Enlightenment Star
Year 4909, Solar System, Dawn Ring
By the law of the Terran Sphere, no ships are allowed to start their warp drives in the Earth-Moon system. Of course, any ship heading to the Dawn Ring must disengage warp drive 400,000 kilometers outside the Earth-Moon orbit and cruise in standard mode. On one hand, it's to keep warp changes from affecting nearby space; on the other, it's all about keeping the City of Dawn safe. If a ship strays into the No-Warp Zone (Remark: That's the area where warp travel is banned.), the guiding fleet in the Dawn Ring won't hesitate to take them down.
Ships encased in space bubbles let off a spectacular burst of light when exiting warp. As the bubble breaks, some serious space energy is unleashed. However, when the flash from the alert zone reaches the Dawn Ring, it's already pretty faint; without paying close attention, the residents there rarely catch those brief flickers.
But recently, the attentive residents of the Dawn Ring have spotted that the flashes are happening way more often. Every now and then, there's a stream of flashes, signaling that yet another ship has dropped out of warp in the alert zone. The spaceport in the City of Dawn is bustling now, with all kinds of ships arriving.
To prevent possible sabotage, the City of Dawn has boosted its security level, with extra patrol ships scanning the area for any unknown ships.
Likewise, there are now a bunch of automated patrol drones zipping around the City of Dawn, making the atmosphere pretty tense.
As per the announcement from the temporary committee, the summit will happen in three days at the Enlightenment Star Chamber located in the Alpha Ring District of the City of Dawn.
"The Enlightenment Star is the brightest star in the eastern sky before dawn. Its appearance signifies that dawn is near," Yue Wenfeng's voice echoed in the spacious and bright chamber as he walked slowly from the right side door into the chamber, who stood aside to let Andre and Augustine enter behind him, "Gentlemen, welcome to the Enlightenment Star Chamber."
As Andre and Augustine entered the hall, they were met with an open passageway featuring plush, hand-crafted carpets and a ventilation and temperature control system keeping everything in check. They made their way down the passage, with circular seating split on either side, getting lower and lower until the seats were nearly even with the floor at the end.
The passage opened up into a circular area roughly fifty meters in diameter, which was the central area of the Enlightenment Star Chamber. A raised platform was on one side of the circular area, with steps climbing up from both sides. Behind the platform stood a tall, shiny silver metal panel, imposing and solemn, with an ornate Lagrange Gate pattern engraved on it.
Right in front of that metal panel was a curved platform stacked above, with a lone podium on it.
Andre looked around, realizing they were right in the middle of the Enlightenment Star Chamber, finally catching a glimpse of its grandeur. Just as he thought, the entire hall was shaped like a massive bowl, tall on the sides and lower in the center. The grand hall reached roughly fifty meters in height and over a hundred meters across, featuring rows of circular seating arranged downwards and six broad walkways leading to different exits. The edges of the hall were lined with giant curved steel beams, supporting a second layer of circular platforms.
Underneath the podium sat a spacious round table with six tall-backed chairs, yet only three had huge folders resting on their surfaces.
Before the formal negotiations, Yue Wenfeng invited Andre and Augustine for a "tour" of the Enlightenment Star Council Hall but didn't bother inviting anyone else. The two shared an unspoken understanding about it.
They realized that this seemingly casual roundtable chat was probably way more crucial than the long negotiations ahead. When it comes to critical matters, if the big three can't reach an agreement, the upcoming talks are pointless.
This must be the roundtable meeting about to take place.
Yue Wenfeng stepped up to one of the chairs and invited them, "Please, take a seat, gentlemen."
Andre and Augustine made their way over, sitting down in the empty chairs. Andre looked closely at the brown folder and was amazed to realize it wasn't made of high polymer materials; its rough texture hinted that it was the famed cowhide paper.
Andre reached out to grab the folder. The grainy texture solidified his suspicion, and he blurted out, "Is this cowhide paper?"
He quickly got a solid answer as Yue Wenfeng nodded, "That's right, Mr. President; you guessed it—it's cowhide paper."
"Cowhide paper?" Augustine leaned back a bit, frowning, "Hold on, you people seriously use cowhide to make paper?"
"No, it's not real cowhide," Yue Wenfeng grinned, "Cowhide paper is actually made from long-fiber wood, like spruce and pine."
"Looks like we have a lot to learn about each other." Shaking his head, Augustine reached for the folder, opened it, and took out a pile of documents and a notebook.
Andre followed suit, realizing that the white paper and notebook were made from genuine paper, not those recycled industrial products. The paper felt smooth and even had a faint natural scent, kind of like what was in that ecological test chamber.
"Now this paper is something else," Yue Wenfeng explained, "It's made from renewable natural organic extracts, all handmade using ancient techniques from thousands of years ago. Even in ancient times, this paper was really precious; it was typically sold as souvenirs for travelers."
Augustine and Andre exchanged a look, sensing a bad feeling from each other.
Seeing their reactions, Yue Wenfeng smiled and said proudly, "We created a special batch of this paper to make handwritten notebooks and Earth landscape albums as gifts for our visitors. It's a shame we couldn't make more since the materials are so rare and tricky to source."
"So this material..." Augustine licked his lips, "Chairman Yue, can you tell us what this paper is made of?"
"You'd never guess it," Yue Wenfeng said with a smug grin, "The material for this paper comes from cute little elephants. I bet you guys have never actually seen an elephant, have you? Elephants are the largest living creatures on land; they're gentle and smart. Long ago, elephants were close to extinction, but since industries packed up and left Earth, the ecosystem has greatly recovered. Many endangered species have rebounded, including elephants, which now roam across all continents."
"Elephants?" Andre raised an eyebrow, "I know some ancient people hunted elephants for ivory to make crafts. That's unethical, but this paper..."
"This paper comes from naturally gathered elephant dung," Yue Wenfeng proudly explained. "It's tricky to collect; artists need to scoop it up before it's fully cooled, and not all dung is good—only the kind rich in undigested fibers makes the best paper."
Augustine set the papers down, letting his hands hang at his sides, looking a bit odd, "Um... I must say... that's quite a... unique technique..."
Andre carefully put the white paper on the table, "Chairman Yue, you really didn't need to go through all this trouble..."
"I believe this is the perfect gift for our guests who have come such a long way." Yue Wenfeng waved his hand, telling them to treat this place as their home, "Now, gentlemen, let's dive into the main points of our negotiation."
Andre and Augustine shared a look, then opened their papers, the subtly scented white sheets covered in writing.
The first page read as follows:
"This negotiation aims to establish order, maintain peace, stop conflicts, and rebuild the Lagrange Network.
This negotiation requires revising the ancient "Lagrange Network Co-development Agreement." (Remark: See Lagrange Legacy Archives #100, established during the first gold rush to standardize and regulate the development and maintenance of the Lagrange Gate, initiated by the Terran Sphere Government, and signed at the Dawn Space Station (which later became the City of Dawn), hence later referred to as the "Dawn Accord." However, as time went on, various powers in the galaxy began to rise, and the Terran Sphere Government gradually lost its authority and control, making the ancient "Lagrange Network Co-development Agreement" nearly irrelevant, especially after the Dark Era.) The agreement shall be revised and temporarily referred to as the "Dawn Accord."
I. Establish the "Dawn Accord" Negotiation Committee, comprising all signatory organizations as members. Once the "Dawn Accord" is signed, the Negotiation Committee shall automatically convert into the Dawn Council, which shall oversee and fulfill the obligations of the "Dawn Accord."
II. Acknowledge the dissolution of the Sacrum Chu Imperium, and signatory parties shall not recognize any factions purporting to represent it.
III. Confirm the principles of ownership and access rights of the Stargate. For the existing Stargates, all organizations and factions possessing them must sign a mutual agreement confirming that signing the new "Dawn Accord" grants them access rights. Current organizations and factions retain control of existing Stargates, and ownership cannot be changed without the agreement of both parties. Should ownership changes be necessary, they must receive the Council's authorization.
IV. Establish an armed force subordinate to the Council, with each signatory party providing ships and armaments, granting the Council exclusive command authority.
V. No signatory organization may unilaterally provoke war; all conflicts must be referred to the Council for resolution. Any aggression from one party towards another shall be regarded as a provocation against the entire galactic order.
VI. Non-signatory organizations and factions shall be excluded from the benefits of the Council; any aggression against a signatory will be deemed hostility towards the Council as a whole, granting the signatories the authority to retaliate. Any non-signatory organization shall have the opportunity to accede to the agreement at any time and join the Council.
VII. Please refer to Appendix 2 regarding the regulations for mining Trojite Crystals.
VIII. Please refer to Appendix 3 regarding the standardization of trade and currency systems.
IX. Outline the establishment of a plan for technology black box authorization.
X. Relaunch the Explorer Operation... consisting of two parts: the reconstruction of destroyed Stargates, currently referred to as the Lone Island Reconnection Project, and the exploration of new star systems...
...
As he browsed through, Andre nodded, satisfied. This negotiation plan was heading in the right direction—if they could sign it, humanity would be set for a glorious future. He continued to flip back, and it was mostly just nitty-gritty details. After a glance, he closed the file.
He looked up and caught Augustine's eye; it was clear he had also wrapped up his reading. Augustine's eyes reflected just what Andre was looking for.
"It's insufficient," Andre thought to himself. This negotiation document, crafted and fine-tuned by the brightest minds of the Terran Sphere, was practically flawless and could easily be shown to the public. However, that's exactly the problem. There are always dark corners that light can't reach. This perfect agreement just doesn't fit with how the world operates.
Seeing their expressions, Yue Wenfeng said, "First of all, I must thank you both for being here. Without you two, this negotiation wouldn't stand a chance."
He pointed at the document and explained, "This is the Terran Sphere Government's initial negotiation outline and the details to be discussed in the meeting. I'm sure you've noticed how these terms are very beneficial for human civilization. Should we reach an agreement, we could end wars, restore peace, and keep on expanding. But we all know there's no flawless treaty; this one is bound to cause some pain for certain factions and organizations. Undoubtedly, signing this treaty will require some organizations and factions to make necessary sacrifices."
At this point, Yue Wenfeng abruptly stopped, glancing back and forth at Andre and Augustine. Neither Andre nor Augustine were dimwits; they understood this all too well. Getting smaller factions to make sacrifices outside the big three was nearly impossible. Any unfavorable clauses would be met with a tidal wave of opposition. Things aren't stable at all; despite many factions sending negotiators to the City of Dawn, most are just sitting on the fence, not wanting to sign anything that could backfire on them. It's obvious these factions are anxious about getting swallowed by the big three.
No matter how fancy the slogans are, when actual interests are involved, reality seems pretty bleak against the dark side of humanity.
"So, who will make the sacrifices?" Augustine asked knowingly, leaning back in his chair with a challenging look. "The Terran Sphere Government?" He then shifted his gaze to Andre. "What about Antonios Consortium? Or NOMA Shipping Group?"
Reopening the notes, he pointed to the third clause. "According to this, the NOMA Shipping Group, which sacrificed countless souls for those Stargates, would let small factions access them for free if they signed this agreement. And what about the fifth clause? NOMA Shipping Group's fleet is fighting those lousy Privateers and rebels. Should they sign this, does it mean we, NOMA Shipping Group, must give up on our star systems that are currently in conflict?
"Yes," Yue Wenfeng replied, surprising Augustine. "Antonios Consortium is in the same boat. If the Star Libertadores sign this, then Antonios Consortium must give up on the star systems they have battled with over the past few centuries. Of course, Jupiter Industries, Pangaea Heavy Industries, and Thunderbolt Group face the same issue."
"Once I sign this," Andre said, taking his time, "I'll be immediately impeached by the board and dragged to a military tribunal."
"You should count your lucky stars, for there's no guillotine in the City of Antontas." Augustine snorted, pushing the document away. "You know I won't sign something like this, Chairman Yue."
"Count me out too," to everyone's surprise, Yue Wenfeng chuckled, shoving the document aside, then suddenly getting serious. "That's why I invited you both here today. We must tackle these issues beforehand and lay a foundation for negotiations everyone can accept."
...
For thousands of years after the signing of the "Dawn Accord," a conspiracy theory has circulated throughout the galaxy. People claim that before the negotiations, the heads of the three galactic powers had actually reached a series of secret agreements, dividing current interests and the future layout of the galaxy under the table.
Even some respected historians endorse this conspiracy theory, but no one has ever uncovered any proof.
