The officer offered Koos a cup of tea, which he gladly accepted. The fragrant flavor of the tea mixed with the blood in his mouth, creating a metallic taste.
"From what I've heard in my travels, the coalition can be traced back to ancient earth in the sol system. The ancient war between the Western Alliance and the Coalition resulted in a Coalition victory. My education has alway tainted the war as a sad moment for humanity, the victory of anti-capitalist communist forces who hate freedom. I utterly reject that analysis. The Alliance was losing to history and like the cowards they are they ran.
The Alliance greatly underestimated the Coalition's intelligence gathering capabilities. They knew all about the sleeper ships that would eventually carry the capitalist plague to a new virgin system. Coalition personnel infiltrated the ships, particularly the Rheinland and Hispania and blended into the populace. Some settled in Omega-52 where they began rebuilding. The harsh, cold environments of the Omega-52 system offered the settlers no room for luxury and required the utmost dedication to work, the equalizer of all men.
The coalition has seen some rough times. The vision of it's leaders has wavered over the years. I know that a revolution happened as a result of Coalition leaders trying to make a treaty with the Alliance, betraying the revolution. The current breed of leaders are much more dedicated. The premier of the Coalition is the glorious Alvin Katz and other officials include Ben Warner, Alexi Karchov and Angie Broch. Other than this, however, I am sorry to say that I know little else."
The embarrassing lack of knowledge of the Coalition made Koos anxious. He never had the opportunity to learn about it in school, and trawling across space for rumors isn't the most efficient way to learn.
So true is it that unnatural generally means only uncustomary, and that everything which is usual appears natural.
