Fwurg

**Shadow of War** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:44 pm

Once the trio exited the elevator the door closed behind them, this door also blended in perfectly with the wall.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Your Highness." Shadow stayed calm. "I merely tried to reassure all three of you, there have been a few people that didn't want to leave the elevator when they came to this room. Your servant seemed to hesitate as well."

On the wall where the door had been, a medium sized planet with a large moon where displayed.

"You are correct, this is the Novalia System. Actually this image is the image I made when I first became a Traveller, nearly fifty years ago.

The projection uses a combination of holographic technology and high-resolution screens. I can show any image I can access from either memory or the Holonet, but I also have the capability to render new images."

"It is I who should apologize. I have allowed my annoyance about the behaviour of others to project onto your behaviour, even though you only meant the best. I am sure my servant is grateful for your reassurances."

"Are you able to render images directly from your mind, or do you have to work like a painter or sculptor would?"

**Shadow of War** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:56 pm

"Theoretically I am able to render an image directly from my mind, yes.

However, the problem with that is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to create a complete image in ones mind. Parts of something are easy, but how those parts fits together exactly is often a point that has not been thought out properly.

That is why I prefer to work like a painter or sculptor."

Shadow paused a moment.

"I rarely create an image from scratch myself. This one I created by running my sensor input through a rendering program. So it's more a three dimensional picture than anything else.

Actually I took one when I was in Mirda's orbit as well."

"I would think that you have the capability to connect the different parts you envision, just like you would be capable of controlling all parts of this ship with your mind? Then again, having no actual body any more might make it difficult to take measure of your creation. Let's say that I would ask you to paint a projection of myself, how would you do that?"

"You know, let's keep that for later. You said you have sensor captures of Mirda. That would be interesting to see. How much detail can you see of Mirda's surface that way? Because there might be some areas that I would be interested in. And depending on the details you captured, I might have to ask you to never share, or even delete some of the information."

**Shadow of War** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 1:42 pm

"Well it's more of a software limitation really. Some of the data required to render can't be transferred within an acceptable margin of error. It would require years of training to be able to do that just as it did to learn how to control my hull. I haven't seen the need to put that much time into it.

If I wanted to render a projection of you, Your Highness, I would probably use my internal sensors to input the data into the program."

"It mostly depends on my distance to the object and the type of object. Luckily I can set different resolutions throughout a single image. When I captured the Smi-Halek system I took care to lower the resolution at the planets, apart from clearly uninhabited area's. The rest gets fuzzy and very unclear when you try to zoom in past high altitude."

"That won't help me very much then, though I would still like to see the image. It is not every day that one gets to walk amongst the stars. Can you show me?"

**Shadow of War** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:19 pm

"Of coarse, Your Highness."

A line of white light passed through the room. Removing the image of the Novalia System and replacing it with the image of the Smi-Halek System.

Smi was in front of the three veolians, Mirda and Sirip where displayed largely to their left. A bright little star right next to Smi was highlighted and another one to their right was highlighted as well. At the background was Halek, light up at several points.

"You asked why I became a Traveller, well to be able to experience things like this was one of the main reasons."

"What er the highlighted stars?", the princess asked a little unsure.

"I presume that your sensors are precise enough to determine the position of both of Smi's cores, so you would be able to highlight the second stellar core. But what is the third highlighted star? I do not recognize it."

((OOC: Congrats, you just confused me about my own system ^_^
The idea of the Halek nebula is that it is massive (actually covering roughly 20-30% of the whole sector), and consequently blots out all stars in the skies; Smi itself, though classified as a binary star, is basically a big heap of stellar matter freely shifting between two gravitational cores.

Though I admit that after checking the wiki, both these facts are not as well-documented as I remembered, so I'll just see where this is headed, and clarify the wiki's information later on.))

**Shadow of War** » Wed May 01, 2013 11:45 am

Shadow was surprised the veolian princess didn't recognised her own system.

"Let me show you."

The circle that highlighted the star next to Smi flashed twice. Suddenly the surrounding image blurred. The image of Smi was now behind them and in front of them was a reddish planet with a large moon.

"I believe you call this planet Amird, correct? The other is Kelwar, from a distance planets look like stars."

((OOC: I put the other two planets in your system in there. At the time I forgot that Amird was on the exact opposite side of Smi but coincidentally I did place it right next to Smi as I placed it on the other side of the system.

Performing a full system scan is fairly easy with Star Wars level tech don't you think?))

"Oh.", the princess sounded genuinly surprised.

"I have only seen them from orbit, never from somewhere else. This is interesting, I've never seen the system in this way. That is indeed Amird, with Amird-An, the moon. How precise can you show Smi?"

((OOC: I completely agree with the fact that a full system scan is possible, at least a superficial one. I was just thrown of by the mention of 'stars', and I didn't realize that planets are really very small in the distance ^_^

So the fact that I was confused is good, cause it allowed me to play a confused princess, which in turn is good because hemet veolians are not all-knowning.))

**Shadow of War** » Fri May 03, 2013 1:10 pm

The surrounding image blurred again and a moment later the three Veolians where right in between two large orbs of light. The orbs where slightly deformed and there was bits of light floating between them.

"About this precise. I must say Smi is very interesting, I would like to perform a deep scan before I leave. Of coarse only if I'm permitted to do so.

I am particularly interested in how their proximity influences the lifespan of the individual stars."

"Your sensors must be very good, that you were able to capture both cores of Smi. I have heard that it is very difficult to see where one core stops, and the other begins. I have been told that it can only be done if there is very little flare activity. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that means exactly."

"It looks very pretty. Thank you for showing me this in a way I could not normally see it."

((OOC: Ok, I can no longer hold it in: it's 'of course', not 'of coarse' ^_^))

**Shadow of War** » Tue May 07, 2013 7:57 pm

"Your very welcome, Your Highness."

The image disappeared, as the holo projectors and monitors died. Only the ceiling monitor stayed on to illuminate the room. The wall opened to show the way further into Shadow of War.

"The next part is a bit further away. Please just follow the corridor. Unless of course, you would like to see some more images.

I understand the Veolian Commonwealth is governed by a single council and that one of the members stands above the others, could you elaborate on this? Such a concept is very strange for me and I would like to understand it better."

The princess started walking.

"Why is it strange? My family has proven to be the first amongst all noble houses, and as such, the duties of leadership of the commonwealth rests on our shoulders. The other noble houses have a great deal of influence, as they command large armies and corporations as well. So to ensure stability, the Imperial Council votes on important issues.

Why is this strange? Surely, you can't expect the common people to know what is best for their world, they would only make short-term investments and forget the larger picture."

Her bodyguard and servant followed quickly.

**Shadow of War** » Fri May 10, 2013 8:13 pm

"I respectfully disagree. Short-term investments are necessary to ensure satisfaction among the population. They need to see at least a part of the taxes they pay in action or they will refuse to pay them and in time it can potentially cause a revolution."

"What I find strange is that you base the position of leadership on lineage, I don't see how that proves someone is a good leader. Furthermore you place leadership on a single person. Often a single person will miss possible solutions to problems or have a biased view of things. The more people you have leading a faction the more you reduce this problem."

"There has never been a single leader in all of Astrian history. We have always been led by at least two people, most of the time more. None of the leaders stood above the others."

While the trio was walking they past a few other corridors but Shadow hadn't said anything about whether they where there yet.

"Your disagreeing is noted", the princess replied dryly. "But you just showed an example of my argument. I never said that short-term investments are not necessary. I just said that the common people would only invest on the short-term."

As she kept walking, the princess happily engaged in conversation with the voice from the intercom.

"Furthermore, you just assumed that leadership falls to a single person, which is something else I have not said. You just assumed so, based on your idea of how our government would work. It is true that, in the end, my father is solely responsible for the whole of the commonwealth. But in this he is supported by his family, and the entire Imperial Council."

The princess glanced at a few of the other corridors, but kept walking.

"It would be folly to have all decisions made by a single person, that would take much too long. My father is supported by his wives, and his advisors from other noble houses. The day-to-day decision are handled by a vote in the Imperial Council.

But a vote takes time. Surely, your people know this. A vote from 3.8 billion individuals is not something done lightly. And some decisions need to be made immediately, such as the decision to deploy the army in response to a threat. Other decisions, such as an increase in taxes or the passing of a law to limit slavery, need to be passed but will never be populair. In such cases there is need for someone to decide the best course of action, and the people will follow."

**Shadow of War** » Sun May 12, 2013 1:23 am

"Yes, but how can someone born and raised in luxury know anything of the problems of people that can barely feed themselves?"

"In the STF we have a law that for every two million citizens at least one person must be on the Peoples Board. Currently it has 2000 board members. For any and all military and defence matters we have the Admiralty Board, all the 200 members are officers with the Joint Naval Forces. Lastly for educational and scientific matters we have the Science Board, which has 28 board members at this moment."

"These three boards form the Triad Boards who govern the Stellarian Triad Federation. That's 2228 people to lead 3,8 billion, from what I can tell you let only a hand full of people lead 17,1 billion. From my point of view you will probably miss a large portion of the needs of the people."

After a while the trio reached the end of the corridor and the wall to the right opened. It revealed a large room, brightly light and sterile white, to the left a glass wall offered a view of an enormous hangar. With a bright flash the lights snapped on to illuminate the hanger. The three veolians could see rooms with complex looking equipment set up around beds and in the open areas rows upon rows of beds with curtains shielding them from each other.

"Barely feed themselves?!", the princess reacted angrily. "How dare you imply that we do not feed our people! Have you actually done any investigation before coming here? I'll have you know that not only is every person in the commonwealth fed, we actually have a surplus of food and other organic produce."

She looked at the beds, before continuing her angry reply.

"I might have been born and raised in luxury, but since I have been born, I have received training and education in economics, politics and warfare. My whole life is oriented toward being the best possible wife and advisor for my future husband. I assure you that your assessment that our people are led by only a handful of people is wrong.

The Imperial Council only decides on those issues that touch the whole commonwealth, each noble house is free to manage their holdings as they see fit. They do this through the feudal system. This ensures that there are capable leaders at every level of government. Because if someone is not fit to lead, he will be replaced by someone more capable through political manipulation or assassination."

The princess' tone had not yet calmed down...

"The Veolian Commonwealth counts six great houses, each consisting of millions of lords and ladies, and each has the resources of a small Union world. At the highest level, every single member of the Imperial Council has more advisers, analysts and assistants than all of your Triad Boards combined.

We do not 'miss a large portion of the needs of the people' because we ensure that we have competent leadership at every level of our government. Competent leaders that have been groomed for their position their whole lives, that know the weight of their responsibility, and are aware of the value of good advisers.

Even if your hands are to scale of the rest of your body, I fail to see how you can even begin to think that the Commonwealth is led by a handful of people. If I would apply the same level of naivety to looking at your world, I would have to assume that is actually your world that is led by only a handful of people. 2228 does not seem a lot to lead the other 3.8 billion.

However, I assume that your people are actually competent and capable, otherwise you would not have survived the wars and natural disasters on your world. Please afford us the same courtesy, instead of blindly assuming that luxury equates to negligence."

((OOC: There probably are people that are barely able to feed themselves. On a population of 17.1 you'll have homeless people regardless of organization of government. But this does not prevent most leaders from not acknowledging them :P))

**Shadow of War** » Sun May 12, 2013 3:10 pm

"Your Highness, please calm down. There is no reason to be angry." Shadow sounded calm.

"I merely gave my point of view and tried to explain how I see things. That your world has reached this point is proof that the system you use works for your people."

The beds the princess saw where empty and sheets where missing.

"Could you explain to me what a 'wife' is and why you devote your life to become one? And what is a 'husband'?"

After Shadow of War's question about a wife and a husband, the princess still looked angry.

"There is every reason to be angry.", she replied. "You just insulted my family by insinuating that we would let our people go hungry while we live in luxury. That is an insult regardless of your point of view or how you see it. Surely, your people do not see such as a positive thing?"

The princess' last words sounded questioningly, as if she wasn't sure what Shadow of War thought.

Without waiting for an answer, the princess spoke again: "Very well. I shall glance over this insult, as I now think you really did not realize what you said. If you have to inquire about what a husband and wife are, I can scarcely expect you to be aware of the subtle differences between implication and insinuation."

"Please let me explain what a wife and husband are, I am sure that you will understand."

"A wife is a female lifetime partner in a continuing marital relationship. A husband is a male lifetime partner in a marital relationship. A marital relationship is a relationship established through marriage."

"Marriage is a social union between a man and a woman that establishes rights and obligations between the spouses, between the spouses and their children, and between the spouses and the family of the other spouse. Marriage is principally an institution in which intimate and sexual interpersonal relationships are acknowledged to ensure proper continuation of the bloodline. Marriage also serves as a way to unite smaller families, depending on the contract of marriage."

"I take it your people also have a way of acknowledging the bond between partners?"

**Shadow of War** » Mon May 13, 2013 3:55 pm

After the princess had explained why she was angry Shadow understood.

"My apologies, Your Highness." he said, still calm. It took a lot to make him lose his temper. "I meant it as a figure of speech, I didn't intend to insult you or your relatives.

I would appreciate it if you didn't question my intelligence."

Shadow waited a moment before continuing.

"Actually we don't have such a method at all. The terms 'husband', 'wife' and 'marriage' are unknown to me, so I asked their meaning."

The princess looked surprised.

"If your people do not know of marriage, how do they form families?"

**Shadow of War** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:42 pm

"They stay together, with or without children. Sometimes they stay with other people as well.

And sometimes they don't stay together. Who ones family is doesn't matter in our culture, that's why a persons last name doesn't have to be the same as that of one of the parents."

"I see...", the princess did not sound very convinced.

She walked into the hangar, through the opened wall.

"I take it that this is a sick bay?"

**Shadow of War** » Sat May 18, 2013 3:58 pm

"Of sorts, yes. Actually it is one of my medical aid centres. Since I have no crew a sick bay isn't really needed.

I aid in disaster relief by providing shelter and medical attention to those who need it. I have a small fleet of unmanned medical transports and search and rescue craft to provide further aid to relief efforts.

Luckily I haven't had to use them yet."

Fwurg

[Mirda] Shadow of War visits the Veolian Commonwealth <private>