Far Representative

Far Representatives are always Knight-Specialists with clearly demonstrated aptitudes in the subject matter, minimal disciplinary records, and positive experience with operating independently from immediate command. Claustrophobia is a disqualifying factor, as Far Representatives will spend potentially years cooped up in environment suits and the safety of their pressure tents upon arrival. Affability and an eagerness to learn, though difficult to quantify, are considered positive traits for a prospective Far Representative to have. These individuals undergo specialized training in topics as diverse as linguistics, anthropology, biology, and chemistry designed to ensure that they will both survive and be productive in their endeavors abroad; this training is useful even for those who 'wash out' of the Far Representative program, but passing training is required for further consideration. Since it may not be possible to come back from service, a Far Representative must not have any extensive obligations holding them to Evermorn and must be prepared to break many social connections in the interest of creating new ones amongst the host population and their fellow Far Representatives; often, this is the most strenuous requirement for the normally very family-oriented Evermornans to overcome.

In ideal circumstances, the work of Far Representatives is a fulfilling and elucidating experience for all involved. Far Representatives represent some of the best the Protectorate has to offer and often serve to elevate the prospects of the local population wherever they appear. Through acculturation, the Far Representatives themselves gain a valuable perspective on the place of themselves and their people in the cosmos. Usually, the Cobalt Knights make good bonds with members of the community which might eventually blossom into academic and scientific collaborations or even romantic relationships; the first people with shared Evermornan-Lepidosian heritage was the son of a Far Representative and the Northern Lepidosian librarian who was his language study partner.

Far Representatives are deployed singly or in small groups to regions where sapient species living in environments conducive to human life may be found. After arrival, Far Representatives use inflatable habitats, ranging from simple pressure tents to whole General Purpose Modules depending on the scale of the operation, to establish residence among the local population while they conduct their work. Far Representatives may or may not be repatriated to Cobalt Protectorate territory at the completion of their work, as the distance between worlds takes years to traverse due to the fundamental limits on the speed of travel in the universe, so one should make plans as though one expects to live amongst the locals for the rest of one's natural life.   Initially, Far Representatives only leave their habitat in sealed environment suits in the interest of preventing contagion between themselves and the local population. Many populations found throughout the Sealed Kingdoms Region have been isolated from one another for millennia after the fall of the Upper Late Arcopel interstellar empire, and, even in history, came from different regions of the unknown homeworld of humanity. This is sufficient time for pathogens to speciate and for immunities to them to evolve in different ways among different populations. For this reason, Far Representatives use these suits fitted with specialized virion-inactivating filters, alongside genomili-based mini-labs in their habitats, to gradually inoculate themselves against local pathogens. As relations improve with the local population, they use the same technology to produce vaccines against common Evermornan pathogens to be distributed amongst the local population. Once it has been established that Evermornans can live safely in the local environment without themselves endangering the environment, only then will Far Representatives be seen outside of their habitats without the bulky environment suits.

During their stay among the host population, Far Seekers conduct research on the local language and, once capable of conversing, perform diplomatic work and basic cultural exchanges designed to establish rapprochement with these long-separated brothers and sisters of humanity. Far Representatives share what they learn with the nearest Protectorate assets so that, eventually, the Protectorate can make more involved efforts towards cooperation with these groups per the Code of Evermorn. Alternatively, if the contacted group proves intractable even after extended contact, Protectorate assets will retreat to a safe distance and merely observe the group from afar - though joining or entering into a diplomatic relationship with the Protectorate is always a choice, the Protectorate itself is obligated by the final decree of Wurth Harkin to defend human isolates wherever they might be found from extinction as a result of outside threats.

The Protectorate fashions itself as a friend to all the descendants of humanity, but sometimes what is best for all parties involved is for Far Representatives to stay back and observe from a distance.   Far Representatives operate far from established Protectorate Presence, meaning that reinforcements in the event of attack, disaster, or other acts of fate are unlikely to arrive in a timely manner. A less spoken about responsibility of Far Representatives is keeping an eye out for threats to the Protectorate should it engage in long-term residence in the host system, such as the presence of hostile alien forces or populations which might interpret the mere presence of Cobalt Knights as a threat. Arriving after a group of Hespartan explorers, for example, is likely to result in friction, as the Tribal Union of Hesparta regards the Cobalt Protectorate as a nuisance at best and geopolitical rival at worst and are not ashamed to share this belief with others.   The danger for the Far Representatives is often more of a moral nature than a physical one, as interacting with a new culture without distorting what makes it unique or accidentally bringing it to ruin through pathogens or the proliferation of dangerous technologies is a delicate process. Before deployment in the field, Far Representatives must assess whether the host population is ready, both socially and technologically, for contact with a spacefaring culture. In general, a population must have large-scale social organization (i.e. municipalities) and at least the ability to work bronze to be considered for contact at all, though more advanced cultures are more likely to be visited as such. The Far Representatives will consult with the Techguard to make the determination of whether a group should be contacted or simply observed from a safe distance. This practice has arisen both out of an abundance of caution - more than one near-human civilization has been found in ruins after exposure to abandoned Arcopel technology - and because a less advanced culture has comparatively little to offer the Protectorate in return for the investment of sending Far Representatives across the gulf between stars.