Healing Old Scars (Closed Thread, Attn New Chalcedon)

[Osea 767]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Serovskya, OSSU

The city was in a state of heightened activity. The preparations for the October Revolution celebrations were well under way. Such celebrations were odd, as it was not Osea's revolution being celebrated, but that of the now non-existent USSR. But it was this revolution that had started it all. Without Lenin's revolution, the Osean Soviet Socialist Union would not exist. The more cynical minded liked to claim that these celebrations were more for pleasing the people and strengthening Osea's claim to being a successor to the USSR. The mainstream elements of society, such as Foreign Minister Nikita Ivolsky, ignored such claims, due to the natural stupidity of them.

Nikita was at the moment focused on seeing if he could have the expected state visit by the leaders of New Chalcedon line up with the celebrations. The Osean visit to New Chalcedon had been enjoyable, so the Osean leaders wanted to match this when they returned the favour. It would be but one of a number of experiences that would be made available to the leaders of New Chalcedon during their visit. Osea had a rich history, one that traced as far back as the Komnenian Era Eastern Roman Empire. Other parts of Osea's culture came from the closer enlightenment era. The combination of East and West that made Osea what it was was something that needed to be experienced to be understood.

Accommodations for the Empress would be something more likely to meet her own tastes. A secondary palace that the Osean Holy Emperors had in the capital had been restored to use early on by the Communists. Such gestures were how they had reduced the tension between the defeated monarchists and the victorious communists after the civil war had ended. It was a neoclassical palace of white marble and most visitors generally considered it to be one of the most refined palaces that the Emperors had created, unlike some of the more gaudy palaces that were in Osean territory. Both the Premier and the Empress Eirena would be residing there for the duration of the visit, with the Premier acting as host and giving the main bedroom to the Empress.

The priority of the Oseans during the visit would be to wow the Empress with Osea's modernity and make sure that she saw Osea as a powerful and modern nation, capable of equaling the great powers and deserving of her respect. This was needed, due to the actions of the last Premier. That individual was now trapped in his own home, due to the actions of Premier Eric Ruhle, the current leader of Osea. So they would have to start building up their relation from the wreckage of their old relations.

At the moment, things were going very well. Then again, the visit had not even begun. They had not sent off their request yet. So it was with some slight satisfaction that Nikita finished off his letter to the Empress. He called his secretary and had it sent off, knowing that if was but the first step to restoring Soviet-Chalcedonian relations.

Official Osean Communique

Message Open
To: Eirena Sofiana Doukaina-Palaiologina, Empress and Lady of New Chalcedon
From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Soviet Socialist Union of Osea

The OSSU and the Empire of New Chalcedon have, apart from the time of our last Premier, enjoyed a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship. We wish to renew that historic partnership. If it is not to discourteous to throw this upon you so unexpectedly, we would like to invite you to visit our capital for a state visit. We have arranged accommodations for you and the city airport is ready. If you do accept our offer, we will be ready to receive you immediately. We look forward to your reply.


Signed,
Nikita Izvolsky,
Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs

[New Chalcedon]

Mangana Palace
Constantinopolis Secundus, New Chalcedon.

Marios Venizelios knocked politely on the varnished cypress door. On the other side, he heard a voice call "Enter!" and did so, bowing to the woman seated behind the desk. Just entering middle age, the woman's figure had been softened by repeated motherhood, and her face was beginning to show lines from the responsibilities of her office. "Yes, Marios? What is it?" With a smile that could only be described as 'cheeky', he proffered a printout to his Empress, who read it.

"Marios, has the entire Palace lost their collective wits? I can't just - " At this stage, the short Empress was interrupted by the timely arrival of her Consort, who finished her sentence " - take a holiday, my love, for at least a few days with your loving husband, without getting blown up, shot at, shot down or just plain shot? I think you'll find you can. Now come, Eirena, the flight clearance is in thirty minutes: just enough time to get to the airport." Outflanked by her husband - And where has he learned those sneaky tendences, anyway?, was Eirena's thought - she had little choice but to give in, although not without objections about leaving their children behind (to which the response was they couldn't come due to being too young, and that she could get them some wonderful gifts from Osea to make up for it as well as vidcalling every day), her lack of a wardrobe (a wide array of her preferred clothing had already been loaded aboard the airliner, she learned), her appointments (According to her private secretary, they'd all mysteriously 'cancelled' themselves, to which the Empress replied with a magnificent snort of disbelief) and the cavalier nature of abducting a Head of State (at which point, her husband silenced her by kissing her to within an inch of her life, thereby winning the battle of wills. Pushing fourty Ivan Balakronos-Palaiologos may have been, but by Christ he still knew how to kiss!)

***

From: Marios Venizelos, Under-Secretary to the Crown.
To: Nikita Izvolsky, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Osean Soviety socialist Union.

Your Excellency,

It is with great pleasure that we reply to your communique of two days ago. After a brief conspiracy, Her Majesty is about to depart for Serovskaya in the State airliner, Glory, along with the Consort, Ivan Balakronos-Palaiologos. They are projected to arrive at Serovskaya in approximately eighteen hours. We hope that this visit will serve to emphasise and strengthen the friendship between our nations.

Yours faithfully

Marios Venizelos
Under-Secretary to the Crown.

PS: Her Majesty is not used to being outmaneuvered - she may be in a foul mood.

***

Imperial State Airliner Glory
Final approach to Serovskaya Airport

After six hours of sulking and another nine of sleeping - alone - Eirena had apparently decided to forgive her husband, perhaps prompted by the fact that she had overslept (in her case, a strong indication of depleting physical and mental reserves of strength). Of course, his first clue to this was the extremely affectionate wake-up call he received about ten minutes later.

When the Imperial couple was finally ready to emerge from their sleeping cabin (with some interesting hickeys on his neck and her hair distinctly mussed), however, they were all business, knowing that the craft was to land at Serovskaya within an hour. Quickly - and therefore separately - showering, they were dressed in semi-formal outfits fourty minutes prior to landing, and Eirena held Ivan's hand, a light shining in her eyes that had been absent for several months of battles with an increasingly recalcitrant Imperial Council. They were ready to visit Osea for the first time.

(OOC: After a nasty near-breakup early in their marriage, it's safe to say that Eirena and Ivan have worked out their issues. Official time is official time, and personal time is just that - personal, at least whenever possible.)

[Osea 767]

Private Landing Strip, Serovskya International Airport

At the airstrip, there was a small gathering of Soviets. One part of that group was a honour guard from the Kremlin Guard Regiment. Other section of interest was the Red Army Choir. Due to the nature of the strip, there were no outsiders present on the strip. All the people there were associated with either the military of the government.

The most important people there were Premier Eric Ruhle and Foreign Minister Nikita Izvolsky. They were both dressed very formally, as they always did. However Izvolsky had brought his wife along, s there actually was someone there who was not dressed in either a uniform or a suit. For Soviet government officials, this was unusual. Time had changed though and officials like Izvolsky were now less prone to keeping their personal affairs from the rest of the world.

The staff at this strip were the best in the airport, which itself was the best in Osea. So, when the plane carrying the Empress entered Soviet airspace, it was directed to Serovskya with an efficiency only seen in the best trained ground controllers. When it reached the city, it was directed to the right airstrip at an impressive speed. As the plane landed, passenger stairs were moved to the aircraft along with vehicles for removing the luggage of the passengers. The space where the plane was parked was next to a red carpet that led to a number of limosines, with Oseans at both sides of the carpet.

So, when the door of the plane opened, the two Osean officials were at the end of the carpet that aligned with the stairs and Ruhle was eager to give them a warm greeting.

[New Chalcedon]

Private Landing Strip, Serovskya International Airport

As they exited the gantry - flanked by a pair of Varangian Guardsmen, with Eirena dressed in vibrant emerald slacks and blouse which highlit her olive complexion, and Ivan wearing a simple black business suit that flattered his tall, lean lines - the Imperial pair looked for a moment at their hosts, and Eirena's eyes lit with pleasure at seeing Ruhle once again. Striding quickly over to the Premier, she held out her hand to the Premier, a warm smile on her face. "Eric - it has been far too long. Far too long indeed! I was so pleased to hear that you'd restored sanity to this wonderful land. Nikita, how have you fared since last we met? And this must be your lovely wife. A pleasure to meet you, my dear - please, call me Eirena."

As the Empress was charming the Osean greeting party, Ivan stood back slightly, giving his own warm smile to Eric and Nikita - he remembered these two men fondly from their visit to the Empire some years back - and one of the Guardsmen recognised one of the Soviet honour guards from the attempt on the Empress' life, and nodded slightly and respectfully. After the first scan of the area, the two Guardsmen relaxed, barely noticeably: they were comfortable in the knowledge that this area was safe.

[Osea 767]

Private Landing Strip, Serovskya International Airport

As the Empress and her husband exited the plane, the band began to play the music that had been selected. It was not the Soviet National Anthem, The Internationale, that was played. This was considered to be too offensive, considering that their quests were monarchs. So they instead played an shortened version of The National Anthem of Osea. It was still played often by Oseans at special occasions and so was deemed sufficient for this event.

Eric quickly grabbed Eirena's hand and gave her one of the warmest handshakes she would probably ever receive. "Welcome Comrades, to Osea". He immediately followed this by giving Ivan a equally warm handshake. To him, he was among friends again. It was a much welcomed relief for the stresses of his life. He did not have have a personal relationship with any foreign leader that was quite as strong as the one he had with Eirena. Plus, with the increased democratisation of the country, it was more easy to criticise him and most of those that did that criticising were prone to exaggerations and seeing things in a short term perspective. If I'd known that giving the people freedom of speech would result in this, I'm sure I would have been less ready to push for it thought Eric. In reality, despite is complaints, he was proud of what he had accomplished in the time he had ruled Osea, especially given that there had been little in terms of democratic tradition in Osea when he had started.

For Nikita, it was even more of a pleasure. As the Osean Foreign Minister, he was the one who had been given the task of performing the task of managing the interactions of the last Premier, Alexander Mironov, with the rest of the world. Since Mironov's vision was one of world revolution, Nikita had to deal constantly with those annoyed by Osea's actions and with an increasingly annoyed Mironov. But those times were gone and, at least for the foreseeable future, would not be returning. "Ah, indeed it is, your highness". His wife, herself grinning at the fact that she was meeting an Empress, something she had not done before, reached over to shake Eirena's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, your highness. I'm Katerina Izvolskaya, though I'd prefer that you call me Katya".

Eric then spoke up. "So, our transportation awaits us", pointing to two limousines that were parked nearby and ready to take the group to the Palace of Sovereigns.

Upon that, the group were directed to their vehicles. The route they would take would run through all the layers of the city. This was necessary due to the Palace being at the centre of the city, which was roughly cut in two by a river. With the mixture of the old marble Imperial era architecture and the newer mix of modern and neoclassical buildings built by the communists, most of which were designed by the best architects in Osea and with the finest materials used in their construction, it would be quite an interesting journey for the Empress. With the two headed eagle on some buildings and the communist star on others, there was an odd contradiction but one that somehow managed to work to create a wondrous cityscape.

[New Chalcedon]

Palace of Sovereigns
Serovskaya, Osea.

Eirena and Ivan got out of the vehicle they had been provided, and looked around the entry courtyart of the Palace - their residence, by grace of the OSSU, for the duration of their visit. Heading over to the Oseans, she expressed her appreciation of the architecture. "An interesting blend of styles in the architecture here, Eric. Was it intentional, or a fortuitous accident?"

[Osea 767]

Palace of Soveriegns, Serovskya

"Well, there is the need for modernisation. We have been trying to create a modern city. While we have managed to keep the more hideous ideas of modern art out of the city, we have to allow it in. Besides, some of the more maturely and seriously designed modern architecture actually can work well with the older architecture. As you can see though, we have managed to avoid making changes to the palace that would have spoiled its appearance".

Indeed, this was correct. Apart from the presence of the cars, it was possible to take a look around it and get no indications that you were in the 21st century. It was quite odd for communists to care this much about imperial buildings, but the Oseans were, in their own ways, a very odd people. As for the appearance of the courtyard, it was a large pebbled courtyard surrounded by walls at the entrance and its sides. These side walls had gates, which opened to passages that ran through side buildings and lead to the vast garden at the other side of the palace. In the middle of this courtyard was an impressive fountain, which had a statue of Emperor Stephen I, the the first Osean to claim the title of Imperator.

The palace itself was also impressive, as far as the classical minded architect was concerned. It was a large marble rectangular building, with three floors. The style was grand, with signs of a number of reconstructions and that no expense was spared in either the original construction or those reconstructions. On the roof, the Empress would have noticed a flag pole, which now had a Soviet flag being raised on it to signify that the Premier was residing there. She might also have noticed the Cyrillic motto written over the door, that of "Autocracy, Orthodoxy and Nationality". It was a simple autocratic motto, but Eirena would not get much of a chance to examine things such as this.

The reason for this was that her hosts were Oseans. That meant that hers hosts tended to be very emotional when compared to others. When this was combined with both of them having an interest in architecture, it was not surprising that they quickly began rushing through sections, at times almost dragging their guests with them as they pointed out sections and features of the building they found interesting.

Then, in the middle of a particularly gaudy corridor, they suddenly realised the offence they had committed. Eric turned to Eirena, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Ah, sorry for my inhospitality. I seem to have dragged you around this place without paying much real attention to you. Anyway, I can get an assistant to take you to your room. For today, we intend to allow you to settle in. If you wish, we can have you taken to visit some of the sights that can be quickly visited, such as the Serovskya art gallery or the Church of St Sophia. If you do not, we can show you around the grounds. It is up to you. Either way, we would like to treat you to a special meal tonight, over which we can talk over a few issues of mutual interest".

At that point, an aide was stopped and Eric whispered some instructions in his ear. It was clear that, if the Empress and her husband were to decide to go out, it would probably be with Nikita and this aide, with Eric staying at the Palace. After he did that, both Oseans turned to the two Chalcedonians, clearly waiting for their response.

[Osea 767]

Bump

[New Chalcedon]

OOC: My bad, Osea. I forgot that you had been the last respondant.

IC:

Palace of Soveriegns, Serovskya

Eirena appeared to be most appreciative of the Palace, as well as apparently holding the city as a whole in high regard, juding by her expression. As Eric gave her his invitation to a tour, she nodded enthusiatically. "I'd love to take a tour of the city, Eric, and a private dinner sounds wonderful. Was there any specific part of Serovskaya of which you're particularly proud?"

[Osea 767]

Palace of Sovereigns, Serovskya

Eric replied "For a quick trip, I would recommend a few places. One would be the National Museum Of Soviet Art. There is the Twilight Park, which is next to the National Exhibit for Social and Technological Progress. As I've already mentioned, there is also the smaller Serovskya art gallery or the Church of St Sophia. The Church of St Sophia is in Red Square, a site I would like us to look at as it is my favorite part of the city, but we will not look at the inside today unless you desire to and in any case will only be able to take a short look.

There are many other sites I would like you to visit while you are here, such as the Museums of Osean History and Natural Sciences, the Serovskya Theatre House, even the General Staff headquarters will be open to you. A visit to our legislature is possible, if you would desire to inflict such a horror upon yourself".

At this point he gave a smile, showing that he was not being too serious with this remark. "In general, our grand centres of learning and progress and of our rich history and cultural legacy will be open to you. Today though, we will not manage much and our grander sites, such as the Theatre House, are not suitable for today".


OOC: Right, if you want to go with RPing the trip or not, you should speak up now. If you do, we will. If you do not, we'll skip that and go straight to the diner, where we will outline the things planned for your visit and discuss other things.

[New Chalcedon]

(OOC: We'll leave the legislature till tomorrow; also, the Church of St. Sophia. For now, dinner - and I should probably get some IRL, too )

Premieral Residence
Serovskaya, Osea.

For this, a relatively quiet and informal dinner, Eirena and Ivan were dressed in a somewhat less-than-statelike fashion. Eirena wore a purple silk kente-cloth blouse with gold embroidery, with an Ottoman skirt and lightweight jacket over the dress done in sky-blue, while Ivan was dressed in a navy-blue business-cut suit of silk. After their car pulled up, the Imperial couple each exited the vehicle and started, hand in hand, up the stairs toward their Osean receivers.

[Osea 767]

OOC: Both the Imperial Couple and the Oseans are staying at the Palace of Sovereigns during your trip, remember.

IC:
Private Dinning Room, Palace of Sovereigns, Serovskya

The couple went down the first level corridors, eventually reaching the entrance for the private dinning room. At the door was a guard, who took a look at the couple before opening and holding the door for them. When they entered the room, he closed the door behind them and returned to his work. The guests might be offended by the apparent need of their hosts to have guards at the doors, but it was something to expect from Osean leaders. All of them liked to have their security close to them.

The room was decorated in a manner that showed the obscene wealth and power of its former owner. Despite it being a fairly small room, meant for when the Emperor had a few special guests or when he was eating with his family, it still managed to have an elaborate chandelier. Around the edges of the room were various items of interest, such as shelves and small tables, both of which had a variety of items on them, ranging from lamps to old photos. The walls themselves had a number of paintings on them. Many were of historical battles, while others were of Osean heroes. One painting that was of particular notice was of Lenin. On the wall to the right side of the couple was a fireplace. At the lefty were windows looking out over Serovskya.

Apparently having an inability to wear less formal clothing, both Nikita and Eric were still wearing dull grey suits, with the addition of a waistcoat to Eric's apparel. Katerina was dressed in the combination of a creamy dress and a blue cardigan, colourful in comparison to what the other Oseans were wearing but dull when compared to their guests. The difference between the groups would have been obvious to any outside that had working eyes: the brightly dressed and warmly skinned Chalcedonians and the plainly dressed pale skinned Oseans. It was clear at least that the Osean weather would be something that the Chalcedonian couple would not want to have in their own country.

As they entered though, they were given a warm welcome. They were quickly directed to seats that were to their right and had them facing Nikita and his wive. Ruhle was obviously at the head of the table. "Good evening, your highness" were the first words from Eric's mouth and the Osean couple offered their own greetings. In front of the Chaledonians and the others at the table were menus which showed what was available to them. There was a wide a number of choices, with both Chalcedonian and Russian options available for the meals and an almost absurd variety of drinks available.

Eric was quick to start asking questions to the Empress. "So, how has your first day been? Any interesting news from New Chalcedon? What is the situation for ODECON these days?". This was done with carefully, with spaces left between each question to allow Eirena to properly answer each of the question before the next was asked.

[New Chalcedon]

Eirena was quite happy to share her appraisal of current events with her Osean friend. "Well, to answer in order: I'm very impressed with Serovskaya and her people, things are decidedly boring in the Empire at the moment - which I appreciate - and ODECON is remarkably passive. In the event of an outside attack, I'm sure they'd rally, but we're all centred around our own concerns at the moment. Ah, dinner." Eirena had selected one of the Russian options, the better to broaden her horizons, and was agreeably surprised by the subtlety of the seasonings on the smoked omul-fish. "Might I ask how much you pay your chefs, Eric? I'm almost tempted to steal them from you." The mock-reproving look her husband gave her prompted a 'bad-little-girl' look in return, and Ivan merely shook his head slightly and addressed Nikita. "You see, Nikita, what I must endure at home."

[Osea 767]

Eric nodded in understanding as Eirena gave her assessment of the present situation. As for Nikita, he decided to reply to the banter between Eirena and Ivan with a thin smile and "You can have them. After you've had them long enough, we will be able to make you pay us to take them off your hands again". Then Eric gave a rough description of the present situation in Osea.

"Well, things are similar here. There is slightly more activity though. We've got a fresh round of military procurement. You can probably imagine what such is like when one is a communist nation. It allows generals to put a lot more zeal into their arguments for whatever toy that they now consider necessary to "defend our motherland from imperialist aggression"".

Eric visibly snorted at that idea before he continued. "Well, I suppose the collapse of COMINTERN is noteworthy. However, it had been fairly inactive for some time. Annoyingly though, our own alliance, the Serovskya Pact, is not too healthy at the moment. Luckily, the main nations that are usually trying to terrorize the world are quiet. So, we've got a few things planned for our schedule, such as watching tests of new or modernised equipment in addition to our daily routine. Considering such, we have something of interest that will be held soon: the October Revolution celebrations. That will definitely be a relief from our usual routines". At that point, he returned to eating his fish soup, which was served with bread as was expected. With this, he had a cup of black tea.

Katerina then added "I suppose our generals look back on the days when fascists were running amok. For the rest of us, by which I mean those of who are not mad, these days are the best we've had for quite a while. If I were a believer, I would be praying for these times, where the average Osean may live his life peacefully and focus on achieving his or her life goal without having to worry about the threat of immediate destruction".

[New Chalcedon]

"It is true, Katerina, that tranquil times are good for the citizenry. However, it seems to me that almost all significant improvement in humanity occurs in time of crisis or conflict - people only start to think in terms of new processes or new ways when the old ways are insufficient to the needs of the day. Or so it seems to me, at least. But then again, I am very much a person who grew up in conflict, so perhaps my perspective is different. Eric, the October Revolution celebrations - when exactly was Osea's revolution, and is it celebrated to the same extent?" Apparently unmindful of the philosophical bomb she'd just unleashed, Eirena returned to her clam chowder, waiting for one of the Oseans to either respond to her claim, or shift the topic. Meanwhile, Ivan looked just a tad discomfited by his wife's outspokenness with their hosts, but didn't act to stop her.

[Osea 767]

Katerina herself was made slightly uneasy by what Eirena's remark. Ivan's discomfort was actually reassuring for her. Since the was her first encounter with Chalcedonians, she was glad to see that there were similar feelings on the other side. Externally though, it appeared to only to have a slight effect on her. "While that might be true, such times also bring immense suffering to those who have to endure those times.

Take the second world war as an example. There was vast technological progress during that period. At the same time, tens of millions of people lost their lives. Our own people made sacrifices during that war and in other wars to ths day. They made those sacrifices of the peace and freedom of their fellow man and ensured the defeat of some of the most reprehensible regimes in history. Many nations in Europe, such as the Soviet Union, suffered heavy devastation to their territory due to nazi aggression. These days, wars has the potential to be far more destructive. I would not want my fellow Oseans subjected to such horrors, even if it were for the sake of progress".

Eric had listened to the chatter, as was expected. However, he was probably more radical in his views than Eirena. As he had no intention of turning their dinner into a ideological battle, he merely replied to the question directed specifically at him.

"Well, the revolution that threw the Emperor from the capital and started our war of liberation occurred just a few months after the defeat we suffered at your hands during your civil war. The exact date of the start of the revolution, which is also the date for our celebrations, is the 28th of June. Thinking about it, it is possible to say that you ended up unintentionally causing the overthrow of a fellow monarch in that war. The defeat we suffered destroyed one of the few justifications that it had for its existence: that autocracy and orthodoxy made Osea strong and that only these factors could prevent Osea from being defeated by its rivals.

As for the celebrations, our revolution has much importance in the mind of the nation. In scale, there is not really much of a noticable difference between the celebration efforts. There is no difference between tanks rolling through red square for parade on one day or another in terms of effecting the quality of celebratory efforts. But the national importance of our revolution means that there is more effort put into making the celebrations that extra special. So we get much larger and energised crowds for the June Revolution celebrations and our planners have a record so far of finding new additions or making changes to existing parts to try and make each parade special".

[Osea 767]

Bump for NC

[New Chalcedon]

(OOC: I was aware of this thread, but couldn't think of a graceful reply. Should we jsut fastforward to the next morning and see what you have in store for your nation's guests?)

[Osea 767]

OOC: What a pity. I had hoped for the conversation to continue, since it was getting interesting. However, I suppose I could do so.

[New Chalcedon]

(OOC: We'll see if I can get it to go somewhere.)

After hearing Eric's description of the June Revolution celebrations, Ivan spoke up. "That, too is more or less the principle upon which Imperial ceremony seems to be arranged. If it is allowed to become more of the same old, same old, then it must lose its value in the eyes of the participants - any meaning, when rubbed in sufficiently, loses its.....its....power in the mind." Continuing after a brief pause, IVan elaborated: "One of the main functions of ceremony is to refresh the feelings or attitudes which it is meant to symbolise, but humans aren't meant to experience one feeling or feel one attitude all the time - sometimes, it is simply not appropriate even in otherwise similar circumstances. This is why Imperial officials have a wide range of latitude over the ceremonies of their office, with the form of ceremony being set in stone only for a very few, very special occasions - such as a coronation, an Imperial marriage or other similarly rare events." Clearly, Ivan had matured a lot since his marriage to Eirena, from the earnest-but-unpolished military person he had been at their nuptials, to this seasoned and philosophical individual, able to perceive layers of meaning beneath ceremony and pomp.

[Osea 767]

Eric smiled at Ivan's response. He had demonstrated an understanding that Eric had not expected. So he would receive a proper reply.

"Of course. With such things, people can be filled with passion and deep emotions, inspired them to do brave deeds and motivated to do things they would not consider doing otherwise. That is the power that ceremonies and pomp can hold over a person and any good leader would be advised to keep that in mind, both to protect himself and to drive their people to do things that are necessary. Such things are needed if a leader is to properly harness the power of the masses. We socialists are especially good at harnessing that power, as much as such might sound like I am blowing my own horn".

He then turned to Eirena and decided to again barrage her with questions. "So, Eirena, what are your opinions on the collapse of COMINTERN and the weakened state of communist and socialist organisations at the moment? Also, here's a more intellectual question rather than one to do with current events; What are your thoughts on communism and on the more decentralised versions of socialism, such as anarchist socialism, syndicalism and, of course, our cooperative based democratic socialism?"

It was probably not a group of question that most people would have asked, but Eric felt that he knew Eirena well enough and she knew him similarly well that she would reply to the questions and not turn hostile towards him.

[New Chalcedon]

Eirena put her cutlery down. "Eric, while I appreciate the fact that COMINTERN was always reasonable towards New Chalcedon, I must admit that I was somewhat relieved to see it fall apart. I have no particular animus to Communism; however, I do feel distrust toward an entire transnational organsiation dedicated to evangelising it. As to alternative systems of government, Eric, I would suggest that perhaps I'm not qualified - on account of my background - to comment. I care deeply about my people; however, I cannot say with any firsthand experience how socialism would work in practice, nor any of its variants." Her expression revealed a degree of nervousness, although no apparent hostility.

[Osea 767]

Eric was disappointed by Eirena's response, which showed in his voice. As he replied, it was possible to detect a some irritation in his voice and it had a certain coldness to it. "I was talking about understanding at an intellectual level. I would be very surprised if there are many in the world that had experience of all of the systems that I mentioned. Well, let me explain both the implications of it all and the types of socialism I mentioned. I will start with the latter, since I can explain that more easily.

Anarchist socialism is the easiest to explain. It is, as the name suggests, anarchism, combined with idea that individual freedom is conceptually connected with social equality, and therefore emphasises community and mutual aid. This means it tends to revolve around the communitarian ideas of the anarchist movement. It also rejects private property. The second system, Syndicalism, revolves around trade unions. It is similar to socialist, but has it's approach towards gaining control of production and the government being the use of a federation of trade unions as coordinators of general strikes and other actions. Considering their methods, I doubt you'll be surprised that they prefer cooperatives and syndicates.

The last one is basic democratic socialism, but with our preference for worker managed cooperatives. These replace private companies that are over a size of about fifty to sixty people. We also consider the inclusion of local councils managing local affairs to be important for empowering the people.

Now, on to the current situation for international socialism. With COMINTERN now gone, the socialist movement has lost its greatest champion. This is because the strongest nations of the alliance are no longer active in the international arena. This means that the rest of us are now exposed and vulnerable. If another group were to come along and try and wipe out socialism, we would be less capable of defending yourself. You may be relieved by the removal of an organisation that, as you put it, evangelises communism. For us though, the world is a less safer place for socialists. For us, it is a sign that our cause is being lost. Laissez faire capitalism is not suffering the setbacks that we are, and neither are the fascists or the autocrats. If we do loose, our cause will die with us. We cannot let that happen".

[New Chalcedon]

Eirena quickly gained sympathy when Eric explained his cause for lamenting COMINTERN's loss. "I quite understand your nervousness on behalf of socialism with the loss of COMINTERN gone, Eric. Perhaps Osea could take the lead in forming a new, defensive Socialist alliance across the world? As to the domestic politics, I must admit that the Empire is based on an entirely different principle than Socialism. Having said that, I personally believe that the democratic socialist idea is the best of what you present: the anarcho-socialist idea sounds good in theory, but I doubt it'd work in practice, especially in a larger nation. Syndicalism appears to be a revolutionary ideal, one which is good in a revolutionary or even a reformist context but must - when it gains control - either evolve into democratic socialism or turn oppressive and inefficient as it appears to be based around seizing the means of production, not administering them afterwards."

[Osea 767]

"Well, we are trying. However, there is still the problem that the stronger socialist and communist nations are no longer around to give any alliances the weight needed to back up any threats of bloody resistance to fascists attack. I would say that we presently can consider our best support to be from fellow nations in the Greater Dienstad region, rather than from the socialist world. Many of the active socialist nations are but gnats in comparison to our fascist and authoritarian rivals. In fact, the restored Serovskya Pact will be by default the leading alliance at the present, simply due to the fact that the proclaimed successor to COMINTERN is also no longer active" Eric replied.

"We do have our nuclear weapons and our mechanised divisions, which are enough to deter the more presumptuous tinpot dictators from attacking or Soviet Union. At the same time, I would prefer to have something to ensure that a needless war does not occur. In my opinion, the best way to do this is through maintaining a string of alliances. With in consideration, I would remind you that we once had a treaty with you, the Treaty of Constantinople? We could restore that treaty, or create a new one if you'd prefer. At the moment, the only thing Osea can do to aid the smaller socialist nations is to give them a shield behind which they can grow and develop. The idea of attacking Greater Dienstad should be enough to convince most leaders to avoid a fight with our Pact. Oh, and what are your views on the Cerberus Accord?"

At that point, a waiter moved to the Chalcedon couple and asked if they wanted any drinks, or a dessert for after their meal.


OOC: Right, after we have finished this section of the thread off, I will move us to the next day of the visit.