Shahdara calling Christiansborg

[Serenierre]

Ergumeh Air Base
SHAHDARA
​

As the Danish delegations aircraft appeared on the radar, Grand Councillor Azam S. Khan was on his way to the Ergumeh air base, which was reserved for imperial and government flights, from the old citadel of Sikandara – a trip that would take slightly over half an hour. That morning, he had many things crossing his mind. The upcoming elections being the foremost on his mind. Though he knew that their party would eat up the Labour Party vote-bank, there was still a nervousness amongst their ranks, which had even infected the resolute Chancellor Jhangvi. And then, the Gallian débâcle which really did not have any reason to get as bad as it had gotten. Though he wouldn't be raising the topic up with the Danes, the report from the Sikandari Ambassador to Potenza had been a damning account of the happenings.

As the motorcade slowed down, entering the compound which served as the entrance to the airbase, he mentally prepared himself for the diplomatic reception. Though he had only been Grand Councillor for Diplomatic Affairs just for two years, his forty years in national politics had given him enough confidence to feel proud about the fact that he never got nervous before meeting foreign delegations, in fact he enjoyed meeting and interacting with people from exotic communities. And today, he was calmer than usual about his meetings. Firstly, he spoke Danish fluently, so he could interact directly with his counterpart. Secondly, he had met the man before at an international conference for maritime trade and had found him nice enough.

The Dane had told him that, when Khan had served as the Ambassador to Christiansborg and had spoken at a seminar at the city's university, he had been there and had interacted with him. At that point, Khan had smiled and nodded appreciatively all the while turning up blank as to when had he spoken at the university and in-fact what had he even said? Let alone any interactions. But having some skill in acting serves a politician well and then at the maritime conference, it had served Khan well.

Stepping out of the car, holding his ivory and teak cane firmly, he walked straight towards the building, not wanting to stand unnecessarily in the cold. As he was walking in, he was glad to see that the imperial guards, who would officially welcome the delegation, were standing at attention, dressed in their traditional uniforms, complete with the curved swords of honour. The Danish and Sikandari flags also were side by side on the many flagpoles there, which looked rather nice in the early morning sunlight. Once inside, he asked one of the aides how much longer would it be for the Danish flight to land.

A while later he returned and said, "In half an hour."

"So, eight?"

"Yes, sir."

 

[Danmark]

The flight had actually taken longer than anticipated, no doubt keeping the assembled party fiddling their thumbs in impatience on the airport tarmacadam in Sikandari, a consequence which somewhat annoyed the impatient Danish foreign minister. Weather had not been favourable due to a fierce anticyclone which had caused a great deal of turbulence to the four-prop aircraft which caused a few queasy stomachs ~ but not to Hr. Westerveld who had become somewhat acclimatised to meteorological vissitudes on his endless forays darting across the globe hither and tither ~ on-board the aircraft as a of delegation of fourteen had attempted to make its way to the capital of the Empire of Sikandara for a fortuitous and significant meeting of great consequence between two increasingly close and strategic allies.

Following a drop-down in Parthava for a refuel, causing Hr Westerveld's impatience to run thin even more whilst he ground his jaw. "We really need to get something better than these sluggish old-age aircraft!", he mumbled and moaned to himself. The Danish aircraft of state eventually crossed the Sea of Sindh. Weather was much better this side of the globe and the sea below, when one had the chance to peer out of the tiny aircraft windows, shimmered in a glory of reflected sunlight. If one was beady eyed enough, you could just about pick out odd ships dotted about here and there. Crossing over Raigestan, a fairly large, but not too large island down below ~ outlined by these shimmering seas ~ there were more ships laying about than would normally be expected.

"Hmmm.....". Westerveld crossed the tips of his fingers together and rolled his thumbs over each other in a circular motion. "The war is going rather well. The boys are impressive".

Descent into the Ergumeh Airbase came with a thud and a shudder. The propellers gradually slowed their rotation and the aircraft scudded across the ground in a fairly... not expected fashion. Hr Westerveld was furious. This pilot was letting the side down. He was supposed to land in grace not look like he'd been swigging crafty sips of vodka.

"If I had a chance I'd swipe that idiot around the back of the head with my papers!", the foreign minister seethed -openly- before he was interrupted.

"Sir, the stairwells are open. We can now exit and meet the Sikandari delegation", interrupted an official.

Headed by Hr. Westerveld, the delegationary party descended in a careful manner upon what where rather steep steps. Except the foreign minister himself who simply leapt down them getting to the concrete below whilst most of the others maintained a ginger pace in case they slipped.

Mr Westerveld was greeted by Sikandari state functionaries before being presented to the Grand Councillor to which his rather young face lit up.

"A-ha! glad to meet you again!", beamed the only thirty-year old Dane thinking that the Grand Councillor would not likely remember his first meeting with him - Westerveld being in those days a mere swottish but precocious student, 'Mr Khan' a visitor at the University of Roskilde whilst ambassador to Christiansborg, some twelve years ago, being one of many to point out how the young Dane had a potential to become all he wanted. Advice he seized upon.

He wasn't sure if the Grand Councillor remembered him in person, aside from his notorious name.

The grand horsed-backed bands struck up the national anthems of the Great Danish Imperium and the Empire of Sikandara, in that order. This was a practical visit but one full of pomp ~ trumpets, bugles, horses and kettle and bass drum in a cacophony of music and fanfares.

Hr. Westerveld was then kindly guided to review the assembled honourary guard, each soldier turning their head towards him with a curt twist of their turbaned heads and holding scimitars aloft as he and the Grand Chancellor, the latter guiding him in a very courteous manner, made a decorous and dignified procession through the phalanx of ranked guards. Short of a full state visit, which would be something much more excellent, this was as grand as anyone could get. It seemed all the stops had been pulled in order to impress. Westerveld felt momentarily with a lump in his viking throat and his eyes looked a little more moist than usual.

But now practicalities began. As the Grand Councillor beckoned him into an awaiting car, a convoy made its way off to the matters of deep state interests.

 

[Serenierre]

12 Ghaznavi Road
Council for Diplomatic Affairs
CITADEL OF SHAHDARA
​

Grand Councillor Khan and Foreign Minister Westerveld sat together in the former's office, overlooking the flower garden in the inner courtyard of the ministerial building. The other members of the delegation had been sent off to other meetings and a few had even been taken on a tour of the historic old city. In Khan's office, with its opulent, yet gracefully understated, furniture, the cold was kept out by the large wood-fed fire in the corner. One of the servants had wheeled in a trolley of refreshments and confections, along with a hot pot of tea, since Khan was in no mood to serve nor indulge in any alcohol so early in the morning. After serving the two ministers, the servant backed off into a corner, standing inconspicuously out of the way. His presence was not a threat on account of Khan speaking entirely in Danish.

Prior to sitting down, as soon as they had arrived at the Council building, Grand Councillor Khan had begun the presentations of gifts, a traditional custom to honour guests. All of them had been presented on behalf of the Emperor of Sikandara and gifted to the King of Danmark, Agder and Fey – Khan had made it a point to re-emphasize the Imperial State's stance on the Scanian succession issue. Priceless, one-of-a-kind carpets and jewels from the Emperor's own collection were presented and immediately dispatched to the Danish embassy.

Placing his teacup carefully on the saucer, the seventy-year-old Sikandari man began: "So, Mr. Westerveld, let us begin with an issue of your choosing, as it is to the guest, we grant the honour of commencing business."

 

[Danmark]

Away from at least a thousand glaring eyes and the well-honed observances of news-reel cameras and journalists, the inner sanctum of the Chancellor's residence provided a convenient and fortuitous respite for Minister Westerveld in order to allow some moments of relaxation before the grand affairs of diplomatic intrigue and fine nuances could commence. There was much to lay forth.

Peering out into the courtyard and sipping on the tea, the Minister almost mirrored the Grand Councillor in carefully laying his own little china tea cup onto its matching saucer with a slight clink and proceeded to stir his tea with a little deftness of his left hand largely as a deflection whilst he quickly ran over his briefing papers, covered in annotated notes that he had scribbled in the margins whilst on the voyage over. Running to several pages, the papers covered areas that the Danes had been keenly desiring to bring up after some debate in the cabinet and in the corridors and committee rooms of the foreign ministry in Christiansborg. Sikandara, had been increasingly judged to be a strategic partner in more ways than one and the visit, the first for some years, was a golden chance to discuss things that foreign office communiques and junior-level contacts could never adequately do justice to. Not only was it just that. Westerveld's opportune visit came at a critical moment in Danish foreign operations with a battle over Raigestan ~ not so far from here ~, grand foreign policy movements and a paradigm shift in the 'Eastern Question'.

Much rested on the young minister's shoulders and it did not escape him that the cultivation of trust and respect had to go hand in hand with all this talk and the very real practicalities on the ground.

He looked up at the craggy-faced Sikand and smiled broadly upon hearing his invitation to speak. In contrast to his own appearance, Hr Khan had a face etched with character, sagacity and the wear and tear of years of carrying heavy burdens. The Dane momentarily wondered if he ever got weary by it all and thought of retiring to a more trouble-free existence in his twilight years perhaps pottering about reading books, writing or lovingly tending to rose bushes.

Westerveld took a another brief sip of his tea, cleared his throat and shuffled in his chair.

"Thank you, and now I will begin as you have kindly invited me to do so. You will be readily aware that there are several areas that require discussion and working out of finer details, but I will start with what is perhaps the most important of mutual geopolitical interest, namely, the Raigestan conflict and the pressures of communism upon you and upon the wider globe.

"It has not escaped me for a moment and we have become more and more acutely aware that Sikandara is situated right on the borders of potential conflict and the overspill of communist agent provactuers from Miroslavl and is, to not put too fine a point on it, sandwiched between both Miroslavl Proper and its satellite state of Raigestan but not entirely at your disadvantage. Indeed, you have an immense leverage due to the position of your country vis a vis the region and the current conflict. We are somewhat pleased to see that your nation has stood firm as a bulwark against the jabbing and sabre rattling from your north and we wish this to continue. Indeed, it has to. But the current cannot be preserved in aspic and the future...well... none of us have crystal balls to envisage what may happen.

"But, come what may, we must be prepared for all eventualities as much as possible and take measures above and beyond as contingencies. Currently, the reds to your north are comparatively quiet despite their hubris and apparent fanaticism, and the straits are still a free-flow for maritime and naval traffic, but this could change. Indeed it could be argued, and you are perhaps more honed in on that I could ever be, but which I am increasingly aware, that you may have destabilising trojan horses in the guise of refugees. Many of those escapees from the Raigestan conflict are no doubt the innocent, an unfortunate and stressful side-effect of all conflicts, but it cannot be guaranteed that amongst them are paid agents and ideological diehards seeking to upset the status quo here and in the entire region and who may wish to spread their red scourge like raspberry jam across the succulent bread of Sikandara. This cannot be allowed to happen".

The Dane lifted his hand and crossed it over the back of his head as if to patter down any stray strands of his blonde-brown hair.

"Our initial interest is in what you may have to say towards some sort of effort, perhaps low-key at first - in public at least - but with a solid basis, towards jointly containing this 'spread' perhaps in sharing intelligence and the basing of Danish military staff in order to liaise with your own high command, even in the exchange and the closer collaboration in the sphere of intelligence", he paused momentarily.

"I'm not entirely sure of the stance of Shahdara, but to us at least, it is important that the strait linking the Sea of Sindh and the waters towards Miroslavl are closely monitored. Sikandara is placed in a powerful position within which to effectively emasculate the Miroslavs and all their efforts. This is something we are keen to see progress towards until, and if, we see some change from them. But that comes with risk, so I am open to hear your own ideas of how this can be negated if ever Sikandara were to come under mounting pressure.

"But this brings me to another area - logistical assistance in assisting the wresting of Raigestan from the Miroslav sphere and into increased liberal freedoms compared to what they existed under until recently. The umbilical link between the island and Miroslavl has been largely severed through a decisive plan of attack and it has to remain so. Containment of the red scourge is key. As such, although the official stance of Sikandara is neutral, I am endeavouring to find if there may be ways in which Sikandara can give us some tacit support in the campaign if even in an unpublicised way thereby maintaining Sikandari official neutrality but sending a message to as what side your nation is on. I believe this will be a great boost within our corridors of power and one that may lead to acts of generosity from our direction towards your own nation's in other areas".

 

[Serenierre]

Grand Councillor Khan listened quietly to the Danish foreign minister, nodding his head occasionally and sipping the hot tea, so when it came to him to add his thoughts, he had mentally prepared his own words. "Minister Westerveld, I feel that at times Danmark doesn't realise just how much our two states have in common. And I think our own anodyne stance has a lot to do with that." He chuckled.

"But a few things I want to categorically state to you, as the official representative of the Sikandari government: Firstly, communism is this country's ideological nemesis, as you may see that the Imperial State is surrounded by the scourge, with Vangala to the east, Miroslavl to the north, and Parthava and Carentania to our distant south. We are forever aware of the threat that parasitic ideology poses to our country and its customs and values. Secondly, Raigestan has a long history of association with Sikandara, given its geographical proximity and size, so whatever happens there is a matter of direct concern to us. Additionally, I need Danmark and its government to understand that Sikandara is a precarious position, given our less than honourable neighbourhood, we need to play our cards right, but the Imperial State is firmly in support of Danmark."

"You bring the conversation to the refugee situation and the Inner Sea Straits dilemma; and in regards to that let me enlighten you: The various intelligence agencies of our country – the MI, the IB and ISIS – are also in agreement with the theory that refugees are being used as cover by communist insurgents and militants, a most concerning development, and we are in the early stages of cracking down on them, and thankfully, so far they are confined in Akbariyeh – the closest city to Raigestan, as you may know. But the more serious situation is the Inner Sea Straits dilemma, Miroslavl's government is under notice that it cannot let military vessels cross the territory but we have, just to be careful, increased our own maritime patrols, ships and submarines are being utilised to ensure that no foul play occurs from their end. And, now I am saying this in the highest confidentiality, Sikandara has measures in place to close the straits within twenty four hours of confirmation arriving that Miroslavl is deploying its naval assets."

"As far as containing the communist threat in the region is concerned, I feel that the Mezhists also can prove to be vital allies... and in my own informal conversations with their ambassador in Shahdara, I can say that they are also thinking along similar lines. I have a conference arranged with them, maybe I could bring up the matter there and see what they have to say. Since I feel that their support would be vital to keep Miroslavl in check as well."

"Earlier, you spoke of practical measures to demonstrate to each other our usefulness. Let me first offer, to the Danish military, a most classified offer – the allotment of several military bases in southern Sikandara for the duration of the conflict, from where to base heavy-bombers and refuel naval vessels. Additionally, we are aware of the Danish need for increased gold reserves, and as a nation with large gold deposits, we can oblige... you need only tell us how much is needed. Though I believe we already have intelligence sharing and cooperation agreements in place, I am assuming that Danmark is seeking to take down Raigestani terrorists in alliance with ISIS agents, so we can agree to that. And this is what we offer for now, though under the condition of harshest confidentiality, as I made clear earlier. How these discussions go, His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Chancellor may further favour the Danes."

"However, Sikandara would like to have a few conditions for that support, the first being, we seek some form of Danish naval support were we to close the Straits, to work in tandem with our own navy to repel any Miroslavl reactionary force... and for that we would prefer the large presence of Danish vessels close at hand to the Straits, yet far enough for them to not cross into the straits. You may be aware of our strong domestic defence industry and our military capability, as we are keenly aware of the progress Danmark has made in that sector, we would like access to jet technology, which has so far eluded our technicians and scientists. As our two countries have a strong tradition of military to military cooperation, I am sure that Danmark can prove to us its own commitment to this strategic partnership. So, Minister Westerveld your thoughts?"