Operation Drinking Purveyance (Openish)

[Dyelli Beybi]

OOC: Unless you want to get involved diplomatically in the Dyellians annexing their former neighbours... or have a vested interest in the outcome, this thread may get confusing.

Grand Air Marshall Lukas Bagdonas - it was a name that everyone knew in Vrak now, for it was he that had led the forces of King Vrak XVIII to crush the military Junta in the North of the country in a swift and ruthless campaign that had been named 'Operation Drinking Purveyance'. Bagdonas has lost 24 aircraft, while destroying 177 along with most of the Junta's land forces. It had been a rout that had left over 11,000 Junta troops dead or wounded for the loss of only 54 Royalists. The use of Dyellian weapons against old Soviet machinery was probably the most critical factor in the victory, but none could deny that Bagdonas' campaign had been well executed. By the time the King's Army deployed, the Junta was ready to capitulate, and they were able to enter the Capital of Vrak Prime without firing a shot. Vrak had a King again and law and order. The campaign had lasted eleven days.

Bagdonas was a Lettigalian, a people who had once been dominant in central Klatch, in a time before written history. The Thule and Wal-Vrak, Orcs and Moskauan Djels had displaced them in the North of their former lands, while the Guyans and Ozarkians had displaced them in the South. They continued to exist in the current Vrakian State, an underclass to the other human races, who in turn were an underclass to the Wal-Vrak. The new King, however, had promised elections, and that could only be a good thing for the Lettigalians who were still the majority ethnic group in South-central Vrak. Vrak XVIII had even been crowned in a Lettigalian city (Vrak Etela). Across Vrak, the King's Lettigalian subjects were holding their breath in anticipation of a golden age for their culture.

It was also, however, the time for Vrak XVIII, who took to the stage in Vrak Prime to make his first official proclamation as the undisputed ruler of the Glorious Kingdom of Vrak. There was nothing especially surprising there to anyone who had been paying attention to the politics of Vrak and Dyelli Beybi in recent months. The King was integrating Vrak into the Teyrnasoedd, effective immediately. The Vrakian economic and legal systems would be overhauled to bring it into line with the rest of the Teyrnasoedd. Vrak XVIII was to be a 'Brother Monarch' of the Teyrnasoedd, not a vassal of the Dyellian Tzaina (at least technically). In return Dyelli Beybi would give economic aid and weapons to the Vrakians. The glory of Vrak would be restored and Kingdom would be able to take its rightful place in the sun once again. Vrak would also be becoming a Constitutional Monarchy... albeit without a written constitution. As the speech ended, the circular icon of the Teyrnasoedd Sanctaid Cloi was raised on a flagpole outside the Royal Palace to flutter next to the Royal Standard and Vrak prepared to enter a new era. Whether it delivered the promised glory and prosperity was anyone's guess, although it had to be better than the anarchy of the last few years.

[Macisikan]

SECRET

MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (IFG)
The Tal Dumat: Minute to the Vice-Minister
Through: the Director-General
Copies to: M Ucharvi, DM Baylis, M Valdir, GG deMakra

MINISTERIAL MINUTE: Succession of Vrak XVIII
Issue:
King Vrak XVIII has taken Vrak Prime and is now in complete de facto control of Vrak.

2. The King aims to integrate Vrak into the Teyrnasoedd of Dyelli Beybi.

3. The Imperial Federal Government has recognised the King’s regime and accepted the integration.

Background:
4. The Glorious Kingdom of Vrak collapsed following the death of King Vrak XVII shortly before the end of the deMaiska Government; the disintegration predates Federation in Macisikan, and ushered in many years of anarchy and warlordism.

5. The collapse followed on the heels of the complete disintegration of the Klatchian Federation; analysts indicate that the then-Covenant bears some of the blame for this disintegration due to the collapse in economic confidence that began in the Aldet markets.

6. Of the former Klatchian States (at their height encompassing over a dozen nations), only Dyelli Beybi, Karmanyaka, and Ilek-Vaad are extant.

7. Dyelli Beybi has been annexing large parts of the former Federated Klatchian Coast; Imperial policy has been to recognise or tacitly endorse these moves. The current government explicitly endorses Dyellian expansion in Klatchia as the only means to stabilise and strengthen the region.

Party Assessment:

8. The nations involved are assessed thus:
a. – Dyelli Beybi is a friendly Advanced Parity nation;
b. – Ilek-Vaad is a capricious Advanced (L) Wanting nation; and
c. – Karmanyaka is a neutral Limited Nonentity.

Impact:

9. Imperial Interests:
d. – Imperial Interests are not threatened;
e. – Imperial security is not threatened; and
f. – A friendly nation is directly involved.

10. This matter is of no material concern to the Federated Empire. Further monitoring is recommended.

Proposed Action:
11. At present the Tal Dumat will continue to monitor the situation for further relevant developments, and report as needed.

T Uskalion
T Uskalion
Deputy Director-General
Klatch Group

Recommendations:
That you endorse the decision to continue to monitor the situation.
ENDORSED

SECRET

[Dyelli Beybi]

In Vrak, the highway and waterways from Veiland to the Djel Valley were open again for the first time, in part because King Vrak, having recently converted to the Episcopal Church of Cyro, had sold the 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon' (or the Knights Templar as they were more commonly known) a number of large tracts of land along the highway and the waterways as well as giving them unlimited rights to recruit within Vrak.

It was a mutually beneficial move for the King, providing constructive employment for many of his subjects, particularly the kind who were proficient with firearms, at no cost to his Government while also allowing him to temporarily 'outsource' policing in some of the more remote areas of the vast State. So taken was the King in the idea of Holy Orders, that he and the Metropolitan of Vrak Prime formed their own order, the 'Order of the Dragon', which was dedicated to the protection of Christian lands from the 'most perfidious Enemy in the East and other places'. While King Vrak seemed to be treating the Order in formation as a hobby, there was very real interest from a number of Bishops from Veiland and Fasta Benj, particularly those in border regions.

Investment money, aid money and weapons were flowing into the new State. The first military Zeppelin was delivered, while a Space Navy (currently with no vessels) was also being recruited. At the moment all they had to go on was a letter from Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of Outremere, politely requesting that King Vrak recruit from his subjects the troops to form a fleet for the defence of the home-world from any alien threat. Walpole promised ships in return, which apparently were being jointly funded by all the home-world States. Vrak would have the prestige of running the home-world fleet, but, ultimately, also the cost of its maintenance.

Not everything was going smoothly, however. In the Arctic North of the State, one local Wal-Vrak warlord, by the name of Marg, had ordered a squadron of seven MiGs he commanded to attack a patrol of four of the King's FM2 'Vampire' fighters (a long range multi-role fighter that was mostly used for reconnaissance and escort duties). The MiGs had registered a kill, although they lost four and another suffered major damage while dogfighting. Bagdonas sent patrols into the area, while Marg decided it was suicide to let his two remaining operable aircraft take to the skies against Bagdonas' force, and instead hid them. A day later Marg's personalised Jeep was spotted by Royal DC3 'Mallard', which had hit the vehicle with a rocket, killing Marg and ending resistance in the area. It was an isolated incident, but one which was not atypical of what was going on in Vrak. While most people realised the King had won, his troops were not universally visible, and here and there a warlord clung onto regional power.

[Macisikan]

SECRET

MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (IFG)
The Tal Dumat: Minute to the Vice-Minister
Through: the Director-General
Copies to: P Valdir, M Ucharvi, DM Baylis, M Tusenni, DM Le’Tegar, GG deMakra, G deIntaan, CM Vatrahk

MINISTERIAL MINUTE: Heightened Risk Of Sectarian Strife in Vrak/Domestic Security Threat
Issue:

The King of Vrak (Vrak XVIII) has publically converted to Christianity (Dyellian Episcopalianism).

2. The King has also invited the organisation commonly known as the Knights Templar to recruit within the State of Vrak and has gifted the organisation significant amounts of land.

3. The King has also formed his own order of knights in Christian Holy Orders called the “Order of the Dragon” as a measure of the depth of the conviction of his conversion.

Background:

4. The primary religion of the nation of Vrak is the Faith of Bok, a polytheistic faith. The last census taken by the Glorious Kingdom indicated that at least 90% of the country, including nearly all Walvraks, was adherents of the Faith.

5. The King holds the position of the Vice-Regent of Bok on Earth; analogous to the First Cardinal of the Maciskan Orthodox Church. Unlike the MOC, the King of Vrak never delegated control of the Faith of Bok to a senior cleric or clerics within the religion and therefore remains head of the Faith. Following the Intercession Incident by an entity claiming to be an avatar of Bok, certain sections of the population are fanatical in their devotion to the Faith.

6. The Tal Dumat anticipates an extremely high risk of sectarian violence within the next month in Vrak. Analysis indicates that local authorities can expect demonstrations, unrest, and terrorist activity within the next six months.

7. Currently there are approximately 5.3 million Walvraks resident in Vrakiska Province, and an additional 10.8 million humans of Vrakian descent resident in the province. These ethnic minorities were stranded in, or fled to, the Realm during and after the collapse of order in the Glorious Kingdom. The vast majority remain adherents to the Faith of Bok. We anticipate that this development will be received poorly, and there is a distinct likelihood that there will be civil disorder and unrest as a result, targeting Dyellian interests within the Realm.

Impact:

8. Imperial Interests:
a. – Imperial Interests are not threatened;
b. – Imperial domestic security faces a minor threat in Vraksika Province and in the Diplomatic Precinct of Arn-Maciska; and
c. – A friendly nation is directly involved.

9. This matter is of concern to the Federated Empire. Proposed action is outlined below.

Proposed Action:
10. The Minister for Public Safety is to be advised that there is a distinct possibility for civil disorder resulting from sectarian tension among our Vrakian ethnic minority; we advise that the Tal M’rek should monitor the Macisikani Vrakian ethnic minority population for signs of terrorist activity; we consider this to be a credible threat.

11. The Garda Síochána of Varkiska Province should be placed on heightened alert for the possibility of civil unrest up to and including riot; we consider this to be a credible threat.

12. The Gendarmerie and the Royal City of Maciska Garda Síochána should be alerted to a heightened risk of terror activity and civil disorder directed against the Dyellian Embassy; we consider this to be a credible threat.

13. The Department of Immigration, Tourism, and Citizenship to recommend “Avoid All Travel” to Vrak and all districts and localities within Dyelli Beybi proper that are bordering Vrak, as well as Port Olympus and other urban centres with a significant Vrakian population. DITC should also put out a travel alert to Dyellian tourists and merchants to Exercise a High Degree of Caution in Arn-Maciska.

T Uskalion
T Uskalion
Deputy Director-General
Klatch Group

Recommendations:

That you:
(i) approve /recommendation the Tal M’rek monitor for terrorist activity among the Vrakian ethnic minorities;
APPROVED

(ii) approverecommendation to the Ministry of Public Safety to place the Garda Síochána of Varkiska Province on heightened alert;
APPROVED

(iii) approverecommendation to the Ministry of Public Safety to place the Garda Síochána of the Royal City of Arn-Maciska on heightened alert;
APPROVED

(iv) approve recommendation to place the Gendarmerie on heightened alert relating to the Deyllian Embassy; and
APPROVED

(v) approve recommendation to have the DITC recommend “Avoid All Travel” to Vrak and all districts and localities within Dyelli Beybi proper that are bordering Vrak, as well as Port Olympus and other urban centres with a significant Vrakian population, and to put out a travel alert to Dyellian tourists and merchants to Exercise a High Degree of Caution in Arn-Maciska.
APPROVED

K Ucharvi
Broness Kevis Ucharvi
Minister for International Affairs

SECRET

[Dyelli Beybi]

OOC: I've taken the liberty of naming Vrak's Inuit type folk 'Thule' and his Russian type folk 'Lettigalians'.

The Imperial assessment of the situation was fairly accurate, except in one point - there was no particular depth to the conversion of King Vrak. While he was happy to practice Dyellian Episcopalianism, his interest in the Holy Orders was financially motivated. In exchange for selling the Poor Knights some land, they would protect his Highway at their own cost - brilliant! There was only one problem with the order, which was that King Vrak did not have personal control. The Order of the Dragon would be funded from Church Coffers, but would acknowledge the Vrakian King as their 'Grand Master'. In time, he figured, he could dig the Poor Knights out and replace them with Dragon Knights... what he had not considered was the potential for sectarian violence.

In the South of Vrak the Dyellian Church had grown since the collapse of the Vrakian State, particularly among the Lettigalians (it was their modus operandi to target conversion attempts at marginalised groups). The Wal-Vrak were harder to convert, although many saw the financial benefits of alignment with the Dyellian Religion. Where the real problem lay was in the Thule population in the North of the State who were not ready to embrace the new Church. Nor was it essential to them, the Dyellians were ready to tolerate a large Pagan population, provided that the King remained an adherent of the Episcopal Church of Cyro. Paganism was, after all, still in existence (and tolerated) in many parts of the Teyrnasoedd, particularly Talv and Fasta Benj. Even the Djel Valley had some 10 million followers of the pre-Crusade polytheism known as the 'Cult of Hat' (Hat being a vulture headed god who was chief in their Pantheon).

The Teyrnasoedd was, however, overwhelmingly Christian - 92.98% at the last census. 89.52% of the population followed one of the three largest Christian Churches, the Episcopal Church of Cyro (69.33%), the Church of Worms (17.20%) and the Roman Catholic Church (3.00%). If you added the Islamic and Jewish populations to a combined count for Abrahamic religions, you were looking at 97.30% of the Dyellian population. For a Bokist, the King's behaviour, combined with integration into the fanatically monotheistic Dyellian State (the Abrahamic faiths tended to cooperate relatively well when there were unbelievers at the gate, and the Bokists were unbelievers), was concerning to say the least.

It started with protest in Vrak Prime demanding any number of things from the King - that he reconvert to Bokism, that he appoint a head of the religion, or that he abdicate in favour of a Bokist. The King responded by ignoring the demands although in the background he was utilising funds from Cyro to hire Omarian mercenaries to supplement his thinly stretched forces.

Being a somewhat cautious people, the Dyellians responded to the escalating crisis by sending an Alitakian advisor to the King - Rumali Brake. Alitakians did not look even remotely like Djels and had not set foot on Klatchian soil outside of their diplomatic mission to Cyro. It was expected that an Alitakian would not be recognised as a Dyellian. At the same time the Dyellian consul was replaced by a Hatist, Amargein Hopkirk, just to make it clear that Cyro was not planning on doing anything to harm the Bokists. Things were not going exactly as Cyro had planned, although they were still hopeful that they could save the situation.

[Macisikan]

OOC: No worries - I've had to guess what names and such are like. Unfortunately NSWiki seems to be dead, and Vrak didn't leave much material lying around.

IC:

amt.com.var.fe
News>Macisikani News>Vrakiska
Sectarian Protests Erupt in Vrakiska Province
Vrakian King’s Conversion Provokes Outrage
Hapshetsia Savidir in Arn-To’Vrak
The Arn-Maciska Times
The First Newspaper: serving the Ancestral City, and through it, the Realm

Protesters have flooded Arn-To’Vrak’s Grand Civic Square demanding the Imperial Federal Government withdraw their recognition of King Vrak XVIII. The protests are dominated by the Province’s Vrakian ethnic majority, with Walvraks prominent among the crowds.

Clerics of the Faith of Bok are apparently leading the protesters, and say that their demonstrations are in response to the King’s public conversion to Christianity, and his establishment of a Christian holy order of knights. The Times spoke to one of the clerics leading the demonstrations.

The King of Vrak is our conduit to Bok. King Vrak is at the doorway between the divine and material planes; he intercedes on our behalf with Bok, and is supposed to be faithful and ordained by the Prophet of Bok. How can he do that when he has joined another faith? You cannot serve two masters when one demands you forsake all others. Joining the Dyellian nation is just politics, but this conversion is a betrayal of us and of our ancestors.

Ethnic Vrakian community leaders have addressed the protests, calling for the Imperial Federal Government to cut off diplomatic relations with King Vrak XVIII’s administration. They say they are lobbying the Vrakiskan Provincial Government to have their delegates raise the issue in the Provincial Consultative Assembly. Chief Minister Vatrahk’s Government has not issued a statement, and declined to comment publicly.

A spokesperson for Arn-To’Vrak’s Garda Síochána estimated the crowds in Grand Civic Square to be at least two thousand strong. The demonstrations have so far been peaceful, although they have grown rapidly; the Garda Síochána anticipates that over five thousand people will be protesting tomorrow, and is working with local businesses.

A smaller demonstration of a few dozen people took place outside the Dyellian Embassy in Arn-Maciska yesterday, but organisers say they expect to draw a larger crowd today. The Ambassador-General’s office has declined to comment.

A spokesperson for the Vice-Ministry for Extraregional Representation has stated that the Imperial Federal Government considers this a local affair.

---

Atheist Macisikan was a stark contrast to the Christian Teyrnasoedd; the Bokists in the Federated Star Empire were a tiny minority, mere millions in a nation of billions of secular humanists. Membership of a particular faith didn't get you anything, and being public about it tended to get you ostracised - even before the decline in religiosity, the whole matter had been seen as an intensely private affair, something you didn't discuss in public. Even celebrations like Easter and Christmas had always tended to be subdued, friends-and-family-focused, events.

When they'd arrived, many of the Vrakians had expected to be confronted with pressure to convert - the Realm had once been a Holy Empire after all. But instead they'd found themselves rushing into the warm embrace of the constitutional Charter of Rights and Duties - Part 2, Section 13 guaranteed freedom of religion. As long as they weren't hurting anyone, and as long as they left it in Church, their Maciskan countrymen didn't care what they believed in.

Despite the Tal Dumat's fears, violence was unlikely; a whole generation had grown up under the red-and-white of the Empire, in an environment of representative democracy bounded by the rule of law. They were more likely to submit petitions, make speeches, and lobby their representatives. The worst Claudia Black would have to personally fear would probably be airborne fruit. Far greater was the danger of them getting to Chief Minister Vatrahk; his government had a weak majority, and was very sensitive to the popular mood in his Province.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Black's response was to invite ethnic Vrakian leaders to discuss their grievances in person and with full media representation within the Dyellian Embassy precinct. It was worth noting that there was almost no security at the Dyellian Embassy. It was a potential problem with crowds of angry Vrakians...

Official Communiqué from the Embassy of the Teyrnasoedd Sanctaidd Cloi


The Dyellian Teyrnasoedd has always been a friend to the people of Vrak, since time immemorial and it is our sincerest wish that this recent event will not cause long-term damage to that relationship, for we have entered into our agreement with the Vrakian King with only the best intentions. For any who doubt us, I would challenge them to find an occasion in history when we, the Dyellian people, have ever dealt with our Vrakian neighbours in an underhand or dishonourable way.

We understand the concerns of the Bokist Priests and lay leadership, but let us assure you that neither we, nor King Vrak XVIII have any intention of causing discomfort to the Bokist religion. While we are a Christian nation, we are not one which is completely intolerant and it is our promise that the Bokist religion will enjoy the same protected Status as the indigenous religions of Talv, Fasta Benj, Alitakia and the Djel Valley. While I will not deny that their are many Dyellians who would seek converts, these people have been operating in Vrak for years, nothing has changed. There is nothing for the followers of Bok to fear, they will simply be joining the 405,522,610 other followers of polytheistic religions in the Teyrnasoedd.

As for the religious beliefs of the King. We would ask that the Vrakian people be patient. The King, like every other person, is deserving of the right to practice his faith as he sees fit. We understand that this has caused complications for the followers of Bok, however, King Vrak is dedicated to resolving this issue post haste. The Bokist religion will have a head who is not a Christian. Let us not forget, however, in calling for the King's abdication, that the King has restored order to Vrak and promised elections for the first time in Vrakian history. He has given hope to a country that has had none for many long years. I would ask the Vrakian population of the Empire to please think of their relatives in Klatch before calling for his abdication, for without Vrak XVIII there might be no Vrak.

I would also invite all persons who wish to discuss this matter more closely to come to the Embassy compound at 7:00 pm in two days time. I will be able to answer your questions in my capacity as Emissary for King Vrak. I ask for two days so that I may have time to consult with his Most Glorious Highness and ensure that what I say is a true reflection of his will.

[Macisikan]

Arn-Maciska, Homeworld Province, FSEM
The crowd outside the Dyellian Embassy had swelled to a whole forty people now; in response, the Garda Síochána, the Macisikani police, had a dozen officers in front of the Embassy. They were vocal, but not violent; the mood of the Garda was relaxed. They were a bunch of students from the local universities; about fifteen Vrakians, and the rest were local friends who’d turned up in support. None of them was over the age of 25, and none of them took Black up on her offer – they simply didn’t feel qualified. There was a single local Bokist chaplain, a moderate who didn’t regard the King as a special position; and he was sitting at home watching re-runs of a Teurenzian crime thriller.

One person did turn up though; the Vice-Minister's Secretary for Relations, Sir Marcus Aldri, accompanied by the Rechtaire for the Or Circuit, Baroness Sophronsa Aryet. Neither of them seemed very happy.

---

Arn-To’Vrak, Vraksika Province, FSEM
Grand Civic Square was overflowing with thousands now flooding into the surrounding streets; the Provincial legislators had to be virtually smuggled in to their parliament building. Anti-Dyellian slogans were being chanted and shouted, and an effigy of King Vrak XVIII had been burned. The Garda Síochána were out in force; the protests here were very angry, but they lacked a focus.

The Province’s Governor, a Macisikani Marchioness, stared gloomily out of the windows of the office of the Chief Minister down at the square. The Chief Minister, one of the Province’s Walvraks, was steated at his desk, clutching a glass of vodka in one flipper. The room’s third occupant was another human – a Thule by the name of Akiak, who was the Provincial Police Commissioner.

“…there is a concern, Chief Minister,” Akiak was saying, “that elements of the Garda may join the protests. We’ve already had an upswing in absenteeism.”

Vatrahk swirled the vodka around in his glass and sighed heavily; the Governor didn’t move.

“I assume you’ve taken measures to counter this?” the Chief Minister asked.

“Yessir,” the Commissioner replied. “I’ve rotated Thule, Lettigalian, and Walvrak officers to other areas or to rural centres, and had Maciskan officers hold the line,” the Governor turned around at that, an eyebrow raised.

“Your people have no skin in this, Your Serene Ladyship,” Vatrahk said, guessing the Commissioner’s line of thought.

“Exactly, we can trust the Maciskan population to remain peaceable, and their officers to remain loyal,” Akiak took over again. “But the concern I have now is that there may not be enough Maciskan officers to contain the protests if they spread to other cities. We may need Federal assistance.”

“We already have a Federal issue,” the Chief Minister’s free flipper rested on his desk, on top of his daily schedule. “The parliament is going to pass a motion this afternoon. I’ve seen it; it will require me to have our representatives in the Provincial Consultative Assembly in Saragova lobby their fellows to try to compel the Federal Government to withdraw their recognition of the Vrakian King. And I don’t have the strength to repel it; if I reject it, that pakrah of an opposition leader will exploit the situation for all it’s worth.”

“And it’ll fail,” the Governor said softly. “Even if enough votes can be garnered in the PCA, the Senate will simply decline to receive it. And now I see why I’m in this meeting.”

“Yes,” the Chief Minister was glum. “The next move will be to have me present a petition to you; they’ll invoke their Section One rights. And since this will come from one of His Serene Majesty’s heads of government…”

“Great,” the Governor pinched her nose and closed her eyes; a petition to the King-Emperor. Part Two, Section One of the Charter of Rights and Duties gave every one of Constantinus’s subjects the right to petition him for redress of grievances. Normally they were palmed off to the Civil Service to evaluate and accept or reject, or to the Governors and other Royal Proxies, but one coming from a head of government, with the backing of the provincial legislature, that would wind up in Saragova.

“What about this offer from Claudia Black?” she asked.

“Unless she can get the King in Vrak Prime to convert back to Bokism,” came the reply, “there’s nothing she can do. That’s their demand. It’s simple and absolute. They don’t care about anything other than that. But in any case her offer is pointless; a meeting at her Embassy in two days’ time? Useless,” he barked, draining his glass and setting it down on his desk.

The Governor held her hand out silently; the Chief Minister handed her a glass of her own. She understood his point; it would take a fast courier the better part of a fortnight to reach Midgard from Vrakiska. Unless they were lucky, the protests would turn violent; given Akiak’s worry about the local Garda, it was likely that the Imperial Surface Service would need to be deployed, and that meant a Federal intervention.

“Chief Minister, can your Government safely steer the province through this?” she asked carefully.

“I honestly do not know,” Vatrahk replied. Behind the Walvrak, Akiak looked grave; their expressions changed to astonishment, followed by bemusement, followed by a faint awe as the Governor drained her glass in a single gulp, before launching on a five-minute-long string of profanities; she didn’t repeat herself once.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Vrak Prime

"Why can't we just shoot them?" Ignacio Delgado was an Ozarkian from the Province of Vrak Shiron. A huge, brooding figure, a personal friend of Caroline ab Ieauf who had served as her deputy in the dying days of the Federation, and now the Grandmaster of the Order of the Dragon.

"Because we'll start a civil war." Mog Hoshnek, a Walvrak who now styled himself Duke Mog of the Northern Reaches replied curtly. He was still a Bokist, a warlord in the North, he had seen the pragmatism of accepting Vrak XVIII. The protests in Vrak Prime and others cities in the North, which were, at this point, somewhat less radical than those in the Federal Empire, were putting him in a difficult position, but one which he saw the opportunity to profit through, "While it might be fun, and traditional to go out and butcher the shliznats, that would not sit well with the King's stated objective to modernise the State."

The King nodded, letting his advisers continue to argue the point amongst themselves. In time he would step in, but at this point wisdom dictated he should listen to what they had to say. Even the most irrational of them would occasionally talk sense, and usually they reached a consensus that was wiser than the component parts.

The next to speak was the old Lettigalian, the one who he had appointed Metropolitan of Vrak Prime, Judita Bayus. She had a worn look about her today, dressed in the purple robe that was favoured by senior members of the Episcopal Church, "If we kill them, it will only reinforce their feelings about us. We need some way to prove that we are serious about protecting their rights."

"And abdication is not an option." Mog grunted, "If you disappear, your Highness, we will just disintegrate into warring States. Again. That isn't good for anyone. I am amazed that the thoddos haven't figured this out for themselves. Who the yotz cares who mediates with Bok if your temple is in danger of being looted by bandits?"

"And reconversion is not really an option." this was the last of them, Rumali Brake. She was an Alitakian, a humanoid of around six feet tall with the kind of body that made other humanoids stare and drool. She had dark hair and stunning blue eyes... and green skin. She seemed to constantly wear leather and had an unhealthy (in the King's opinion), disrespect for Royalty, but he was somewhat mistrustful of this new greenskin race; they had executed their King and most of their nobility before throwing their lot in with the Dyellians right when their species was on the brink of extinction - it would seem there were a lot of races in the Galaxy who didn't appreciate pirates. She wore leather armour with thick ornate, metal-plated vambraces and boots. She was sprawled across her chair, with one leg slung over the arm, looking every bit as much the warlord as any of the Wal-Vrak that the King had met with, "The Tzarina won't let you get into the Teyrnasoedd for free, and if you won't swear fealty, then you have to at least be part of her Church. I believe that you all agreed this was the best course of action?"

"Not to mention I rather like some of this ECC stuff." the King added, making it clear his conversion was not entirely false.

"On the practical side, it is clear that you can't be the leader of the Cult of Bok." Mog put in, steering the conversation in the direction that he wanted.

"Then appoint a High Priest of Bok." Brake shrugged, "It should solve your problems, except perhaps in Arn-To'Vrak where they have burned an effigy of your Highness."

"Who cares what a pack of blok pakrahs think." Mog again, "This is Vrak, this country has gone to dren while these zarking shliznats have been off sipping lattes in the Federal Empire. What have they done to help us? To yotz with them!"

"Had you considered a career as a diplomat?" Delgado was probably joking, but it had clearly set the gears working in Brake's head.

It took her a few moments, then suddenly she grinned, "Your Highness, this might work, or it might fail catastrophically. Now Duke Mog appears to have forgotten why the Federal Empire is significant to us, but I feel the Grandmaster's idea has some merit. Send Duke Mog and Ambassador Black to Arn-To'Vrak to explain the situation. Duke Mog is a Vrakian, he knows what this place is like, what it has been and why your Highness is important. Ambassador Black will advance a position of reason. If there is any sense in these protesters, it should help to stabilise the situation somewhat."

"Either that or they'll get lynched." Bayus put in, sounding as depressed as she looked.

"I don't think they'll lynch Mog." Brake shrugged, "But if Black ends up swinging from a rope over a lamp post, then we have ourselves a martyr. Not an ideal situation, but not a bad one for our cause."

The King nodded, Brake had a somewhat cavalier attitude to the life of her fellow subjects, but her plan had some merit, "And for now, I am appointing you, Duke Mog, as 'Intercessor of Bok'. That should help to appease the masses for the time being."

A message was sent a short while later requesting permission for Duke Mog and Claudia Black to visit Arn-To'Vrak and address the protesters.

__________
Arn-Maciska

The guards had been pulled inside the compound. They were unarmed, and Black had felt it was better they were not exposed to any hostile actions from the protesters. Black appeared in person a few minutes before the appearance of the Vice-Minister, dressed casually - jeans and a red singlet.

"Thank you officers." she smiled addressing the Garda in a voice that was designed to be heard by everyone in front of the Embassy, "We do appreciate your presence here, but would you mind moving off temporarily? The protesters have a right to be heard."

She stepped forward, directly in front of the line of protesters, spreading her arms wide, "Well, give me your best shot, if throwing something at me would make you feel better!" she could make her voice carry when she needed to and the crowd was small enough that she could make herself heard... provided they didn't start yelling over her, "But I want to ask you, what the blazes are you protesting about?"

"You have a King, he is going to make your Country Great again. He's not a Bokist... well, if that is the problem, then perhaps you would like another few years of anarchy instead, where your temples get torched or simply fall to bits from lack of funds? There are people dying in Vrak, thousands every day. We can stop that, there is a solution, it is King Vrak XVIII, and you will have a Religious head in time, which I might add, you haven't had since this anarchy started. So tell me, what can we do to fix this?"

It was grandstanding right out of the Alexia ap Adam bumper book for controlling Dyellian crowds. Whether it would work here was another matter... the people of Arn-Maciska did not have quite the same cult of heroes that the Dyellians had.

[Macisikan]

Diplomatic Precinct, Arn-Maciska, Homeworld Province, FSEM
The Garda sergeant looked at the Ambassador, then back to the protestors, then back to the Ambassador.

"With all due respect Your Excellency," he visibly broadened, "we are standing on the King's Highway and the City Lands, not the grounds of your mission. And my orders to safeguard your mission and your person come from the Ambassador-General," in other words; no. And he seemed faintly insulted.

When the Ambassador stepped forward, one of the Garda stood half a pace behind her and to the right, glaring at the crowd; no-one threw anything.

After a few seconds a young Thule stepped forward. For a second she seemed about to scream abuse, then she glanced behind the Ambassador, and her face closed.

“You cannot speak for the King of Vrak,” she said after a moment. “You are not one of us. You have no voice. You go, you tell the one on the throne that he has betrayed his people, betrayed his fathers, betrayed his faithful. We will not hear your words,” with that, she turned her back – the other protestors, Thule, Lettigalian, and Maciskan all turned their backs. The Maciskans had their arms around the shoulders of the Vrakians – it was clear that they were just there to support their friends. Quietly, they shuffled away.

“That could have gone worse,” Baroness Sophronsa Aryet was standing right behind Black. The noble was regarding the departing crowd with amusement, before turning her eyes on the Ambassador. Sir Marcus stood behind the Rechtaire.

“Your excellency,” the knight said, nodding. “We need to talk.”

---

The response was not what was wanted.

Official Communiqué Classification: DIPLOMATIC-IN-CONFIDENCE From: Office of the Secretary to the Vice-Ministry, VMER To: the Foreign Office, of the State of Vrak CC: Ambassador Claudia Black Subject: 040(s) and 046 Visa Request To the Foreign Minister of Vrak, greetings; The request for Her Excellency Ambassador Claudia Black and His Grace Duke Mog Hoshnek to travel to the Stellar Domain is denied for security reasons. Regards, M Vasard ___________________________ Sir Mattias Vasard His Serene Majesty's Secretary to the Vice-Ministry Vice-Ministry for Extraregional Representation Imperial Federal Government Federated Star Empire of Macisikan

On the other hand, there was some good news… kind of; the protests in Vrakiska had abruptly cooled, but it was because the Chief Minister had sent the petition to Saragova-upon-Causton, and now they waited to hear what the Senate would say.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Black did not seem either especially put out or surprised by the reaction of the protesters, and was considering letting go with a tirade of Vrakian expletives (imagining that a lot of the students didn't speak their ancestral language). The arrival of Baroness Aryet took her by surprise, and she decided against that tactic, she was not, after all, actually in Vrak and it probably would not be regarded as quite as appropriate here. She dropped a curtsey of a sort... or at least went through the motions she would have used had she been wearing a skirt, "My Lady. Please allow me a few minutes to get changed. I was anticipating catching a rock with my face and did not want to ruin a perfectly good suit."

"Please follow me." she led the way into the Embassy leaving the Baroness and entourage in the lobby for precisely six minutes while she changed into one of her neatly tailored grey suits and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. It was a fairly bland lobby with a few plastic plants and some glossy magazines which seemed to be alternatively promoting Dyellian tourism and mineral exports. The chairs were comfortable though and there was climate control.

"My apologies." she said when she returned, "I am certain you have important business to attend to, and I won't waste any more of your time."

Black was usually fairly good at holding the Cheka poker-face, but there was a hint to her appearance and behaviour that suggested she was frazzled. There were dark circles under here eyes and she seemed like she was in a hurry when she led them back to her office, waving in the direction of some plush black leather chairs before gravitating towards the drinks trolley, "Would you care for refreshments?" she offered, before pouring herself a rather large glass of brandy.

__________

In Vrak

The declaration that Duke Mog had been appointed Intercessor of Bok went some way to diffuse the situation on the local front. While Mog was not precisely popular, he was respected and had a personality much like the late King Vrak XVI. The fact that the Parliament of the Teyrnasoedd had also just approved subsidy of 522 billion Kronors per annum to the Bokist Religion provided 'it can form a structure for the fair and appropriate distribution of funding'. This was not even motivated by the protests - it was a standard grant multiplied by the number of adherents. The Imperial Administration just hadn't got around to stamping it until now. The two main churches received considerably more. It was also a ludicrous amount of money for a religion which up until that point had been largely supporting itself.

Mog busied himself building a clerical structure for the Bokist Religion - he wasn't going to accept any reasons not to get the money and he had any number of avaricious clerics ready to play ball. The Walrus had taken to wearing something that looked suspiciously like a papal tiara decorated with gold herrings, although there was not any suggestion that the 'structure' Mog was proposing would do much more than serve as a means to funnel money while providing little or no clerical guidance. There was, even so, some resistance at a local level from some of the more independent temples, but it was certainly helping to deflect attention from the King, who was staying quiet for now.

In the background Brake had also managed to secure Vrakian access to the Teyrnasoedd's unemployment subsidy scheme, despite some resistance from Dyellian off-world States who (correctly) predicted that they would end up subsidising huge numbers of Vrakians until such time as industry could be resurrected in the State.

There were still protests, but they were a little less vocal and a little more confused about exactly what they wanted. The Bands watched on, ready for any outbreak of violence.

[Macisikan]

Diplomatic Precinct, Arn-Maciska, Homeworld Province, FSEM

The two Macisikani officials were leafing through one of the mineral exports magazines when the Ambassador returned; they followed her back to her office in silence, and seated themselves, waving off the offer of refreshments with a polite “no, thank you.”

“We’re here for two different reasons” Baroness Aryet began. “I’m here to reassure you that, no matter what the rent-a-crowd here or the dummy-spitters in Vrakiska say, we are not in the business withdrawing recognition of a foreign government due to the demands of a piddling little protest in a backwater province,” Sir Marcus winced at the Baroness’s dismissive tone.

“Oh, come on Mark,” she said, “there are billions of people in the Empire, less than forty million in that province. There aren’t enough votes in that entire province to unseat even one Senator, let alone change the outcome of the General Election. This is annoying, but Minister Kas’Etap will take care of it under seven-nineteen if it gets that far,” the woman sounded annoyed, like she’d trodden in something while wearing nice shoes. “Besides, the matter is about to be resolved.”

“Well,” Sir Marcus said after a moment. “I’m here about this,” he held up the minerals magazine. “Sir Silvanas, the International Trade Secretary, wants a meeting with you and your trade attaché, preferably some official from your homeland.

---

amt.com.var.fe
News>Macisikani News>Vrakiska
Schism in Arn-To’Vrak
Clerics in Vrakiska Break With Vrak Prime
Hapshetsia Savidir in Arn-To’Vrak
The Arn-Maciska Times
The First Newspaper: serving the Ancestral City, and through it, the Realm

Bokist priests in Arn-To’Vrak today announced they have officially split from the Bokist Faith in Vrak Prime.

Speaking to reporters, Jur Tyuliok, head of the Bokist faith in Vas’Sivir, declared that the heads of the main Bokist temples in Vrakiska no longer paid heed to the faith in Vrak.

It is clear that the conduit to the gods is corrupted beyond repair. The will of Bok is obvious; a new conduit must be found from amongst the true faithful. To that end, leading clerics of Bok from across Vrakiska gathered in closed session, and we have chosen one among the faithful to serve as the true intercessor with the Gods, as the Divine of the Faithful of Bok.

The identity of the Divine has been confirmed as Merok Ratyuig, the youngest and only known living son of Jur Ratyuig, the Minister of Rites under King Vrak XVI. His Holiness fled to the Imperial Confederacy with his children following the Second Collapse of the Vrakian government and was granted asylum, becoming an Imperial citizen.

Jur Ratyuig was allegedly annointed King of Vrak by the being calling itself the Emissary of Bok, however his current status and whereabouts are unknown. The status of the rest of the Ratyuig family is also unknown. Most Bokists viewed the Emissary as a true messenger of the deity. A spokesman for the Divine has forestalled any question on disputing the Vrakian throne:

Becoming an Imperial Citizen requires a pledge of loyalty to the Realm and an oath of allegiance to the Serene Majesty. All claim to the Vrakian throne was renounced, then and forever, on that day in Arn-Jaf'na. His Holiness, our Divine, acknowledges the sovereignty of our Cenobirach, the King-Emperor Constantinus VII, long may he live; that is the only King we care for.

Chief Minister Vatrahk’s office issued a statement a short while ago saying that the Divine will be meeting with the Chief Minister, before the two address the crowds in Grand Civic Square.

---

Saragova

“Clever,” Premier Valdir folded the paper and put it down. It was an anachronistic fancy of hers – to actually read a printed newspaper. “Pledges of loyalty to His Majesty, in the same breath as telling King Vrak to shove his Intercessor where the sun doesn’t shine.”

“I didn’t think they had it in them,” the speaker was the Minister for the Worlds, Provinces, and Colonies, Lady Kas’Etap. “I honestly believed they were going to fold. Oh, well, Governor d’Sakazir has the situation in hand – if Vatrahk decides to proclaim a provincial religion he’ll get dismissed; something she will make clear to both of them when they meet.”

“Indeed,” Valdir muttered. “Anyway, what’s next?”

[Dyelli Beybi]

lack looked positively relieved, slumping down behind her desk, the brandy momentarily forgotten, "But unrest is good for no-one." she supplied, "If it had occurred to me that it was a possibility that there would be protests in the Empire I would have asked the Court to take more time over the Vrakian adventure, to take precautionary measures. It had never occurred to us that the Bokists would become so... 'animated'. I can only hope the Vrakians running their reformation process do it intelligently. I somewhat worry about this 'Duke Mog', he was a Colonel under the last Vrakian regime. I believe he has risen to his current position because of political expediency... but anyway, I digress."

"I don't have a Trade Commissioner assigned to the Embassy at this point." she added, "I will send a request to Chancellor Goring to source someone with suitable expertise."

It was perhaps unsurprising in a State that had been through a period of isolationism that they wouldn't have anyone attached to the Embassy to deal with trade negotiations - there were not supposed to be any during 'Gwlad Cloi', "Do we have a particular time frame to aim for? I imagine they will look at sending an Alitakian or Prenael, although these groups inhabit more outlying regions of the Teyrnasoedd and might not be able to reach here that speedily."

[Macisikan]

Aryet looked irritated, if anything.
“Oh, there are elements in the Senate who are annoyed with you, elements in the Nationalist Bloc who are unhappy,” her eyes regarded the Ambassador. “A couple of Senators say that you have been unable to keep your house in order, and now we have a problem in our house. They say that there should be some sort of repercussion for this. But they do not say it publicly, and the leadership isn’t behind it. They’re too busy taking a bat to the knees of the Farminan President, or otherwise occupied. Lucky you,” her voice contained wry amusement.

“Sometime in the next fiscal quarter,” Sir Marcus answered Black’s question. “There are talks about relaxing the import/export restrictions; I don’t know the details, but it’s involving an easing of the Whitelist Act,” he referred to the Macisikani law that prohibited anyone from a country lacking an Embassy from entering the Federated Star Empire. People from exactly seven nations outside of Vårheim were allowed to enter Macisikan – Farmina, Ilek-Vaad, Oneracon, San Pellegrino Romana, the Greater Thedosian Kingdom, ViZion, and Dyelli Beybi – were allowed in. Everyone else was detained and deported, baring a few hundred refugees.

[Dyelli Beybi]

"Our house will soon be in order." Black assured Aryet, sounding confident, "It is just... a little irritating that a certain sector of Vrakian society cannot see that what we are doing is going to be of massive benefit to them. We gain relatively little compared to the amount of money we are giving them - just a road and a river. They should be hailing Alexia ap Adam as their saviour, not griping over what religion their King is."

"That should be more than enough time to get someone sent out." she added, changing her attention back to the more important discussion of a trade envoy, "I will inform the Court that we need an envoy as soon as this meeting is over."

[Macisikan]

OOC: my turn to apologise for the delay - no excuse, I just haven't had the brainpower lately.

IC:
Now Aryet looked amused, as though Black had just told a joke.
"Religious beliefs can get awkward if people have especially strong feelings coupled with a refusal to live and let live," she observed. "I suppose we should all be thankful that they're not the sort to express their displeasure by means of a big bang in a very public place."

"Excellent," Sir Marcus smiled. "I should warn you though; Sir Silvanas did imply that anyone up to a Minister could be sent. Fortunately there's a considerably greater travel time from here to Saragova than from here to Cyro, so there ought to be plenty of time to make sure the right people are invited. I wish I had more details for you."

The two Macisikani looked at each other; Sir Marcus indicating with a gesture he was done.

"Well, that's about it, really," Aryet said. "Now we can tell those unhappy people we spoke to you... oh, one last thing; the Joint Peacekeeping Authority in Talv. Vice-Minister Baylis wanted me to tell you that he's extremely pleased with how smoothly our cooperation there has gone," she smiled, and the two stood. "That should be it... Thank you for receiving us, Excellency."

[Dyelli Beybi]

OOC: Yep, know that feeling

"It was my pleasure." Black stood along with the others, giving the best impersonation of a curtsey possible in a pencil skirt (apparently she had good balance).

__________

Some weeks later Black was proved completely wrong when the Imperial Government's Trade Envoy arrived, a 'Levantine Djel' named Avraham Raedar who was the acting Emissary to the Tzarina from the Confederated Duchies of Hasmonia. They were one of the more recent additions to the Teyrnasoedd and were known mostly for fighting with their neighbours (quite unremarkable for a Dyellian State), being the only majority Jewish state in the Teyrnasoedd, and growing oranges.

is arrival was accompanied by a brief note missive from the Embassy to any sectors of Government who might be even vaguely interested in his presence to let them know that the envoy had arrived and that he would await their pleasure.

[Macisikan]

OOC: tell me about it twelve days has got to be a record.

IC:

The Dyellian Trade envoy was invited to meet with two officials; Dame Ginerva L’nird, the Joint Secretary of State for International Trade (from the Trade Ministry), and Sir Silvanas Vasard , the Joint Secretary of State for International Trade Relations (from the Ministry of International Relations). The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Vice-Ministry in Catherine Square, at 1030.

It was readily apparent that the two host officials were there to brief the Dyellian envoy on the new trade arrangements with extra-regional nations. These were, according the rumour mill, nothing but good news for the Dyellians.

[Dyelli Beybi]

OOC: Mine wasn't much better, though I have resolved some stuff that was keeping me inactive

The Dyellians, which was to say Black and Raedar, appeared a few minutes early, though there was no expectation that their hosts would come out to meet them any earlier than arranged - if anyone was eavesdropping on the pair's banter, it would seem that Black had misread traffic conditions.

Raedar was perhaps a little more muscled than the typically skinny Djel, and was 45 years old, although being a Djel he looked somewhat younger. He had a deep, hooked nose and a mop of curly black hair. On this particular day he wore a pale grey suit and had been convinced by his aides to wear a thin blue tie (usually he baulked at such 'Western' attire). He was, according to Dyellian public files, Director of the Hasmonean 'Ministry of Procurement', which was a fancy way of saying the person charged with negotiating arms purchases from the other Dyellian States. It was perhaps a surprise that they had not sent one of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade from one of the larger States, presumably this was part of the Imperial initiative to be more inclusive of minorities.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Vrak and the Teyrnasoedd

Vrak was, for the most part, calm. There was still a protest movement, a slow simmer of resentment that the Dyellians hoped the quell by shovelling money at it. It was a very Dyellian solution and not always the right one. Time would tell, although across the country (particularly in the South) there were definite improvements to living conditions. Food was plentiful, there was work, factories that had been closed for years were reopening and for those too old, young or maimed to enter employment, the new leadership had also imported the Dyellian welfare system. It was all a major drain on the Teyrnasoedd's coffers, but Vrak had been a drain for years, at least now the money seemed to be going into something other than the bank accounts of the local nobility and weapons.

Vrak still was not technically a part of the Teyrnasoedd, and nobody seemed in any great hurry to put pen to paper, however, they had been granted the Status of an 'Observer State in Full Alliance', which was the Teyrnasoedd's way of declaring they would brook no interference in the State, even if the political landscape was not currently conducive to assimilation. Vrak was also ramping up for its first elections. Some would-be parliamentarians called for distancing themselves from the Teyrnasoedd, citing the controlling influence of the Dyellians, others called the King to demand immediate full membership, pointing out that unlike the Klatchian Parliament where every state got two votes, representation at the Parliament of the Teyrnasoedd was dictated by population, meaning Vrak would be comparatively more powerful than in had been in the days of the Federation.

Across the border the Teyrnasoedd was also gearing up... for a census. For the first time, Cyro had been forced to split 'Djel' into different ethnicities, currently there were seven on the census form (Southron Djel, Moskauan, Beybirian, Brython, Tarracon, Parsian and Levantine Djel). 'Elf' would be split into Ljósálfar, Nordu and Prenael, although there was a vocal movement in most of the States of Talv to include 'Dowine Peintael' as a separate group (the Easterners of Talv whom the Urukianians had only nominally controlled at best).

Expected demographic shifts included Orcs dropping from the fourth most populous species to the fifth (behind Djel, Humans, Elves and now Alitakians). Many still remembered the days when Orcs had been third on the list. Minority religious practice was also expected to show gains - The percentage of Polytheists was expected to have roughly tripled (mostly Alitakians and Prenael) while Islam was also expected to have more than doubled its share of the population.

[Macisikan]

OOC: Mine wasn't much better, though I have resolved some stuff that was keeping me inactive

The Dyellians, which was to say Black and Raedar, appeared a few minutes early, though there was no expectation that their hosts would come out to meet them any earlier than arranged - if anyone was eavesdropping on the pair's banter, it would seem that Black had misread traffic conditions.

Raedar was perhaps a little more muscled than the typically skinny Djel, and was 45 years old, although being a Djel he looked somewhat younger. He had a deep, hooked nose and a mop of curly black hair. On this particular day he wore a pale grey suit and had been convinced by his aides to wear a thin blue tie (usually he baulked at such 'Western' attire). He was, according to Dyellian public files, Director of the Hasmonean 'Ministry of Procurement', which was a fancy way of saying the person charged with negotiating arms purchases from the other Dyellian States. It was perhaps a surprise that they had not sent one of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade from one of the larger States, presumably this was part of the Imperial initiative to be more inclusive of minorities.

Both Black and Raedar found themselves ushered into a fairly nice meeting room - new carpet, a couple of nice paintings on the wall, natural light, comfortable chairs, scones and pastries on the table.

"Welcome, welcome," Dame Ginerva greeted the two, all smiles, "please, both of you, be seated." The Dyellians then had to endure being fussed over for a moment - refreshments if they were hungry, coffee? Tea? How was the trip over Ser Raedar? Is Arn-Maciska to your liking? That sort of thing. During that time, the Dyellians would have been able to see the attire of their hosts; Raedar could have disposed of the tie. Sir Silvanas wore a mandarin collar, while Dame Ginerva's blouse was a roundneck. Stark and simple -

When the pleasantries were concluded, and the two Macisikani seated on their side of the table, Sir Silvanas leaned forward.

"Ser, Sera," he began, "the Imperial Federal Government is preparing a foreign policy white paper. As part of this, we would like to explore the receptiveness of the Teyrnasoedd to two proposals currently under consideration for inclusion. The first is a treaty of friendship between our nations - specifically a treaty of peace, intelligence, and aid. We would agree to peaceful coexistence, to share intelligence as necessary on agreed areas of mutual concern, and to provide agreed forms of aid under certain circumstances. Of course, we would need to include a provision that, in the event of warfare in Klatch between the Teyrnasoedd and a nation with which we have signed a non-aggression pact, the Realm remains neutral. However," he raised a hand slightly, "this is a second step. The first is a trade agreement."

"Specifically," Dame Ginerva took over, "the inclusion of the Teyrnasoedd on the Macisikani Trade Council. As you know, extraregional products and services are subjected to horribly punitive tariffs, when they are allowed at all; extraregional corporations are also subjected to heavy restrictions, and certain industries are off-limits. Embassy nations are, in fact, the only nations permitted to trade with the Realm, and our regional neighbours are... less, receptive, shall we say?" an understatement if ever there was one; Vårheim's other nations bordered on militant xenophobia when it came to extraregional engagement, and Macisikan itself had banned any person from a nation lacking an embassy from entering the country.

"What we will be proposing will be a relaxation of the current restrictions," she continued "Corporate entities from Trade Council nations will be allowed to invest and operate in privileged sectors, and join an Extraregional Board of Trade - which will allow them to bid for civilian non-sensitive government contracts. The Foreign Investment Partnership requirement will be dropped to 1% for Trade Council nations, with the purchase guaranteed at market value. We are meeting with you to explore your receptiveness; because of the size and complexity of the Teyrnasoedd, your situation warrants special attention. For example, in principle the Teyrnasoedd as a unit will be invited, but in practice this may be limited to certain nations."

"Your mission will need to be expanded, Excellency," Sir Silvanas said. "If, for example, Hasmonia wishes to take advantage of the Trade Council inclusion, they will need to have representation under your auspices in Arn-Maciska, and we will need to establish a consulate there."

[Dyelli Beybi]

"Long." Raedar said of his journey, accepting tea with a smile and nod of thanks, "We are in one of the more far flung systems colonised a system we share with Yeni Andalus. It takes a week for a ship from Outremere to reach us, and neither we nor our Andalusian neighbours have the money or population to make a wormhole connection even remotely economical. If Rheged get out of the planning stage on their one it would shave a good 3 days off, but until then, it is a long trip."

Black surreptitiously scanned to see if there were any shortbreads on offer. They were a particular favourite of hers, though she wasn't about to confess to having a sweet tooth in such eminent company. She laughed as they turned to business, "I like the second step." she confided, a wry half smile forming on her lips, "Unfortunately it will not serve as a deterrent to the only state currently known to have 'potentially bellicose intentions' towards us, but I cannot have my way all the time... no, it is a good second step and one which I feel will be good for stability on a Universal level."

"As to the first." Raedar jumped in this time, "There are certain Dyellian States that may or may not wish to participate so I do not see the issue with limiting this to certain nations. For instance, states such as Tara are unlikely to see much relevance in a trade deal, they trade little enough with the rest of the Teyrnasoedd as it is. Of the thirty-two current states I think you will find four to be so underdeveloped as to a waste of time. There are a further four which are so heavily economically linked with a larger neighbour that they are unlikely to see the point in participation. There are two States which are likely to wholeheartedly push for this, Diocletian and Statenland, though the rest may show some reluctance. If some allowance is made for Dyellian States to protect their primary industries and core manufacturing sectors then it is likely you'll see the engagement of all but one - our Communist brothers and sisters in Guyaland."

"It is accepted in thirty Dyellian States that employment is a basic right of the person." Black put in, "So while I think I can speak for all Dyellian Governments in saying that trade is desirable in principle, the concern will be whether it will result in certain Dyellian sectors becoming unable to compete on the local market, leading to unemployment and potential civil unrest." she paused, smiling apologetically, "Please don't get me wrong, I want to negotiate a settlement, but the peculiarities of our economies mean that we will need to tread carefully. Do you by any chance have a standard treaty you work with?"

Raedar gave a few moments for a reply, before launching off into a side topic, "May I ask what a 'CT-Pass with a valid NH-P designation'? I ask because the Teyrnasoedd is a human-minority state. I know most Djels claim to be human when outside the Teyrnasoedd for simplicity's sake, but there are differences in dental arrangement, blood levels of certain chemicals and then there is the 'comatose torpor' thing. I'm asking this because, if there are increased numbers of Djel travellers, there is an increased risk one will become seriously ill or injured at which point there is the danger of medical complications if a well meaning physician assumes they are human."

[Macisikan]

Black was in luck; there was a tray of shortbreads in front of her and to her right.

The two trade secretaries exchanged a glance at the mention of a “potentially bellicose” state – everyone knew who they were talking about.

“I think you misunderstand us,” Dame Ginerva said. “There isn’t a treaty; rather several sections of Imperial legislation are being repealed by the Trade Council Act. The Minister, and her delegates such as the Vice-Minister, will then be able to list, or de-list, Sovereignties to sit on the Trade Council. This is us opening our markets up to you, insofar as we can; you will be able to invest in several sectors of the economy that other extraregional nations are not allowed to. At present, trade sectors where foreign investment and activity are permitted are divided into two groups; open and restricted. The former are open to anyone with an embassy, the latter only to other nations in Varheim. What the Trade Council Act does is create a third category called “privileged” – open to anyone on the Trade Council. Protection of certain industries and sectors is expected,” she checked a note in front of her.

“The presently proposed structure is still under deliberation, but admission to the trade council will grant you access to around twenty additional sectors of investment; the question of goods restrictions is less clear, but the important thing is the tariff reduction. Now, reciprocity is highly desirable, but not mandatory – and in those cases, we are happy to allow our private sector to invest in the Teyrnasoedd, or not as the case may be, according to their judgement and your regulatory environment. Regarding the wider trade; at the moment, extraregional trade is confined, by law and practicality, to the Terran Domain. The Federacies and the Home Province – although there is talk of allowing the lunar province entry into that zone. So we have no qualms about, say, Guyaland choosing to refrain from participation. Future plans do include widening the extraregional trade, but these are dependent on Concordat restrictions on interstellar travel by extraregional nations being relaxed. Now, if you wish to have an agreement for this – say, laying out the various matters in a memorandum of understanding or in a treaty – I’m sure we can work something out.”

“Personally though,” Sir Silvanas took over, “I think that we would better wrap that into stage two; a component of the formal treaty of friendship, intelligence, and aid. That way we can look on this step as a pilot, letting us iron out difficulties and problems in a more flexible environment, and then we can take what we learn from that and turn it into a treaty, as opposed to being bound into an untested agreement from the beginning.”

“’CT-Pass with a valid NH-P designation’?” Sir Silvanas echoed in puzzled tones. “Sounds like incorrect information on a website that hasn’t been fully updated yet to me. CT – Concordat Travel – those passes were abolished about six months ago and replaced with the Varheim Regional Travel pass. The NH-P designation stood for ‘Non-Human, Permitted’ but the Bulguntians pushed to have the nomenclature changed. The current requirement is a valid VRT pass with a B notation – the “b” standing for “benign”, and a species listing. It turns out we were wrong – there are a lot more non-humans in Varheim than we realised.”

“Aside from the Kin, the Dwarven Confederacy and dwarven citizenry, the small Elvenhen remnant, and the Walvraks in Vrakiska, there also is a large dwarven minority in Teurenze, and Bulgunti is majority non-human,” Dame Ginerva supplied. “Something will have to be done in the area of medical care though – eventually a Djel or one of your other races will end up in one of our emergency rooms, and there will need to be, at least, enough knowledge to provide the emergency treatment necessary to stabilise the patient.”

They weren’t hostile or uncomfortable in the slightest.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Black smiled faintly, looking like she was having to concentrate to understand exactly what was being proposed. She didn't have the greatest head for economics, though what was being proposed didn't seem that complicated. She looked to Raedar, exchanging a look before replying on both their behalves, "I think I can safely say this proposal will be welcomed in Cyro. There are going to be changes in the way the Dyellian economy is managed in the near future."

"What Claudia... ah Ambassador Black, is alluding to is the Goring administration's attempt to create a more distributed economy. In practical terms this means the breakdown of state and aristocratic monopolies and the creation of cooperatives. There is also a rethinking of the tax and welfare systems. The current welfare system is being scrapped in favour of a 'Universal basic income'. Some of the more convoluted taxes are being reworked or replaced. VAT is being scrapped although their will be a Financial Transactions tax and Capital Gains tax." Raedar explained. For anyone following the Dyellian economy over the last few years the news that they were planning economic reforms was not all that surprising. While the Court and many key States had favoured a more distributed economy for some time, the reality was that it had been operated as a pseudo-Socialist state since the Second Republic, "We're straying a bit off topic, but I thought it fair to warn you that the regulatory environment in Dyelli Beybi is likely to shift somewhat in the near future. What do you need us to do to ensure that inclusion on the Trade Council proves to be mutually beneficial?"

"As you are probably aware, most of us aren't human." Black replied, in response to Raedar's second point, "I am sure that it would not be too complex getting species information sent across, although it might be worth introducing some kind of blood sharing programme as well... bearing in mind I am not a medical expert, this is just something that popped into my head. I had also thought that it might be worth encouraging some kind of cultural exchange between similar groups in our respective Empires. This could help to break down mistrust, make the other seem more familiar." she laughed suddenly, "Sorry, I'm going massively off topic aren't I? I will try to restrain myself to trade discussions."

[Macisikan]

Both civil servants disregarded Black’s obvious inexperience in economic matters; as head of mission her job was not to be concerned with the minutiae of which freighter went where, but of keep feathers smoothed. Something she excelled at far more than her Vaadian counterpart, who was a non-entity in the Federated Realm.

“Of course, of course,” Dame Ginerva said in response to the alterations being planned for the Dyellian economy. “All we ask for is that information be readily, easily, and freely available to allow our trading concerns to make properly informed decisions, and that if any reforms involve the acquisition of our people’s property by Dyllian governments, that the acquisition take place on just terms,” meaning adequate compensation for the property in question.

“Frankly,” she continued, “the decision to invest is the concern of the private citizen or corporate concern; the important thing is that information be made available as speedily as possible to ensure that they can decide wisely. There is a foreign policy white paper under development; when it is released, a companion document will also be released outlining the arrangements. We would be deeply appreciative if the favourable terms of trade and conditions provided to Trade Council members were reciprocated, but understand that in some states that may not be possible,” she shrugged slightly. “Their loss; every other state’s gain.”

The two smiled at Black’s interjection, and exchanged a glance. This time it was Sir Silvanas who responded.

“That’s something better taken up with other officials,” he said apologetically, “I personally think it’s a great idea, but it’s outside our area of control; we are confined to matters of trade. Perhaps contacting your circuit Rechtaire would be a good place to initiate the conversation.”