My ascent to the position of Empress was not one I took willingly. In the aftermath of the Battle of Alaka the humans expressed interest in establishing a treaty to end the war. It was an offer that was accepted by the Grand Priestess, though to my people it was the decision of the new Empress. The dominion of the Sect still remained, and as a result we had no say in the matter. The other candidates and I did not wish to be their puppet, to be in a position without any power, but it was decided by the Sect that it must be the Empress that would negotiate the terms of the treaty with the humans. It was clear why they decided this. My people, even if they had surrendered in the final battle, were not ones who did so unconditionally. Whoever was going to negotiate with the humans must be able to get a fair deal for our people, a task that, given presence of the human fleet in Empire space, would have been impossible to manage. The humans had all the leverage in the oncoming dialogue, and realistically whoever was going to talk with them would have very little say in what would occur. This was the reason that the Grand Priestess was not participating in the negotiations. The imminent failure of the next Empress to come to a fair deal for our people would be the final blow to the position's authority, truly giving absolute power to the Sect of the Divine. A shrewd, if cynical move by them, but like with the humans, the few in line to the throne did not have any power to change such conditions.

Instead, we drew lots. Not the most sophisticated method of choosing an Empress, truly, but the most fair since it left the decision up to fate. Whoever "won" would be the Empress, and be doomed to a legacy of failure and manipulation from the Sect. I "won" this game of chance, an event that I look back upon with a laugh. At the time, I only felt like crying. From that point onward I was Empress, the youngest Empress in my people's history, but it was not because I was the strongest, nor the wisest or most connected. I was Empress through a mere game of chance, doomed to a lifetime of capitulation to the Sect. It was both insulting and pain-inducing at the same time, but I had resigned myself to my fate. Though my position hardly held any more power at that time, I resolved to meet the humans with as much dignity and pride as I could muster. It was out of respect. Yes, I respected the humans' strength, their resolve in the face of our might, of our fury. If not for the sake of my people I would respect them for myself, a final act of honor that I could truly call my own before living a life of a puppet.

We agreed to meet on Itraxy, the home planet of the Rezenaga and center of the Empire. I had expected to greet the humans in the Imperial Palace, but when they arrived with a small fleet I knew that was not to be the case. I was to meet with the humans' representative on their capital ship, the Ulysses. I do not know if it was meant to be an insult or just an act of convenience, but the Ulysses had positioned itself right above the palace, overlooking the city. The signing of the Treaty was to be broadcast to the Empire, Coalition, and Human systems, but the negotiations would take place in private on board the Ulysses. Before negotiations began, however, the human representative had asked to meet with me in private. I was guided to the captain's quarters, a rather spacious room with a large viewing window that overlooked the city. It is silly to say now, but at that moment the sight of Itraxy's soft orange horizon, the view of my people below... it calmed me, it gave me hope that maybe things would work out. I may have not maintained a close spiritual relationship with the Divine, and her Sect was among the most power hungry and corrupt powers to rule over the Empire in quite some time, but I had no issue with the Divine herself. So, in the time where I waited for the human representative to come, I prayed to her. It was intended to be a small prayer, one asking for the guidance and strength to lead my people, to allow them to make it through what was to come, but as I looked up from my folded hands I noticed that the a human was already in the room.

The man who met me was of an older age, someone who had the look of one who had weathered the storms of battle, hidden under the unassuming face of a politician. He had a wide frame, one that, while not as fit and lean as the human soldiers I was used to, put forward an air of authority that I was not expecting. His brown hair was cut short and kept orderly, and his eyes held an intensity cloaked under a steely coolness. He seemed as much soldier as diplomat, a feeling that resonated with me, bringing forward my own pride as a soldier, past the title of Empress. He was dressed in a rather plain looking suit which, next to the overly extravagant gown I was given, made me feel quite superficial. It was odd, but though I had never seen him before I felt as if I knew who this man was.

He introduced himself as Conor McGrath, President of the UPN. I questioned this, I had been under the impression that the humans were now part of the Coalition. He mentioned that was a still undecided subject, but said nothing more. His purpose with meeting with me was to relay the intentions of the Coalition during the negotiations. Originally the negotiations were to take place between the UPN and the Empire, but the Coalition had sent a delegation without warning to participate as well. I was well aware of their intentions. They were intending to get all they could out of the weakened Empire, whether it was through secession of lands, relinquishing of resources, or even people, I did not know which. That was not surprising, and I had prepared myself for such a situation.

What was surprising, however, was President McGrath's willingness to make sure the Empire would received a fair deal in the proceedings. I was confused, if there was anyone that should have wanted to cripple the Empire it would have been the humans. We had killed so many of them, waged war and destruction of horrific proportions, but still here was their leader, ready to make sure that the Empire would maintain some semblance of power. When I questioned the President on this, his reasoning was that it was in the UPN's best interest to keep a balance of power amongst the Galaxy. The Coalition could not be allowed to enact measures that would disable the Empire, but the Empire could not be so easily forgiven for its transgressions. The UPN, or United Planetary Nations, aimed to be the mediator in finding this balance, President McGrath explained. The balance of power would keep the Galaxy in check, and hopefully prevent any further conflicts in this already war torn era. I pressed him further, what was stopping the UPN from taking the Empire's territories as their own? It was what we had done when victorious in our wars, and it had given us great power. He merely said the UPN was not interested in such things, and that the logistics of inheriting such a large territory would do them no favors other than causing destabilization amongst the galaxy and the possible rise of more violent powers. He mentioned the Sect of the Divine when talking about this, something that surprised me. It was then that I realized what he was doing. In negotiating a fair deal between the Empire and Coalition, the UPN would receive a reputation of power and cunning that would remain in the minds of the people across the Galaxy. They would hold a leverage over both the Coalition and Empire as peacekeepers, which would secure a position of power in further negotiations. Negotiations that, as long they were handled by sound minds, would be within reason for all powers. However, the Empire, as it was, as not being led by sound minds.

The Sect, driven by zealous fervor, would not be open to negotiations and instead be antagonistic to the other powers in the Galaxy, which meant that war would come sooner or later. One which was sure to cause further instability in the Galaxy. However, if I, the Empress, were able to "negotiate" a fair treaty for my people and maintain our presence on the galactic stage, it would increase my standing in the Empire, giving me a foothold with which I could push back against the power of the Sect and bring my people under a more sensible rule. It was a political maneuver that seemed very... human in nature. They had the opportunity to greatly expand their power and influence over the Galaxy, power that would have come at the cost of more wars and struggle for sometime, but power nonetheless. Instead, they chose the option for peace, which maintained stability in the Galaxy, but at the same time gave them a different type of power across the Galaxy. People, Coalition, Empire and even those in the Poros systems alike, would know the humans not only as fierce warriors, but people capable of deft negotiation and communication. It was a reputation that was to be respected. A respect that, as long as they did not overreach with it, would deter any major actions against them lest the opposition be prepared for the ire of the rest of the Galaxy. Instead of becoming the new, overbearing empirical power in the Galaxy, they would instill a sense of debt in both the Coalition and Empire, were I to succeed in reducing the influence of the Sect.

The President never mentioned any of this outright, but we exchanged a mutual look of agreement as we discussed the terms in which the Empire was to negotiate for. When the Treaty of Itraxy was eventually signed, it was under the following terms:

1. Ceasefire between UPN, Empire, and Coalition forces.

2. Recognition of the Coalition of United Species as a sovereign power and secession of Coalition space from Empire territory.

3. Reparations to both the UPN and Coalition to be paid for by the Empire.

4. Alliance between UPN and Coalition forces, if one power is attacked then the other will come to its aid.

5. Recognition of Empire control over all territories not seceded to the Coalition.

6. Cooperation of UPN, Coalition, and Empire forces in repairing damage done to the Fractus systems.

There were more minuscule clauses to the treaty, but the six I have listed were the most important in the grand scheme of things. The secession of Coalition territories was the most damaging to the Empire, almost cutting our size in half, but with the presence of the humans it was hard to argue against it. It would be a point of contention between me and the Sect, but there was no other option at the time. The Reparations were eventually paid to both the UPN and the Coalition, though it took some time given the diverting of resources to our fleets during the war. The alliance between the UPN and Coalition forces is why many consider the humans as part of the Coalition to this day, but in reality nothing has really changed beyond such an agreement. If anything, the Coalition benefited from this arrangement the most, since the humans received very little of their aid during the war given that Empire forces had pretty much wiped their forces out by the time the humans entered the conflict. I still believe it to be the best deal that I could have managed at the time, and while it certainly didn't make anyone happy at the time, it allowed the Empire to maintain a, albeit weakened, presence on the galactic scale. The Sect tried to play this up as a failure, but fortunately my once competitors for the throne had subverted their message enough to restore some semblance of power to the throne. It has been an uphill battle since, but the Sect's power has waned much in these past fifty years. It is a truly ironic situation, my rise to power could only be attributed to my greatest foe, and in the end may have had saved the Empire from the recklessness of the Sect. The humans had defeated us, and saved us at the same time.

I remember, after the signing of the treaty, that I requested a final meeting with the President. He accepted, and once again we met in the captain's quarters on the Ulysses. To be honest, I was not sure of what I wanted to say to him. Thanks was out of the question, because even though I should have been indebted to the UPN's mercy, doing so would tarnish the pride of the throne itself. It would have to remain an unspoken thanks. I had questions, but there were so many that I did not know where to begin. So, I merely commended his people for their bravery.

There was a brief flash to his eyes as I said that, one that, under the cool expression of a leader, I recognized as sadness. He had lost someone in the war, someone dear to him. When I asked if he had, he responded that his daughter had died during the war.

"You would know her, all of you would know her," he said.

It was then that I realized who this man was, why I recognized him even though I had never seen him before. He held the same gaze, the same determined look on his face. He was the father of the Firebird. I didn't know what to say at the time, so I had merely said that his daughter was the finest warrior I had ever seen, a sentiment that I truly meant. If it made any difference, I did not know, for the look on his face as I complimented his daughter was not one of pride, it was one of loss, the look of one that would prefer her to be alive at his side, warrior or not, than to be the one that buried her.

I did not understand why he made such a face at the time, and still am unsure of that expression to this day. If he is still alive then perhaps I may ask him, but until then I will still question the mystery that is humanity. They have the power to conquer, to exploit and spread their influence across the galaxy, but they do not. They are warriors that could match the ferocity and prowess of our own, but at the same time do not wish to fight. They are merciful, but at the same time capable of ruthlessness that made my own people shy away in fear. Truly, if there is anything that I have found out from recording all of this is that I may never fully understand humanity, and perhaps that is a good thing. I do not believe the Galaxy could handle any other species such as the humans. I can only pray that they remain as I know them to be.

--Nasra Odochi, Empress of the Rezenaga Empire