Post by luci on Mar 27, 2024 2:14:33 GMT
[Time: 5:21AM]
[Location: Torre de La Republica, Barca, Bosc-Ardent, Republica De Barcialo]
Click
Click
Click
The constant, metallic clicking of a pen echoed throughout the mostly-empty bedroom, consistent like clockwork. She who held and clicked the pen lay on her bed, a small figure on a grand bed built for a mighty leader, looking bored at the ceiling above her.
…
But right now, she didn’t feel mighty, nor did she feel like a leader either. Leona Marquiz, once a captain, leader, and once a diplomat, had now reduced herself to the confines of La Torre de La Republica. It has been months since she had led any sort of diplomatic conversation with anyone beyond the nation she proudly led, practically turning against her public promises to expand this isolationistic country towards the stars.
She sat upward from the bed, turning now towards the windowed doors leading to the balcony. Out there, a constant day-and-night lightshow of a city that never slept. It was already so great, did they really need the help of others?
…
A moment passed. Leona got up and walked toward the window, her reflection dull on its crystal surface. Her hair was disheveled, her typical suit and tie were wrinkled and loose, and her eyes dull, the only light in them coming from her great city of Barca, the dim lights of ship traffic, and the moon above. How long was it since she had gone up there?
How long has it been since she herself has flown into the heavens and into the star filled void above? How long has it been since anyone has been up there? Well, to the cosmos and stars within this country, there have been a lot. But beyond these borders she once claimed she would break, only to build up again? Almost no one.
…
These borders. She had broken them down so easily a few months prior, and she herself built them up again by sheer unintention. How hard could it be to break them down again? And perhaps, keep them broken down permanently. She ran a hand through her messed up hair, heavy emotions now dulling as her mind raced in thought. Change had been done before, it can be done again. Still in thought but with a renewed determination, she paced away from her window. She had so much work to do, and she needed to be ready for it.
By the time she had exited her bath and gotten dressed in a new garb, one she hadn’t donned in quite a while, twilight was already upon her and the city. It was a new day, and perhaps a new era, one that should’ve begun months prior.
She shook her head, opting instead to think in the present and future rather than the past. She had made a mistake, but now she was fully prepared to do what she had truly intended to do. It was soon to be morning now, and her council should be waking up soon. She needed them, and she needed her friends as well. With her mind now made up, she exited her room.
…
Not long had passed, and she already had her top councilmembers following her coattails as she stormed down the main hall, communicator in hand. With a few clicks, she dialed the people she needed. Within a ring, they had both answered.
“H-”
“Le-”
“Danil, Alicia, I need you both in the Main Office as soon as possible. Bring your top council. This is urgent.”
She could admit, it was quite rude of her to have interrupted her colleagues in such a way, but she felt as if she was on fire right now, thoughts and ideas speeding as she was first to arrive at her office. Soon, the other two leaders of Barcialo would arrive as well, and afterward they would engage in one of their most important conversations yet.
-
“Pardon me for skipping the pleasantries on the phone, but I felt that we needed to act sooner than later.” Leona kept her back to them as she faced the window, hands clasped behind her back. She turned, gesturing for her two colleagues to sit in front of her desk.
She turned to face them, stifling a smile as she could tell that the two of them had just barely arisen from their respective slumbers. They had dressed to the best of their abilities, but one can’t easily hide the drowsiness from their face, not so soon after waking up.
Danil was the first to sit, and he was the first to speak.
“Ok well, good morning to you as well… What has gotten into you Leona? No offense but it isn’t really like you to have called us this early in the morning, not in recent times.”
He spoke up, not sounding irritated but Leona could hear a hint of…worry, in his voice. Alicia sat next to Danil as well, crossing her legs as she stared into Leona’s eyes with intent, very clearly trying to read into her.
“Danil is right, this is extremely unlike you. Besides that, this is quite against normal protocol. What has you calling us like this?”
Leona bit her lip as she stole a glance back towards the window facing the city, the shadow of the skyscrapers being the only thing between them and the light of their shining star. She sighed, turning around and taking a seat in her own chair.
“I would hope that you all remember our conversation, in the booth at The Stadium.”
The room would be silent for a moment, all three of their minds going back to Leona’s half-drunken rant and declaration.
“Yes, the alcohol-fueled declaration about our borders, how could I not?”
Alicia had the smallest bit of a smile on her face, which faded as soon as it appeared as she continued on.
“But..nothing really happened afterward, not publicly at least. The only people to have gone beyond our borders were you and the crew of your own private vessel. Hell, we haven’t heard from that lady you talked to us about afterward, or the nation you went to. If cameras and records didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have believed you!”
Danil turned, raising his hands as if that could calm Alicia down. She wasn’t angry but there was nothing positive about her tone either. It was almost confrontational, this being her first and only chance to call Leona out for such a large promise she had made whilst drunk.
Another moment of pure silence paused, Danil and Alicia looking back at Leona who was now pinching the bridge of her noise, a deep sigh escaping her mouth.
“We…”
She ceased her pinching, glancing between both Alicia and Danil before breathing in, trying to calm herself before speaking.
“We need to open the borders up. Publicly. And permanently.”
This time the silence was purely tense, Alicia and Leona in a stare-down as Danil went deep into thought, not even bothering to prevent the forthcoming argument.
But…an argument never came, Alicia opting to sit back and think before slowly nodding.
“I…see. We already spoke of the details in that booth, months ago. I think you remember most of it, right?”
Alicia asked Leona, the latter looking away as she tried to remember well. It was a conversation between someone who was a shot away from a coma and two buzzed friends, but the most important of details were there, stored in the deepest stores of her memory.
“Yes…I remember, most of it at least. Danil, you do remember as well, correct?”
The two now turned to look at Danil, whose eyes darted between the two before pushing his spectacles up to his eyes.
“Of course. I had spent the next few nights theorizing about the impact on our economy. At our current state, and the theorized state of our neighboring nations, it would be quite the positive blow for us.”
Leona snapped her fingers, having now stood up from her chair as she leaned over her desk.
“Exactly! Alicia, you had discussed the logistics of such an endeavor, right? We have such a grand navy, and we only need a portion to protect ourselves from what enemies we do have. Surely we could manage in this galaxy, I don’t see anything that go could wrong!”
“But-”
Alicia had also stood up, hands slamming against the hardwood table as she was ready to speak up an argument.
And yet, no argument came, her mouth gaping open as she struggled to find the words that could argue against Leona’s point. But alas, she knew that she would fail no matter what. No matter how timid and small Leona seemed, she surely had a way with her words. She was right afterall.
“...Damn it, fine. This will require..a lot of work, Leona. We’d need to convene with the Council, decide on what to do, and-”
“We already made a decision, no?”
Alicia was interrupted, not by Leona as she would’ve expected, but instead it was Danil who spoke up.
“The Council is extremely helpful at assisting us in handling La Republica, they each handle their own weight, but we make the decisions, and if we’re making decisions based off of information they already helped us with…”
“Then there is no real need to go to them, right. Good way to cut time between a decision and proper action.” Leona added on, lightly nodding as she sank back into her plush office chair. The conversation had already seemed like it was dying down, so she might as well try to finish this.
“...Well, I think that’s all we have to discuss about. Anything else you two would like to add, Mr. Montoya and Ms. Montes?”
Danil didn’t say anything, opting instead to just shake his head as he stood up, straightening out his coat before pushing his chair in. Alicia, on the other hand, looked as if she was trying to come up with something, perhaps anything to add on. Her hand rose up to her mouth, and for a moment it had appeared that she was biting her nails. Leona expected some sort of addition or resistance to the decision they had all come to agree upon, but alas nothing came. Alicia sighed, finally relenting for the final time.
“Nothing to add on. The Council will be informed of this decision, and we will announce this publicly within the next…” She turned her head to the nearest clock, nodding her head as she confirmed her own thoughts. “...24 hours. By early morning, we will announce our intentions with the future of this nation’s diplomacy to the public. In the meantime, we will iron out any wrinkles we have, understood?” She nodded once again, this time towards her colleagues as if to make sure that they understood. Truth be told, there wasn't to be many wrinkles to iron out in the first place as this is, officially, a delayed action towards a decision that was already set in motion. Just a few months of delay in between decision and action, is all.
Danil and Leona smiled as they nodded, the final decision of that morning having finally been made. With that, Alicia and Danil excused themselves, the two walking in opposite directions as they exited the grand doors leading out of Leona’s office. The likelihood of them still conversing with their respective Councils was still high, and that was expected. Leona herself was going to advise them of the decision herself.
But what was done is done, nothing they could say would reverse the decision made in this office today. La Republica de Barcialo would reach for the stars once again, and this time it would be for good. Leona stood up from her desk, taking a moment to glance outside of the window facing the city, before finally walking out to the hall. It was time to make some calls.
-
Any details that were left vague previously were now clear to everyone. The Councils were now fully advised once again, and the copious amounts of paperwork that needed to signed by the three members of El Trident was finally completed. Leona now rested on the railing of her balcony, feeling satisfied with herself as she watched the stars above Barca once again, now feeling reinvigorated. Dotting the inky black void above her, in between the stars, was the signature blue glow belonging to the fusion torch drives of her nation's naval vessels.
Many of these ships would travel onward to star systems that even they haven’t charted, in search for their galactic neighbors. Others would remain, hoping to receive anyone who accidentally comes across this isolated nation. For a moment, she wondered to herself. She wondered about the state of the local space, the entire galaxy even. Was it at peace, ready to receive this nation with open arms? Or was it instead chaos, unlike she had hoped for, ready to aim their guns at a newcomer to the galactic stage?
She sighed. Perhaps that was something that should be left without any more thought.
[Location: Torre de La Republica, Barca, Bosc-Ardent, Republica De Barcialo]
Click
Click
Click
The constant, metallic clicking of a pen echoed throughout the mostly-empty bedroom, consistent like clockwork. She who held and clicked the pen lay on her bed, a small figure on a grand bed built for a mighty leader, looking bored at the ceiling above her.
…
But right now, she didn’t feel mighty, nor did she feel like a leader either. Leona Marquiz, once a captain, leader, and once a diplomat, had now reduced herself to the confines of La Torre de La Republica. It has been months since she had led any sort of diplomatic conversation with anyone beyond the nation she proudly led, practically turning against her public promises to expand this isolationistic country towards the stars.
She sat upward from the bed, turning now towards the windowed doors leading to the balcony. Out there, a constant day-and-night lightshow of a city that never slept. It was already so great, did they really need the help of others?
…
A moment passed. Leona got up and walked toward the window, her reflection dull on its crystal surface. Her hair was disheveled, her typical suit and tie were wrinkled and loose, and her eyes dull, the only light in them coming from her great city of Barca, the dim lights of ship traffic, and the moon above. How long was it since she had gone up there?
How long has it been since she herself has flown into the heavens and into the star filled void above? How long has it been since anyone has been up there? Well, to the cosmos and stars within this country, there have been a lot. But beyond these borders she once claimed she would break, only to build up again? Almost no one.
…
These borders. She had broken them down so easily a few months prior, and she herself built them up again by sheer unintention. How hard could it be to break them down again? And perhaps, keep them broken down permanently. She ran a hand through her messed up hair, heavy emotions now dulling as her mind raced in thought. Change had been done before, it can be done again. Still in thought but with a renewed determination, she paced away from her window. She had so much work to do, and she needed to be ready for it.
By the time she had exited her bath and gotten dressed in a new garb, one she hadn’t donned in quite a while, twilight was already upon her and the city. It was a new day, and perhaps a new era, one that should’ve begun months prior.
She shook her head, opting instead to think in the present and future rather than the past. She had made a mistake, but now she was fully prepared to do what she had truly intended to do. It was soon to be morning now, and her council should be waking up soon. She needed them, and she needed her friends as well. With her mind now made up, she exited her room.
…
Not long had passed, and she already had her top councilmembers following her coattails as she stormed down the main hall, communicator in hand. With a few clicks, she dialed the people she needed. Within a ring, they had both answered.
“H-”
“Le-”
“Danil, Alicia, I need you both in the Main Office as soon as possible. Bring your top council. This is urgent.”
She could admit, it was quite rude of her to have interrupted her colleagues in such a way, but she felt as if she was on fire right now, thoughts and ideas speeding as she was first to arrive at her office. Soon, the other two leaders of Barcialo would arrive as well, and afterward they would engage in one of their most important conversations yet.
-
“Pardon me for skipping the pleasantries on the phone, but I felt that we needed to act sooner than later.” Leona kept her back to them as she faced the window, hands clasped behind her back. She turned, gesturing for her two colleagues to sit in front of her desk.
She turned to face them, stifling a smile as she could tell that the two of them had just barely arisen from their respective slumbers. They had dressed to the best of their abilities, but one can’t easily hide the drowsiness from their face, not so soon after waking up.
Danil was the first to sit, and he was the first to speak.
“Ok well, good morning to you as well… What has gotten into you Leona? No offense but it isn’t really like you to have called us this early in the morning, not in recent times.”
He spoke up, not sounding irritated but Leona could hear a hint of…worry, in his voice. Alicia sat next to Danil as well, crossing her legs as she stared into Leona’s eyes with intent, very clearly trying to read into her.
“Danil is right, this is extremely unlike you. Besides that, this is quite against normal protocol. What has you calling us like this?”
Leona bit her lip as she stole a glance back towards the window facing the city, the shadow of the skyscrapers being the only thing between them and the light of their shining star. She sighed, turning around and taking a seat in her own chair.
“I would hope that you all remember our conversation, in the booth at The Stadium.”
The room would be silent for a moment, all three of their minds going back to Leona’s half-drunken rant and declaration.
“Yes, the alcohol-fueled declaration about our borders, how could I not?”
Alicia had the smallest bit of a smile on her face, which faded as soon as it appeared as she continued on.
“But..nothing really happened afterward, not publicly at least. The only people to have gone beyond our borders were you and the crew of your own private vessel. Hell, we haven’t heard from that lady you talked to us about afterward, or the nation you went to. If cameras and records didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have believed you!”
Danil turned, raising his hands as if that could calm Alicia down. She wasn’t angry but there was nothing positive about her tone either. It was almost confrontational, this being her first and only chance to call Leona out for such a large promise she had made whilst drunk.
Another moment of pure silence paused, Danil and Alicia looking back at Leona who was now pinching the bridge of her noise, a deep sigh escaping her mouth.
“We…”
She ceased her pinching, glancing between both Alicia and Danil before breathing in, trying to calm herself before speaking.
“We need to open the borders up. Publicly. And permanently.”
This time the silence was purely tense, Alicia and Leona in a stare-down as Danil went deep into thought, not even bothering to prevent the forthcoming argument.
But…an argument never came, Alicia opting to sit back and think before slowly nodding.
“I…see. We already spoke of the details in that booth, months ago. I think you remember most of it, right?”
Alicia asked Leona, the latter looking away as she tried to remember well. It was a conversation between someone who was a shot away from a coma and two buzzed friends, but the most important of details were there, stored in the deepest stores of her memory.
“Yes…I remember, most of it at least. Danil, you do remember as well, correct?”
The two now turned to look at Danil, whose eyes darted between the two before pushing his spectacles up to his eyes.
“Of course. I had spent the next few nights theorizing about the impact on our economy. At our current state, and the theorized state of our neighboring nations, it would be quite the positive blow for us.”
Leona snapped her fingers, having now stood up from her chair as she leaned over her desk.
“Exactly! Alicia, you had discussed the logistics of such an endeavor, right? We have such a grand navy, and we only need a portion to protect ourselves from what enemies we do have. Surely we could manage in this galaxy, I don’t see anything that go could wrong!”
“But-”
Alicia had also stood up, hands slamming against the hardwood table as she was ready to speak up an argument.
And yet, no argument came, her mouth gaping open as she struggled to find the words that could argue against Leona’s point. But alas, she knew that she would fail no matter what. No matter how timid and small Leona seemed, she surely had a way with her words. She was right afterall.
“...Damn it, fine. This will require..a lot of work, Leona. We’d need to convene with the Council, decide on what to do, and-”
“We already made a decision, no?”
Alicia was interrupted, not by Leona as she would’ve expected, but instead it was Danil who spoke up.
“The Council is extremely helpful at assisting us in handling La Republica, they each handle their own weight, but we make the decisions, and if we’re making decisions based off of information they already helped us with…”
“Then there is no real need to go to them, right. Good way to cut time between a decision and proper action.” Leona added on, lightly nodding as she sank back into her plush office chair. The conversation had already seemed like it was dying down, so she might as well try to finish this.
“...Well, I think that’s all we have to discuss about. Anything else you two would like to add, Mr. Montoya and Ms. Montes?”
Danil didn’t say anything, opting instead to just shake his head as he stood up, straightening out his coat before pushing his chair in. Alicia, on the other hand, looked as if she was trying to come up with something, perhaps anything to add on. Her hand rose up to her mouth, and for a moment it had appeared that she was biting her nails. Leona expected some sort of addition or resistance to the decision they had all come to agree upon, but alas nothing came. Alicia sighed, finally relenting for the final time.
“Nothing to add on. The Council will be informed of this decision, and we will announce this publicly within the next…” She turned her head to the nearest clock, nodding her head as she confirmed her own thoughts. “...24 hours. By early morning, we will announce our intentions with the future of this nation’s diplomacy to the public. In the meantime, we will iron out any wrinkles we have, understood?” She nodded once again, this time towards her colleagues as if to make sure that they understood. Truth be told, there wasn't to be many wrinkles to iron out in the first place as this is, officially, a delayed action towards a decision that was already set in motion. Just a few months of delay in between decision and action, is all.
Danil and Leona smiled as they nodded, the final decision of that morning having finally been made. With that, Alicia and Danil excused themselves, the two walking in opposite directions as they exited the grand doors leading out of Leona’s office. The likelihood of them still conversing with their respective Councils was still high, and that was expected. Leona herself was going to advise them of the decision herself.
But what was done is done, nothing they could say would reverse the decision made in this office today. La Republica de Barcialo would reach for the stars once again, and this time it would be for good. Leona stood up from her desk, taking a moment to glance outside of the window facing the city, before finally walking out to the hall. It was time to make some calls.
-
Any details that were left vague previously were now clear to everyone. The Councils were now fully advised once again, and the copious amounts of paperwork that needed to signed by the three members of El Trident was finally completed. Leona now rested on the railing of her balcony, feeling satisfied with herself as she watched the stars above Barca once again, now feeling reinvigorated. Dotting the inky black void above her, in between the stars, was the signature blue glow belonging to the fusion torch drives of her nation's naval vessels.
Many of these ships would travel onward to star systems that even they haven’t charted, in search for their galactic neighbors. Others would remain, hoping to receive anyone who accidentally comes across this isolated nation. For a moment, she wondered to herself. She wondered about the state of the local space, the entire galaxy even. Was it at peace, ready to receive this nation with open arms? Or was it instead chaos, unlike she had hoped for, ready to aim their guns at a newcomer to the galactic stage?
She sighed. Perhaps that was something that should be left without any more thought.