Boats and Peace

[Tarusa]

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The stage had been set for what was hoped to be a more lasting peace in Gallo-Germania. Baron Bakhmeteff had left Frescania the seat of the EF and had arrived in Piramida days before and began preparations along the crew of the Polar Star before setting for sea into international waters of the Gothic Sea for a meeting between the dominant powers of the continent that could set the stage for years to come.

Baron Bakhmeteff had been chosen by the foreign ministry to represent the imperial interests and as a way to snub the European Forum and show its deficiencies should the negotiations prove fruitful. The Empire had intervened in Pannonia to prop up a government it had found similar interests in and ended up with itself a client state, its ambitions had since turned into solidifying the position of its client state and reconstituting its previous borders as much as possible bringing as many Csengians back within the boundaries as possible as well as subjugating the other minorities as smaller parts of the Kingdom.

If it had not been for the Whitaker Plan any conflict with the Germans could have resulted in Csengia being divided in half as had happened previously during the pannonian civil war. One only needed to look at the map and note that Kispest itself was not entirely secure and would be within easy reach of long range artillery fire if an immediate push was not achieved against any possible forces using Bourdignie as a staging ground. The Tsar was prepared for a large scale conflict, he knew he could have the upper hand in any such conflict with the help from the Frankish Empire that viewed the Germans as a threat as well. However, a peaceful solution from the EF had been tried and failed, and so he would once more seek the backdoor negotiations to achieve his goals, and should it fail, a great conflict would potentially engulf the continent.

The yacht sailed for the middle of the Gothic Sea, where it would await the arrival of all those invited. No grandeur shows, nothing extravagant was planned. Meals, accommodations, and negotiations. This was how the Tsar negotiated, no grand standing, but down to business in the dark shadows.

((@Skånskelag @Holy Frankish Empire))

 

[Jydsken-Østveg]

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A rather older yacht known as UFS Gammel Herlighed attached to the Republic of Jydsken came alongside the Polar Star. She was an old yacht that was intended to serve the monarchy, but upon its completion ended up in the service of the Republic. It had been kept in good working order and was lavished with service and complements fit for a King, as originally intended. Its design was of course for the luxury of the King, but now she was on a mission that the Republic of Jydsken always hoped for, general diplomacy in the Gothic Sea region.

As the delegates representing the Scanlaw and Republic of Metsamaa began to board the Polar Star, there were pleasantries exchanged as well as the these northern folks could manage. Relationships in the Gothic Sea region were always frosty on the outside, especially when business was at hand. it was not a representation of animosity, but rather a no-nonsense attitude that precluded all matters at hand.

The most senior representative was none other than Hillevi-Iida Laine. She was the daughter of President Tuuli Annika Laine, and widely assumed to be the front runner to become President of Metsamaa when her mother retired. Until then, she had earned her stripes in the limited foreign ministry for Metsamaa as the second to Foreign Minister Jaan Anton Pärn. Accompanying her was Erik Christensen from Jydsken and Karl Österström from Gutarike which were purposely chosen to be of lower rank to Miss Laine. Additionally joining them was Otto Müller, a stoic man from Thüringäu who was to advise Miss Laine. Despite this strange hierarchy, it was mostly just politics to elevate Metsamaa as they had brought this meeting about. Abroad Gammel Herlighed, was the Foreign Minister of the Scanlaw, Saga De la Gardie herself. She was out of sight and hopefully out of mind, but ultimately would be the one to sign off on whatever her staff come to the conclusion of.

Saga walked along the starboard side of Gammel Herlighed out of sight from anyone aboard the Polar Star and waited. She would not have particularly good communication to the delegates, but she would be able to hear what was happening. Karl wore a wire and she had an earbud. That said, she didn't have it on at the moment. The introductory greetings weren't her business, although her staff were busy keeping a keen ear on those proceedings. She waited for her staff to tell her to begin listening in.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

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The Frankish yacht was decidedly smaller. The Prestige Mondial sailed into view, its upper deck clearly holding several people. As the vessel drew closer, it was clear that the Frankish delegation did not come alone. Women in bikinis were rather visible. Alcohol and food seemed to be flowing freely. The Pellot brothers made their way slowly to the small transport to be moved over to the Polar Star. Wearing matching white suits, the brothers made their way up the sideboard, arms full of bottles. "Bonjour mon ami!" said one of the Pellot brothers who began to hand out gifts of sangria. Some bottles even were handed to the crew.

Despite the obviously relaxed entrance, the two brothers had some rather serious intentions. The Empire needed this mess to be smoothed over and things needed to be resolved. Failure to find common ground and build a foundation of progress, would likely have dire implications. Sure, the Pellot brothers were called "immature", "playboys", and "ridiculous"; but in the world of politics they were well regarded. Joubert Pellot was one of the deputy ministers of the Foreign Ministry and Claude Pellot, Marquis of Chantonnay, was a Minister en Liberté. The two boasted actually impressive resumes despite their appearance and social reputations. Yet, it was hard to ignore the initially blaring club music, now off, which had been coming from the Frankish yacht.

 

[Tarusa]

Bakhmeteff had a slightly annoyed look on his face as the Frankish delegation arrived and began boarding the Polar Star, he didn't realize the Tsar had invited El Presidente's ego aboard the vessel. But none the less business was needing to be conducted to attempt and find a solution to the Pannonian Crisis once and for all. He led the way of the delegations towards the upper deck for the meeting in the spring air to start the day as you could still hear the music in the distance from the Frankish delegations yacht in the distance.

Seating the delegation and then standing before them he began to speak;

"Ladies and Gentleman, I thank you for coming aboard this ship and for your governments and your own secrecy. Cellular signals have been blocked to ensure that we keep this secret as possible, if some sort of need for communication is needed back to your respective governments the communications suite onboard will be available or we may shut the jammer off if that is more to your desires if the need arises.

Now onto business. It is no secret that my government views Post-Delegationism and its influence on the continent as a problem. Specifically that from Lethonia-Thuringau which has repeatedly acted outside of the authority of ScanLaw. We had hoped either the Scandinavians would succeed in reigning in the Germans or the European Forum would be capable of doing such, or both combined, however it seems we have over-estimated the willingness of the world to avoid a conflict on our continent. Seems they are apathetic unless the cause suits their political agenda of the moment.

So why are we here? We all know that the clouds of war are on the horizon, I think those of you invited here know how the lines are drawn in the sand of the sides of this conflict as well as I do. Bourdignie is the issue at hand, a treaty signed in Chagny that have been flagrantly ignored and now then an European Forum resolution that was to as well see the removal of Lethonia-Thuringau forces from Bourdignie, that was being abided by until it was decided that would no longer abide by sections of it after another resolution was sponsored by a westernesse nation and approved by the majority in the EF.

This is unacceptable to my government, and her majesty's government in Kispest. Bourdignie is recognized by the Kingdom of Csengia as an independent entity, and having hostile forces within artillery range of her residency. It is also obvious to ourselves by the multiple moves by the Lethonians that the goal is to establish yet another Post-Delegationist regime on the continent. I fear if we cannot reach an agreement here aboard this vessel, that those clouds of war will not be on the horizon but over our heads and the downpour will be the steel and blood that will be shed on the battlefield. This leaves us with a few options to discuss.

What will it take for Lethonia-Thuringau to abide by the EF resolution as passed in the European Forum? What will it take for Bourdignie borders to be withdrawn from? Or the division of the Bourdignie nation between we three powers to satisfy all involved parties and completely bypass the European Forum and the nations that would love nothing more than to see us killing each other."

On that note he proceeded to take his seat and take a drink of his Vodka, the faces of those in attendance seemed shocked at the last part of his proposed topics of discussion.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

The Metsamaans whispered to each other for a brief moment after Bakhmeteff had finished. Hillevi-Iida Laine was given the time to speak next.

“Thank you to our hosts, and the Frankish delegation. Your gifts are appreciated. — It is my understanding that we are here today to find a compromise that has not been able to be reached in the European Forum. The Republic of Metsamaa finds the European Forum as key to having open discussion and dialogue. Further use of the EF and its channels are of importance to Metsamaa. Efforts there were not in vain, and have been eye opening for governments such as ours in Metsamaa.”

She shuffled some papers around and paused for a good 15 seconds. A quiet that perhaps showed how calm the Metsamaans were, or perhaps how they didn’t want to fill the air with unnecessary speech.

“I think all the parties here today are interested in peace, else we would not be here at all. We want to come together with solutions to our problems. The solutions that we have in mind are both reactive and proactive. That is to say, we do not believe there is a single solution, but instead a complex package in which a multitude of exchanges are made. While Mr. Bakhmeteff has made clear what the problem is, he has not given any possible solutions yet. I would be eager to hear his proposals before continuing with the Scanlaw’s counter. From there, I am authorized to move forward based upon how I feel about the progress of discussions.”

In reality, Hellevi had several counter points. The types of counter offers made would depend on what the other delegates had to offer first. If they did not meet the higher expectations that Metsamaa and the Scanlaw as a whole had, then they’d make a larger counter. She had an aide whisper in her ear and she spoke again, “Also, the jammer must be removed. My aides require that to be able to engage in their own work.”

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Pellot brothers sat down, obviously in a relaxed mood. They had not, unlike the "professional" ladies, indulged in the flowing champagne or the fresh snow. They had indulged in a single drink each, but maintained a clear and sober manner. But clearly, they were not the uptight expectation of diplomats. The two leaned back. Neither arrived with aides, papers, nor any manner of briefcase. Though they had both excused themselves before the meeting had begun. After some time, they had to be dragged back from flirting with and hitting on the female deckhands. Now, their demeanor changed. Not quite serious. But certainly not the level that others might expect. Claude leaned back in his chair and stared up for a moment. He chuckled. As others turned towards him, he shook his head with a smile. "You brought phones, out here?" he asked rhetorically. "Why on earth? Mon Dieu" he said, chuckling again. "We have beautiful ships, clear weather. Beautiful company..." he went on, with an even bigger grin before a light punch on the shoulder from his brother brought him back. The smile at once disappeared and he leaned forward.

"I think, rather we think, that a roadmap to peace can be established here. The European Forum is a circus of ego-stoking fools. They're only concern is to make themselves seem righteous. They want to sit in their chambers and play pretend. 'Play by our rules' they say. After liberating the Patois, we tried. They decided that they have changed the rules. They live by paranoia and their flexible sense of integrity. In those chambers, words, handshakes, and even treaties mean nothing. The brunette on the boat" he said, pointing "is more trustworthy. And shes la putain!" he said laughing. "If it weren't for our crew, those two whores would be robbing us blind" he said, greatly amusing himself. But, his face went quite serious. "The Emperor wants peace. If it were war that he wanted, well, he would have that by now. It would very well be already over. Regardless of that fact, let us consider the fact that a deal is within reach. We are as flexible as the next person" Claude said. "But when it comes to treaties being broken and thrown in our faces....well..." he said with a shrug.

 

[Tarusa]

Bakhmeteff once more took to standing before addressing those aboard, this time walking carrying his vodka in his hand.

"I think it is safe to say that we do not expect a Lethonia-Thuringau withdrawal from Bourdignie being the second time we have witnessed an attempt to install a delegationist government in its place and comments calling for it to be a part of ScanLaw. That is why the first two points I had brought up are moot, we do not believe there would be any true negotiation room on those subjects until after the blood has been spilled. As such, I have been given some documents with a crude map of Bourdignie and the new borders....."

He paused as he had walked over to a member of the ships crew who swiftly disappeared

"The signal jamming will cease for the moment, in good faith, but as I was saying. We believe that there is only one option truly left for the fate of Bourdignie that will satisfy everybody, well almost everybody."

Several crew members returned passing out a folder to the lead negotiators of the Franks and ScanLaw.

"The people of Bourdignie might not find this outcome favorable, since they have been adamant about their independence from the beginning of the Pannonian civil war, and even voting for the withdrawal of Lethonian-Thuringau forces after the Chagny Treaty. It is currently the only surviving independent part of Pannonia to avoid being swallowed by the Kingdom of Csengia, an outcome that will most likely happen should this meeting fail and blood gets spilled. In those folders you will see a division of Bourdignie, with parts being turned over to the Frankish Empire securing its position of the Serault Lake but also making Bourdignie completely dependent upon Lethonia-Thuringau for sea access in the event of continued cool relations. You will see parts of the countryside that are absorbed by the Kingdom of Csengia, securing its capital from being within long range artillery fire, taking a threat away from a city that had been left in ruins from the conflict and still shows wounds from the conflict. Lastly, you will see the region of Thalgau becomes a Tarusan Exclave. The majority that is left of Bourdignie is free to become a part of ScanLaw.

At its inception Bourdignie was estimated at around 20 million people, we can calculate that a couple million are currently now part of the Patios Republic, and the addition of the new region would add roughly the same so for arguments sake we'll say 5 million people at the end if this agreement is reached are now Frankish citizens. We can as well estimate that theres roughly 200-250,000 people in Thalgau, and in the areas we recommend for Csengian annexation would probably equal no more than 2-3 million people. But what of Becs-Alstadt you ask? If you look at the map carefully you'll see that it is lined up with all 3 new borders, it will be a Free City where all 3 powers will have power, but no power at the same time. It will essentially live up to its name of being completely independent of all 3 nations but also relying on all 3 nations, we can as well estimate its population of being several million. What does this mean? That Bourdignie will be left with roughly 10 million people, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, but not significantly enough to make a difference strategically in manpower, leaving a majority of the state to the Lethonians or ScanLaw, or whichever entity it is that is executing the decisions in Bourdignie.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Hillevi-Iida sat stoically as she listened to the proposal. As soon as it seemed Bakhmeteff was finished speaking she immediately chimed in succinctly. “No.”

There was a brief pause as her direct word and manner hung in the air. She continued perhaps because the rest of them needed to know why. “This is not an improvement upon the status quo. Continued purgatory for Bourdignie is likely better for the Scanlaw and Thüringäu-Lethonia. You must subtract from your demands or give those that I am representing some sweetener. You told me the virtues of speaking outside the European Forum, yet you give me a European Forum offer.”

She hoped her words stung a little. She wanted them to offer what they thought was a continued compromise. Depending on how far they went, or perhaps how bold they were, she could tell from what angle they really wished to proceed. A humiliation of the Scanlaw and T/L or an actual fair bid to maintain peace, stability, and equilibrium of powers. Depending how they proceeded, she could finally counteroffer. To immediately counter she would betray her actual position though. She wanted the flexibility to add to her counter and perhaps bargain for regions and pacts far and wide, well beyond the scope of Pannonia.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The two brothers exchanged looks and shrugged. Totally expected. They shrugged before Jourbert leaned forward, his gaze becoming very intense. "It seems, madam, that you think this is a status quo. You seem to believe that this is some kind of long and ongoing problem. This is not the status quo. The status quo left a long time ago. The European forum is full of fake moral crusaders" he said, abruptly leaning back. "This is not a place for it" he said, gesturing vaguely about him. "Let us drop the façade. Continued purgatory is a dream. It is a mirage. Sure. We can string things out for some time. But eventually, that string snaps. Let us not continue to pretend as if this were a level playing field. The way I see things, you have walked into a casino, gambled, and lost. You are now complaining to the casino managers who offer you a partial refund. You have already lost, you just do not see it. You can have something or nothing. Is there some leeway? Surely. I am sure some level of sweetener can be found. But sure you have realized, the deck is stacked. The cards are marked. The house will win" he said, with genuine pity.

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Hillevi-Iida looked at them blankly. These two had so much emotion between them. A lot of extra words that she was not so sure did anything extra or helpful to making sense of them. She also was not so sure if it was an attempt to scare her into submission or perhaps something else. Either way, she did not understand them or their purpose for speaking what they did. Maybe they really enjoyed casinos. She would recommend them one later perhaps, but she was not a gambler. So maybe her advise would not be better. She’d be better to keep her mouth shut. She in fact was not even all so sure that these men understood her at all. Even still she felt compelled to say something as she felt directly addressed. “Thank you for your metaphor.”

She turned her head back towards Bakhmeteff and waited to see if he had any sweetener himself. If not, she would open the folder that was just then placed in front of her by Karl.

 

[Tarusa]

"Continued Purgatory is not really an acceptable option however. As the brothers have explained in their flamboyant way. There is really no status quo, nor balance that lets Lethonia-Thuringau and ScanLaw win a potential conflict here. To be blunt, if we wished we could make a mighty fine sandwich in Germania. Bourdignie and the troops there are easily enough cut off from the rest of Lethonia-Thuringau in the event of a conflict. As they said, the deck is stacked in our favor, we may lose some, but at the end of the day we still are the big winners."

The Baron paused for a moment, taking a look at the brothers, they were direct, but they liked being metaphorical. One could say he was brash in his old age.

"This offer I wouldn't even call it a European Forum offer, it would struggle to find the votes from the righteous liberal democracies. I anticipated a sweetener would be needed, even tho in my opinion getting the largest of the land exchange and population of all the parties alone should be enough for expanding the PDist cause, we do have some things we will offer as it is true, the narrow strip between Thuringau and Bourdignie is a chokepoint, and our forces when combined with the Kingdoms army would quickly be capable of severing that vital link. A withdrawal of one of the two armies in the Kingdom of Csengia of the Imperial Armed Forces, and the removal of our strategic bomber squadron as well. Essentially shrinking our footprint in the Kingdom by half and giving a little breathing room. We are also willing to decrease our naval expansion program, keeping it at the necessary levels to maintain vessel replacement but not adding any new large warships beyond the final 2 keels that are to be laid later this month, however this comes with a requirement of similar agreement from the nations of ScanLaw."

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Hillevi-Iida’s face took one a slight expression that was a bit quizzical. She had to correct the mistake that was somewhat her own fault. “I did not wish to suggest that the status quo is our preferred result, but merely that the proposal alone gave us no benefit better than the status quo. Perhaps I am not as good at metaphors as my new Frankish friends.”

She didn’t continue to counter the sabre rattling she observed. The Tarusans spoke a language of violence and that was to be expected. Both delegations wished to pressure her into believing that a military conflict would heavily lean towards the two nation’s advantage; however, her own reports suggested that a war would be bloody and horrible. While her counterparts were right, they’d win conventionally, the sheer number of paramilitary groups and militias in Germania would make this war drag for at least a decade and likely turn the entire region into rubble. Her own minds eye felt that at least the Holy Frankish Empire’s representatives would not like that. Thüringäu-Lethonia purchased a lot of the products that came from their Empire, from simple foods to automobiles and more. Simply put, she didn’t buy what they were selling, but she was also aware that on a personal level she did not care so much for the conflict in Germania. If Tarusa and Holy Frankish Empire attacked, she felt that Metsamaa would not involve itself.

She also felt based on her discussions aboard Gammel Herlighed, that the Scanlaw Nordic nations would work to only achieve limited goals of maintaining only the coastal regions and holding onto those, the individual Republics also suing for peace if Lethonia or Thüringäu seemed lost. Of course this was her impression, but it also seemed a rational one. Perhaps why the aide from southern parts, Otto was not in a great mood the entire trip thus far. Although speaking to Otto, it seemed chemical and biological warfare was on the menu should a war occur. She did not like that prospect either, as there was nothing to suggest a biologic attack would not have immediate blowback onto the civilian populations in Germania, and perhaps globally. She would do her best to come to an agreement with the joined parties.

Hillevi-Iida opened the folder in front of her and it was not what she expected. It was not the folder she was briefed on! A cruel trick, as her mind raced as to why. She quickly determined this must’ve been a counter offer determined by Karl based upon the offer submitted. She would have to ad-lib.

“I believe your offer is genuinely kind Mister Bakhmeteff, but it is not what we had in mind.” She paused continuing to study the new material in front of her. The fact that the material was new made her ramble and speak more than she normally would. As if she were narrating the terms.

“I think that the Scanlaw takes most exception to the annexation of Thalgau and annexation of parts of Bourdignie to her neighbors. It is my opinion that the Scanlaw is not opposed to these requests outright as well. This is to say that there is a certain flexibility in the possible solutions the eyes of the Scanlaw. The Scanlaw wishes to think outside the box, and think bigger than our armies located nearby. I think that the Naval expansion programs that are occurring in both of our navies is perhaps something that could be bargained, but it is not a point in which the Scanlaw considers anything other than a mutually friendly gesture rather than sweetener. Instead what my friends in the union believe as sweetener extends further beyond Germania. I think that for Thalgau to be accepted as annexed, and for a thoroughly German population to be exchanged to the Holy Frankish Empire and Kingdom of Csengia… basically for your terms to be accepted as you requested, you must support the annexation of Hajr and Al-Magrab to the Scanlaw for it to be partitioned as the Scanlaw sees fit. Additionally, the remaining Bourdignie must be accepted as a full part of the Scanlaw. Your support in the Himyari expansion of post-delegationism would include support in the European Forum and military assistance should external parties interfere. In return for that previous point, this would be expanded to a larger pact, in which the Scanlaw will offer similar support outside of Gallo-Germanian interests. So to say, should any of our this groups aboard this yacht holding territories outside of Gallo-Germania be threatened, the Scanlaw will assist and likewise expect it in return. To be considered a Gothic Sea Pact of sorts, in which the Queen Emma Isles and Sankt Katharina would be defended by the Scanlaw for your Empires as well. I might recommend such a headquarters in Metsamaa, to which our governments work permanently to secure extra-Gallogermanian holdings together. Thus to hold the peace in Gallogermania, we work together abroad on the terms offered here.”

The headquarters bit was something she added in herself. She found the entire thing a bit detestable, and did not like what she said. But if she was going to say it, she better bring home something for Metsamaa. It seemed as if she just announced an attempted deal with the devil, or maybe a larger global agenda by the Bakken Government. She was not quite sure.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The two sat stone faced in thought for some time before they leaned their heads close together. There was clearly a long conversation going on with a lot of gesticulating. The two were in deep discussion and spoke quietly. Though, a few words were audible such as "Emperor", "bacon grease", "tablet", "gas", and "existentialism". The two went on for a few minutes before they came apart, each looking at each other before nodding.

A few more whispers before they leaned back and shrugged. Joubert, quite casually, nodded and began to scratch his knee. Clearly thinking carefully about his wording. "Madam, that is a lucid and indeed impressive proposal. My brother and I, or rather the Empire, are fairly impressed. Claude nodded in agreement as his brother continued. "It seems" Joubert went on, "that we would be supportive of this. There are, however, a few aspects of this that we would like to....amend. First, we want the Empire to receive guarantees that we will receive favored nation pricing on natural gas and oil. We have no designs on securing the oil fields of either Hajr or Al-Magrab. That is for you and Tarusa to iron out. However..." he said, leaning forward, "Alexandrette. To be blunt. We want it. The reasoning is two-fold. First, the Emperor needs this as a further marker of success. To sell this alliance to the politicians, the Emperor needs something to wave about. Second, we feel that such a position is most advantageous for power projection" said Joubert, lightly trailing off. "We would build a Gothic Pact naval facility. By we, I mean out of the Frankish purse. This would be a multi-national base with command rotating yearly and forces rotating regularly. We wish to build a large airbase outside the city. This would be a Frankish one but of course open to pact member use" he said, cracking his knuckles- one of his compulsive behaviors.

"We also would like a few other small details. We are in general support of such a headquarters being in Metsamaa. We believe it to be reasonable that a regional HQ be in Alexandrette. Now, this detail is minor but we are detailed people. On occasion we are" said Claude laughing and looking at his brother. Obviously there was an inside joke that nobody else was privy to. "Our automotive sector would like to build new plants in Scanlaw. We would appreciate some tax assistance with this effort. Finally, the Emperor is very much interested in the potential for a tunnel project between our two nations. These are ambitious but small details- in comparison. If, ascent to these requests is given, I see the Emperor giving this his fullest support"

 

[Tarusa]

The Baron had to seat himself and take a moment to compose himself after this proposal from the Scanians. He signaled for a member of the crew to refill his drink, taking a big swig as if swallowing his pride a little bit. It was not something he had expected to be brought up, and it was quite the surprise. He finally found himself the ability to speak once more after taking a moment to digest this offer.

"Well, I must say this was not something I myself was expecting either. I do find it mostly appetizing. If the Tsar is to sell this at home, and to the elite he would like to ask that a division of Magrab be on the table. If we were to either follow the boundary of the Noks Free State along either this more easterly longitude or western longitude point of the Noks border directly north to the sea, putting Barqah in the Scanian portion and Al-Gharb in the Tarusan. For the growth of Post-Delegationism, there must be growth of the Empire in near equality. Otherwise, I myself cannot argue much against what has been stated and believe it can be something the Tsar, the Empire, and the people will find equally satisfying. We will secure peace in our time in Germania, while being a force that can be unquestionably unchallenged in protecting our interests."

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Looking back at the others with her, Karl put three fingers up and nodded. The exchange with quick and quite contrary to the others reactions. She spun around to face the others at the table again. The gesture simply meant that she had support to accept these proposals. The number gesture simply meant that she needed to get something more as well. However as how everything was entirely off script she wasn’t sure where to push and to what degree. “I am able to see your modifications to our proposal as acceptable, but as with any negotiation we need some slight modifications ourselves to be able to grant those. First, we will need to ask for port rights in Sankt Katharina so that we may be able to better aid Tarusa there. Second, in order to approve of the Tarusan territorial demand in Al-Magrab, we must urge that it be administered differently by the Tarusan State, and therefore not the same administration as the Noks Free State. It is my belief that this will be better for our relationship there. As for the requests from the Holy Frankish Empire, I can sign off on all of these quite easily, especially the economic projects… but… we feel as though we are giving up some things we originally desired for ourselves. As a result, to seal this deal and not make this difficult, I will ask for what I will call ‘future considerations’. That is to say the Holy Frankish Empire and separately the Empire of Tarusa owe the Scanlaw, and the Republic of Metsamaa something in the future that we will discuss when the time is right. This may be a small consideration, or it may be a large consideration, but if it is large it would be hoped we may all will benefit from it again. I believe in some old Engellexic custom they call this informally an… I.O.U.?”

She was again reaching with the inclusion of Metsamaa, but she didn’t think it would be harmful. She wanted to elevate Metsamaa as a partner in this endeavor and not a Scanlaw puppet.

 

[Tarusa]

"These are completely acceptable to myself and as the authority granted full capacity in the negotiations by the supreme authority of the Tsar will consider these acceptable to the Empire."

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Pellot brothers nodded slowly and turned to speak in hushed whispers again. It was clearly something that they were carefully speaking about in depth as their conversation went on for several minutes. Quite a few times they looked as if they had finished when they went back to discuss another point. It was very clear that they were in agreement but were being methodical. However, they suddenly stopped and looked at the other representatives. Claude arched his fingers and merely said "agreed". Joubert yawned and said "You have the word of the Emperor that we will abide by this. We ask you wait at least 36 hours before either of your governments make any part of this agreement public. We have some business to handle and the government needs some time". Joubert looked positively stone faced before Claude announced "and we still have about 12 hours of vacation for ourselves" at which Joubert gained a smile. "Perhaps either of you would like to join us?" he asked, his eyes darting over to Hillevi-Iida with a slightly wolfish grin. "Music. Drinks. Special party gifts.......". Joubert broke in. "We have nachos, lemonheads, and clearly my dad's boat. If not, you're both invited to the Saint-Maurice wine mixer of course. Claude said, under his breath, "the fuckin Saint-Maurice wine mixer"

 

[Hanseatic Republics]

Hillevi-Iida nodded, and everything seemed agreed upon. An after party on a Frankish boat could be interesting, and of course others she'd insist her entourage of diplomats come along. She actually felt rather ambivalent about going to the other boat for whatever lemonheads were, but she hoped it was not too alcoholic because she had a flight to catch in the morning and early morning flights and hangovers were not something she was interested in reliving.

A few of her staff began to furiously type up news to be securely transmitted to both the Scanlaw and Metsamaa. They'd not likely be joining the afterparty, because they'd likely be working all night.

Hillevi-Iida then insisted to Bakhmeteff. "Surely you will come along to enjoy something about lemon heads?"