[Video] Ambassadors Speak

[lastofthebog]

[ Padme is wearing very official looking clothes, which seems in line with how she’s sitting behind a very Ambassadorial desk, Galla standing nearby. ]

Jacob Taylor, with some support, has been able to set up an initiative to send messages from the moon base to the suspected OTO space station on Phobos. As a result, we have a chance to at least attempt to open communications with those who recently made an attempt to destroy Heropa entirely.

While I support this as an attempt of diplomacy, it was my wish that the messages be curated at least somewhat. The government has not taken it seriously enough to do so or make the means to do so available to us.

Therefore, today Ambassador Galla and I are here to request that anyone considering sending messages on this transmission think long and hard about the potential consequences of the words they send. It would hardly be useful to open doors only to insult and demean. Regardless of the damage done to us, if we truly wish to learn more about those who wish to cause us harm, conversation is the first step.

[ Galla leans forward to speak next, one hand resting on the back of Padme's chair. Her hair is pinned back in a prim bun, and she's dressed in her usual garb—matronly and intimidating all at once. ]

As Ambassador Amidala has explained, this is a very grave and serious undertaking regardless of what the Americans appear to think. Remember: These people wish us harm. Further, as we saw in the attack on Heropa, they are willing to create untold casualties in their attacks upon us.

Whatever message you choose to write will be your own, but we urge you to keep this in mind while you craft your messages for this transmission. It is not only our lives that hang in the balance here.

We must remember that while we, for the most part, return from death here, those born to this world do not.

[ Padme smiles, a little thin. ]

Thank you for your time.


[OOC: In connection with the Message to Mars plot! As a note, characters are free to 100% ignore the Ambassadors. Don't feel restricted whatsoever in what your character actually chooses to send to Mars.]

Comments

action; for galla

[functusofficio]

[ padme sighs and leans back, glancing at galla with a warm if tired smile. ]

I appreciate your help with this, Galla. I have always found that two voices are better than one.

[lastofthebog]

[ Galla sighs softly and steps back, clasping her hands before herself. ]

I agree, and yours is a more familiar voice than mine still. I can only hope they will listen to us.

[video]

[yaaas_queen]

[Sorry, she wasn't listening to any of that as she sends off her magnum opus to hostile critics, but she manages to look up from her phone at the end of it.]

Huh, what now?

[lastofthebog]

[ Galla sighs heavily this time, slumping forward ever so slightly in disbelief. ]

We said: try not to antagonize the people who just fired a weapon at Heropa.

[video]

[functusofficio]

As Galla said, the short version is simply that we shouldn't be sending any messages that could make the situation worse.

audio;

[andtherevolution]

I know you want to try talking to them, but do you really think they're going to listen?

[There's a melancholy note to her voice, but after she sighs, her tone turns into something harder, more skeptical]

I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure that OTO's already made up their mind about us. I don't know how much a conversation is going to change that.

[lastofthebog]

It may change something or it may not. The only path with any certainty is to do nothing and assure that we remain in the dark .

[functusofficio]

You may be entirely right about that. The OTO may not be in any way persuaded, and we may learn nothing.

But not to make the attempt out of pessimism is to gain nothing. This way, we at least will know we have explored all avenues.

audio

[secondplacescrow]

I've submit a complaint to their . . . HR department, you people call it?

[lastofthebog]

All I know of "H. R. Departments" is that some woman claiming to be from them keeps pestering me about paperwork. [ Quite ineffectively at that. ]

They seem rather low on the ladder for this issue.

[functusofficio]

I'm not certain what department might be receiving this, if they are received, but every reasonable voice is another chance that they'll listen.

Thank you for participating.

video

[patchricide]

Would it set some of your concerns at ease to have another diplomatic voice chiming in?

Because this all sounds very important, and I would love to lend some of my own experience to the matter. But... I'm afraid I've only just arrived? And I have literally no context on who we are contacting. Nor the nature of the conflict.

If you want it to be sincere, I could write a very heartfelt message to "please be good"?

video

[functusofficio]

I will never be opposed to another diplomatic voice being involved.

[ Padme pauses for a moment, considering, because she knows she's spoken to this young woman but it was many months ago, and given the phrasing she likely does not remember her time before here. It doesn't seem that it would help to bring it up, but she does remember her being well spoken and kind. ]

I am more than happy to pass on what information I know about the conflict, but the most recent event was that the OTO attempted to launch a nuclear missile at Heropa and completely destroy it.

Whatever message you choose to send, I feel confident in your ability to be polite and diplomatic.

[lastofthebog]

I certainly would not complain to more diplomacy applied to this situation. [ Particularly considering the short supply of it they seemed to have. ]

As Ambassador Amidala has said, it's a quite serious situation. Our enemy has proven they are willing to accept untold casualties to get at us. It will take a delicate touch to reach through whatever hatred of us they have.

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Thanks for doing this, Ambassadors. I hope people listen.

Video

[functusofficio]

Thank you for putting so much effort into the mission, Jacob. Regardless of what comes of it, that the attempt was made is important. I'm glad to have been of some aid.

text; network ID is just a moon emoji 🌙︎

[dragony]

Trying to negotiate with our would-be annihilators seems a little pointless, doesn't it?

[lastofthebog]

Would you say that it seems more or less pointless than making no attempt at all? Even if we are unable to broker peace, we may learn something of use from any response we receive.

text;

[lempereur]

Do we truly expect to have a reasonable discourse with those who, after failing to turn us into weapons, decided to annihilate us entirely?

[lastofthebog]

No. But I do expect to learn something from whatever response we receive, even if it is no response at all.

[freedomflighter]

Just...any of us can send a message?

[They were all going to die.]

[lastofthebog]

You can thank the Americans for that.

video;

[herrstory]

Oh, such wise and respectable council. ImPorts are so lucky to have you two there to mother them all into behaving.

[lastofthebog]

Better this than whatever lizard shit you were planning on.

[ Sometimes she simply must say exactly what is on her mind. ]

video;

[baetiful]

This seems to be a unique opportunity. I imagine you both will be sending a message along -- have you drafted what you will say?

[lastofthebog]

I have not prepared a written draft as of yet, but I have some thoughts. I am as of yet unfamiliar with the OTO, so my first concern is requesting a list of specific complaints they have against us. Perhaps to ask why they feel such a volume of native casualties is acceptable.

I can, of course, guess at both answers, but I would hope to learn something from the exact terms they use.

Video

[viced]

[ He's so proud. There are no tears in his eyes, but they would be there if he experienced anything close to a human emotion. ]

I think this is well said. Hopefully the entirety of the population will take your advice. [ There's an implied but... ]

[lastofthebog]

We can only hope. [ And panic and scramble to mitigate the inevitable damage to come. Fun times!! ]

video

[fource]

Thank you for sharing this opportunity. I... would like to believe that most people would go out of their way not to intentionally antagonize the OTO with their messages. [It's almost a question, the way he says it, because he went through the other replies to this post out of curiosity.] Is that really a concern?

[lastofthebog]

I have spoken to one man today who believes we should be free to send images of genitalia to them. So, yes.

[Text]

[ghoulking]

Do you really think there will be any diplomacy after their attempt of wiping out an entire city from a map and cause a nuclear fallout?

[lastofthebog]

Not particularly, but I do expect to learn something from this in spite of that. I'm not a fool who expects peace. I am attempting to learn anything that I can about an enemy that is willing to slaughter recklessly.

VIDEO.

[selfconducts]

I wasn't actually here for the bombings, but based on what I've heard about what's happened, I agree with you. Since I'm thinking it wouldn't take all that much to incite an enemy that's already fired once into trying again. And no one should want that.

If war can be avoided, then we avoid it. It's not complicated.

[functusofficio]

Our main hope at this point has to be that they had only the capacity for the one missile, so far. That does not mean they will not be able to create more, and possibly quite soon.

It should not be complicated, but the Import population is pulled from a very wide range. So we can hope to curtail some of it, but since the government was not willing to put restrictions on it, we have only our words.

voice;

[aberrant_type]

An excellent idea! Thank you for this opportunity. I see quite a lot of cynicism and defeatism in the response you're getting, but you're correct that any response we get is an opportunity to learn more and perhaps to mitigate this conflict.

voice;

[functusofficio]

[ Zoe you are like a breath of pure fresh air, Padme loves you so much right now. ]

It is understandable to be frustrated and uncertain of our path forward in this time, but I admit I prefer to think along your lines and hope that we will gain something from this.

Your orchids are doing quite well.