“Reverting to realspace in five, four, three, two, one.”

The Kashan Skipray Blastboat jerked into realspace amongst unfamiliar stars and a nearby planet. Corise Lucerne stared out of the viewport. New Coalition space, we are finally here. Thank the force for that.

“Captain, we are being hailed by customs.”

“Very good,” stated Corise, “Inform them of our intent. Let’s hope they take us seriously.”

“Yes sir.”

The Kashan ship gracefully turned towards the planet. A series of beeps from the comm. Unit prompted Corise to look at the holo-projector, which in turn showed them their course to the landing pad. Glancing outside the craft, he watched the entry into the atmosphere. The blastboat’s plating briefly glowed red under the heat for a few seconds before his ship started its repulsor engines. The Kashan diplomatic ship moved through several clouds before meeting up with the Coalition diplomatic escort, which appeared to be a flight of Saber fighters. His co-pilot whistled.

“Nice ships. How long do you think it would take them to rip us to shreads?”

Corise shook his head. “I’d rather not think about it. Think about how good they might be in defending Kashan.”

“Hey, we’ve kept Kashan safe.”

Corise, as a Kashan naval commander, knew better than that. While the Kashan Defense Fleet had kept Kashan safe from the occasional pirate or smuggler force, it wouldn’t be capable of holding itself up against any major faction, especially the Black Dragon Empire, whose border worlds were becoming dangerously close to that of Kashan. Believing that they might be invaded, the Kashan government had decided to apply for membership to the New Coalition. Now, as the head of the preliminary Kashan delegation, Corise would be explaining about Kashan and its military being integrated into the New Coalition.

“We have, but it would be much safer with the Coalition.”

The other man snorted.

“With all of those new planetary defenses and industries we’ve started, there would be a major dent into any intruder’s ship who tried to come even near us.”

“Planetary shields, starfighters, and minefields can’t stop the most powerful foes. I’ve heard of massive fleets that can easily reduce anything we have; never mind the fact that those defenses are even completed yet.”

“I suppose you’re right, sir.”

The blastboat neared its destination and eased itself unto the hard ground. With repulsors shut off, the sub-capital’s hatch opened and the small Kashan military delegation piled out…

(Totally sorry I took so long!)

With the Eastern Coalition a battleground, the North a fortress, and the South a big secret, the most accessible and user-friendly part of the Coalition was the West - and the jewel of the West was Cerea.

A pillar of civilization, philosophy, wisdom, and education for generations, the Cereans were the thinkers of the Coalition and the brainbox of the West. Therefore, many who had business with the Coalition knew it as the place to go, seeing it as safer than Mon Calamari and more hospitable than Onyx.

Nevertheless, for Prime Minister Pro Moon of Cerea, the arrival of the Kashan delegation came as a little bit of a surprise. "Just who are they?" he asked in a ready-room that looked down on his primary diplomatic chamber.

Captain Ion, the Tynnian commander of the West, fiddled with his whiskers before replying "It's... hard to say, sir. They don't seem too aware of galactic affairs - and no one's taken much note of them either. In fact, our databanks are drawing more or less a blank."

"Well are they dangerous?" said the Prime Minister, raising a suspiscious eyebrow. "The lingering political tensions of the west are not in the mood for an aggressive situation - I can tell you, I don't envy your Eastern counterpart right now."

"Panacka's a capable man, so far as I've seen. But your point is taken, sir, I'll be sure to post a security detail throughout your meeting."

"Good. You know what? The easiest way to learn might be to just ask them. Call them in in a minute, and in the mean time, try and give me something to work with - coordinates for their planet, some history, anything." He sighed, and said "All right, I'm ready to meet them. Just send them in now."

"Right, sir." the captain saluted, and quickly left to carry out his orders. The Prime Minister weighed his near-empty folder of information in one hand, and frowned. This wouldn't do at all. Looking around his office, he grabbed a thick pad of blank paper and shoved it in the folder, so that it bulged visibly - he might as well bluff an empty hand.

Two ceremonial Cerean guards saluted, and stood either side of him. In his own good time, the Prime Minister descended to the table arrayed in the plain diplomatic chamber, and took his seat - waiting.



Four Cerean soldiers approached the delegation, with an unusually armored one standing in the lead - he wore white from his head to his feet, and looked somewhat like an ancient medieval warrior rebuilt for the modern age. On his shoulder, a purple crest was emblazoned to mark him as a Coalition White Knight. With a nod, he removed a datapad from his belt, and read "By request of the Prime Minister of Cerea, you are formally invited to a diplomatic session at the Great Hall. We are to provide you escort in this fair city, although I assure you there is little danger in the meeting."

True - Cerea was a world of glittering towers, serene mountain vistas, and cool breezes, not thieves, murderers, and brigands. Nevertheless, the unspoken reason was that these unknown visitors had to understand the Coalition's presence on this world quickly, in case they entertained any dangerous thoughts.

"By request of the Prime Minister of Cerea, you are formally invited to a diplomatic session at the Great Hall. We are to provide you escort in this fair city, although I assure you there is little danger in the meeting."

Corise solemnly nodded. In the distance, he could see the light reflect from the silvery towers that must be the city the White Knight had mentioned. Thus far, Cerea seemed like a paradise compared to Kashan.

Kashan, on the edges of the Outer Rim, was a temperate planet filled covered mostly with emerald forests and sapphire seas. What could be a wilderness paradise there, was not so. In the beginning years, the colony of Kashan had fallen under the attack of a vast number of wild animals. No sooner had the animals been beaten back had they been plagued with piracy. The human colonists had responded by training every Kashan citizen to be a soldier. It became a Spartan state, with the colonists building up an impressive war industry which turned the tides of war against both the animals and the pirates. It was said that there were no homes or family in Kashan, only fortresses with armed garrisons.

In the more recent years, Kashan had become more peaceful; most of the wild animals learned the futility of attacking Kashan settlements. The pirates had been obliterated by a rising Kashan Defense Fleet. With peace, the industry of the planet flourished. Shipyards and factories no longer produced warships and weapons, but now freighters and comlinks. However, Kashan’s military continued to be built up with the rise of more than a few potentially hostile factions, like the New Order or the Black Dragon Empire. Even with a strong defense force, the Kashan government was worried and had put in an application to the New Coalition.

A slightly cold breeze whipped through the delegation. Corise slightly twitched and came back to the present. The rest of the Kashan element slightly stiffened, not quite comfortable with Cerea’s atmosphere yet as well.

“We are honored by the Prime Minister’s offer. Allow me to introduce us. I am Captain Corise Lucerne, this Flight Officer Hier, Sergeant Fuller…We are ready to proceed whenever you are…”

The Knight offered a simple bow, and gestured towards the city. "If you will, this way."

The delegation pushed off, towards the Prime Minister's office. Cerean cities were beautiful things, but the (literally) high-brow Cereans often enjoyed simpler exploits as well. The delegation's path took them down the main road, past well-maintained hockey rinks and simple theaters. It made for an odd contrast with the sophisticated and glimmering upper layers that pricked the sky, but Cereans made the transition daily when going to work, play, relax, or live in the city.

Nevertheless, the lingering aftereffects of some political reforms were still visible - barely ledgible posters touting the benefits of various political parties plastered the walls of alleys and other forgotten corners. These did not detract too much from the otherwise uniform flow of peace and quiet.

The Cerean soldiers came to a halt before a grand old building, with a blend of both old and new architecture as it was expanded or altered. The main section remained primarily maple wood, however, and it was up those stairs the delegation was lead. "The Prime Minister awaits within." said the Knight, before opening the door and leading them in.

After being guided down a few twisting halls from different time periods, the meeting room was found. The Knight opened the door, and stood aside, so that the delegates could see inside.

There, Pro Moon sat, calm and refined. "Ah, I see you have arrived safely - please, come in, take a seat. I am Prime Minister Pro Moon of the Cereans. I must confess, you have me at a loss, would you care to introduce yourselves, and tell us what business you bring with the Coalition?"

As the Kashan delegation was led through the Cerean building, Corise was reminded about how architecture was really art. And art showed the values and circumstances of its people. Since the Cerean building enjoyed a blend of elegance from different time periods for the building, Corise guessed that the Cereas was not only peaceful, but also well-off. The grace of the building also suggested an aura of innate calmness from the Cereans themselves.

Its Kashan counterpart was strikingly different. The Governmental Mansion was a fortress, constructed of ferrocarbon and Alantium with ebonite floor. It was a imposing, elegant building that could easily function as much as a fortress as a governmental headquarters. Thus, it reflected the Kashan people, grim and determined, of whom every one dual-roled as a soldier besides his or her normal occupation.

Corise was shaken from his thoughts as the White Knight allowed the Kashan delegation to see the Prime Minister.

"Ah, I see you have arrived safely - please, come in, take a seat. I am Prime Minister Pro Moon of the Cereans. I must confess, you have me at a loss, would you care to introduce yourselves, and tell us what business you bring with the Coalition?"

Captain Lucerne slowly walked forward and gave a slight bow.

“I am Corise Lucerne, captain of the Kashan Defence Fleet Ship Resolve. These are my counterparts from the rest of the Kashan Forces. Colonel Rhys Qugyar, commander of the 1st Kashan Infantry Regiment. Supervisor Ross Tyrael, Kashan Intelligence Service. Colonel Rose Odense, commander of the Kashan 101st Interceptor Wing.

I take it our holotransmission did not get through then. We are here to request Kashan membership within the Coalition itself along with the integration of the Kashan military into that of the Coalition’s. We have been collectively vested by the Kashan Government to sign any treaties or documents to further our mission’s purpose.”

Pro Moon's smile was one of those glassy smiles worn by someone trying to stall for time. Ion, he said, through his thoughts.

Captain Ion stepped forwards, and said "Yes, sir?"

Out of the very corner of his mouth, Pro Moon whispered "In military terms, is he suggesting that they have at least one hundred and one interceptor wings at their command?"

"Uh... probably not, sir. The number title of a squad is generally an honorarium and does not go in order."

"Ah, okay." Pro Moon did the best to regain his composure, and said "Well... uh... okay then! Hm..." He rubbed his chin, and raised an eyebrow "Really? Just like that? No ridiculous hijinks involving a team of Azguardian First-contact specialists? No long-forgotten terror lurking in the depths of your civilization? No drawn out civil war or major diplomatic intergalactic incident? You just want to join the Coalition, just like that?" Pro Moon crossed his arms, and said "Well frankly, I don't believe you.

"No one just joins the Coalition." said Pro Moon, firmly. "They always only join it after we have to overthrow some sort of ancient tyrant, or track down a rogue warlord, or find a rare artefact in the bottom of some deep, dark tomb. Failing that, it'll just-so-happen that the Empire is already moving in on their turf, so we end up coming close to the third Coalition/Empire war in less than five years, or some new and never-before-seen alien quasi-religious menace will attack with weapons we can't stop. If it isn't that, then the nation is split between internal powergroups and factionalism, or time itself folds over. No one, has ever just joined the Coalition.

"You might as well just tell us now - what is it? Some new unstoppable super-disease? Is it zombies? What about an ancient racial enemy back for revenge? Oh, wait, it's been a while since we've got a Force User one, it's not some sort of ancient prophecy coming back to haunt you about some sort of destiny to fight/accomplish evil, is it?"

Ion gave Pro Moon a light push, and he seemed to snap out of it "I'm sorry... it's just... there isn't any surprise thing you're not telling us, right? This is just an official meeting between representatives of the people, towards creating connections of political and social relevance towards the ongoing prosperity of the galaxy, and not, say, the set up for a life-and-death struggle where we all learn a little something about who we really are while fighting to save/destroy/change some sort of life essence/superweapon/fate beyond our mere mortal understanding. Only we get a lot of that."

"So much, in fact" interjected Captain Ion "That we haven't actually got many of the 'normal' planetary membership stuff that we probably should - we've got all sorts of experts for whupping long-buried evil or overcoming terrible odds, but not a lot of paperwork." He paused, then turned to Pro Moon, and said "Sir, in fact, our protocol in this situation is pretty much ad-hoc."

"You're right..." said Pro Moon, who turned back to the delegation. "Okay then - We would be greatly interested in hearing out your application, but first, let's hear a little bit about Kashan. For starters, say, could you tell us where it is?"

"You're right. Okay then. We would be greatly interested in hearing out your application, but first, let's hear a little bit about Kashan. For starters, say, could you tell us where it is?"

Corise slowly nodded and produced a miniature holo-projector. With the click of a button, it flared to life to reveal the east portion of the galactic map. Another button zoomed in the map, showing a star system between Anzat and Bimmisaari.

“This is the Kashan system. It is uncharted on every navcomputer except those from Kashan itself. You see, Kashan is a small, out-of-the-way system. Since the colony’s foundation, it has been intentionally isolational.

Kashan was first found accidentally by a former Galactic Republic scout just after the Clone Wars when his hyperdrive prematurely reverted to realspace. He organized a group of colonist, all of whom were Clone War veterans, mostly Republic, but a few CSI mercenaries as well. After the horrific battles of that war, they settled it and disappeared from the rest of the galaxy. They were hoping to find solitude and escape all galactic concerns; especially since the new Galactic Empire promised to only bring more war.

The initial settlement was opposed by some of the planet’s wildlife, but the former soldiers with their surplus equipment hunted them down, nearly to extinction. The original times were somewhat rough as the Kashan colonist worked to make the planet independent economically; hoping to ensure that not only would they have all of the necessary supplies and industries for a good life, but also ensure that no-one found the planet.

Eventually, a small pirate group stumbled on the planet and was completely destroyed by the newly formed Kashan Defence Fleet. We didn’t leave any survivors in order to ensure that our planet’s location remained secret. However, when we took their base, we also came across the current situation of the galaxy. As you well notice, we are near the edges of the Black Dragon Empire.

We’ve read their history. If they expand like they have in the past, Kashan will be in the middle of their territory. Then, it will only be a matter of time before they find us. We know our military doesn’t have the numbers or technology to counter that entire empire. That is why we have come to join the Coalition.”

Corise sighed. He had planned to be a little more subtle and tactful about revealing Kashan’s state. The planet had done everything it could to remain independent, developing its own defense industries and drafting everyone for sometime of their life. It had sent scouts around to the neighboring areas to check out potential enemies; the Coalition, TNO, Black Dragon Empire.

Although Kashan’s military was superb for the system’s independence, it could not hope to win a struggle against any of the major factions by itself.

Pro Moon furrowed his brow, and said "Interesting story..." Well, now I see where their hook is - the Black Dragon Empire and the Coalition are picking a fight on either side of them, so picking a side would be prefferable to one side picking it for them. Still, the thought of an entirely normal, easy, and painless membership application would have been novel.

"Wait..." Ion stepped forwards again. "You say your world was colonized at the end of the clone wars by escaping war-vets. That's plausible, the aftermath of the war did leave a lot of chaos, and it was a few years before the Empire cleaned up the mess. Still, it's only been about forty-ish years since the end of the Old Republic - how did you guys establish a whole civilization, colonize a whole world, hunt species to extinction, and so forth?

"I mean, you said it was an Old Republic scout, plus some CIS mercenaries, that originally colonized Kashan. That doesn't sound like all that many people, assuming of course that there was a roughly 50/50 male to female ratio rarely seen in the military, as well as them all being of the same species, which was especially rare when dealing with the Old Republic and the Separatists.

"So keeping all that in mind, my question is just how big is this colony of yours? Unless this was something more than a wandering scouting party, I couldn't imagine there being more than a few thousand total in the original wave, and in forty-ish years you couldn't be any younger than third-generation."

"He's got a point there..." said Pro Moon, whose spire-like Cerean mind began rolling. "Not only that, but where did you get the resources? Scouting parties don't generally bring colony modules with them, and you said you were more or less cut off from events, so where did you get your tools, shelter, ships, and technology from?"

Here we go again... thought Pro Moon, as he shifted positions in his chair. Pirates, origin questions, and a war being fought all around them - there's always a hook.

Corise ruefully shook his head and produced a coy smile.

“You’re quite right; it’s been over 44 years since the founding of the Kashan Colony. And mind you, it wasn’t founded by a mere scouting party. I have here the planetary data for Kashan, arranged in a standard encyclopedia format. That should answer many of your questions much better than I can.”

Corise handed the datapad for their viewing and sat back down, contemplating how he had gotten involved in the mission.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Datapad:

Kashan (Planetary Info)
Type: Planet
Position in System: 4th
Solar System: Fyre Sola
Galactic Region: Mid Rim
Environment: Temperate Forests, Mountain
Length of Day (in standard hours): 23.5
Length of Year (in local days): 363
Native Sentient Races: Various Beasts
Sentient Population: Humans, a few alien species.

Kashan Colony
Capitol: Solace
Form of Government: Republic
Population: 1,445,000
Chief Products:
Agriculture- Nerfs, various grains.
Industry- starships, industrial machinery, droids
Mining - Various metals mined from asteriods
Colony Motto: Audentes Fortuna Iuvat

History:

Kashan’s solar system was discovered 21 B.B.Y. by Colonel Fyre Sola, for whom the system is named. He was heading an Old Republic mission searching for hidden CIS bases. Although he found no traces of the CIS, he discovered that the 4th planet, which he named Kashan, was inhabitable and contained a substantial amount of non or semi sentient life. Seeing that the system was concealed by a nearby nebula and had not yet been discovered by anyone else, Fyre did not report an official discovery of the planet. He hoped to officially “discover” after the war where he could make a substantial profit by claiming it for a corporation or by prospecting the planet’s resources. That was something he could not do if he claimed it for the Republic for whom he currently worked.

Fyre’s crew did not keep the planet’s existence a secret from their friends, who were serving in the Republic armed forces. Eventually, Fyre was persuaded by his crew and their friends to start the planet’s settlement for their economic gain after the war, where their jobs would most likely end. However, the secret, original planned colony group grew with the rise of the Galactic Empire. The new wave of the members were friends of Fyre’s friends who wished to escape the bloodshed and persecution that the Empire brought. As such, the colony was immediately and secretly settled right after the Clone Wars.

It was settled in waves; the first colonists started their settlement at the present-day capital of Solace. As the Galactic Civil War rose forward, bringing strife to the galaxy, some of the original colonists brought in their friends still in the Galactic scene. Kashan has continually received new settlers from its founding. As a result, Kashan has continually been receiving technology and people despite its seclusion from the rest of the galaxy. In an effort to coordinate and keep the colony settlement secret, all new colonists are first contacted by their colonial friends and transferred to Kashan through various dummy transportation and tourist corporations that the Kashan government maintains in surrounding planets.

Eventually, one of the dummy corporation’s transports was tracked by pirates who had planted a homing beacon in the ship. Although the Kashan ship made the standard deep space multiple jumps in order to ensure the planet’s secret location, they did not shake the pirates. Unaware that they were being followed, the colonial transport jumped to Kashan and landed. Minutes later, the piratical forces arrived and were completely destroyed by Kashan’s superior starfighter arm and the not-quite-finished warships Seraph and Archangel.

Military:
The Kashan Military has been strongly supported by the colonists because of their heritage, background, and necessity. Originally, the Kashan Colonial Army was formed to defeat the various wildlife that preyed not only on the domestic animals of the colonists, by the colonists themselves. In this aspect, the Colonial Army was successful in defending the settlements from the beasts. However, outlying farms were still hard to protect because of the sheer expanse they covered.

For these reason, the Kashan Colonial Air Force was formed. It consisted of atmospheric interceptors that patrolled those expanses and were tasked into hunting down the various beasts. Eventually, the Colonial Air Force was reformed into the Kashan Starfighter Corp when the atmospheric interceptors were replaced by the S8 Defender and more recently, the S9 Deathsaber.

The Kashan Colonial Navy is the most junior armed service of Kashan, but it is very prominent because of its role in destroying the pirate flagship. Because of the time and resources needed to develop new ships, the Kashan Navy only has one class of ships currently: Seraph-class Cruisers. The exact amount of Seraphs is classified, but the design has been in production for fifteen standard years. Along the way, the cruisers have all undergone various upgrades as new technologies have been developed.

Lastly, there is Kashan Static Command, which jointly operates the multiple static defenses of Kashan, including underground fortresses, space minefields, and asteroid missile and laser batteries.

It is Kashan Law that all citizens undergo military service for four years after they graduate from the public school system. Furthermore, all Kashan citizens have military drills once a month in order to ensure that their skills are kept up to date.

The military is well-funded by the government and it is a popular choice for an occupation for Kashan men, as the other areas of employment are primarily automated. There even is the Kashan Defense College, which educates officers for all of the military forces.

Economy:
There are two original industries in Kashan: farming and mining. Originally, farming was a necessity in order to feed the colonists while still remaining secluded from the rest of the galaxy. Since its founding, farming has since been primarily automated by use of droids, such as the CD-2 Harvester.

Mining has been the pillar of Kashan industry. In turns out that although Kashan itself is not very rich in minerals, the surrounding asteroid belts are. Besides forming the base for Kashan’s economy, asteroid mining has also been the driving force for developing the Kashan military, for both the industry’s defense and as its primary customers. The most common metals mined are used to produce Durasteel, Ferrocarbon, and Ultrachrome.

The mining in turn has produced the rest of the Kashan Industry, which primary is specialized to making various droids to meet the colonist’s needs. Most of the droids produced at Kashan are nearly exact copies of existing droids, such as the R series of astromech droids or the CR-2 Harvester. However, Kashan Automation is pioneering developments in large-scale artificial intelligence and automation.

The only other economic field worthy of mention is Kashan Defence Incorporated, which is closely associated with the Mining Corporations and the military itself. This company is owned by the government and produces equipment ranging from infantry survival packs to the Seraph-class Cruisers for the military. KDI operates multiple factories on the planet’s surface and several shipyards located inside hollowed-out asteroids.

Culture:
Kashan culture is a diverse mix of the various cultures and planets from which the colonists are drawn from. The primary link those is back to the original Old Republic colonists. Thus, much of the Old Republic’s original culture and ideals survive in Kashan with little change. The Kashan people as whole tend to be moderates in nearly everything.

"Fascinating" said Pro Moon, as he finished reading the file. "I'm looking forwards to seeing it all when we get there."

This took everyone aback, a little, including Ion. "Um... sir? Are you sure it's such a good idea to leave the West? I mean not that you couldn't, just that what with everything going on these days, we might need you. Plus, it isn't all that safe over towards the East."

"Exactly." said Pro Moon, sitting up. "The Coalition has to visit the potential member before it is admitted, and the East is tied up with the War. The Azguards are defending the East, Regrad is off on another mysterious mission, the intelligence agency isn't returning people's calls again, and the Commonwealth is going all stealthy on us. Who else but the West has the time to introduce new members? They can't send a delegation, so we should in their stead."

"Even so, sir, we could send someone else. Things haven't entirely settled down here, and the war could always expand."

"No, Ion, I won't hear another word of it. The West is safe under your watch, it's only fair we send someone of status and position on such a mission - not Frelgrin and his team of first contact 'Specialists'. Keep them away, for the love of the Force, they're nice enough but they're also walking disaster areas."

"But sir!" Ion's protest became strained. "What if we need you? What if you're trapped, or attacked, or can't come back?"

"What if the sky falls on you, captain? You've fended off worse than the Dragons can afford to give right now, while we haven't got anyone else to send. Besides, I need to get out a little, stretch the legs. The West is an exhausting place to live, so imagine what it's like running it. Give me a week and I'll come back in one piece." He paused, and added "That is, if our guests would be willing to entertain my visitation.

"It's common practice for the Coalition to be the ones who go to a prospective member, tour the planet, and then offer membership. As you're the ones who came to us, we have yet to actually see your world. If you'll allow, I'd like to return to it with you and have a look at what it's like before approving."

Ion gave up trying to reason with the Prime Minister, and just sighed. "It generally is, but we send four Azguard halfwits who magically manage not to get killed, no matter what happens to them. Even they've never gone so close to a warzone, sir."

"As we speak, captain, your opposite in the Eastern military is knee-deep in dead Dragons." snapped Pro Moon, turning to Ion "If the East can stand being the target of biological warfare, we can show the courage to at least be in the general vicinity." Ion hung his head. Pro Moon turned back to the delegation. "No need to hurry, however. It'll take a while for me to set things in order before a trip, so you could spend the time here in the city - it's an excellent place to learn more about the Coalition and the current situation in the galaxy. We can even arrange for accomodation here in the Great Hall, or as it is officially called, Parliament. Does this seem agreeable to you?"