Conference and Concession of Power

[Danmark]

OOC: I concur.

BTW, to stop clutter, once the OOC thread is opened, it might be nice for a mod to delete the OOC comments off this IC thread? Pretty please (unless anyone objects).

 

[Ivernia]

High King Felix Uí Neill waited until the Engellex dignitary, the Duke of Nonsuch had finished, and the translators were ready once more before he prepared to speak. He saw that Danmark was next to speak, Fru. Ingeborg Esmerelda Munk to be exact. He thought back to the Battleaxe's last moment on the stage, he never thought anyone would dare get right up in the Havenite Stonewall's face like that, even to poke him right in the chest. He only hoped her determination might not come off as offence to the Havenites. But from what they have so far said, they have no complaints.

Not that they would complain, a sign of weakness in this room would be walking right into Fru Munks trap.
Felix decided he had mused enough. He straightend his papers and stood. Raising his left arm respectfully to the Danish delegation;
''Fru Ingeborg Esmerelda Munk, and the Danish Dignitary presence, you now have to floor to speak. To respond to the Havenshire statement as you see fit.'' He then turned his arm to the delegates from the Fennion Union, ''Mr. Vannas, as you are after the Danish, I would ask you to prepare you statement.''
Felix sat back down and raised a hand for the translators.

''Danmark, you may being in your own time.''

 

[Danmark]

"Hmmm...".

Fru. Munk squinted her eyes in suspicion and ground her jaw. Possessing a rather, what is termed, lantern jaw and small mouth, the way she grimaced made her look like she had no teeth. Bottom lip raised and obscured her top one and her jaw and mouth was askew to one side. Not necessarily an entirely beautiful sight. But to her, something sounded distinctly fishy about the way the Havenites had seemed to just throw up their hands and cave in so easily. Either they knew their time was up or they were up to something, or... she was ideologically paranoid.

She clearly did not like this man who's nom de plume was Stonewall. "Damn big bastard oaf! Is he just bloody deaf or does he have no physical sensation at all? Damn clot!" she muttered under her breath venting her hot frustration at the way he had just sat there whilst she had attempted to knock sense into him and lay down the law.

With dexterity, she had switched off microphone having become quickly attuned to the surreptitious lip-reading of the Red Havenite congregation. "A damn scurrilous bunch of lily-livered opportunists! There's not a cat in hell's chance they shall even try to read me! They can bloody well try!".

The domestically nick-named 'Battleaxe' was clearly not one to be won over so easily. She scanned her eyes across the floor at the assembled coiterie of the Nations. Would they accept this deuce of Havenites? Did they mean what they said? Would the Family of Nations accept this 'olive branch'? An 'olive branch' indeed! Fru. Munk had deep suspicions. To her, this was grand-scale jiggery-pokery in a communist setting. Communists were not to be trusted. Not even an inch. She sought assurances and prodded the Havenites through her wiley incision. But in public, she restrained her innermost thoughts, though it certainly was riven through them.

"I am somewhat pleased", Fru. Munk cleared her throat, partially in mirth. "...at the fresh developments that have emanated from Havenshire. I most pleased...pleased indeed".

Her inward devilishness reared its head.

"But, my 'Stonewall', I don''t think you have anything at all to fear from the Telorans or the Fennians. They are just going about their legitimate business. Why would your fish be threatened by that? Come, come, 'Stonewall', Hr Drogsky, your fishies have no fear!".

Her blue-grey eyes sparkled at the opportunity of jousting with communists. And joust she would.

"Your little fishies can go home to little Havenshire. On that there is no dispute. But..." and now came the beef.

"...we call on you to drop your support of the Miroslavans and their nanny-statelet of Raigestan".

Now, she got into her stride.

"Do that, and we shall be your closest friend, of sorts..." she twinkled.

"Do that, and my Realm shall drop its objections. Do not do that, and the Realm of the Great Danish Nation shall ensure that Havenite ships and troops do not get beyond their legitimate territorial limits. I'm not sure that Havenshire wants this, and neither do we. So, I call on you, Hr. Drogsky, to summon to me your intent".

Fru. Munk sat down. She wiped her velveteen dress of all specks of foreign objects and awaited the riposte from the 'oafish' Stonewall. This would be fun, for her, but of utmost importance for how the relationship between Realm and Red State would unfurl...

 

[Great Engellex]

Bán Dair Cathrach, High Kingdom of Ivernia, October 1952

The Duke of Nonsuch, as First Lord of Aldwych d’Evercy House, commanded the leadership of the Engellexic delegation, though Admiral of the Fleet Henry E. G. Villers-Talbot the Crown Prince of Walssex-Battent and First Lord of the Admiralty dealt with purely naval matters. Nonsuch, rather uncharacteristically, failed to appreciate the presence of the Danish common woman who appeared to make a mockery of European diplomacy; diplomacy which was being orchestrated at a conference hosted by the Kingdom of Ivernia and with representations made by such nations as the Empire of Great Engellex. The Engellexic ambassador to Ivernia, Lord Elephant-Castle, was commanded by Nonsuch to supply a note to the Danish woman; it simply thanked her for her generosity of opinion and energy which she provided, allowing the Engellexic representation to truly represent the Empire in the conference. The opportunity allowed Nonsuch to discuss the only thing that truly concerned Dulwich :- Engello monarchism and Havenite communism.

I shall now proceed, declared Nonsuch, no doubt to the ire of the Danish woman, to signify to you her Majesty’s pleasure with respect to the conduct which you have been found proper by our keen observations here at the metropolis at which both our nations sit, represented. Nonsuch was talking to the Havenite delegation. It is the Queen-Empress’s sincere and earnest desire that the government of Havenshire may be enabled to maintain the strictest neutrality with respect to the affairs of the Engellexic Empire in Preuti-Borussia and across the great expanse of the Thaumantic Ocean. You must, therefore, endeavour by all the means in your power, to impress upon the Havenite government the expediency of their adopting this system between the two Anglo-Saxon states; and you must assure them, that, if it be adopted, her Majesty the Queen-Empress will respect it with the most scrupulous good faith. The Queen-Empress and the Imperial Cabinet, having no means of deciding how far the regime of Havenshire may consider itself bound to the ideological enterprises of Carentania and Miroslavl, it was found indispensably necessary that Great Engellex lay the foundations of some sort of civilised agreement between it and Havenshire at this conference.

If the State of Havenshire should conceive itself to be under stringent obligation to furnish to Carentania and, indeed, Miroslavl unrestricted loyalty, politically and economically, then it may be deemed a strong possibility that the adoption of such a system of neutrality could be seen as an impossibility. Should her Majesty the Queen-Empress and the Imperial Cabinet learn of the Havenite government being decided to be dissatisfied with what I am commanded to propose to-day, and may in time be required to place a greater proportion of Havenite naval and military force at the disposition of Carentania, with no regard of purpose, it should certainly be understood, and stated unreservedly, that her Majesty will consider a compliance with such a requisition as an escalated hostility toward the Empire of Great Engellex. The Royal Engellexic Navy will, however, watch with the most unremitting vigilance, the progress of any preparations which may be made for carrying into execution an acceptance or rejection of her Majesty’s proposal.

The next object, declared Admiral of the Fleet Henry E. G. Villers-Talbot the Crown Prince of Walssex-Battent and First Lord of the Admiralty as he assumed the leadership from Nonsuch, to which her Majesty has commanded the Engellexic representation to direct your particular attention, is the situation in the Thaumantic that has permitted us all to find this conference necessary. It is extremely important that Havenshire should take the earliest opportunity to explain, without reserve, what the sentiments and intentions of the Havenite naval forces in this respect were.

 

[Havenshire]

John Keye watched as the Battleaxe unleashed a torrent of almost comical matronly abuse on the Stonewall, who took it with admirable silence and dedication. Indeed, were it not evidently clear he was breathing and blinking, Keye might have thought that the silent diplomat was dead. Yet still he withered the storm. Engellex's rhetoric however, was more terrifying in its dense imperial prose. Whereas Danmark was content to allow an old woman to rant and holler their absurd imperialistic agendas, as the undisputed global superpower with centuries of tradition and regality behind it, it was Engellex which made more of an impact.

Keye quickly scribbled some things down, and Drogsky was instructed through coded hand-signals only his interpreter and he understood how he was to respond to this. By funnelling everything through Drogsky, Keye knew, neither the stern schoolmarm nor the quiet, terrifying voice of the machiavellian superpower could influence or undermine Havenite policy objectives, nor cause them to cave unnecessarily on their principles and points. Nonetheless, the pressure these super-powers were willing to bring to bare was quite formidable, and the temptation to simply bow before it was...suprisingly unnerving.

Drogsky thought for a few minutes, processing the new information and instructions, before giving his own reply, again via a translator. "The People's Republic of Havenshire is saddened that Engellex feels the need to assert that Havenshire has not acted in the strictest neutrality towards the Great Engellexic empire. We also are confused by their demand for something that we feel we have given repeatedly and tirelessly. Perhaps our dialect and idiom has drifted from the Motherland's own tongue, and caused unnecessary confusion." The translator paused, frowning, and attempted to convey Drogsky's more longwinded message as clearly as possible, even if he had to go slowly.


"Nonetheless, we reiterate our position as clearly as we possibly can: the sentiments and intentions of the Havenshire People's Navy, at the time the crisis was precipitated, was to secure and defend our Fishing grounds and extended sphere of influence, by following our well-known doctrine of the open gauntlet. We protect our economic and vital strategic interests by making it clear that efforts to control, dispute or influence our waters and those who use them is percieved by our regime as an attack on our economy itself, and as such, we reserve the right to make the threat- implied through submarine wolf-packs- to undermine the economies of those who would threaten ours. This was a grave mistake and an overreaction at the time, brought about by a misperception that the tightly-aligned nations, whose ideologies are openly and vocally hostile to our own, would attempt a blockade on us as was attempted on Jurzan. Prior to this conference, our forces have been completely withdrawn."

Drogsky then pulled the translator aside, and handed him some paper he had been scribbling on aswell.

"Ah...uh, as to the matters raised by Danmark, we are not at this time empowered to discuss foreign policy concerning our support for nations we consider to be friendly powers. However, I can assure Fru.Munk that her concerns over Raigestan will be forwarded to our Government, and a debate may be held in the People's Assembly over the issue. However, I cannot make any agreements of any kind on either of those issues here. We are empowered only to discuss and resolve issues directly related to the Thaumantic Ocean."

Drogsky once again seated himself, and sipped a water carefully, as if he didnt have a care in the world. The translator was more nervous, and fidgeted uneasily.

 

[Ivernia]

Felix allowed a moment for the translators to finish the statement from the Havenshire delegation.

He studied his notes once more while reflecting on what was said. For a moment there he was afraid for the conference as Fru Munk brought the Raigestan issue to the table which may have heated emotions. But Havenshire seemed to deflect the issue quite easily. That Drogsky is either simply unshakable, or a psychopath. Felix mused.

The High King left his thoughts in his head.

''Esteemed guests, I believe we have a proposition from the Havenshire assembly. I ask upon the delegates from Danmark, Engellex, Fennia and Telora to respond to these terms if they could?''
The High King raised his hand to his left towards the aforementioned delegates.

''What say you to these proposals?''