, we're not in yet Jun. We still need to stay in their good graces," she reminded them all, eying Xian and Wen in particular. Even so, her mouth began to water as the bull of a man crunched his way through the fire grilled crustacean, his helmet having retracted and folded away with ease to reveal his true face. From where she sat, Hoshiko could almost taste the firm yet tender-to-the-bite flesh, and the almost-familiar tang of fruit juices having been squeezed atop it all.

The chemical analysis coming back from his mouth wasn't perfect of course, but it looked safe enough.

"You must have quite a few questions," the tiger princess offered up some conversation. Following Wen's lead, she went for one of the pincers rather than a piece of the tail. "Also...I, uh, didn't actually think we'd make it this far. What should I actually say?" she asked, shifting nervously.

Her pancakes jiggled.

"Likewise," Lady Nimue countered. "And though you've been watching us from afar - " the video feed they were looking at from above, came to mind. The encampment's great beasts of burden were slowly waking. " - we've watched you much more closely over the years." Hoshiko immediately thought of the refugees camped around their sole outpost city. "Did you see something of concern? It's not normal for you to come to us, after all." Hearing the Aos'Si point this out reminded the tiger princess of something.

Courtly intrigue was not her thing either.
 
In VR Reina nods, "Definitely wise of the Empress to do so. If this was simply better, what would be the point in everything outside of it?" She picks up another bonbon and sets it in some tea she has in front of her, letting it melt before mixing it in. Trying a sip, she frowns and sighs, "Though... its a little frustrating that I can't get certain creature comforts on this mission."

Setting her tea aside, she smiles appreciatively at the complements for the choice in decor, "Thank you. This is actually based on a recreation in the restaurant quarter of my home station. Quite a spendy place, but I am familiar with the proprietor."

In meat space, Reina 'sits' and flicks her tongue at the food set before her, tasting its scent. Tentatively she strips the flesh from one of the tails and tries a bite, chewing slowly to savor the flavor. Her eyes brighten and she lets out a contented noise as she proceeds to consume more of the sweet flesh. Nodding, she quietly and politely sends her compliments to the chef.

Back in VR to Hoshiko, "Well... How do you want to play it? We could be entirely truthful with them and tell them what we want and what we might give them in return... or you could deflect, skirting around what we want, giving them a chance to guess at our purpose and maybe gaining more info than what we would have gotten otherwise... though... that also probably risks pissing them off." Reina picks up her tea and looks at her reflection in it, "Though... I'm personally done with that kind of political dance. I vote the former. Building relations is about truth and trust. We don't have to put all of our cards on the table, but it would probably help us in the long term to be straight with them. Ultimately your decision however."
 
"We're so IN right now. If we were out they wouldn't have let us get this far. I mean, maybe we're not THAT in. This is like, one drink at the bar and there is no one else to talk to and she's not really your type but you're going to see where it goes kinda IN but we certainly aren't going to get kicked out unless you do something stupid or like... shoot their space-dog. Just be casual." Jun was getting less and less confident as she thought about it, her gaze shifting over to Wen, "Maybe some of us should just not say anything. That would be good."

"We should ask them why they are gathering directly. They seem receptive to our questions so lets ask them." Xian said simply.

"Right, maybe just a few of us should speak then." Jun thought outloud, "What's a good way to say we came out here to spy on you but like, not in a way that makes it sound like we're looking to steal their stuff?"

Jun's eyes went wide as she had an idea. She was pretty sure she figured out what to do!, "Everyone just follow my lead."

"We're here to learn more about you and your people. It is important for a princess to learn not just through lessons, but through action and adventure. We would consider it a great favor if you were to help us develop our beloved princess of House Korui." Jun said.

"Why would they agree to that? Didn't she kill thousands of them already?" Xian asked,

"WELL THEY WON'T BELIEVE I'M SOME VIRGIN PRINCESS WHO HASN'T SEEN THE WORLD!"
 
"Stupid cow, I am ---" Wen stood up and leaned up to Jun aggressively, but then paused, then sat back down. "Hold on, the stupid cow might be onto something." He sat back down and wondered. "This Aos Si says they know all about us through their observations. We have not been quiet, both on the ground and in space. Our space stations are observable with a rudimentary telescope from low Tiantang orbit. If our adversaries are intelligent, and we have to assume them so for the sake of strategy, they are less likely to buy into bullshit that we try to sell them." He begrudgingly thought to his conversation with them last night.

"They will be more receptive to personal requests. Might be caught off guard, even. And who cares if Princess Hoshiko killed thousands of them? Historically, sapients have made friends with killers who have caused the deaths of magnitudes more. Look at the entire history of humanity. If what we can offer benefits them now, all past grievances will be cast aside."

Meanwhile, in meatspace, Wen played the single-minded, brutish bodyguard. He was polite in his hunger, but nonetheless consumed food quickly, one steady, large bite at a time. Once he was done with the bug leg in his hand, he moved onto another appetizer, for the purpose of trying the dishes ahead of the princess.
 
Eying her retinue in the cafe, Hoshiko's face looked calm with contemplation as she poured more syrup onto her pancakes before taking a bite again. A part of her wanted to indulge herself with Reina's small talk of home-comforts, but another knew the seriousness of what was going on.

"Given our past history, it may be best to be truthful," she admitted. "Let's hope we don't have to deal with a Black Swan Event in the form of a huge Aos'Si Space Empire out there that'll be angry with us," Hoshiko added, hoping that it wouldn't come to pass. Even so, it didn't hurt too much to be nice, did it? "At least, that's what some politicians would like us to say," the tiger princess followed up after Jun. The cow was...maybe too flattering in her choice of words for Hoshiko's taste. "More importantly, we are here because 'magic' is entirely foreign to us, and we would like the assistance of your peoples' experts on the matter," she began, cautious as to not be disrupted by the ample crunching and munching of food.

The princess felt like she was delicately treading on thin ice.

"You'll have to tell me more about your background, Reina. I suspect the Empress had you among her recommendations for that reason regarding the 'political dance' you mentioned," Hoshiko verbally prodded the great serpent at the table. "I'm certain you'll want to be properly compensated, of course, and we are well capable of doing so." As Wen took a bite of his appetizer, the purple pickled root vegetable crunched between his teeth. Sweeter than daikon, the quick-vinegar-pickled flesh cleared his palate, letting him savor the astakos anew again. "Past grievances though..." Hoshiko mulled, taking another bite. "I want to say they're not the type to forget," she admitted, well aware the Aos'Si didn't look like the remembering type.

"I suppose that is a good start," Lady Nimue replied, taking a bite of the food herself. "Though, do keep in mind that many believe this gathering will be the deciding point on whether or not another attempt to cast your people off this world will be made," she casually dropped the bombshell on them. Carefully teasing more of the white flesh out of the shell, Nimue continued, "The more hawkish parties believe enough of our old strength has returned to do so, which means you will have to be very persuasive towards those that are still undecided." Popping the decadent morsel into her mouth, she chewed and swallowed. "That aside, I do admit that I would like to hear your deliberations out here, instead of in your shared mindscape." She smiled. "Just a thought."
 
In VR, Reina pauses when Hoshiko mentions her background, seemingly going blank for a beat. Her virtual form seems to then glitch, fragmenting slightly, before righting itself as she comes back to the present, "I... yes commander. I thought the empress or a retainer of hers had already informed you of me... I'll tell you when we have less pressing things to attend," she sighs. "Though, I'm not entirely sure if that's why she had me on this mission. She smiled coyly when I asked her 'Why me,' and told me that 'If I didn't understand now, I'd find out soon,' whatever that actually means..."

She gives another pause, realizing her own words, she bows her head suddenly, "I apologize for speaking that way. I've been frustrated, but that's no way to speak about the Empress."

Back in meat space, after listening to Lady Nimue, Reina replies, "I apologize mine lady, we meant no disrespect in our deliberations amongst one another. Truth be told, we just want to make a great first impression..." Reina thinks for a second, awkwardly smiles and bows her head, "I mean, second impression... our culture allows for careful thought before expressing ourselves and our 'mindscape,' as you call it, is one means by which we can do that. We jumped too quickly before because our mission is very important and we didn't take the steps necessary to avoid the social faux pas... maybe we overcorrected this time."

She raises her head and puts on a serious look, "The reason why we are speaking right now is because we believe we can avoid conflict. We both benefit if we can develop a relationship with each other. Otherwise... there wouldn't be a reason for us to be here..."

"Hopefully I'm not overestimating her. If she's as smart as I think she is, she'll understand what that could mean. We don't want to threaten her, but making her understand that, despite the power of the empire, we are choosing to talk instead."

Her face softens, "But we also aren't asking that you forget the past, only that you consider the future. You could help bring that future for your people and bring mutual benefit and better understanding to our respective cultures," she pauses and glances at the rest of her party, "I personally would rather we all get along and hope that you help us further that goal."

Reina moves her food aside so that she can perform a respecting bow.
 
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"Am I the stupid cow if you're the one that's stupid and also a cow?" Jun asked stupidly as she thought about coming up with something else that was more clever but instead decided to puit a floating ice-cream minion in orbit around her head in the virtuality.

She then added a floating cat, before turning her attention to Hoshiko.

"Just remember there is THE TRUTH" She said, frowning and shaking her head.

"And then there is The Truth" She said, smiling and nodding.

"We're basically friends though so I don't know why you're worrying. Lets just tell them why we're here and we can all be on the same page,"

Her eyes were wide as saucers now.

"See? The snake gets it. You could learn a lot from her Wen."

Also Jun took a bite of both the food infront of her in meatspace and a Moe Moe Icecream Sunday in the virtuality that added a rainbow sparkle to both herself and the food.
 
"I'm not going to take advice from a stupid cow who decided to drug herself on a diplomacy mission." Wen snorted, while he simultaneously took a bite in both meat space and virtual space. "I know what you're saying, Reina, but I don't like it. I don't like the fact that this is our only choice, unless we want to take some risks. We could take information by force, but my guess is physical objects are not going to be useful, and interrogation will either fail completely, or cause ramification beyond our predictions."

He shook his head. "All the power of the Empire, and we have to smile and nod to a species on the verge of extinction, at least on this planet." He paused.

"I bet the humans are starting to encounter the same problem with the Aos Si on their worlds. I wonder how they are handling the situation, if they have any intelligence at all?"
 
Hoshiko's eyebrows rose slightly as she realized they had hit something to Reina's discomfort.

"I'm sorry, The Empress likes to be mischievous sometimes," the tiger princess confessed. "You don't need to apologize too much either." She glanced at their little group. "I'd say we're pretty informal," Hoshiko replied with a smirk. Jun however...Jun wiped that smirk right off of Hoshiko's face the moment she opened her mouth to start talking again. The tiger princess nervously side-eyed the others with her, almost to ask if she was still sane or if Jun had gone off the deep end. But then Hoshiko remembered Jun had been eating more of those pop-sickles and sighed.

Checking Jun's biometrics, it looked like the heifer would make a full recovery.

"I jest," the Aos'Si waved off Reina's bow with disinterest at the apology. "I only meant to tug your skirt," Lady Nimue played about with a claw piece. "I figured you lot were misfits like myself," the chocolate skinned woman added. Inside their virtuality, Hoshiko visibly winced as the words struck a little too close to home for her taste. Before she could reply though, the data-feeds from their overhead Chongwu indicated movement. Big movement.

The green hillside by them woke up and yawned.

"Oh, that makes so much sense." Whether or not Hoshiko was saying that to the Aos'Si or was commenting on the giant...tortoise-thing with a building sized howdah on its back, it was hard to be sure. She did consider what Wen said though. "To be fair, the Heaven Forged Republic has a number of writings from an Aos'Si author, Amisra of Yvresse. It seems to be a good primer, though I think she's keeping the more interesting things for herself," Hoshiko pointed out. "Their Aos'Si were also very hostile thanks to The Combine siccing our predecessors, the Zhuli, on them." That was roughly two hundred years ago, but even then, she let herself wonder if The Empress had any hand in that back then. "She's a CEO of some tech company now," Hoshiko added.

"I thought so too," Lady Nimue nodded, oblivious to the by-play. "Once you're all finished eating, we can come on board and talk further about business dealings and your opponents," she gestured to their 'steed'. The way its head and limbs stretched out much further out from its shell than an Earth tortoise gave the giant creature an abnormally lanky appearance, but that was a given.

It was an alien not-tortoise with four eyes after all.
 
"I see the princess has done her homework." Wen observed. In meat space, he finished the last of his meal, satisfied that nothing in the Aos Si feast upset his stomach, and more importantly, that of the royalty. He was the first to climb onto the testudine, making sure it was safe, before he offered Princess Hoshiko a hand to help her aboard. It was a formality: he was well aware that Hoshiko could hold her own for a simple task as stepping onto a large creature.

"An Aos Si, a business woman in the human sphere?" He continued to muse. "I suppose it is in the nature of lesser species to form petty alliances, unwilling as they are. The humans must be weaker than I thought if they let an Aos Si get that far in their society."
 
"UUUUUUGH, THIS IS WHY YOU'RE SO UNFUCKABLE." Jun complained about Wen, "I'm having a great time and we're at a party, and you're getting all preachy again. Maybe if you'd actually NOT BE THE WET BLANKET of the Empire you'd actually get your dick wet."

Jun doubled the size of her eyes in the virtuality.

Also added a pair of floating teddy bears.
 
In VR space, Reina seems relieved but still unsure as she nods at Hoshiko's reassurance.

Turning to Wen, "But it is our best option. We don't get what we want by being superior or having bigger weapons in this case. You have to put yourself at that level and understand what the person your dealing with is going through. If we don't, then they stonewall us and the situation devolves. And Wen," she gives him an even look, "We are dealing with people here. Beyond what you think, they feel and have aspirations and problems same as us. Trying to live and find themselves, same as us. Just because we have a more developed society, it doesn't change that fact." Her features soften, "I also know its frustrating when you have expertise and you can't use them. I'm sure one or more of their number will try to kill us at some point. People are people and they don't all agree, despite their similarities. I'm sure you'll be able to do more then."

Looking over to Jun, Reina gets pause, "... Um, Jun... I'm glad you agree with me about the Aos'Si Honey, though... your other comments are getting a little out of hand, but are you okay?" She stares with a little concern as Jun further increased her virtual eye size and added another item to the small cloud orbiting her, "Could... could you maybe tone it down with the insults... and maybe the toys and animals? Not like I entirely agree with Wen, but you're getting strangely personal with those comments and the cloud," she points to the things flying around her, "Is getting a little distracting." At that point, Reina had also looked at the biometrics that Hoshiko was looking at, not knowing if the Ox form was being particularly chaotic today, or if she was having an interesting reaction to the popsicles she was eating.

Reina had a thought and just voiced it out loud, "What kind of sensory data are you even getting... that does not look comfortable..."

Back in meat space, after the meal is done, Reina follows everyone else's lead... though she pauses to ponder the large animal that would be their transport.
 
“Wen just talks like that sometimes,” he said. “It’s more for show than anything else. He doesn’t really mean it the way it sounds.”

Oumijia leaned back, nodding at her words. “You’re right, though; people are people. Wen knows that too, even if he acts like he doesn’t.”
 
In their virtuality, Hoshiko's attention turned to the heifer with a little bit of worry.

"Jun...just how many popsicles did you eat?" The Tiger princess asked, a hint of suspicion slowly creeping into her voice. "You know we're not at the main party yet, right?" Hoshiko wordlessly sent an electronic nudge to Reina to maybe do something. She was the resident doctor after all, so having their biometrics, blood serum levels of party drugs included, should have been viewable!

"Good," Lady Nimue noted, seeing them all finished with their meal. "We can be off then." Leading the way, the Aos'Si woman boarded their massive, walking tank of a creature via ramp. Though the howdah was built like a gleaming marble fortress of white and gold - complete with repeating polybolos - a gazebo sat at the very apex. It was here that the dark skinned Aos'Si settled in on one of the many plush pillows and made herself comfortable. "I assume none of you have heard of the factions that you will be dealing with?" she calmly asked. Down below, the camp was rapidly dismantled as other beasts of burden were quickly loaded and cavalry mounted.

"I can't just ask Wen if he's ever worried about how 'the heavens have uncertain wind and cloud' when it comes to the Aos'Si without having Jun in the right mind to humble him too," Hoshiko pointed out. The old Chinese phrase had stuck around, but she couldn't shake the concern that the Aos'Si were even older than that phrase! "I've actually been wondering if Empress Zhuli is worried we're going to end up as the primitives in the face of an Aos'Si Empire." It was an extremely unpleasant thought to say the least.

"No, I do not know about the groups we will be dealing with," Hoshiko admitted, settling down on a pile of plush pillows herself. "I'm more concerned about where we are going precisely, and how long this journey will take." The last thing the tiger princess wanted was to end up taking a long and arduous journey when they could just get in their cargo ship and fly there.

"Oh-ho?" Lady Nimue raised an elegant eyebrow. "Well, do you know what a Node is?" she asked with a small smile.
 
"Jun is being a stupid cow, I do not take offense." Wen waved at Reina.

"Yes, the Aos Si are sapient creatures, I understand that," He addressed her and Oumijia, "Which is why I am not opposed to this diplomatic mission. They are plotting and scheming as much as we are. I am sure they are already thinking about countermeasures against us. It is the top strategem if we can get what we want without expending blood and material."

"Nonetheless, if you believe I am defending our superiority, you are mistaken; I am stating the obvious."

"I too," Wen turned to the Princess, "Am aware of the possibility of a greater Aos Si empire lurking in the star field, planning our destruction. However, the reality is this. Combined with our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers' participation in the Pan Asian Combine's colonization efforts, we have been suppressing the Aos Si on various planets for over two hundred standard years. If you had any empathy and ability to act, would you have allowed your brothers and sisters to suffer similar humiliation for so long? Not a long time span in astro-history as a whole, but certainly significant, even for long living creatures such as us and the Aos Si."

"Either this supposed Aos Si Empire lacked the empathy to standup for their beleaguered brethren, which speaks to a critical weakness in their unity as a species; or they lacked the ability to act, which speaks to their weakness as a sovereign power in general. With weaknesses so apparent, we, the Daqinren, can tear right through them, despite our young age as a sovereignty. We can adapt quickly and move our strategic cores quickly. We are not bound to any single gravity well. If this so called great Aos Si Empire bares down on us, we can maneuver, exhaust them, then develop countermeasures and gut them. It will be difficult with much work to be done, but it very much is within our capabilities as a species."

"The Aos Si here, in their best interest," Wen argued, "Should just accept our superior strategy and bend the knee. They get all of the protection and benefits of the Empire, and more importantly, a brighter future. If they languish in their old ways, they are going to be made obsolete as a species. Still, the Aos Si stubbornly refuse, just like the humans, a similarly obsolete species, refuses bionetic ascension, and to leave their dependence on habitable gravity wells."
 
Jun had hit stage 5 Animays.

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"I will try and not insult Wen. Because we are friends and that is important to you. But I do warn you that Wen and I's relationship is entirely based on insults and not insulting him may jeopardize this mission."

Jun would also turn off a few of her extra special effects.

Jun's vibes were further obliterated by Hoshiko's comments.

"OH come on, no one shows up to a party without having pre-gamed a little bit unless they are boring and also lame. I only had one and I'm trying to enjoy it."

A second, two inch tall, Jun appeared on Jun's shoulder, "Wen is saying something stupid."

A third, also two inch tall Jun appeared on Jun's other shoulder, "You didn't even listen to what he said! Besides we're all good friends now."

Jun2 looked cross, "UGH I can't work under these conditions."

"THEN GO!"

Jun abruptly sat up in the virtuallity, grabbed the two smaller Jun's and stuffed them into a nearby trash can.

"Lets get to know them first before we try and fuck them." Jun said as tactfully as she could, "We barely know what sorta drama they have between each other. I'm on team ENJOY THE PARTY."
 
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