( to everyone )

[cobrakais]

So, that guy the other day —

( sam, the guy was sam. )

He talked about that holiday with the bird and the eating and the sitting around and talking about the good times. Never really got that myself but I made due.

Anyway, after that is the big holiday for the people from my planet. The one where you put up a tree that makes a mess, decorate until you're the most gaudy house on the street and get presents.

But, getting the feeling that not everyone does that here. So, what do you do? If you do the gift giving holiday, what other traditions do you have?

If you don't, what do you do? If anything, I guess? Maybe you don't do squat and that's sad.

Bee tee dubs, if you're looking for a gift to give me, I could use a coat. It's cold in Farm City.

Comments

[earthborn]

Celebration of the end of the First Contact War.

It's about half big memorials, and half "The aliens didn't kill us all, so let's get drunk." People like an excuse to party.

[cobrakais]

First contact with aliens?

Woooooow. We hadn't gotten there yet. Well, depending on who you believed. Some people thought we had and the government just wasn't telling us.

But we hadn't been attacked by any mean aliens so I'm not sure what to think.

[earthborn]

Yeah, we broke one of their laws, and they opened fire in response: ignorance of the rules is no excuse, or some bullshit. Eventually their own government, the Citadel Council, stepped in to point out that greeting new alien species to the wider galaxy by shooting at them was probably not gonna fly, but by then it had been long enough for the casualties to start adding up.

So they called an armistice, the Turians have to pay us reparations, and both sides still feel a little touchy about it.

Fight done, everybody go home and bury your dead, see you this time next year for the televised speeches. And the whiskey. A lot of Humans are still pretty sure we would have won, given a little more time... And the Turians won't even call it a war, just an "incident." Overall, coulda been worse.

[cobrakais]

Well, it doesn't sound like you all blew each other into tiny bits and pieces. That would have been bad. Probably celebrating something different then.

So, you're a what? Military person?

[earthborn]

Genocide wasn't really on the table, I don't think. Even Turians have limits, when it comes to casually exterminating whole sentient species for no good reason.

I'm a marine with the Systems Alliance Navy. Commander Shepard. You?

[cobrakais]

Kai Parker. I don't have a fancy title. Never got around to getting one.

Definitely not a marine or in anything resembling the military. I think they'd have kicked me out anyway. Not really great at taking orders.

[earthborn]

You might be surprised.

[It would be so easy to get bitter about the Alliance, some days.]

Sorry I can't help you with the coat thing. If you ever want to come live in the Free Cities, though, I'm sure we could get you set up.

[cobrakais]

That's okay. I'm sure someone from Solvunn will take pity on me.

What's the Free Cities like?