SEC Conference (Closed, ATTN: SEC Members)

[Aquilinia]

Felicia whispered to Aleera sitting next to her. "I doubt anybody will consider you cheap, sister. We all know about the horrible situation your nation is in. And those numbers aren't that extreme, I think. I mean, my nation has a government budget of almost 3 trillion dollars. And a quarter of a trillion of that is unused. So why not give it to the SEC? You just don't have those amounts of money, and we understand it. I do, at least. But you do bring up another interesting point." She turned back to the assembly, and stood.

"Honoured delegates, my sister's words have made me think. What about those nations of our coalition that are in an economic crisis? Will we go beyond the role of a military alliance and also aid our member states' economies, if they are in need? I for myself think we should. And we should stop throwing out those huge numbers as if they were just numbers. I suggest we set a fixed rate, that every nation contributes to the SEC from their budget surplus. This way, everybody will be contributing to the funding as much as they can. A nation that has much, gives much. And one that has less, gives less. It would be fair. And it would ensure that everybody does their part in funding this alliance. The amounts already mentioned should be used as starting funds, with which to acquire equipment for the planned coalition joint forces, if they ever come to exist. Consider this, fellow delegates, this alliance can only survive if it is carried by every single member, and if its funds are managed properly. To that end, I propose the appointment of an office of a financial manager of sorts. Of course, this needn't be the title. In my opinion, the holder of this office should come from one of the less wealthy nations. The representatives of those nations are more likely to be careful with the money they are given. This way we can prevent our coalition from going into unnecessary debt.

So, let me summarize: I propose a fixed rate that every nation contributes to the SEC from their budget surplus. The funds already promised to the coalition should be used as starting funds. And one delegate should be appointed to watch over these funds, to prevent unneccessary debts. Consider my suggestions, and say what you think, delegates."

Felicia nodded, and sat down again. She hoped the other delegates would really think about her words before they replied.

[Of the Quendi]

Aleera noded at her sister's words. Charity was something she as an Alcedina could understand. "My fellow delegates we from the Imperial House of Alcedina maintains a strict policy on foreign development aid. While our contribution to the international community in the form of development aid exceed a trillion USD in a bad year and near four before the War Bond Market crashed in 1496 is substantial we hav high demands to recepients." She paused for a moment gesturing towards ambassador Noor.

Noor stood up, bowed and began. "Recepients of quendi development aid are expected to be vocal critics of slavery, opposed to fascism and nazism, developing markets, rank above six on the Corruptions Perceptions Index, invest massively in the well being of their general populace, respect the human rights and other countries sovereignity and finally use the aid for so called "uses bringing a direct short and long term benefit to the poorest of the nation". Assuming that any nation in the SEC lives up to these terms we can pay as muc as 400bn USD a year to such a nation. Should none of your nations fit the requirements special arrangements can probarbly be arranged." Noor bowed deeply to the delegates and then very deeply to Aleera before sitting down.

Aleera smiled inside. The man's knowledge of the internal workings of the state was overwhelming. She wouldn't have been able to name half the requirements much less quote the the regulatives of the Ministry of Foreign Development Aid. The man could be very useful if forgiven. He would be forever in her deepth and she would be able to use his knowledge to further her own influence in the ministry. The Prince-Regents would approve of such a plan. "And there you have it gentlemen, sister." She said with a gesture of her hands.

[The Matthew Islands]

King Gilligan furrowed his brow, as he looked at his notes. Leaning forward, he first looked towards the Quendi and Aquilinia delegates.
"First of all, let me make it clear, that in no way do I wan't any nation here feel like they are pressured into giving a single penny to the SEC. We all hopefully fully understand that other nations have domestic problems, and I believe that they should come first. I also believe that deliberation should be given to the points raised by the honourable Aquilinia delegate, however, at the moment we are focusing on a possible SEC navy, and feel that these points would be best served being raised at a different conference."

Taking a sip of water and Clearing his throat, King Gilligan leaned forward again, this time looking at James.
"First off, I agree fully and completely with your statement that we need a competent commander. If you have any suggestions, I would be delighted to hear them. I have often heard stories about how competent Britannian commanders are. However, I must take objection to your point, and I quote; 'oversized guided missile cruisers termed as battleships or battlecruisers would be perfectly fine.' I hardly see the benefits of an oversized missile cruiser. The bigger they are the harder they fall. We cannot go around like children amongst the international community shouting our 'navies better than yours because ours is bigger.' No Battleships. No Battlecruisers. No Dreadnoughts. No oversized missile cruisers. What we need is an an effective fleet, capable of performing operation that are able to counter and beat other modern navies, and a modern fleet is not about an oversized cruiser."

(OOC: Seriously guys, even Questers who sells battleships says they are completely useless in MT. Read his guide. They are a big expensive waste.)

[The Matthew Islands]

King Gilligan furrowed his brow, as he looked at his notes. Leaning forward, he first looked towards the Quendi and Aquilinia delegates.
"First of all, let me make it clear, that in no way do I wan't any nation here feel like they are pressured into giving a single penny to the SEC. We all hopefully fully understand that other nations have domestic problems, and I believe that they should come first. I also believe that deliberation should be given to the points raised by the honourable Aquilinia delegate, however, at the moment we are focusing on a possible SEC navy, and feel that these points would be best served being raised at a different conference."

Taking a sip of water and Clearing his throat, King Gilligan leaned forward again, this time looking at James.
"First off, I agree fully and completely with your statement that we need a competent commander. If you have any suggestions, I would be delighted to hear them. I have often heard stories about how competent Britannian commanders are. However, I must take objection to your point, and I quote; 'oversized guided missile cruisers termed as battleships or battlecruisers would be perfectly fine.' I hardly see the benefits of an oversized missile cruiser. The bigger they are the harder they fall. We cannot go around like children amongst the international community shouting our 'navies better than yours because ours is bigger.' No Battleships. No Battlecruisers. No Dreadnoughts. No oversized missile cruisers. What we need is an an effective fleet, capable of performing operation that are able to counter and beat other modern navies, and a modern fleet is not about an oversized cruiser."

(OOC: Seriously guys, even Questers who sells battleships says they are completely useless in MT. Read his guide. They are a big expensive waste.)

[Itailian Maifias]

OOC: Can I just post me arriving where ever me arriving at wherever you guys are meeting?

[Reformed Britannia]

OOC:Yes, that would probably be best
James listened to the King speak, and nodded in his direction when he was finished.
"Your concerns are perfectly valid, Your Majesty; and on another note Britannia has no desires to submit a candidate, merely to know the identity of said candidate. However, I feel I may be able to address your concerns regarding 'battleships'." Roberts cleared his throat, and drummed his fingers against the table.

"Let us say that a naval patrol-consisting of a single Hood-class battleship and a Mogami-class cruiser comes up against a patrol of no less than nine Valor-class cruisers. Now, these groups cost approxiamately the same amount-11 billion NSD. The Valor-class ships carry a total of 225 anti-shipping missiles, while the lone Hood-class battleship may carry up to 320 P-900s in a given scenario, although it usually only carries 64 long-range P-600s in tandem with 64 P-900s. Now, this does mean that the 225 missiles from the Valors will have only two targets while the Hood's salvo will be spread amongst nine; however, the Hood has the unprecedented advantage of a dedicated air defence cruiser backing it up, as well as six UAVs that it can use for reconaissance against the enemy fleet. In addition, the Hood's stronger sensor suite-coupled with the advantage of aerial reconaissance-will allow it to discover the enemy patrol before they even discover the Hood is there." James tented his fingers, pausing a little before he continued.

"Now, if the Hood is lucky, it'll fire off its salvo at the enemy fleet before they even get within radar range. The enemy won't even see the missile attack coming, and since a hit from a P-600 is enough to at the very least disable a destroyer-sized vessel, they will be devastated and blind as to the direction of their attacker, allowing the Hood and the Mogami to slip away without even having to fire a missile. Now, in a fleet engagement where the fleets already know where the other fleet is, the role of the Mogami would come into play, fending off the missile strikes made against the battleship it has been designed to escort while said battleship wreaks havoc on the hostile navy. There is still merit in smaller ships to be sure, and battleships are by no means the be-all-end-all of surface combat, but if the delicate balance between too big and too small is struck in its design then the battleship can still be a viable combat option."

[Itailian Maifias]

Paladin-Governor's Palace
Opus Dei

A large black limo pulled up to the front of the grand Palace in Opus Dei. The flag of the Empire was on the front of the car with a flag bearing the Vinci coat of arms on the back. As it pulled up to a stop, the a bodyguard got out of the passenger and opened the door. Ministro di Defense James Venenzio exited the limo, buttoning the middle button on his jacket after exiting the limo. General Lynch followed, adorning his dark green garrison cap and straightening out the dark green uniform. They quickly walked up to the stairs to the conference and were directed to the room in which in the Conference was being held.
James entered the room first and noticed a few familiar faces, among them James Roberts. John entered after him, both quickly darting to seats. John flashed a smile to Roberts, a long time friend of his. As the two took a seat, John issued a apology " Sorry for being late, the Ministro here was busy with affairs in Eastern Sicily. Anyone care to catch us up?" His Latin accent blurring the English words

[Jbeil]

Waiting in silence until the Aquilinian,Quendi and Britannian delegates finished with their own opinions,Marie Anne then stood up.

-"Excuse me...But,as I stated before,the Empire will only be able to offer 1 and a half billion dollars,due to the economic problems.But,after hearing about a SEC Humanitarian aid,L'Empereur et Parlement have offered to take on full responsibilities in that certain area of the SEC.We are offering a blank check to the Humanitarian forces,with the money to be removed from the Imperial treasury,we feel that this act should compensate for our relative inability to offer much economic support.Thank you."

She then sat back down,and watched the reactions of the other delegates.

[Trivval]

ooc: ohfkuall :@ You damn people and your timezones. Can someone tell me whats going on?

[Of the Quendi]

OOC: We talk about the fleet.

IC: Aleera took the liberty of giving Roberts a small applause and an imperial nod of approval, a quite great honor whether he knew it or not. "I couldn't agree more with my britanian colleague. His assesment of the power of the Hood class battlecruiser is also the oppinion shared by the Quendi Naval Command. It is also the philosophy behind the Empire IV Missile platform. While the time where the use of traditional battleships and battlecruisers was an option has definately passed it is a dangerous path to walk to assume that only smaller vessels are useful. As great fans of both the Hood and the Mogami the Quendi navy has often enough used those ships in combination to crush opponents officially superior."

Turning to Marie Anne of Jbeil she continued "I am glad to hear that we are not the only ones who favor humanitarian efforts over military ones. However considering the economic situation Jbeil would it not be more sensible if Jbeil was on the receiving end of such aid?"

[Aquilinia]

Felicia wasn't much of an expert in naval matters, but what Roberts said sounded like solid logic to her. But then, another aspect of the problem occurred to her. "Firepower and range is one aspect. Speed and vulnerability are another matter. Let us take Mr Roberts' example again. What if something happens to distract the Hood, for example another enemy vessel that it attacks right now. I don't know much about naval warfare, but to me it appears that if the nine cruisers managed to sneak up on it, the battleship would be at a severe disadvantage. The huge hull of a battleship is almost impossible to miss. And even if it has advanced anti-missile systems, some of the cruisers' missiles are bound to get through. What then? If the Hood manages to repel the enemy attack, it will only be under severe damage. The cruisers can outrun the battleship, while I doubt that it would work the other way round. I am not saying we should not consider the advantages of battleships. But we need also consider their disadvantages. And to be honest, I'd rather invest eleven billion dollars into more, lighter ships, instead of one huge ship. It's a matter of value for money, after all. I think that if we get Battleships, we should only get limited numbers, and also get something to defend them if they come under fire. Of course, you are free to correct me, as I said, I am not much of an expert in this field."

[Of the Quendi]

"Perhaps I can answer you dear sister." Aleera said always ready to defend the Hood. After all one of them, MIS Aleera, was named after her. "Should the Valor class cruisers manage to sneak up on the Hood, and thats a big if already there, then the Mogami would simply use its countermissiles against the Valor missiles. That would make the Hood class capable of sinking the Valor's who are only slightly faster then the Hood. Furthermore a problem with using ten Valors is that it would need a compement of nearly 6,000 men whereas a Hood and a Mogami wuld only require 1,500 making it a lot cheaper. Furthermore ten ships use more fuel then two and therefore it would actually be cheaper to use a Hood and a Mogami."

[Ulthrani]

Paladin-Governor Aurelius lost patience from listening to it all
"Alright!" he said, the delegates silenced "First off, if you use ten ships, you are generally going to have more crew, are you an idiot? that has to be the most obvious statement in human existance. an Ulthranian Naval Commander could have defeated those two vessels with only five of these so-called "Valor" cruisers. Mr Roberts, correct me on this, but do you remember the Traddus Manuever, used against your navy in the Ulthranian-Britannian War." he paused. "it's not the ship, it's the crew ladies and gentlemen. Now let us finish this and with whatever sum of money, I will take this and place it into the appropriate defense applications. I and I alone will formulate battlegroups and with what kinds of naval force. I will not render the SEC Navy to two ship battle-groups!"

He looked to the Itailian:

"And look, the Itailian likes to come here on his own accord, that's nice, but you are coming back with the entirety of the group after today is finished, we are in a military lockdown and just because we let you bring your own vehicles does not mean you can go wherever you want or you will not last very long here. Now, back to where we were. The Ulthranian Navy has told me that they are not willing to give this alliance our naval might for the sake of appeasing some nations. So with that said, I will render the decommissioning of an air-capable dreadnought, a drone carrier, an Anti-Aircraft Cruiser and three Missile Cruisers and a Servitus-Class Battleship, used to much effect."

[Aquilinia]

Felicia had enough of the Ultrhanians. If this went on like this for much longer, she'd lose her temper. Liz saw the glaring in her Empress' eyes. "Mylady, stay calm," she whispered. "You'll have to tolerate these people if you don't want't to cause a scandal like your sister did at the last summit. And for the gods' sake, take your hand off your sword!" Felicia relaxed. "Sorry, Liz." She turned to the governor. "Paladin-Governor, I will not tolerate you calling my sister an idiot. Last time she felt offended by a comment, she almost caused an international scandal. And if you continue treating us the way you are right now, I will not hesitate from causing another one. Does your nation not know the word 'hospitality'? Anyway, I think we are all right. A ship is nothing without its crew, but no matter how good the crew is, if their ship is a piece of floating rubbish, they will not be able to fight well. Also, I am of the opionion that diversity and adaptability is the key. If we want to be able to adapt to any situation, we need different types of ships. But I think this discussion about naval warfare has reached a dead end. There surely are other matters to discuss."

[Ulthrani]

Paladin-Governor Aurelius took offense to what she had just said
"May i remind you where you are!" he said firmly "What i should have done is followed protocol and kept you in your homes and waited till the lockdown was up and then let you leave, but no, I told the Emperor personally that I would allow these foreigners into my home and use it as the conference area. We have been more than hospitable, just because the Captain said an overly zealous remark does not make us barbarians, we are just too blunt for our own good." His assistance came to calm him down, he had his hand on his Gladius, he took a glass of water and drank it, from the Springs of Opus Dei, it is essentially holy spring water, where the saints were bathed. "With that said though, I will apologize for my remarks, as it is un-gentlemanly to do so"

"Now" he said firmly "The naval warfare discussion is now over, you will commit your own funding to the navy and your own naval ships can be sent, we will be calling a rally latter in the month" He sighed and finished his glass of water and asked his assistance for a cup of coffee, the most delicious in the land.

"Now, we come onto the humanitarian service. The Ulthranian-Renthorian Society within the city of Nova-Roma in the Ulthranian countryside asked us to formulate a proper humanitarian plan, as well as peacetime operators to go to disaster zones and impovished nations in time of crisis. Any questions?"

[St George of England]

"I have one." Edward said. "Charitable endeavours in the Holy Empire are committed through the Holy Orders, the Templars, the Teutons, the Order of Edward IV, and so on. But the orders are also military orders, and members perform both military and peacetime operations. How do we separate the two? Considering how the Chapter Members must be armed at all times, as is present in their code of conduct."

Edward paused for a moment. "We should also look at setting up a fast response unit, or a series of fast response units, near to areas which are likely to fall victim to humanitarian disasters. How the SEC fund, equip and support this?"

[Aquilinia]

"I wasn't talking about the captain. I was talking about you, Governor. You insulted Princess Aleera, my sister, by effectively calling her an idiot. But let's forget about that for now." Felicia beckoned to her attendant, who opened a file on her netbook and pushed it over towards the Empress. "Before me, I have this year's budget, approved by the Imperial Senate. According to those numbers, we have 150 billion standard dollars left of our surplus after subtracting the money we will be paying to the SEC. We are ready to give this money to nations who need it. I propose that if a nation wants to have financial aid from the SEC, it has to make an application directly to the Coalition. If the SEC approves of the application, it will issue a suggestion of how much should be given, and, if applicable, what rate of interest will have to be paid.. It will up to every member nation whether to follow that suggestion or not. I also agree to the honoured delegate from the Empire of St George, in that we need a fast response unit. However, I think these should be funded by the member nations individually. We shouldn't hand over too much to the Coalition."

[Reformed Britannia]

James' eyes narrowed as the Paladin-Governor spoke. His shoulders broadened out, and his brow seemed set in a near-scowl. The comments that he perceived were directed against Aleera had affected him more than the Governor's boasts about the capabilities of Ulthranian naval commanders; he looked stung. Leaning forward in his chair, he fought off the old military urge to rise out of his chair and allow a torrent of sharp rebukes to escape his lips; he could think of a thousand things to say, but the Governor's mind was set, and not one would serve any purpose.
"Very well, then, Governor. With the naval matters decided," he said, pausing there for only a moment, "I believe we have other matters to discuss. I must also state that I agree with Her Majesty's proposition for a set percentage of government surplus to go towards an SEC economic fund, and personally believe that rate should be around 15%. If every nation gives we will have an ample supply of capital to bail out economies." Roberts leaned back in his chair, relaxing a little bit.

"Now, there is something my government has to, ah, come clean about. Previously, you-as well as the Britannian public-were led to believe that all Britannian intelligence operations were carred out by the Office of Military Intelligence, a regulated, human rights abiding organization." James gulped, loosening his tie slightly.
"It is my displeasure to inform you that OMI does not exist. It is a shadow organization that distributes what amounts to declassified intelligence from our real intelligence organizations: the Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, and the Security Service, also known as MI5." James paused, knowing that the revelation in itself was not startling.
"Both of those organizations are unregulated." James hoped he wouldn't have to go into detail on this one; what he said meant that either organization could have commited gross human rights violations in pursuit of intelligence. It depended on the methods of the agents involved, usually, but there were always some brutal ones. He then held up the black dossier from before, and slid it towards the middle of the table.

"Some of you are already aware of their existence; most are not. This, however, is a dossier of declassified intelligence reports-on the nations present at this conference. Don't worry, they're very old. But this is intended as a show of goodwill-and more importantly, gathering up support for cooperation between our intelligence agencies. MI6 and MI5 boast a fairly impressive record; in fact, one could say that they are the sword and shield of Britannia respectively, as they are used far more often in their respective roles than any branch of the armed forces. It is these organizations which carry out the will of our government most of the time."

[Ulthrani]

"Like i said most benevolent one" Aurelius said, he did not wish to disappoint Emperor Coriolanus, who was far more blunt than he was "I do apologize for my offense to your kin and I have been stressed as of late, I, err, lost someone close to me in the war, I have not been myself."
He however, did not want to show mercy to the other delegates.

"Roberts, how exactly will this affect the meeting by any chance, how will this progress the day"

[Aquilinia]

"It seems to me that Mr Roberts wants to discuss co-operation between the intelligence services of our nations. I would surely like to read the dossier your services compiled about Aquilinia, Mr Roberts. How old are the files? Anyway, the Intelligence Division of the Aquiline Guard is likely ready to co-operate with your services. The other parts of our intelligence services, however, will not. Their existence, and their respecive roles, are highely classified, and I will not give away these informations easily. However, I think this should be discussed later."

[Reformed Britannia]

James looked at the dossier, and tapped his fingers on the black leather binding. He looked over at the Governor, and motioned to the dossier as he spoke.
"This dossier? Not much, considering the files are anywheres from 8 years to a decade old. But further cooperation between our intelligence services will be one of the most beneficial things we could achieve. Other alliances have plenty of military and economic cooperation but almost no intelligence sharing, and they make no effort to network at least some of their intelligence service with those of other nations. If we do so, the advantages we will have will be unprecedented. Our agents will have safe places to stay all over the world, and if our intelligence services work together they may share amongst each other a great wealth of knowledge. In fact, if the nations of the SEC coordinate their intelligence services, we could have the most efficient network of intelligence operatives in the world. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is no mere statement." James paused a little, his left hand still on the inch-thick dossier.

"We don't have to share every little aspect of our knowledge, as intelligence organizations cannot fully open up to one another. Only small parts of MI6 and MI5 will be working with the other intelligence services.But if there is some degree of cooperation between the states composing this alliance, I can guarantee that the efficiency of our departments will grow. If, however, there are other matters that the delegates would wish to discuss beforehand," he said, nodding at the Empress, "I would be willing to participate in said discussions first."James leaned back in his chair, pulling the dossier back towards him.

[Ulthrani]

"i'm getting too old for this crap" he said drinking the freshly made coffee given to him just moments earlier "Well the only portion of our intelligence that is willing to openly operate on this regard without removing their secrecy is the Ulthranian Intelligence Force. I will have this sent to the director in Opus Dei City. All other branches are, you know, the whole "they only exist in shadow" blah blah blah. I know the director, he's worked with MI5 during the separatist attacks on Kensington, their good men and I don't think they will step down from a superior intelligence network, so expect positive approaval across the board."

(Okay, this is going to seem confusing, but basically the area we are in, which is Greater Opus Dei, is basically a collective of government buildings, monuments and housing for government officials. Greater Opus Dei is basically a holy site, which is why the Ulthranian people don't like unblessed foreigners on their holy grounds. You'll all be blessed by the Patriarch so that you can return more favorably. Opus Dei City is about ninety kilometres westward of the area and is a huge city. His home is a home for the Paladin-Governors, whom are specially ranked governors)

He paused

"Now, I am moving onto a bit of multi-tasking. The Humanitarian Service is going to be a civilian effort, however, in the regard that military forces are faster and easier to deploy than civilians, then yes. But in general standing, it's a civilian effort"

[Reformed Britannia]

James tented his fingers, and listened to the Paladin-Governor speak. When he was finished, James nodded.
"I have no doubt that the Britannian Red Cross would be willing to send members to take part in the Humanitarian Service, and my government would have no problems funding it. We'd also be willing to send supplies with the Humanitarian Service to wherever they are being deployed."

[Blademasters765]

Louis just listened to the basic arguing of the delegates, he noted the Ulthrani delegates tone and behaviour towards everyone, he noted on the paper that the man was nothing but a older, with no education in the art of diplomacy, a mindless soldier who thinks he is above everyone, he then folded the piece of paper up and put it in his pocket

"Esteemed delegates it seems we have only just started and we are already getting a bit stressed, I suggest we take a 10 minute recess so we can report home and reorganise our notes" Louis looked around to see if anyone agreed

[Aquilinia]

Felicia nodded. "I agree. We need a break, to cool down a bit. Also, I need to call my Senior Councillor, there's some things I have to discuss with her. And maybe some refreshments would help us get back our energy, so we can concentrate on business again. But we shouldn't take too long of a break, it's still early, and we still have much to discuss. What does our host think about this?" She beckoned to the Paladin-Governor.