Speret Europe in Batavië

[Telora]

Secretary of State Karl Ekman was a well-travelled veteran of the Teloran diplomatic corps. He had been posted to dusty, far-off states that no-one cared to think of twice, and glittering capitals overflowing with money and power. He had been at the table with aged Emperors, slippery Prime Ministers and quiet despots, and liked to think he did a fair job dealing with them all. Like any good diplomat, he spoke French and German as well as his own languages, and used his masterful grasp of literature and the arts to weave his work with beautiful oratory to dazzle those who needed to be ushered into line.

This time, though, he was not coming to dazzle or charm. He was here to demonstrate support - to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Northern Council and give a show of solidarity behind their peace talks.

"Go and show Paris and Toledo that when we say 'talk', we mean 'get to talking today'" had said the President at his last meeting before boarding the plane. The scholarly, razor-sharp President Brännare was impatient with the two governments, as were many other in the Administration. Every day of fighting that passed choked Telora's trade a little more, made the markets a little more jittery and agitated public opinion slightly more.

The car from the airport to the meeting place was thick with these worries, and Karl's own attempts to try and cloak them in something more altruistic. The State Department was fervently cladding every statement in the language of international law - the sign that Telora was more interested in the security of the community, rather than just her own bank balance. He just hoped that this would pay off.

With a slight squeak, the car came to stop, and Karl strode out into the crisp, cold air of a January day in Batavië.

 

[Batavië]

Braamfontein Convention Centre
Braamfontein, Batavian Capital Territory
Republic of Batavia

The rich township of Braamfontein, lying just half an hour north of Vlaanderen by Overground Train or car, had become a second city within a city. A haven for those formerly called simply 'the Elite' of the old communist Batavia, it was now home to banks, beautiful parks and elegant town-homes and shopping plazas. A short trip with the Overground and one reached the sprawling city of Vlaanderen with its endless construction sites, busy streets and rougher crowd. From the fifth floor of the newly built Braamfontein Convention Centre, through the large glass bay windows, Secretary of State Ekman could see the city with its forest of construction cranes and glass buildings. Braamfontein lay upon a hill, affording a wonderful view of the ever-growing city from which the rich could look down upon their flock.

Secretary-General Hans-Erik Rasmus had wanted to meet Ekman, but was still in Whitehaven for the Great Council summit. As such, Batavian Foreign Minister Arjan van Vliet, well known within most circles of the international community, was attending in his place. Having quite the résumé, Van Vliet was arguably the only Foreign Minister in the world who had worked for both a communist dictatorship and a fledgling democracy all whilst performing the same role as chief of foreign affairs and relations. He had a certain degree of people skills, one could say.

He greeted Ekman in German, shook his hand and those of his delegation and invited him to sit at the leather sofas and chairs by the windows. The grey, overcast sky was still light enough to remove the need for too much artificial lighting. Coffee, tea and some snacks were brought over by a pretty blonde girl. Van Vliet poured himself a cup of coffee and added his cream and sugar.

He sipped his concoction and after nodding to himself and approving of the brew, he crossed his legs and clasped his hands together. This was Van Vliet's typical method of beginning meetings.

'I cannot thank you enough, Meneer Ekman, for coming to show your support for our cause. While leading the effort in the name of Batavia, I can say rather confidently that the Northern Council collectively also wants peace. Not only for the obvious reasons of returning to economic and political stability, but for those innocent lives that have already been lost and will continue to be lost under such pointless a conflict.'

He leant in, a typical Van Vliet sign of confidentiality, which meant his following words were to be kept among those in the room.

'We all know that Paris has been a flip-flopper for decades and can never be trusted. It is quite obvious that they are mostly to blame and are only out for material gains. They are even sucking up to those caveman in the North who actually think they can get involved!' he chuckled to himself. The Veiligheidspolitie reports that had begun to arrive from Haestur were rather amusing to him. A country isolated for decades, with no economic output to mention and a leader believing he could conjure up a force capable of not only travelling thousands of kilometres away, but also effectively changing the outcome of the conflict was laughable.

'Now, now, this is of course my personal opinion and it would never be brought up in official discussions. No, indeed, the opinions and qualms of all parties, those directly involved and those not, are worthy of being heard and discussed. I believe that our offices discussed this earlier via cables. Batavia sees itself as a prime host for the talks for a number of reasons. We are, indeed, neutral. We are a former communist power, meaning Toledo would be more comfortable here, and we have multi-billion dollar trade agreements with Belmont, meaning we are also attractive to them, or should be at least.'

'Any way, your ideas, please enlighten me, meneer Ekman.'

 

[Telora]

Ekman watched the pretty blonde girl with casual interest. A batchelor, he had long since given up looking for a wife who would put up with his nomadic lifestyle around Europe, but it was nice to ponder from time to time. After helping himself to a coffee with cream, he nodded quietly through Van Vliet's introduction, chuckling softly at the remarks on Drakun and her pompous leader. Though the President was mindful to be careful around them, Ekman felt more than a little contempt for the upstart Imperium at the very edge of Europe.

He sipped his coffee and then began his reply.

"The war is indeed a most tragic event, Meneer Van Vliet, and we have been keen to stress that - our charities have been clamouring for assistance in sending aid down to the war zone. Teloran TV is carrying nightly reports from the warzone, and the charities are running ever more urgent advertising campaigns. Needless to say, the political aides in my department and the Administration are starting to fret about this." He smiled a little.

"But our concern is more long-term - we need to ensure that international law is enforced properly, such as it is, and develop strong mechanisms to bring pressure to bear. For this crisis, I have been asked to propose a steady ramping-up of pressure on both Toledo and Paris. This will not be military pressure - sending more warships to the area would only inflame matters, it would seem.

Rather, we are proposing further tightening of financial pressures on the governments and a run-down of military supplies to both sides. This cannot, and should not happen overnight, and we should begin by simply mentioning it as an option, to gauge the reaction." Another sip of coffee. "If we get a reaction that indicates that they take such a threat seriously, we should use embassy contacts and offer them anonymous initial talks - as we previously discussed, in Telora. If not, then we need to show we are serious about ending this war.

At the same time, might I suggest, we manoeuvre behind the Breotonian proposal to the Security Council." He sat back slowly in his chair.

 

[Batavië]

Van Vliet scoffed at the remark of the Security Council.

'That so-called institution is long dead, meneer Ekman. We need not bother wasting our time and efforts on such a pointless body. No, we need to do this the hard way, I am afraid. I would signal caution at using diplomatic threatening so early, however. While it could indeed work we need to think it through properly. Telora and Batavia together do not have the ability to do much damage in terms of sanctions and withdrawals. Now, if the NC got involved and if the EDF co-operated with us, we could end the war relatively quickly simply by starving the parties of their fuel, food, weapons and other supplies. The NC is still young and some members, for instance our largest and richest one, Suionia, have complicated obligations with Frescania, which does not help. Then we have to remember that by organising and implementing such an embargo, we risk inflaming the governments on the periphery. I speak of Carentania and Sarmatia, namely. Both have vested interests and both have rather large arsenals. Currently I am more worried with Carentania due to their unique position in easily being able to send military aide.'

He interrupted his talk as he bit into a Batavian Butter Biscuit. It melted in his mouth and he washed it down with his coffee.

'Sarmatia is a player that we can worry about later, but no later than the spring, if this conflict stretches so far. They are not physically able to send large forces to the theatre as their northern ports are currently frozen. Cornavia has also mentioned blocking off its straits, but I have not familiarised the details with Southport yet. The Sarmations could attempt sending forces south via the Slavic states of Zivontinje and Sidajica, but that would take time and their relations might not be at such a point. Really, I do not know. In any case their fleets would have to get past Carentania, which is located right in their way. The Carentanians would put up a good fight and, apart from greatly delaying such an attempt, they could possibly stop it altogether, it really depends on the events. Then, of course, Oikawa is likely to get involved, on whose side, if any, no one knows. They are, as always, rather secretive about their interventions.'

'As you can see, it is so much more complicated than we thought at first. Your ideas on how to work with all of this information would be helpful.'

Van Vliet eyed the girl and flicked his fingers, indicating he would like more coffee. He turned away as she bent over to reach for the thermos below. He had lost interest in enjoying eye candy many years ago. He had only his work to live for.

 

[Telora]

Karl smiled gently, patiently, nodding in his blithe manner through Van Vliet's statement; carefully absorbing each detail. He paused a moment, then began.

"It is clear, then, I think we both agree, that we need to seal off the war and prevent others from being dragged in - speed is now essential, not that it ever was not. I am due to fly to Franken after this meeting, Meneer Van Vliet, to discuss this proposal for talks with the EDF and bring them onside with your proposal for negotiations. At the very least, I hope to get their broad consent to supporting talking - but, as I am sure you will agree, I will be working for rather more. Clearly, the EDF has as little interest in other states being dragged into war right on their doorstep as we do; but they have even more capacity to defend themselves.

I am eager to move towards action, therefore, because of the time imperative; so we can not worry about Sarmatia because there will be no war for them to intervene in." He adjusted his cup slightly in his saucer, contemplating. "My suggestion of the Council was a need for a body to create a supposedly impartial police force for the Long Sea. We need to create a force to seal off the war from supplies, and protect neutral movement through the area, to take the heat out. If we can disentangle the outsiders - in a way that leaves them free to strut and declare some kind of victory - then we can solve this.

To that end, I think we should begin with contacts with Frescania and Caretania, and offer them separate talks to get them out of the Long Sea. If we can pull them away from the central conflict, and convince them that, in the long term, their interest lies in the current balance of power in Gallia, and that a wider war which their intervention makes more likely, would upset this balance and leave them running the risk of seeing the balance fall against them.

I am sure they fear Oikawan military might as much as any of us do, Meneer Van Vliet. We do not need to be powerful ourselves, only the prophets coming from the mountain to warn of outsiders who would impose terms on them that might haunt them forever and more."

 

[Batavië]

Van Vliet could see that Ekman and his government were serious about seeking peace. Their meeting and discussion having lasted just over an hour, all that was necessary had been discussed.

Van Vliet stood and shook Ekman's hand.

'I believe we are on the same page, Meneer Ekman. I wish you luck on your journey to Franken and an enjoyable flight. Please do give my regards to Minister Beaumont. Oh and, I was informed this morning that Paris would approve of talks in Arendaal in a second round. That is fine by me so long as they are held in the Northern Council offices in Emyn Arnen. They would, I am sure, be delighted to host such an event in the name of peace. Stay in touch.'

Arjan van Vliet removed a black business card with silver type. It was endowed in the top left corner with the flag of Batavia and the text: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken | BuZa' in Dutch, underneath which was his private mobile number. He gave it out rarely.

 

[Telora]

Karl shook Van Vliet's hand firmly, almost warmly. It would seem that they could at least agree on a world view, though how far they could develop this would take time to tell. Nevertheless, he had a quiet sense of optimism in the back of his mind to take him to Franken with.

"I will inform my government of Paris's acceptance of second round talks at the Northern Council offices in Arendaal as soon as possible; personally, I am delighted to hear that something is happening, however slowly. I hope to see you again soon, Meneer Van Vliet." He took the business card gracefully, and offered one of his own - light Teloran blue, with his family's crest in one corner and personal e-mail underneath. "You must forgive my lack of personal mobile number, Meneer Van Vliet, but Cabinet members only have official lines to call in on, and I don't want to find out you've been kept behind someone in a queue."

He smiled graciously. Perhaps there was reason to be hopeful after all.

 

[Großlausitz]

Das Auswärtige Amt
Nürnberg

Since the Christmas school holidays in the Metropolitan Duchy of Nürnberg were over and the pupils returned to school – to their own dismay and their parents’ joy, the halls of the Auswärtiges Amt, whose early 2000’s main building was the government’s architectural pride joy, were abuzz with activity as they normally did. Between Christmas eve and the Twelfth Day of Christmas the foreign service only operated a basic staff unless something major went wrong.

Whilst the war between Belmont and Coronado was certainly a major event, but it didn’t justify cancelling the Christmas vacation of the better part of his staff, Foreign Minister Robert Beaumont had concluded. Its indirect implications were nasty yet there was not much they had been able to do between December 24th and January 6th. Officially Franken was neutral and His Majesty’s Government didn’t want to feed the Suionians, Frescanians, Belmontiens and their Sarmatian buddies any supplies for their propaganda machines.

Instead, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Ministerpresident and incumbent of a couple more Privy Council office Robert Beaumont wanted to pursue Franken’s favourite way of action in dubious situations: Pulling strings behind the curtain. For that purpose Beaumont was hosting his Teloran colleague Karl Ekman, who he had received with the due honours at Nürnberg’s airport beforehand, in a spacious conference room in one of the top levels of the Auswärtiges Amt central building. “Mr Ekman, was your appointment at the Northern Council sufficiently profitable ? Needless to say and repeat, I believe, Franken and her EDF partners countries put great trust in your mediating efforts. The presence of every EDF members’ ambassador to Franken supports my audacious claim.”

To facilitate communication every ambassador had a small sign with his name and country. Carefully and accurately organizing events was a national trait of Franken, even if it sometimes seemed exaggerated to visitors from more ‘easy-going’ countries.
​

 

[Telora]

Karl had snatched sleep on the flight over, and then a meeting with his staff to brief him on latest developments and relations with the EDF. He felt remarkably human, given all that, and almost had a spring in his step as he met Robert Beaumont in the conference room. At least it was marginally warmer here than it had been in Braamfontein.

"Thank you, Dr Beaumont. My meeting with the Batavian Foreign Minister was rather profitable, I must say; we are at least on the same page on this war. I hope I have good news for you and the ambassadors regarding the proposed peace talks." He smiled around the table. "Thank you all for coming here to discuss this."

He took his seat, then waited for Dr Beaumont to take his, adjusting his papers before him.

"If I may begin with what I hope is the most welcome news; I have word from Arendaal and Batavia that the Aren government has agreed that the second round of any talks. The Batavians are minded that they be held at the Northern Council offices in Emyn Aren at this stage; my government feels that is a more balanced location than perhaps some of the other members of the Council."

 

[Großlausitz]

Das Auswärtige Amt
Nürnberg

“That’s splendid news, Secretary -”, the Foreign Minister retorted, “- and we appreciate your efforts. It’s our consensus that Belmont and Coronado ought to be convinced to stop their senseless and costly butchering. Despite the temptations of avenging the many insults and injuries Belmont caused us bilaterally and as an alliance, we have come to the conclusion that more profit lies in a neutral party brokering a peace agreement.” Robert Beaumont naturally didn’t say who he referred to, which would violate their trust in Franken: There was a small faction that advocated hawkish actions against Belmont. Unfortunately for the hawks Belmont hadn’t been stupid enough to assault an EDF country.

“Whilst Franken’s and most of her partners’ relations to Batavia have only been restored very recently, we enjoy a good diplomatic, economic and cultural relationship with democratic Batavia. Why should we deny them a chance to earn themselves some prestige as a negotiator on the international stage?”, the Foreign Minister smiled very cordially, while the other ambassadors indicated their agreement, “Since most other players on the Belmontien-Coronadian stage suspect us to have a hidden agenda, it’s better for us to stay out of the limelight.”
​

 

[Telora]

The modesty of the EDF was wise, thought Karl. Last thing that they, or the Northern Council, wanted was for this to become all about forcing people to the table. Anything to keep the Batavians happy and the heat out of the fire.

"I am sure Batavia will not waste her time in the spotlight; indeed, from what I saw, I am sure they will use it most profitably. Of course, the first round of talks, to be held in Telora, will be in total secrecy. We have no interest in garnering acclamations from the international community for fulfilling our Charter obligations." He smiled cordially. Telora was not the sort of country to wantonly draw attention to herself; it was hard to be neutral and centre-stage. He was in total agreement with the President on this.

"I can understand if certain members of the alliance feel that we might be moving too slowly, Dr Beaumont. Indeed, I am under pressure to 'do more' from domestic politicians and pressure groups. However, my government has been very clear on this from the start - we do not think that the attack on Belmont crossed a threshold of an armed attack, triggering the right to self-defence under the Charter. We wanted an independent judicial inquiry into it - but we are aware that, if we press on this line, Belmont may shy away at the critical juncture. But more than anything else, we are painfully aware that all of that is so much straw in the wind if we cannot ramp down the tensions in the Long Sea."

Now was the hard bit.

"I am afraid that this will sound sycophantic, but given Telora's relatively military weakness - the President asks that you consider an agreement among yourselves on applying pressure to the outside states in this war. Frescania, Carentania and so on. Your quiet endorsement is all that is needed to help get the peace talks going; but we feel a more urgent mission here and now is to contain the war. As it spreads, it undermines trade and the European economy. Telora cannot openly endorse any affirmative action you may be forced to take to demonstrate your resolve, but I assure you, we will be extremely grateful if you help contain the war."

This was the real worry for Karl. The talks would happen in their own time - but that would come much sooner the fewer people there were to corral around the table, and when there was less heat in the fire. Telora couldn't do this herself, nor could she hope to pay in cash. But the men at the Ministry of Economics were at work on a new package of trade proposals to sweeten the deal once the dust had settled. That was too early in the planning stage to come here - would be a pleasant surprise, then.

 

[Großlausitz]

Das Auswärtige Amt
Nürnberg

“Alas, the Long Sea is a grave issue, indeed. Despite our apparently differing opinions we, i.e. Franken and the rest of the EDF, understand the basic reason of Frescania’s attempt to lock up the sea lanes for military use. However, we do maintain that their geographical location not only entails advantages but also obligations towards the international community. By appointing themselves to judge who may enter and who may not, who can be trusted to pass international waters and who not, they overstepped the general definition of national sovereignty. Whilst Breotonia is also renowned for considering itself a watchdog of international commerce and transit, we believe they are more trustworthy, since they have tried to broker a CoN compromise, which Franken submitted to the Security Council. It enjoys our full support,” the Foreign Minister commented. What he neglected to mention explicitly was that Breotonia’s naval power projection doctrines weren’t all that different from Franken’s and the EDF’s one in general. Since Ekman always made his homework carefully, there was no need to refer to the obvious.

“Well, what do you have in mind exactly, Herr Ekman? I think it’s a given Franken and all of her partners will ensure the conflict won’t spread beyond Coronado and Belmont. That’s exactly why we put our men and women in Lorraine. Anyway, I happen to have information from reliable sources that Carentania wouldn’t mind a restoration of the status quo ante bellum, either. If our SC resolution is hit by a veto or by apathy, we will get in touch with Breotonia once more. They aren’t particularly fond of the red faction, but a status quo agreement will be better than nothing for them, too,” Robert Beaumont added.​

 

[Telora]

"I think the first step should be to indicate to the Carentanians that we like to mutually de-escalate. I am happy to convey a message through the Teloran embassy there, Dr Beaumont, if you feel that it would be better received. I am sure the EDF will work out an appropriate format for the message; Telora will indicate to the Carentanians that we support a return to the status quo ante bellum, and will happily work to achieve such a settlement if at all possible. Naturally, we will make no specific mention of the negotiations; at least, not until the process is at a sufficiently mature stage.

We don't expect you to begin withdrawing forces - such a move is entirely your prerogative, and we have neither the will nor the ability to about lecturing you on such matters. An indication that you're prepared to mutually draw down forces and work to restore the situation would be sufficient, I feel, to get the ball rolling. If needs be, I will got to Carentania myself and talk them round. As for the Breotonians, Telora supports their moving through the Council and we will lobby for the Resolution to be affirmed." He had little hope that it would, but a demonstration of faith in the system couldn't go amiss.

 

[Großlausitz]

Das Auswärtige Amt
Nürnberg

"Ah, I see your point, Secretary. Thank you for your kind offer to convey the message. Nonetheless, I'm confident the Carentanians will receive and accept the message from my own ministry. They are open to reasonable arguments behind the curtain, even if we are filthy capitalists," Foreign Minister Robert Beaumont grinned nonchalantly, "Is there anything else you want to add or can we move on to your request to negotiate some framework deals for Teloran-EDF commerce?"