Sulamze Liberty Gala [TWI Only|IC|Open]

[Havalland]

“Well it’s not like it used to be, usually growing up now involves homeschooling and making sure we understand the government and the political system, a long time ago it was all about how well you could swing a sword but now it’s more important that we know how to make our citizens happy while also making sure the economy is stable.” She took a sip of her drink before continuing
“My brother has been focused on continuing our father’s work in lowering unemployment. But life is quite privileged I can’t lie but I’m not ashamed of it, some may not understand but I don’t just sit around looking pretty all day, I work hard making sure my people are fed and Happy.”

[Mokov]

Petrenko sips on his drink, and turns to Elizabeth. “Sounds like you do far more for your people than the J Mokovkā line ever did. Ivan XII was, if I’m not mistaken, the first Krōl to actually attempt reform on any level, but his incompetence as a leader led to his being deposed.”

[Havalland]

“Yes he was quite interested in learning what I did, he may have been a bad ruler but he is a sweet man I’m happy to have met him even if I have to wear the pants in the house ” said the princess she sipped her drink before speaking. “I think the hard part was getting him to understand how different Havalland was to how he’s read in story books. By the way miss Mia if you would like I have a few books on old Havallish tales if you like that sort of thing.”

[Brulafi]

"In Brulafi, it's been custom that in order to be a ruler of the state, or of a clan, or some such organization, you have to live amongst the lowest common denominator, or even be a member of it yourself. It's been around since the ancient days of the clans and mountain tribes, but we still do it to this day." Navant took another bite of steak, then finished after he stopped chewing. "In fact, our current State President started out as a humble member of the Tuurantaly Electrician's Union. You really have to rise through the Party and government ranks to get that high in the government.

"I mean, I used to be a tram driver, myself. I think that's the best way to make sure your leaders listen to the people—make the leaders be the people, yeah?" Navant had a wistful, almost reminiscing smile on his face as he recalled this.

[Mokov]

“I understand that idea fully”, the Marshal says, “We Cossacks have no real concept of nobility, at least back in Mokov. Every position, and I mean every position, is earned through hard labor and sheer force of will.”

[Sulamze]

"That would be lovely, thank you." Mia replied to the princesses offer. She turned to Navant. "That is quite an interesting philosophy. We share a similar point of view. In Sulamze people in positions of political power aren't your standard politician. They're typically experts in some field who are call upon by the people when decisions must be made." Mia took a bite of salmon, chewed, swallowed, and continued. "Of course there are those who win their way through charisma alone but these people often make fools of themselves in Congress."

[Mokov]

“On paper that sounds like the perfect system, but reality has shown that the people are more likely to throw their support behind some silver tongued fascist compared to a proven expert. Look at what happened to the Mokov Democratic Republic. It began as a true democracy, but put too much power into the hands of the masses, paving the way for Anton Markevic to seize power. The masses need some sort of guidance in order to make the right choices.”

[Sulamze]

"Oh I disagree Marshal." Mia began, pouring herself a glass of mead. "Tell me comrade, is the purpose of socialism not the empowerment of the workers? How can one simultaneously empower and dis-empower the people?"

[Wellsia]

I am afraid I have to agree with the Marshal, one needs training and breeding to lead. On a ship, there can only one captain, so a country can only have one ruler. You can not govern a nation by committee. Since I was seven, my great grandfather has prepared me to become king. Most people want to be led, they need someone to show them the right way.

[Mokov]

“Understand that I am not a socialist, Ms. Visser, but a republican. The failure of a system comes when it gives too much power to the easily fooled, and fails to establish a competent leader at the head of government.” Marshal Petrenko then turns to Prince Victor. “Monarchies go too far in the opposite direction, giving the people zero agency over their own leadership. I must once again fall upon the Mokovi example. Our last three Krōliz have been in order: a paranoid lunatic who set up the KBA, an autocrat who further empowered it and forcefully stopped any attempts at reform, and a well meaning idiot, who thought he could trust Yegor Kalintov.”

[Magtel]

After the hearing the sound of a chopper approach, stop briefly then take off again, the doors opened up to the main hall with two figures stepping through the door in a delicate manner as to not disrupt ongoing conversations.
The first of the two was a woman in her mid 30s, tall and statuesque, standing just shy of 1.9 metres. She wore a well-fitting black suit that displayed her heavy muscular build, had dark skin, sunken dark eyes and short frizzy black hair styled in a military cut. There was a stoic feel about the expression she carried, dignified and stern. As she entered, she lingered by the door until her companion entered behind her, making a quick sweep of the room with her gaze before leaning to her companion as he passed in front of her saying "Todo parece seguro señor Carranza".
The second figure to enter the room was a thin man in his early 40s standing at around 1.85 metres, He wore a deep red dress suit, brown dress shoes and a white shirt under his jacket that lay unbuttoned around the neck. His skin was olive colored, his narrow, clean-shaven face full of angles and planes, his hair was black and slicked back, his eyes were hazy grey and his high bridged nose gave him a hawkish appearance. He entered the room with a full smile that radiated warmth, and after spotting the other representatives, briefly turned to his companion and stated "Gracias Carla, no creo que pase nada pero mantente alerta por si de caso" before turning back and heading towards the gathered delegates and representatives, leaving his companion by the door.
As he got close to the others who he now noticed were beginning to eat around the banquet table, he put his left hand on his chest and bowed towards the host as a sign of respect, he looked up and turned looking at all the seated representatives. Maintaining his genteel smile he addressed the attendants with a slight Spanish accent:
"My sincerest apologies for our delay to this prestigious Gala, we would have arrived sooner had it not been for a mix up with our transportation. Our armoured vehicle had been compromised in the journey over from Magtel, so we had to request a chopper to bring us here", turning then to Mia Visser, he reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small ornate ivory box, with small wave-like patterns carved into the outside casing. Popping open the box before laying in front of his host, the upper lid opened up to reveal an emerald the size of the palm of his hand that shined with a virescent glow that seemed to dance in the room's lighting.
"A gift from President Gustavo Rodolfo and the Archduke Rodrigo de la Rosa for the people of Sulamze, they hope it will show their good intentions in sending me here". Now standing upright, the man continued "My name is Francisco Carranza, I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Grand Duchy of Magtel, and my companion by the door is my head of security Carla Monferrato, thank you for having us."
Following to his seat at the banquet table, he folded his napkin on to his lap and began cutting a slice out of his starter.
"I hope my arrival did not interrupt anything too vital, please do continue as though I had not, I would hate to interject in important matters."

[Mokov]

Petrenko nods towards the newest arrival. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gospodin Carranza, I am Ihor Petrenko, Grand Marshal of Trosrod. I would rise to greet you properly, but my injuries do not allow it.”

[Magtel]

Petrenko nods towards the newest arrival. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gospodin Carranza, I am Ihor Petrenko, Grand Marshal of Trosrod. I would rise to greet you properly, but my injuries do not allow it.”

"The pleasure is mine Don Petrenko" said Carranza, returning the nod. "Please, remain seated. I would not look to cause you any discomfort" he said in a reassuring tone, in an attempt to appease the Marshall who was clearly suffering from his leg injury. "Your accomplishments against the MDR and MPR precede you Marshall, I am glad to see they have not been capable of disposing of a man of such talent such as yourself. Of course, I am sure that our fellow Havallish attendants who share your fight feel this gratitude as well."
Carranza took his first bite of the salmon steak that had been laid before him and swallowed. It was one of the most exquisite bites of salmon he had ever tasted, and reminded him of a similar dish he enjoyed on of his short stop in Vancouvia on the journey to Sulamze. "Must be something about the fish in the north of the Isles" he thought to himself before turning his attention to the Duchess Elizabeth and Crown Prince Victor.
"Your Highness, the Duke Rodrigo and his son Ducal Prince Vicente asked me to send their regards to the both of you, and wish that you are both well. They would have liked to attend the Gala but recognised it was a matter of great importance for international diplomacy and potential new foreign policies, and thus knew it was beyond their constitutional powers and better left in the government's care. They hope their family may meet yours soon for a more casual affair." he said to the two royal dignitaries at the table, remembering how eager the young ducal heir, only recently turned 18, was to prove himself to the other young royals of the Isles. Carranza exhaled through his nose in a subtle laugh thinking of the young Vicente de la Rosa, still a boy in his eyes. "Such a bright, yet naive soul" he pondered, "I wonder what kind of man he will grow up to be, how would he mix with these foreign royals, who all wield much more power than he ever will..."
Bringing his attention back to the table before letting it wonder on, he wanted to make sure to address everyone at the table before getting to the matters he wanted to bring up with his host.
"Secretary Prijordef, it is nice to meet you. Have you seen the news from this week? We seem to have uncovered a relic of shared history between our nations, I'm sure the Minister of Culture would be eager to set up some kind of tour where we could lend the submarine wreckage to some of your museums for a time, it being a relic of the liberation of Brulafi and all."

As Carranza continued to delight in the salmon steak, he addressed Mia Visser, his hostess. "Doña Visser, would you care to enlighten us with some knowledge regarding the Labor and Logistical Optimization Matrix? I am very curious as to how such a machine could operate" he asked. "A far cry from the first calculator featured in this museum I am sure" he joked with a warm smile, as to make his question about the L.L.O.M. sound less intrusive.

[Sulamze]

Mia was shocked at Carranza's display. The emerald was beautiful, glinting in the light of the room, sending tiny dots of light scattering across her face. "Oh my! Thank you sir.The Sulamze people thank you." She took a sip of mead and thought to herself how thankful she was Carranza arrived. Victor was beginning to irritate. His disrespect towards the Sulamze people and their ways was unsettling.

When Carranza spoke to her she perked up. "Oh! Well I'm no mathematician but I had a friend explain it to me once. The way they explained it was like this. Everything made in an economy takes something else to be made. For example to make steel you need iron and carbon and other things. They all come together to make the steel. So what L.L.O.M. does is look at how much steel we need and works backwards to tell us how much of everything else we need. And it does this for almost everything Sulamze produces."

[Mokov]

Iosef Petrenko pauses eating and pulls a dark blue notebook from a coat pocket and starts to write. “Excuse my rudeness, but I feel I must bring this economic model back to Hetman Federov, as it may be the catalyst our nation needs to defeat our enemies in the home island.”

[Magtel]

-snip-

"Please Doña Visser, no need to thank me for the gift, it is the least we could bring to an event like this. It's not everyday a more ideologically...robust, nation like Sulamze opens its doors to representatives like me who come from the 'other side of the aisle' if you will." he said with a nod towards his hostess, a gesture of humility.
Finishing up his salmon steak, he lifted up his napkin from his lap to wipe the corners of his mouth. "I must say, this salmon was delightful, my compliments to the chef" he said as he lowered his napkin and placed it back on the table.
"The L.L.O.M. sounds like an impressive piece of machinery, indeed it must be for your nation to put such trust in it" said Carranza as he adjusted his position in his chair, leaning back with his left elbow on the table, lifting his hand up next to his face.
"I am sure my president would agree, for if he could garner the same trust as L.L.O.M. does here among Magtelan voters he wouldn't have to worry so much about his reelection campaign" he said with a laugh. "So much faith in an algorithm" he thought to himself, "though I do suppose humans are just as susceptible to tampering" he mused, his thoughts starting to drift again.
He dismissed his private thoughts with a slight head shake and looked up at Miss Visser again.
"You know Doña Visser, my nation is rich in minerals like copper and lithium, I am sure that the wiring and batteries that one could produce with those materials could be useful for the upkeep and expansion of a sophisticated system like your L.L.O.M." he said, still maintaining his genteel smile, although his tone somewhat more serious.
"Of course, I recognise the optics of engaging in trade with a more fiscally open nation such as mine may be contentious with the Confederated Congress' ideology, we merely wanted to suggest the idea as we thought it quite pragmatic."
Assuming a more upright position now, Carranza reached for the wine bottle to pour himself a glass of white. "But that is probably a conversation to be had at a different time, in the meantime I wanted to suggest a toast to our most gracious host for putting together such a lovely gala" he said as he lifted his glass up in a toasting motion with one hand, while keeping the other close to the table, waving in subtle movements as if it were conducting the orchestra playing in the background.

[Wellsia]

Victor was impressed by the Magtelian emissary. The idea of the L.L.O.M. economic plan should work equally as well for Wellsia as Sulamaze. "Minister Carranza, I'm sure that Lady Mia and Sulamaze are open for trade with decadent nations like ours or they wouldn't have been nice enough to invite us to this shindig. Lady Mia, I find this economic matrix extremely fascinating and I'm sure the brain trusts back in Wellsia will find it equally so."
Taking the last bite of salmon from his plate, Prince Victor leaned back and sighed. "Also, I have to agree, this was some of the best salmon I have every had, your chef has outdone, even the royal chefs at the palace". With a chuckle Victor continued, "This knowledge I will not bring back to Edoras, I'm not sure how the chefs back home would take being out performed."Now, Milady, if I may be so bold, what is the purpose behind this gala?"

[Mokov]

“If I may interrupt somewhat, while I don’t know the precise reason for the Gala, I at least am here to gather support for Trosrod in the fight against the MDR and MPR. As wonderful as diplomatic niceties are, I simply cannot afford to lose sight of my ultimate goal here.”

[Sulamze]

"Well, the Confederated Congress organized this gala for a couple reasons. First of all I was tasked with building connections with nations in the Isles. Sulamze wishes to reach out and expand its international relationships. Mia leaned forward and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers. The orchestra began a new tune as workers cleared empty plates. "Secondly this gala has been organized to demonstrate the successes of Sulamze style socialism. To show the world our great and free nation."

[Wellsia]

“I’m not wholly convinced of the success of socialism, but your culture does produce mighty fine chefs.” Victor leaned back with a sigh. Straighten himself back up, Victor looked at the other guest. “I will say this Milady Mia, you have succeeded in bringing a variety of representatives together. We have two who represent socialist nations, two representing monarchies, who are ruled, one who is in truth a democracy, pretending to have a monarch and the Marshal. I do not know what lasting results this gala may bring, but I have seen a system in complete opposite of my own nation and all that I had known as absolutes. I do hope that the things I have seen and heard will help make me a better king when the time comes. Now Marshal Petrenko, we know your motive for coming, I’m curious, why would any of us be more inclined to support the Trosod Horde over your enemies? Especially since they have more to offer either in ideology, trade or wealth.

[Mokov]

“While you raise valid points, I must point out that Trosrod is the only nation that isn’t actively hostile to foreign nations. The MDR is ruled by brutal fascists that seek to conquer themselves an empire, and the MPR is an iron fisted dictatorship, ideologically opposed to everyone here. As for wealth, it simply doesn’t exist among the three nations of Mokov; this civil war has destroyed the economy on the island. Finally, the Hetman has authorized me to make a deal with any nation who provides assistance in taking back Mokov with exclusive access to a stretch of the Central Mokovi oil fields. Supporting Trosrod is the only option that will ensure a friendly power in control of the island.”

[Havalland]

“Well I have to admit this is one of the more successful models I’ve seen” Elizabeth said being polite.
“I believe that both of our governments can coexist, perhaps I shall invite you to the annual summer festival in Kingston, it’s similar to a renaissance festival, I find it enlightening to see the culture and understanding the people of other nations and would love for you to visit Havalland and experience it.” She added enthusiastically, hoping not to offend but rather make friends with Mia, it’s important to paint Havalland as positively as possible and make friends.

[Sulamze]

"Visiting Havalland sounds beautiful." Mia smiled. As she spoke workers brought out platters piled high with pastries. Fried cones of bread stuffed with jam, buns drizzled with caramel and spices, braids of softly baked covered in powdered sugar and molasses cookies the size of someone's head. Mia's smile grew. "Oh! My favorite part of a meal!"

[Mokov]

Petrenko smiles. “In times as dark and bitter as these, one needs sweetness to make it through the day.”