Horizons Arrival

> "*As I stand here and look upon the stars caressing the sky in rays of angry-happy and black, I find peace in knowing our two worlds have finally conjoined.*"
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> **- Scout Yoric**
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**Year**
16 NAC

## Horizon Incident

Gliding through the blanket of stars that is space, Scout Yoric reclines in his chair after manning the ship for several hours without interruption. Guiding his vessel towards an energy reading his A.I picked up while on route to a nearby solar system, he hoped his delay would be worth it once he had to inevitablely report back to military command. Closing his eyes in thought, the world of color and wonder begins to drift away from his mind, the overwhelming senses leaving his thoughts as once more the World of Black and White takes hold.

Sitting for what seems like an hour or so, his eyes open after a high pitched beep is heard from his control panel. "A communications message? Out here?" Yoric says in an inquisitive tone.

"You're being connected to a direct line, it appears to be coming from the vicinity of the energy reading Scout Yoric" says his A.I in response to his questioning. C.S.A being the only contact he's had in around a month, her digital voice keeping him stimulated all hours of the day.

Sitting up, Yoric realigns his chair to a sitting position as he looks out once more into the multi-colored palette that lies beyond the safety of his ship. Looking over at the communications line that blinks on his panel, he mutes the noise and says "Run a standardized communications response, I don't want to reveal myself if I don't have to and allow me to hear the audio.

"Of course Scout Yoric" C.S.A says as the room goes silent aside from the idle noises of his ship. Sitting for several minutes, his head perks up as he hears an audible voice begin to be transmitted from C.S.A's speakers, it speaking his tongue or at least being translated into it.

A shrill and robotic male voice comes out from the other end of the speaker; its intonations and pacing of its words being automated in nature. However, despite this, the tone it has is an authoritative one, strongly speaking its words out through the speaker.

"ATTENTION VESSEL; THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE FROM THE 33RD PATROL SQUADRON OF THE VAKHAN NATIONAL POLICE - YOU HAVE ILLEGALLY TRESPASSED INTO VAKHAN SPACE AND HAVE UNLAWFULLY IGNORED COMMUNICATIONS. PUT YOUR VESSEL INTO HOLDING POSITION IMMEDIAETLY AND AWAIT FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS."

After this communique is spoken, Yoric's sensors would immediately pick up three signatures drop out of ether-space near him into real-space. One light frigate and two corvettes would be present, the transponders of all three identifying themselves as being registered to Vakha, specifically the Vakhan National Police. Nothing would happen for a few moments, the patrol holding, before the light frigate would begin to hail Yoric.

Looking at the vessels before him and considering this words, Yoric slows his ship down to a halt. "Are you certain we can't outmanuver them like the Hanzins?"

"I would prefer not to test an enigma this soon C, anyways if they could detect us, they certainly have other tricks yet to unveil."

Hearing another high pitched beep from his panel, Yoric watches the vessel as he accepts the communication line directly; a large screen overlaying the window as it shows a straight white line in a black background.

"This is Scout Yoric of the Kingdom of Zoscia, I come in peace."

For once, a man's non-automated voice would start to sound through the speakers. They speak in an older and neutral tone, almost seeming deadpan were it not for the undertones of authority resting between their words.

"This is Major Karmenu Nicolas of the Vakhan National Police; I am aware of your origins. You have unlawfully entered Vakhan space as a military vessel and have ignored automated hails; you will be escorted out of our space with haste. Will you comply."

Yoric pauses for a moment, taking in the majors words before saying "I would prefer to establish relations considering I've already made it this far."

There would be a pause from the Major's end, soon afterwards broken;

"You are not in a position to engage in diplomatic relations; just as I am not. That is the duty of our respective politicians to discuss. I will say again; will you comply with our request."

Having his mouth piece chitter somewhat, Yoric says "Actually it is my position, my vessel comes with a variety of gifts and information on my people; I might be an explorer first, but I am also a representative of my people."

Another pause;

"You are claiming you have diplomatic status with your government; but yet at the same time you have ignored our laws and violated our territory with a military vessel, its transponder switched off. You are not making sense, why did you not communicate with the buoy then."

"I..." Yoric leans back in his seat and adds "We didn't except you to be advanced."

"Scout Yoric is correct by stating this, the Zoscian Kingdom has only encountered infantile space age civilizations or world bound ones. The likelihood of advanced races has been a subject of heated debated up to this point" says C.S.A as her automated voice sounds somewhat more life-like compared to the Vahkan one.

The tone of the Major's voice would remain unchanged;

"Yes, this may be true. But you have still committed a violation of our laws and sovereignty with this act, and it is the course of the law to expel you because of it. If this is the truth concerning your intentions; then you may contact your government or whomever else to arrange a diplomatic meeting. I cannot say more, it would be above my station."

"So; will you comply with our lawful request."

Yorics mouth piece chitters in frustration, it sounding like a chipmunk before finally he says "Of course."

### Arrival

One Month Later...

Mosvak, the capital of Vakha, was unpleasant even under the most normal circumstances from an objective point of view. The air was muggy and wet, the skies perpetually orange, the heat formidable, and the ability to breathe for non-native inhabitants hindered from the ammonia and iron in the air. While not fatal or even injury inducing, it had a peculiar smell to it, and every breath into the lungs had a particular bite to them; such was the fate of most foreigners, often the next few days were spent acclimating to the atmosphere.

Even in the space-port this biting air rested, and with none of the time available to acclimate. Yoric would quickly find himself moved from the spartan and carbon fiber confines of his space-plane, cramped and made to be as light as possible for orbital entry, to the wide and open terminal of the space port. It was crowded and busy, hordes of A-Type Demons going too and from, a sea of dithered black and white.

Rays of light would shine in through large flat windows, going down onto white vinyl flooring which reflected it. Speakers overhead from the intercom blared in an unusual language, foreign to his ears, as flapper boards clicked and clacked constantly showing arrivals and departures for the space elevators and litany of space-planes rotating through. All of this business, in particular the crowds, parted though as he made his way into the main lobby, encouraged by the security entourage accompanying him.

He was immediately assailed by the flashes of film cameras from both sides, accompanied by a constant clicking noise that come with them; reporters in their hordes were in attendance, no doubt there to get a glimpse of him for the papers. Walking towards him was a man, yet another A-Type Demon.

His suit, like the rest of him, was a dithered black and white; which paid no part towards hiding his shorter height, standing at best a foot short of Yoric. But, he had an overall welcoming smile of sorts, a slight upward crease in the corner of his mouth that rested on his face, set upon a upside down triangular head. The diplomat, with vigor, made his approach to him and extended out a hand.

Looking around with a clicking of its mouth piece, the large creature named Yoric appears to be dressed in a large white sash that adds variety to the primarily black metallic outfit it wears. Looking around with its large bulbous white eyes, it carries underneath its right arm a small box of sorts made of the same black material as its layered armor which appears to smoothly mold to the current occupants slim figure.

Quickly looking down at the diplomats hand, it quickly extends its left hand and shakes his firmly.

"You have quite the beautiful world, the angry-happy color is quite a site to behold in your skies" Yoric says in a voice that can only be described as euphoric curiosity.

The diplomat would look up at him and offer a quick nod, his smile remaining as he withdrew his hand after a good shake. "Quite so, it is a pleasure to meet you your excellency, on behalf of the Vakhan government we all welcome you. Please, come with me? There is a motorcade that will be waiting for us."

Shifting and turning his heels, he faces the automated sliding doors that lead out of the terminal and gestures towards it with a hand, before beginning to make his way towards it. "There will be countless things to discuss no doubt, considering this is the first contact our governments have had with one another."

Yoric begins to walk towards the exit, him following the diplomats lead. "It is our first time in general contacting anyone, it is an honor and hopefully my souvenirs will prove to be inspirational for our discussion."

Motioning to the small box under his right arm, Yorics mouth piece clicks once more.

"Oh?"

He'd look back and see the box, his smile remaining, "ah, a diplomatic gift I take it?"

"Correct and each gift has a tale tied to it."

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Turning heel again, he'd make his way towards the sliding doors and walk through them, a blast of warm air with a mixture of ammonia and iron hitting Yoric's helmet as he does. Outside would be equally as crowded as inside the terminal, only abated by security making a path to the curbside in-front of the terminal; the two now being on an overhead receiving level.

Cars with more square proportions and designs, a flurry of circular headlights rushing down the road too and fro would be seen, diving in-front of each-other as they stopped to picked up their passengers; the most aggressive of which would be the yellow and black taxis, also responsible for most of the blaring honks that went through the air. In the distance the skyscrapers of Mosvak proper could be seen, partially obscured by a light layer of smog, all of a more square and concrete/glass appearance with muted colors, that naturally clashed with the hanging orange-red sky of the planet.

Despite the smog, and the lingering smell of petroleum in the air from fumes, there was yet beauty to be seen that remained in nature. Mountains flanked from both the East and West, littered with isolated villages and imposing forests, only occasionally violated by pieces of infrastructure such as transmission towers; white and red striped in color.

"We can open it in the car?"

The diplomat would say, motioning towards black limousine that was parked before them on the side of the road, the rear door automatically opening with a vacuum system, only needing a push of a button from the chauffeur.

"Yes."

Yoric nods following his lead.

Getting inside the back of the car, the Diplomat and Yoric find themselves in a black colored space; leather is everywhere, separated only by the occasional wooden trim, though the wood actually used appears to be more lacquered plastic then anything else. A divider between the Chaffeur and the rear can be seen, the entire front of the car separated inside from the rear, its hard to even see the driver due to the tinted acrylic barrier. A lingering smell of smoke rests in the car, even though there's nary a lit cigarette within. As the two pile into the rear of the car, the chaffeur pushes the button, and once again with a whirr, the door closes on the two, isolating them from the sounds of the outside world.

Looking around, there doesn't appear to be any sophisticated electronics within the car; the switches for the windows being mechanical, and the gauges the driver has being analog in nature. On the surface level at least, the most advanced piece of equipment that could be seen was perhaps the radio, or the car phone nestled between Yoric and the Diplomat on the leather bench seat.

With a lurch, the vehicle would begin to move, the Diplomat looking over.

"So, the gift?"

Yoric nods and unlatches the metallic box, it opening up to reveal a white pillow latching to the interior and providing cushioning for a variety of items. Taking out a black and white straw-looking doll, he hands it over to the diplomat and says "Mis'ak is our first offering, a gift from Corona which tells of our origins."

Pointing to it, he adds "It was Corona which spoke to our ancestors and guided them to enlightenment and in our early days, we even worshiped it as a God amply named Mis'ak."

Listening to his words, the diplomat gives a slight smile and asks "Who is Corona exactly if I may ask?"

"Corona is our planet, a living and breathing creature such as yourself or I. It speaks with a tongue and feels the emotions of all creatures bound to its surface" says Yoric as he puts away the doll.

"Sort of like a shared consciousness then?"

Nodding, Yoric takes out a small piece of art which he hands to the diplomat, it being a thin black and white slab with a carving on it of a beautifully detailed planet. At the bottom are several letters in most likely Coronan with a rhombus and two outstretched white arms wrapping around the bottom of the mural.

"The consciousness is one sided though, only the world can feel our emotions which is a burdened I could not imagine bearing." Pointing at the mural, he adds "That is a mural carving of Corona, we do have pictures, but this is a present from my nation to yours."

"We are honored to receive it and will do great care to preserve it" he keeps the mural in his hands, it being lightweight and bearable for the car ride.

"I am glad to hear, thankfully I only have one more present to dress you up in."

Somewhat blank with his delivery, Yoric laughs and the diplomat does as well in response.

"So far it's not too bad, Zoscia sounds like an interesting place so I don't feel my hand tiring."

"Of course" says Yoric, him going back in his chest and pulling out a black and white necklace.

"I would have brought a full garland if I could, but that simply was not possible so this will suffice as a replacement."

Putting a hand out, the diplomat asks politely "May I ask why? I would have loved to see some of your flowers."

"Our vegetation is known to..." he looks for the right word before saying "infect the lands of the Colored and transform them into Black and White. Because of this, we are quite restrictive on the flow of trade and limit points of entry into the Kingdom."

"Understandable and if you could indulge my curiosity, I am an A-type demon and I'm already black and white, so would your plants affect me at all?"

Yoric shakes his head, saying "I doubt it, however I would still remain cautious just in case. Our worlds are beautiful, but so few can see them and not join the Black and White." Motioning back to the necklace, he continues "In our culture, we present garlands to women as a sign of affection so that we may court them, this necklace is one of many signs of courtship or even marriage. Friendships operate differently, but in a strange way to your people."

"Oh?"

"Bonds are much more intimate in Zoscia, acquaintances willingly defend one another from conflict and this applies across the whole Kingdom. I have heard us been described as child-like before and perhaps that is the best way TO describe us, we are children of Corona and all look out for one another no matter our creed."

"I wouldn't consider you children, but I understand what you mean. You're all family and Corona is sort of your parental figure."

"Yes, so as a sign of the growing bond between our two nations, I grant this necklace to you and the Hasari so that we may prosper together."

He hands over the necklace, the diplomat taking it and putting it on.

Looking at him before back into his box, Yoric takes out one final item which appears to be an old crown which is in poor condition, rust covering its metallic surface and age having picked away at its form.

"We do well to preserve the past of our people and have many ancient sites and nearly fantastical locations upon our homeworld in honor of those that have brought us here. This crown is not the best representation of us preserving the past well, but a story still lies behind it and we remember every word."

"Would you care telling it to me?"

"There once was a noble who rode great battle worms into battle, he was known by some as the Tunneler King and by most as Zosha the mad. He owned an estate in southwestern Corona and the spot of his home is very close to the current day Tomb of Kings. While certainly mad and foolish, he had a strongly held dream of being remembered and so he built a tomb for himself with the help of his worms. While small, it was eventually found by Coronan explorers and transformed into the modern day Tomb of Kings where all of our monarchs rest."

"Interesting, so one many and his worms laid the groundwork for a national tomb?"

"Yes and this was his crown, he was just resting there with a big skeleton grin on his face."

"Heh, at least he got his wish I suppose."

Yoric nods and places the crown back inside, him closing the chest. Looking up, he says "I hope I was informative with my stories, we have never done something like this before."

"Your honesty is heartwarming, no need to worry, you did fine. In fact you talked for the whole trip I think, we're almost there; once inside, we can discuss a bit more indepth about your nation and I can explain a bit as well about mine."

"I am looking forward to it."

Glancing out the window, Yoric chitters his mouth piece at the sight of the angry-happy sky once more, its violent colors bringing a rush of curiosity to him.

### Horizon at last

Entering a moderately sized room with tan tiled flooring and walls to match, crimson red curtains hang from the windows lining the north and south of the room; a light hanging overhead which provides lighting along with that from the creaked open curtains. The smell of smoke wafts somewhat from this room, similar to the car despite nobody being in it or lighting anything. Walking in, Yoric looks around while the diplomat begins to shine some light into the room and begins pressing command controls at the head of the large light brown table in the center of the room. Revealing a map of the reach alongside two datapads which rise from the center of the table, it appears to have supplies stored in it as slates can be heard moving around inside and readjusting in case he needs something else.

Motioning to the wooden seat next to his, the diplomat smiles and says "Please sit, we've got much to talk about."

Walking over, Yoric sits down and observes the dark yet bright looking plants in the corner, them being in a gray smooth vase.

"Let me prep the map and I'll get my notes so we can discuss some things."

"Of course" says Yoric, him taking out a black and white datapad which he browses through.

Placing a metallic piece on his pointer finger, the diplomat drags the map over to their side of the table which impresses Yoric to say the least and grabs the datapads. The map itself shows partially drawn territories of Zoscia along with the surrounding nations in the Reach such as the Hasari, Abovat, Illarians and of course Vakha. Yoric observes it closely while the diplomat swipes through his data and clicks a button, an outline forming over Abovat, Vakha and Hasari which says "Tri-Star Security Concord".

"Alright, so first off I should explain a little. In the Reach, there is a multitude of factions and people, but we're just going to focus on this region here since that's where Vakha is. We're one of many in an alliance known as the Tri-Star Security Concord which is tasked with protecting Reach interests basically, no foreign economic, political or military influence is allowed under our watch. It's mainly a defensive and economic alliance, all of us working together to make sure the Reach stays free from all the political meandering this galaxy has to offer."

"Understood and I assume you want us to support or join your Concord?"

"Of course, you're a native to the Reach so the offer is left open for you to take."

"My liege will have the final say in this matter, but I believe it would be beneficial for us to entertain the idea. What would our duties be?"

"Participation in the accord through representation at meetings, voting or abstaining on issues and of course the previous forms of mutual protection I stated; political, military, economic."

"In regards to war, are we honorbound to join all conflicts concord members engage in?"

"Only defensive, offensive has to be voted on by the entire Concord before it's mandatory or not. You can engage in personal conflicts still without concord intervention though, it is extremely rare for us to vote in a mandatory offensive war."

"Alright and this alliance would open us to trade with all Concord members, yes?"

"Of course and with all the added benefits by being in the alliance."

Going silent, Yoric thinks before saying "I will speak to my liege about this issue, I believe we may accept though."

The diplomat smiles and says "Excellent! I'll make sure to get all of the paperwork together before you go and schedule a future meeting to see what you've decided on."

Moving his finger, he moves the map somewhat and says "Care to learn a bit about the galaxy?"

Looking at all the different factions, Yorics eyes widen as he nods in silence.

Hours of conversation and diplomatic dealings ensue soon after, the two becoming accustom to one another and discussing Zoscias goals in the Aoshtai Galaxy. Informative and quite receptive on both ends, Yoric steps outside for a moment on the balcony overlooking the city below. Feeling relieved and fascinated by this weird people with foreign beliefs, it reminds him somewhat of the many colored houses below and the darkening sky above; so much lied within reality that had yet to be experienced and discovered, this very moment with him on a Vakhan balcony was historical and yet felt so simple. He lived and breathed every moment and yet life would go back to normal after this, like a dream it passed him by or did it?

Thinking these thoughts to himself as he leans on the railing, the diplomat who has been accompanying him all day walks out as well. With a weird piece of paper in hand, he leans against the tan colored wall and asks "Care if I smoke?"

"As long as you refrain from burning me."

Giving a confused yet amused reaction to his words, the diplomat lights the paper and begins to inhale and exhale most likely poisonous gas.

"Like the view?"

Yoric nods.

"As I stand here and look upon the stars caressing the sky in rays of angry-happy and black, I find peace in knowing our two worlds have finally conjoined."

The diplomat chuckles and says "Red and orange is what they're called."

Looking over, Yoric chitters and says "I will remember those words."

"I get what you mean though, being Black and White myself, sometimes it feels off you know? All this color and then there's just me like this."

"Perhaps you are long lost kin, we both seemed obsessed with it. Sometimes I wish I could just grasp it and see how it feels" he feigns grabbing the orange part of the sky and pulling it back down to himself.

Taking another inhale of his poison, the diplomat looks off at the sky as well.

"Are you all this poetic? Not that I mind, but I'm starting to understand that children similarity a bit more now; no offense of course."

"We grew up on a world that loved us, with a God who protected us and a people which usually worked together until it no longer wished to. Trust and curiosity runs through us like fire, of course we have our own vices to grapple with, mind is being stubborn."

"You've hide it well I'd say."

"I try my best, in another time this may have ended in me being blasted to pieces by your border patrol; that would have made for a story."

"Two wars probably as well, thankfully we don't live in that world though, we get to sit back and just enjoy living."

"And enjoy I shall."

Looking up at the stars above, Yoric watches the trail of gray poison smoke rise into the sky as his ears open to the sounds of traffic and ships flying overhead; sounds once mute to him as he focused on diplomacy were now ever present as the weird noises echoed throughout the city. While his comrade seemed annoyed by the constant fly overs, Yoric simply smiled at this new world that he had joined.