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Their numbers, their ability to grow the de Jardins, their inexperience within the Hegemony, their genders, their youth, everything. They debated anything and everything that could be a negative, and pushed their points as far as they could.

A few even reached out to the Star Dragon to get him to reconsider his position. But the Ravens had long since left the forefront of his mind, and was deep in his own thoughts. Or perhaps his own memories.

Any instigations by his fellow de Jardins simply went unanswered.

The officiator allowed the discussions and arguments to run for a few more minutes before he called the chamber to order. He once again politely requested silence as he moved the proceedings towards the next step.

“To those seeking status as a nation-state,” he began, “have you any words to close out this vote? If so, now is the time to speak it. The floor is yours.”

Eva stood up somewhat reluctantly, though she wasn’t exactly nervous to speak. She simply wasn’t a fan of being a public speaker, and was the last to offer her voice.

But when they found out that they had a portion with which to speak and argue their case, the other Ravens voted her into the position. Their reasoning was simple: she was the bravest among them, and was the most equipped to deal with that amount of pressure.

.....

Not that they abandoned her to her fate, of course. They were with her every step of the way, and helped her write every word of it. They even helped by being her pseudo-audience when she practiced it.

Together, they refined what they wanted to say to the entire de Jardin House.

However, now that she was in front of the most powerful people in the de Jardins, she found herself somewhat nervous and apprehensive. A slight tremor shook all the way down to her core, even as her heart beat faster and faster from anxiety.

She took in a deep breath of air, exhaled it at length, and evened out her pace.

Then, she gave their statement. Though it wasn’t exactly how they had written it – she couldn’t help but add her own impulsiveness into the words. That certainly eased her mind and body a great deal.

“I’ve been hearing a bit of talk,” she began, “a bit of discussion about why we left the Federation itself. And of course that’s led to a few discussing our true allegiances and whatnot. That maybe we aren’t 100% trustworthy because you’re not certain.

“And I get it. I think we all do.”

She glanced at the other Ravens for support, and they nodded in response.

“All we can really say is that we escaped the Federation because we just don’t like what they do to their people. How they take from them, how they abuse or neglect them. How they use violence to force their opinion, and how they use misdirection to hide their actions.

“We honestly hate the Federation because they continue to perpetuate it all, and continue to profit from it all. They don’t even try to stop the spread of corruption, and we’re pretty sure they don’t want to. Even if they say they do.

“We find that we can’t live in a place like that. So we fled here to the Hegemony because one of you de Jardins, the son of the Star Dragon, told us that you hate the Federation for similar reasons. That their corruption is more than you can bear. That you vehemently oppose the Federation and its ways.

“After seeing how the people of House de Jardin flourish, how you all take care of your citizens, we can certainly say that what Maximilian told us is true. Why wouldn’t we want to seek sponsorship through you?”

Eva also took cues from the Minister before her, and tried to speak to everyone in the room. She turned around and looked into the eyes of the dukes and duchesses all around. And she even made sure to spend more time speaking to those who opposed them.

Regardless of who she was looking at, she spoke with passion and conviction. Or at least, as best as she could control.

“And about the Drogar? I doubt many of you have been in the Empire. But a couple of us have, and we were right in the center of Imperial power. As prisoners to the powerful. It was a beautiful and also bloody place, and we saw travesties you wouldn’t believe. There, they literally killed each other for power and money. Unabashedly. In broad daylight.

“To think that we would be their agents is to ignore who the Drogar are.

“That’s not to say they’re all like that, and there are a great many who do live rather honorably. And we certainly have business partners and friends out there. People we trust with our lives. Just as there are de Jardins we also trust.”

Eva turned to look at Mathilde, and gave her a warm smile. And if Max was in the room, she would have gestured to him specifically.

“I speak for all the Ravens when I say that we’ve been thinking a great deal about our capabilities, our purpose, and our values,” Eva continued. “We want to be examples of what is better, what makes for a better nation.

“We believe we’ve figured out why the Federation and the Empire are the way they are. And it’s sadly the way some other Houses here in the Hegemony operate, too. We Ravens want to be the antithesis of those governments.

“We want to be the kind that builds and grows the people around us, rather than killing and taking from them. The dream is to live in a society that’s truly free to thrive, to live without the oppressions that’s plaguing the other half of the galaxy.

“We Ravens wish to try a different experiment – one that values every member from a holistic perspective, while rejecting the ledger-first mentality. We believe that seeking growth only through the ledger leads to the corruption of the powerful elite.

“Apologies in advance to the powerful elite in the room, of course.”

Eva was met with light chuckles from all around.

“Not that the ledger isn’t important,” she continued. “We simply want to demonstrate that it isn’t the only important thing about a nation and her people. We want to recalculate and redefine the meaning of the word ‘wealth’.

“After all, wealth encompasses more than just the ducats in our hands. It’s those hands themselves, what they accomplish, what they provide, who they help, what’s underneath, how much they bleed along the way.

“You all get what I’m saying, right? I mean, you’re asking those very questions about us, right now.”

Murmurs of agreement sprung up all around. A few councilors even nodded silently in their seats.

“As the minister mentioned earlier,” Eva continued. “There are currencies in the galaxy that are far more intangible, yet equally as important as the ducat. We need to start counting them, to start including them, or the Hegemony will end up just like the Federation. Or worse, the Empire.

“If you believe in our message, then we ask that you sponsor us. Help us show the greater galaxy that there’s a better way. Or at the very least, show how frail those kleptocracies really are. We believe it’s only with the guidance of a Great House such as the de Jardins can we actually rise above.

“Thank you.”

Eva then sat down, though it was many moments before anything happened. Many of the councilors were struck by her speech. What Eva said rang true with some of them. Even those who opposed her felt their walls chipped away by her words.

It was a half dozen seconds later when the chamber suddenly erupted in fierce discussions.

A handful certainly shifted their vote in support of the Ravens. They were thoroughly convinced after hearing her speak.

Others simply echoed their already positive opinions, and impressed their merits even harder than before. A dissident few grumbled in acknowledgement, but remained against their sponsorship nonetheless. After all, they had their own nation-states they wanted the House to sponsor.

But after hearing that, they knew their own cases had no chance.

The officiator called for the next phase, which was to vote for Minister Mathilde’s recommendation. The entire chamber fell to a hush as he began to call on every council member one after another.

Each of them stood up and voiced their vote loud and clear, which was quickly tallied by the council recorder. The results were immediately sent out to the rest of the chamber, and updated everyone’s datapads with the current vote.

This was the longest portion of the entire hearing, and took the better part of an hour to complete.

Most simply gave their approval or disapproval, some added a few words of advice, and few outright gave speeches revolving around their dissent. But by the end the Ravens received their sponsorship from the de Jardins.

The vote was in their favor 403 to 135. It was practically a landslide.

Once it was all said and done, there were cheers for their victory from everyone in the chamber itself. Even if they opposed the sponsorship in the first place.

The cheering lasted for a few minutes, at which point the officiator called for calm one more time. And when the chamber quieted down, the Matriarch stood up to speak.

“Great House de Jardin welcomes the chance to sponsor you as your own nation-state,” she began. “I’ve read many reports with your names on them, and each one has greatly impressed me. And many around me.

“I agree with the majority that your value to the house is significant, and cannot be ignored. More importantly are the values you wish to expand on... those of growth, of change, of freedom, of self-determination, and of redefenition. They’re all inspiring, to say the least.

“I’m sure that I speak for many when I say that your future looks bright, and that we all look forward to seeing you prove your theory. I’m of the same opinion that focusing solely on the growth of the ledger is far from ideal.

“I also believe that doing so results in irreparable corruption. And I believe our goals ultimately align. We shall certainly do our best to support you in your endeavor to prove it with your nation-state. Only together can any of us grow further, or fly higher.

“Now, I only have one thing to ask of you – have you decided on a name for your nation-state?”

Eva stood up yet again, and nodded to the de Jardin Matriarch.

“Yes, we do,” she replied. “From this point onward, we wish to be known as the Corvus Republic.”