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Description
"Ship to starboard below!"

Cathar woke with a start as the cry went up along the ship, giant wooden gongs reverberating to alert all who hadn't heard the piercing bellow. He frowned a little, and blinked his eyes blearily. He was not a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination.

Well, in as much as there is such a thing as "morning" in deep space, he thought to himself as he swung out of his bunk and slipped on a pair of silk jhodipurs. He stretched, tucked his bed's restraining straps back into the creases of the woven mattress, and pulled himself up to the window. He moved as elegantly as a fish in water, effortless and comfortable in the near-weightless conditions of the ship.

Opening the wood shutters, he poked his head and shoulders out of the wide aperture and looked around. Here, the interstellar space of the Chlorithi zone was dark, very dark, almost a cobalt blue, and the air was crisp and cool. Not actually cold, but getting there. The atmosphere was still quite breathable -- it would be another two months of travel at this speed before the air thinned enough to be noticable.

At first, the ship the boatswain had referred so loudly to was not visible -- Cathar cursed his luck at always getting in the longer queue, never getting the sunny side of the building -- but slowly, as his ship spun quietly in the void, it came out of eclipse.

The Omnet shuttle was impressive, of that there was no doubt. It was also smaller than Cathar had expected. No vast, kilometer-wide leaves at the fore-end of the ship, providing natural propulsion from the living plant's interaction with the very Life that comprised Chlorithi space. No long, tapering carved wooden trunk forming the body of the ship, elaborately decorated with gilded statues and scrollwwork.

No, instead, it was about half the size of the ship Cathar now peered out from. It was sleek, imposing, sharp and altogether unatural looking. A dark silver-grey, with the Omnet logo placed strategically on it's hull, so that there was no mistaking it's owners.

Cathar actually liked the other one better. The only other Omnet ship he'd seen -- the only other non-Marduki ship, for that matter -- was the one that had arrived several years ago when the Imperator officially adknowledged the existence of the Greater Galaxy in general and the Omnet in particular, and the fact that from then on, the Marduki would strive to become a worthy force in the galactic community. The Reintroduction, it became know as, harkening back to the Marduki's origins of a colony fleet lost some seven hundred years before.

Cathar definately liked the other one better. It had fewer sharp corners, a more relaxed, organic feel to it. This one? It was all angles and lines and squares.

Probably selected just for this occasion, he thought to himself.

-----

Two hours later, Cathar met with the Omnet representative for the first time.
Tall, thin. Long black hair puncuated with silver-grey streaks. Strong jaw, bright eyes, neatly trimmed mustache and beard. As Cathar approached, the Vestis Inquisitis agent smiled broadly, said a few words in Mardukian, and then clasped the Vicegerent's left bicep in the traditional "handshake" of the Marduki Noblesse.

He certainly has studied our traditions well, Cathar mused to himself as he returned the gesture of goodwill.

"Greetings, Vicegerent-syndic Cathar," the slim fellow began, smiling, "I am Vestis Steffin diFortis, regional correspondent and department head assigned to the Marduki region."

Cathar was unsure if he liked his entire homeland being referred to as a "region". The Vestis continued.

"I trust your trip out here was a pleasant one; no pirates, tidalclouds, that sort of stuff?" The biolink in the back of Cathar's neck hummed silently, mentally translating the Vestis' words for him. It itched.

"No," Cathar responded, "It was a fairly uneventful two months."

The Vestis' smile widened a little. They had access to technology that could cover the distance in a fraction of the time, no doubt, but Steffin was savvy enough to not comment. "Excellent. Well, our shuttle departs as soon as you and your," he paused, looking back over Cathar's shoulder to the assembled group carefully holding position in the low gravity of the Marduki ship, "...your retinue are all aboard the shuttle."

Cathar knew that the number of people he had with him was perhaps excessive. But that wasn't the issue. The issue was that he was leaving his people, and was going off to represent them among a thousand, perhaps a hundred-thousand other cultures. What could one person show about nearly two million? No, a full compliment of individuals was needed, as large as any Noblesse would require on any domestic state visit. It would be crowded, he was sure, but it was necessary.

-----

Two more hours, and the Omnet ship was rapidly putting Marduki space behind them. Cathar was uncomfortable in his quarters, as was his retinue, although it was certainly not for lack of attention on the Omnet's part.
The artificially-produced gravity was much stronger than he was used to, and the Vicegerent got winded after only a few moments of pacing the cabin. Steffin had assured him that once they were on the other side of the Quantum Front, they would be able to adjust the Marduki cabins to reflect a more suitable, slighter gravity.

Sitting in the burnished metal chair, looking out across the expanse of sky that was now almost black, Cathar felt a great weight on his shoulders. He was entirely positive, however, that it would not go away when the gravity was fixed.

Description
"Ship to starboard below!"

Cathar woke with a start as the cry went up along the ship, giant wooden gongs reverberating to alert all who hadn't heard the piercing bellow. He frowned a little, and blinked his eyes blearily. He was not a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination.

Well, in as much as there is such a thing as "morning" in deep space, he thought to himself as he swung out of his bunk and slipped on a pair of silk jhodipurs. He stretched, tucked his bed's restraining straps back into the creases of the woven mattress, and pulled himself up to the window. He moved as elegantly as a fish in water, effortless and comfortable in the near-weightless conditions of the ship.

Opening the wood shutters, he poked his head and shoulders out of the wide aperture and looked around. Here, the interstellar space of the Chlorithi zone was dark, very dark, almost a cobalt blue, and the air was crisp and cool. Not actually cold, but getting there. The atmosphere was still quite breathable -- it would be another two months of travel at this speed before the air thinned enough to be noticable.

At first, the ship the boatswain had referred so loudly to was not visible -- Cathar cursed his luck at always getting in the longer queue, never getting the sunny side of the building -- but slowly, as his ship spun quietly in the void, it came out of eclipse.

The Omnet shuttle was impressive, of that there was no doubt. It was also smaller than Cathar had expected. No vast, kilometer-wide leaves at the fore-end of the ship, providing natural propulsion from the living plant's interaction with the very Life that comprised Chlorithi space. No long, tapering carved wooden trunk forming the body of the ship, elaborately decorated with gilded statues and scrollwwork.

No, instead, it was about half the size of the ship Cathar now peered out from. It was sleek, imposing, sharp and altogether unatural looking. A dark silver-grey, with the Omnet logo placed strategically on it's hull, so that there was no mistaking it's owners.

Cathar actually liked the other one better. The only other Omnet ship he'd seen -- the only other non-Marduki ship, for that matter -- was the one that had arrived several years ago when the Imperator officially adknowledged the existence of the Greater Galaxy in general and the Omnet in particular, and the fact that from then on, the Marduki would strive to become a worthy force in the galactic community. The Reintroduction, it became know as, harkening back to the Marduki's origins of a colony fleet lost some seven hundred years before.

Cathar definately liked the other one better. It had fewer sharp corners, a more relaxed, organic feel to it. This one? It was all angles and lines and squares.

Probably selected just for this occasion, he thought to himself.

-----

Two hours later, Cathar met with the Omnet representative for the first time.
Tall, thin. Long black hair puncuated with silver-grey streaks. Strong jaw, bright eyes, neatly trimmed mustache and beard. As Cathar approached, the Vestis Inquisitis agent smiled broadly, said a few words in Mardukian, and then clasped the Vicegerent's left bicep in the traditional "handshake" of the Marduki Noblesse.

He certainly has studied our traditions well, Cathar mused to himself as he returned the gesture of goodwill.

"Greetings, Vicegerent-syndic Cathar," the slim fellow began, smiling, "I am Vestis Steffin diFortis, regional correspondent and department head assigned to the Marduki region."

Cathar was unsure if he liked his entire homeland being referred to as a "region". The Vestis continued.

"I trust your trip out here was a pleasant one; no pirates, tidalclouds, that sort of stuff?" The biolink in the back of Cathar's neck hummed silently, mentally translating the Vestis' words for him. It itched.

"No," Cathar responded, "It was a fairly uneventful two months."

The Vestis' smile widened a little. They had access to technology that could cover the distance in a fraction of the time, no doubt, but Steffin was savvy enough to not comment. "Excellent. Well, our shuttle departs as soon as you and your," he paused, looking back over Cathar's shoulder to the assembled group carefully holding position in the low gravity of the Marduki ship, "...your retinue are all aboard the shuttle."

Cathar knew that the number of people he had with him was perhaps excessive. But that wasn't the issue. The issue was that he was leaving his people, and was going off to represent them among a thousand, perhaps a hundred-thousand other cultures. What could one person show about nearly two million? No, a full compliment of individuals was needed, as large as any Noblesse would require on any domestic state visit. It would be crowded, he was sure, but it was necessary.

-----

Two more hours, and the Omnet ship was rapidly putting Marduki space behind them. Cathar was uncomfortable in his quarters, as was his retinue, although it was certainly not for lack of attention on the Omnet's part.
The artificially-produced gravity was much stronger than he was used to, and the Vicegerent got winded after only a few moments of pacing the cabin. Steffin had assured him that once they were on the other side of the Quantum Front, they would be able to adjust the Marduki cabins to reflect a more suitable, slighter gravity.

Sitting in the burnished metal chair, looking out across the expanse of sky that was now almost black, Cathar felt a great weight on his shoulders. He was entirely positive, however, that it would not go away when the gravity was fixed.