A Matter of Clarification (ATTN: Great Engellex)

[Tulus and Biminis]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Central Tower
Government District
Almatii, Karakhstan

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The new government district consisted of a number of glass towers situated around an open park with the Senate's plenary nearby. It was surrounded by a forested park just a five minute drive from the city centre and situated on the main bus lines. At its opening ceremony last summer many were upset that it was not right in the city centre while others applauded the architecture, well-lit workspaces and energy efficient construction.

Foreign Minister Katan Kazkhanov did not involve himself with trivial matters such as those. He was glad to have his ministry occupy some of the uppermost floors of the Central Tower, the tallest. It provided a commanding view of the city, which was growing at an exponential rate in all directions, stopped only by the mountains. He could see the border with Yujin on a clear day and the beginning of the farmlands to the north.

The Government District made it incredibly easy for workers of all the main ministries to quickly attend meetings and meet with colleagues from other offices. Senators could walk from the plenary hall next to the Central Tower to their offices in the shorter towers in minutes. A food court, convenience store, hair dresser, medical clinic, fine men's and women's wear clothier, tailor and bar were all in the compound. The park was also open to the public should they wish to visit.

The embassies were not far, either. Kazkhanov could see many of them along the tree-lined boulevards of the South End. Nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, the South End provided a comfortable environment for the foreign diplomats residing in the city.

A chime sounded and a woman's voice filled the glass office: 'Minister Kazkhanov, the ambassador from Great Engellex has arrived.'

'Thank you. Send him in.'

He straightened his tie and turned from the view to the wooden double door as it opened to reveal his guest.

 

[Great Engellex]

Almatii, Karakhstan, Far East

Almatii was a disgusting experiment of modernistic dreams, with the sight of the new glass structures grinding painfully against the eyes of more civilised peoples, such as his Excellency Sir George Meredith who had the displeasure of the Almatii Mission. Meredith was informed by a female attendant to the Foreign Minister to enter the minister’s office, naturally the Old European diplomat stood before the door of Minister Kazkhanov’s office and waited for the foreign woman to stand and show him in, with the installation of modernist ideals came the displacement of simple decency, he thought to himself.

When the door opened, Sir George Meredith calmly marched forward, his left hand resting where the hilt of his ceremonial sword would usually be found. Security customs are such a bother to diplomatic tradition. Meredith was himself within the smart dark blue and gold braid uniform of the 7th Hussars – minus headgear, of course. Like many within the landed gentry of Engellex who serve abroad diplomatically, Meredith purchased a Queen’s Commission Honorary. The uniform was quite well for the man, who was quite tall, slender, and sported a stiff Engellexic moustache. His waxed boots pierced the silence of Kazkhanov’s presence as they snapped against the cold hard floor.

The ambassador turned to the Foreign Minister, stood solidly before him and clicked his heels, while maintaining a fixed watch that perfectly expressed the lack of amusement felt within Dulwich toward the antics of this Far Eastern scrap of land.

He stood with silence to await for the words that he had been informed needed to be made with urgency.

 

[Tulus and Biminis]

Katan Kazkhanov, dressed in a smart suit of a Germanic designer, held back his surprise at the dress of Ambassador Meredith. He was aware of the archaic customs of Great Engellex, but didn't expect to see a man enter his office with such a wardrobe. The boots, while stylish perhaps, looked incredibly uncomfortable to Kazkhanov.

He extended his right hand towards the man. A firm grip. Good, that meant business could be conducted.

'Your Excellency, I thank you for coming down at such short notice.' They moved over to the seating area by the large windows. Kazkhanov sat at the end of a leather sofa, Meredith in a leather arm chair, a glass coffee table separated them. A woman entered the room carrying a silver tray with both a pot of tea and a pot of coffee. There were also some pastries and biscuits. Perhaps the only items older than the new buildings were the china pieces. They were over 100 years old and hand crafted. Perhaps that would put the ambassador at ease, he thought.

'Your Excellency,' he began after having sipped his coffee, 'it should come as no surprise or alarm to you and your government that I summoned you hear today. Your public expression of discontent was certainly noticeable. While we appreciate honesty and a crisp way of conducting diplomacy, I must, on behalf of my government, express to you our dissatisfaction with the content of said message.'

Kazkhanov crossed his legs. 'You see, Ambassador, in our opinion your government prematurely shot off this message without doing its homework. The gross accusations within the message were simply false. Karakhstan is embarking on a very natural relationship with our northern neighbour. Our countries require proper infrastructure connections to allow transport of people and goods as in any country. Central Toyou is underdeveloped and vast. We cannot afford to miss an opportunity to properly connect. Furthermore I must make it quite clear to you that we are not engaging in any diplomacy that would assist the new government in Boliatur with its agenda. Senior Minister Natanbayev informed me personally that he wanted you to know that as a neutral country we neither condemn nor approve of the recent coup in Boliatur.'

Kazkhanov continued despite the steel face of the ambassador. Frankly he didn't care. As far as he was concerned Engellex was a country on the other side of the planet with limited influence in the region. He was simply informing him that his government's meddling in this affair was not looked upon favourably.

'We condemn violence, that is all. Currently the understanding between Almatii and Mrysini is simple: we will improve road connections and other basic infrastructure. We are not getting involved with anything dubious and we certainly will not support any policies of theirs that include ideological gains.'

Kazkhanov took a cigarette, Vangalan tobacco, from a tray on the table. He lit it with a match and took a draw, allowing the brief interlude of silence and smoke to sink in before speaking again.

'Ambassador Meredith, Great Engellex has nothing to fear. While you cannot count on us as becoming a member of your coalition against Mrysini, you can certainly count on Karakhstan remaining a neutral location close to your adversary. So I ask you now, as a representative of your government, what your concerns are.'

Certainly Engellex would view a neutral country sharing a border with Boliatur as an asset, not a problem, he thought. The possibilities for espionage and infiltration could only be increased and secured. He didn't necessarily want Almatii to become an international intelligence community meeting ground, but it wouldn't be the worst of things to occur.