First Echo

[echo_of_a_jedi]

[Video]

[A serene-looking woman sits before the camera, cross-legged on one of the tiny couch-futon-hybrids they put in these apartments. Some people might recognize her from the other night, though she's currently not wearing the big hooded brown robe, but instead a cassock-like tan garment.]

I've met some of you other "Extraterritorial Guests" already, but for those I haven't, my name is Meetra Surik. I'm a traveler here, like we all seem to be, and I seem to have gotten even more lost than I thought I was - and I was heading somewhere with no real maps in the first place.

So, my request to the network is...tell me about Earth. We seem to be on Earth, and most of the people here seem to be from different "Earths"...which I guess could mean a kind of planet, but from context, it sounds more like multiversal theory turning out to be true. At any rate, I'm new to this planet, so please, tell me all about it. In return, I'll share what I can say about the Galactic Republic, where I'm from. Deal?

Comments

[epicbraille]

There's a lot to be said for Earth, you know. It's a big place with a lot of history. Perhaps it would be easier if you focused on one or two things at a time in order to build up the big picture.

I'm from the 21st Century, for what it's worth.

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Alright. Tell me about the 21st Century. What do you number that from, and what was happening then? Or is happening then. Either time or calendars to be a little inconsistent here, too.

[epicbraille]

[ That sure is one way to narrow down a topic. Too bad it's still a pretty large topic and Snake is a pretty smart guy with something to say about near enough everything. He doesn't quite know where to start with this. A lot was happening back in the 21st century, even more so when you're from 2027 and not 2012. That's 15 whole blank years to fill in.

In situations like this it's always best to start with the foundations and work your way up. Although that's pretty difficult when you're dealing with abstract concepts like time. ]

The first thing you should know is that even though we call it the 21st Century, the Earth is around 4.54 billion years old. I could go into the reasons behind this discrepancy but it would prove rather tedious, so I'll skip straight to your next question. If you can't contain your curiosity then I can explain it at a later date.

[ With that subtle pun under his belt, he gives a thoughtful sigh. ]

Rather, I would go onto an explanation of the 21st Century but we're still dealing with a wide topic. If you could narrow it down to a specific subject such as technology, art or politics, then I would have a better idea of where to begin.

[echo_of_a_jedi]

If the city we're in is approximately "Twenty-First Century", I can probably guess at the technology by looking around. How about politics?

[epicbraille]

Hinoto-Ri is a tad more advanced than what I'm used to, but you're probably right. From what I hear it'll give you a fair idea of 21st Century technology.

[ Give or take the occasional use of magic, 'natch. ]

Politics is a rather delicate subject, and a more in-depth lesson might be too alien for you to follow, so I'll try to summarise. We're mostly through the time of Kings and Queens, borders are changing and new countries appear every once in a while, and genocide and war are unfortunate facts of life. I doubt that last part will change in my lifetime, but I could be wrong.

[ He doesn't think he's wrong. ]

[echo_of_a_jedi]

I guess war's unavoidable even on the scale of just one planet...

What's the "time of kings and queens", though? From everything I've seen, monarchies work just as well as democracies for individual planets, depending on the culture. Well, the Republic's a republic, obviously, but it would be impossible to have one person in charge of that many different planets anyway.

[epicbraille]

[ Despite having been called princely before, Snake doesn't have much of an opinion when it comes to monarchies. Monarchs can be a valuable part of history when they're dead on gone, but until then they're just people who were born into celebrity status. ]

Perhaps people would rather be governed by someone they voted for, instead of seeing power passed down to the next in line.

[ He shrugs. There's a million and one different reasons why people don't care for monarchies. Jealousy might be a little bit more to blame than a thirst for democracy, though. ]

Could you tell me a little bit about this Galactic Republic of planets, miss?

[echo_of_a_jedi]

The short version is that around 20,000 years ago, after the invention of hyperdrive, a large number of worlds in the core of the galaxy banded together to create a united government, military, and economy. The Republic expanded since to claim the majority of the galaxy, although of course only a tiny percentage of that is habitable.

It's basically an alliance or confederation, more than a monolith, with each member planet usually maintaining its own government, but the Senate oversees anything that goes on between planets or star systems.

Overall it's the largest and strongest faction in the galaxy, but there's been a series of wars lately that have really taken a toll. Exar Kun's Sith, then the Mandalorians, and then...well, more Sith. The Republic's 'won' every war, but for a while there, it was supposedly a month away from collapse.

[epicbraille]

[ So this all took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Snake isn't going to point out that this all sounds a wee bit Star Wars. Whether this person is delusional, lying, or the real deal doesn't matter to him in the slightest. If she's lying then he'll get a good laugh out of it; if she's telling the truth then he'll get an interesting story out of it.

It's win-win. ]

Goodness me. The 21st Century doesn't have much to offer in the way of interplanetary space travel, so you'll forgive me if I'm a little taken aback.

[echo_of_a_jedi]

I gathered that. This place apparently has interdimensional travel, but that's not the same thing and seems to be a fluke anyway.

[Well, he seemed interested and aloof enough that she might as well get into the discussion that sounded religious. It was important, after all.]

Hyperdrive is what brought the Republic together politically. For a while, the Jedi Order was what held it together spiritually by teaching about the Force, but that all started changing some time after Exar Kun's war, and now it's almost entirely gone.

[epicbraille]

The 21st Century isn't renowned for the accuracy of its modern marvels.

[ Who needs reliable psychic powers when you can force them to work, like, once by placing 18 children in near death situations on a sinking ship or the middle of the desert, and 9 more people in an identical situation 9 years later? God speed, 21st Century. ]

So, is your Republic stable enough these days or is there another war on the horizon?

[echo_of_a_jedi]

There always seems to be something, but the latest fires are gone. There's definitely more threats out there...actually, that's what I was investigating when I wound up here...but the Republic itself could last for millennia more easily as long as there's some time to rebuild.

[epicbraille]

[ Investigating? ]

Are you some kind of intergalactic detective, or a spy?

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Nothing like that. A...

[Friend? Mentor? Archnemesis?]

...someone I know did a lot of research, and had a vision, that indicated where the next threat to the people of the Republic was. I was looking for it, and for an old friend of mine who was looking for the same thing.

[epicbraille]

[ Research and visions. There's a pair of somewhat familiar concepts. ]

Did you find it?

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Not unless it's this place. I'd barely gotten started.