A Diplomatic Tour - Minister Steele and visited dignitaries

[Teerin]

Part I:
Formalizing a Trade Agreement with the Gas Miners Guild
Aomori Station, Honshu - GMG Sovereign Territory

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"Thank you for the escort, Orion. Aomori Station, this is Major Flint of the Crayterian vessel Nestor. We are requesting clearance to moor with your facility," radioed Lloyd. He then switched to the internal communications system, "Minister, please report to the port side docking room. We're here."

While speaking, the Aomori CIC cleared his Hydra to dock and the helmsman steadily maneuvered towards the base.

***

Nelson was quite relieved, perhaps even glad, to be off of that warship. He met up with some secretary once inside and was taken on a brief tour around to a cafeteria, the boardroom that the conferences would be held in, and lastly his temporary quarters.

Due to the Guildmaster's tight schedule, the meeting would occur in just over an hour, which gave the Minister of State enough time to change into more formal attire and relax a bit. He thought to himself, if these talks are finished today, the document could be written up the following morning ... given that it's mid-afternoon though, this may happen to drag on to tomorrow.

He also pondered, what might the Guild be interested in, beyond a consulate on Yuma and mutual trade of the Republic's Deuterium for their H-Fuel? Considering how extensive research has yet to be done on a number of Coronado's moons, I suppose that I could offer something in those regards ... I'll see what they can think of as well.

As the appointed time drew close, Steele departed for the meeting room early, since he didn't know the installation's layout very well. If he somehow got lost and was late, it would constitute a bad first impression. However, he managed to arrive with a few minutes to spare, so he stood at the side of the table and waited.

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"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)

[Asbestos]

The faint sound of footsteps could be heard echoing down the corridors leading to the conference room, with the steps reaching a crescendo just outside the closed door. A few seconds passed silently, when suddenly, the door swung wide open, with a man stepping through the now open doorway. He wore the standard Guild flight suit, and held his pilot helmet with his left hand. He stepped into the room, followed by another two men dressed in similar outfits, though each had an automatic small-arm slung onto their chests.

The man who entered first approached the Minister with steady steps and an inviting smile on his face. He held out his free hand to shake the Minister's, and while leaning slightly forward, the Minister could briefly spy an odd looking necklace revealing itself around the man's neck.
"Minister Nelson Steele of the Colonial Republic, I presume? My name is Taro Katsuo, one of the appointed Guild Masters of the GMG. You'll have to forgive us for the lack of fanfare during your arrival. We believe that not everything we do needs to be announced to the rest of Sirius. I would have liked to be here to greet you myself, though my presence was urgently demanded elsewhere. I came as soon as could, still in time, I hope."
Katsuo gestured Steele to sit down on one of the many, somewhat uncomfortable chairs, located around the large central table of the room. Katsuo took a seat himself, with his apparent body guards idly standing by at the entrance.

"I'm sure you're much like myself, Steele-sama, one who doesn't like to waste time. I'll try to keep this meeting short and concise, for both of our sakes.
When we were relayed your original communique from Sabah, the interesting content raised a few questions. I hope you can answer them for us."
Katsuo placed his helmet on the table and leaned back into his seat, waiting to hear what the Minister had to say.

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[Teerin]

Some men could be heard approaching the door, and a regular looking man entered the room with armed guards. Have I overdressed for the occasion? Steele thought. Seeing an outstretched hand, he shook it firmly and listened to what the other gentleman said.

Nelson gave an empathetic reply, "I understand, Guild Master Katsuo. In these troubled times, the people of Crayter also often find themselves occupied and without time for fanfare."

Invited to take a seat, he sat down on an awkward, but bearable, chair at the table with Taro, who began to speak, "I'm sure you're much like myself, Steele-sama, one who doesn't like to waste time. I'll try to keep this meeting short and concise, for both of our sakes ... When we were relayed your original communique from Sabah, the interesting content raised a few questions. I hope you can answer them for us."

Katsuo placed his helmet on the table, signalling the Minister to speak while he sat back. "With recent colonization of Yuma and the finalization of construction on Sabah, the Colonial Republic is experiencing an economic boom. President Corvin believes that we should make the most out of that, and ties it in with firmly re-establishing relations with our friends across Sirius. We have a lot to offer, including, but not limited to; shipments of Pecos' Deuterium, surplus vessels, and a large return interest rate on financial investments."

Not wanting to overwhelm him, Steele paused for a second before continuing, "There may be other goods which our people are able to profitably exchange, however that is not my area of expertise. What are your thoughts so far, Guild Master?"

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"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)