First Steps - DSEG [See Note]

Ileana became painfully aware that she had been staring when the guy looked back at her. Oops. She quickly brought her attention back to the conversation between Rook and the Dr. man.

It was not that she was inexperienced or did not know how to hide her emotions, but she was just so excited. She should have acted like a proper soldier, but she was feeling like a giddy five year old going to the capital city for the first time.

"Bring up the veal, we've got many guests," The one bodyguard yelled as he ran into the kitchen.

Promptly, a waiter with glasses of water came around and passed a glass to everyone in the room.

"In all my recollection, the Alliance as a whole hasn't gone to war in hundreds of years. Very rarely has the Alliance used force to accomplish its goals. It would take a catastrophe of monumental proportions to push it towards war. As for terms of an alliance, the Galactic Alliance has in the past, agreed to non-expansion and non-aggression pacts. It has also agreed to inspections of technologies on both sides and even to the point of both sides dismantling portions of their navies to reduce spending on both sides. As for trade, there is free trade throughout the galaxy. Does that adequately answer your question?" Dr. Forsei said.

Rook chuckled mirthlessly.

"An age of peace?" she asked, her query a rhetorical one. "I envy your Alliance for that. We Kushari have known hundreds of years of war. Were it so easy, we'd have chosen peace a long, long time ago, but we only recently united under a single banner, just over a century ago."

She laid her hands on the table in front of her and interlaced her fingers. She was pleased with Forsei's answer, and it showed. Her Marines loosened up a bit, seemingly more at ease now that they knew they were among a peaceful race, and Rook's shoulders lowered almost imperceptibly. She was relieved, of that there was no doubt.

"Yes, your answer told me all I need to know. It seems that the Federation couldn't ask for a better neighbor than the Alliance," she stated cordially.

When Kiritsugu heard the two individuals speaking of 'peace,' he would have scoffed if he was capable. While the major factions had not participated in any conflict with each other, there were still minor ones throughout the galaxy, the sources being Pirates, smugglers, conflicting beliefs and such.

During his many years as a Mercenary, if Kiritsugu had learned one thing, it was that Humanity, as a whole, was far from a peaceful race, and would always fight itself and others for as long as it existed. After all, he had participated in a minuscule portion of the countless conflicts of interest, greed, power, revenge, et cetera, and had killed almost five-hundred people himself. This lead to him becoming an experienced and hardened individual, although many would simply call him a Killer if they knew of his reputation; certain individuals, however, would see his skills as an asset.

He glanced at the back of Forsei's head for a fraction of a second and gave a look of disgust, the emotion not lasting long enough for someone such as him to notice. Kiritsugu had ideals when he was young, believing that if he helped people, then some form of conflict would end peacefully soon after.

That foolish belief was crushed rather swiftly with reality.

This so-called 'peace' that the Alliance enjoyed would eventually come to a harsh end, and war will break out once again. That was simply the nature of Humanity; to prove who is dominant over the other, no matter the cost.

After glancing at Forsei, he simply adverted his eyes forward towards the Kushari, eyes empty once again.

Even he thought that he was beginning to over think things..

"With a century of peace under your belts, I'm sure the Alliance will find the Kushari to be excellent neighbors as well. Do you have any further questions or requests?" Dr. Forsei asked, wondering if there was much more to talk about or whether the Kushari would go further forward throughout the galaxy and explore for themselves the planets of the Galactic Alliance.

As he thought that, small plates with crackers, deviled eggs, and other goodies began to be distributed throughout the table. A delicious appetizer for everyone.

The Staff Sergeant who had accompanied Lieutenant Rook was quick to take an interest in the appetizers that had been brought out. After quietly thanking the man who'd set them out, the Kushari soldier sampled a cracker and a bit of cheese. A handful of other Marines followed suit, and quickly all of them, save for Rook, had tried at least a little of the food. To refuse it was considered rude in their culture, after all, and they assumed that the same applied to human culture.

Rook watched her men for a moment, then turned her attention back to Forsei. "I'm sure Lord Admiral Sajuuk will have questions of his own, but we'll save those for another day. We've much to discuss among ourselves first."

The soldier rose to her feet and continued speaking. "I have to return to the Agamemnon to brief my commander and the Admiral. Once he has been adequately briefed about the Alliance, I'm sure he'll wish to schedule another meeting. For now, I'll leave my Marines and diplomatic staff, if you'll have them. They'll answer any questions you might have."

Sergeant Jermey Keth glanced uneasily at Rook. His hair was skin tight today, and his bright blue eyes were watching the foreigners closely. The food wasn't like home's but ti was good none the less. Keth was keeping quiet, and was slightly scared by the Ranger named Rook. Her reputation scared all the Marines though, so it wasn't uncommon. Rook had announced that the Marines were to stay planet side until further notice, remembering the last time he had been planet side it was no wonder he was uneasy, but Keth glanced back at the doctor and around at the planet. First contact, many to go.

Kusuyk continued into the ship further, her left throbbing a bit from walking so much after that kid held her upside-down and played games with her no kushiban should ever play.

Note to self; Kick that kid some day.

The ship was much larger then any Kusuyk had ever smuggled herself on. The roof could have easily been the sky for the kushiban, she marvelled at it all, daring peeks into various areas she refused to go much deeper in at the moment.

She'd heard voiced and sounds, yes, and she was avoiding those for the time being.
Kusuyk flinched though when she heard an all new sound coming from the entry of the ship. "Seems they're home." Kusuyk whispered to herself and slowly crept on all fours toward the new sound. Eventually she'd see one of the people who are massive in size, and now was as good as ever.

Kusuyk's train of thought started going deep when she tried to gather if she was fine with dying right now, should it be. Yeah, she could defend herself... Maybe. After moments of deliberation and realisation that the only way out was past the new sound, and that these people were still a mystery and she was going to die figuring it out if that's how this goes down. She didn't really want to die now though.

Illeana looked at Rook when she said that the diplomatic staff would be staying planet side. Illeana knew that included her and she did not mind. The company was not bad and someone had to keep their wits about them once the food sleeps hit the Marines that were eating.

"Thank you very much, it was a pleasure to meet your and your people! Would you mind if I were to show them the rest of the capital? The tram service that brought you here also extends throughout the rest of the city and would provide some entertainment for the afternoon." Dr. Forsei said.

Hopefully, they'd be able to see at least a bit of the Alliance. A nice but pale reflection of all that the Alliance entailed. Perhaps that would be of some help in ensuring that the two people's would be able to work together in the future. Especially if the Empire was to start a war.

[Delaying her departure so that all chars who want to catch up can do so. Going to bring my involvement in this thread to a close and shift to a thread for DSEG chars to get the ball rolling. Woo!]

"It was an honor to meet you. And of course," Rook replied, "I'm sure they'd love a chance to do a bit of sight-seeing."

She took a step away from the table, policed her rifle, then glanced at Keth and Ayako. "You two can either stay here or return to the ship. Your call." Ayako was a fairly experienced field agent - there was no need for her to stay unless she wanted to. As for Keth, there were enough Marines groundside and so she'd more or less randomly given him the option of leaving or staying.

The Ranger didn't wait for their answer. Rook excused herself and returned to the the tram that had carried them to the capitol building. She took it back to the starport. Once there, she wasted no time in boarding one of the Meadowlark dropships - one that just so happened to hold an uninvited guest in the form of a Kushiban passenger.

She headed through the passenger compartment and stepped halfway into the cockpit. "Pilot, get us back to the Serenity. No rush."

"Aye aye, ma'am. We'll be airborne in five."

Satisfied by the pilot's answer, Rook returned to the passenger compartment and settled into one of the canvas seats. She set her rifle into the holding brackets placed between each seat and locked it in, then made herself comfortable. The day had gone well - they'd made contact with the Alliance, and there was already a potential for the development of a strong friendship between the Federation and the Alliance. Things had turned out better than she'd expected. Much, much better.

She tucked her hands behind her helmet and chuckled quietly, murmuring, "Maybe I'm too much of a pessimist after all..."

Kiritsugu watched the Diplomat leave the chamber with blank eyes. In reality, he was studying her; he still didn't know her capabilities in combat. It was obvious, however, that she had managed to build a bridge of trust and future involvement with the Alliance through mere speech. Still...

He disliked loose ends, even if it wasn't a priority at the moment.

When she left, he set his gaze on the remaining Kushari individuals, seemingly boring holes into them as a whole. There were too many unknown factors, and he disliked that very much.

Keeping his eyes on them, he pulled his left hand out of his pocket and, a cigarette between his fingers, raised it to his lips before lighting the end of the cigarette with a match.

His mind calmed somewhat, lowering the amount of activity running amok in his head.

Kusuyk felt like a ninja. She had watched as the towering metal walked past her. The Kushiban had hidden herself in a small tuck of the ship. But, curiosity was quite the killer to her.
Kusuyk noted she was feeling tired and worn down, but didn't really want to fall asleep in what was likely hostile territory.

She heard the pilot say something about taking off in five minutes and Kusuyk wasn't too happy with that. She only had five minutes to explore now, and she really wanted to see under the helm of the one who'd entered the ship.

Now or never.

Kusuyk hopped quickly toward her target, stopping close behind where the towering metal was seated. The .5 meter tall Kushiban gawked at the enormous rifle that was in front of her.
One blast from that with her guard down and there wouldn't even be any remains, just bunny goo. She took this moment to reflect on her life. Her only regret; not biting the kid she had stayed with last night and being so young to die.

She looked over to her right and saw a man, he looked real enough to her, but not like anything else on this ship. He had a blaster pointed at her and Kusuyk's ears fell quickly down to her sides. She wasn't sure if this guy was another illusion or if he was real. There was no way for her to tell. A wicked grin crawled onto his face and she felt her fur stand on end.

"SAVE ME!" Kusuyk screamed and jumped onto the unexpected Kushari, who was likely very upset with the fact there was a kushiban's butt on her helmet and screaming for a hero. "Don't let him shoot me!" Kusuyk was practically delirious. She knew how to fight, but she didn't like the looks of a mutated human with a blaster pointed at her and might by fake.

"If that is a hallucination. I'm so dead." she thought, getting a bit teary eyed.

Ayako watched as Rook left the room and looked at the Marines. She wanted to go back to the ship, but she also wanted to stay and explore some. It was her first planet other than her own and that interested her. How did others in the Galaxy live? She had long wondered this.

"Marines, it's up to you what you want to do. Go back or stay, I do not care. I am staying"

She waited for them to nod or leave and then turned to the guy that had been standing behind the Dr.

"Any good places to spar around?"

She had always fought her furry counterparts and was very interested in taking on someone her own size.

Kiritsugu cast his eyes on the woman in front of him, eyes half-lidded and dead. The end of the cigarette brightened, before a trail of smoke emerged from his mouth, flowing towards her direction.

This woman wanted a place to spar, did she? If he was correct in suspecting who she wanted to spar, then he would believe the her confident or arrogant. However, it had been a several weeks since he last killed an opponent in a sparring match.

His employer at the time was not amused. Unfortunately for him, he was several months late with his payment, and he felt the need to collect something to compensation for his services for raiding that one prison facility...

Blowing out another cloud of smoke, he glanced at Dr. Forsei as if asking something...

"Downtown, there's boxing ring where people can fight as well as a few other clubs for other martial arts. The Tram would be able to get us there in about five minutes." Dr. Forsei said.

He wasn't a fan of violence, but if the guests wanted to partake in any violence in a controlled setting, then it seemed that it would be reasonable to guide them to a place where they could do it. And on the way, there were lots of things to see in the city.

"Actually ma'am, if you wouldn't mind that I joined you in that..." Keth said, trailing off. He was pretty sure he wanted to go back to the ship up to the part where the good doctor spoke about a fight club. Jermey wouldn't mind testing the mettle of these aliens.

Nodding ever so slightly, Kiritsugu turned on his heel and headed towards the exit of the building to reach the Trams. For the first time in weeks, he had the chance to participate in combat, even if it were a spar.

To spar with him was to spar with Death; out of seventeen different sparring partners that challenged him throughout his career as a Mercenary, all seventeen were killed in the match.

That, along with the kills he made during his Contracts, would raise the number to four hundred ninety-eight men and women, all of whose faces he seared into his memory.

If this woman wished to spar with him, then it was her choice. If any of the Kushari wished to spar with him, it was their choice.

Kiritsugu was far from arrogant; that was one of the first feelings he killed off when he began to seal his emotions away. He knew his limits, his abilities, and his choice to kill.

. . . Perhaps he could make an exception, this one time. Just to see the reactions of certain individuals besides horror, disbelief, and anger. Variety was good every once in a while, even for the shell of a man that was Kiritsugu.

He stopped at the entrance and looked back at the group, eyes cold; if he had his emotions, his eyes would have probably contained a promise of pain with a hint of mirth. Not a good combination.

He turned away and continued towards the Trams, smoke trailing behind him.

Ayako looked at Keth and nodded. He had every right to stay on the planet with her and whoever else decided to do so. This was a new opportunity to most of them so why not take advantage of it.

"Thank you, sir"

She said to the Dr. after he spoke about the rings. She nodded to the other Marines and started to follow the cold, smoking man. She had fought felines twice her size most of her life...this would be different and needed. She needed to learn to fight others besides the few humans she knew, Kushari, and family.

It was a few minutes until the tram showed up. She looked at the man to make sure it was the correct one before boarding.

The smoking individual merely stood at the Tram Station with the same bored and empty look on his face. The Tram would be arriving soon, and those wanting to board it to the designated fight club had best do so, lest they be left behind.

He stood there in complete silence, hardly moving a muscle except when he had to breath in the smoke from the cigarette. Throughout his years, he had fought a large variety of species, not including these Kushari, however. Even as an emotionless husk, he felt the urge to test himself against these creatures, possibly because of the many factors that he did not know about them...

He needed to find out just how skilled these Kushari were in combat, as his [Persona] as a Mercenary practically demanded it. He needed to gauge their abilities, experience, and control of their emotions.

One who allowed their emotions to roam unchecked often found themselves dead when in with combat him.. However, seeing as this was still a Diplomatic Contract, he could not kill any of the Kushari officials, as that may break the newly established connection between the Alliance and the Kushari forces...

If that happened, chances were that he wouldn't get his paycheck.

So, when the time came to spar, he would have to hold back, as most of his abilities and skills were used in the art of killing, not that of subduing.

Kiritsugu released a steady cloud of smoke from his nostrils, stepping forward just as the Tram arrived and opened its doors. It could remain there for a minute or two, so everyone who was leaving and entering the machine could do so comfortably if they were near the Station...


[[OOC: Tired as I type this, so it may be altered/patched up sometime. Maybe.]]