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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Prestigious-Wind5909 on 2025-11-26 22:18:01+00:00.
2925 GY, 3981 AC
Galactic Council Hall, Unity-Station, Terminus, Galactic Council Neutral Zone
“You are out of your mind! That chamber between your eyes must be empty if you believe for even a second that the Reich will allow that.” An angry voice echoed throughout the massive hall.
An irate human loomed over his desk, his once pristine uniform now ruffled. His hand pressed into the desk, slightly red from slamming it earlier. His free hand pointed accusingly at another human sitting five seats down from him. The other man rounded on him.
“Oh! I didn’t realize you determined the Kingdom’s actions! Why I’ll ring the king right now and inform him of his dethronement.” His voice was more restrained, but just so.
“You are being intentionally dense and you f*****g know it!” His anger was slightly undercut by the automatic translator silencing the expletive. “This will have irreparable effects on the Reich and I cannot in good faith stand by while you screw us over!”
“You are being dramatic!”
Ule refocused their attention to the present, quickly forgetting whatever though had distracted them. Then craned their neck towards its partner with a rumble. The other crystalline had a glamorous–if slightly dull–blue and purple coloration. Shards of rounded stone formed a wavelike structure on its back. Five sensory nodes formed a semi-circle on its upper head, a maw of sharp stones below. Cracks in its form and a slight slouch belied its age. The two crystallines looked like statues sitting behind their desk in the council chamber. Ule’s much sharper and solid form marked them as the lesser. Its own crystals a green and orange color.
“What are they arguing over now?” Ule slowly rumbled out.
“Trade routes.” Aro answered simply, not turning to look Ule’s way. Their baritone voice carried far despite its low volume.
“Again?” A slow nod was Ule’s response.
What the Yeno called a sigh escaped, but other races likened it to a distant rockslide. Ule looked to the six seat wide desk, each chair sat a representative of one of the “Pillars of Humanity”. A flag for each nation hung from the desk, something the rest of the galaxy had taken after. The two in question sat on opposite sides, a clearly futile effort to curb their bickering. The Kroaxen Reich and Kingdom of Audebaughn. Though arguments within the Council Hall are frowned upon, most had long since given up on trying to stop the squabbling, and the rest were just glad that they only had to deal with six humans now. Besides, these asinine arguments provided some levity amidst the tedious multi-hour council meetings.
The dark grey double breasted Kroaxi dress uniform was clearly not made for the wild motions its wearer currently displayed. Blue piping and platinum tassels shifted as he spoke. The platinum wolf head enshrined on his blue half cape growled as it twisted around the representative’s body. A dark grey cap sat perfectly on the desk, not moving once since it was placed there, ignorant of the storm around it. His opponent wore an extravagantly tailored suit. A light blue brassard that went up to his right shoulder was embroidered with the royal crest. A matching beret sat dangerously close to the edge of the desk. His hair was slicked back into an aristocratic ponytail and bobbed with his more fluid – but equally erratic – movements.
Ignoring the two standout figures for a moment, Ule turned its attention towards the rest of the human team. The figure next to the Kroaxi representative sat calmly in his chair. He represented the Kroansberg Star Empire. His current demeanor matched the Kroax’ usual demeanor. Cold and collected, but if you put him in a room with the Audebaughn representative… Their nations’ shared heritage was obvious. Both men wore similar uniforms, with the Kroani uniform being light grey with green piping. The most notable difference being that while the Reich had kept the half cape, the Kroani elected for a much more subtle replacement. His left shoulder and upper sleeve colored the Empire’s green, a golden serpent wrapped around the arm. Next to him sat a woman dressed in an ornate white uniform. Red piping and golden tassels put off a regal, almost holy vibe. Almost. A red cape hung from her neck, the Imperium’s Aquila embroidered on the back in gold. The representative of the Holy Orlan Stellar Imperium ignored the squabble as she carried out a much more hushed–but equally intense–argument with her other neighbor, gesticulating wildly. Both of them had their peaked caps resting on the desk before them, light grey and red respectively.
Her opponent – the Unitary Star Republic representative – was much more subdued in his arguments. He wore a wave-green parade uniform, his peaked cap partially covering his eyes. His arms crossed over the red front of his uniform. Between the Unitary and Audebaughn Representatives sat the Stellar Federation representative. He wore a simple black suit, his hair parted to the side. He adjusted a pair of wire framed glasses before sharing an exasperated look with the Kroani representative.
The Itaro delegation sat next to the humans, their longest allies and the second youngest species. They made various attempts to distance themselves whenever arguments broke out, while the braver few made futile efforts to calm the belligerents. They were dressed in the blue and white dress uniforms of their military. Each one a trained military lawyer. The exception being two – a man and woman – who wore the black and gold uniform of the Exploration Fleet, and the white and orange uniform of the Rescue Fleet respectively.
Ule turned to observe the rest of the council, their head traversing like a sluggish turret. The reptilian Baneroni and Tesconi looked to be placing bets over who would get scolded by the speaker first this time. The two species had been at each other's throats for millennia. Unlike the humans, however, they had long discovered you can’t spend every moment fighting. Some of those conflicts had been caused by the vague similarities between them. Ule learned the easiest way to tell them apart was the eyes and teeth. The Tesconi had two pairs of eyes and wide frames, while the Baneroni had multiple rows of teeth and angular builds. It seemed like an obvious difference, but it took Ule longer than they’d ever admit to figure it out. The Baneroni wore a crimson and black dress uniform with a side cape that hung from the protruding spines on their backs, while the Tesconi wore light grey suits.
Across from Ule, the representative of the LENO Federal Republic and her team sat. The four species nation only had a single representative–something the humans could learn from–but made sure to fill out their team with someone from every member race. Two out of the four dressed in suits, the military advisor wearing LENO’s green and white dress uniform, and the insectile Orphenshi forwent any clothing. As the team shifted between their discussion and observing the argument–the newest members gawking at the audacity–the representative herself focused most of her attention on a datapad in front of her, taking brief glances at the Roldatians across the chamber.
Said Roldatian’s attention was split between the LENO team and the humans. In particular Ule caught more than a few of the miniature mammals eyeing the Unitary representative. Their purple-gold uniforms denoted a clear hierarchy even to Ule’s untrained eyes. The lead diplomat–almost drowning in golden adornments, and holding her ostentatious helmet in the crook of her arm–studiously kept her gaze level and refrained from focusing on one party.
While the LENO team displayed amusement and indifference, the diplomats of the Krikkittarr Holy Empire showed little more than disdain for the display. Ever the perfectionists, they took exception to much of the galaxy, but the humans in particular. They also refused to sit during these meetings, a likely factor in their growing displeasure as the human’s argument extended it–albeit not by much. Their flowing white robes contrasted with the various suits and uniforms most other species wore. At the back of the congregation, a solitary figure stood dressed in red. Their face obscured by the fabric that hung from their tall conical hat. An inquisitor.
The Bulgenesh diplomats clacked their claws in excitement whenever an argument broke out. They were easily the most amused by the spectacle. While the diplomatic drones of the Olwenqian Hive watched on with impassive faces.
When Ule turned their sensors to the Penealokian Diplomat, they were immediately caught off guard by the intense look he was giving the Kroaxi representative. In fact it wasn’t just him, each of the members of the Hegemony’s team stared at the man with almost hungry expressions. It seemed he noticed as he stopped mid argument to glare back. Audebaugh's representative looked ready to continue before following his compatriot's gaze. As one the rest of the humans registered the quiet and soon the humans and penealokians had entered a staredown. Though only the latter knew why. The sudden silence was deafening as everyone took nervous glances between the two parties, even the drones seemed wary.
The speaker took advantage of the quiet, resuming the meeting before anyone could ask questions. As everyone turned their attention to the front, the room returned to normal. Ule did their best to push the interaction from their mind.
“Odd.” Ule grumbled. ...
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