Selatapura, Osean Federation — September 30, 2019/1639
“Welcome back to the Milishial News Network! I’m Alana Forlen, and this is the first of a four-part series exploring the newly arrived nation known as the Osean Federation.
“It’s been less than a few months since Elysia first began hearing of a new state in the Third Civilized Region, but already a reputation has begun to spread throughout the world of a power capable of wielding technological wonders on par with Mu and potentially standing toe-to-toe with Parpaldia itself as a political, economic, and military force to be reckoned with. We’re now here to investigate these claims and perhaps talk with both the Oseans and the peoples of Elysia about how the Federation and its organisation, the International United Nations, has impacted their lives and their peoples. But first, a brief overview of where I am right now!
“This is the city of Selatapura, a bustling and thriving island metropolis known by many as the Gateway to Heaven, and it’s clear why they’ve called it such—the buildings and skyscrapers tower right above us here in Marina Bay, but even they are dwarfed by the megastructure just over the horizon that Osea itself has dubbed the Lighthouse…”
The cameraman panned over from the towers in Fullerton Place and across the offices of Lau Pa Sat, before settling on the empty reclaimed fields of the South Pier—there, right above the clouds that often brought rain to the Usean city, a single needle threaded the sky before disappearing into the heavens above. Graceful yet majestic, deceptively small yet towering in sheer scale and size, the Elevator stood as a shocking testament to the capabilities of these strange and foreign new people; was there anything that Elysia had that could even compare to this?
“One hundred thousand kilometres long from the surface to the heavens, the Oseans use the Lighthouse to produce energy for themselves and to observe the planet from above. We’ve been invited by the IUN to an exclusive tour of the facility itself, which will be taking place in our final part of the special.
“Before that, however, we’ll be exploring three of the largest cities in Osea: Selatapura, November City, Oured, and Bana City. Each metropolis serves as cultural and economic hubs for the vast nation and its sizable population, and houses key symbols of the Federation’s values and history. With us is Ambassador Vincent Harling, a former head of state of the Osean government and now its envoy to the peoples of Elysia. Ambassador, thank you for arranging this fascinating tour of your country!”
Harling gave a warm smile and nodded back. “A pleasure, indeed.”
“Ambassador, perhaps you might be able to give us a brief overview about the Osea, for those unfamiliar with your nation? For many of our viewers, this would be their first time ever witnessing what the Federation has to offer to the wider Elysian community…”
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Assembly of Nations, Bana City, Osean Federation — October 2, 2019/1639
“My, what a huge room, Ambassador!”
Harling smiled in meek acknowledgment at Forlen’s words. “Well, we don’t normally use this hall nowadays; the IUN as of right now has over twenty-one members and six observers—pending Mu’s ongoing application—and it wouldn’t even fill half of the entire chamber.”
“How many members did the Assembly have prior to the Transference?”
“It was meant to host over four dozen nations all over our own world, back in the day. The numbers kept changing—independence movements, invasions, unifications, and the like—but until we became the only original member left, this room would have fit every representative in the planet with ample room to spare.”
“So where do the members of the IUN meet whenever a session takes place?”
“There’s a smaller hall on the other side of the building—it used to be part of the Security Council, but the General-Secretary suggested downsizing the institution until more members actually joined.”
“Would this be like the annual World Conference, where the superpowers of your world meet and discuss the most recent issues in Elysia?”
Harling frowned. “The World Conference? We’re not too familiar with that group, but membership is generally open to all nations, regardless of their position in Elysia as a superpower or otherwise. We normally ask that they adhere to certain laws and regulations before applying, however, as we do have a Charter that applies to all members—slavery, for instance, is prohibited, as well as the inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war.”
“Fascinating! And what about the Parpaldia Empire? They are widely recognized as the superpower of the Third Civilized Region, but their active practice of slavery would seem to be at odds with the IUN’s regulations, wouldn’t it?”
“They have approached us about their joining, but we aren’t quite certain about their intentions or their dedication towards actually adhering to the Charter—they seem to believe that their status as a superpower exempts them from having to follow the laws of our institution…”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Folen’s eyes wandered to an individual seat right next to her—on its headrest was engraved an odd name, perhaps a former nation from the Oseans’ world.
“‘Yuktobania’?”
“Huh? Oh, the sign…yes, that was formerly the seat for the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. They were our equals in our old world, our rivals even—we had a decades-long competition between the two of us over power and influence, before we came to witness the inevitable outcome of our own destructive pursuits.”
“May I ask what happened?”
“A series of wars that saw weapons of mass destruction wielded with impunity, and a terrible disaster that left our entire planet scarred and disfigured for many years. In the face of annihilation by threats both within and without, we agreed to set aside our differences and focus on rebuilding our world. This organisation became more than simply a forum for nations to voice their concern—it became an institution dedicated to establishing peace and freedom by any means necessary: peacekeeping, economic aid, and even major projects designed to bring benefits to the nations of the world.”
“Indeed, like the Lighthouse?”
“Precisely. Prior to the Transference, Selatapura used to be in an entirely different continent—a region infamous for regional rivalries and wars of conquest, with no single nation capable of becoming the sole superpower like in the Civilized Regions. In the aftermath of the Disaster, the Lighthouse was meant to bring back trade and prosperity to the region—free energy for the nations of Usea, and greater investment in science and technology in place of weapons of war and destruction, with a direct route within reach to the skies above.”
The Osean ambassador’s eyes wavered, and for a brief second Forlen caught a glimpse of sadness on the man’s face.
“Prime Minister Nikanor was a good friend of mine—after we both realised what our actions had done to our world, we changed our ways and worked together in helping construct the Lighthouse. It’ll be our lasting legacy, even though the Yuktobanian himself may be long gone.”
“Perhaps the likes of the Holy Milishial Empire might be interested in joining your institution? Ensuring peace and order throughout such a brutal world like Elysia would prove to be far easier with the superpowers of the Civilized Regions as fellow members.”
Harling nodded in acknowledgement. “Perhaps, indeed…”
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ISEV, Selatapura, Osean Federation — October 3, 2019/1639
Alana gasped as the convoy made its way through the bridge linking Selatapura and the Lighthouse, the latter only seeming larger and larger as she came closer to the vast megastructure. Seated right next to her, Harling gave a nostalgic smile—even as one of the key proponents behind the whole project, planning the entire enterprise had been nothing compared to finally witnessing it slowly ascend into the sky. Watching as the Pilgrim One set off towards the distant reaches of the solar system, a vessel of humanity finally reaching beyond its cradle and into the cosmos beyond…
The convoy entered a tunnel beneath one of the legs of the Lighthouse’s foundation, leading to a small lobby that served as the official entrance to the facility—a single woman stood inside, observing the convoy as it came to a halt right before her and the Osean ambassador carefully led his guest off their vehicle.
“Alana Forlen, this is Captain Kei Nagase of the IUN Lighthouse Division. She will be taking over from me for this particular leg of the tour—the trip on the ISEV itself shouldn’t take less than three hours.”
The Elysian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Won’t you be joining us, Ambassador?”
“Oh! No, I’ve ridden the Lighthouse quite a few times by now—and besides, Nagase is more of the expert regarding what will be happening to you and her within the next few minutes—”
Nagase smirked. “Harling, please. Let’s not spoil what we have planned for the people of Elysia to witness first-hand. And besides, were you not the one who originally designed this Lighthouse in the first place?”
“I was but a politician with an idea that could ensure peace; it was engineers and pilots like you who made this possible in the first place.”
“Don’t undersell yourself, Harling; we both did many things that ultimately brought us to where we are today. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves—Ms. Forlen, greetings. I’ll be your escort throughout your trip to the Lighthouse and aboard the Pilgrim Two at the very top.”
Alana blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Didn’t Harling…Harling, you didn’t tell her beforehand, did you?”
“I think it’s only just dawned upon her about what’s about to happen, Captain.”
“…alright, that makes sense.” With an eager grin, Captain Nagase turned to the Elysian reporter. “Ms. Forlen, how would you like to walk amidst the blue skies above?”
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Runepolis, Holy Milishial Empire — October 3, 2019/1639
“They made a tower to the heavens…”
Silence reigned; the highest ranking officials and the Emperor himself watched in shock as the Osean spacecraft set off from the Lighthouse, thousands of kilometres above the surface of the earth. The camera turned away from the interior of the vessel and toward a window, revealing the entirety of Elysia for the very first time to its inhabitants—a small blue marble amidst a vast sea of black, the troubles and problems and millennia of conflict faced by the countless millions within the planet reduced to a simple shape surrounded by nothing.
For the first time in their long history, the mighty Milishials felt smaller, out-dwarfed by a power possibly greater than theirs.
“Arneus,” Emperor Milishial slowly began, “remind me again: do we have a confirmed date for the arrival of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire?”
“No, Your Excellency.”
“Very well. Begin establishing diplomatic ties with the Osean Federation, and approach them about a Milishial delegate for their organisation as soon as possible!”