American Summit (The New Earth Only)

[The United Continent of North America]

Château Montebello Grounds, Québec

The host town of Montebello, home to its famous Château resort where the summit would soon be held, awaited the arrival of their soon to be foreign guests while the American Prime Minister, David Tremblay, had arrived two days prior to greet the locals and personally oversee the final preparations for the summit. He personally held a soft spot for towns and places like this reminding him of similar places from his youth. The mixed landscape of forests and farmlands that sat on both sides of the Ottawa River gave off a peaceful vibe that was sorely lacking back in the Capital District in Toronto where the chaos erupting from the outside world was ever present in the minds of the government. The Château, a resort usually in its peak season this time of year, was almost devoid of its usual occupants with reporters and other aides filling its grounds instead, all eagerly prepared to witness the summit unfold.

He enjoyed the quietness of the landscape while it lasted, soon enough the foreign representatives would arrive and the great effort of resolving the conflict would begin. The majority of Americans, himself included, understood that it would be difficult to make an agreement that the three groups would agree with. In his mind all these nations had understandable causes to be up in arms against the other if one takes into account their own individual perspectives. He cursed quietly under his breath before briefly holding his face in his hands, immensely frustrated by the state of international politics. It would be easy to blame the situation on the aggressive expansion of authoritarian nations and empires, at the same time however many could blame America's isolationist tendencies as a major reason. No matter the case it was up to the UCNA here to attempt to broker a deal to extend peace and amend the mounting tension.

"Mr Prime Minister" an aide said approaching him as the Prime Minister walked near the shore of the nearby river. "The first of the motorcades are almost here"

"Thank you, I'll be heading in shortly" he replied before sighing and taking in the last of the sounds and sights that this summer had brought to the Canadian region. He had heard word some time ago of their landings in Montréal, so naturally it was only a short period of time before their arrival. "Time to greet our most esteemed guests" he thought to himself before heading towards the Château.

The summit itself would begin the following day as to allow time for the representatives to plan accordingly and rest before the event itself to allow for them to be at their best and most prepared for the meeting. After all, the fate of the entire world with the looming possibility of a new Great War would be largely influenced by the dealings made here. As such, while the summit was to sort out the crisis between Aelanias, Aeuria, Scandinavia, and the organizations they represented other nations were expected to attend as well.

Only time would tell if the next day's dealings would create progress in extending the period of peace between the world's powerful nations and blocs, at least long enough for the ongoing and growing American preparations to be put into force.

[Aeuria]

Château Montebello, Québec
As the Aeurian motorcade slowed to a stop outside the château, Foreign Minister Bordeaux fiddled with his signet ring. To say the man was nervous would be understating his concerns. He was one of the two senior officials the Emperor had sent to the talks, the other being First Consul and Imperial Prince Jean-Pierre VIII who sat across from the Minister with an absent look.

The talks had been chosen by his father as an opportunity for the First Consul to return to public life. Indeed, this would be his first official engagement since his attempted assassination in Imperial Burma more than a year ago. Dressed modestly for Aeurian royalty the Prince wore a simple linen suit designed with comfort in mind. While extensive surgery had removed most physical traces of the knife attack, Jean-Pierre had lost an eye. As a result, the Prince wore blackout glasses to mask the disfigurement. A slight scar was visible just below the right lens, made more pronounced by his otherwise unblemished face. After a year of surgeries, physical and psychological therapies, the self-styled "Prince of Pleasure" had changed from a jovial libertine to a most serious young man.

Aeuria was unique in its neutrality. While they of course opposed the Edafosan Crusade at the most fundamental level, most were practically minded and had long since accepted Arabia would fall. The Edafosans had caught the Arabs by surprise, cutting across the country almost without effort before their progress slowed. Even now, they slowly crept across the peninsula, city by city and town by town. With a restored empire to protect and govern, Emperor Aleksander's interests were far from saving the Middle East. Nonetheless, the growing financial crisis, the West's arming of Arabian rebel groups, and Gibetan missile systems in the UAF demanded an Aeurian delegation be present.

Jean-Pierre adjusted his glasses as the car stopped. Minister Bordeaux prepared himself. "Ready, Sir?"

Offering a simple nod, the door was opened by a footman and the Prince stepped out. Buttoning his suit jacket, Jean-Pierre examined the building's facade as Bordeaux joined him. "So it begins." he remarked plainly as the pair walked towards the entrance.

[Gibet]

Château Montebello, Québec

Not long at all after the Aeurian delegation had arrived, a column of SUV's appeared, coming up the long drive toward the château. Small flags fluttered on the forward frame of each vehicle and there was no mistaking the motorcade for anything other than Gibetan; these were the brand new BMW X3's, obviously upgraded to support their role as an imperial chauffer, with the Prussian coat of arms emblazoned on the front doors of each. Per the usual guidelines for such a motorcade, both the front and rear vehicles carried a mix of Imperial staff and bodyguards, the latter being handpicked form the vaunted Kaiseringarde divisions. These men and women were perhaps the most fanatically loyal and hardest trained soldiers in the armed services, chosen because of these traits and for their commitment to cause as well. The middle car was reserved for the Gibetan delegation; on this trip, comprising of the Foreign Minister, Klara Heinkel, the youthful ambassador to Arabia, Adek Barela--a rare Pole in a government office, affectionately nicknamed "Adi"--as well as the Gibetan representative to the UAF and the Kaiserin herself.

Also in attendance, purportedly as the insistence of Her Majesty, was an all-too-familiar face for anyone present at the Stockholm Conference, the Hungarian Andros Kovács, freshly promoted to Politkommisar 1st Class and now a senior diplomat of the Foreign Office. Officially, he was here as a foot in the door, so to speak, having dealt with many of the attending nations before. He would, alongside the Foreign Minister and Barela, be giving the chief demands of the GIbetan view.

The trip from the airport to the château had been a silent one. Minister Heinkel had exchanged niceties with the UAF representative, Franz Wolff--that tall, elegant Bavarian of noble blood had been earmarked as the honorary representative to the UAF solely to see him out of Berlin for a while. Despite being a landed noble, he was decidedly--and perhaps dangerously--pro-democratic rule. His addresses before the Bundestag had attracted more than his fair share of derision and attention from the Imperial intelligence service, Werwolf. His attendance here was mainly so the Kaiserin could get a feel for him, herself, before deciding where his true loyalties lay.

For that reason, he sat opposite the Empress, the Foreign minister to his right, with Andros and Barela sitting across from each other to the right of the Kaiserin. The two political officers were getting along famously, finding much to talk about given their similar situations as outcasts.

As the column comes to a halt, the first to exit are the bodyguards and staff, then the doors are opened for the Empress, and the delegation for the Federation is soon inside.

[The Scandinavians]

Château Montebello, Québec

The Scandinavian motorcade pulled up to the main entrance of the large Chateau resort where the Americans intended to broker an agreement. From the doors of the armored car stepped none other than the Minister Foreign Offices of the Fatherland Party himself, Wulff Malmsten, a man that could be argued as one of the ones who brought Scandinavia into this situation the begin with.

It was only natural that the Party sent him to America to negotiate with the UAF and the Queendom, after all it was one of his men who had gotten himself captured meaning it was indeed his responsibility to try to get him out. He had expected that the intelligence agencies of the world had already discovered the contents of the ship that had sailed to Antiochiea therefore he would hardly make an effort to deny the Party's role in the matter, seeing little purpose in lying. Scandinavia had good reason to bolster technological abilities of the Empire of Edafos and increase their relationship with them. At the most an Ipoli-Stockholm axis would significantly tip the balance of power in UFIN's favor, at the least it would simply conclude the war in Arabia far quicker than its current course and eliminate the chances of a pointless global war starting over what was seen by the Party as the world's largest sandbox.

Taking a moment to adjust the quintessential black-gray hat that took up such an important place in the uniform that distinguished him as a high ranking member of the Party in the hot summer heat Wulff paused for a moment to fully take in his surroundings as the resort's staff handles his belongings. The Quebecois landscape reminded him of his estate in Sweden as well as much of Nyland. He could understand why the American Prime Minister had selected this location for the summit, the resort and its peaceful surroundings combined with its distance from the epicenter would perhaps allow for clearer thought. He questioned whether or not that would actually happen here. He had received a dossier from the embassy in Toronto explaining in detail who would be here for the summit and fully expected some blood to boil between the various chosen figures here. The one man he expected to be here was Charles II, however apparently he would be noticeably absent for a reason currently beyond him.

As the last of the Chateau's staff took his luggage to his designated suite Wulff entered the building and readied himself for what would surely be a highlight of his career.

[Aelanias]

Château Montebello, Québec

The UAF motorcade, made up of several heavily armored hummers, arrived outside the entrance of the château. The Aelanian Empress sat next to Libyan diplomat Ahmed Sarraj, who had served as a representative of the UAF in previous dealings with both the UCNA and Gibet.

The Empress was originally skeptical whether or not personally attending the summit was a good idea, but there were very few officials she trusted could handle such a delicate situation, and she expects this will be one of the most frustrating she'll ever attend. Ahmed was expectedly over-prepared, he had spent the days leading up to the summit gathering as much relevant information relating to the Aeurian and Scandinavian governments as he could, this did not however make him any less nervous.

The continued apprehension of Izar Fritzsson along with Scandinavian collusion with Morocco was undoubtedly the excuse Aelanias was looking for to increase it's authority over North Africa, but the last thing they wanted was the potential for a war over a single Scandinavian diplomat who seemed convincingly ignorant of the entire purpose of his own mission. Aeuria on the other hand was seen as a far more pressing matter by the UAF, and their recent build up along Ethopia's border with Sudan only further solidified this. The Empress knows that a change of tactics is necessary to have any chance of fully mobilizing the united front, and it seems diplomacy might just be an option.

"Shall we head inside, Empress?" Ahmed asked nervously while shuffling through the files in his suitcase.

"Yes, we've kept them waiting long enough" she replied.

They both stepped out of the armored vehicle and made their way towards the buildings entrance, being escorted by several high ranking officials of the UAF's central intelligence agency.

[The United Continent of North America]

The Following Day

The previous day was as busy as expected, the numerous representatives almost all of which hailed from the upper escalations of their home country's societies were almost painstakingly given their proper greetings by the Prime Minister, or as well as the Americans could organize on such short notice. There was certainly a noticeable lack of the usual pomp given to foreign visitors, especially the two foreign monarchs who under normal conditions would be received in a fashion befitting their title and would of been welcomed by His Majesty and the armed forces in a ceremony. The absence of this was certainly not intended as an insult to them of course, however the dire circumstances demanded their presence before any state welcome could be organized. His Majesty himself was currently in the reintegrated territory of Hawai'i in the midst of a personal visit to the Hawaiian king hoping to find some compromise with the island chain's difficult request and provide a means to exit the grey area they have found themselves in.

Prime Minister Tremblay inspected the meeting room and the seating arrangements, ensuring that every last detail was taken care of before the day's negotiations. He briefly reflected on the nameplates and who would be soon seated here. He mused for a moment understanding that he would be dealing with some of the greatest megalomaniacs the globe had to offer. This would certainly hamper his efforts to make a peace agreement, though he hoped that perhaps these individuals would glimpse the bigger picture before the entire world descends into a new Great War, a potential conflict that America feared not for a lack of preparation but for the bloodshed that would come in its wake.

Due to the high stakes of the situation the media and press would be completely absent from the scene until after the conclusion of the meeting, meaning that as the doors opened and the first of the nations walked into the meeting room to the awaiting Prime Minister the room would be completely silent.

[Aeuria]

Château Montebello
Prince Jean-Pierre and Minister Bordeaux walked beside each other as the Aeurian delegation was led to the meeting room. Only two other Aeurians accompanied the pair, a far cry from the usual platoon of diplomats the Commonwealth typically sent to accompany the Emperor on his trips abroad. The Foreign Minister had brought his Deputy Minister, Sir Francis Kalmont. An ambitious aristocrat from a well-respected family, Sir Francis was only a few years older than Jean-Pierre but had already established himself as a competent and resourceful diplomat. While the summit would likely be another feather in his cap, he knew just as well the fallout from an undesirable conclusion would directed at him, not the Prince or Foreign Minister.

The Prince was escorted by a longtime personal aide, Lady Kiku Sasaki, officially as a translator. The role was redundant, her superior speaking 8 languages, but after having become far more than soft-spoken, the Prince often chose to speak through Lady Sasaki for extended conversation. While undoubtedly showcasing the Aeurian penchant for excess, it was ultimately in the best interests of those who actually wanted to hear the Prince's perspective.

While the Foreign Minister and Sir Francis were dressed in tailcoat suits typical of Aeurian diplomats, the Prince had again opted for comfort with a simple linen suit. As the delegation approached the doors, the group took a moment to ready themselves before entering. Adjusting his darkened glasses, Jean-Pierre nodded to the Foreign Minister who made a final fidgeting adjustment to his necktie before giving the Americans a nod.

[Gibet]

Château Montebello

The previous night had been a largely restless one for the members of the Gibetan delegation. Herr Wolff had spent the better part of the night going over reports on the fighting in Mecca with Foreign Minister Heinkel; all indications were that the missile campaign had largely been ineffective at severely hampering the supply lines of the Edafosan invaders. Some good news, a small expeditionary force had been authorized by the Kaiserin. A volunteer division of Marines, to be airlifted in along the same flight paths so skillfully used by the Blusqian evacuation armada. By cutting through the mountains, it was hoped to avoid any major air opposition. Naturally, the Air Force would be escorting them all the way. It was a massive undertaking on the fly, so to speak. And it was expected to take as much as a week before they had any significant presence to be used for combat operations. Still, Ambassador Barela agreed that it was the best course, and an absolutely necessary operation.

The Kaiserin had authorized an immediate bombing campaign, to begin with targeting Edafosan forces in and around Mecca--under the masking premise of preventing the mass slaughter of civilians sure to follow.

Meanwhile, Kovacs had spent his time refreshing himself on the individuals attending the conference, taking special note of the Aeurian prince, who had only been rumored to attend prior. It was the first time he'd been seen in public since the attempt on his life, and it would be interesting to see how the so-called "prince of pleasure" carried himself on the political grand stage.

As for the Empress, herself, she spent part of the night brushing up on intelligence reports of the border zones in Denmark, and along the Baltic coasts. If war were to come, that would have to be the theatre that took precedence, regardless of what Aelanias had to contend with. On that note, Kaiserin Elsa had likewise taken time to "touch base", as it were, with her Egyptian counterpart. The political climate of North Africa and Arabia had become something of a project for her, and it was important that they all be on the same page, should this conference fail to resolve the issues at hand.

When the time for the meeting came, the Gibetans were punctual--arriving just ahead of most. In an interesting enough coincidence, echoing the arrivals of the previous day, the Kaiserin and her staff found themselves once again on the coat tails of the Aeurians, dressed smartly in their suits and linens. The Gibetans stood out starkly, a mirror image of a "nation in uniform". The Minister wore a simple tan suit with a federal eagle pinned to her left breast; her political officers, Barela and Kovacs both drabbed in the military style jackets befitting their ranks, almost-maroon in color. Both Wolff and the Kaiserin were dressed in similar uniforms, devoid of anything but rank.

[The Scandinavians]

Châtaeu Montebello

Wulff appreciated the time granted to him the previous day, using it to both prepare for the meeting about to take place as well as enjoy the his surroundings while he was here, after all it would be a shame for this location to go unappreciated. Waking up this morning well rested and prepared for the day's big event Wulff entered the meeting hall dressed accordingly for a member of the Fatherland Party, as well as carrying a small folder and a newspaper under his arm, the former of which his aides had prepared for him the prior evening. Providing a handshake followed by a Party salute past the American Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister as he walked past the pair as a sign of both respect and a reminder of Scandinavian strength, he sat down at the table designated for him and his other rather unremarkable assistants.

As the rest of his aides scrambled to get their last minute adjustments to the materials the Minister would be using Wulff opened a German-American newspaper to keep himself occupied for the time being. It was a interesting experience for him indeed not because of the ban on foreign press the Party imposes but rather for its much more local take on domestic and foreign events, written in what was clearly the American dialect of the language. He normally only received reading materials originating from Toronto so a different newspaper was a fresher experience from the usual bore that was the capital's. It took a moment to adjust to this difference in writing which made it all the better as it kept him occupied for the time being.

As he relaxed and emerged himself in his newly acquired newspaper, he paused for only a moment to observe who he would be dealing with.

There was the Gibetans of course, with their overly diverse cast of figures ranging from the Kaiserin herself to a Pole and a Hungarian, the sight of which the Minister could barely stand or understand. The Kaiserin, despite her apparently western stance and leanings was a figure the Fatherland Party could work with and perhaps mold into a potentially cooperative figurehead should the circumstances align. That at this time however was not Wulff's concern, avoiding the possibility of a global war was with all else taking a lesser priority. With this urgent mission in mind he began to wonder what was taking the Aelanian Queen so long to enter the conference room.

[Aelanias]

Châtaeu Montebello

The previous day had flown by for the UAF representatives, while the Empress was rarely anxious, the current situation had been getting the best of her. Both representatives had put a great deal of effort reviewing any relevant current affairs, but this did not make them feel any more prepared than they did upon arrival. Empress Madalyn and Ahmed Sarraj were escorted to the meeting room.

Ahmed was wearing a typical blue suit, combined with the security personnel, it almost made them appear like businessmen, the Empress on the other hand wore a red off-the-shoulder sequin gown. They entered the meeting room and quickly made their way to the table. Although the staff was normally behind schedule, this delay was mostly due to security concerns, Ahmed set down several files and began organizing them for future reference.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting" The Empress smiled and looked around the room.

[The United Continent of North America]

As the Aelanian Queen, the last of the representatives, arrived into the meeting hall the Prime Minister briefly glanced about the room to ensure that everyone here was not only present but settled. After issuing a nod to the security personnel the doors were closed to the often bothersome press and journalists camped outside the room, eagerly awaiting the potential success or failure of the summit. Indeed the myriad of American press companies and networks were a key factor in shaping American popular opinion of domestic issues and foreign nations. While the majority of these networks are factual with their writers and owners political biases only subtly influencing facts and reports, sensationalism and "bad press" have still caused a stir among the American people despite the urging of the federal and dominion governments calling for calm in the face of a crisis.

Once the doors were closed and the sounds and lighting of the press blocked the meeting here could begin in earnest.

"On behalf of the American people I offer you an earnest welcome to our nation, and express the hope that today's summit yields a result that will avoid the calamity rapidly approaching us all" the Prime Minister stated, putting on a face of optimism that masked the building anxiety. America and the military was certainly capable and prepared for the worst with it being one of the largest, most advanced, and well equipped, however a return to the isolationist mindset that had dominated the American way of life since the Great War was now more tempting than ever. Brushing past this the Prime Minister would continue to maintain a level head for the remainder of the summit today.

"At the prior request of the of Scandinavian government the summit will begin with negotiations lead by the Nordic representative, Minister Wulff" he said turning his attention the the Nord who finally put down his newspaper to face the rest of the meeting.

[The Scandinavians]

"Thank you, Herr Tremblay" Wulff said as he lit a cigarette despite the disapproving looks from the Château's staff, he forgot that smoking tobacco was hardly as welcomed in America by both the ruling and the ruled. Something about lung damage and cancer, both matters he could hardly care about here and now let alone the establishment's idle qualms with the activity. After he knew he had the full attention of the room he turned his towards the Aelanian Queen, not with the anger or outright urge to shoot her for more reasons than the average Nord would care to list, but with a steely eyed and piercing stare.

"To kick things off, as they say, I would like to address our foremost concern of the Fatherland Party; the arrest, refusal to release, and likely interrogation of one of my men, Isar Fritzsson" he said after taking a drag from his cigarette while glancing at some papers laid out in front of him. "The Fatherland Party would like to formally request his release from Aelanian hands, and that adequate compensation be granted for any mental or physical harm potentially done to him whilst in captivity" he said essentially quoting right off the paper in front of him. "Until at least the former of this condition is met the Scandinavian military will remain positioned off the coast of western Morocco".

[Aelanias]

The Empress slammed her first on the table "I don't think you're in the position to make threats! Your men are responsible for espionage and collusion with Moroccan government officials, and smuggling weapons to Edafos. These are grounds for execution! The rest of his crew was released as a show of good faith, do not insult my intelligence by acting as if Isar Fritzsson is innocent."

Ahmed quickly clears his throat to interject. "We can assure you that Issar is in good health, but considering that we have not been able to get a clear answer on what the ship's cargo was, we can't just release him." the diplomat would have preferred to attend this summit alone as representative, but all he could do now is try to keep the situation under control. He opened a file and placed photographs of the ship near the center of the table "So is there a reason a cargo freight was chosen for this mission and why the vessel was disguised as Aeurian?"

[The Scandinavians]

Wulff was briefly caught off guard by the sudden tirade by the Aelanian Queen, causing him to start violently coughing while he was in the middle of enjoying his cigarette out of shear amusement. After regaining enough control of his respiratory system to allow for a sip of water to calm his throat the minister regained his composure as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Our concerns in Morocco are secondary at the moment your highness, I would ask for the sake of organization we stay on topic " he began as he placed his cigarette down on the edge of his ashtray, he would need a moment before taking another drag. "Tell me though, in a war zone if a soldier is captured along with his superior who would be considered more at fault; the soldier whose sworn duty it was to follow his orders or the officer who commanded them?" he asked calmly taking special care not to make an outburst like the Empress.

"While I allow you to ponder my inquiry to answer your question truthfully, Herr Ahmed, the ship contained older and redundant weaponry the Fatherland Party would of otherwise sought to simply dispose of, as well as some experimental designs we would like to see tested" he said reading off a mostly unclassified copy of the ship's cargo roster. "As for the vessel's alias, I believe you already know the answer to that".

[Gibet]

The Gibetan delegation had largely remained silent during the opening statements by the American Prime Minister. It seemed only fair that the Scandinavians be given an opportunity to explain themselves; after all, without their rather underhanded approach to supplying Edafos, the whole situation might well have never escalated to the point it had. In truth, Berlin had nothing against their Nordic cousins supplying the ever-invasive Greeks. What Berlin--and specifically, the Kaiserin--did have a problem with was their attempt to hide it. What was so important as to warrant disguising the cargo freighter in Aeurian colors?

"Tell me though, in a war zone if a soldier is captured along with his superior who would be considered more at fault; the soldier whose sworn duty it was to follow his orders or the officer who commanded them?"

The Kaiserin had been the first to speak,

"I sincerely doubt Herr Fritzsson feels the same, Herr Wulff. After all, it was he who was captured, and not his superior. I believe that would be you, actually." She glances around the tables. "And if we were to follow your line of thought, I believe the UAF would gladly accept you in his place." UAF Representative Wollf offered a slightly uncomfortable smile, nodding at his Scandinavian namesake. At this point, Minister Heinkel interjected.

"What the Federation is most concerned about, Herr Wulff, is that--if the cargo of the freighter in question was truly only surplus or outdated equipments and unfinished prototypes, as you have said--then why bother at all with the false-flag operation? After all, your government is only doing as much as any of the rest of us at that point." Meanwhile, a folder is passed from Representative Wulff to the Kaiserin, and then to the Minister. Gibetan intelligence personnel assigned to Aelanias had been given opportunities by the Empress to inspect the seized freighter, as well as sit in on interrogations of the Norse intelligence officer. What was most interesting were the slightly above normal radiation readings in the hold.

Admittedly, these could just as easily be dismissed as environmental, or decayed plating. But it was something to keep in mind, all the same.

[The Scandinavians]

"You amuse me" Wulff replied to the Kaiserin, being hardly impressed by the suggestion despite it remaining an obvious attempt at comedy.

"To address your inquiry, Heer Wolff, I don't suppose you'd believe that we should sail a ship adorned with Hrafensmerkis proudly flying in the wind in what can be considered hostile waters, do you? Complete with being loaded with weaponry intended to actively oppose the organization who claims ownership of that location?" Wulff explained, finally able to continue smoking his cigarette. "The ship, therefore at least in my opinion though you may dispute it, the ship had could reason to mask itself".

[Aelanias]

The Empress coughed a bit from the second hand smoke, distracting her enough to settle down.

"You can dance around the question all you'd like Wulff, but if we don't know what these 'experimental designs' actually are, Isar cannot be released. Do you really expect us to believe that all the effort put into such a coordinated operation like this would take place just to smuggle some outdated equipment through the Mediterranean?" The Empress scoffs "Although if you'd like to continue stalling, we could just move on to more important matters." She turns her attention to the Aeurian Prince.

[Aeuria]

Prince Jean-Pierre watched the summit from behind a cigarette, listening closely to the delegations and their respective concerns. It was so far proving to be most interesting to the young royal. Amused by the apparent offense others were taking at the Scandinavians' subterfuge, the Prince tapped the ash from his cigarette with a small smile. It was of course a matter the Foreign Minister wished to raise with the Scandinavian delegation but such concerns were dismissed by the Emperor as trivial compared to the threat of war. It nonetheless amused Jean-Pierre to hear so many so upset over a simple false-flag operation, although he suspected most were simply using it as an excuse to take the high ground.

Taking a long drag as he met the gaze of the Empress, the Prince raised an eyebrow as he exhaled. Looking to Bordeaux and seeing the man was waiting for his lead, Jean-Pierre cleared his throat and set his cigarette down. "Every nation here except Aeuria has supplied the Arabian conflict with weapons; yet only one is facing consequences. I dare say it's rather hypocritical." Pausing to take a breath, he continued. "A nation does not have the right to detain a diplomatic official simply because it does not believe him."

Minister Bordeaux waited for a nod from the Prince before addressing the Empress. "With all due respect Your Majesty, regardless of whatever your government suspects Herr Fritzsson to be guilty of, you cannot simply hold him without charge indefinitely. Surely you can understand it is a gross violation of diplomatic standards that sets a dangerous precedent for any foreign official posted to your country or indeed those traveling through it. While his supplying of weapons to Edafos is regrettable to us, Herr Fritzsson is no more guilty of arms-smuggling and espionage than his Aelanian or Gibetan counterparts - the only difference is who the weapons were sent to. If this summit is to take sides in the ongoing conflict rather than actively trying to defuse it, I fear our talks shall be quite abrupt indeed." Straightening his papers, the minister continued after a moment. "The Commonwealth must insist that Herr Fritzsson be released."

Producing a plume of smoke, Jean-Pierre rolled the cigarette between his fingers. The demand would put Aeuria at odds with every delegation but the Scandinavians but such was an inevitability. The Commonwealth did not support the efforts to arm the Arabians, believing the plan to be short-sighted. Already the world faced a horde of zealots on a religious mission of conquest, it did not need a second. Further development of Gibetan missile systems in Aelanias continued to disturb both the Crown and the High Command and the unending flow of refugees to East Africa did little to soothe domestic concerns. Above all however was the threat of Fritzsson's true crime being uncovered before his release. Such a scenario had to be avoided at all costs as far as the Prince was concerned.

[Aelanias]

Ahmed looked surprised at the Aeurian prince "Aelanias and the UAF were neutral in the Arabian conflict up until 8 days after the Scandinavian vessel was captured. Nations involved in the conflict weren't even allowed through UAF airspace-," The Empress quickly interrupted as she turned her attention to Minister Bordeaux "Judging by the espionage conducted by the Scandinavian government in coordination with Moroccan officials, we had every reason to believe it was a threat to national security. Granted, those were just based off information from UAF intelligence, but-" The Empress grinned and stared directly at Wulff Malmsten "-what was it you said about why the vessel was flying a false flag in the Mediterranean? Oh yes, it was 'loaded with weaponry intended to actively oppose the organization who claims ownership of that location' a preemptive strike is hardly diplomatic, wouldn't you agree?"

The last thing the Empress would have ever wanted was her queendom to be dragged into a war to defend Arabia, in fact she almost found herself in favor of Edafos' crusade. The reality of the situation is that Aelanias and Edafos could never exist in harmony, and as far as the Aelanians are concerned, causing another Great War was more than acceptable.

[The Scandinavians]

Wulff made a sigh of relief after hearing the Prince's words. He understood fully where the Aeurians stood on Scandinavian efforts of arming the Edafosans, however hearing another nation help keeping its cargo secret was certainly welcome sound to his ears. The FOFP and Nordic government would certainly be reprimanded by the Aeurians to explain their actions at a later date, but that bridge would be crossed elsewhere.

"Neither is supporting or calling for the creation of radical terrorist elements" Wulff retorted sharply, the Empress in his mind having no right to call his organization out for "undiplomatic" actions.

[Gibet]

"Neither is supporting or calling for the creation of radical terrorist elements."

The Kaiserin clicks her tongue, "Terrorists to you, and to the genocidal zealots you support; but after all, what is a terrorist? Are they not simply individuals so stalwart in their patriotism, so grounded in their beliefs, as to be willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure the survival of their country, their religion, their very civilization?" She shakes her head.

"Naturally, we could go back and forth on the morally grey areas we all find ourselves in, but that would solve nothing. We would go on funneling arms to Arabia," She gestures to her own party as well as the Aelanians. "And you will go on supporting the Edafosan juggernaut."

She sips water from a glass near her, before adjusting herself in the chair.

"Meanwhile, your man will continue to languish in a Giza cell. I have it on good authority that Aelanian prisons lack some of the more refined qualities of their European counterparts." She turns to the Aelanian Empress,

"What will it take to secure the release of Herr Fritzsson? If only to avoid my having to place the entirety of Central Europe on a red alert?"

[Aelanias]

"Firstly an end to Scandinavian interference in Morocco. Secondly, we are going to need to know what was really on that ship," Ahmed knew the second request was not one the Scandinavians were going to give easily, but he doubted that anyone actually expected this situation to be resolved without the big question be answered

The Empress turned to the Aeurian Prince "Also a guarantee that Aeuria will continue to remain neutral in the Arabian Conflict, and Ethopia's border with Sudan needs to be demilitarized." she looks around the table "As a show of good faith, the UAF would be willing to turn Isar over to American authorities before these are met."

[Aeuria]

"Aeurian foreign policy is not yours to direct, Your Majesty. You will receive no such guarantee nor will the empire demilitarize one of its most sensitive borders in the midst of an ongoing conflict." the Prince countered softly before stubbing out his cigarette. Producing an ivory cigarette case from his jacket, he quickly lit another. After a moment, he motioned to the Foreign Minister before whispering something to Lady Sasaki who nodded in response before madly writing out a note.

Minister Bordeaux looked at the Prince with surprise. Jean-Pierre had arguably been the Imperial Family's most progressive member before the assassination attempt in Burma. What survived was now a man whose politics were unrecognizable, his very motivations unknown to Bordeaux. Furrowing his brow slightly, he grew concerned the Emperor would not approve of the inflexibility. Realizing there had been a significant pause since the Prince had finished speaking, Bordeaux cleared his throat. "His Highness is quite correct, of course. The Imperial High Command has assessed the security of the Ethiopian border to be lacking. As such, appropriate measures have been taken. The Commonwealth cannot allow the security of East Africa to be bargaining chips, even in the pursuit of peace."

Taking a moment to light a cigarette of his own, the Minister continued. "I cannot speak for the Scandinavian delegation but I fear your demands to be most... inappropriate."

[The Scandinavians]

"Our support of the Moroccan government in the face of Aelanian interference comes at their own request, as well as being in the interest of maintaining unhampered access through the Straits of Gibraltar" Wulff stated bluntly, disposing the last portion of his cigarette. "However, our obligations in Morocco is a lower priority in the face of Herr Fritzsson's capture, so I will address the ship and its contents" he said, lighting a new cigarette as one of his aides passes about a general dossier of the ship's contents.

"The majority of arms on board the ship were units designed demonstration purposes, to quell any possible doubts in the minds of the all too superstitious Edafosans. The blueprints were considered the actual cargo of valuable, intended to allow future production of the arms in question" he said after allowing the other representatives in the room to pour over its contents. Of course, the bombs were excluded from the list, however he could rely on his Aeurian and American counterparts to support him in keeping their existence quiet. "The ship's contents was essentially the same as any other support vessel deployed to support Arabia, save for all the unnecessary medical and humanitarian faff".

[Aelanias]

The Empress looked at Wulff and Bordeaux in disbelief. Ahmed began gathering his files, knowing Madalyn was not willing to compromise any further, as she had expected this to be the inevitable agreement beforehand.

"We have asked you several times not to play dumb, but if you're only here to demand the release Fritzsson, I'm frankly still uncertain why you'd bother wasting our time coming here." She turns to Minister Bordeaux. "I assume the Prince can't give direct answers either, so I'll ask you: What justification is there for such hostilities? You've yet to explain why Aeuria's neutrality in the Arabian conflict gives The Imperial High Command reason to prepare an invasion force at Sudan's border."