First Darkborn Negotiations

## Part 1

In a system unknown, unknown to imperial charts your small fleet awaits the arrival of the Darkborn to negotiate an alliance.

The fleet consists of 20 Azuls, 2 Mechanicus Cruisers and all your cobra destroyers. All this spearheaded by the Ark Mechanicus Thot. Though you hope there won’t be a fight it is best to be prepared regardless.

While you wait , you have asked Talios to relay what little he knows about the xeno species.

According to him the species evolved in the extensive cave systems of Fidea Prime (Or as the Xenos originally named it Zarvox). When they were discovered by the imperium three thousand years ago they were a burgeoning space empire in the process of colonizing the planet’s many moons . Nevertheless the imperium wasted no time organizing a xenocide crusade to claim the world for the emperor. The Darkborn boasted superior technology to the imperials but were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and fanaticism of the imperials .

Realizing they were doomed if they stayed , the Darkborn escaped in massive refugee fleets, leaving their home world (and many of their kin ) behind to the cruel mercies of the imperium.

Since then they have remained an enigma, traveling throughout the Oranus Sector , building their fleet up to massive proportions but they have thus far avoided any contact with humanity.

As you absorb this information, your subordinates inform you of multiple ships arriving in system. It can only be the Darkborn which is confirmed when the ships in question match the designs Talios had described ; Pragmatic and sterile yet also elegant in design with very dark exteriors illuminated by stripes of light.

The ships hail you and when you answer you are greeted by a voice speaking in perfect if robotic high gothic , you are instructed to land your emissaries and a limited armed escort into the nearby Dead World, you acknowledge this and prepare yourself for the meeting.

Arriving on the planet you have brought a skittari cohort (as the most inhuman forces you have they were judged to be the least impulsive and thus less likely to cause misunderstandings ), alongside is Talios and Thot in a remote controlled body (they are both the only people you know who have experience in dealing with Xenos in a way that doesn’t end in emptying their magazines into the aliens ). The Darkborn delegates arrive shortly afterward with their own equally impressive security. They appear as imposing half insectoid half reptilian beings who stand at two and a half meters tall. You and your two companions step forward and in return two , much less imposing darkborn .

You learn that their names are Zaslew and Xardrm the two co-admirals of the Darkborn fleet . Neither side bothers with any pleasantries as there is no love lost between your two species and you immediately talk business.

The co-admirals say that they heard rumors of a Nenad’ad (their word for humans) nation breaking away from the imperium and news slowly but surely trickled in from hijacked imperial transmissions of your actions confirmed this . Indeed it is why they agreed to this meeting in the first place . They are impressed and are open to an alliance but ask what you can give them in exchange for their aid ?

It is no secret that the darkborn want their homeworld back and while their fleets are impressive they lack the necessary numbers in terms of soldiers to take back their world from the extensive imperial presence there. Offering aid in retaking the planet is the easiest and fastest way to earn their trust but will also force you into a long grinding campaign you might not be ready for .

Slower but less costly (relatively) is offering their fleets safe harbor and shelter in your territories as well as help in keeping their fleets functional. This path offers less immediate benefits but has the benefits of promoting trade, technology exchange and integration in the long term.

## Part 2

After thinking on it, you have decided that you cannot afford a protracted war with Fidea Prime just yet and so rather than pledge your forces you offer the xenos economic incentives for an alliance. If the admirals were disappointed by your choice they didn’t show it (and it’s hard to tell anyway)

The first matter is allowing the darkborn fleets safe passage and harbour through any systems under Atlantean control as well as help in repairing and maintaining those fleets . In return the flotillas will scout out worlds suitable for colonisation and mining .

The admirals seem this trade reasonable and accept without any issue.

The second point also relates to mining rights, while the darkborn are in Atlantean space they will be permitted to mine worlds that are currently inaccessible to humans in return for a large share from the resources to be given to Atlantis.

This point also passes smoothly.

The last matter is on the sharing of technology which proves more complicated, as the darkborn are understandably quite uncomfortable sharing as it was what saved them after first contact with humanity. They ask that no exchange of technology occur for at least half a century from now as to determine wether or not Atlantis can be completely trusted. They also ask any of their technology that happens to be smuggled to you be returned and they will do the same for any human technologies.

Talios seems annoyed by this and is about to say something before you signal for him not to. He begrudgingly accepts and you retreat to your thoughts as you ponder what to make of this.

## Final

You tell the admirals that you accept their terms and promise to not make any attempts at reverse engineering any of their technology so long as they don’t try the same with human tech but you warn them that elements from the imperium will not limit themselves as much.

Talios doesn’t seem pleased but he manages to hold himself (with slight help from Thot ). Your acceptance seems to ease the admirals and the rest of the meeting goes smoothly, mostly hammering in the minor details of the agreement.

Thot tries suggests a mutual defense pact but is rejected both by you and the darkborn , it is still too much distrust for humans among the darkborn and you doubt many Atlanteans will be pleased to send their children to die for xenos. However the possibility for such an alliance still remains in the future.

With that the meeting concludes with promises from both sides of further contact through liaisons and ambassadors as well as establishing formal embassies. Before you depart though the co-admirals offer you an extensive codex of darkborn history and languages as a parting gift. You have expected as such and so offer a similar codex on humanity’s long history and an Atlantean language dictionary. What you really did not expect was for Xardrm to give you the coordinates to a nearby planet discovered by the darkborn as a token of good faith.

The planet according to them was uninhabitable for them due to its extremely dangerous and lethal biosphere but from what they heard of Atlantis they think this might not be a great problem for you. You’re stunned by this seeming generosity and wonder if there is some sort of catch . When you imply as such , the two aliens simply... smile? and say to expect the first batch of ships needing safe harbour to arrive soon.

And with that the first diplomatic meeting between the Atlantean dominion and a xeno polity concludes.