Fwurg

[Hiocan Society]

((OOC: This conference takes place on Hio. The following factions participate: Veolian Commonwelath, Teprogrenaian Consensus, Stellarian Triad Federation, Miomanian Colonists, Socialist Republic of Niom, The Praetorian Empire, Principality of Suma and High Chiefdom of Skuldda.))

The conference is held east of the capital Mya within the She'rakik Kunel (eastern Mountains). The guests enter a canyon which seems to cross the mountain and connect the new science city ShirKahr with the capital. The conference center lies between the two locations inside the mountain. In ShirKahr are all the rooms for the quest, these are specially made to accommodate various species. The guest can quickly travel with public transport and arrive within 15 minutes on location.



The conference center lies inside the mountains there is a big network of connected caves and valleys. It is quite hot outside, but inside the conference center it is nice and cool. Upon entering the can see martial artists of some kind of order standing next to the regular security personal. Everything is well-organized and the participants quickly enter the conference center. To host a big conference the Mountain have been dug out, but although everything has been nicely finish it still has a some kind of natural look and feel. There are multiple big tunnels connecting the six big field centers. In the middle is a roofed valley with in the center a giant square with a podium with a big holoscreen. To the sides there are garden with various restaurants and other catering facilities. But now all the tables had been remove so all the guest could sit and hear and see the opening speech. An old looking Hiocan male wearing a dress robe comes forth and stand in the projection area.

“Welcome honored guests to the 1st Intergalactic Science Conference,

This is an important day not only for the Hiocan natural science community but the entire Union natural science community. Scientist from various factions have come here to exchange knowledge so we can cooperate and develop new technologies.”

He continues with giving some general information about the conferences and highlighting some of the upcoming presentations. And the end there is a final reminder about the rules and emergency procedures. Then the participants move towards their field center. Each field center has the same lay-out with again a big gathering center in the middle and then various tunnels leading to the presentations rooms. Multiple parallel presentation sessions are held in the morning and evening with a big afternoon break. There are small alcoves at the side of the tunnels where small gardens with fountain and plants have been created for people to relax. There are enough facilities for everyone and various clerks, translators and medics ready to help.

((OOC: The conference takes five day IC, but OOC you do not have to worry about time. You can post what your faction is doing, put a summery up of your presentation, role-play and meet people.))

[Senator Acehtoo of the Miomanian Colonists]

As part of the Miomanian delegation, former chancellor Acehtoo was present, together with the Niom senator Ght'Twwf. They were here in their role as politicians, not as scientists, but their respective delegations contained several renowned scientists who would participate in the various activities and have a chance for some intergalactic networking.

[Nehket Aeka]

The Veolian delegation, which numbered around 3000 scientists, was actually more akin to 4000 people -- a bit larger than expected by the Hiocans. It seems that some of the scientists made this into a vacation and took their spouse or other company with them.

Amongst the delegation was chancellor Nehket Aeka, whom had indicated to be present for the opening speech and on the first day. As Acehtoo and Ght'Twwf, she was here in her role as politician.

[Senator Harek]

It seems that with all the extra people coming the limits have been pushed of the new conference location. Luckily the Hiocan had calculated enough overflow rooms and some of the planned extension were pulled forward and finished just in time. As the scientist all went towards the presentation areas the valley emptied only leaving wives and children and some diplomats behind. The chairs are moved and tables are placed back so people could drink a cup of coffee on the terrace and talk. For the children there is a playground/daycare centre. There is also a tourist information center with souvenirs and information of various attractions nearby.

Senator Harek is taking to the chairmen of the conference near the podium. He looks around and sees some of his colleagues. He bows to the chairmen and walks towards his fellow senators.

“Senator Achtoo, senator Ght'Twwf and senator Nehket good that you have come. It is an honor to receive you here. This means quite a lot to us. Would you like to have some coffee, tea or other refreshment on the terrace?”

Senator Harek motions towards one of the restaurants nearby which almost has been transformed and some waiter were just putting up the finishing touches by placing vases and other decorations on the tables.

((OOC: To make things clear. The Veolians have been clearly informed not to bring their slaves with them if they do not want to set them free. (the same goes for others but do not know who else does)))

[Nehket Aeka]

"Thank you. I would like a cup of tea."

((OOC: What?! Where?! It seems like you have just retroactively changed something. I'll go with it this time, but please, please, please don't do these retroactive changes -- it makes roleplaying impossible. If you forgot it, too bad.))

[Senator Arzag of Suma]

In the back of the valley a cloud of Suman is floating. It is a first for them to be publicity present somewhere, but as conference clearly promotes collaboration they had to come. Senator Arzag, some scientist and assistance droids are there. As they are quite large Hiocan clerks are helping the scientists to move towards the presentation areas after the large crowd has gone. The senator and two other Suman remain in the valley.

[Hiocan Society]

((OOC: Sorry that it was not clear, but I referred to the faction page for more details and put up an office so people could ask question as to prevent any cultural problems. I just thought I should also say it explicitly as a reminder. I looked up your factions and I do not see any direct further problems. Just ask me when there is something.))

[Senator Ght'Twwf of the Socialist Republic of Niom]

"On behalf of the Socialist Republic of Niom, I, Senator Ght'Twwf of the Socialist Republic of Niom, thank you, Senator Harek of the Hiocan Society, as representative of the Hiocan Society for your kind and generous offer and invitation. We are glad to be here."

The senator gladly took a drink, awaiting further happenings.

[Senator Acehtoo of the Miomanian Colonists]

"Thank you Senator Harek for the warm welcome. This event is quite spectacular. May it bring the Hiocan Society all it hopes for."

[Maria Latharion]

A little later than the other senators, Lady-Senator Maria Latharion came as well.

On her left a woman, slightly older than the Lady-Senator, was walking besides her with linked arms. The woman was very beautiful and her glasses gave her intelligent appearance. But the the feature that stood out most was the bulge on her abdomen which, to those who had knowledge of human-like anatomy, was a clear indication that the woman was pregnant.

"Good day, senators, chancellor. I apologise for being late, we got held up." Maria said. Gesturing to the woman on her arm, she continued.

"If I may introduce you all to my partner, Emily Hunteria."

The woman bowed to the senators and the chancellor.

[Surbax (mask of High Chiefdom of Skuldda)]

A group of Skulddarans stood at the entrance, clearly waiting for something. Then it became clear where they were waiting for. From afar became a cloud of dust visible, approaching fast. It was a speeder bike, with a Skulddaran on it. A bright white lab coat waved behind him, lifted up by speed of the bike.

One of the waiting Skulddarans looked on something like a stop-watch. He was keeping the time by.

The approaching bike with the professor-like looking Skulddaran lowered speed on the last moment, and came to a complete halt for the other Skulddarans who greeted him with cheers of joy. "4 minutes 14 seconds, you did it!" one shouted. An other gave the racer a pat on the back: "I knew you could race from the ship to here within 5 minutes, good job."

The group let the scientist-racer park his speeder bike, after which the group mingled in the lobby with the other attendees.

Surbax

[Senator Harek]

Quite some senators and their partners have gathered. Together they walk towards the restaurant. The waiters could see the big group coming and recognize senator Harek, Acehtoo and chancellor Nehket, swiftly without the group noticing they arrange a table for them. At the entrance a receptionist is waiting behind a stand and says in Galactic basic:

“Welcome to the Valley of friendship honored senators and guest, how can I help you?”

Senator Harek answers: “A table for six please.”

A waiter guided them to a big table in the corner of the terrace. The round table is big enough for 8 or 9 people but 6 chairs and tableware's are placed, clearly indicating that some more people could join later. Senator Harek takes a seat and orders a special Intergalactic high tea for the group. The waiter helps everybody getting seated and then visits all the guests at the table to take orders.

“If you want to order something or have specials wishes please let me know.”

[Nehket Aeka]

"A cooled fruit drink please. And a pitcher of water.", the veolian woman ordered.

"It seems I have lost my program somewhere. Senator Harek, do you know when the key-note talk starts?"

[Danar Sylvia]

Over time, several batches of teprogrena started to drop in. Among the first were Danar Sylvia and Fecta Legin. People who had followed the Great Intergalactic Discussion of Life would almost certainly recognize them. When they checked in, the teprogrenaian people mingled in the crowd, or started conversations in small groups.

Legin and Sylvia walked to a bar, where they ordered a drink. After they got it, they moved to a high table and talked with some other people of their faction.

[Senator Acehtoo of the Miomanian Colonists]

Finding their seats, the former chancellor and the boring senator did not have any special wishes, bringing with them the drinks they had ordered earlier.

"It is a lovely location you have here." Senator Acehtoo complimented "Quite well suited for this event."

[Senator Harek]

The waiter took the orders from their guests and disappeared into the kitchen. Senator Harek turns to Chancellor Nehket Aeka.

“The first presentations are mostly preceding, as to get the visitors to the same basic understanding. The more interesting talks are after the lunch break. As I am not a scientist, it is hard to judge, but some of the highlight are; for the astronomy field a presentation about a quaternary star system, the biology field has a presentation about the cell function of space plasma species, the chemistry field has a presentation about phosphor based aromatic compounds, the physics field has a presentation about relativistic mechanics in hyperspace, the material science field has a presentation about multiracial skin repairer and the planetary field has a presentation about the solidified core compositions."

It seems that the senator is up to date on the various events going on. He now turns to senator Acehtoo.

“Thank you senator Acehtoo. This conference centre has been a long awaited project ever since we joined the Union. Our hard work has at least paid off in that we have now a good location and also have become an inner world.”

[Hiocan Society]

It is quite empty in the bar, except for the teprogena, as it is early and most people are in the presentation auditoria. But the arrival of the special guests did not go unnoticed as they could see some of the other people start looking and talking. In the corner a group of scientists are sitting from various species. They are busy discussing things. Then one of them, a middle aged Hiocan male, spots Fecta Legin and starts smiling. He leans back and looks at him.

[Nehket Aeka]

"I agree, senator Acehtoo. The location is indeed well-suited to such a large gathering."

"Senator Harek, are there any restaurants in the vicinity that you could recommend? I plan on having a romantic dinner somewhere a little less crowded, and though I already have a date, I lack a good location."

[Senator Harek]

“The conference complex is very large and there are various restaurants. Higher up at the southern penchant there is one which has nice view over the canyon. Further to the west there is a restaurant with an obsidian interior. It is a reconstruction of the original restaurants Obsidian Delight who is located in a mountain full of obsidian. The stones sparkle beautifully in the evening sun.

It is nice to hear that you have a date chancellor. May I ask who the lucky candidate is?”

[Nehket Aeka]

"No, you may not. That is a rather private matter I do not wish to discuss." The veolian senator rose from her chair. "I think I shall attend some of the introductory talks. I am not a scientist, and I could use a refreshers on the topics I'm going to attend."

"Thank you for the advice on a good restaurant, senator Harek. Senators, representatives, good day."

With that, she left the establishment to visit the talks.

[Senator Acehtoo of the Miomanian Colonists]

"I believe it is time we got to our various lectures. Thank you for the hospitality Senator."

With that, Senator Acehtoo and Senator Ght'Twwf both left to go to their respective lectures.

[Hiocan Society]

The high tea and their drinks where now being serviced. But now the table was now just half full. Only lady Senator Maria Latharion and her partner were sitting there.

((OOC: Oeps forgot the orders.))

[Hiocan Society]

Senator Harek and Lady Maria Latharion together drank a few cups of thee and made some casual conservation. After that they finished and departs to a presentation of the new rounds.

The presentations continue and you see more scientists who are starting conversations about the presentations. The conference location is designed so people can have a seat in the alcoves and discus matters without hindering the flow. The presentation come and go. just like all the refreshments and food. The first day has been quite busy. In the afternoon there is a large lunch break and siesta as not all species are used to these hot temperatures. The roof of the valley is darkened so there is a lot of shade.

After the break the presentations continue. At the end of the day the sun sets in the west and in the valley the crystal rocks begin to glow and through the force field roof you see the light of the stars. The crystal rocks in the hall way glow and show the visitor the paths towards the various locations. The night is cool and the temperatures are better to work. Slowly the guest starts to leave towards the guest apartments. Each few minutes a shuttle craft departs.

In ShirKahr there are some bars with intergalactic entertainment. But mostly it offers a serine location to sleep and refresh ones strength so they can perform well the next day. The nights seems too short when the suns rises. The temperatures are rising outside and it is time to wake-up and work before it becomes too hot.

The second day starts and slowly the guest are pouring into the conference building. The halls fill and the knowledge level rises. The second round it is quite busy at the Planetary science field seems to be quite busy as one the scientist of the Socialist Republic of Niom is giving a presentation about “A detailed study of Lumbricus Terrestris droppings”.

((OOC: Need to recover from awesome LARP weekend. So other posts and spell corrections follows later.))

[Senator Ght'Twwf of the Socialist Republic of Niom]

Much to everyone's disappointment, the Niomian presentation was given by the Senator of Niom, rather than the actual scientists doing the work, leading to a very monotonous reading of a text written by someone else.

"In this talk we will our analysis of Lumbricus Terrestris, its droppings and the benefits to planets that result.

The gut of the Lumbricus Terrestris is a straight tube which extends from mouth to anus. Though there have been rumours that this is sometimes the other way around, it has since been confirmed this observation was caused by orientational anomalies -one- on the part of the Lumbricus Terrestris. The creatures gut is differentiated into a buccal cavity generally running through the first 1 or 2 segments, the pharynx generally about 4 segments in length, esophagus, crop, gizzard in most cases and intestine.

As part of the process of digestion, food enters the mouth. Note that this step is crucial in the production Lumbricus Terrestris droppings - extensive research has shown that after a period without this process, Lumbricus Terrestris stops producing droppings and after a longer period all vital signs cease. The pharynx acts as a suction pump to pull in the food and its muscular walls draw in food. In the pharynx, the pharyngeal glands secrete mucus. Food moves into the oesophagus, where calcium from the blood and ingested from previous meals, is pumped in to maintain proper blood calcium levels in the blood and food pH.

From there the partially digested food passes into the crop and gizzard. In the gizzard, strong muscular contractions grind the food up with the help of mineral particles ingested along with the food. Once through the gizzard, food continues through the intestine for digestion. The intestine secretes pepsin to digest proteins, amylase to digest polysaccharides, cellulase to digest cellulose, and lipase to digest fats. Instead of being coiled like most mammal intestines, Lumbricus Terrestris' intestine increases surface area to increase nutrient absorption by having many folds running along its length. The intestine has its own pair of muscle layers like the body, but in reverse order—an inner circular layer inside an outer longitudinal layer.

The excretory system contains a pair of nephridia in every segment, except for the first three and last one. There are three types of nephridia: integumentary, septal and pharyngeal. The integumentary nephridia lie attached to the inner side of the body wall in all segments except the first two. The septal nephridia are attached to both sides of the septa behind the 15th segment. The pharyngeal nephridia are attached to 4th, 5th and 6th segment. The waste in the coelom fluid from a forward segment is drawn in by the beating of cilia of the nephrostome, carried through the septum which forms a series of loops entwined by blood capillaries that also transfer waste into the tubule of the nephrostome. The excretory wastes are then finally discharged through a pore on the Lubricus Terrestris side.

The major benefits of Lumbricus Terrestris activities to soil fertility can be summarized as: Biological -one-: In many soils, Lumbricus Terrestris play a major role in the conversion of large pieces of organic matter into rich humus, thus improving soil fertility. This is achieved by the Lumbricus Terrestris' actions of pulling below organic matter deposited on the surface, such as leaf fall or manure, either for food or to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the Lumbricus Terrestris will shred the leaf and partially digest it and mingle it with the earth. Lumbricus Terrestris casts can contain 40% more humus than the top layers of soil in which the Lumbricus Terrestris is living.

Chemical -one-: In addition to dead organic matter, the Lumbricus Terrestris also ingests any other soil particles into its gizzard wherein they grind everything into a fine paste which is then digested in the intestine. When the Lumbricus Terrestris excretes this in the form of casts, deposited on the surface or deeper in the soil, minerals and plant nutrients are changed to an accessible form for plants to use. Investigations on Niom show that Lumbricus Terrestris casts are 5 times richer in available nitrogen, 7 times richer in available phosphates and 11 times richer in available potassium than the surrounding upper layers of soil.

Physical -one-: The Lumbricus Terrestris' burrowing creates a multitude of channels through the soil and is of great value in maintaining the soil structure, enabling processes of aeration and drainage. Our research points out that by sliding in their tunnels, Lumbricus Terrestris act as army of pistons pumping air in and out of the soils. Thus the Lumbricus Terrestrisnot only creates passages for air and water to traverse the soil, but it modifies the vital organic component that makes a soil healthy.

The Lumbricus Terrestris' existence cannot be taken for granted. We have observed tremendous numerical differences in Lumbricus Terrestris between worlds, and Lumbricus Terrestris populations are affected by a host of environmental factors, many of which can be influenced by good management practices on the part of planetary government.

Thank you. Please do not read the footnotes at the end out loud. -one- Emphasis here."

[Hiocan Society]

The audience listens as good as they could to the presentation by Senator Ght'Twwf. The host of this room was a bit surprised that not a scientist was given the presentation. After the presentation he steps up and thanks the spreaker.

“Thank you Senator Senator Ght'Twwf for given us these valuable insides on the droppings of Lumbricus Terrestris. As exchanging knowledge is part of this conference I would like to know if the audience can as you some questions.”

The host looks to the Senator and hopes that the scientist has given him enough instructions. The question round afterwards was an important part of the conference as this will lead to discussion between various scientist.