Nessun Dorma- Chagny Conference, 2021 (AD)

[Holy Frankish Empire]

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Imperial Palace, Chagny

The square in front of the palace was awash in activity the city seemingly went about its day. Place Imperial was also dotted with APCs sitting quiet, the soldiers leaning on them and looking annoyed. In the center of the square two large platforms for anti-aircraft missiles were being constructed. It was without a doubt that a nefarious nation would stoop low enough to strike the palace. Indeed, many of the prized possessions had been moved to safe locations. Museums were being emptied and sandbags were being put up around hospitals. It was not a question of war but prudence. If war came, the enemy would not hold back. Yet, a chance for peace was still possible. Would madness prevail because emotions overtook reason? Or would others see the light?

Despite the sunny day, an early fall cold front had dropped the temperature. It was cool not cold. Yet there it seemed a menacing coolness. The palace had largely been cleared of staff and workers. Only a barebones crew of staff fluttered around the palace. Gone were the richly dressed foot guards regiment soldiers in their shakos and bearskins; replaced with camouflaged and fully armed soldiers which lined the approach to every entrance to the palace. Inside, the lack of people left the non-residential areas disturbingly quiet. The Emperor sat on a worn black and jade sofa that looked as if it had seen the asses of thousands of nobles and jumped up guttersnipes. He waited silently in the library, listening to the soft jazz playing on his headphones. He glanced through the doors and across the polished red maple floor to the meeting room. The long table was surrounded by simple office swivel chairs, just enough to the representatives. Staff would be quietly plied with meats, cheeses, and deserts in the old drawing room down the hall. His gaze shifted to the side table and contemplated a glass of brandy before dismissing it. The grandfather clock chimed 4pm. Soon, guests would arrive. He slowly stood, turning off the music and sauntered to his residence to change into a fine but simple suit. Would the sun rise and the night vanish or would darkness consume all?

 

[Josepania]

Imperial Palace, Chagny
29/09/2021, 1600hrs

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The diplomatic car, its origin distinguished through the small flags that proudly flapped in the breeze, finally rolled to a halt in front of its designated drop-off point, and the rear door was opened to allow for the exit of the man, the meme himself, El Presidente José Constanza, who quietly stepped out and readjusted his remarkably (for his usual tastes anyway) humble navy suit, briefly observing the military preparations in the square around him. It was a curious echo to his arrival in Fonda, Remion nearly a month before, but the aura and tone for both the stage and the actor was far different. His usual cheeriness and bombastic demeanor was replaced with a grim severity, matched and in fact exceeded only by the man who climbed out after him in an equally humble but iconic charcoal grey suit, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabriel Morales. The Josefinos, despite their geographic distance from the conflict, well understood the gravity of the situation and the implications of failure today. The President was coming along essentially for the prestige and some additional weight, but he was less inclined than usual to be his expected impulsive self.

The recent events in Gallo-Germania had disturbed him immensely, after all. The Frankish invasion of the Bourdignie Confederation turned out to be merely the vanguard of an assault on stability that included a military coup in the Remi Republic, which claimed the life of President Roberta Colombo, news that President Constanza did not quite expect to haunt him so thoroughly as it did, but here he was, contemplating the loss of a fellow leader that sought to combat the Global Exploitation Conspiracy and paid for it with her life in a way that made El Presidente wonder if he contributed to it unintentionally in the buildup to the coup. Not to mention the recent leak of backroom negotiations involving the fate of Zara, a region he increasingly regretted his personal ties to with each passing day as a sort of Zaran Folly, and his faith in the integrity of his fellow Fonda Pact members had drastically plummeted as a result, which made him reevaluate why he was so directly involved in these affairs anyway.

The rebuke of the late President Colombo plagued his thoughts, and it was beginning to show. He was in the midst of learning a hard lesson, that much was clear, and he resolved to keep learning in order to best protect the interests of San José above all else. Therefore, similarly to the Fonda Forum but now more personally committed to the plan than ever, Presidente Constanza would let Minister Morales do most of the talking. This was an extremely delicate situation after all, he reflected to himself, and he could not afford to be the cause of the coming of a Second Great War. That was a historical title on his name he could do without for the time being.

Minister Morales, meanwhile, was doing his own strategic calculations, less personal than El Presidente's but focused on more or less the same topics. He was disturbed that the focus of conflict had shifted and Gallo-Germania had become more destabilized than usual, a scenario that normally would've been happily observed from the safe confines of Occidentia but now could not be afforded, at least for the present moment. There were political considerations that, in hindsight, seemed too hastily agreed to in Fonda but simultaneously in a strange legal limbo, and San José's present involvement was necessary but extremely reluctant. The time was not right for open conflict, especially against an unexpected foe, and peace was needed to refocus and reestablish foreign policy goals revolving around Josefino interests in the grander conflict that continued to unfold.

The President looked to the Foreign Minister and received a nod in reply, prompting the two men to approach the palace and eventually the meeting room within, side by side, trailed by a small crowd of staff. San José had arrived, and it was ready to play its small, reluctant, but necessary role in the talks to come.

 

[Rheinbund]

A black Raimer R600 from the Eiffellandian embassy arrived in front of the Imperial Palace. It carried Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Norbert Schmelzer and his aides Jean-Marc Vissart and Françoise Rabane-Sochaux. Also they felt the importance of the situation. This meeting would determine the fate of Gallo-Germania like nothing else. Should it end without an agreement, then war would be unavoidable. And that war could become a big one.

It was a difficult problem. Indeed, is Bourdignie worth a world war? But on the other hand: Now it is Bourdignie and the Serbovian-speaking parts of Zara, tomorrow it will be Montpassart, the day after tomorrow it will be Ostmark, then Al-Magrab, then Blauort, then Rügen ... Where will it stop? And always against countries that guarantee a large package of social liberties to their people. It was a nice salami-tactique that the HFE and the Pressburg Pact were applying: They always went for something that looks "too small to start a major war for", and then again for something that looks "too small to start a major war for", and then for a third time for something that looks "too small to start a major war for", and in the end all the somethings that look "too small to start a major war for" counted up to a large chunk. And that was one of the reasons why Eiffelland wanted to draw a line in the sand.

Another reason was, that it was obvious that the governments of countries like Tarusa and the HFE wanted to stamp liberal democracies out. Successful liberal democracies with many social liberties made their own dictatorships look pale, and rumours about those liberal democracies with many social liberties where the wealth ended in more pockets than just the ones of the ruling class possibly fed an internal threat to the power and wealth of the ruling class. Well, it was not Eiffelland's task to present the Tarusans and the HFE-ers a good image of their ruling classes. And it was not Eiffelland's problem, either, that stories about successful liberal democracies were a threat to the ruling classes of Tarusa and the HFE.

But in any case, Dr. Schmelzer was here to negotiate, not to make reproaches. He led the Eiffellandian delegation. He and Vissart were dressed in charcoal grey suits with white shirts of thick cloth, slightly lighter grey silk ties and black shoes. Rabane-Sochaux was dressed in a charcoal suit with highly closed white shirt as well, and walked on black pumps with low heels; a formal clothing combination that had become standard among Eiffellandian women. They walked up the stairs, and and were led into the rooms where the negotiations would take place.

 

[Jydsken-Østveg]

Prime Minister Gordon Howe arrived with a limited group attached to him. It had been awhile since he had visited Chagny, and he usually enjoyed it. Good food and wine, not that it was bad back home, but it was a different kind of wine.

Howe planned for this meeting to go very smoothly and did not want to project any demands but rather facilitate a lasting peace if possible for all three nations to continue to exist. That said, his more pressing concerns were in the south with Remion, Hajr, and Porto Tien at the moment. In his absence, Foreign Secretary Dubois was in charge of most of the operations, but they had planned out a great deal of the potential problems before he had departed.

After brief greetings he sat down with a cup of tea and waited for proceedings to begin.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Emperor had greeted them all magnanimously. There was some small talk such as "Your trip comfortable?" and things of that innocuous nature. Most appeared to be strained yet Emperor Paul seemed at ease, almost as if they were meeting about some cultural topic. The Emperor keenly eyed all in attendance. Tea, water, and small beer were being offered. Clad in his navy blue suit with dark gray pinstripes, the Emperor looked no more different than those in attendance. A shrewd man may tell that his tailoring was slightly better. But others in the room certainly had more expensive barbers. He took time to let a few people chat; only a few minutes really. There was business to be done. He cocked an eye towards the chamberlain. It was time to begin. "Ladies and Gentlemen, His Imperial Majesty welcomes you all to the famous Palais Imperiale du Chagny. His Majesty would like to invite all leaders and representatives to the conference room. Staff and assistants may follow me to the drawing room for further refreshments as you will be asked to join the meeting shortly. Per the arrangements, the leaders shall enjoy some intimate discussions before you may join them. His Imperial Majesty has requested that you leave your phones with your staff so that the meeting not be disrupted" he said, bowing. The Emperor smiled to himself. The room had low-grade jammers anyway. No twatter for the guests in the meeting room.

The Emperor stood by the door to the ,meeting room, arm extended in invitation. It was not a large room but large enough for the long table and some chairs along the walls for the staff who would eventually be led in. There were some extra chairs at the table to afford people the option of sitting wherever they preferred and thus accommodate all who would be present. At each place at the table sat a small notebook and pen for the use of those in attendance. It was a regrettably windowless room but the light was warm. The wood panel walls of darkened oak were offset by the red maple floor. Passing into the room from the library, the Emperor led the way into the meeting room, sitting at the head of the table and setting down a thick manila folder. As the others sat he, motioned to the door. The doors were slowly closed with a soft thud.

"Well, here we are" he said with an all-too genuine smile. "Let us discuss peace and security. Ultimately, it is what we all want. That is why I have asked for your staff to leave us for a time. Speak your minds freely but respectfully. I will open the floor to comment and question" he said, still smiling.

 

[Rheinbund]

"Peace is what we all want, Your Imperial Majesty," Dr. Schmelzer said, in impeccable Montpassart-French. "What we want to achieve, is a long-lasting peace. I think that nobody expected the situation in Pannonia to go out of hand like it did. But it went out of hand. Badly. The circumstances dragged Eiffelland into the conflict. The Bourdignians and the people from Bécs-Altstadt asked our support, and we gave our support. We committed to giving the support those people and their countries needed, and also now we feel committed to guaranteeing the well-being of the Bourdignians and the people from Bécs-Altstadt. That is what this is about from Eiffelland's point of view: The well-being of the Bourdignians and the people from Bécs-Altstadt."

 

[Josepania]

Imperial Palace, Chagny

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Foreign Minister Gabriel Morales, following Dr. Schmelzer’s comments and an approving nod from President Constanza, followed up. His French was artificial, mechanical, as though he were reciting a lesson rather than giving the impression of being fluent in the language, but the effort he made was genuine, especially in his efforts to not include his Josefino accent.

“Dr. Schmelzer is correct, Your Imperial Majesty, and not just that peace is the aim of all gathered here. Nobody, especially those assembled here, expected the Pannonian Crisis to spiral out of control as quickly and persistently as it has since it first began. This instability has been terrible for the people of the Pannonian region, including Bourdignie, and this latest act seems on the surface to be only the latest chapter in the continuing chaos of the Pannonian Crisis.”

“We, however, are also hopeful it is the last chapter, at the minimum for the people of Bourdignie, and eventually for all our peoples as well. The Pannonian Crisis has affected nations far and wide including the Grand Archipelagic Republic, and we like those geographically closer to the unfolding violence want this crisis to end. We therefore ask, with all due respect to His Imperial Majesty and with genuine curiosity given the commitment of all here to peace and security: how is this latest action by the Holy Frankish Empire a positive step towards the resolution of this crisis, and perhaps more importantly, what does the Empire propose is a suitable roadmap to peace and ending this crisis rather than war and a continuation thereof?”

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Emperor had arched his fingers and listened rather intently. There were some sensible words in what the representatives had said. He was not without reason, after all. Yet, there were lingering questions and implications for all that was said. When both had finished, the Emperor leaned back and spread his hands.

"How does it help clear the Pannonian crisis?" he repeated, with a slight smile which rapidly vanished. "It doesn't. The mess that was made there is frankly, astounding. Now, I cannot say that I am pointing any fingers. There were simply too many factors. But let us be clear, I would have not made this the circus it has become. I am merely acting to resolve some problems as we see it. True, perhaps late. I admittedly dithered on this subject. But a solution was and is still possible "he began, now folding his hands on the table and turning an intense gaze to Dr. Schmelzer.

"Earlier this year, we saw the Patois cultural identity come under threat. This what first drew our true attention. Granted, we had always felt sympathy towards our brothers during these trying times. Indeed, that is why we opened our doors to any Patois needing refuge. Some took this opportunity. Many did not- dreaming of a nation in which they may be free. Yet the people have been led astray. There have been many games played" he said, his gaze becoming piercing before his face grew to a smirk. "I must applaud the efforts made in this crisis, even if rather transparent" he said, shifting in his seat and taking a sip of water. "You see, we received troubling" he paused, seeking the right word, "reports and have seen initial moves that coincide with these reports" he said. His piercing gaze returned. "Militarizing Lake Serault, for one. Building a fleet?" he asked, with a titter. "It seems very much to us that not only is Bourdignie to be home to a militarization program but a garrison of Eiffelander troops, as well". He raised his eyebrows and turned to the others in the room. Before a response could be uttered he shrugged in immense gallic fashion. "We see the complete hallmarks of a vassal state. The people being misled, a military force being plopped in our backyard, and a complete effort to derail the very democratic stability you proclaim to protect" he said evenly but with unveiled anger. "I love democracy" he continued, "It is a beautiful thing. That is why we have democratic institutions in the Empire. We have democratic nations in the Empire. That is why it pains me that it must come to this. We saw an opportunity to free a vassal state. Give it complete control of its domestic affairs. Give it a nation. And of course protect our Patois brethren" he said, far more calmly but with a tinge of menace.

He took a deep breath and was sure to make eye contact before his next statement. "If this were simply about reuniting all of the Frankish peoples, our troops would be marching on other places as we speak. We want peace. We want the people of Bourdignie to have true opportunity for a future, not as some vassal state-military base. That is why we have, what we think, to be a very generous peace offer" he said with another shrug. "It is up to you to accept. Yet, if we fail to achieve peace then we will see a great struggle. A sink into an abyss of a dark age. And one which none of us wish to see or experience" he said, once again sipping at his water but now simultaneously patting the manila folder on his left.

"You see, in this folder, I have a speech in which I will announce the conscription of 1 million men and women. This will be read tomorrow morning on television and go out over the radio. This is a speech which left me with a feeling of disgust after I had written it. Also in this folder is a generous peace offer. Very generous compared to the alternative. Though, before we discuss this. Let us consider something. This meeting was open to all those nations involved. Why is it that not a single representative from Bourdignie is present? Why would that be? Would it be because it is an independent nation? Or perhaps could it be because there is some malfunction in all travel methods in Bourdignie? Or is the reason much more obvious?" the Emperor said with extreme calm and levity. He leaned back in his chair once again. "I think we all know why there is no representative. Fortunately, I have considered this" he said, calling out to his chamberlain. The door opened and in strode Pierre Bachelu who took a seat. Half-Patois and half-Frank, Bachelu was a member of the group of Patois who crossed into the Empire at the collapse of their former nation.

"Questions?" said the Emperor with a smirk.

 

[Josepania]

Imperial Palace, Chagny

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The entrance of Monsieur Bachelu prompted visible confusion from Presidente Constanza, who momentarily considered issuing a vocal protest as to the inclusion of this man he had never heard of, and saw as a subtle ploy by the Frankish Emperor to embarrass the assembled nations here. He resisted the urge, however, after he noticed the quick glance from Foreign Minister Morales, equally subtle but clear in its message, "Stay calm." Therefore, the Josefino President withheld his comments but remained somewhat annoyed, while the Josefino Minister regarded both the Emperor and the newcomer with a polite, pleasant smile, one that didn't quite reach his cold glare leveled at the two of them.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty, we do have an inquiry, a point of order if you will. You indicated this summit was open to all; was an official invitation sent to the Bourdignie Confederation to send their own representatives, similarly to that of San Jose, Guienny, and Eiffelland? Indeed, was there any diplomatic correspondence whatsoever sent to the Bourdignie government? We are not aware of any such instances, and it seems out of character of an otherwise gracious and generous host such as yourself to neglect to invite a nation clearly affected by this crisis, let alone to have surprise guests included in a delicate summit where surprises are, arguably, inadvisable and impolite."

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Emperor's eyebrows rose quickly and higher than ever. He offered a plain but genuine smile and he shrugged again in gallic fashion. "You know, even if I had not, I still find it troubling that not one of you had asked about it. Nor even touched the subject" he said, glancing around the table. "I had to bring it up. The invitation was a completely open invitation to all nations involved. Now, I grant to you that Monsieur Bachelu's presence may be impolite. Though. I must venture to say" he said, pausing, "that the far more impolite move is the neglect towards Bourdignie on display. I do apologize if you have been embarrassed by the presence of a Patois. I assure you, that was not my intention. Perhaps, rather, a message. An illustration" he said, throwing up his hands.

"You see, Mr. Bachelu is not staying. He is merely here to pass out some testimonies and some information about the concerns of the Patois. Not that he speaks for all Patois. Nor all of Bourdignie. Yet, he seems to be the only one here whom may be considered a representative" said the Emperor, trailing off. Bachelu stood and introduced himself briefly and began to pass out small packets. The concerns of the Patois were listed in detail. While Eiffelland was surely already aware of their concerns, Bachelu and the Emperor were not so sure that the others understood the full plight. "Mr. Bachelu is only here to listen and answer any questions. He does not represent Bourdignie, nor all Patois. I want to make that clear. Yet, it is disgraceful that we discuss the fate of the people, and her so-called protectors don't even question the absence of them at the table. Nor do they deem it wise to allow one to be sent following a genuinely open invitation" he said, turning to look blankly at Schmelzer. "Why would this be so? For what reason would this bother you? I can think of only one answer. I think you know as well. Bourdignie is being treated like a vassal state. She is being treated like a whore who is used to all of the violations of a common pimp. You have tricked her people into some kind of syndrome" the Emperor said, with real anger showing slightly. "You question me? Because I ask the question that all of you should have asked?" the Emperor said, becoming suddenly calm. "If you wish the only pseudo-representative of Bourdignie here to exit; I will humbly ask that you at least consider the materials he has brought today" the Emperor said flatly.

 

[Jydsken-Østveg]

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Palais Imperiale du Chagny — This entire time Prime Minister Gordon Howe sat stoically occasionally putting pen to paper. He observed the delegates talking about peace bringing in muppets and feigning outrage. Gordon was a man that was quite thin and tall. His height alone could be intimidating. However, he was also considered a breath of fresh air compared to his predecessor which was considered a fat pig that spoke his mind too quickly without any regard to the feelings of his audience. Not that Gordon was never guilty of doing the same on occasion, but Gordon was considered more of a misunderstood genius rather than a fool that did not know when to stop speaking. In this genius of his, he much preferred to stay silent for awhile and find out what his opponents were thinking. Yes, everyone at this meeting was an opponent to Gordon. Never mind that Gordon also considered them potential allies and friends, in this room they would always be opponents and to let anything else get in the way of that viewpoint would only leave Guienny in a weaker position when the meeting was over. When they got tapas or something after the big show they could reflect on friendship, but in the meantime there was business to be had. Perhaps this is where and how he got his reputation for being a misunderstood genius. He did not lose often, and when he did, he often took that personally.

While listening he had not felt the urge to speak. Not yet. He understood the time was near though. After all, if he never spoke at all what signal would that convey? A disinterested neighbor wanting to make sure not everyone was bombed to hell? Well that was not entirely true either. The misunderstood genius that was Gordon Howe was just as perfectly happy to watch the continent burn if Guienny ended up two times more wealthy in return.

So, he’d sip his tea, and return to writing. What was he writing? Nothing in particular. One of the things he jotted down being a haiku.

Illustrious pomp
Failure to see the future
My tea becomes cold

Gordon now perhaps feeling that this was becoming silly saw through the Frankish Emperor’s feint. He perhaps decided to comment on it, regardless of if it upset the Emperor. After all, in this room, they were opponents. He understood French fully, he could even speak it, in fact it has become a bit of a requirement to become Prime Minister these days; even still, he would refuse to it and hold fast to his Engellexic tongue. “Gentlemen, while I understand the failure of this gentlemen’s club to include the fairer sex might fail to temper your words and expectations, I want to make note that I see through this kabuki theatre and have no intent to care which way Mister, uh,… Bachelu, goes or what he considers himself. I do not care what your opinions on the Patois culture and people are because I do not believe any of you have feeling in earnest on such trivial things as micro-cultures in Gallo-Germania. This is all a false pretext for war, just as well as it a false pretext for peace. There is clear imperial design in this advance and I am okay to admit that being a legitimate feeling and opinion. Just as well there is clear imperial design in keep parts of the former-Pannonian failure within the Eiffellander orbit. Here we look at each other over the barrel of a gun and I watch safely from the opposite side of the lake. My lovely Foreign Secretary made a sort of handshake agreement to keep these territories independent and so now I am in the wonderful company of you all here in this room. Not that I am not happy to be here, your hospitality is generous Your Imperial Majesty; however, let us not waste time on this game of charades or pictionary, whatever you wish to call it. I don’t care about your feelings and I certainly cannot fathom why anyone in this room cares for ‘little Pierre’ who farms pumpkins and other squash thirty miles north of Versoix. You can save that rhetoric for your election campaigns if anyone in this room has them other than I.”

That last point was perhaps a pointed remark. Nobody in this room directly had to face the public in a way like Gordon Howe did. The Emperor was to be adored, not elected. El Presidente and Mr. Morales certainly did not have to face elections that were free and fair like he did, and Eiffelland sent their Foreign Minister to a meeting where he was the junior member. Gordon Howe knew that he stood alone as any arbiter of democracy in this room and he would roll his eyes to any pretext of any of charlatans in this room that they had any care for ‘the people’.

Gordon continued, “The meat and potatoes of this meeting is quite simple, we have a question on Bourdignie. A Franco-German nation named by the Patois, made independent by the Patois and all the same now looking to be only comprised of Germans if Eiffellanders had not stood in front of the Emperor. I have a handshake agreement that said I need to attack the Holy Frankish Empire for their invasion. I do not want this war, I bet Eiffelland also does not want this war. The Emperor wants his Empire, and I do not speak of that in shame nor dishonour… that is a legitimate desire. Guienny will not sit in your palace and speak in hypocrisy. We are not innocent of imperial grandeur, nor Eiffelland for that matter. Of course lastly, Mr. Morales in fairness is here because he stood first demanding peace. A good showing I might add, sir. So I suggest we not go to war. Can that at least be agreed upon? If that is so then I am quite open to any agreement in principle, but also I am not unreasonable. If this meeting goes poorly for any reason I deem ill-suited, I, of course reserve the right to not honor that handshake and the Emperor can annex the half of Pannonia if he pleases. So I believe we have what some might call a, perhaps, Josefino-Standoff. So let us put all the guns away and determine war is off the table first. Also please send this actor away, yes, please. I think we can maintain some sense of class in this room.”

Gordon took a sip of his tea and adjusted his tie. He’d likely listen again for awhile before speaking. He did not want to move on or deliver some kind of rebuttal before each delegate had their piece.

 

[Rheinbund]

"Your Imperial Majesty," Dr. Schmelzer said calmly but, unlike him, with a slight undertone of anger, "you say that the invitation was open to everyone involved. Then why did the government of Bourdignie not get an invitation? If it would have got one, it would have sent a representative. I have checked with the government of Bourdignie; it did not receive an invitation. It could be that you sent it, but it did not arrive. For whichever reason.
Furthermore, I reject any accusations of having turned Bourdignie into a vassal state. They are based on either ignorance about or a misinterpretation of the facts. The Eiffelandian troops are in Bourdignie upon request by the government of Bourdignie. We did not send soldiers into Bourdignie upon our own initiative, we sent soldiers into Bourdignie upon request by the government of Bourdignie.
If you want to know the reason for that request, I suggest that you look east of Bourdignie. If no Eiffellandian troops would have been present in Bourdignie, chances are big that you would currently talking about the Patois in Western Csengia with the governments of Csengia and Tarusa.
The reason why we are currently building corvettes and submarines in Hohensee is also an answer to Csengian threats. The Serault Canal is currently in the hands of Csengia; it can allow whichever kind of Tarusan warships through the canal for a blockade of the harbour of Hohensee, blocking all kinds of trade over Lake Serault. Such a move would also have consequences to the Holy Frankish Empire.
Apart from this all, the mayor of Bécs-Altstadt repeatedly requested Eiffelland to turn it into either a colony or a province, but we rejected that. If we would have had imperial intentions, we would have eagerly accepted it.
I value the fact that you care for the fate of the Bourdignians, but then you should look at what is happening east of Bourdignie, instead of looking at Eiffellandian military units which are stationed in Bourdignie upon request by the Bourdignian government."

Dr. Schmelzer didn't show it, but he boiled with anger. Eiffelland supported Bourdignie upon request by the Bourdignians, supported Ostmark after that country got the natural gas supplies cut off by Tarusa, developed Al-Magrab and brought democracy and civil liberties to it, but it was continuously accused of imperialism, and especially by the most imperialist country of the world that was yearning for turning Bourdignie, Ostmark and Al-Magrab into puppet states. And now also by the Holy Frankish Emperor. No wonder that Twatter exploded of the twats with the hashtag Empereurfouslecamp.

"I don't know what kind of information Mr. Bachelu has that needs to be shared with us, but if it is about atrocities committed by Eiffellandian soldiers, he is talking about individual incidences and not about standing Eiffellandian policy. In that case, the individual incidences need to be investigated and the culprits punished, but the culprits are not the Eiffellandian policy makers. My suggestion is, that he gives copies of his documents to me, so that we can investigate them, comment on them and, if needed and possible, take appropriate actions against individuals.
Prime Minister Gordon, let it be clear that Eiffelland does not want war, either. I realise very much that a major war will only know losers.
Therefore, I have a proposal. Because the government of Bourdignie did not receive an invitation for this meeting, I discussed a proposal with it. This proposal is to ask the Bourdignians what they want. We are going to hold a referendum. This referendum will ask the Bourdignians whether they want to remain independent or want to become part of the Holy Frankish Empire. In the case that they want to become independent, we will ask them if they want to have Eiffellandian troops, Bourdignian troops, both Eiffellandian and Bourdignian troops, or no foreign troops at all on their soil. In this way, we will get to know what they want.
Then one issue remains: What is going to happen to protect Bourdignie against Csengian and Tarusan threats?"

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Emperor had to admit that there was something very admirable in Howe's approach to diplomacy in general. A polite shrewdness that could turn to cold shrewdness in an instant. It was not nefarious but pragmatic. Something he could not ignore while appraising the man. Indeed, he had a persuasive manner about him. Yet, sometimes that manner crossed into a polite disrespectfulness. "Monsieur Howe, Monsieur Bachelu is here to bring up some legitimate concerns, of which none in this room appears to care about. It is once again illustrated that the Patois balance little in your minds" said Emperor Paul with a passive tone. "And Mr. Howe, I would let you know- not that it will change your manner, that Monsier Bachelu is of aristocratic roots and most assuredly does not far pumpkins" the Emperor said with a tone of jest in his speech. In fact, unknown to them, Bachelu was a distant cousin. The Emperor sighed and pursed his lips. "I am indeed fortunate to only have had to run one election campaign in my life, and I assure you it makes your elections seem like a schoolyard argument over which cartoon is greatest" the Emperor said facetiously.

"Now, I understand that you, Mr. Howe, have brought up a very clear point. None in this room want war" the Emperor began very seriously; his brow crinkling in thought. "Some of you may say that the Empire wants war. If that were true, our men would be flooding your borders at this moment. No, I do not want war. Nor do I want some half-baked puppet on my border. There is a resolution out there. It is up to you to decide what the Patois are truly worth if you are unwilling to entertain the concerns of them in the first place". The Emperor nodded and Bachelu took his leave. "I cannot really say that there isn't some essence of imperial grandeur or framework to this situation. What I can say is that it takes a backseat to the real issue at hand" the Emperor said, trailing off. His eyes flickered to the ceiling as another military chopper flew low over the palace. A daily occurrence now, it was becoming an annoyance. The Emperor rolled his eyes. "I will be sure to speak to the city command about those things over the palace". Even an Emperor couldn't get those pilots to follow protocol.

The Emperor turned. "Dr. Schmelzer, you know, this was an open invitation. If they are not here do you not find it odd that I had to bring them up in the first place? It is not my fault that they ignored a public and open invitation. But I believe we are past that as you seem not to care for the plight of the Patois. So far, I see all the hallmarks of a vassal state. You plop a fleet in what is- to an extent- OUR backyard and expect us to skip merrily and ignore it?" the Emperor pivoted in his seat and fully faced Schmelzer. "Monsieur Bachelu simply wished to express the ongoing plight of the Patois and some of the concerns of the Patois refugee community. Though, since these are not a priority to you Mr. Schmelzer" said the Emperor, purposefully ignoring the doctoral title, "we can instead speak on the alleged atrocities. Or should we perhaps move on?" he said, turning his chair and continuing before a response could be made.

"Now, Dr. Schmelzer has offered a referendum be held. Which, is interesting. For many reasons. Let us discuss it. First, it is ludicrous to think we would continue to allow an Eiffellander presence in the region and the militarization of our lake. Second, a referendum? Mr. Schmelzer, a man of your talents? I have just told you that I will be ordering a conscription of 1 million men and women tomorrow if these talks fail and you counter with a referendum? What madness is that? I have another proposal. This is perhaps a more realistic and, might I say generous proposal. And Dr Schmelzer is right, there will be a lot of losers in this war. Some may not even be losers. Loser would be far too kind a term" said the Emperor pulling sheets from his manila folder and passing them around the table.

"You see, there are a few conditions we have. A portion of Bourdignie created its own nation within the Imperial system of course. Our conditions include the removal of all Eiffellander troops from Bourdignie indefinitely. A pledge to never create nor base ships in our lake. And of course, the Empire will sign and agreement to show no further aggression in the region if conditions are met. I feel this is a very generous peace offering considering the alternative. I do not need to explain just how vile and horrifying a war would be for you or for the Emp...." he was cut off as another helicopter buzzed even lower. The Emperor took a moment and hung his head in annoyance before barking out for his chamberlain who came running in. The two exchanged words in hushed tones for a moment before the Emperor nodded and with a twinkle in his eye turned to the representatives. "I am afraid we do have somebody who has accepted the open invitation- though rather late.......". A few moments later footsteps could be heard in the hallway heading straight for the meeting room doors.

 

[Tarusa]

Down the hallways of the Imperial Palace were the footsteps of a man, whom would to anybody who didn't know him seem an ordinary gentleman you could pass on the street and never recognize. He was neither tall nor short, he was average for a man in appearance of his 62 years of age. He paused at the door, in each hand he carried a bottle of Starka. He took a deep breath, composed himself, as this was the first time many of them would have ever seen him in public as he never himself made public appearances often sending delegates in his place.

Bursting thru the door came Tsar Yuri Kiselev VI, and he could see the shock on the eyes in the room as they all turned towards him. He began making his way towards the table with the delegations, still carrying a bottle in each hand, "Well, I made it, hopefully I didn't miss anything too exciting. I couldn't personally pass up an opportunity such as this to be in Chagny." He spoke as began to approach El Presidente, he could see it in the look from the man that he despised him, and with it he reveled in the moment before speaking again.

"El Presidente, I do not believe we have ever had the honor. But soldiers of my Imperial Army have in a way! I personally have a case of that Josefino rum stowed away in the depths of the palace. So it would be rude for me to not to return the favor and give you something in return" The Tsar had himself a slight smirk as he laid the first bottle of Starka in front of El Presidente before carrying on towards the Emperor.

As he approached the Emperor he outreached his hand in greeting, giving the man a handshake and then clasping him for a greeting hug whsipering to him as he did, "I bet all the faces in the room are either in shock or disgust, maybe both. How entertaining this will be!" As he pulled back away handing the bottle to the man who had brought all these men together. Now speaking once again aloud "Its rude to not bring the host a beverage when your invited to a party as a guest. A token of friendship for drinks later. Now, I can only hope you can fill in the parts I have missed with a summary?"

The two men took a short walk around the room as he was given a summary of the affairs he had missed, with an aid being summoned bringing over a folder for the Tsar who thumbed thru it as the two men discussed. He then began making his way back towards the table, to show his position he took to the opposite end of the grand table sitting at the opposite end, the other head of the table if you would say.

"Gentleman, what this man has proposed, is by far the best option of peace that has been proposed yet. I know some of you in this room consider myself the embodiment and epitome of evil. As such let me say this, if I am so evil, if the Empire is so dangerous, why do you throw yourselves this close to war? Why risk leaving the back door open to the hordes of the uncivilized Tarusans" he paused for a moment as he smirked, looking directly at El Presidente before he continued, "Eiffelland says entirely its logic is based around the Tarusan threat, or the Csengian threat. During the entire Pannonia conflict we never once made aggressive moves against what would become Bourdignie nor have we since Csengia signed a treaty with them recognizing their independence. I never ordered the Imperial military to react in former Pannonia until it was forced to, we would not be sitting here at this moment if it had not been for the unilateral actions undertaken in violating the borders of former Pannonia by elected officials. How events have played out has never been by my hands acting first, but by my hands reacting in kind to events forced by the democratic world. It was a weapon provided by the allied states against Csengia that was used in the assassination of Horvath, a man who would be in charge of Csengia now if his life had not been cut short."

He could tell he was getting on the nerves of some of the representatives by bringing up the historical precedent that had been set and refreshing their memories.

"I say to take this deal offered by the Emperor, as it is currently the best solution available at this time and support it. Its time to end this mess!"

 

[Rheinbund]

"The only thing I can say, Your Imperial Majesty, is that both you and the Imperial Majesty whose guests we are are better in spin than the democratic world," Dr. Schmelzer said calmly to the Tarusan Emperor. "No, indeed, Tarusa and Csengia never invaded Bourdignie. But especially Tarusa threatened Ostmark multiple times. Furthermore, Tarusa violated resolutions from the European Forum during the Pannonian Crisis. It is no wonder that the democratic world distrusts Tarusa and its vassals. And now the Holy Frankish Empire shows the same kind of intimidating behaviour as the Tarusan Empire. There is something strange with Imperial crowns."

He remained silent for some moments. THen he continued.

"I would like to discuss matters with President Constanza, Minister Gabriel Morales and Prime-Minister Howe."

 

[Josepania]

Imperial Palace, Chagny

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​

Before the arrival of the surprise guest, Presidente José Constanza, muzzled somewhat unwillingly by his Foreign Minister to prevent unnecessarily inflammatory statements, had resigned himself to watching the proceedings unfold and listening to the dialogue going back and forth between the Emperor and those assembled here, using the notebook to be studious in his observations. Strangely, his restraint from his usual impulsive tendencies allowed him, out of pure boredom and lacking access to his secondary entertainment in the form of his phone, to settle into another skill that had allowed him to remain a popular president in a country that called itself but wasn't actually democratic: that of the consummate populist. Reading the room and reading people, as well as reading the concerns of the Patois as distributed by this odd Monsieur Pierre Bachelu who was so callously dismissed by Mr. Howe.

The first was apparent concerns by the Patois that the Germanic cantons were trying to dilute Patois culture and ultimately remove it from Bourdignie. He vaguely remembered an article two months ago in the Bourdignie-based news about Germanic politicians bringing it up, speculated to be a stunt to get elected by appealing to nationalism, and that it was regarded then as a non-issue. As a populist politician who was no stranger to riling the people up against an other, that was Presidente Constanza's own conclusion, but apparently to the Emperor it was anything but. Second was concerns that the Patois faced vast economic disadvantages compared to their Germanic fellow citizens. He was not aware of anything of the sort happening, at least not systemically, though his own thoughts on exploitation by Agents of the Global Exploitation Conspiracy immediately came to mind, and El Presidente registered this point as plausible at the absolute minimum. Third was the stationing of a division of thirty-thousand soldiers of Eiffelland in Bourdignie and the building of a few ships in Lake Serault, concerns Dr. Schmelzer had already addressed with righteous irritation and anger, but it led into a fourth concern that was expressed vocally rather than written down. Through it all a consistent charge kept appearing: Eiffelland was treating Bourdignie as a vassal state, and this more than anything seemed to upset the Emperor immensely.

He could sense something strange was going on, this hatred the Emperor had of Eiffelland and its apparent meddling in Frankish affairs and with the Frankish population was genuinely expressed, and in an odd way given the international fight against the Global Exploitation Conspiracy, he found himself sympathizing with the Emperor, but as far as El Presidente could tell it was a troubling misplaced hatred. The Eiffellanders were not perfect in their fight against the Global Exploitation Conspiracy, far from it. They were colonizers of Al-Magrab despite their loud protests and they were a constitutional monarchy after all, but compared to how Tarusa treated Csgenia, or other colonial nations treated their overseas territories, the comparison was no contest. These claims were exaggerations at best, falsehoods at worst to justify Frankish aggression despite repeated assurances that war was not wanted. It was possible, Presidente Constanza thought, that there was a way to use the Emperor's genuine fears to his advantage.

That thinking was derailed with the low-flying military helicopters over the palace, much to the annoyance of the Emperor, and then his announcement that a surprise guest had arrived. If Monsieur Bachelu was a shock, the appearance of the Arch-Agent of the Global Exploitation Conspiracy himself, Tsar Kiselev VI, nearly caused El Presidente's heart to stop. He couldn't hide his hatred of this man before him, and badly wished he had access to a firearm, diplomatic niceties be damned, as the man had the nerve, the absolute nerve, to courteously present a gift of Tarusan Vodka as thanks for the Josefino Rum he apparently prized and treasured within his palace. It was as though he knew Josefino customs of gift giving, typical manipulative sneakiness from those in the Global Exploitation Conspiracy.

Oh how he hated this man as the Tsar visibly gloated over the outrage and anger within the room at his very presence, El Presidente alternating his deathly glare between the Tsar and the gift of vodka in front of him. He hated him because he couldn't help but be charmed by him, admire the utter chaos he was sowing by his very presence. He hated the Tsar because he liked those aspects about the Tsar, with utterly no contradiction whatsoever despite logic dictating otherwise. This was his arch-nemesis, right here in the room, and he dared to challenge El Presidente by out-charming and out-chaos-sowing the man who single-handedly caused a socialist revolution in a nearby country.

Two could play at that game.

Therefore, after the Tsar finished making his... recommendation regarding the peace offer, and Dr. Schmelzer made a brief retort and request, Presidente Constanza took a deep breath and, against the previously expressed advice of Minister Morales next to him who was scrambling behind a stony face to recalculate a response to this travesty, the Josefino head of state put himself into political campaign mode, and wiped away his glare with a warm smile. He was debating an opponent, wooing the masses however big or small they were in quantity, and he would win. He had to.

"I would be happy to discuss things with Dr. Schmelzer, but there are two things that must be addressed first, if I may." He began, then turned to the gloating Tsar. "I must thank the Tsar for his tremendously generous gift. However, I must also confess my embarrassment admitting that the Josefino Rum was not originally meant for you. I hope you accept my apologies, but I am pleased to learn that fate clearly found a way to direct it to your humble home, and I am overjoyed that it is to your liking..." he flashed a politician's smile to the Tsar as he spoke that more effectively hid his rage at the Tsar's very presence. "I immensely look forward to enjoying your gift when we can view each other as friends rather than enemies." In other words, never, but that was perfectly alright for the time being.

He then turned to the remainder of the room, standing so that he could further gather attention to himself and away from the interloping and most unwelcome Tarusan. "Gentlemen, the Tsar's entrance has timed well with something equally unexpected by me. I have had a revelation I would like to share with you all, if I may. I was taught something by my father when I was a child, wisdom that I carry with me to this day, and am pleased to share it with you all: the true image of anything is a multi-faceted diamond, and each individual person can see only a facet of that diamond." He held up one of the crystal glasses that were laid out for drink in front of him and placed it in the fading sunlight, illustrating how the single ray of brilliance exploded into many while passing through. "In other words, a glimpse of the truth, but nothing more. A fool would say their perspective is the only one that matters, but the wise man knows that only with numerous perspectives and cooperative observation by many people, can something as close to the truth as possible be discerned." He then set down the glass again, after a brief moment of seemingly studying it for further insight. "It is with that advice in mind, I believe there is compromise to be found in both peace offers, perhaps a truer and better peace offer to be found that will satisfy all here."

He began slowly walking through the room, dragging attention with him as he took each step. "Through listening and watching this conference unfold, I can see that His Imperial Majesty genuinely worries for the peace, prosperity, and progress of the Patois in Bourdignie." He stopped his walk to look directly at the Frankish Emperor and gave him a sympathetic smile. "This is an admirable worry, a worry worthy of any righteous leader of a great people, and I believe that worry is shared by most if not all of us assembled here, to varying degrees, for their own peoples in their own nations, otherwise we would not be here discussing how to avert war that we all agree is unnecessary and unwanted." The walk around the room resumed, "To be more relevant for the time being, I believe we also are concerned about the status of many if not all of the ethnicities in Bourdignie as a whole, to varying degrees of passionate intensity. Otherwise we would not be here, talking about democracy and the rights of the people and going to such great lengths to protect these concepts from manipulation and exploitation by other nations."

By this point he had made his way behind where Dr. Schmelzer was seated and paused again, looking back to the Emperor. "It is with this fact established that I must respectfully disagree with His Imperial Majesty. Far from being madness, there are important aspects of Dr. Schmelzer's proposal for a referendum throughout Bourdignie that falls in line with His Imperial Majesty's love of the Patois people and of democracy." El Presidente spread his arms reassuringly, like a friend attempting to comfort the doubts and worries of another friend, "I have no doubt he has nothing to fear from a free and fair referendum, for surely the love the Patois have for the Emperor and the Empire as a whole regardless of whether or not they are already within the Empire would make itself readily apparent in such circumstances, and overcome any and all meddling by outside forces." He then turned to the good Dr. Schmelzer, and briefly laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Similarly, Dr. Schmelzer has nothing to fear from a referendum regarding the stationing of Eiffellander soldiers in non-Patois Bourdignie, for surely they were invited there from the beginning by the Bourdignie themselves, no? In the event they were they no longer welcome or needed, the Bourdignie should be free to express their unwillingness to host their northern neighbors who, it appears, may have outstayed their welcome and the Eiffellanders would, subsequently, comply with their wishes." He turned back to gaze upon the Emperor, If they do not, then their intentions become clear, and the international trust within Eiffelland's expressed love of democracy and the people would be violently stripped away, and we could see that the Emperor's fears of their true intentions being geared towards exploitation and manipulation are justified. I personally think they are not quite accurate, but I do not dismiss them out of hand, for my assumptions have been wrong before. Therefore I sincerely believe this referendum would provide a definitive answer that the entire world could see."

He then resumed walking back to where he was seated and laid his hands on the back of his chair, refocusing his gaze on all assembled. "Despite all of these promising aspects of Dr. Schmelzer, I must admit there is a significant problem I see in the referendum idea, and I hope it correctly speaks to His Imperial Majesty's objections:" he paused again to let some of the suspense build. "Who, exactly, orchestrates the referendum? Behind all the pleasantries and diplomacy in our vocabulary, we can all see that there is a deep mistrust in this room between the Emperor and Dr. Schmelzer, and that is frankly none of my business to mediate, though I of course am happy to provide as much rum, coffee, and marijuana as needed to assist in resolving these personal issues after the conclusion of this conference." How serious he was with his proposal was unclear, but it was meant to put a more personal rather than professional air to his long-winded speech, and he chuckled as though it were a mild joke.

"I digress, though. Allow me to propose a potential compromise; that Eiffellander authorities take no part in organizing and overseeing the referendums at all, but instead allow for the Franks, the Guyenasque, and the Josefinos to take the lead in organizing these referendums, so that the fear of any outside manipulation of the true feelings of the people are as minimized as realistically possible." He took out the map that had been distributed earlier by the Emperor and, holding it up so he could illustrate his proposal, he pointed to respective areas in turn. "In the Patois-majority regions as the Emperor sketched out for us, the referendum will be conducted by the Franks and, inspired by His Imperial Majesty's love of democracy and desires for the Patois to have an unfiltered voice, focused on a singular, simple question: whether or not these cantons should join the Holy Frankish Empire or stay in an independent Bourdignie Confederation." He knew the Franks taking control of this nearly guaranteed the results of the referendum, but it was a subtle ploy that El Presidente hoped the Emperor could appreciate, while also ensuring they'd actually have to work to get what they wanted rather than just having it handed to them. "Meanwhile, in the Germanic-majority regions outside of what the Emperor has designated, the referendum will be conducted by the Guyenasque and Josefinos and focused on two questions. The first: whether or not Eiffellander forces should remain in Bourdignie. Through this we can once and for all determine whether Bourdignie, not Eiffelland but Bourdignie, truly wishes for an Eiffellander presence or not. The second question: if an equal number of Frankish Imperial troops should join them to guarantee the true independence rather than vassalage of the Bourdignie." This second question was a bit of a gamble to further placate the Emperor, having shared influence in Bourdignie rather than being excluded from any further affairs. "Furthermore, whether they say yes to Eiffellander troops, no matter what, a demilitarized zone within the western borders of Bourdignie, wherever they are redrawn, shall be enacted where no Eiffellander troops may be stationed for whatever reason, to better secure the peace of mind of the Franks who are focused on the well-being of their people, and the building or stationing of Eiffellander naval assets within Lake Serault shall also be forbidden, though the ability of Bourdignie to build or purchase a navy from whomever they wish should not be prevented. Lastly, a firm accord would be signed between the Holy Frankish Empire and the Kingdom of Eiffelland guaranteeing the political, territorial, and economic freedom of the Bourdignie Confederation from all outside powers regardless of their origin, which would function as an accord of reestablished friendship and sharing a mutual goal of securing of peace, prosperity, and progress within Gallo-Germania as a whole. Only this time, the Franks would be included instead of excluded."

He sighed, and sat back in his seat. "This is my proposal, gentlemen. I do not believe it is a finished product as is, but I feel it is a proposal that takes the best aspects of both the Emperor and Dr. Schmelzer and combines them into something better resembling what is, truly, the best option here to avoid war. A clearer look into the diamond of peace if you will. If nothing else, it's a start, a base that we can further build upon towards peace. It may need further perspective, perhaps a few tweaks here and there to ensure all concerns are addressed from all parties and subsequently satisfied, but I genuinely hope that it at least piques your interest, Your Imperial Majesty, satisfies your concerns about the wishes of the people, Dr. Schmelzer, and is a robust plan that all here can work with and support instead of choosing war. Perhaps after we have a first round of responses, if needed, then a more private conference can still occur."

 

[Rheinbund]

Dr. Schmelzer would have preferred that San Jose and Guiennie would have organised the referendum everywhere in Bourdignie, but he realised the reasoning behind why the Frankish should organise the referendum in the Patois-dominated areas of Bourdignie. Indeed, the Frankish would do everything to let the referendum turn out in their favour, but it could be that without that possibility the Frankish Emperor would not agree with it. He started to talk.

"Let it be clear that also I value it that the Frankish Emperor is concerned with the fate of the Patois. In any case, if we want to achieve peace in Bourdignie, we have tolisten to the Bourdigniens. I agree with the peace proposal of President Constanza. Thank you, Mr. President.
One thing we need to clear: The campaigns. I think that that has to happen nation-wide. And also in mutual respect, so no mutual blaming and shaming. The campaigns should be as objective as possible, based on historic facts, clearly showing the differences in opinion, but without mutual hostilities."

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Emperor exchanged a quick glance with the Tsar. It was not all that had been asked for, but it was enough to agree. The Emperor let out a long "hmmmm". He leaned forward and eyed his folder in contemplation. There seemed to be a genuine and fair counteroffer on the table. He weighed the offer. Sure, it was not everything. But it was enough. The border, he himself had proposed, would not include all Patois. But it surely was the majority of them. A few hundred billion Francs of investment. The Empire would simply restrict certain aspects of the referendum of course. It seemed to have a fairly small downside. At least on the surface. El Presidente seemed on his game for this meeting. What was the English speaking conservatives called Costanza. The Emperor racked his brain. Oh. Of course. "Can't stand ya". The Emperor worked hard to hide a grin. For a filthy socialist, he seemed rather amiable. He looked up and again shared a glance with the Tsar.

"Gentlemen, I believe, we have an something of an agreement. I would, of course, like to thank you all for being so committed to the peace process" he said, with a small smirk. "I have some of the finest cigars from the Queen Emma Isles" he said, picking up the folder and rising. "I shall ensure you each get a box of the world's finest" he said. "Now, I believe it is time to speak with our staff and get things in writing. Of course, we will complete the original in Frankish- as it seems to be the most widely spoken here. But of course we shall complete copies in all respective languages. If anyone wishes to have a brandy, champagne, wine, or beer- there will be a wide Frankish selection in the old drawing room with your staff". The Emperor wondered just how many staffers had enjoyed a bit too much of the finer options.

 

[Josepania]

Imperial Palace, Chagny

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You must be registered for see images

​

Presidente José Constanza could not help but beam with pride that his compromise had been accepted by both the Frankish Emperor and the Eiffellander Foreign Minister, when it seemed war had hovered at the edge of the abyss. Those two, from his perspective, seemed very nearly at each other's throats not too long ago, held back only by the conventions and traditions of diplomacy and negotiation that coated their poisonous words with honey. As for the wildcard Prime Minister Howe, which his radiating aristocratic bearing, he barely took part in the whole affair, observing silently first, making his biting remarks towards all assembled as things began to pick up in intensity, then go back to his strange, passive role in this conference, even after the arrival of the Tarusan Tsar himself. As for that man, that Arch-Agent of the Global Exploitation Conspiracy... he had nearly thrown the entire conference into chaos, as he surely intended, or at minimum provide just enough intimidation to push the free world into folding in front of the Emperor.

But El Presidente stood firm, and though his own compromise wasn't completely satisfactory in its scope for his or his allies' interests, it put the onus and thus responsibility on the Bourdignie people to decide what would happen to their lands, thus standing fast to the principles of democracy. Yes, unofficially those conducting the referendums, especially the Franks, were bound to use their great influence to swing things one way or the other, but ultimately that was a small price to pay to avert the Second Great War, a war San José at least was not yet ready for, and he sensed neither Guienny nor Eiffelland were also ready for. Also, it sounded good to the public, both at him in San José and the international community, proclaiming that referendums would be the road map to peace, and he, El Presidente, would reap the rewards he had sown as being the Peacemaker of Gallo-Germania. He already liked the sound of that, as well as the anticipation of his Twatter follower count exploding.

Therefore, as the Emperor invited all assembled back to the old drawing room for drinks, and all-important access to phones, Presidente Constanza basked in the triumph, and exchanged a handshake with his Foreign Minister who, for once, looked genuinely pleased and impressed with his impulsive performance. "Well done, Su Excelencia." Minister Morales declared softly.

El Presidente smiled and shrugged, responding in an equally subdued tone, "I must thank you, Ministro Morales, for taking the lead at the beginning and keeping me in check until the end. It forced me to observe, and therefore learn much about the people here, and about timing and gravitas. I think there is much more you have to teach me in diplomacy, if you will let me continue to observe."

Morales' smile became wider, and he bowed his head in acknowledgement of the priase. "I am happy to assist, Su Excelencia."

As they walked out, El Presidente made his way over to Dr. Schmelzer and offered a congratulatory handshake to the Eiffellander veteran diplomat, who the Josefino began to admire for his professional will to weather such vicious attacks from the Frankish Emperor. "Muchos Gracias, Dr. Schmelzer, for your patience and your assistance. I hope you can forgive my brief takeover of the negotiations, but it seemed things were about to spiral out of control until that moment. I am very grateful you lent your support to my proposal."

For now, Presidente Constanza was ignoring Prime Minister Howe. The verbal slight against him regarding election campaigns, no matter how unofficially accurate such a remark was, was nonetheless irritating, and on reflection part of the reason he went into such a long-winded campaign-style speech back there was to show that stuffy aristocrat he had the chops to win debates when times got serious. He'd eventually get to the Prime Minister, but Dr. Schmelzer was a more important man to talk to for the moment.

 

[Rheinbund]

"I have to thank you as well, Mr. President, for turning this meeting into a success," Dr. Schmelzer said in almost perfect Spanish (only a slight German accent was heard), while heartily accepting the President's handshake. "You have averted a second Great War. Something all Gallo-Germanians will thank you for." And honour who deserves honour, he would give the Josefino President the credits. "By the way, despite the war threat, the Oktoberfest in Würzwald continued. This weekend will be the last weekend. I invite you and Minister Morales to a table in one of the Bierzelte."

Eiffellandians were no teetotalers, and they did like alcohol. But there was a social rule: No alcohol during work, except you are a bartender or a person producing alcoholic beverages. And there was also another reason why Dr. Schmelzer's aides were still sober: they preferred to keep their heads clean for the case that the meeting would end badly. And also now that war had been averted, the Eiffellandians kept their alcohol intake limited.

Dr. Schmelzer heartily accepted the cigars from the Frankish Emperor, but also there he had a problem. Thanks to intensive anti-smoking campaigns, high sin taxes, prohibitions on marketing campaigns for tobacco and the obligation to sell tobacco products in repulsively ugly packages with scary pictures and large warnings on them, less than 20% of the Eiffellandians smoked, and Dr. Schmelzer belonged to the other 80%. He began to ask himself whether the Eiffellandians' preoccupation with their health was one of the reasons why they were so impopular among the Frankish and the Tarusans.

OOC: How is our IC-variant of Spanish called?