Clash of the Titans

Hydran Imperium[b]

I only have come to power, I have crushed any in my path, and now I have unified the Hydrans. No enemy stands before me, all follow me. The first step has been achieved. Now it is time to for the Hydran's to take their rightful place, among the stars. My loyal ministers began the space exploration project several decades ago. Initially there where failures, but those that replaced them achieved success.

2400.0 My plans to reach the stars is a success, our first colony ship constructed. Several planets within our system are habitable, yet their atmospheres are deadly. We must find more hospitable planets soon and closer to our homeworld.

2402.0 We have found no other intelligent life out there so far, even as we explore another spiral arm of this galaxy we have found no one. This may seem like no problem, but I know my people, they grow weak in their relaxations, in their explotations of planetary resources and commodities. They already are losing focus, forgeting what has brought them to this point. True colonization is a tough life but men only improve themselves when they are challenged, focused, like steel it is only useful once it is forged in the fire.

Terran Hegemony

Having Established security on Terra, plans are launched to expand into neighbouring systems. Local space is mapped by Space Telescopes and targets chosen.

2400.0 Colony vessels depart Terra to establish bases on other planets.

2402.0 Despite having mapped the local region it comes as a surprise when alien life is discovered on a colonial target. The aliens soon agree to submit to Terran domination. Initial expansion goes to plan, however apart from automated processes such as sleeper ships and advances in research, work within the Hegemony comes to a halt. For an unknown reason manafacturing queues continue at emergency rate even though no new production is started. Units are built on bordering planets yet orders to deploy them are not obeyed.

We have continued our exploration. Our original scout ships have run out of fuel and are waiting or scouting very slowly. Our colonization has gone unimpeeded until today. We have encountered another sentient race. We know nothing about them. We have hailed them on all channels and wait a reply. We hope to build a peaceful relationship with them, for now. Ship yards continue to produce ships at their maximum rate, our older colonies are finally reaching full potential.

I hope our initial contact with these new sentients is a positive one.

I must begin military production just in case.

The members of the Security council milled about the room. Terra had naturally gotten rid of extravagant displays such as ribbons or medal centuries ago so although most of the people present were military officers, and high ranking ones at that, they only wore standard uniforms with rank emblems. The various Group leaders were accompanied by human assistants and engineered animal servants. A low ring resounded in the room and the council took its seats. A regimental officer took the podium at the front, under a large screen. Ceremony having been removed as much as useless ostentation, he began.

"As you are aware" he said to those present "this meeting is to discuss the recent verification of further extraterrestrial life. However I must point out this does not mean alien. At least not in a physical sense"

The assembled officers continued to listen as a display was bought up. A system was shown.

"5 weeks ago a colony vessel travelling across the Jinook system passed within 1 au of what was detected as an alien vessel" At this point a long range scan of the vessel was displayed. "Emmissions from the vessel, verified later by direct communication, showed the life support requirements to be an almost exact match for a Terran atmosphere"

"Almost exact? So they aren't exactly human?" queried the Chairman.

"The deviation was only minute. We theorise, and again this is substantiated by further information, that although human, the occupant merely prefer a dryer humidity with slightly higher heat than normal"

"So what happened to the other ship. It's been 5 weeks"

"Other ships carrying out colonisation of the system detect the alien vessel as having taken up position on the far end of the warp point"

"So they're hostile?"

"We are not certain yet. Having ascertained they were human we sent a message of greeting with an invitation to rejoin humanity. They in turn claim we prevent their expansion"

"More like they prevent ours" another Group leader stated.

"What happened to our first colony ship?"

"It attempted entry of the next system only to be destroyed by a blocking force of two alien frigates"

"So they are hostile?"

"Not necessarily. After all they didn't know us yet. We blundered into their ships"

"Do we have a legitimate claim to Jinook?"

"Yes, we have already colonised it, and a scan of the entire system shows no sign of alien colonies"

"In that case I propose we claim the system and tell the aliens to withdraw"

"Does anyone second the proposal?" the regimental officer asked.

"Seconded" spoke one Group leader.

"Officers, please vote". Unsurprisingly the motion passed.

"What is the position with the Joggic?" asked the Chairman.

"They have continued to obey the terms set out under the Treaty of Submission. They have built many ships but there are no signs of any hostility"

"Good. How go our preparations?"

"Troop ship have taken up position in orbit of all their major worlds. We await only the order to carry out the invasion"

"Well there being no need to wait any further, I propose we launch the invasion."

the motion was quickly seconded then carried. The Terran Hegemony needed to ensure it's security and the growth of humanity, of any kind.

Group leader Bowman of the Expansion directorate sat at his desk examining status reports when his aide jnr assault leader Fry stood at the open door, flanked by dog soldiers.

"Enter" Bowman ordered.

"I have here a report from the Asyrrian border, Group Leader" the junior officer said handing it over.

Bowman went over the report.

"I see here the Assyrians demand to share Jinook despite the fact we have a prior claim. Nice of them to offer us 2 planets" Bowman said with only a trace of sarcasm.

"It might be they are not aware of our existing colony at Jinook IX. Perhaps they only saw the follow up ships?. In fact if you'll look further you'll see they have a warship heading towards our colony. Latest reports also show they have a warship blocking further access"

"What about the follow up ships. There were two, right?"

"Yes Group Leader. One has already settled it's target. The other is on the far side of the system and has not landed yet"

Bowman considered the proposal for a minute.

"I will recommend to the council that we agree to the proposal. Sharing the system, despite the reduction in security is, I believe, a better option than risking conflict. Order the remaining colony ship to withdraw."

"Yes Group Leader"

"Let's just hope we can trust the Assyrians. They may be human but their time away from Terra may have had unexpected changes"

Nerves were tense at Central Command. Battles now raged on several Joggic worlds, A third alien race had now been encountered and the situation on the Assyrian border was becoming deadly.

"So what exactly happened with the Assyrians?" Higher Group leader Franks asked Group leader Bowman.

"The Assyrians sent us a message stating we had no prior claim to Jinook. It appears they did not believe our claim to have a colony. They only cite the 2 additional colony ships that slipped through before their blockade. At the same time, In an attempt to compromise,I agreed to joint ownership"

"Why?"

"At the time I felt it was safer. Although seperated from Terra the Assyrians are human. We should avoid conflict. Not just because they are human but because conflict could hinder efforts to persuade them to join us".

"But the Assyrians thought otherwise" It wasm't a question but a fact. Nevertheless Bowman answered.

"Yes. Of course we detected the Assyrian ship, it passed by our third colony ship just before it was recalled, and was in range of the sensors on Jinook Prime. We assumed it would clearly see our colony"

"Did it?"

"It can't but not have, nevertheless it attempted to orbit the colony"

"and naturally hit the minefield"

"Yes. Strangely though in their last message they had ceeded the planet to us"

"So do you think they were trying to attack the colony?"

"I can't be sure. The Colony was obvious. We have persistently told them we had a colony, and now they send a warship to the planet while ceeding it to us. There are other things too"

"Like what?"

"Security reports that unknown agents broke into the central records archive. We didn't apprehend them but the action is clear"

"What did they get?"

"It looks like they accessed general records on the Hegemony, as well as plans for our mk1 mines" Bowman answered looking down at reports.

"Well if they had just waited they would have received very detailed scans of the mines" Franks humoured "That is if it was the Assyrians".

"We think so. Reports on the Joggic before our invasion showed them incapable of this amount of espionage"

"How goes the invasion?"

"Of the five targets, one has been captured and our forces are dominant on the two others. We failed to land troops on the other two, however they were minor planets. It is their two major planets that we believe will fall within a month"

"Good". Franks thought for awhile "I believe you have interesting news on the new aliens"

"Yes. Startling in fact. We can't gather much information on these Keiqeq" Bowman replied looking down at documents "However they claim to be descendants of Terra.

Franks pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"Tell me. Are any aliens we meet not originally from Terra, apart from the Joggic I mean"

"It's looking increasingly unlikely"

"Well I'll leave it up to the historians to work out exactly when this previously unknown cosmic diaspora occurred. What's important now is to handle the current problems. I believe we should stay on the side of caution. Diplomacy seems to be failing. I am willing to continue to try but along with their blockading Jinook the fact that the Assyrians sent an armed warship to seemingly attack our colony, and lets not forget if not for the minefield it is likely they would have levelled Jinook Prime, they seem to be pursuing conflict. Take whatever steps to ensure security but don't openly attack the Assyrians unless you have no choice"

"Yes, Group Leader"

Assault leader Takashi dove down behind some wreckage as Joggic artillery swept the area. The Joggic ground forces were thin by now but they continued to put up a resistance. Command had estimated the planet would fall within a month. That had been two months ago and despite the systematic eradication of the Joggic militia it didn't look like they would surrender any time soon. Takashi's first Dog sprinted across the ground to the Assault Leader. It was erroneous to call them dogs, they did have some canine DNA but also a lot of feline, Primate and rodent material. Still the term had stuck now for several centuries. This was Takashi's 3rd "Top Dog" since they landed.

"My Lord, the enemy artillery is coming from that collapsed building to the east" the Dog informed him with a curious lisp. The technicians had never quite managed to get Dogs to speak completely clearly but when, as all Terrans had, you grew up with them serving you all your life it was no problem understanding them even under battle conditions. Takashi risked a glance over the wreckage, falling back down as Joggic fire ripped overhead.

"Take two squads and silence them" Takashi ordered.

"We obey" the Dog replied picking up it's weapon and sprinting out into the open, dashing across to the other troops before detailing them to follow. The Order given, Takashi sat back. The majority of enemy troops on the planet had been quickly destroyed and only a few rebellious units left but with an eye trained to notice the enemy Takashi could see, even in the day, at least 2 dozen enemy ships still in orbit. They were clearly unwilling to bombard their own planet but who knew what would happen once the Planet fell to Terra. The transport ship that had bought him and the other troops to this planet had not had a name, a mere cargo ship being considered unworthy, but Takashi had come to think fondly of the ship as he sat waiting in it's cargo hold. Hidden, as the ship orbited the enemy world. The last he had seen of it was being torn apart as the enemy defences knocked it out of orbit after the invasion began and he was descending in a drop
ship. The Terran troops had done well scavenging supplies from enemy depots, Takashi wouldn't be suprised to find that was the whole point of trading equipment to the Joggic as they planned the invasion. Still he wondered when the Terran fleet would arrive with reinforcements. Victory looked asurred though it would still take time rooting out the last defenders but it was worrying to think what would happen should the enemy ships decided to get involved.

The mood in Central command was one of restrained optimism. Open displays of emotion were now rare among Terrans but the armed forces were now glad to see their plans had been succesful. The armed forces chiefs sat around the meeting table as the latest reports were delievered.
"....and so we can now say the three main Joggic worlds, including their homeworld, have fallen"
"Well done. Anything further"
"Although the Joggic homeworld was captured they seemed to have managed to scrap their planetary defences during the final collapse"
"Do they still have a fleet orbitting the world?"
"Yes, and as you know we had planned to turn the captured weapons platforms on them. It was the change of plans from destroying the planetary defences to concentrating on hunting down their militia that eventually conquered the planet. However, now we have succesfully occupied their main planets we estimate they will soon, if not already, be unable to maintain their fleet. We expect their capitulation within a month, maybe two.
"Good". The assembled Leaders were then interrupted as several aides came into the room. They seemed to be carrying a small package.
"What's that?" said one Group Leader.
"The Assyrians sent the council a gift" explained one aide.
"Have you scanned it for traps?" asked a leader.
"Yes, there were some minor anomalies detected but it appears safe". The chief aide opened the box and pulled out a long bottle.
"What is it?" asked one council member.
"It appears to be some sort of liquid"
"Why is it red?. It looks like blood". An aide peered at the label on the bottle.
"It says it is wine"
"What's wine?".
One Group leader accessed his console and retrieved historic files.
"It says here it's an alcoholic beverage created by leaving fruit to rot"
"Alcohol?. As in that poisonous chemical used to sterilise wounds?"
"Apparently people used to drink it"
"why would someone want to deliberately drink rotten poison?"
"It apparently was addictive. They had no choice perhaps. The effect was to limit ones ability to think clearly and it slowly destroyed the liver"
"No wonder people stopped. Clearly the Assyrians never learnt the lesson"
"Well I don't think they meant any harm. The message might be a bit misguided but I don't see any ulterior motive. Just store it away somewhere and send them our thanks"
"Back to business. Any more incidents of espionage?"
"A few. We are thinking it might have been the Keiqeq and Joggic after all. The Joggic should cease to be a problem soon, and we are in the process of signing a treaty with the Keiqeq. Once we have a treaty we expect them to cease their spying"
"Good. Well if there's no more business I say we adjourn. No. Good"

"Move, Move...."
Takashi herded his troops down into shelter. In the sky above them thunder boomed and the sky pulsed with various lights as beams of light struck down from the clouds blasting the city about him. The last of his dogs in the shelter he rushed inside and with the help of a few of them pushed the thick blast door closed.

The Command elements in the system watched in a sense approaching horror as they witnessed the Joggic response to the capture of their homeworld. It had been assumed any sensible species would halt before attacking their own people. Terra had expected to take the time to build weapons platforms to defend their new conquest but the alien AI of the mechanical Joggic had barely paused. Their fleet, orbitting what had been their most important world bombarded the helpless civilians on the surface. Wave after wave of beaming death struck the surface. It was impossible to keep track of the damage. It would be out of date before it weas read. In a matter of minutes, but which seemed to the survivors a lifetime, nearly 4 billion civilians were annihilated. Terra had meant to control the Joggic but genocide was never their intent, and the final blame didn't even lay with them.

We have expanded througout our galactic arm. We have secured trade treaties with two wise civilizations. We continue colonizing where ever we can. We have set up four systems where mutual colonization, since none of us share colony types it has been very peaceful. We enjoy the amazing wealth of ameneties that poor through our spacrports from both civilizations.

WE seem to have one problem, a small independent civilization has turned their nose up at us and our allies. We have offered many things to try to convince this little civilization to join us or at least enter trade but the continue to refuse our requests.

From Lord Commander of the Hydran Imperium
It seems that diplomacy is not working with the small independent (I forgot their name it is a neutral player). We must be prepared. Draw up invasion plans and make the research and production heads know what would be necessary to accomplish this plan. I hope diplomacy works, but just in case.

General Bowen was conducting a meeting with his aides. As Director of external affairs he scheduled regular updates so as to keep informed about the actions of other races. Sometimes the news was good.....sometimes it was bad.

"So the Assyrians told the TimeMasons we warned them"

"Yes, Sir" an aide informed him.

The High council had done all it could to strengthen relations with other human remnants. The initial confusion over how so many races encountered, if only 2, had ties to Terra had been solved partly when it was realised that naturally Humans removed in ancient history would not be moved too far from Terra itself. Terra had encountered two alien races and heard of others. Any reticience over opening up to others were swiftly quashed when it was pointed out these were fellow humans. After all they were Terrans. Terra couldn't ally with aliens but if you couldn't ally with other Terrans what future was there. Unfortunately this didn't seem to be a position universally held.

The Time Masons, after signing a treaty looked upon as a foundation of an alliance of all Terrans, including the Assyrians, had openly told Terra that they had harboured hostile intentions towards the Assyrians. Terra was aghast, Humans considering threatening other Humans. It was intolerable. Their excuse that they hadn't was barely excused by the statement they hadn't because they had gained trade conditions. What was more they spoke glowingly of trading peacefully with aliens. Even coming to agreements with them. Abomination.

Bowen had, of course, told the Assyrians as soon as possible. But now the Time Masons refuted the facts. Lies. They said the Assyrians had warned them of Terra's warning. Neither race seemed reliable, and if fellow humans couldn't be relied on to work together for the sake of the race then what hope was there.

Bowen wasn't sure.

The Terran command was at a loss for words. It had encountered other children of Terra and naturally had been entirely willing to cooperate in any manner, however the response by the "lost", as they were coming to be known, had been shocking. The Time Masons had openly claimed they had schemed against the Assyrians and being committed allies Terra warned the Assyrians. The response had not been the one expected. It had come to an, some were now saying, ineviatble climax. The Time Masons, informed by the very people Terra tried to protect, had attempted to rewrite history by claiming Terra had invented the whole plan. As if claiming otherwise would magically remove what Terra knew from their memory. No worthwhile relationship could be founded on a basis of such lies so Terra reluctantly cancelled their treaty. The Time Masons were hindered by a black hole between them and Terra and so the high command had been willing to leave them alone and focus on the pursuit of relations with the Assyrians. Perhaps they were not a loss. At which point Terra was shocked again. The Assyrians and Time Masons formed an alliance, one that could be considered nothing but an open threat. Titled the Anti-Terran alliance its purpose was impossible to confuse. The Assyrians, in an act as blatant as the Time Mason claims of innocence,claimed at the same time that their membership of the Alliance was an accident, a claim Terra did not believe for a second for how could it be an accident if the excuse was sent before the "accident" was made. Suspicions were confirmed, in so much as there was no doubt in the first place, when the Assyrians mined access to the system they shared cutting off access to supply vessels and colonists to the two colonies now trapped in Assyrian space. It was regrettable not only because it seemingly detroyed all chances at cooperation amongst the children of Terra, but because, even worse, the result was open conflict between Man. Already Terra had attempted to relieve the two colonies now hostage to anti-Terran schemes. The relief missions had been attacked and treasonably destroyed but Terra was already planning to rescue the captives. It was a terrible tragedy but Terra was committed to solve the problem even if the only way now was to rescue by force the children of humanity led by self loathing and corrupt leaders.

The Hydran Imperium.

Sire! We have met a multitude of races, spiral arm we began to explore (thought uninhabited) was found to be inhabited. We recognized that these people are in a similar situation as us and we have agreed to work closely with them as they have different colonization habits as us. We are glad to accept so much trade, our civilization flourishes. We are deeply concerned as well, with all of these civilizations in such a close space, mistakes will be sure to happen. We must be careful but also prepared. Rumors have that some civilizations are close to open warfare, we work with both empires and are concerned that we will be pulled into a war that we did not start nor wish to finish. But we prepare, we listen, we continue our colonization and seek deep friendships, ones who we can trust. And so it begins.

Sire we need to prepare for the worst, but hope for peace.

Agreed, begin prototype construction on defensive ships and border patrols.

Jesus is cool!

OOps double post.

2408.9 Galaxic space time,
Souix Homeworld, Palace of chiefs.

Lieutenant Titon was feeling nervous in the waiting room of the palace. He had just graduated from the academy of Federation Space Navy, and was assigned to serve on a military vessel. Now he found himself on the waiting room of the palace of chiefs, where the leader of Souix ran the Federation. The waiting room was spacious long hall, with walls made of white polished stone. Titon was sitting on a stone bench, wearing his dress uniform. In addition to seemingly randomly placed pot plants, the hall was decorated with huge portraits of previous chiefs. Paintings much taller then Titon picturing great leaders of the Federation had been hung on the walls on both sides of the hall. They were all painted looking slightly downwards, and Titon felt nervous under those relentless stares of former statesmen. He couldn't help to wonder why he had been summoned to a audience with the new chief.

"Lieutenant Titon?"
Titon sprang up to attention, and turned to face the young lady who had spoken. The lady gave her a shy smile, before continuing.
"The chief will see you now. Follow me please."
It took Titon a moment to gather himself mentally, but soon they were walking on the hall with the steady click of the girl's high heels echoing on the walls. They arrived to a heavy wooden doors, decorated with gold ornaments. As they approached, the doors opened leading into a round room. The floors were covered with fine carpets and there was even a round fountain in the middle of the room with flowing water creating soothing atmosphere. They headed towards a desk, behind which an another lady was working on computer while speaking into a microphone on her ear. As they arrived to the desk, the lady raised her look, and nodded.
"Thank you Sarah, I take it from here."
While the the first girl nodded and left, Titon watched as the desk clerk returned her attention to the computer finishing her work. After this she raised her head again, and spoke to Titon.
"The chief is inside, he told me to send you directly in. The door to your right."
Titon walked to another wooden door, checked his uniform from the ornament reflection, took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The room behind the door was very dimly lit, nearly dark. Titon could barely see a pair of chairs in front of a desk, and a faint figure behind the desk. Titon approached the desk, snapped into attention and saluted.
"Lieutenant Titon greets the great leader of the Souix Federation, the glorious chief of the Lakota people, the..."
Titon realized that he didn't know the new chiefs name. Very little was known of the new chief, and while rumors were plentiful, the official information was scarce. He could feel a small bead of sweat forming in his neck.
"...the honorable leader, great chief."
There was a silence. Titon was standing in attention, as if moving even a bit would somehow destroy the whole universe. He dared not speak, just waited. After a while the chief spoke.
"Great chief, eh? Well, it is a lot better then 'ummm' or 'oh damn'. At ease Lieutenant. Have a seat."
Titon felt a great relief as he sat down on the chairs in front of the table. His eyes were starting to get accustomed to the dim light, but the light was coming from such direction that he still couldn't see the chief properly.
"You may simply call me 'Sir', the chief said, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes, sir." Titon replied automatically.
"Would you like something to drink Lieutenant?" The chief gestured his hand towards a set of bottles and glasses near the desk.
"No thank you sir. I'm good sir." Titon had to swallow few times, because his mouth felt really dry, but he didn't dare to take anything. The whole situation was just too much for him.
"So. Lieutenant Titon. Born and raised in the frontier worlds. You enlisted to FNS, and graduated with high grades from the Academy. You have been assigned to one of our Hunter Class vessels, if I am correct?"
Chief raised his look from the datapad he had been reading, and looked at Titon.
"Yes sir, that is correct." Titon adjusted his position a little in the chair.
"So, lieutenant. Do you know why you are here?"
"No sir, I only know I was summoned to audience."
"Do you have any guess as why you are here?"
There it was. Of course he could guess. He had been wondering and guessing ever since he got the orders to transport to Homeworld, and orders to come to the palace.
"Well, sir, I was thinking that maybe there is some important special mission where you need me."
Titon felt stupid as soon as he had said it. There was a silence, which made it feel worse. He felt more sweat beads forming in the back of his neck.
"Well, If I had an important special mission, I would likely use the more experienced officers of the FNS, don't you agree?"
Titon lowered his head a bit.
"Yes, sir. That would be more likely sir."
"Don't worry Lieutenant. There is a little romantic in each of us. Nothing wrong with that."
"No sir."
"Any other guesses."
"No sir."
The chief took a deep breath.
"I'm afraid the reality is not so interesting. I summoned you here, because I wanted to speak to normal people in the Federation. You were chosen at random."
Titon looked up puzzled.
"Why sir?"
"I like to hear a citizen's voice every now and then. So, Lieutenant. This is your chance. Any big questions you wish to make?"
"Why isn't there a portrait of you in the hallway?"
Titon bit his tongue, but it was too late, the question was out. It was idle question, but it was the first one he could think of. It was common practice that the work on portrait was started when the new chief was selected, and portrait was hung up in the palace of chiefs when the chief was inaugurated. It was over five standard years since the new chief had taken control of the Federation, and still there was no portrait of him in the hallway. Titon sat silently, waiting for chief to answer.
"The portrait? To be honest, I haven't ordered one yet. There will be time for that later. At the moment I don't think it would be the best idea."
"But sir, it is a tradition. Some of the portraits are older the the palace of chiefs. Why would it not a be a good idea?"
"The Lakota are still new to the interstellar issues. There are still plenty of the people who see aliens as a threat. These people are minority, but they sometimes have a tendency to act out. I don't think they would take it well to hear the Federation is run by a alien."
"WHAT!"
Titon bolted up. He didn't know what to do or say. The chief was silently looking him from the other side of the desk.
"As I said, the Federation is run by an alien. I am not of the Lakota. The details are not important."
"But the Chief must be a Lakota. The Chief has always been one of the Lakota."
"Traditionally yes. But it is not mandatory. I was in the right place at the right time. I was chosen to run the federation, and I have done just that."
"But Chief sitting Bull was a Lakota, he was...."
"CHIEF SITTING BULL WAS A IDIOT!!!"
Titon fell to the chair. The chief had sprang up, and was leaning forward, with his hands on the desk. Titon waited stunned, unsure what to do. After a while the chief took a deep breath, and sat down.
"Chief sitting Bull was an Idiot. He gave his aides too much power, and too little instructions. When he disappeared, the aides did stupid choices, and nearly destroyed the federation."
Titon was about to say something, when a cold stare from the chief silenced him.
"When I got here, the Souix federation was a bunch of scattered worlds. The economy was on the brink of collapse, the navy cruising around following order that made no sense, and the federation couldn't have held back even a single pirate destroyed if one had come along, much less a alien military force. There were Pre-warp civilizations that were more powerful then the Souix at the time."
Titon sat silently, waiting for the chief to continue.
"Now, as you very well know yourself, the economy is booming. We have imroved our relations to other empires. The military is strengthening and we are on our way to become a important player in the galactic scale. Are you saying I am not doing my job well."
"No sir, of course not. It is just that..."
"...That I am not Lakota. I know. And that is why I don't have my portrait on the wall. Some members of the Federation are simply not ready for a Alien chief."
Titon was abou to argue against, but changed his mind.
"What are you planning to do about it sir?"
"I wait. Already aliens are living in the federation, and the Lakota get more accustomed to dealing with them. After some time, the though of alien Chief is no longer such a big scare. Then I likely get a portrait."
"But sir, you must tell the citizens."
"No. It does not matter what I am. What matters is what I do. You said it yourself, it is not that I have done a bad job, it is that I am not Lakota that you had trouble with."
Titon could feel himself blushing.
"I didn't mean that sir."
"You didn't and you did. There is no shame in feeling so, since you clearly understand the matter now."
"Yes sir."
"I can see you have the best of the Federation in your mind. So tell me honestly, would you like the Federation ran by competent Alien, or incompetent Lakota?"
Titon sat there, for a long time, thinking to himself.
"I think, sir,that I would like Federation ran by competent alien better sir."
In the dim light Titon could see a smile on chiefs face.
"I though so, lieutenant. You seemed like a reasonable person."
A quiet beep came from the chiefs desk, and a small screen lit up. Chief took a glance of the screen, before turning to Titon.
"I'm sorry to cut our meeting short Lieutenant, but there is work to be done. I'm sure you understand."
"Of course sir."
Titon rose to leave.
"One more thing Lieutenant. I could order you to remain quiet of the things we have discussed. However, I feel I can trust in your judgement in the matter. I assume you do as you see is best for the Federation."
Titon Snapped in attention.
"You can trust me sir."
"I'm sure I can. It has been a pleasure to meet you lieutenant. I'm sure you have a great future in our armed forces. I will be following it with interest."
"Thank you sir. I won't let you down.
"You are dismissed, lieutenant."
Titon saluted, and left for the door. On the other side he ran his hand on his neck, but his sweat had disappeared. He was halfway through the hallway, before a though came to him, and he returned to the outer door of the chiefs office. In the hall, there was a empty place on the wall, near the door. The space was reserved for a portrait. While he was staring at the wall, the girl called Sarah walked up to him.
"May I escort you out sir?"
"No, thank you. I can find my way."
She followed his look on the empty spot on the wall.
"I think it is strange that there is no portrait of the new chief. What do you think lieutenant?"
Titon looked at her, and smiled.
"Don't worry. I'm sure there will be one sooner or later. I think he is a great leader, and I'm sure his portrait will be hung among the most honored leaders."

Turn 100! Happy birthday to all the Clashing Titans!

P.S.: Message to Empress Rea-alredis of the Alerani Empire : Did you get my mails? (I'm replacing for the Time Masons)